Kirsten Clark, the No. 3 female skier in the world, helps raise funds for charity.
GORHAM – The warm confines of the Costello Sports Complex at the University of Southern Maine presents a much different setting than two-time Olympian and four-time world champion skier Kirsten Clark is used to.
There is no snow, there are no hills, and there are no boards strapped to the undersides of her feet. Still, Clark was just as happy Saturday to lend her name to the Jessie B-C Fund Tennis Bash, raising money for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program.
“My agent is good friends with Cindy (Bullens) and Dan (Crewe), and they were looking for a person to kind of headline this event. He volunteered me for it, and it’s been great,” Clark said. “It’s close to my home, and it’s for a great cause.”
Clark grew up in Raymond and attended Carrabassett Valley Academy in Kingfield during high school, graduating in 1995. Since then, Clark has risen to the top of the United States skiing community and is currently ranked No. 3 in the world.
“Being in Maine prepared me well for what I faced on the tour,” said Clark. “Sugarloaf has all of the conditions, the icy hills, the different terrain.”
Now living in California with her husband, Clark still maintains close ties to her native state.
“I like to think of Maine as my home still,” said Clark. “My husband’s 11-year-old son is in school in California, so we stay out there for school, but we make our way to Maine in the summertime.”
Even with no snow during summer, Clark continued to train. Dry land training included weights, runs and even trampoline work to acclimate the legs to being off the ground like a jump in downhill skiing.
“It’s been a pretty quiet summer, really,” said Clark. “We went down to Chile to train and test out a bit of equipment this summer, but June and July have been pretty calm otherwise. Now all I have to do is get rid of this cold.”
Clark returns to Europe to train for one month at the end of September and starts racing one month later. After Europe, she returns to the United States, going first to Colorado and then to Park City, Utah.
“It’s busy,” said Clark. “The ultimate goal is to get up to No. 1. There are no Olympic games or world championships next year, but there are still points in the racing series, and titles to win.”
As for being in Gorham on Saturday, Clark was there to help the Jessie B-C Fund raise money for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. The fund is named after Jessie Bullens-Crewe, who died at age 11 of cancer. Her parents founded the organization in 1996.
“Their biggest wish in the world is that no child has to die from cancer ever again,” said MCCP Development Coordinator Jim Bouchard. “In the last 15 years, we’ve gone from 30 percent to 70 percent in the number of children that have been treated and recovered from cancer. The goal is to get to 100 percent.”
For the second consecutive year, the tennis bash was held in conjunction with the University of Southern Maine tennis team. In the morning, children received lessons in a clinic, and afterwards met Clark. After the meet-and-greet, those who stayed watched local celebrities duke it out in a friendly tennis tournament.
All told, the event this year raised more than $40,000 for the fund, with the five-year total hovering around $120,000. Those wanting more information about the fund or about the Maine Children’s Cancer Program are encouraged to contact The Jessie Bullens-Crewe Foundation, P.O. Box 1083, Portland, Maine 04104 or The Maine Children’s Cancer Program at 22 Bramhall Street, Portland, Maine 04102.
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