To the nationals

FORT KENT - Twelve-year old Brandon Theriault will represent Fort Kent and surrounding towns when he flies to Hershey, Pa. for the Hershey North American Final on August 7 to run the 100-meter dash.

Brandon Theriault of Fort Kent sprints for the finish line in the 100-m dash. His time of 13.99 seconds qualified the young athlete to compete in the national competition.

During the state meet in Bangor on July 6, Theriault, along with eighteen other local athletes, excelled at running, jumping, throwing, and relay races.  Fort Kent took many top honors.

During the 100-meter dash, Theriault crossed the finish line in 13.99 seconds, fully 1.22 seconds faster than his closest competitor.

Theriault and his teammates did not know if any qualified for the National meet until much later after all the other states had finished their qualifying meets and officials could tabulate the results.

His coach, Dale Bailey of Fort Kent, describes Theriault as "a man of few words."

Brandon, who usually plays baseball, said he prepared for the meet by "running around the mills, training, and doing all kinds of running things."

Last year, Theriault also qualified for the North American competition in the softball throw.  He came in second in the competition, challenging Canadian as well as United States athletes

Brandon's parents, Billy and Stacy Theriault said they are proud of their son.  Stacy said, "He just does it."

Organizers created Hershey's Track and Field Program over 30 years ago to promote physical fitness for young people and to provide experiences that are both fun and educational for children between the ages of 9 to 14.

According to the Hershey website, the track and field program is the largest sports program of its kind for youth in the United States and Canada. Hershey sponsors meets in every state and every province in North America.