Southern Maine has a new nordic ski club. Maybe. And then again, maybe not.

The prospective Portland Lobsters held an organizational meeting last night, attended by 10 people, including this Ski Bum, to discuss a range of possibilities.

The sparkplug is Carolyn Arcand, a Portland resident who has great enthusiasm but zero experience in these sorts of things. Carolyn envisions a nordic racing club that will hold group workouts and travel to races together. And maybe organize races. Think Lobster Loppet!

Several attendees are members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club, which has nordic activities, but zero racing.

At least one attendee represented the Coastal Nordic Ski Club, the most dynamic bunch of this sort in Maine. Coastal Nordic has a whole spectrum of activities from junior racing to masters racing, and it's also the driving force that created the skiing facilties at Twin Brook in Cumberland. The club also hosted an important race for the New England Nordic Ski Association last January.

Among the possibilities discussed: Everybody interested could simply join Coastal Nordic.

There was clearly some interest in organizing group trips to races at somewhat distant venues, such as the Craftsbury Marathon in northern Vermont.

Nothing was decided, except that there seemed to be enough collective enthusiasm to continue to explore possiblities.

Anybody interested should email Carolyn at maineskibum@gmail.com to be informed about the next step.

To contribute to the spirit of things, I'm including some pictures I took last January at Coastal Nordic's race at Pineland Farms. It's also a reminder that hosting races is an enormous task for a small club, which needs to marshall myriad items ranging from portable toilets to hand-held bullhorns. Plus refreshments!

Masters racing at Pineland Farms last January, hosted by Coastal Nordic Ski Club.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

John Brodhead, in his mid-sixties, is a formidible masters racer who has won medals in international competition. He's also the organizer of the Craftsbury Marathon.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

The finish line at last January's race.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

The logistics of running a race include the refreshments table.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

Will the Lobster Loppet serve cross-country crustaceans as post-race refreshments?
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

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