Following is a look at the top sports stories in the region in 2024, beginning with the first six months.
February
Though the snow was low, the Can-Am Crown sled dog races, Fort Kent’s largest annual event, was set to go from March 1-5. The event saw a slight increase in people signed up due to cancellations happening elsewhere in the country. At the time, it was among the only races of its kind scheduled for the lower 48 states.
By the end of the month, however, organizers called off the Can-Am sled dog races due to unseasonably warm temperatures and low levels of snow. The forecasted temperature during the race was in the 40s, with a heavy rain storm predicted just ahead of the races. This type of weather turns the trails into mud, causing dogs to overexert themselves and potentially risk injury.
The fifth annual Acadian Pond Hockey Classic was set to return, but with a slightly earlier date after the 2023 tournament was canceled due to warmer temperatures and uncertainties regarding ice stability. The date was moved to late February as opposed to mid-March, helping organizers avoid a similar situation.
The Wisdom boys defeated Washburn 61-53 in a tense Class D North playoff basketball game. Washburn had a four-point lead at the end of the first quarter, with a score of 9-5 in their favor. But by halftime Wisdom gained, and maintained, a close lead for the remainder of the game.
The boys and girls teams from Fort Kent Community High School secured victories at the MPA Nordic Ski Championships, held on Titcomb Mountain in Farmington on Feb. 19 and 20. The victory came shortly after the Fort Kent boys and girls both won the 2024 Class B Alpine Ski Title earlier in the year, which ski coach Carl Theriault said he had never seen in his 25-year career.
March
While this year’s warmer weather canceled events around Aroostook County such as the Can-Am sled dog race, organizers still planned to hold the 2024 US Biathlon National Championships in Fort Kent in late March. The event, hosted at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center, has never been canceled in its 25-year history, however Chief of Competition Carl Theriault noted earlier in the month that the town had the least amount of snow he’d seen in 30 years.
Thanks to snowfall and the Fort Kent Outdoor Center’s ability to create snow, the 2024 US Biathlon Championships proceeded without any issues. Unexpectedly cold temperatures, however, did push all Friday morning events ahead by one hour. Altogether, the event brought in about 145 athletes.
April
The Fort Kent girls tennis team defeated Presque Isle in a match that they hosted against Presque Isle. Fort Kent registered a 4-1 win.
Fort Kent was among nine schools that competed in a late April varsity track and field event held at Cameron Stadium in Bangor. Other Aroostook schools in participation included Fort Fairfield, Presque Isle, Southern Aroostook, and Washburn.
May
The Fort Kent boys and girls tennis teams hosted Caribou on May 21. The Caribou girls defeated Fort Kent with a 3-2 victory. The Caribou boys also defeated Fort Kent with a 5-0 victory. The Fort Kent boys and girls then hosted Van Buren on May 22. The Fort Kent girls beat Van Buren with a 3-2 victory and the Fort Kent boys defeated Van Buren with a 4-1 victory.
Van Buren boys and girls tennis teams defeated Houlton in two games on May 2. Van Buren boys won with a 5-0 victory, and the girls won with a 4-1 score.
June
Fort Kent girls hosted Van Buren on June 4 for a Class C North quarterfinal tennis match. Fort Kent won the match with a 5-1 victory and advanced to compete against George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill.
Part 2 of the year in review will be published in next week’s St. John Valley Times.
