— The state wrestling championships will have a new look this season. Three new looks, to be precise.
After years of rotating between the Bangor Auditorium and Augusta Civic Center, this year's championships will be Feb. 16 at three sites -- Class A at Cony High in Augusta, Class B at Mountain Valley in Rumford and Class C at Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft, all starting at 9:30 a.m.
''All three classes at the Bangor Auditorium weren't working,'' said Jeff Sturgis, an assistant director with the Maine Principals' Association. ''We could only get six mats in the auditorium, unlike Augusta, where we could get eight.''
Also, the weigh-in room in Bangor was too small and next to the concession stand -- not the best place if you're a wrestler who has to make weight.
Overall, Sturgis said, ''It became too difficult to run a meet of that magnitude at the Bangor Auditorium.''
Augusta will hold the state meet during odd-numbered years, and high schools will hold it in even-numbered years.
''It was pretty well accepted,'' Sturgis said. ''In fact, the movement came from the coaches. The coaches let us know it wasn't working for them. Taking that input, the wrestling committee made the decision.''
ADELE ESPY of Waynflete made a name for herself this season in cross country. Now she's continuing that success in Nordic skiing, which she considers her first sport.
''I skied before I started competitively running,'' said Espy, who skied in her first Nordic race as a seventh-grader. ''I started running to train for Nordic and I discovered I liked both running and skiing.''
The Class C girls' cross country champion this past fall, Espy was third in classical and freestyle at the 2007 Class C championships with a personal-best time of 13:37 set Saturday when she won the Maranacook Wave freestyle race.
The biggest transition from fall to winter hasn't been in the training. Instead it's the time she dedicates to Nordic skiing.
''In running you can go out for an hour and get a good workout,'' Espy said. ''Skiing, you can go longer and a 2-hour workout isn't uncommon. But waxing your skis takes up a lot of time, and races are farther away because you have to go somewhere to find snow.''
THE MAINE Mariners alumni team will face the official Boston Bruins alumni team Feb. 27 at the Cumberland County Civic Center in a charity hockey game that will celebrate the 30th anniversary of pro hockey in Portland. The proceeds will go toward the Portland and Deering athletic departments. More than 30 former NHL and AHL players will play, including Ray Bourque, Terry O'Reilly, Rick Middleton, Steve Tsujiura and Kent Hulst.
Tickets are available at the Civic Center at 775-3458.
LAST SEASON'S state hockey champs -- Biddeford and Brewer -- have barely missed a beat. Past the halfway point of this season they were a combined 21-2. Brewer won the 2007 Class B title and is 10-2 since being reclassified to Class A, losing 3-2 to Waterville in the Dec. 11 opener and 2-1 Wednesday night at Lewiston. Biddeford (11-0) faces Thornton Academy at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Biddeford Ice Arena.
MIKE ROBB has been named as Greely's softball coach to replace Jim Seavey, who will coach at Westbrook. Robb's daughter, Michelle, played softball, basketball and volleyball at Greely and graduated in 2005, and his son, Ryan, played basketball and baseball at Greely, graduating last year.
Staff Writer Rachel Lenzi can be reached at 791-6415 or at:
rlenzi@pressherald.com