Making Memories

Looking back, it all started at our family cottage on Lake Champlain in northern Vermont.  At the time, we lived next door to a sporting camp and I have fond memories of fishing with guests, making bonfires on the shoreline, and exploring all the lake had to offer.  When my father and grandfather gave me my first boat at 12 years old, little did they know what they started!  Personally, I think they gave me that old boat just so they could take a break sometimes. I can hear them now, “Maybe if we give the kid his own boat we can get some sleep.” To this day, almost 40-years and a thousand trips later, I’m still taking people fishing, still exploring, and still loving every minute of it. Granted, my boat is a lot faster and fancier, and hopefully, my technique (and storytelling) has improved a little bit, but the thrill of sharing experiences on the water has never dulled.

After high school, I moved to Maine to go to Thomas College in Waterville and basically fell in love with the state. I was there to study and play soccer (although not necessarily in that order.) On the first morning of soccer pre-season, I was nervous and took a walk outside and around the field. The memory of watching the sun come up and the fog lift to reveal three deer feeding on the field is still with me today. I’d found a new home, met my wife Kellie, and we eventually settled in Belgrade Lakes where I started Maine Wilderness Tours. We are now Maine Wilderness Guide Service and this year is our 25th anniversary.

Guiding is all about making memories! Actually, that’s a lie – guiding is all about client safety, preparation, and due diligence, but that’s not as much fun to write about so let’s stick with making memories. When I look back over the last 25 years and reminisce about all the memorable experiences, I’m so thankful and humbled by this amazing journey. It seems like yesterday my father was taking me brook trout fishing, foraging for mushrooms, and hunting for wild asparagus. Now I get to lead these trips and see the excitement in other people’s eyes. Recently we’ve had the pleasure of getting more involved in our community and helping bring outdoor programming and events to kids and families in our area. As we move forward, we’re looking forward to making more memories by working with organizations like our local chambers, the Maine Sports Commission, and everyone who takes an interest in promoting the outdoors.

Mike Guarino is a Maine Guide and owner of Maine Wilderness Guide Service and Community Development Director at Snow Pond Center for the Arts in Sidney, Maine.

My career in the sports industry started in an unorthodox way. I was cut from the varsity team, however, unlike Michael Jordan, didn’t grow five inches and make the team the next year. I came to the realization my passion for sports needed to be satiated in a different way…

I was approached by Coach Conant, the girls basketball head coach and former boys basketball assistant coach, who knew how disappointed I was about being cut. He offered me the chance to be a part of something special. I served as the Manager of the Falmouth girls basketball team, yet, my role was similar to an Assistant Coach. I scouted other teams, worked players through drills, participated in practice, and gave advice to players. Coach Conant entrusted me in helping with shooting strategy and keeping track of shooting percentages from different points on the floor. This helped the team optimize shooting percentage by location on the court. It all made a difference as we advanced to the Western Maine Class B State Finals where we ultimately fell short against Lake Region. The silver lining was the girls demonstrated the grit and mental fortitude to go further than any other Falmouth girls basketball team had gone before!

I went on to study Sport Management at Ithaca College. When looking for experience, I actually ended up connected to Bill Ryan, Jr. through parents of a member of the Falmouth girls basketball team. Bill was starting the NBA Development League (now NBA G-League) expansion franchise which ultimately became the Maine Red Claws. I helped from the ground up – from scouting and helping Jon Jennings, original GM and President, to evaluating and drafting players to creating a marketing and corporate partnership plan to canvassing and helping market corporate ticket plans to local businesses. It all tied back to my service on that Falmouth girls basketball team. I then went on to work for the NBA Offices in London, the New Jersey Nets as they prepared to move to Brooklyn, and the New York Yankees in corporate business development. I worked for Endeavor and one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world, Publicis, to help with sponsorship and sports marketing strategy along with developing the organization’s gaming and esports consulting business.

This led me to Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, where I continue to work on gaming and esports, sports and entertainment. Back in February we produced the Twitch Rivals Streamer Bowl in Miami before the Super Bowl which was the cross-section of gaming and sports: 16 NFL Players and 16 Pro Gamers teamed up playing Fortnite to raise money for charity. It all goes back to putting my pride aside and helping the Falmouth girls basketball team. What’s more, my girlfriend is the daughter of one of the former Assistant Coaches and sister of one of the players on that team.

Getting cut from the varsity team and helping that girls team was the best thing that ever happened to me!

What’s the difference between sports and recreation? What is the difference between play and learning? My favorite activities are considered both sports and recreation, and I learn best while being playful. But there is one aspect that is not blended – it all happens OUTSIDE!

At this time of year, when the afternoon light is golden, the daytime temperatures are mild, and the ocean has been warmed by a long hot summer, my favorite activity is sea kayaking. I consider kayaking pure recreation – there are no rules, referees, boundaries or goals aside from staying afloat while watching seaweed wave in the swells, and navigating shoals and coves that larger boats can’t access. Kayaking also has the benefit of being transportation to an oceanfront vacation – where do you want to go? 

My boat has space at the bow and stern to store a tent, sleeping bag, food, ample fresh water, my hammock, a good book, warm clothes and a bottle of wine. Pair that capacity with a chart, tide table, a good weather app and the Maine Island Trail Guide, and I’ve got all I need for an excellent weekend. 

I got my first kayak about 25 years ago. It was a used banana yellow rental boat from L.L.Bean. And I mean used. The plastic hull was as rough as the barnacles it had been dragged across – and it consistently wanted to turn to starboard because the sun softened the hull. Five years later I upgraded to a boat that cut through the water in a straight line, no matter the weather conditions. That boat took me places, and at each place I met interesting people. Paddling the way I do it is like walking or jogging – I always maintain conversation pace so I can chat with others. I often post or host a trip on MeetUp so I can have the safety, and enjoyment of a group. The paddling community is not large, and over the years it’s been fun to build friendships, plan trips, and learn from each other’s adventures. 

I’ve always loved being outdoors, but I’ve grown as an outdoor leader because of kayaking. Last summer I got my third boat, I’ve been a Maine Guide for 5 years, I spent the winter studying oyster and seaweed aquaculture so I could better understand the changes that I see on our working waterfront, I’ve been a Wilderness First Responder for 7 years, a sea kayak trip leader, and volunteer-led many outings for organizations that want to offer a sea level perspective. And as the Executive Director of Teens to Trails, I am a firm believer that Life Happens Outside® and that time outdoors with peers is critical for teenage development. It creates love and care for each other, ourselves, and our planet. I hope to see you out on the water!

Clara has always been a competitive athlete – and her story is one of resilience. She was a gymnast, runner and skier growing up in Maine, but at age 12, she broke two neck vertebrae and suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury at gymnastics practice, halting her athletic career. In early college, after years of rehabilitation, relearning how to walk and adapting to life with significant nerve impairments, she acquired her first modified road bike as a means to become active again, and it quickly turned into a passion.

While working for a bike touring company post-graduation, she met a client who served on the Paralympic Advisory Committee who urged her to pursue competitive Paralympic cycling. Within weeks of that meeting, she found herself at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center at a talent identification camp. She showed immense promise and has since had stellar results and continues to progress on the world stage after only two years in the sport.

A close friend of our Director, Sheila, since her toddler days in their lakeside neighborhood (bonding over snacks and stories), Clara shares her enthusiasm for competing in Tokyo Summer ’21:

This past Monday marked one year out from the postponed Tokyo Paralympic Games, which will now take place next summer, immediately following the Olympic Games. I have been training harder than ever, staying focused on the end goal of bringing home some hardware for Team USA on both the road and the track. Though the 2020 racing season was cut short, my performance at the Track World Championships earlier this year (prior to the global pandemic) unofficially solidified my spot on Team USA. The official naming ceremony will take place after the conclusion of the Paralympic Team Trials in Minneapolis next June.

In April, I relocated to Whitefish, Montana, where I have been loving the opportunity to train on big mountain climbs with incredible views along the way. But Maine will always hold a special place in my heart, and I was fortunate to be able to make an extended trip back this summer and ride the familiar roads that I grew up on.

The Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team formed after Skipper Erica Beck Spencer competed at the 2014 J24 World Championship in Newport as part of another team. Out of the 72 teams, there were only two female skippers and even fewer all-women’s teams. Erica left the awards ceremony determined to change this and to one day win the all-women’s team trophy. She shared her desire to start an all-women’s team on Facebook and Jess Harris immediately responded, already having plans to buy a boat and encourage more women to race.

After setting the goal to qualify for and compete at the 2017 J24 Worlds in Ontario, Canada, we gave ourselves less than three years to buy a boat, form a new team, and build a racing resume worthy of qualifying for the 2017 World Championship.

Not only did we qualify for the 2017 World Championship event, we won the Jaeger Trophy as the Top All-Female Team and Erica won the coveted Top Female Skipper Trophy (which can be won by co-ed teams). Since then, we have hoisted sails in Canada, Mexico and along the eastern shores of the United States, adding more treasured trophies to the team’s walls.

Just as treasured as the trophies are the experiences we’ve had, and the knowledge we’ve gained. We have been inspired by women who have come before us in the sport of sailing and value their shared knowledge. We love being a part of one of the only sports where men and women compete against each other, side by side, at the highest level. We aim to serve as role models for the next generation of sailors, giving them an opportunity to not only see an all-women’s team compete but also to outperform both co-ed and all-male teams on the water.

We’re also passionate about protecting our environment. Our team is among a growing number of sailors worldwide who are bringing greater attention to the importance of protecting our oceans. Part of our mission is to collect old sails and bring them home to Sea Bags in Maine for upcycling. Wherever we race, we raise awareness of Sea Bags’ Sail Trade Program, where individuals can donate their sails in exchange for Sea Bags’ product. Sails become worn with use and eventually are no longer viable on the water. By offering an option to recycle old sails, Sea Bags keeps thousands of sails out of landfills every year, helping to preserve the waters that we love to sail.

We are proud of the team we have become, a group of strong, determined, experienced, passionate, racing champions who are taking the thrills and incredible challenges of J24 sailboat racing to new heights. Every new racing season is a challenge to be better – to be the best team we can be.

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Image courtesy of Christopher Howell

Follow the team on their Facebook page: @seabagssailingteam

Instagram: @seabagssailingteam

Website: https://seabags.com/our-company/sailingteam.html

www.seabagssailingteam.com

Tri for a Cure Maine virtual takes place throughout August, 2020, kicking off August 1^st with essential fundraising efforts by triathletes with all types of stories. Hear what inspires this “mother and two daughters team” in this conversation between our friends at the Maine Cancer Foundation and Denise, Christine and Katherine Reynolds.  Let’s cheer on this trio and every woman swimming, biking and running for MCF in their neighborhoods this summer. Get out those cowbells!

MCF: Why did you first decide to do Tri for a Cure and why do you do “Tri?”

Denise: At first it was a way to challenge myself physically while giving back and honoring so many people I knew who had been affected by cancer- now it’s still that and so much more.

Christine: I honestly can’t remember specifically why I decided to sign up for our first Tri in 2010, but, I do know what’s kept me coming back for 11 years — the list of our friends and family affected by cancer gets longer every year, so my ability to help make someone else’s list shorter with an annual Sunday morning ocean swim is truly an honor and a privilege.

Katherine: I started out as a spectator, and as soon as I was old enough, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Tri! My first year involved the personal challenge of completing the whole swim/bike/run, and I’ve since joined our family team as a runner. Echoing both my mom and my sister, I Tri in honor and memory of the ever-growing list of friends and family members affected by cancer and to do what I can to support Mainers in the fight.

MCF: What is your favorite part of the event?

Denise: It’s so hard to pick one thing as a favorite part but I think it’s the feeling I carry through the whole weekend- being a part of something so incredibly special and huge that makes such a big impact for so many people in the fight against cancer in Maine, and crossing the finish line with my daughters and having my husband Mark there to volunteer is so special.

Christine: What my mom said! I would pick the whole weekend if I could, but I think that the opening ceremony is the most powerful part for me. We all show up for our own reasons, but to be in the midst of a sea of women who are all there to accomplish the same goal is a feeling like no other. The opening ceremony is a perfect reminder of how lucky we are to be a part of something that truly makes a difference for so many people in Maine.

Katherine: What they both said! And this might seem odd, but I love waiting in relay transition! It’s a moment to remind each other why we are tri-ing and psych each other up as we wait for our teammates. The camaraderie and support in that space is unparalleled, and something I will definitely miss this year – I am enjoying keeping up with Tri excitement on social media and look forward to posts as athletes complete their virtual Tri!

MCF: Where and how will you do the 2020 virtual Tri?

Denise: I will ride my 15 plus miles one early morning in August, and be there in a kayak near Christine as she swims, and cheer Katherine on as she runs her miles!

Christine: I’ll likely complete the swim at Highland Lake…date TBD!

Katherine: I’ll be completing three 1-mile laps in my neighborhood – and fitting the extra .1 in somewhere along the way. And, of course, waiting at my mom’s and sister’s “finish lines,” sign and cowbell in hand!

Best wishes from the Maine Sports Commission to the Reynolds and all participating in this summer’s Tri for a Cure! 

I have played some sort of sport as far back as I can remember.  I remember fondly my elementary school spring softball season, waiting to see what team I would be placed on. Was it the Wolves team that had a winning streak last season? Would it be the Blue Jays team? It didn’t really matter, because it meant you I would be able to get outside with my friends, run around, and forget about the pressure of life.

I participated in sports during each season throughout high school. It’s fun to think back to the humid summer double sessions of field hockey, the frigid start gates on ski team, and the crisp air of spring softball fields. I loved to play, but even more than that, I loved being on a team.

Community is what I love the most.  I love creating events for people to come together for a cause.  Whether that cause is a non-profit, or the personal goal someone will set to challenge themselves, I absolutely, completely, 100% LOVE community building.

Being the owner/race director for The Pumpkinman Triathlon Festival has allowed me to create what I love most about sports…an opportunity for people to set goals, take the journey of reaching for that goal, and watching them reach that goal as they cross one of my finish lines. Nothing beats the huge smile of pride someone has as they finish a race and are beaming as a result of their accomplishment. Some of my favorite moments are those where we are cheering in the last finisher. They’ve worked so hard for so long. It’s just awesome!

The only other thing I love more than community building (work wise, of course!) is personal development. Every athlete will go on a journey when they sign up for an event.  Starting from the moment of registration, to every day when they go out and train, they are becoming stronger, building grit, persistence and endurance. The personal path of growth is so much more than physical. My history with endurance sports has for sure has helped me get through this current pandemic of COVID-19.

Running has been my therapy and has helped me to just keep going…to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  I have kept this mantra daily as I have had to shift all of my events into virtual for 2020.  I could have cancelled, yet knew people needed something positive to rally behind. Something to keep them accountable, something to look forward to. Our charity partners needed funding now more than ever. I wasn’t going to let them down.

Sports have taught me to be a team player, always do my best, keep going when the going gets tough, put community over competition, and never, ever give up.

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Forward Motion Events contribute to the following nonprofit organizations:

Before temporarily stepping down in 2019 to focus on my young family and business, I had spent the previous six years as the lead for the local group of trail builders and advocates in and around the town of Gorham.

I am now an advisory member of the Greater Portland NEMBA board. Although I’m already getting sucked back into trail building as evidenced by the fresh tread found behind the USM campus. And I must say… I may have started this thing in Gorham and have done most of the “project management” side of things… we have a solid group of people committed to the effort and a couple have stepped up in my absence.

I got into mountain biking for two reasons; I was fat and looking for a source of exercise, and gyms weren’t my thing.  Second, I remembered (like many do) what it felt like riding a bike as a kid. I wanted to experience that again. Once I experienced singletrack as an adult, I was hooked. Necessity got me into trail building. I moved to a town which has very few options for riding. I found myself traveling to other towns to ride. When I started a family, that just wasn’t an option for me anymore. So I started by asking the town how we could build more trail on town land.  That landed me on the Conservation Commission which manages the town’s open space.  Being a community chiropractor created relationships that connected me with several key landowners in town. Both avenues allowed us to create at 30+ trail network in a 6-year span.

Sometimes I feel like I’m a conductor for an orchestra when it comes to trail building and advocacy – making sure everyone is on the same page regarding where, what, when, and how we can create this trail network. It involves a lot of emails and in-person communications, planning, and constructing, and then maintenance and troubleshooting. You are also a motivator, you need to find what makes people tick, and then capitalize on their strengths. We have this one guy who is a gem. He can’t stand the policies and politics but loves to swing an ax at will. I’m not asking him to join a planning meeting but when a massive tree fells after a storm, he is the first person I call.

I’ve learned that progress takes time and not everyone is on your timeline, especially when it comes to municipalities. Ultimately, I’ve stuck by three principles; be persistent, demand progress, be kind and respectful. The biggest obstacles have come from the town’s policies and funding. Funding trumps all as trails are not seen as something of high value.

The two achievements I’m most proud of are taking a town with 4 miles of old road and turning it into a 30+ mile destination spot for mountain bikers in New England (again, with the help of many) and planning and creating Maine’s biggest pump track bike park.  

Looking to spend more time outside this season? Stay close to home and explore all our state has to offer! Adventure Local Maine lists outdoor businesses offering adventure ideas and tips on how to recreate responsibly. This great resource suggests local businesses that have committed to COVID-19 prevention checklists offering a boatload of discounts on camping, fishing, climbing, kayaking, and more. AdventureLocalMaine.com 

Maine Outdoor Brands, a nonprofit alliance helping drive Maine’s outdoor recreation economy, created the Adventure Local Maine campaign to support “MOB” member businesses and encourage Mainers to experience the outdoors even more this summer. Wishing you safe adventures as you write your own new stories this season!