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by Dagney C. Ernest
ROCKLAND — An extreme sport has taken a group of Midcoast teens by storm, so much so that they are taking part in an international contest.
Team Maine will be one of two teams representing the United States in the Atlantic Challenge Contests of Seamanship July 11-17 in Rockland Harbor.
If extreme means an endeavor that pushes its participants to the limits, these contests qualify. The biennial contests use sailing gigs, wooden longboats of 18th century French design that are powered by oar as well as sail. The contests involve rowing, sailing and seamanship of all kinds, from knot-tying to “man overboard” drills.
Team Maine is captained by Sev Slaymaker of Hope. While other members of the Camden Hills Regional High School Class of 2002 spent the winter gearing up for post-secondary school work or college, Slaymaker was pumping iron at the Camden Area YMCA with the 23 other members of Team Maine. Competitive rowing takes muscle, and the team has done what it could to acquire the same.
It was memory, however, not muscle that is responsible for the existence of Team Maine. Slaymaker was part of Team USA two years ago when the contests were held on the coast of France.
“It was really amazing. We were living in a French school with kids from all around the world and making friends,” recalled Slaymaker.
“We’d compete with them, then spend the rest of the day with them,” Slaymaker said, adding that he hopes to be reunited with some of those international friends.
This year, the school that will be filled with about 350 enthusiastic teens from almost a dozen countries is Rockland District High School. Atlantic Challenge Foundation is hosting the event; the contests will take place in Lermond’s Cove and off the public landing.
Slaymaker said the original idea was to get a few local teens interested in training to join Team USA, not form another team. The result was the establishment of Station Maine, based at Rockland Harbor Boatyard in the North End.
“But then so many kids were interested and we got so much local support,” he said, support which included membership for the team members at the YMCA.
Muriel Curtis, a former chaperone for Team USA, offered to come aboard “as the token adult,” Atlantic Challenge leased Slaymaker’s crew the gig Communauté and Team Maine was underway.
The team has met several times a week since last summer and the frequency of training is being increased as the contests approach. In recent weeks, this has meant many soggy hours for Team Maine members.
“We’ll pull oars in rain, but never set sail in dangerous conditions,” said Curtis, who thinks Slaymaker has demonstrated real leadership and diplomatic skills.
“There’s two dozen kids! We have our adolescent fracases from time to time, but make it work,” she said.
While some of the team members have prior experience on the water, others have come to Team Maine as absolute beginners. Case in point is Cassady Stancati of Lincolnville.
“I’m like a city boy from New York City who moved up here a couple years ago,” he said.
Stancati and Slaymaker were on the CHRHS snowboarding team together. Slaymaker told Stancati he had the right build to become a strong rower, and it turns out he was right.
“It is so much fun — it’s impossible to go to practice and not laugh,” said Stancati.
Laughter is not the only reward, however, for the hard work Team Maine has put in thus far.
“It’s definitely a challenge to get all the oars going perfectly in unison and when it happens, it’s beautiful — such a rush,” Stancati said.
Members of Team USA are: Sev and Ian Slaymaker of Hope; Jonah and Noah Esancy of Appleton; Esther Matus, Kyle Martin and Wiley Todd of Thomaston; Brianna Shepard of Union; Josh Fernands of West Rockport; Britanny Goss, Katrina Hawkins, Kim Miller, Jeff Reed, Jody Sokoloff and Alex Shyduroff of Rockport; Josh Gerritsen, Molly Eddy, Gray Light-Lookner, Emily Paine, Courtney Coyle, Chase Whiting and Jamie Wood of Camden; Cassady Stancati of Lincolnville; apprentice Meredith Currier Bell; and advisor Muriel Curtis.
For information about Team Maine and the Contests of Seamanship, visit the Web site: www.atlanticchallenge.org.