Sports has always played a key role in my life. I played high school basketball at Mt. Ararat and as a post-graduate at Maine Central Institute. After playing at Lyndon State in the late 70’s and early 80’s, I was a college basketball coach for nine years. I earned a master’s degree from Indiana University and was a women’s assistant basketball coach at Kent State and PITT before becoming a head coach at age 28. My women’s teams at Keene State College won back-to-back Division II ECAC championships while setting school records for wins both years and I was named the New England Collegiate Athletic Conference “Coach of the Year” in 1988. After KSC, I started the men’s basketball program at Colby-Sawyer College, leading the first team, made up entirely of freshmen, to a 13-12 record against Division III varsity opponents.

I lost my left leg to cancer (sarcoma) in December, 2012. In a twenty-hour surgery the doctors cut out the cancerous left thigh and performed a rotationplasty, leaving me with my lower left leg, now attached at the hip joint, facing backward with my foot approximately 15 inches off the ground. My story of the surgery, physical recovery and emotional growth is unique but also universal. My journey is the shared path of all who have had their life upended without notice or warning; the irreversible hand of life gently guiding or firmly pushing us in the direction our life was to go. My diagnosis was no different –it was the shared experience that we are not in control. The experiences we all must confront at some point in our lives.

When I was told I had cancer I was determined to act. I just didn’t know how. I would find out as I went.

Today is the only opportunity to affect tomorrow. I learned that lesson from my high school and college basketball coaches and from studying the philosophy of some of the greatest coaches of the 20^th century. People like John Wooden, who I had the great fortune to meet before his death in 2010. We are not promised anything in life, but we get to choose how we respond to what life hands us. When coaching I told my players I welcomed mistakes of commission- attempting to do something positive over mistakes of omission- being afraid to attempt something. A coach can correct and teach from something attempted, but it is impossible to correct something that never happened.

Since losing my leg I have focused on improving my golf game. I have lowered my handicap to single digits and play in regional and national tournaments for amputee and disabled golfers. Through the Amputee Association of Maine, I started the Gorham Savings Bank Maine Amputee Open- a 36 Hole tournament for amputee, disabled and able-bodied golfers held at Brunswick Golf Club. We also hold a corporate scramble and Adapted Golf Clinic as part of our events each year. Lasting relationships have formed through this event – players look forward to this experience every summer. We hope to see you in July for our 5^th tournament!

After leaving coaching John began work in financial services and is the co-founder of Anton LeMieux Financial Group with partner Eric Anton. The business serves clients across the nation with offices in Falmouth, Maine and Naples and Daytona Beach, Florida

John LeMieux recently published, “Life > Limb -My journey to becoming whole. Life is greater than limb.” The book details the surgery, his recovery, and his life.                           

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0956LSPBN

Apple:  https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1567637778

Call it an epiphany, but the creation of Maine Fly Company came easy. Never had anything been so clear and felt so fulfilling from inception. It’s the perfect hybrid of my family’s roots, my love for New England and my desires to highlight the culture and people that continue to make our craft great.

Following my father’s passing, my obsession for fly fishing reached new heights. I remember my brother-in-law, Toby, and I riverside breaking down a rod I was swinging at the time and thinking, ‘I can do this.’ Not only did we believe we could do it, but it quickly became a passion project. The mission was to restore the lost craft of building fly rods by hand, share Maine’s unique fly culture and preserve all it stands for.

My heritage is deeply rooted with a unique multigenerational line of craftsmen, small business owners and anglers. My father, a fly fisherman with a passion for salmon and Maine waters, was more than an inspiration to me. Something hit me in his passing and it appears his undying love of the water was passed down, because I’ve been obsessed ever since.

My uncle, a craftsman like no other, truly fed my creative side from a very young age. From designing and building some stunning structures, to his iconic stained glass and furniture building…not to mention his passion for sailing and the water.

Doing the right thing, true grit, passion and treating everyone with a genuine kindness was something I learned watching my mother, an entrepreneur for 30 years who operated with undying integrity and always went the extra mile. She was the most influential business owner I ever had the pleasure to sit beside.

After nearly two decades navigating the corporate world, it was always a job. I would get asked the old cliché, if money wasn’t an issue, what would you like to do. For me, it always came back to craftsmanship, the outdoors and building a culture I could be as excited about with each new day as I was the last.

I love what I do! I am committed to delivering high performing fly rods built here in Maine with a foundation that will be here for generations to come.

While the inspiration of Maine Fly Company came through my Dad and his passing, it’s developed rapidly from there after taking personal inventory of my work-life balance and the example I was setting for my three boys. I think losing a parent does that to us. Time become more precious and the things that matter really take front stage and, for me, that was my family. Creating an internal culture that instills family first was very much part of the mission from the beginning. Some of my favorite memories of our opening years at Maine Fly Company is my boys sitting at the building table with me while I built rods and we talked fish, and parts of the fly rod, while dreaming of river trips and a family cabin.

For me, I think my love and passion for what I do has become contagious and seeing the boys’ curiosity grow is heartwarming. I feel so honored to be able to share this journey with them and hope to organically instill a passion for the outdoors and new traditions that will continue for generations to come.

Jeff Davis, Founder/Builder, Maine Fly Company

Watching the woods wake up around you is something very few people experience. There is a moment in time when the world is colorless and the call of a barred owl is replaced by the gobble of a turkey.  A coyote’s howl hangs in the air and you watch and listen for movement around you.

I started hunting with my dad when I was 20 years old.  I remember following him through the woods with the moon lighting our path during those cold November mornings.  The fallen leaves were stiff with frost and crunched under our feet. Initially, I held two shed antlers tied together by a piece of dark brown leather. After a few years, I started carrying a gun.

Hunting is a battle of wits and strategy. Hunters are cognizant of their smell, the wind, the time of day, their gear and their position in the woods and fields.  You have to be in the right place at the right time to be successful.  And there is an innate sadness that comes from every kill. It’s an acknowledgment that with death comes the ability to fill the freezer and provide meat to our family and friends. There is no question as to where our meat comes from, how it lived and how it died.

Women, specifically women under 40, have become the fastest growing demographic in the hunting industry.  As with any new activity, it costs money to learn some of the fundamentals and the gear can be expensive.  A group of fellow outdoor women and I started a non-profit called Women of the Maine Outdoors to offer scholarships for girls and women looking to advance their knowledge and skills.  Women have gone on to become Maine Guides, have learned how to run chainsaws and manage their woodlots, advanced their wilderness first aid knowledge and became better skilled hunters.

I love being a hunter. I love being in the woods with my dad and spending time in my treestand watching animals go about their day, oblivious to my presence.  I love the thrill of a successful hunt.  I love watching the snow fall in the woods and hearing a flock of geese gather in preparation for their flight south.  I love the emotion and sharing stories with hunters and non-hunters about each day spent in the woods.  It is a bond and passion that binds us to the past, present and future of Maine’s outdoors.

~Erin Merrill is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the New England Outdoor Writers Association. She is a senior writer for Drury Outdoors’ DeerCast and is the President and co-Founder of the non-profit group Women of the Maine Outdoors. You can read about Erin’s adventures and contact her at andastrongcupofcoffee.com.

Young athletes of Kennebunk LOVE their New England Patriots and flag football!

Sure, it’s natural to like the local professional sports team, but these kids don’t just like their team – they LOVE them! Whenever they’re participating in our flag football program at least 75% of the kids are typically wearing a New England Patriots jersey.

November through March throughout Maine many kids are playing indoor sports. In most regions this is when athletes start to transfer to the next sport of the season. Not in Kennebunk. Not at RSU 21 schools. They don’t stop playing football. When it becomes too cold to play outdoors this group moves indoors!

I began working for the Town of Kennebunk 6 years ago, and can still remember the moment I met the first group of kindergarteners (now 5th graders). I could already sense their passion for the game and quickly realized playing for 6 weeks in the fall just wasn’t going to be enough. That’s when, thanks to the support of Tasha Pinkham, the Town of Kennebunk’s Parks & Recreation Director, I was allowed to try to implement a new program – Indoor Flag Football. I was hoping we’d get maybe 10 children to sign up for 5 on 5 in the school’s gymnasium. Again, I underestimated their love for the game – over 20 kids wanted to play! The program has continued to grow to the point where another day was added to accommodate the number of youth interested in the program. Last year, pre-COVID-19, registration for a new session opened at 8:00am; by 8:03am we had 24 kids signed up with several in disbelief they were already on a waitlist.

These young Patriot fanatics have made headlines several times because of their level of passion. There isn’t a town or city anywhere near Kennebunk playing football as much as these kids. I joked last year these athletes have been playing football for over a year straight. In the summer of 2019, we offered our very first Flag Football Camp; the camp filled up and was maxed out.

The program is a blast and teaches about sportsmanship, camaraderie, passion, teamwork, integrity, effort and hard work. There is an unspoken, and, in my opinion, somewhat forgotten code of ethics when playing sports. Some of those ethics are: Regardless of the score always play hard; SPORTSMANSHIP–treat others the way you want to be treated; Don’t be a sore loser or arrogant winner – as the saying goes “sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail;” RESPECT not just your opponent, but your teammates and for those that played the game before you.

Our program tries to teach kids, especially at this level, that respect is the #1 thing they are playing for – it’s not winning that gets you that respect – it’s playing hard, being a good sport and helping one another. I always jokingly remind them no one will remember who won last week or the week before, but they will remember who treated them well, who was a good sport, and who played hard.

Sideline Stories: Brian Lee, Broadreach Public Relations 

When I tell people in Maine where I’m from, I often get a similar reaction.

“You’re from Miami?” they ask, puzzled. “How’d you end up all the way up here? Most people move from Maine to Florida, not the other way around.”

I soon realized that they were right. There aren’t many former Floridians who call Maine home, save for the snowbirds who split their time between the two to take advantage of northern summers and southern winters.

My move to Maine was sparked by a weekend trip to Acadia in the fall of 2018, during my final semester as a graduate student studying journalism at Boston University. It was my first time visiting the park. The late September sun sparkled off of Jordan Pond; the trees were just starting to show shades of yellow, orange and red; and the cool blue sky didn’t have a single cloud. I had hiked a good amount in my life before then – from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina – but none surpassed the beauty of Acadia’s rocky coast. That trip was the first time I saw Maine as a place I would love to live.

After graduating that December, I moved to Portland and began my career as a public relations apprentice at WordLab before joining Broadreach Public Relations full-time in October 2019. That’s how I began working with Sheila and the Maine Sports Commission, helping out with social media content and a handful of earned media projects to promote Maine as a four-season sporting destination.

In a little more than two years living here, I’ve gotten a chance to explore almost every corner of the state. I’ve done hundreds of miles of hikes, from Evans Notch near the New Hampshire border in the Western Mountains to the Cutler Coast by the New Brunswick border. I’ve summited Katahdin and strolled along the Harpswell Cliffs. I’ve swam in, and walked on, Moosehead Lake and others nearby. I’ve experienced black fly season at its worst in the summer, and learned the hard way about the importance of micro-spikes in the winter. And, in the meantime, I’ve learned that Maine’s outdoor beauty radiates through every season – as long as you’re willing to look for it.

Half of my time in Maine has been spent during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced the cancellation and postponement of countless sporting events. Yet as sports and other in-person events begin to resume safely, I’m looking forward to taking my first shot at running the Beach to Beacon 10K, flying out of the chute at the U.S. National Toboggan Championships and catching my first Sea Dogs game at Hadlock Field. But more than anything, I can’t wait to continue exploring my new home, even though I will always be considered “from away.”

The first day of work for people is typically a day full of excitement and nerves. New place, new people, new coffee maker. Now throw in a global pandemic. I moved from Kentucky to Maine in March of 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic. I showed up to Hadlock Field for my first day with the Portland Sea Dogs eager to start my new job: Director of Broadcasting and Play-By-Play Broadcaster. At 8:45am that morning, we had a socially distanced staff meeting and were told to start working from home immediately. The Minor League Baseball season was then cancelled and my first year in Maine was drastically different than what I expected.

Even though so much time has passed since my last baseball broadcast, I can still recall what that final call was – honestly, it was a memorable one. I was the voice of the Lexington Legends, the Single A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. On Friday September 13, 2019, the Legends were facing the Hickory Crawdads in the South Atlantic League Championship. In the bottom of the 13^th inning, the Legends hit a walk off home run to secure their third SAL Championship, with a final score of 3-1. I still get goosebumps thinking about that night. That type of game, with the ode to the Friday 13^th storyline, can only happen in baseball. It is what makes me so eager for our Sea Dogs season to begin.

Since graduating from the University of Missouri, I have lived in Texas, Alaska, Oregon, Minnesota and Kentucky. I am very well accustomed to being the new person and learning about a new place to call home. Getting to know a new city during a global pandemic is challenging. Like a lot of people, I took to the streets or trails running around the area, taking mental notes of places I wanted to visit once they were open again. Despite only takeout food and an empty Old Port, I fell in love with the city of Portland.

Every time I introduce myself people rave about the Sea Dogs. Everyone seems to have a unique memory about their time at Hadlock Field. Funny enough, they could be baseball related or, quite frequently, Slugger related. That, to me, is the beauty of baseball. People gathering to cheer on their hometown team, but it is what happens off the field that is sometimes the most meaningful.

So with May 4^th fast approaching, I can’t wait for my first memory of a Sea Dogs game: in the broadcast booth, putting my headset on and, at long last, calling my first game over the airwaves.

My name is Jon Cross. I’m from Pembroke, Massachusetts, born June 27, 1987. I am a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and have a master’s degree from Saint Joseph’s College. I come from a loving home with one of the best families anyone could ever ask for, having three older siblings who were wonderful role models.  At some point during my early teenage years, I started to act in a way that would eventually prove to be detrimental. Over the next decade or so I began using drugs at a rapid pace. I eventually ended up using heroin, like so many other youths in Massachusetts, and soon realized my inability to stop. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have a supporting family and a lifelong friend who never gave up on me.

In May of 2014, I went to a place in New Hampshire, and everything changed. They taught me the importance of family and introduced me to yoga and meditation. I soon realized this was not a normal rehab, and that they were going to open doors I never knew were there. After my stay they shipped me off to Portland, Maine, where I met two men who continued to help me on my journey. I was taught various forms of meditation, and began to reestablish a healthy relationship with my family and loved ones.  As I progressed, I was given opportunities to work in social work, youth rehabs, manage sober houses, and coach college soccer. During this time I was also able to accomplish my goal of  playing soccer at the collegiate level at the University of Southern Maine. During my years of active drug use, while living in Boston, I was unable to ever complete a full soccer season.  I ultimately became the first student-athlete in history the NCAA has ever reissued eligibility due to addiction. I will forever be grateful to the committee that voted in my favor and the practices that allowed me to compete as a college athlete.

Over the past few years I began seeing the benefits of yoga and meditation for me in my everyday life, and soon realized how everyone, not just those suffering from addiction, could benefit from these practices. Meditative practices helped me not only in recovery from drug addiction, but helped me become a better athlete, son, friend, and brother. When it came to soccer, I realized that taking care of oneself mentally was just as important as taking care of your body, and that my actions off the field would directly correlate with my ability to concentrate while playing soccer. Having experiences on both sides of this spectrum, I saw a tremendous improvement in both performance and overall wellness. Alongside Hany Ramadan, I am the co-founder of Kennedy Park Football Club. I’ve also begun a new venture, Cross Wellness – whose goal is to introduce student athletes to meditation and yoga while incorporating my personal experience and stories to demonstrate the beneficial changes that are possible over time. The mission is to potentially prevent future drug addiction, create peer bonds, and increase the general well-being of future student-athletes.

Be sure to hear Jon share his story in a conversation as well: Jon Cross, Cross Wellness.

The establishment of Kennedy Park Football Club by Jon and Hany will be told in a future Sideline Stories.

Rippleffect is a community-based, youth development-focused non-profit that specializes in adventure and wilderness experiences that instill confidence, self-esteem, and leadership.

Our team has worked hard to perfect and grow our programs over the years to achieve what you see today – from our summer camps to our community partnerships, to creating curriculum for our own semester programs, and private guiding. In running all of these programs, Rippleffect serves over 5,000 Maine youth each year.

It’s no secret that 2020 presented many obstacles. Throughout the past four seasons, we posed three simple questions:

What CAN we do to serve our community?

What CAN we do to reconnect young people to each other, nature, and to themselves through adventure?

What CAN we do to keep support our vision of being a program of opportunity for ALL Maine youth?

Our team has learned the real meaning of flexing and flowing within the last year. We have chosen to pivot, and we don’t plan on stopping now! Coming together, we answered these questions by curating two unprecedented programs – The Adventure Academy and High School ROLE. Private group/family adventures were introduced as well. We have positioned ourselves as a vital access point for our community to gain the skills they need and inspire adventure on their own.

The Adventure Academy features two cohorts of 12 students – Opportunity and Endeavor. The students come to our office in the morning and are supported by our staff while they attend virtual classes. In the afternoon, you can often find them climbing frozen waterfalls, exploring the mountain peaks of Maine, or sledding on the Eastern prom. High school ROLE visits our office on Tuesday afternoons for a clinic regarding safety and technique. Wednesday they set out early on a day long adventure.

In addition, we have started offering private/group adventures – our main objective is to provide families the skills they need to adventure throughout the winter. From learning how to ice climb to attempting to summit Mount Washington, these programs are meant for everyone. Our guides meet families where they’re at whether at the beginner or expert level.

Rippleffect wants to inspire our community to enjoy the outdoors by giving them the skills they need to adventure on their own after their day in the field. We plan to carry private guiding through the summer along with our summer camps. In just three short weeks we have filled almost all of our programs. We are so thankful for the interest, stoke and capacity we’ve had to make these programs possible!

Hope you’ll come along on a Rippleffect adventure any season!

Totally amazing that an incredibly fussy 13-year-old girl whose mom dragged her canoeing down the St. Croix River, camping on Mooselookmeguntic Lake, and hiking up to Chimney Pond in Baxter State Park would turn into a lover of all those experiences and would in turn, drag her children to those same places. And, yes, her kids fussed all the way, too. Growing up, my best and most favorite spot was curled up on the living room couch, disappearing into my Nancy Drew books. I was a reader and a girl who loved rearranging the furniture in her room; I was not an outdoor enthusiast. I pushed hard against my mom when on summer days she loaded my younger sister and me into her Jeep Cherokee to explore the wilds of Maine. Those long drives on the paper roads! As a teenager, I much preferred the weekends with my dad who had cable TV (and MTV!)

Funnily enough, at 42 years old (six years ago), I founded a small business that focuses on getting women outside and out of their comfort zones in a safe and supportive way. Now, my best days are the ones outside, and running the Ladies Adventure Club is my passion. The mission of the Ladies Adventure Club: We are a welcoming community of women who like to explore new places and spaces, and challenge ourselves to be bold and have fun. Our group is multi-generational, diverse in skill and experience, and we all share the desire to grow, and to get outside. We also care deeply about creating and being part of a supportive community.

I continue to push myself and not accept what’s comfortable or easy. Over this past pandemic year, I have rafted the Kennebec River, summited Katahdin, paddled the Allagash River, walked hundreds of miles, and skied uphill, downhill, and over many miles of snowy trails. I am grateful that my joy comes from spending time outside and helping women find their joy through challenge and success.

I have to believe that the hours on the water and on the trail in my youth laid the seeds of passion that make up my days now. I couldn’t see it then and it took a while to percolate. But percolate it did. Here I am, decades later, adventuring as often as I can and sharing my love of Maine and the outdoors with an amazing group of women. I’m grateful for our state, for my role models, and to all the women who adventure with me.