To whom it may concern:

My name is Holli Kenison and I have been a member of the indoor and outdoor track and field program at Orono High School since the winter of my freshman year.  Over the past four seasons I have competed in two New England meets, once my freshman year, traveling down to Fitchburg, Mass. to compete on our 4x400m relay and once my sophomore year, in Boston, running the 55m hurdles.  Spring of my sophomore year, I drove down to Saco, Maine to support a teammate competing in two events at New England’s.

Not only competing at, but also watching others compete at New England’s, has provided me with some of the best experiences of my life.  The three times I’ve been, twice to compete and once to support, have been extremely influential in the type of athlete I have become and the relationships I have forged with not only my teammates and my coach but with other “trackees” from all around that I may not have met otherwise.  My first experience at New England’s, as a freshman, was an overwhelming one.  I remember sitting up in the stands and watching the best high school athletes I had ever seen run the 300m hurdles, an event I had considered myself to be decent at, and was astounded at the times they were running.  Even the slowest girl was at least two seconds ahead of any time I had ever been capable of.

Being competitive at a local level can have an effect on the way many athletes view themselves as competitors.  When you see the same athletes week after week, you learn their strengths, how they compete, and the amount of effort you’re going to need to measure up to or be better than them.  Even at a state level, the majority of the kids you see you’ve been competing with all along, but the New England meet is an entirely new challenge.  Since it is a meet where only the top six athletes from each state, regardless of class, can qualify to compete, there is little chance to feel at home with your competition.  For many athletes, including myself, New England’s is an experience that is not only humbling in many ways, but encouraging as well.  It puts competition and what’s “good” into a whole new perspective that continues to inspire me to train harder and compete better so I’ll have the opportunity to test myself again.

Throughout school and life, we are taught to aim high, push hard, and expect great achievements; sports are no different and New England’s makes this possible to hundreds of athletes.  Taking New England’s away is like taking motivation away.  It’s taking something away that pushes us to train harder, compete better, and be the best athletes we can possibly be.  Not to mention: the life-long lessons, memories and friendships created.

As I stood in front of a crowd of past and present athletes, parents, coaches, and officials that nearly filled the entire indoor track at the University of Maine this past weekend, I realized that I was part of something so much more than a cry to the MPA to save New England’s.  I was an advocate for what I believe in and for what so many others believe in.  It is incredible that hundreds of athletes statewide, who don’t know each other, were able to collectively organize and get together to protest something they all share: a desire for the opportunity to share an experience like this with friends and family, to compete at a higher level, to make a name for themselves, to learn what great competition is, and finally, to be the best athlete they can possibly be.  Please help not only those currently competing do that but also the athletes that have yet to come, and save New England’s.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, 

Holli Kenison