Maine, Mass, Maryland and New Hampshire battle it out for top billing

Sun, 02/04/2024 - 09:33 pm

Where else are you going to find a fun, eclectic and exuberant celebration of the toboggan but in Camden, Maine, at the annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships.

No matter how fit and trim the crew might be, the walk up the stairs to the top of the chute is always a test of team’s mettle. But then, the ride back down is a fury of adrenaline and an exciting blast across the icy pond.

It is a full-on push to prep the toboggans so they reach their maximum speeds and performance.

Looking across the ice toward the chute from Hosmer Pond Road.

Two full days of toboggan action start every time at the top of the chute.

The Town of Rockport again beat its sole competitor this year, the Town of Camden. The tradition of the two-town sled competition began in 2016 when two toboggans filled with four select board members from each town pitted their times against one another. That was Rockport’s 125th birthday celebration, after it had split from the Town of Camden in 1891. In 2016, Camden won the toboggan competition. This year, the Rockport toboggan was filled by Harbor Master Abbie Leonard, former Select Board Chair Michelle Hannan, Finance Director Megan Brackett and Select Board member Michael Thompson. They beat Camden by two seconds. (Photo by Lynda Clancy)

Teams, costumes, popcorn.... how to populate a creative event in the middle of winter on a frozen pond in Maine.

Loading up the toboggans for the standoff between Camden and Rockport (in the Passing Wind toboggan).

Camden Select Board Chair Tom Hedstrom and Town Manager Audra Caler.

Bob Annis (in yellow), age 90, is protected by Tom Maxcy and Bruce Richards for his One More Ride. At age 2 and a half, he was bundled up and snuggled against his father on a toboggan, the youngest rider then to go down the newly built chute. His father, Blake Annis, was of the original crew that build the chute and Snow Bowl lodge in 1935-1936.

Josh Johnson and Chutemaster Stuart Young.

Josh and Adam

Photographer Isaac Remsen carefully brings his drone back down to earth.

Photographer Isaac Remsen covered the toboggan championships for the Camden Snow Bowl.

Where else are you going to find a fun, eclectic and exuberant celebration of the toboggan but in Camden, Maine, at the annual U.S. National Toboggan Championships.

It is a full-on push to prep the toboggans so they reach their maximum speeds and performance.

Looking across the ice toward the chute from Hosmer Pond Road.

Two full days of toboggan action start every time at the top of the chute.

Teams, costumes, popcorn.... how to populate a creative event in the middle of winter on a frozen pond in Maine.

Loading up the toboggans for the standoff between Camden and Rockport (in the Passing Wind toboggan).

Camden Select Board Chair Tom Hedstrom and Town Manager Audra Caler.

Josh Johnson and Chutemaster Stuart Young.

Josh and Adam

Photographer Isaac Remsen carefully brings his drone back down to earth.

Photographer Isaac Remsen covered the toboggan championships for the Camden Snow Bowl.

CAMDEN – Blustery winds out of the northwest chilled the Midcoast Feb. 3, 4 and 5, and with temperatures dropping to the teens during overnight hours, conditions were excellent – albeit cold — for competitors seeking high speeds down the chute at the 33rd U.S. National Toboggan Championships at the Camden Snow Bowl.

And it was pure winter in Tobogganville and on the Hosmer Pond ice, as locals and visitors bundled up – hats, mittens, down coats under costumes, ice cleats on their boots, scarves, sunglasses, and fire pits to gather around, cook a meal, and share stories and a good laugh.

BBQ sold out, as did the doughnuts, and while Saturday slid into Sunday, the ice remained a popular place to be. On Saturday, the area was alive with not only toboggans, but pond hockey, skating and just general exploration of Maine’s frozen landscape.

On Sunday, the ice seemed even more like glass, as toboggans emptied from the chute, some careening almost clear across the ice toward the other side of the pond. It was that smooth and fast. Some toboggans recorded speeds of 40 mph as they crossed the finish line.

“As I reflect on this weekend’s race, in many ways this year ran the smoothest of recent years,” said Holly Anderson, co-chairman of the organizing committee and interim director of the Snow Bowl. “Hundreds of hours of preparation went into making that happen. We had a glitch with our timing equipment midway through the finals Sunday, but our seasoned crew put their heads together, troubleshooted the problem, and got us back on track. Mother Nature gave us cold weather and some wicked wind gusts this weekend, which kept the crowds circulating and the parking lot turning over, but the crowds remained steady.”

While serious competitors paid close attention to the times being announced by Tom Dowd over the loud speaker, there was a Saturday afternoon break when Bob Annis took his “One More Ride” down the chute at age 90, town officials from Camden and Rockport battled it out for victory in their annual race to reign supreme as municipal toboggan contenders, and a costume parade wound through Tobogganville.

Leading the parade was Anderson and bringing up the rear was growling Pirate Syd Leach, keeping it unruly. In between, a host of toboggan teams that ranged from outer space astronauts to hot dogs and a swaying dinosaur.

Rockport took the trophy again this year back to the lime kiln town, recording the fastest time, 39 mph and 9:47 seconds. But it was just two hundredths of a second faster than Camden’s 38 mph and 9.49 seconds.

Rockport’s team, aboard the toboggan named “Passing Wind”, included Select Board member Michael Thompson Finance Director Megan Brackett, former Select Board Chair Michelle Hannan, and Harbor Master Abbie Leonard.

Camden’s toboggan carried Town Manager Audra Caler, Select Board Chair Tom Hedstrom, Harbor Master Steve Pixley and Select Board member Chris Nolan.

“It was super gratifying to have so many teams come up to me after awards were handed out and express their appreciation for the work we did to put the event on once again,” said Anderson. “In fact, I heard similar comments throughout the weekend. The racers know we work hard to make this event a success for them, and we keep doing it because of them. Mark your calendars for 2025, when we will celebrate 34 years of toboggan racing in Camden, home of Tobogganville.”

Top results follow. For the full lists of team placements for the two-, three- and four-person toboggans, visit the Camden Snow Bowl toboggan page.

2-PERSON

First Place
#6, Two Whiskeys on Ice, 18.69
Joel Perry, David Lorentzen (Warren, ME)

Second Place
#85, BOLT 5, 18.87
Trey Shupert, Dan Smith (Monkton, MD)

Third Place
#19, BOLT 2, 18.95
Peter Soule, Doug Kennedy (Medway, MA)

3-PERSON

First Place
#170, BOLT 8, 18.79
Bob LaFlamme, Allen Hoy, Sam Kennedy (Moultonborough, NH)

Second Place
#141, BOLT 3 (tie breaker, fastest run in final), 18.88
Andrew Rubenstein, Dennis Livoli, Keith Price (Franklin, MA)

Third Place
#131, Chowda Heads, 18.88
Donald LeBlanc, Samuel Gouveia, Michael Terceira (Fall River, MA)

4-PERSON

First Place
#222, BOLT 1, 18.8
Peter Soule, Brad Soule, Doug Kennedy, Sam Kennedy (Medway, MA)

Second Place
#217, Whiskey on Ice 4, 18.86
Jon Maxcy, Greg Davis, Steve Lorentzen, David Lorentzen (Warren, ME)

Third Place
#263, BOLT 6, 18.91
Andrew Rubenstein, Dennis Livoli, Keith Price, Dan Smith (Franklin, MA)

EXPERIMENTAL

#420, Magic Carpet Ride, 18.77
Dan Littlefield, Zeb Hills, Jeff Smith, Eliot Freeman (Belfast, ME)

FASTEST ALL-FEMALES
#232, Shear Madness, 9.39
Sarah Maxcy, Amanda Overlock, Megan Juarez, Jessica Maxcy (Warren, ME)

FASTEST STUDENTS
#305 - Central Aroostook High School 1, 9.49
William Whited, Avery Birmingham, Kellen McCrum, Reed Birmingham (Bridgewater, ME)

OLDEST TEAM
#52 - Frogs on a Log 2 Alpha, 83 avg. age
Chip Maury, Eric Bleicken (Bristol, ME)

BEST CRAFTED TOBOGGAN
#90 – Moonwalkers
Noah Hawk, Bonnie Hawk (Frederick, MD)

BEST COSTUME
#317 - U.S. Red Velvet Racing Yakuza
Sam Calhoun, Kody Reed, Dallas Davis, Shane Butler (Boones Mill, VA)

Winner of the Ariens 90^th Anniversary Platinum 24 Ariens Snowthrower
Toboggan racer Catherine Cote (Monmouth, ME)

Gold Sponsors: Camden National Bank, Ariens, Eaton Peabody

Silver Sponsors: TD Bank, 16 Bay View, North Atlantic Painting & Builders, Journey’s End marine, Northern Toboggan Co., Sea Dog Brewing, Cedarworks

Bronze Sponsors: Baird, Knox Machine, Waterfront Restaurant

Special thanks to West Bay Rotary for volunteering to manage public parking.

Four Person Toboggan