DECEMBER E-SPILLWAY NEWSLETTER |
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Early in December, CVA coaches, athletes, and their families reunited with dear friends and welcomed new ones with the start of our Weekend Program. Three hundred athletes ages 8 to 19 registered for our program this year, representing the disciplines of Alpine, Freestyle, Snowboard, and Ski Cross.
The CVA Weekend Program has been offered at Sugarloaf for decades and has seen growing participation year after year. The program offers competitive athletes an opportunity to train with a coach weekends and vacation weeks from December to March and offers off-season training opportunities as well.
The mission of the Weekend Program is to provide every athlete with the intrinsic motivation and opportunity to be the best they can be. This is accomplished through positive coaching which leads to progressive improvement for each individual in technique, tactics, and the mental aspects of competition.
The primary goals of the program are to:
- Instill the life-long love of skiing/riding
- Build strong technical fundamentals
- Promote good sportsmanship, fun, and camaraderie
- Provide a developmental and competitive progression for U8-U18 athletes
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WINTER EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN |
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CVA coaches participated in a Winter Emergency Action Plan rehearsal with Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Patrol at the start of the season. This training is held each year to review and practice emergency protocols for on-hill injury scenarios. Thank you to Connor Doherty and Elise McKendry from Sugarloaf Ski Patrol and CVA Athletic Trainer Tristy Wolfe for setting up this critical training.
The safety of our athletes and coaches is a priority at CVA. In addition to this annual training, CVA coaches also receive training in first aid, CPR, Stop the Bleed, suicide prevention, and concussion.
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Summer’s teachers say that she could get this award any month of the year. She is consistently stellar in all her classes, takes pride in her academics, and leads by her example of hard work. She is also an active leader of our chapter of the National Honor Society. Thank you for setting the bar high Summer! |
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Jack stands out as a Big Dog to emulate. Through the many ups and downs of being a high-level competitive athlete he consistently works hard, stays positive, and is focused on the big picture. Jack understands the long game of athlete development and keeps his focus on the small steps and motivation required to reach his goals. We are proud of you Jack! |
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Community Member of the Month |
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Dahlia is a great asset to the CVA community and is recognized this month for the time she spends volunteering. This fall she has been helping coach in the weight room with three different athletic groups. She is patient and encouraging with the younger students and does an excellent job teaching them what she has learned from experience. She is helpful to the coaches and committed to being a contributing member to her community. Thank you Dahlia! |
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A Big Dog thank you to the Morse Family and D'Ellies! |
Thank you to D'Ellies and the Morse family for sponsoring our Student Spotlight Awards!
Each month the Morse family generously donates gift certificates for our spotlight winners and displays the students' photos on a wall of fame at D'Ellies.
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Congratulations to these CVA students named to the first trimester Honor Roll!
High Honors - All Grades 90 (A-) or above:
Class of 2027: Will Swain
Class of 2026: Ali Bruno, Lulu Cushman, Gabe Landry, Trenton Wadas
Class of 2025: Mia Bruno, Shire Cosby, Luna de la Vega, Skye Folger David, Ben Mallory
Class of 2024: Charlie Koenig, Nattee McKenzie, Caleb Stefanakos, Maggie Swain
Class of 2023: Sasha Jansujwicz, Althea Noyes, Dahlia Saifee, Summer Saifee
Honors - All grades 85 (B) or above:
Class of 2027: Tatum Folger David, Tommy Fremont-Smith, Ethan Godomsky, Nick Klemperer, Ashlyn Poirier
Class of 2026: Derek Barbie, Kenadie Dickey, Owen LaRue, Lucia Littlefield, Abby Manson
Class of 2025: Lily Cole, Jack Egan, Paul Harrigan, Kate Klemperer, Emily Peck, Danica Sevigny
Class of 2024: Adam Hamblet, Chase Littlefield, Charles Lorrain-Beaucage, Javier Lorrain-Beaucage
Class of 2023: Africa Arango, Jackson Knobloch, Francois Meloni, Dory Michaud, Ruby Poland
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Students in Middle School Spanish and Spanish I ended the fall term by learning about Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a holiday honoring the souls of loved ones who have died.
Both classes decorated sugar skulls for the occasion. The students in Middle School Spanish also made drawings of ofrendas (altars honoring family members who have died) and Spanish I students made Day of the Dead-themed papel picado (decorative banners made from tissue paper).
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The CVA Backcountry team headed out for their fall trip in early November. The group spent ten days adventuring in the Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland areas - rock climbing, rafting, hiking, and making memories. The first half of the trip included climbs in the New River Gorge area of West Virginia, at the Junkyard and Sandstonia, where they were introduced to sport climbing. The group then rafted the New River, covering a six-mile stretch with Class V rapids and incredible scenery. They capped off their trip with a 3-day, 40-mile hike across the state of Maryland on the Appalachian Trail.
A special thank you to Assistant Backcountry Coach Stu Hickey and his family for hosting the team at their home in Troutville, Virginia and showing the crew some authentic southern hospitality!
📷Kai207_photography
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CVA Freeski athletes traveled to Killington in early December for Hike & Hang 2.0, a fun event hosted by Alex Hackel, a decorated professional skier and motivational speaker who presented at CVA this past September.
Hike & Hang is an early-season park event that seeks to facilitate skiers meeting each other for the first time and creating friendships. It is a celebration of skiing where prizes (including $1,000 in cash) are given for learning new tricks, having fun, or just participating. Every athlete left with a prize and a fun story to tell.
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CVA Freeski and Snowboard athletes recently competed in the first USASA Maine Mountain Series Rail Jam of the season at Sunday River. Big Dog congratulations to these CVA athletes who earned their place on the podium.
Snowboard 11-14 Boys: Walker Wolfe '26 - 1st Place; Michael Lord '27 - 3rd
Freeski 11-14 Boys - Owen LaRue '26 1st Place; Grant Shad '27 - 3rd
Snowboard 15-22 Boys: Sullivan Platte '25 - 1st Place; Joshua Paquette '26 - 3rd
Way to go Big Dogs!
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The CVA FIS Alpine athletes traveled to Colorado for Speed Camp and Nor-Am races in late November - early December. The group took advantage of favorable weather and had four days of training in SG and Downhill at the beginning of their trip and were able to attend the Birds of Prey Super G World Cup at Beaver Creek, CO to cheer on Team USA.
Here is a great summary of Speed Camp submitted by CVA senior, Althea Noyes '23:
This training is so much fun! There is no other way to describe it other than incredible. I speak on behalf of all of us when I say we are very grateful to have this quality of training this early in the season, so a big thanks to parents and coaches!
We started the week with two days of SG with three separate sections on the hill. Sectioning allowed us to ease into the intense training. It also helped us learn the fundamentals of SG and learn the hill. Eventually, the three sections merged into two, and we were training full-length SG. It was tricky, and you needed to be confident in order to make it through the course. After skiing, we immediately tune/wax our skis to prepare for the next day and then go over video as a team. Watching videos together allows us to help each other and understand our techniques better. Overall it helps us improve.
For Downhill, it started a bit tricky when we got an unexpected 5-9" of snow. Nonetheless, we made the most of it and still got in two (shortened) runs Downhill. On the second day of DH (the fourth day of training), we were all excited to rip! We got in one shortened run and two full-length Downhill runs; again, it was so fun! When we all got to the bottom, there was nothing but smiles and eagerness to go again. Now we have a few days off, we are taking this time to get ahead on school work, stretch/relax, and prepare for our upcoming training/races!
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A Big Dog thank you to the CVA Parent Support Organization (PSO) who organized a record-breaking annual CVA Wreath Sale this year! Over 600 wreaths were ordered, and the PSO and student volunteers delivered over 300 wreaths to Sugarloaf-area homes.
The CVA community would like to thank everyone who purchased a wreath this year and helped support educational, cultural, and athletic programs at CVA.
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Season’s Greetings from Carrabassett Valley Academy!
At CVA, our student-athletes, like Alex Bateman '26, strive to reach new heights every day. Whether it be on the hill, in the classroom, or out in the community, our students are committed to being their best. For over 40 years, CVA has been fostering this commitment in our students, helping them to achieve their dreams, whatever those dreams may be.
The holidays are a time for turning dreams into reality. By donating to the Annual Fund, you are helping CVA students, who could not otherwise experience the educational and athletic advantages that CVA has to offer, to achieve their dreams. Your generous gift will also ensure that we retain, and attract, top-notch faculty and coaches.
Please join all of us in supporting this year’s Annual Fund Campaign and help us reach new heights in our fundraising. Thank you for considering a gift to the Annual Fund today.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year,
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Kate Webber Punderson '89
Head of School
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CVA ANNUAL FUND - YOUR GIFT MATTERS!
Every gift, regardless of size, makes a difference.
Your gift to the CVA Annual Fund directly benefits our student-athletes by:
- Expanding our scholarship program
- Funding athletic and academic programs
- Supporting our talented coaches and teachers
- Helping student-athletes achieve their dreams.
Ways to give:
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Online at gocva.com/give
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Venmo: @CarrabassettValleyAcademy
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PayPal: paypal.me/gocva
- Mail a check payable to: CVA Annual Fund, 3197 Carrabassett Drive, Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947
If you have already made your annual donation to CVA, we thank you for your generosity. For more information, please contact Melissa Fogg at mfogg@gocva.com, or 207-237-4505.
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Help Keep the Big Dogs Ahead of the Pack! |
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The Big Dog Society is CVA’s way of acknowledging the importance of ongoing support of the Annual Fund. Membership is simple. Participate two consecutive years in the Annual Fund and you are a member of the Big Dog Society. Any gift of personal significance makes a difference in helping us to meet our goals. Please make an annual fund gift today. |
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It’s never been easier to give back to CVA! When you shop on Amazon this holiday season, you can support CVA using AmazonSmile.
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.
It’s so simple to use:
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Sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile phone browser
- From your desktop, go to Your Account and select the option to “Change your Charity”
- Or, from your mobile browser, select “Change your Charity” from the options at the bottom of the page and select to support “Carrabassett Valley Academy.”
Happiest holiday shopping, and thanks so much for your support!
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VAL GARDENA, ITALY,15.DEC.22 – Sam Morse (USA). Photo: GEPA pictures/ Patrick Steiner
Congratulations to CVA Alum, Sam Morse '13, for his recent, career-best 10th place at the Val Gardena downhill followed by an impressive 15th the following day in the Super-G, solidifying his access to World Cup starts for more than a calendar year! The CVA community is so proud of you and we can't wait to see what you do next!
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The CVA Alumni Association invites you to the 2023 CVA Alumni Apres Ski Reunion.
Sunday, January 1, 2023
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
at the Bill and Joan Alfond Competition Center
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Reconnect with old friends, current and past employees, and make new Big Dog connections around the globe.
This year, we are offering two ways to join in the fun:
In-Person Event Details: Join us at the Bill and Joan Alfond Competition Center for an apres ski from 2-4pm. This event is kid friendly and will offer supervised activities for your kids while you enjoy the party!
Virtual Event Details: Can't make it in-person? No problem. Join us for a virtual Zoom event, hosted by Lindy MacKinnon Gruen '92, beginning at 3:30pm. Head of School, Kate Punderson, will share her remarks, followed by group breakout sessions.
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Register to receive updates about the event, to attend in-person or virtually, and for your chance to win CVA merchandise. Registration is requested but not required for in-person attendance. If you're on the hill, please feel free to pop in.
CVA Alumni Committee members:
Benjamin Bisson '09
Melissa Fogg
Tom Fremont-Smith '91
Alex Godomsky '91
Amanda Newton Gray '96
Lindy MacKinnon Gruen '92
Dan Hitchcock '06
Kate Webber Punderson '89
Vici Robinson
Michelle Wade '87
FMI contact: Melissa Fogg/CVA at mfogg@gocva.com or 207-237-4505. Please share this event with our CVA community via email, Facebook and our Instagram @cvaalumni.
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Join the Sugarloaf Ski Club for scrumptious appetizers, good drinks, and a great cause!
Beer and Hard Cider Tasting
Saturday, January 7, 5 - 7 pm
Gondola Room of the Bill and Joan
Alfond Competition Center
The cost is a $50 donation per person and benefits the Ski Club scholarship programs. Advance purchase only. FMI or to purchase tickets: www.sugarloafskiclub.com
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3197 Carrabassett Drive
Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947
Phone: (207) 237-2250
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