Participation level high
in FF festival sporting events
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
FORT FAIRFIELD — Sunday’s Spud Cycle Classic 25-Mile Bike Race capped off a busy week of sporting events held during the Maine Potato Blossom Festival.
BICYCLISTS 
head onto the Dorsey Road in Fort Fairfield to begin Sunday’s Spud Cycle Classic Bike Race. That 25-mile race included 36 participants.
With 36 bicyclists competing, Thad Lavalle came in first place with a time of 1 hour and 4 minutes. Nine followed closely behind, including Von Perry, Jim Wahlgemetz, Jared Dickinson, Gregg Collins, Shawn Berry, Justin Perry, Francis Violette, Roger Doucette and Phil Boody.
The first female was Patricia Hebert, who finished in 1:14:11.
ON THE MOVE are the 70 runners taking part in Saturday’s Maine Potato Blossom 5 Miler, held in Fort Fairfield. In front is Thomas Beckum and just behind him from left are Austin Bixler, Craig Schiff, P.J. Gorneault, Evan Graves and Finn Bondeson. 
Eli Pangburn was the male winner of the 12-mile youth race with a time of 40:48. The first female was Emily Bourgoin in 47:20.
The overall winners in Saturday’s annual 5 Miler Road Race were P.J. Gorneault and Gabrielle Cyr in the running category and Joe Doherty in the walkers’ division.
Gorneault finished in 26:50 and Cyr in 32:53, which was good enough for 11th overall out of 70 runners.
Doherty was the fastest out of 19 in the walk. His time was 1:00.07.
Following Gorneault in the men’s top 10 were Curtis Wheeler (27:47), Brandon Lasater (28:14), Evan Graves (28:28), Thomas Beckum (29:38), Finn Bondeson (29:57), Jose Batista (30:16), Chris Rines (30:28), Paul Johnson (30:50) and Joey Bard (31:07).
The top racers after Cyr in the women’s category were Marie Beckum (33:36), Alecia Palmer (35:45), Stephanie Brewer (36:29) and Kim Wright (37:16).
Rounding out the top five walkers were Calvin Deschene (1:05:56), Rene Gorneault (1:07:54), Michelle Roy (1:07:54) and Barb Turner (1:09:15).
Age division winners were Alexis Coiley and Logan Spittle, 14 and under; Palmer and Batista, 15-18; Beckum and Wheeler, 19-29; Brewer and Graves, 30-39; Ellen Bemis and Jeff Ashby, 40-49; Wright and Leo Kashian, 50-59; Lynn Soucy and Larry Tonzi, 60-69; and Art Thompson, 70 and over.
For the 78-year-old Thompson, it was his 38th consecutive 5 Miler race.
Austin Bixler received an award for being the first Fort Fairfield resident to finish. He placed 29th overall.
The Aroostook River Regatta took place Saturday afternoon. Fred and Beth Ludwig’s time of 49:50 in their kayak gave them top honors.
Fran Cyr had the fastest canoe and was second overall in 53:57. Dave McCrossin (53:58), Corey Park (56:20), James Park (58:17) and Tom Towle (58:35), all in canoes, followed.
In seventh was River Bourgoin in 1:03:14, with eighth-place going to Rob and Malcolm Langner (1:04:40), ninth to Ian Towle and Colin McKenney (1:05:46) and 10th to Paul Towle (1:05:47).
There were 45 entrants in the six-mile paddle from Forbes Gravel Pit on the Caribou Road into Fort Fairfield.
ADMIRING HIS DRIVE 
at Saturday’s three-player golf scramble held at Aroostook Valley Country Club is Himie Towle III, whose team claimed the win in the first division.
Saturday was also the day of the annual three-man scramble golf tournament held at Aroostook Valley Country Club. Forty six teams participated. Winning the first division with a gross score of 61 was the trio of Tom Towle, Himie Towle III and Don Cassidy, Jr.
Taking first in the second division, with a 63, was the team of Ron Crouse, James Bruce and Adam Bruce.
In the ladies division, winning with a 67 were Lynn Ritchford, Mary Walton Rossignol and Carol Mulholland.
In the three-on-three basketball tournament, which took place last Tuesday, the team of Alan Campbell, Mark Sirois, Andre Roy and Noah Bernard went undefeated in the double-elimination event which included 13 teams.
Placing second was the team made up of Aaron Wasson, Anthony Knowlton, Kris Snyder, Bruce Nason and Josh Booth.
A couple youth events were also held earlier in the week.
KALEIGH KINNEY 
of Presque Isle competes in a race during the Maine Potato Blossom Festival swim meet, held in Fort Fairfield last Wednesday.
Last Wednesday was the swim meet at the Fort Fairfield Municipal Pool. Presque Isle came away with the victory with 515 points, with host FF taking second with 205 and Caribou third with 99.
High-point winners were Erica Hemphill, Alex Hemphill, Parker Lambert, Madelyn Wing, Ryan Watson, Joshua Watson, Ryllan Thibeault and Caijsa Benson, all of Presque Isle; and Gabbie Wortman and Cassidy Coiley, both of Fort Fairfield.
LOOKING TO THROW 
a runner out at home is Presque Isle first baseman Libby Boone during last Tuesday’s junior softball tourney game against Caribou.
The junior softball tournament for 8 to 12-year-olds began Tuesday in Fort Fairfield and finished up with the championship game being played Thursday in Caribou.
In the finals, Caribou doubled up on FF, 10-5. Ashley Matlock had four hits and Rachel Soucy had three to lead the way for the winners, who had beaten Presque Isle in extra innings in the quarterfinals before topping Madawaska in the semis, 18-4.
Eight teams competed. The others were Mars Hill, Limestone, Ashland and Houlton.
