Executive Director of Maine Sports Commission visits the region   

   AROOSTOOK COUNTY - "From peewee to pro, we are looking for any sporting event which would fit in well with the region," said Kerry Hoey, executive director of the Maine Sports Commission, during a visit to Aroostook County last week.

   Hoey is the first executive director for the recently created sports commission, which was created to attract sporting events to the state and  grow existing events to generate tourism dollars.

   The commission has 13 members, including one from seven of the eight tourism regions that elected to participate in its creation. The Downeast-Acadia region is the only part of the state not participating. The representative from Aroostook County is Northern Maine Development Commission's Michael Eisensmith.

   "Our region's participation in the Maine Sports Commission initiative will provide a great opportunity to develop and attract new events to Aroostook; while giving us access to expertise that can help grow our existing events," said Eisensmith.

   Each of the seven regions is contributing $10,000 annually to the commission and the Maine Office of Tourism is contributing $70,000 a year.

   Hoey's first few months on the job have been getting to know the state, experiencing existing events and learning about the different venues. Her tour of Aroostook County included a meeting with tourism officials and visits to the 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent, Nordic Heritage Center, Gentile Hall at the University of Maine Presque Isle, Aroostook State Park and Bigrock in Mars Hill.

   "I have been going around to the different tourism regions and talking to officials to see what is on their wish list," said Hoey.

   Leslie Jackson, regional tourism developer for NMDC, who organized Hoey's visit, said it is important to promote the area.

   "Aroostook County Tourism recognizes that Aroostook is a prime location for a variety of sporting activities, said Jackson. "Ms. Hoey's visit to the area provided her with firsthand knowledge of our existing venues and beautiful scenery which has armed her with the information she needs to offer Aroostook to organizations seeking event locations."

   Hoey's to do list is lengthy which includes trade shows, establishing a Maine Sports Commission website and dozens of meetings. In fact this week she is meeting with the U.S. governing bodies for various Olympic events, like biathlon, archery, canoe and kayaking and hockey.

   "We tried to pick the sports that Maine has a good foothold on," she said. "We have hosted spectacular events in the past and can do so again."

   Hoey said youth sporting events are usually extremely lucrative, with parents and relatives coming to the region where the event is held. Overall it is estimated the sports marketing business is worth more than $7 billion in the U.S. and there are more than 3,500 sporting events annually looking for somewhere to locate.

   Maine's commission already has had some success according to a story in the Portland Press Herald.

Last year, when the Maine Sports Commission wasn't officially formed but moving toward an agreement, representatives went to a trade show in Texas. It is there they persuaded an LPGA Futures Event to come to Cape Elizabeth.

   Prior to joining the Maine Sports Commission, Kerry was the Director for the Kosciuszko Community Center with the national gold-medal winning Milwaukee County Parks, where she successfully created and managed revenue-generating recreation programs, sports leagues and sports competitions for over 2,500 members and participants.