By Bob McPhee,Staff Writer

Over the past two decades, the mere mention of the Friendship Series conjures up a source of pride throughout the wrestling community.

For the third time in 23 years, the cultural exchange between the states of Nebraska and Maine has a new team leader. Shawn Guest has assumed the role as Maine leader and is busy organizing activities for the Cornhuskers trip to the Pine Tree state in June.

“I knew the job would be time consuming and the responsibilities enormous,” Guest said. “That part has not really kicked in totally. I am sure it is much worse trying to get kids, money, plane tickets, etc., during those years that we go out there.”

Since 1985, teams have alternated traveling to Maine and Nebraska.

The Friendship Series, the longest-active exchange between two states in the country, was established by co-founder Wallace LaFountain of Winslow to further promote the sport. Former Westbrook coach Dennis Walch handled the Maine duties, until tapping Guest a few months ago.

Guest, a Farmington native, is fully versed in the important history of the series. Over 1,000 wrestlers and coaches have participated in the event.

“Yes, I am enjoying it so far,” Guest said. “I have always looked to this series as one of the greatest things our sport has done in this state. Remember, when it started 23 years ago, there were no New Englands, and all of these tournaments that kids go to today. There was no Pine Tree (Wrestling) League and the schedule basically consisted of dual meets.”

Guest, who coaches at Morse, has experienced both ends of the spectrum and is confident he has the energy to maintain the popular series. He has hosted a Nebraska team in Bath and has also toured Nebraska with the Maine team.

“The hosting part certainly opened my eyes to what the responsibilities are for the host sites,” Guest said. “By traveling to Nebraska I saw first hand what the kids go through during the week. The droopy eyes, homesickness (girlfriends), etc. But that aside, I watched these kids build friendships between themselves and not just the Nebraska kids.Kids still come up to me and talk about the time we spent out there, and they are still in contact with some of the kids who were on the Maine Team.”

This year, Nebraska will compete at four Maine – Brewer, Winslow, Portland and Lincoln Academy in Newcastle. The third leg will be held in conjunction with the Maine Games at the Portland Expo.

The master of ceremonies is Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner.

“There is no way that I can be aware of everything,” Guest said. “That is why I am so grateful to those coaches who take on the responsibility of hosting. Without them this series would be a wash.”

Several area wrestlers will be invited to participate at two different sites. Mountain Valley representatives include state champions Chris Smith (189), Brendan Bradley (215) and David Smith (275). Falcon state finalists Aaron Arsenault (152) and Ben Madigan (160) will also be at Winslow. Mt. Blue two-time state champion Shane Webber will be at Brewer. Cory Smith of Oxford Hills and Derek Daley of Dirigo are alternates.

Mark Stambach (125) and Nic Adams (152) of Lisbon will wrestle at Lincoln Academy.

The exchange also encourages sportsmanship by providing the wrestlers an opportunity to develop character. The sport of wrestling is highly competitive and often causes harsh feelings during matches.

“That part is fun to watch transpire,” Guest said. “These kids may have been in the same weight class during the high school season and battled many times. That is the uniqueness of this sport. The respect that kids earn for each other in defeat or victory ingrains an amount of respect towards your opponent. No other sport does that.”