As we get ready for the Ellsworth Girls Basketball Team to play in the Championship Game on Saturday, February 25th, it's only appropriate to pay homage and respect to some of the trailblazing teams that came before them!  And it is especially important to do so in this, the 50th year of Title IX,Title IX (9)  which changed the sporting world, giving girls an opportunity to play sports and increased the offerings that were available to them!

When I spoke with Coach Andy Pooler postgame after their win over Caribou on Wednesday in the semifinals we talked about the girls that brought the program to where it is today, while he's been coach. There was an awful lot of hard work, sweat, tears and effort.

Thanks to Holly Macomber she reminded us that early girl's teams played in the afternoon and never at night. There were no fans, no band, no cheerleaders, no water bottles, scant news coverage and "crappy" practice times!

The 1971-72 Ellsworth Girls Basketball Team were the PVC Champions, but Girls didn't play in the Maine High School Basketball Tournament  until 1975! The Eagles beat Bucksport 40-26 for the PVC Title at Husson College (it wasn't a University back then!)

Members of that Team include

  • Manager Terri (Poulin) Kane
  • Valencia Jackson
  • Laura Bradford
  • Lois Hayes
  • Barbara (Weymouth) Gordon
  • Holly Macomber
  • Susan (Morse) Mann
  • Martha Ohrenberger
  • Barbara Bittum
  • Ellen Carlisle
  • Susan "Shorty" Lawsone
  • Vicki (Linscott) Montgomer
  • Patricia (Frost) Rock
  • Christine Abramson
  • Lindsay Carlisle
  • Dottie (Gray) Grant
  • Coach Christine (Davis) Linscott

And from Julie Lord the 1st time that the Ellsworth Girls qualified for the Tourney was in February 1979. From a picture she sent me from the Ellsworth American archives team members included  Amy Suyama, Becky McDevitt, Allyson (Sweeny) Poulin, Lori (Fortier) McCartney, Julie Lord, Lynn(Garrity) Dorr, Donna Boynton and Coach Roland Shaw!

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