Bumblin' B's

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Having been to Presque Isle, Maine several times... I can tell you that it is amazing a team that far out in terms of transportation and distance to other Division III teams is able to maintain a program. They get stuck playing other Maine-system schools like Machais - still a 3 to 4 hour drive depending on weather. So hats off to them for giving this a real go.

[David Collinge]

Presque Isle is no more remote, in D3 terms, than Whitworth or Sul Ross St., and they seem to do just fine.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

David... it is far more remote than you realize! :-) If Loring Air Force Base was still in action, it might be a bit more interesting.

Closest airport is Bangor... and barely anyone flies out of there and you are hoping and skipping through other airports.
Interstate starts down in Houlton, so you are driving two-lane Route 1 until you get there.
Luckily, the closest D3 school is in Bangor (Husson)... so that helps. :-)

[smedindy]

Have you tried to go to Alpine, TX? You fly into El Paso or Midland then go about 3 1/2 hours.

/wow I sounded like Ralph there.

I love Bangor, and I'd love to go back.

And I love driving on US1, for the history and the fact it's NO interstate. Interstates? Feh. I need to get to the beginning of US1, especially since I just was at the other end of it Thanksgiving weekend.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Certainly haven't been to TX but traveled pretty extensively in that region and know the distances.

All I can tell you is that Bangor is so difficult to fly into... it is easier to drive from Baltimore to Baileyville (formerly Woodland near Calais) then consider flying into Baltimore... or further more flying into Portland and driving from there (which would be that 3 1/2 to 4 hour comparison).

Also, a note... basketball team has to deal with tough Maine winters, versus Texas ;-).

All in good fun.

[Mr. Ypsi]

d-mac beat me to it on the season - for a winter sport, I'd say no one is as isolated as UMPI (Finlandia might be their nearest competition)!  I'm surprised they get nearly all their games in (even if we often didn't hear the results for weeks!)

[John Gleich]

d-mac beat me to it on the season - for a winter sport, I'd say no one is as isolated as UMPI (Finlandia might be their nearest competition)!  I'm surprised they get nearly all their games in (even if we often didn't hear the results for weeks!)

I can't speak to UMPI, but I went to Michigan Tech for a year (right across Portage Lake from Finlandia) and they're just used to the snow... they have the machinery to deal with it.

To contrast, it's much more common for a place like Nashville to shut down with an inch of snow than for the U.P. to shut down with anything less than... I dunno... 18 inches?  (That's at one time... the year I was there, we got 229 inches.  Just about average...)

[smedindy]

Certainly haven't been to TX but traveled pretty extensively in that region and know the distances.

All I can tell you is that Bangor is so difficult to fly into... it is easier to drive from Baltimore to Baileyville (formerly Woodland near Calais) then consider flying into Baltimore... or further more flying into Portland and driving from there (which would be that 3 1/2 to 4 hour comparison).

Also, a note... basketball team has to deal with tough Maine winters, versus Texas ;-).

All in good fun.

Texas you just have to deal with...Texas.

Having lived in MN for a few years, snow is nothing to them. I don't think the PI guys notice it.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

OK... I know snow is nothing... sheesh... I lived in Chicago as a kid and in Down East Maine... they might be used to snow... but that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous.

I will now repeat... all in good fun :-)

[smedindy]

I know Dave. I live in FL now and if they see a flake I-95 will be backed up from the Treasure Coast to the Rickenbacker Causeway!

[Ralph Turner]

Certainly haven't been to TX but traveled pretty extensively in that region and know the distances.

All I can tell you is that Bangor is so difficult to fly into... it is easier to drive from Baltimore to Baileyville (formerly Woodland near Calais) then consider flying into Baltimore... or further more flying into Portland and driving from there (which would be that 3 1/2 to 4 hour comparison).

Also, a note... basketball team has to deal with tough Maine winters, versus Texas ;-).

All in good fun.

Texas you just have to deal with...Texas.

Having lived in MN for a few years, snow is nothing to them. I don't think the PI guys notice it.

[sac]

Doesn't Colorado College win the isolation argument every year?

[Mr. Ypsi]

d-mac beat me to it on the season - for a winter sport, I'd say no one is as isolated as UMPI (Finlandia might be their nearest competition)!  I'm surprised they get nearly all their games in (even if we often didn't hear the results for weeks!)

I can't speak to UMPI, but I went to Michigan Tech for a year (right across Portage Lake from Finlandia) and they're just used to the snow... they have the machinery to deal with it.

To contrast, it's much more common for a place like Nashville to shut down with an inch of snow than for the U.P. to shut down with anything less than... I dunno... 18 inches?  (That's at one time... the year I was there, we got 229 inches.  Just about average...)

I hear ya - I was in Birmingham (AL) one time when two inches fell - I'm trying to drive normally, everyone else is utterly freaked out!  For Finlandia, I was forgetting that the NCAA finally showed common sense and moved them to the West.  EVERY Great Lakes opponent was over 400 miles away and required a crossing of the Big Mac (regardless of equipment, can be VERY dicey in mid-winter)!

[KnightSlappy]

d-mac beat me to it on the season - for a winter sport, I'd say no one is as isolated as UMPI (Finlandia might be their nearest competition)!  I'm surprised they get nearly all their games in (even if we often didn't hear the results for weeks!)

I can't speak to UMPI, but I went to Michigan Tech for a year (right across Portage Lake from Finlandia) and they're just used to the snow... they have the machinery to deal with it.

To contrast, it's much more common for a place like Nashville to shut down with an inch of snow than for the U.P. to shut down with anything less than... I dunno... 18 inches?  (That's at one time... the year I was there, we got 229 inches.  Just about average...)

I hear ya - I was in Birmingham (AL) one time when two inches fell - I'm trying to drive normally, everyone else is utterly freaked out!  For Finlandia, I was forgetting that the NCAA finally showed common sense and moved them to the West.  EVERY Great Lakes opponent was over 400 miles away and required a crossing of the Big Mac (regardless of equipment, can be VERY dicey in mid-winter)!

Big Mac is not the preferred nomenclature. Mighty Mac, please.

[John Gleich]

d-mac beat me to it on the season - for a winter sport, I'd say no one is as isolated as UMPI (Finlandia might be their nearest competition)!  I'm surprised they get nearly all their games in (even if we often didn't hear the results for weeks!)

I can't speak to UMPI, but I went to Michigan Tech for a year (right across Portage Lake from Finlandia) and they're just used to the snow... they have the machinery to deal with it.

To contrast, it's much more common for a place like Nashville to shut down with an inch of snow than for the U.P. to shut down with anything less than... I dunno... 18 inches?  (That's at one time... the year I was there, we got 229 inches.  Just about average...)

I hear ya - I was in Birmingham (AL) one time when two inches fell - I'm trying to drive normally, everyone else is utterly freaked out!  For Finlandia, I was forgetting that the NCAA finally showed common sense and moved them to the West.  EVERY Great Lakes opponent was over 400 miles away and required a crossing of the Big Mac (regardless of equipment, can be VERY dicey in mid-winter)!

Big Mac is not the preferred nomenclature. Mighty Mac, please.

Gosh, don't all the Trolls know the name of the bridge that they live under...?