BETHEL — Latvia-born adventurer and Olympic biathlete Raimonds Dombrovskis will be on hand to introduce a screening of the film ‘A to B Rollerski’, on Sunday, April 14 at 6 p.m. at McLaughlin Auditorium at Gould Academy. The film documents his incredible and unique journey in 1988 as he roller-skis 4,200 miles from the Arctic Circle to Baja, Mexico in 90 days. Admission is free, but donations to Bethel Outing Club, the event sponsor, to support youth Nordic ski programs are welcome.

The film is the story of an athlete who emigrated from the USSR to the US in the 1970s at the age of 17 and became a seven-time US champion in biathlon. He secured his place on Team USA at the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, but his dream was shattered as a sudden life-threatening health condition forced him out of the competition shortly before the Olympics. Instead of giving up, Raimonds packed up his VW Westfalia van with canned soup and embarked on a 90-day roller ski trip from Inuvik, Canada, to Baja, Mexico. He was accompanied by his dog, Bucis, and his friend Martin, who drove the van and filmed the whole journey with a VHS camera.

Raimonds uses his trip not only as a way to sort out his life but also as a way to protest the USSR and promote the freedom of his native Latvia. Fast forward to 2014, and Raimonds, now an experienced adventure traveler in his 50s, retraces the same road trying to find the people he met in 1988 and reflecting on his life after his epic journey and the fall of the USSR. Raimonds will introduce the film and be on hand to talk about his experience. ‘A to B’ tee shirts in kids’ and most adult sizes will be available for purchase, and he will be donating one of Olympic gold medalist Kikkan Randall’s roller skis to the Bethel Outing Club as a fundraiser for youth Nordic skiing.

Started in 1981, the Bethel Outing Club is a non-profit organization that connects members and friends with the out-of-doors in and around the mountains of Western Maine. Further information is available at www.bethelouting.org

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