READFIELD — The spirit of the late Marlee Johnston smiled down upon the skiers at Kents Hill Ski Area last Saturday, warming the hearts of everyone even on a bitterly cold winter day.

As the ninth annual Marlee Johnston Memorial Ski Race took place, people attending shared their memories of Marlee. The eighth grader from Fayette was killed in November, 2005, by a neighboring teenager, Patrick Armstrong.

“She had the best heart, through and through,” said her best friend, Lauren McHatten, who now attends St. Michael’s College and was on Christmas break volunteering at the race. “She had the best and brightest personality. The sun always shines on Marlee’s race.”

Skiing was but one of Marlee’s many passions. She loved anything having to do with the outdoors, enjoyed music, and loved helping people. Her sunny personality was reflected in the bright colors that the competing middle and high school skiers wore on Saturday, and on the leis around their necks.

“My daughter, you’d have to force her to stay inside,” said her father, Ted Johnston. “There’s a whole bunch of little kids she taught to ski. She could ski; she had skill.”

Anne Richardson was helping with the sale of baked goods and other food inside, and talked about her connection to Marlee.

“My daughter, Meg, and Marlee skied together,” she said. “Our son, Nicholas, is out there working the ski lift.”

Richardson reflected upon how Marlee touched others, including her daughter.

“What Meg learned from Marlee was an absolute love of life,” she said.

A classmate of Marlee’s, Ben Doughty, was helping out at the race on his Christmas break from the University of Connecticut. He remembered her as “always upbeat. She always wanted to try something new. We shared a love of music.”

Doughty sits on the board of the Marlee Fund, as does Richardson’s husband, Randy. Thanks to the Marlee Fund, scholarships are provided for local day students to attend Kents Hill School (Marlee Scholars). It has provided for the purchase of paperback books for the Marlee Reading Room at Winthrop Middle School library, where she loved reading and learning. Also, money has been raised for scholarships for young girls to attend summer camp at Camp Mechuwana, and for girls to attend a summer camp run by U.S. Winter Olympian Julia Clukey.

“It’s awesome to see this and what it’s become,” said Doughty.

The middle school and high school students each had two runs down the slalom course, with times combined. They used a tow rope to get back up the hill, as the ski slope descends steeply from the starter’s shack down to the bottom of the hill. Uniquely, the ski lodge overlooks the ski slope, and it provides a panoramic view of Torsey Lake and the surrounding hills.

All middle school students who wanted to compete were given the chance to do so, while the high school race was by invitation only. Johnston noted that for many middle school racers, it was their first competition of the season.

“Camden comes every year,” he said when asked about the high school skiers in attendance. “We’ll have a couple dozen high school kids. We have a couple of pre-middle schoolers race.”

Patrick McInerney, the Head of Kents Hill School, said that he was gratified at how many people showed up.

“We’re delighted to have them here. It’s a fantastic event.”

Johnston said that he was grateful to the community and area businesses for helping make the race an annual success. Although the exact figure of how much was raised for the Marlee Fund was unknown at press time, Johnston estimated that around $4,000 was collected.

Several area schools use the hill regularly for practices, including Kent’s Hill, Winthrop High and Middle School, Spruce Mountain High School, Colby College, and Maranacook High School. In the evenings, junior programs take place where local kids come in and learn how to ski race.

The results from Saturday’s races were as follows:

Marlee Johnston Memorial Slalom

Kents Hill School

January, 4th 2014

CLASS : WMS

Pl Bib Class Team Name Run 1 Run 2 Result

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1 7 WMS Spruc Libby Diaz 33.86 (1) 32.26 (1) 1:06.12 (1)

2 20 WMS Spruc Julia Pomeroy 35.11 (2) 35.14 (3) 1:10.25 (2)

3 1 WMS CH Samantha Szwecker 35.56 (3) 36.10 (5) 1:11.66 (3)

4 3 WMS OH Caroline Burns 36.06 (4)

4 14 WMS Spruc Allison Acritelli 39.57 (8) 33.26 (2) 1:12.83 (4)

5 6 WMS Mar Janika Pakuiski 35.84 (4) 37.81 (7) 1:13.65 (5)

6 26 WMS Spruc Adria Plourde 36.63 (5) 37.93 (8) 1:14.56 (6)

7 2 WMS Tel Ella Blair 37.63 (6) 37.54 (6) 1:15.17 (7)

8 55 WMS Spruc Kiarra Richards 39.37 (7) 39.78 (12) 1:19.15 (8)

9 27 WMS CH Vika Santoro 40.80 (10) 39.20 (11) 1:20.00 (9)

10 11 WMS SAST Alice Mackay 40.61 (9) 40.45 (14) 1:21.06 (10)

11 31 WMS Spruc Emily Castonguay 41.69 (12) 40.80 (15) 1:22.49 (11)

12 44 WMS Spruc Grace Harmatys 42.06 (13) 40.82 (16) 1:22.88 (12)

13 32 WMS CH Catherine Dailey 42.08 (14) 41.23 (17) 1:23.31 (13)

14 9 WMS Tel Cameron Simard 41.25 (11) 42.86 (21) 1:24.11 (14)

15 29 WMS AMS Evy Bilodeau 42.65 (17) 41.90 (19) 1:24.55 (15)

16 25 WMS Mar Lily Welch 42.63 (16) 41.99 (20) 1:24.62 (16)

17 40 WMS Spruc Bailey Coates 42.40 (15) 42.91 (22) 1:25.31 (17)

18 45 WMS CH Lindsey Riley 43.58 (18) 43.73 (24) 1:27.31 (18)

19 49 WMS CH Brinley Harrison 44.17 (20) 43.77 (25) 1:27.94 (19)

20 21 WMS CH Annabelle Williams 43.80 (19) 44.42 (26) 1:28.22 (20)

21 37 WMS CH Sophie Moore 45.04 (22) 43.49 (23) 1:28.53 (21)

22 30 WMS Mar Caroline Welch 44.70 (21) 44.53 (27) 1:29.23 (22)

23 35 WMS Mar Vita Scott 45.29 (23) 45.92 (28) 1:31.21 (23)

24 47 WMS Mar Molly McGrail 47.48 (24) 47.55 (29) 1:35.03 (24)

25 52 WMS Mar Helen Murray-James 50.90 (27) 47.65 (30) 1:38.55 (25)

26 51 WMS Spruc Ashley Kirkland 51.18 (28) 48.69 (31) 1:39.87 (26)

27 50 WMS Mar Madison Taylor 50.03 (26) 50.02 (33) 1:40.05 (27)

28 43 WMS Mar Dana Reynolds 51.95 (30) 50.26 (34) 1:42.21 (28)

29 46 WMS OH Hayey McLeod 54.28 (32) 51.25 (36) 1:45.53 (29)

30 48 WMS Spruc Kayla Adams 53.11 (31) 52.85 (38) 1:45.96 (30)

31 54 WMS Mar Maura Taylor 55.25 (34) 53.98 (39) 1:49.23 (31)

32 36 WMS Spruc Ella Plourde 47.69 (25) 1:01.98 (42) 1:49.67 (32)

33 34 WMS AMS Mallory Ouellette 54.75 (33) 54.96 (40) 1:49.71 (33)

34 41 WMS CH Anniha Charland 59.04 (37) 52.01 (37) 1:51.05 (34)

35 17 WMS OH Samantha Cassidy 58.64 (36) 1:02.30 (43) 2:00.94 (35)

36 28 WMS OH Elizabeth Livak 1:05.61 (38) 1:06.41 (45) 2:12.02 (36)

37 23 WMS OH Derry Bessette 1:12.31 (39) 1:01.50 (41) 2:13.81 (37)

38 42 WMS OH Morgan Linfield 1:17.10 (40) 1:02.71 (44) 2:19.81 (38)

39 5 WMS AMS Kirsten Main 1:04:32 (41) 41.30 (18) 1:05:13 (39)

CLASS : MMS

Pl Bib Class Team Name Run 1 Run 2 Result

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1 67 MMS CH Aidan Roberts 31.84 (1) 32.22 (1) 1:04.06 (1)

2 70 MMS SAST Evan MacKay 32.29 (2) 32.29 (2) 1:04.58 (2)

3 74 MMS CH MIchael Frampton 33.79 (3) 33.05 (3) 1:06.84 (3)

4 69 MMS OH Wyatt Ryder 34.06 (4) 33.91 (6) 1:07.97 (4)

5 58 MMS CH Aidan Manahan 34.31 (6) 33.82 (5) 1:08.13 (5)

6 76 MMS OH Carter Fillebrown 34.53 (8) 33.63 (4) 1:08.16 (6)

7 81 MMS CH Caillen Roberts 34.44 (7) 34.35 (7) 1:08.79 (7)

8 72 MMS Mar Isaac Bell 34.06 (4) 35.83 (10) 1:09.89 (8)

9 62 MMS AMS Kyle Money 34.65 (9) 35.69 (9) 1:10.34 (9)

10 87 MMS CH Cedar Andrus 35.55 (10) 35.49 (8) 1:11.04 (10)

11 65 MMS Spruc Gage Sampson 36.56 (11) 36.49 (11) 1:13.05 (11)

12 92 MMS CH Ethan Andrus 38.56 (13) 37.35 (13) 1:15.91 (12)

13 71 MMS AMS Connor Jackson 38.01 (12) 38.48 (14) 1:16.49 (13)

14 85 MMS Mar Chris Erb 39.40 (14) 39.56 (15) 1:18.96 (14)

15 101 MMS CH Tommy Thielander 39.40 (14) 39.84 (17) 1:19.24 (15)

16 90 MMS Mar Brian McNamara 39.97 (16) 39.78 (16) 1:19.75 (16)

17 94 MMS AMS Parker Sealey 42.98 (18) 39.84 (17) 1:22.82 (17)

18 57 MMS Spruc Maguire Anuszewski 41.43 (17) 42.28 (20) 1:23.71 (18)

19 103 MMS CH Max Moore 43.11 (19) 43.05 (22) 1:26.16 (19)

20 88 MMS OH Will Manchester-We 44.74 (22) 41.62 (19) 1:26.36 (20)

21 102 MMS AMS Alec Larson 43.98 (20) 42.55 (21) 1:26.53 (21)

22 80 MMS Spruc Jordan Pomeroy 44.40 (21) 44.31 (23) 1:28.71 (22)

23 78 MMS AMS Noah Perreault 48.07 (23) 47.60 (25) 1:35.67 (23)

24 60 MMS OH Cameron Bancroft 55.12 (27) 47.04 (24) 1:42.16 (24)

25 83 MMS OH Nick Martinez 53.95 (26) 51.80 (26) 1:45.75 (25)

26 97 MMS AMS Ian Fermiento 50.32 (24) 59.70 (29) 1:50.02 (26)

CLASS : WHS

Pl Bib Class Team Name Run 1 Run 2 Result

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1 110 WHS St.D Samantha Ladd 36.43 (1) 35.28 (1) 1:11.71 (1)

2 111 WHS Mar Maddy Chiappetta 36.54 (3) 36.50 (3) 1:13.04 (2)

3 112 WHS St.D Olivia Tsouprake 37.94 (4) 36.27 (2) 1:14.21 (3)

4 115 WHS Mar Rachel Tooth 36.44 (2) 44.06 (6) 1:20.50 (4)

5 113 WHS Mar Jolene Potter 41.75 (5) 41.39 (4) 1:23.14 (5)

6 114 WHS Mar Victoria Nolette 43.57 (6) 42.29 (5) 1:25.86 (6)

CLASS : MHS

Pl Bib Class Team Name Run 1 Run 2 Result

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1 123 MHS Mar Alec Daigle 28.38 (1) 27.59 (1) 55.97 (1)

2 129 MHS Mar Matthew Delmar 29.03 (3) 28.73 (2) 57.76 (2)

3 124 MHS Mar Kelby Mace 28.63 (2) 29.16 (3) 57.79 (3)

4 150 MHS KH Wilson Ethan 30.39 (4) 29.71 (4) 1:00.10 (4)

5 121 MHS Mar Nathan Delmar 30.72 (6) 30.22 (5) 1:00.94 (5)

6 117 MHS KH Josh Bell 31.48 (7) 31.50 (6) 1:02.98 (6)

7 152 MHS SMt Pomeroy Devan 31.79 (8) 33.64 (8) 1:05.43 (7)

8 118 MHS Mar Kai Pakulski 33.74 (10) 32.47 (7) 1:06.21 (8)

9 151 MHS Mar Tyler Lang 36.00 (12) 33.80 (9) 1:09.80 (9)

10 153 MHS KH Sam Blouin 35.40 (11) 35.60 (13) 1:11.00 (10)

11 126 MHS Mar Liam McNamara 36.17 (13) 34.93 (10) 1:11.10 (11)

12 120 MHS Mar Dennis Chiappetta 36.92 (15) 35.08 (11) 1:12.00 (12)

13 122 MHS Mar Matthew Gyorgy 37.27 (16) 35.27 (12) 1:12.54 (13)

14 116 MHS MCI Tyler Peppard 36.89 (14) 36.37 (14) 1:13.26 (14)

15 125 MHS Mar Alex Tooth 30.71 (5) 52.57 (16) 1:23.28 (15)

16 154 MHS KH Elijah Holland 42.57 (18) 41.92 (15) 1:24.49 (16)

17 127 MHS Mar Connor Ireland 42.19 (17) 1:36.18 (17) 2:18.37 (17)

CLASS : College

Pl Bib Class Team Name Run 1 Run 2 Result

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1 130 Colle AMS Ben Bowles 51.59 (1) 40.18 (1) 1:31.77 (1)

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