Sports in brief . . .

Snowmobile Club to host Benefit Spaghetti Lunch
    There will be a Benefit Spaghetti Lunch to benefit Greg Veinote, Owner of Spud Speedway on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008 at 12 noon at the Presque Isle Snowmobile Club. There will also be a toy drive, so please bring a gift of clothng to donate to a child. (If gift wrapped, please indicate if for a boy or a girl and age.) Any questions, call Jeff at 764-0251 or Mike at 764-8313.
Skate with the Bears
   You can “Skate with the Bears” on Dec. 14!
   The Friends of Maine Hockey presents the annual “Skate with the Bears” on Sunday, Dec. 14 from 2-4 p.m. Join the 2008-2009 University of Maine men’s and women’s ice hockey teams on the ice at the Alfond Arena in Orono. This popular family event is a great opportunity for fans of all ages to meet the players and have their pictures taken. Pick up a free player autograph sheet and gather as many autographs as you can. Collect the new 2008-2009 UMaine hockey player cards. Meet Bananas! Have a custom photo pin made!
  This event is free and open to the public. So tie up your skates, grab a camera and come Skate with the Bears!
Washburn school receives honors
    Laura Gardiner, physical education teacher at Washburn District Elementary School, recently accepted two awards from the American Heart Association at the annual Maine Association for Physical Education, Recreation and Dance conference.
    This year’s conference was held Nov. 2-4 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport and was attended by more than 500 physical education instructors and other health professionals.   
    Washburn District Elementary School first received an award as the first-place school in Jump Rope For Heart/Hoops For Heart’s Division III for raising $12,001. WDES was also awarded fifth place in the Northeast Affiliate Top 10, which includes schools from not only Maine, but Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and parts of New York state. For the third year in a row, Washburn is also one of only two schools from Maine to make the nation’s top-100 (72nd) list for total money raised in combined jump and hoops events.
    Students at WDES have now raised a 24-year total of $131,794.64.