Youth wins sled in AMHC’s annual Sno-Run raffle
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — A Fort Kent youth was the lucky winner of the 2011 Polaris Youth 120 snowmobile donated by County Sports of Caribou and raffled off during the seventh annual Andy Santerre Sno-Run — proceeds of which went to benefit AMHC’s Sexual Assault Services.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
DYLAN OUELLETTE, 11, of Fort Kent, pictured at left, accepts the keys to his new 2011 Polaris Youth 120 snowmobile from Joe Chamberlain, event organizer for AMHC’s seventh annual Andy Santerre Sno-Run, held in Caribou Feb. 12. Ouellette’s raffle ticket was drawn during the dinner and auction at the Caribou Inn & Convention Center. The winner and his parents traveled down from their home in Fort Kent last week to pick up the machine at County Sports Polaris in Caribou. County Sports has donated a sled every year since the fundraiser first began.
“Dylan Ouellette, 11, was recognized as the youngest rider in this year’s Sno-Run to attend the dinner. In addition, his ticket was drawn as the winner of the youth snowmobile,” said Joe Chamberlain, event organizer.
Dylan Ouellette is no stranger to snowmobiling, having done it for as long as he can remember.
“I’ve been riding most of my life, but this was my first Sno-Run. It was fun,” he said.
His father, Kevin Ouellette, said this isn’t the first raffle the family’s entered but was the first they’d won.
“We bought the ticket in the morning. This was just Dylan’s year. We buy tickets every time we see something like this. But this was the first prize we’ve really won,” said Kevin Ouellette.
The Ouellettes are no strangers to snowmobiling, with father and son spending a lot of quality time together.
“We like to drag race. Dylan’s pretty good — has actually beaten me a few times. He has an eye for going off the line,” said Kevin Ouellette, noting the Polaris is actually a bit small for his son, so they may put it on the market.
“He wants to sell it and use the money toward his Formula Ski-Doo — a 600. We have friends up north that can’t find a machine like he won, so we may be able to sell it. We could then use the money toward his racing sled — and use a bit to pamper his mom, too, for putting up with us,” said the father.
Dylan Ouellette said he’s been riding sleds since he first started walking.
“My first one was a Kitty Kat when I was about a year and a half old. I had a Mini 2 the following year,” said the Valley Rivers Middle School sixth-grader.
The 2011 Polaris 120 Assault is a youth-style snowmobile equipped with a 121cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder, OHV, four-stroke engine and a continuously variable (CVT) transmission.
It has an independent trailing arm front suspension with three inches of travel. The mini Indy rear suspension has seven inches of travel.
The 120 Assault has rear drum brakes. It was introduced in 2004 and is carryover for 2011. Tickets for the youth snowmobile sold for $5 apiece or three tickets for $10. It booked for approximately $2,500.
Chamberlain said tickets sales were great this year, raising almost twice the sled’s value for AMHC.
“We raised about $4,600 in ticket sales on the sled alone,” he said.
Chamberlain said County Sports Polaris has been a strong supporter of AMHC’s annual fundraiser from the very beginning.
“They’ve been donating sleds for us to raffle since Day 1,” said Chamberlain. Myron Hale was our first sponsor and has been onboard ever since.”
The Ouellettes picked up the machine at County Sports the week following the Sno-Run festivities, Feb. 12, which included a 100-mile ride to Chapman for lunch and back to the Caribou Inn & Convention Center, an autograph session/social hour, with the event concluding with a dinner and auction — activities that raised a record $50,000 this year for the agency to help spread awareness and provide sexual assault services to those in need in Aroostook County.
Dylan Ouellette said he was pleased with his prize, as he accepted the keys from Chamberlain during a photo op at County Sports.
“I was excited when they drew my ticket at the dinner. I’ve never won anything before,” said Dylan Ouellette.
