The Coast Guard Academy’s women’s basketball team, the Bears, visited Boothbay Harbor on a snowy Saturday afternoon, Jan. 11, en route to an away game at Maine Maritime Academy. The team’s 14 players and two coaches were greeted at the Boothbay Harbor Coast Guard Station (BHCGS) where they received a tour of the facilities and spoke with active service members about their roles in the Coast Guard. Snow cut their tour of the harbor short, but the team enjoyed the footbridge before heading to the Blethen house for a meal featuring a Maine-forward menu.

The Coast Guard’s Hayden Laroche-Albert addressed the team about the functions of the BHCGS, fielding questions and speaking of his favorite Coast Guard moments, all involving search and rescue missions. He reported that last summer, BHCGS reached its highest number of boat safety instructional campaigns including safe aide programs for fishermen and safety classes for recreational boaters. Team seniors presented Laroche-Albert with a signed team basketball for the station’s trophy case.

Sector Northern New England Deputy Secretary Commander Megan Drewniak spoke to the team about our region and last year’s accomplishments during personnel shortages. “With few people to accomplish the missions, we still had 258 search and rescue missions, with 59 lives saved, assisted in $1 million of property value saved, and $10.3 million in property assistance. We had over 1,400 law enforcement awards, 288 of those were fisheries, 77 with Homeland Security. We have two northern international borders, which brings a lot of interesting scenarios.”  Drewniak’s awards are numerous, including two Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medals, six Coast Guard Commendation Medals, the NOAA Special Achievement Medal, the CG Volunteer Service Medal, three Commandant’s Letters of Commendation, and many others. She was a speaker at Maine Maritime Academy’s Climate Symposium.

The Bears are 11-2 coming off a stinging loss to rival Merchant Marine, but for Glory Blethen, former BRHS MVP, 1,000-point scorer, and state basketball champion, the Jan. 7 game marked another milestone as she became the Bears' all-time leader in blocks. She is also the program's all-time leader in blocks per game with 1.55. Her season includes career highs in points scored, rebounds, assists and steals. She has 11 double-doubles.

For Glory Blethen, the "homecoming" was an opportunity to show her hometown to her teammates and connect with the region’s Coast Guard-rich community. Her father Brian served in the Coast Guard and helped organize the visit. He enjoyed talking with Glory’s teammates about the region and his experiences in service. Glory’s mother Lesley served in the Army, helped organize the visit and prepared a feast for the team’s reception. Glory’s sister Faith, also a local basketball legend, played basketball at George Washington University.

The team has a diverse mix of women, majoring in fields such as management, engineering, psychology and cyber security. Upon graduation, the women will be commissioned officers and will serve a five-year term in a CG station. “They are truly a great group of women,” said Head Coach Alex Ivansheck. “It’s an honor for me to see them realize their potential, not just in basketball, but with where they go and what they do after their time at the academy.”