But this isn’t any ordinary brick wall. It’s part of Bangor’s brand-new Cross Insurance Center, which is rapidly approaching its grand opening in September.

I finally had a chance to take a tour of the arena myself Friday. Immediately, visions started dancing in my head. And they had nothing to do with basketball, concerts or the fact that the Bangor Daily News has a perch on the arena’s suite level.

I thought of the fact that Les Mills instructors like myself from Maine who want to attend quarterly workshops have to do traveling. And lots of it. I’ve gone as far south as New Jersey for such events and will travel to Orlando for another this summer.

When our tour headed to the Grand Ballroom, thoughts didn’t turn to the hundreds of senior proms and executive dinners that will likely fill this space. Thoughts turned to up to 500 Les Mills diehards, sweating to new releases, forging new relationships and rekindling old ones. Thoughts turned to Maine’s finest instructors getting a chance to take the stage in front of hundreds of their fellow tribe members on their home soil.

Where am I going with this? The fact that this beautiful, sparkling building rising around Paul Bunyan could no doubt host a Les Mills quarterly if they chose to bring one up here.

Of course, with every dream, there are obstacles. And that’s what this vision is at this point, a mere pipe dream. But with every obstacle comes a possible solution.

What about an international airport so people coming from outside New England can get here? Got it. Plenty of hotels to review choreography notes and get the jet lag out of our legs? Yup, got plenty of those. Dining and entertainment options for those who want to make a weekend out of it? Those are only a short RPM ride down Main Street.

The main question is: Would folks from the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states want to journey to such a remote locale for a weekend? It’s a long way to travel and its expensive to travel.

In New England, especially this part of New England, we’re used to it. Between plane tickets, module tickets, food, lodging and a rental car, I dropped nearly $800 to attend AIM II in Virginia last April. Don’t let those figures scare you, though, because its not nearly as pricey to sign up for a Quarterly as it is for a training module.

Having such an event in Maine would no doubt put us on the map and showcase the fact that we do have strong, talented instructors capable of teaching at the next level. It would give those of us who have attended AIM II’s a chance to take the stage next to the likes of Renata, McBee, Murphy, and so on. And all these tribe members coming from the South would be spending money in our hotels, bars and restaurants. You can’t argue with that, can you?

Who knows if a Les Mills quarterly in Maine will ever happen. In March 2010, I was fortunate enough to start my BodyPump teaching career on home soil as a rare initial training came to Lewiston. My biggest dream is to take the stage at a Quarterly and bring elite-level instructing to Maine. What better place to make that dream a reality in the shadow of Paul Bunyan, in the city I’ve called home for 28 years?

From Division I basketball to concerts, the Cross Insurance Center will host its share of events that will draw huge crowds to Bangor. But nothing would be more awesome than 500 crazy fitness fanatics sharing a ballroom for 8 hours, and toasting beers at Geaghan’s after the final cooldown track wraps up.

Let’s make this dream happen, Les Mills.

This ballroom at the Cross Insurance Center is certainly big enough to fit hundreds of Les Mills instructors, benchtops and smartbars.

The Red Sox were tuned into my boss’s TV in his corner office. The Boston Marathon was eagerly being followed online, with anticipation this may be the year an American runner wins the country’s marquee road race for the first time since the Reagan administration.

The Sox beat the Rays in walkoff fashion. Maine’s own Sheri Piers was the fourth U.S. finisher. A class full of BodyPumpers would be squatting and clean-and-pressing to a kickass new release later that afternoon. The Bruins would take over the Northeast Division lead with a win over Ottawa that night. Sounds like an ideal Patriots Day.

One despicable act of violence, however, would cast a dark cloud over this perfect day.

There it was, just before 3 p.m., a tweet on Northeast Fire alert, whose feed informs us of any sort of emergency happening from Maine to New York in 140 characters or less: Explosion. 755 Boylston Street, Boston.

I have not run the Boston Marathon – those of you who know me know that qualifying is one of my athletic aspirations – but I’ve covered this race and enjoyed this city enough times to know almost instantly that’s where the 26.2-mile journey from Hopkinton to Copley Square comes to a close.

Then, a short time later, we in the BDN newsroom learned the horrifying truth. Two bombs had exploded in the area of the Boston Marathon finish line. The aftermath left three, including an 8-year old boy, dead and hundreds injured. Limbs and blood were scattered in Copley Square as stunned runners crossed the finish line in horror.

As a reporter, your instincts take over at this point. Obviously, you want to get the facts. But my first priority was making sure all my Boston friends – and there are a lot of them – were OK. Fortunately, they were. One of my closest friends lives in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston and is a frequent attendee of the marathon. Upon getting in touch with her, she informed me that she had decided not to attend the race this spring. She stated she was OK. That’s all I needed to know.

The aftermath was one of many emotions. Hurt. Anger. Sorrow. It had a lot of people asking themselves, friends and family members alike, why an innocent event like the Boston Marathon? Such a terror attack hasn’t been seen on U.S. soil since the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The 2013 Boston Marathon was dedicated to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School, with participants running 26 miles for 26 victims. An innocent 8-year old boy enjoying a bright, sunny day off from school watching the race with his family had his life ripped away in the blink of an eye.

The first thought in my head was, how am I going to teach a BodyPump class tonight? Upon arriving at Union Street Athletics, the mood was somber, as expected. Instructors and members alike gathered around TV sets that hover above the cardio equipment watching the tragic events unfold. It was at that moment that I came to the realization that personal-bests and doing that extra pushup on your toes would be completely irrelevant. The purpose of this class on this particular day was tribe members coming together for 60 minutes to have fun, enjoy each other’s company, smile and laugh.

The Boston Marathon will go on next year on Patriots Day, as is tradition. But the spectacle of the 2013 race will forever have a dark shadow cast over it thanks to the cowardly acts of one individual or individuals. Mount Desert Island marathon race director Gary Allen, a man  of hundreds of marathons, said in a BDN story that ran earlier this week that he would trade his finisher’s medal for the health of all the victims. I’ve interviewed him many times myself, and wouldn’t expect him to say anything less. A true class act who embodies what running is all about.

There’s nothing fathomable about ruining what is a perfect day in New England. A national holiday. College students in greater Boston skip classes to line the streets. Ditto for adults who have the day off from work. Some of them even take sick days. Just for a marathon. But the Boston Marathon is more than just a 26.2-mile race. It’s a national event. One that was ruined by evil.

Whomever performed this cowardly act should know that Boston is the wrong city to mess with, and better yet, the entire New England region. We’re tough. We can overcome anything, and we will overcome this unspeakable tragedy. Prospective Boston Marathoners will continue to pound miles in hopes of landing that illusive qualifying time. Runners are a tough breed. I know. I am one of them. And you don’t want to mess with us.

Maybe in 2014, the likes of Shalane Flanagan or Kara Goucher will break the tape first and wrap themselves in red, white and blue. But the important thing is we keep running. Cowardly acts of terrorism won’t stop our marathon. Not now. Not ever.

I had been half-asleep in my recliner for maybe five minutes Tuesday afternoon when I got the news that had been rumored throughout the morning: University of Maine hockey coach Tim Whitehead had been fired.

At first, I thought it was a late April Fools joke that my wife had been saving in her arsenal for a week and a half. But it wasn’t. And truth be told, most of us saw it coming.

Whitehead was given the keys to this well-oiled machine in 2001 when coach Shawn Walsh succumbed to kidney cancer. We all know how difficult it is to follow in a legend’s footsteps. A lot of quality coaches and athletes have wilted under such pressure. Whitehead didn’t. He did an admirable job.

In his 12 seasons behind the UMaine bench, the Black Bears made two national championship games and two Frozen Fours. Both national-title game appearances (2002, 2004) resulted in one-goal losses. The other Frozen Four appearances came in 2006 and 2007.

But after 2007, it was all downhill. The Bears didn’t appear in the NCAA tournament again until last season, falling 5-2 to Minnesota-Duluth, squandering a 2-0 lead. 2012-13 was even worse, as the team barely snuck into the Hockey East playoffs and won only two games at Alfond Arena. Attendance hit a low unseen since George H.W. Bush manned the White House.

A lot of people had been calling for Whitehead’s job for the last four years. A yearly trip to the NCAA tournament doesn’t sit will with diehards. Trust me, I know. I’m married to one. We were in the stands in Worcester last year when the Bears blew that two-goal lead. The 2002 loss to the Gophers is still wedged in her head.

There is no question in my mind that Whitehead is a really nice man, a great family man, a coach who was a class act to deal with from a media standpoint. A contrast to John Tortorella, a former Black Bear who finds himself on the hot seat in New York. The two of us had a great conversation prior to a road game at UNH in March. He is passionate about the game.

The problem is, too often in sports, nice guys finish last, although Terry Francona managed to prove that wrong with the Red Sox. People are looking for coaches with the fire of Herb Brooks or Bear Bryant, Bobby Knight or Bill Belichick, Doc Rivers or Claude Julien. It’s safe to say Whitehead would never throw a chair, make his players run “Herbies” for peering at that blonde-haired, blue-eyed graduate student in the Maine-iac section or wear a hooded sweatshirt on the sideline when its 75 degrees outside.

It is certainly time for a change and for the program to move forward. Hockey East opponents used to be scared to death to come into Alfond Arena. That is no longer the case. High-caliber teams such as Denver, Minnesota and North Dakota would be expected on the out-of-conference schedule. Now, the likes of Mercyhurst and St. Lawrence come into Orono expecting a sweep. Teams you wouldn’t expect to be in the Frozen Four, Quinnipiac and Yale, the former holding the country’s top ranking throughout the year, are playing for a national championship in Pittsburgh this weekend. The usual contenders are hitting the golf course. That’s the new generation of college sports.

Whoever gets the job will be given the keys to a talented, young team with potential. Devin Shore had an outstanding freshman year. Martin Ouellette was strong in goal over the second half of the year. But don’t expect a miracle right away. It takes time. A lot of would jump for joy over Jim Montgomery, who captained the legendary 42-1-2 team in 1992-93, returning to Orono to man the bench. Montgomery would be a top choice, but a national search will be upon us.

If there’s a Division I job out there, Whitehead should be a candidate. Best of luck to you, Coach.

Participants mingle and group fitness instructor Scott Kahkonen takes attendance prior to the BodyPump 85 launch masterclass at Union Street Athletics on Saturday

Anticipation is always high when new BodyPump material is about to be released, but the enthusiasm for BodyPump 85 was probably the highest I’ve seen in the nearly two years I’ve been at Union Street Athletics.

For one, there were some awesome new moves coming at us, and fellow instructor Scott Kahkonen and myself were supporting a fantastic cause – breast cancer awareness – with “Save Motor Boating” and “Support Second Base” T-shirts.

Those two factors, along with a room filled to capacity, made for an outstanding launch, an awesome welcome-home feeling after five days on the road.

Warmup: The past few warmup tracks have been “all over the place,” so to speak, but with this one the transitions aren’t too quirky and the music fits the welcoming feeling a warmup track should have.

Squats: When I first practiced this squat track, I had a feeling it was going to be a tough one, and I wasn’t wrong!! This one is a far cry from Release 84 where we had tons and tons of slow work. This is a real calorie-burner, with tons of bottom halves and quick-slow tempos. Even though there were only two sets, we really found this one to be a challenge, and some participants even challenged themselves weight-wise.

Chest: This one goes back a few years, as we’re working from the bottom most of the track. In other words, you’re going bottom to top in the first and third sets, therefore recruiting more muscle fibers and keeping the chest under tension longer, providing a challenge. This marked the first release since I’ve been teaching where we’ve had such choreography, but I’ll be keeping this one in a while.

Back: Not a very challenging track, but still quite a kicker. A lot of power presses to spike the heartrate, however, a lot of participants stated they could’ve gone slightly higher since there are no widerows. The song is really energetic and makes it easy to work hard!

Triceps:  We’ve come to the first track I’ll likely sub out! As far as the workout goes, most people didn’t get a whole lot out of it in terms of two sets of presses, both of which were short, and a couple even stated they experience wrist pain if they use their back weight, which is recommended. The song itself is great, but the choreography could’ve been better, save for the dips and overheads at the end, which are quite a kick.

Biceps:  Fantastic song here, and the workout matches it! For some reason, anytime there is a Pink song in the bicep track, it’s a real challenge, and this one is no different! The bulks of combinations (a bottom half followed by a single) and tons of singles make for a challenge that toasts the biceps. Plus, this gave two men a chance to be a little cheeky!

Lunges: The best track of this release!! We all know about the negative “publicity” plyometric moves have been getting, but this track proves that they DO belong in BodyPump. My participants were gasping for air by the end of this track, which has us doing plyometric jumps onto the benchtop. Say what you want about “old school” lunge tracks, but this one is clearly the toughest in BodyPump history. Before we even hit the plyo work, we have three long sets – one set of squats and two of lunges – with the barbell or plates which pre-fatigue the legs before we finish them off, hard, with the plyometric work. Everyone was smiling at the end! This one is staying for a while.

Shoulders: Another hardcore shoulder track! Walking pushups in the beginning make for an awesome shoulder challenge, before we even get to the 16 singles prior to the plate work! The fun new combination of a side raise followed by a mack raise is a real killer, and if you’re not feeling it by the time you get to the barbell work, well, you may need bigger plates! The music really fits the track, too, hardcore and intense!

Abdominals: For those of you who don’t like hover work, this is the track for you! We’re using a heavy plate the whole time with three phases of work, leg extensions, plate crunches and a leg-plate extension (the plate goes behind the forehead). Sounds easy, right? Not so fast. Your abs will really feel the work by the third set. Great final working track.

There you have it. This is an awesome release and Team USA did a phenomenal job. I’d also like to point out that the breast cancer awareness theme really took off, and hopefully we’ll have more launches for good causes such as this. Hope you guys enjoy the release. Teach it a few times and send me your feedback!

Some instructors and members think BodyPump is heading in the right direction. Others don’t. Just like any topic, there are going to be different opinions. And that’s OK.

Instructors and participants alike have gone back and forth like two heavyweight fighters on message boards for quite some time. The mantra that Les Mills instructors are “One Tribe” has fallen apart to a certain degree.

In conversation regarding BodyPump 85, which will feature plyometric squats in which participants will be jumping onto their benchtops and soaring to new heights, one person commentor stated “adding plyometric squats to BodyPump is like adding squats to Zumba.”

First of all, comparing BodyPump and Zumba is like saying LeBron James and Bill Russell are the same breed of basketball players. You’re mixing apples and oranges. And they’re not going in a protein shake. We’ve had plyometric moves in the lunge track since Release 80, which was launched in early 2012. And now people are starting to complain. The translation: Plyometric moves have no place in BodyPump. This program is going down the tubes. People will bail on our classes and find a Planet Fitness.

Wrong.

Each track has options for instructors and participants alike. And, it’s up to us instructors onstage to be role models for those who can jump high, but those who need the lower-impact options.

Alex Kattar, an instructor from California, echoed those thoughts.

“Give others options, demonstrate then and do them,” was the advice he offered. “It’s not [the instructor's] workout, so you don’t always have to jump as an instructor, just as you do not always have to have the biggest weight on your bar.”

Kattar’s classes have been soaring to new heights since the plyometric moves were introduced.

“Over three-quarters of my class do them and absolutely LOVE them,” he said emphatically.

Suze Antrican, who is as big a Les Mills fanatic as I’ve ever met, believes the program is going in an upward direction and will only continue to do so.

“We have to remember that we all start somewhere and that we build into what we want,” said the Tennesee-based instructor. “I’ve got people who 6 months ago would’ve never attempted these options, but are now soaring to new heights because I’ve given them the tools they need to reach beyond their prior limits.”

That is what we instructors have to rememer as we look toward the future. The naysayers will have their opinion. That’s fine. We all have first-amendment rights.

However, we have to remember that plyometric moves in Track 7 have just as much effect, if not more, than tons of bottom halves. It’s just a matter of us instructors motivating the participants to break through barriers they thought were unbreakable, and showcasing how far this program has come.

 ”There’s no age, no limit, nothing that can stop us from reaching farther than we think we can,” Antrican said.

Of course, the main thing is promotion of our classes. If not for that, the rooms would be empty. I can’t even recall how many times I’ve heard the words, “Ryan, are we jumping tonight,” or “Ryan, you motivated me to do an extra three push-ups on my toes.”

“I will say that I, too, have seen members embrace these challenges because I hype it up,” noted Lisa Schwarz of Pennsylvania.

Schwarz, who I will also note is a huge Penn State football fan, mirrors my feelings almost perfectly. Members enjoy these challenges because we build them up. People come to BodyPump wanting to get their butts kicked, not for milk and cookies. The original barbell workout remains just that. It’s just revolutionizing.

“Don’t push back on it and keep an open mind. Offer alternatives and let’s see how and where it all goes,” Kattar said when looking toward the future of BodyPump.

Team USA launches BodyPump 85 this weekend, so our members’ opinions on the new plyometric moves remains to be seen. But if the last five releases are any indication, they’re going to be jumping through the roof.

 No matter what, there will be the occasional “BodyPump is heading in the wrong direction” and “BodyPump is becoming Zumba” jibber-jabber.  We just have to ignore it, or let it motivate us even more.

The Empire State Building was lit up in dark green colors. A welcome sign as group fitness instructors from the East Coast flocked to New Jersey to celebrate new releases and friendships as some celebrated their heritage.

While there was no green beer in the house, there were plenty of shamrocks, beads, plyometric squats, pushpus and burpees to go around.

Over 300 instructors from Maine to Maryland gathered in central Jersey on Sunday for a St. Paddy’s Day filled with fitness magic, sweat and education as Les Mills East Coast hosted a spectacular quarterly workshop. And to say it went off would be an understatement.

Instructors arrived at the club as early as 6 o’clock in the morning, clamoring for those front benchtops in the BodyPump master class, the new clothing range up for grabs in the accompanying clothing store, and of course, a chance to mingle with old friends.

Of course, with every quarterly comes horror stories, including one from my instructor friends from Pennsylvania, who had to deal with some car trouble en route to the workshop. Heck, the presenters even had some technical difficulties during the BodyPump master class, as we accidentally did the second set of the squat track first due to a music glitch. Thankfully, both sets are the same!! Sheldon’s microphone even cut out briefly during the chest track, but we all pushed through!

The workshop included all of Les Mills’ fine group fitness programs, starting off with BodyPump at 8 a.m., and by the time the BodyFlow masterclass wrapped up the day, it was right around 6 p.m. The workshop gave us a chance to try the new releases we’re going to be showcasing to our members in the coming weeks, and a chance to mingle with old and new friends.

I even had the pleasure of running into a couple of friends from AIM II – Helena Mills from Delaware and Joe Reed from Pennsylvania – in addition to mingling with a few new ones I’ve met at past quarterlies and through writing this blog.

I didn’t stay for the whole workshop – after BodyPump, BodyStep, BodyAttack, BodyVive and CXWorx – it was time to head back to Brooklyn for St. Patrick’s Day festivities – but the fitness magic in the room was breathtaking. Track 7 in BodyPump was a HUGE highlight, as the track features plyometric squat jumps that drew nothing but positives from those in attendance.

Les Mills East Coast always does a fantastic job of putting these events on. It’s never an easy task when you have over 300 fitness fanatics in one space, but that’s the beauty of it. We may be from different states, different backgrounds, but we all have one common goal: Keeping the world fit.

All in all, it was a fantastic day and well worth driving nearly 500 miles from Maine to attend this workshop. If there’s one thing we all took away, it’s plenty of nuggets and magic to take back to our clubs for upcoming launches. Thank you, LMEC for another classy event! For those of you going to Vegas this weekend, have fun, and I wish I could be there!  Hope to see you all in Orlando this summer!

Instructors execute overhead presses during the BodyPump Masterclass at the Les Mills East Coast quarterly workshop in Flemington, N.J., Sunday morning

Warmup: Heartbreak on Hold: Choreography-wise, this is a well-balanced warmup to give the participant a feel for the workout ahead. The transitions aren’t very fast, so it’ll be easy for participants to stay on beat. The song is uplifting and will give you goosebumps as you prepare for 800 repetitions!

Squats: Antidote: Similar to BodyPump 84, we’ve only got two sets of work and one recovery, but with slightly more bottom halves than in the previous release, this one will be a tad more challenging. There are quite a few singles too – 24 in each set to be exact – so this one will be a real leg-buster!

Chest: Uprising: This is an interesting one, as we’ll be pushing from the bottom range and the top range during the duration of the track. For instructors, it will take a few run-throughs to master the choreography, although it shouldn’t be too difficult! Starting the moves from the bottom range recruits more muscle fiber, thus increasing the intensity of the work and building more muscle. A challenge for sure.

Back: This is the rhythm of the night: A classic song for the back and legs track! In Release 84, we had a TON of widerows. This time, we have a ton of Clean and Presses. However, there are wide-grip deadlifts at the end of each set, and don’t be fooled. This move is a challenge, especially in the back half of a set when we’re fatigued. More Power Presses are coming too, so expect to burn a lot of calories with this one.

Triceps: Let It Roll: Another tricep track in which we can go big, as there are no tricep extensions, only presses. It’s only four minutes long and there are only four sets, but in order to feel this one, you will need to increase your weight on the bench. A challenge: Try it with your back and legs weight! We’re only on the bench for 2:15! The finishing kick will be 15 seated overhead extensions with plates. If you load up on the bar, you’ll really feel it when we hit the final 45-50 seconds!

Biceps: Blow Me One Last Kiss: After a killer of a biceps track in Release 84, there’s no doubt we should be able to go heavier on the bar for this one! There’s only three sets of work with a break so this is a good challenge. It’s a cheeky song as well – Les Mills seems to always throw Pink songs in Track 6 – so don’t be too overbearing here. Use the lyrics and have fun!

Lunges: Spectrum: The highlight of this release for me! If you thought the jump squats in Releases 82, 83 and 84 were challenging, you haven’t seen nothing yet. We add yet another propulsion movement: The Plyometric Straddle Jump. Yes, we’re going to be jumping onto the benchtop and back down. This is going to be EPIC (sorry plyo haters, this stuff isn’t going away from BodyPump anytime soon). Keep in mind, there are options should you not want to do the plyometric jumps. Hope you guys are ready!

Shoulders: This Is How We Rock:  Another badass shoulder track, where we start with walking pushups before we hit 16 singles! Ouch…in a good way of course! The intensity picks up right from the start of the track and doesn’t stop. There isn’t a ton of barbell work at the end, so load up and take the challenge! We also have a combination with mac raises and side raises.

Abdominals: One More Night: Upper and lower part of the core will be hard at work here, with leg extensions with plates and plate lifts. The plate leg extensions is a move we usually see in CXWorx, but its great that it’s finally coming to BodyPump. There are two combinations featuring overhead plate extensions and alternating leg extensions. Great finish to class!

BodyPump 85 appears to be a fun release, and with Quarterlies coming up, all of us will have plenty of fitness magic to take back to our clubs!

The final regional tournament at the old edifice on Buck Street came to a conclusion last Saturday, with six schools punching their tickets to play for an even bigger prize this weekend, the gold ball.

Tournament week leaves a lasting impression on fans, players and media personnel alike over the course of eight days, but this one was even more special, with the wrecking ball scheduled to knock this historic building down in a few months’ time.

Of course, the “new-school” people like myself are itching to get into the sparkling new Cross Insurance Center, finishing up construction a jump-stop away from the existing structure. We clamor for better concessions and bathrooms, padded seats and no wooden bleachers, improved Internet access and air conditioning, and all modern conveniences that come with every new arena in the 21st century.

However, in the midst of a nine-hour day Monday that consisted of four Class D quarterfinal games, including the Machias girls picking up their first Auditorium win in nearly two decades, it hit me how much I’ll miss the old place, the disgusting hot dogs and cramped quarters at press row not withstanding.

Tourney 2013 sent the old building out with a bang, despite the state’s two best players – Parise Rossignol of Van Buren and Garet Beal of Jonesport-Beals, both University of Maine prospects – having their teams bounced in the quarterfinals. New heroes and old ones emerged. The crowds packed the place – more than 4,000 were present at Saturday’s Class B regional finals – despite the inclement weather that comes with February in Maine.

There were surprises, like the eighth-ranked Easton boys shocking the world in upsetting Jonesport-Beals in the quarterfinals and nearly doing it to Hodgdon five nights later, sending the shot clock activists into a rage – most of you know how I feel about that topic. There was the machine-like precision of the Washburn and Presque Isle girls putting on an exceptional display of hard-nosed basketball. There was the Foxcroft Academy boys coming out of the No. 13 seed, having to win a preliminary game on the road and upsetting fifth-ranked Caribou (sorry Mom), and the Calais girls winning yet another Eastern Maine Class C championship on a floor where so many Blue Devils have experienced such a moment.

This weekend, eight teams – the Washburn, Richmond, Calais and Waynflete girls and Central Aroostook, Forest Hills, Penquis and Boothbay Region boys – will make history of their own. Win or lose, those eight teams will be part of something special: The final games ever played at the Bangor Auditorium. The Washburn girls are seeking their third straight gold ball. The Central Aroostook boys and Calais girls have fabled postseason resumes on this floor. Boothbay and Penquis have two of the state’s longest tenured and respected coaches. There’s no reason the Auditorium should be full throughout the day. It’s just too bad you have to pay to reenter the building. For this day, the MPA ought to consider having one game ticket be good for all four games.

After I covered my last game at the old edifice on Championship Saturday, the memories lingered deep within my loins. But as I looked to my right at the Cross Center, thoughts immediately turned to a new era in Maine high school basketball. It’s almost like the Audtorium is the old Boston Garden and the Cross Center is the TD Garden. One is old, has lots of memories and needs to be replaced, while the other is opening its doors to a new era, new memories, and new heroes.

To the last person who leaves the Auditorium on Saturday night, don’t forget to turn out the lights. The party is not over. It’s just moving next door.

Even though my club had just launched Release 84 about a month ago, a lot of folks had been inquiring about the tracklist for Release 85, so when it showed up in my mailbox on Tuesday, I was eager to see if there was anything new.

I had been hearing rumors that Track 7 was going to be bigger and better than ever, and boy were they right.

Since this is the release we’re going to be doing at an upcoming St. Patrick’s Day quarterly in New Jersey, I kept trying to tell myself not to pop in the DVD, but I was curious to whether there was anything new.

When I saw Track 7, which was presented by Josef Matthews, one of my AIM II trainers, I fell in love almost instantly. This particular release, we’re going further in terms of changing the training stimulus. We’re sticking with the propulsion movements, but adding some jumps off the benchtop! EPIC!

Of course, there have already been complaints from the old-school naysayers who think Pump is heading in the wrong direction yet again. I will diffuse this talk by saying this track is extremely challenging. Once again, we don’t hit the propulsion movements until the final set, and our legs are likely going to be fatigued from multiple weighted squats and lunges. To say Pump is heading in the wrong direction is beating a dead horse at this point.

The squat and back and legs tracks are certainly going to be a challenge, with two sets and one recovery in Track 2 and power presses in Track 4. We have a lot of slow work in Track 3 to isolate the chest and pectoral muscles. Walking pushups in Track 8 will set fire to the shoulders, and there is another challenge to go heavier in Track 5.

For me, I think the legs tracks will be the highlight of this release. Glen said in the preview that the movements in Tracks 2 and 7 will cater to athletes of all shapes and sizes, with a big emphasis on the lower back and glutes in Track 2 and the entire lower body in Track 7. It should be an awesome release, and we’re looking forward to learning it!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year, you might know that this winter’s high school basketball tournament will have a historic significance in the context that it’s the last year Maine’s top hoopsters will take charges, hit jump shots and hoist gold balls at the Bangor Auditorium.

The Old Barn on Dutton Street – sorry, the term “Mecca” is as overused as any Taylor Swift or Katy Perry song – is set to close its doors after the final buzzer sounds on this season’s tournament. The Auditorium will be demolished this spring with the sparkling new Cross Insurance Center slated to open this fall.

While the Auditorium has longstanding memories for myself as a fan and a journalist, it is, to put it bluntly, dilapidated, outdated and past its prime. It’s time for it to go. The memories, however, will never fade.

It’s the place where entire communities migrate to every February. It’s a rite of passage for folks in towns such as Presque Isle, Jonesport, Washburn, Deer Isle. If any of these teams are playing in regional or state championships, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in town. You see old friends you haven’t seen since your last high school reunion. Complete strangers become best friends. Schools steal their peers’ student-section chants.

When I was a sportswriter for this newspaper, those 2 weeks in late February were always marked on my calendar. Not just because I’d be watching basketball and bringing home a steady paycheck for it, but with each game comes a memory.

Obviously, I grew up around sportswriting, having gone to many games as a lad while my father sat at the press table, observing games with a keen eye. In between flirting with girls in the stands and weaseling money for peanut butter cups from dad, I witnessed some memorable hoop moments, such as Cindy Blodgett leading Lawrence to four straight gold balls, Jason Leighton’s half-court heave for Brewer in 1995 (sorry Caribou fans, I’m not old enough to remember Mike Thurston’s buzzer-beater), and Joe Campbell’s once-in-a-lifetime flip in 2001.

Unfortunately, during my days at Brewer High, we didn’t make too many Auditorium memories, save for getting pummeled by Ralph Mims and Brunswick in a semifinal in 2003 and Heather Ernest and Mt. Blue knocking our girls out of the tourney in 2000. But a few years later, my own niche would be carved out.

Tourney week serves as a purpose for all of us in the sportswriting world, whether it be covering the games, carving out outstanding stories, or just sneaking out of the Daily Planet for a couple hours to knock back a Coke and munch on a couple hot dogs. For me, it served all those purposes and then some. Of course, there were some outstanding teams I had the honor to cover, including the “Cardiac Calais” girls team from 2010, the dominant Waterville girls team from 2009, the 2010 Fort Fairfield girls, who were generous enough to send me an autographed picture soon after they brought the gold ball back to the County, and the 2011 Hampden Academy girls.

The memories of the Bangor Auditorium will last a lifetime. Parise Rossignol, Garet Beal and Mitchell Worcester, among others, will have plenty of stories to tell their grandchildren in 50 years. They’ll be playing in the final games in a building in which their relatives had their own shining moments. What memories will this year’s tourney bring? We won’t know until the ball is tipped on Friday afternoon. But I’m sure there will be a few, “The last one out, turn out the lights” on the balcony railings when the final game at the old barn, the Class C boys state championship, is played.

See you at the Auditorium. You’ll find me in my usual spot at center-court, maybe wtih a hot dog and a Coke. Cheers to the memories, and prospective new beginnings at the new arena.