Sideline Stories

Sideline Stories: Adam Platz, Baxter Outdoors + Baxter Brewing

Whether you grew up in Maine, are from away, or have visited, there is a good chance you’ve experienced one of Maine’s State Parks during your time here. My foray into the state parks began at a young…

Sideline Stories: Coach Dave Gonyea, Director of Athletics, CMCC

I arrived at Central Maine Technical College in August of 1993, hired as the Director of Housing and Athletics. Frankly, I think the main reason I was hired was to clean up a residence hall that was experiencing…

Sideline Stories: Bucky Love, 100 Mile Wilderness Challenge

My running story is not a grand tale of overcoming a tragedy or regaining my health. I have been lucky on both those fronts. It has kept me healthy and helped me deal with the emotional turmoils that…

Sideline Stories: Mike Guarino, Maine Wilderness Guide Service, Snow Pond Center

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,…

Sideline Stories: Chad De Luca, Twitch

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…

Sideline Stories: Alicia Heyburn, Executive Director, Teens to Trails

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…

Sideline Stories: Clara Brown, Team USA

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…

Sideline Stories: Maddie Purcell, Portland Rising

Although I didn’t have a name for it until my 20s, I’ve experienced social anxiety for most of my life. Sports have been an outlet for me, a space where the social rules and roles on and off…

Sideline Stories: Sea Bags Women’s Sailing Team

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…