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| Russell Currier |
By Natalie De La Garza
Staff Writer
STOCKHOLM — After years of training and dedicated hard work, the perseverance of Stockholm native and Caribou High School alumnus Russell Currier has earned him the opportunity to represent the country in the 2014 Winter Olympics for biathlon; the community couldn’t be more thrilled, and neither could his parents, Christopher and Deborah.
“We’re incredibly proud,” his mom said on Tuesday. “He really has worked hard for years, and he’s done what he needed to do.”
A longtime athlete with the Maine Winter Sports Center, Russell has been skiing since elementary school.
Deborah used to serve on the PTA of the former Stockholm Elementary School and remembers that the school itself used to promote skiing.
“When the kids had recess, the principal at the time had every kid on skis — they’d play on the hills and slide, and Russell would go ski the course,” recalled Russell’s former high school ski coach Bob Sprague.
Former Stockholm Elementary Principal Steve Burden, who now teaches at Caribou High School (CHS), has known Russell since kindergarten.
“He was always one of the ones who loved the outdoor sports and skiing,” Burden said of his former student. “I think he’s always been very persistent and constant as far as setting goals.”
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| Photo contributed by the Maine Winter Sports Center Stockholm native Russell Currier, a long time competitor with the Maine Winter Sports Center, has earned a spot on the U.S. team for the 2014 Winter Olympics. |
Burden added that Russell was always very quiet, a real gentleman, “and such a great kid.”
Sprague added to that list of attributes “a really wonderful, subtle sense of humor — one-liners, usually,” Sprague said with a smile. “He’s got a tremendous work ethic, but he’s got a tremendous sense of humor too … and humility,” he said
Burden recalled that Russell showed humility even as a young kid.
“I think he always had that personal drive, but in a very quiet way,” Burden said, adding that everybody likes Russell. “He was never one to slack off or not do what was expected of him.”
In a close-knit community like Stockholm, they take a lot of pride in their skiing program – and they take a lot of pride in their neighbors.
“When Russell would win state meets, or when he’d do well, the town would make banners and put them up across the trees at (Anderson’s Store) in the town of Stockholm that say ‘Congratulations Russell!’” Sprague said. And it was frequent that Russell did well.
As a CHS student, Sprague recalled that Russell was a five-time State Champion, and he won one of the national races at the Junior Olympics.
Though Russell is a tremendous athlete, Sprague stresses that no one is a natural when it comes to the biathlon; you have to learn how to ski, you have to learn how to shoot, and you have to get through the ups and downs.
“Some races you’re shooting well and the wax is terrible. Other days you can have the greatest skis on earth but you can’t hit the broad side of a barn — and if you come into the stadium, wind is a factor. It’s just incredibly difficult,” Sprague described.
“It’s not something genetic — that you’re blessed with this gift — you have to work at it, and Russell has worked hard. There’ve been disappointments, and he’s worked through them,” he added, describing how proud he is of what Currier has accomplished.
There’s one race Russell competed in that Sprague remembers well. Russell was one of the last racers during the Black Mountain event, and his team was keeping track of the other skiers’ times.
Going up High School Hill, which is a long uphill, Russell was lagging behind the next skier by about five seconds. Sprague recalls the team told Russell that he was behind, and in less than one kilometer, he closed the gap and went on to beat the other skier.
“He knew what he had to do,” Sprague said. “At the tail end of the race you’re tired already, you’ve already skied four kilometers, you’ve got less than one kilometer to go —but he did it.”
Russell may have had some ups and downs in his pursuit for an Olympic bid, but Deborah said that everyone’s has been supportive along the way.
“No matter what, he’s always had people behind him,” she said.
Even U.S. Senator Susan Collins is behind the local Olympian.
“I am delighted that Russell has achieved his dream of becoming a U.S. Olympic athlete. Russell’s successful bid represents the culmination of many years of extraordinary perseverance and dedication,” Sen. Collins said. “I have known Russell and his family for many years and, along with the rest of the country, I look forward to cheering on Russell and his teammates when they compete in the Winter Games next month.”
For more information on Russell Currier, please turn to page 6.
