APRIL E-SPILLWAY NEWSLETTER |
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National Honor Society (NHS) Inductees |
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CVA's National Honor Society chapter is proud to welcome new inductees Ruby Poland '23, Maggie Swain '24, Caleb Stefanakos '24, and Charlie Koenig '24. A faculty council reviewed student applications and determined that each of our new inductees' applications showed the character, leadership skill, and academic achievement befitting NHS membership. An induction ceremony will be held later in the spring. Congratulations to the new inductees!
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CVA Seniors are College Bound |
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For the CVA Seniors and Post Graduate students following the college or university path after CVA, the acceptances are pouring in.
So far our seniors and PGs have been accepted to the following schools:
Clarkson University, Colorado State, Hofstra University, Maine Maritime Academy, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Middlebury College, Montana State University, Northeastern University, Norwich University, Oregon State, Penn State, Plymouth State Univ. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)\, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Roger Williams, St Lawrence University, Tufts University, University of Colorado, Boulder (CU Boulder), University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, University of Denver, University of Maine, Augusta, University of Maine, Farmington, University of Maine, Fort Kent, University of Maine, Orono, University of Maine, Presque Isle, University of Southern Maine (USM), University of New Hampshire, University of Utah, University of Vermont, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Westminster College (Utah), and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
Stay tuned for an upcoming College Bound series on social media where we announce the schools that our student-athletes have selected to attend.
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ON THE SLOPES: ATHLETIC NEWS |
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During the NorAm Finals and US Nationals events here at Sugarloaf many of our athletes have volunteered to forerun these spotlight events. From forerunning the SuperG races all the way to the Slalom events our athletes have all had the opportunity to ski beside the Nation's top competitors. |
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The CVA Alpine Women’s group has had a productive and positive winter. Performance highlights include the first Eastern FIS win since February 2017 by Althea Noyes '23 and several podium finishes in FIS races by Althea '23 and Abbygail Byers '22. Other notable qualifications include:
US Nationals: Josie Alexander '23, Abby Byers '22, Althea Noyes '23
U18 Nationals: Josie Alexander '23, Althea Noyes '23
U16 Easterns: Mia Bruno '25, CC Hanson '25, Charlie Koenig '24
U16 Nationals: Charlie Koenig '24
Most notably the U16 and FIS Women’s athletes have worked very hard, in a positive manner, with a long-term focus on the process of becoming the best that they can be. Although alpine ski racing is an individual sport, success flourishes within a strong, team-oriented environment that embraces competitive spirit. The returning athletes will have a great foundation to build on. Head Coach, Kirk Dwyer says, "We look forward to our new training venue, with the ability to ski more, with higher quality, than any other Eastern ski program."
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The CVA Men's group exceeded expectations at the tail-end of the season. The U16 Men have made substantial progress on technique and tactics, as well as their understanding of the fastest and most efficient race line. They have all pushed themselves , day-in and day-out, and as a result each one of them made significant gains in their skiing and qualified for post-season events. Some of these notable qualifications include:
U16 Easterns: Adam Hamblet '24, Will Roy '24, Francois Meloni '23, Jake Wagner '25, Kaden Theriault '24
U16 Nationals: Kaden Theirault '24, Will Roy '24
US Ski & Snowboard (USSS) Finals: Patrick Burns III '24, Paul Harrigan '25, Thomas Harrigan '25, Trenton Wadas '26
The Men's FIS athletes have worked tirelessly on their FIS profiles to showcase their potential to future collegiate ski teams in the years to come. Many of them have already plunged their points into the double digits for FIS point marks, which is an excellent start for a very young group of FIS athletes. The FIS race season was a long and difficult one due to weather difficulties, but the Men's team continued with their heads up high, plugging away with races and travels from Vermont, to Whiteface, New York, New Hampshire, and Quebec/Canada. At Sugarloaf, the team continued to hone their technique and tactics to better their skiing and results.
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The U14 athletes have worked hard, and progressed substantially, this season. The focus, similar to the U16 athletes has been on technique and tactics, but the success of this group has been mostly attributed to team culture. With a developing group of athletes, it's important to create a group culture focused on effort, quality, positive attitude, support, and most importantly fun. The coaches have worked with the athletes, as a group, to develop this culture day-in and day-out. That culture is what propelled these athletes to achieve the goals and milestones that they set out to achieve. Check out some of the awesome qualifications of the U14s below.
U14 Finals - Ava Benn ‘27, Ali Bruno ‘26, Tatum Folger-David ‘27, Tommy Fremont-Smith ‘27
Francis Piche Invitational - Ethan Godomsky '27, Nick Klemperer '27, Abigail Manson '26, Van Podhouser '27, Ashlyn Poirier '27, Max Roy '27, Luise Reuter '27, and Weekend Program athletes Phoebe Bell and Riley Davis
U14 Eastern Championships- Jack Hepburn ’26, Rocco Lazzaro ’26, Lucia Littlefield ’26, and Oliver Whipple ’26 and Weekend Program athlete Tanner Bland
U14 Canadian-American (Can-Am) Championships- Lucia Littlefield ’26, Abigail Manson '26, Rocco Lazzaro ’26
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March saw the debut of CVA's new airbag, which will allowed the Freeski athletes to try out new tricks and inversions without the risk of getting injured. Both Academy and Weekend Program athletes got to test out the new Bag. The practice paid off for our Academy athletes who qualified for championship events.
USASA Nationals: Alex Bateman '26, Sully Butler '24, Shire Cosby '25, Carver Emory '27, Finn Emory '25, Zack Forrest-Woodman '24, Eli Fournier '22, Reggie Hicks '27, Drew Hooker '22, Kiernan Mann '23, Grant Schad '27
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The CVA Freestyle Freeride senior squad had a busy season. Their heavy competition schedule included travel to Utah, Colorado, and throughout Interior British Columbia.
They have returned to Big Sky for the third, and final, stop of their "Ikonic" winter schedule, closing out their competition season at the IFSA NorAm Championships.
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The CVA Freestyle Moguls athletes have had a busy tail-end to their season. From the East Coast Mogul National Qualifier at Sunday River, to Junior Nationals at Park City, and Nationals at Deer Valley, these athletes have been on the road a lot this season, but have shown up in a big way with many athletes advancing to National level competitions. Some notable qualifications include:
Junior Nationals: Lance Dolan '22, Jack Egan '25, Kennedy Hicks '25, Gabe Landry '26, Chase Littlefield '24, Natee McKenzie '24, Dory Michaud '23, Tate Royall '25,
US Nationals: Jack Egan '25, Chase Littlefield '24, Dory Michaud '23
Perhaps more notable than the results of this group, is the group as a whole. Freestyle is an individual sport, but this group travels, and competes, as a team. They have a focus on culture, which, when strengthened, impacts each individual’s performance. This group of athletes has such a positive, encouraging, fun energy. This energy, and love for their sport, helps them to build one another up, cheer one another on, and support their teammates through the peaks and valleys of training and competition. This bond, creates the strong base from which they build technique and acrobatics on to, and that base is already strong for the next season on-snow.
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The CVA Alpine Snowboard athletes have had an award-winning season across the board. They worked hard all year and as a result sent multiple kids to the NorAm Finals/USASA Nationals, and one to Junior Worlds to race slalom and giant slalom. Some notable qualifications include:
USASA Nationals: Luca Graham '22, Sasha Jansujwicz '23, Baran Tatlidede '23, Paarth Tyagi '24, Walker Wolfe '26, Zack Zaman '22
Junior Worlds: Sasha Jansujwicz '23
This group of athletes headed into Nationals with some very notable achievements:
- Walker is ranked first overall in his age group in state of Maine across all 3 events he’s competing in. He is currently ranked 3rd in the Nation in Giant Slalom, 5th in Slalom, and 16th in SBX in the 13-14 age group.
- Zack is currently ranked 7th in the Nation for the 17-18 age group.
- Baran, Luca, and Sasha will be racing Open Class at Nationals. This race doubles as USASA Nationals and the Nor-AM finals.
- Sasha placed 21st in slalom and 21st in Giant slalom at Junior Worlds. She was the second American to place in both races!
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Conditions have finally softened up a bit at The Loaf, and the Slopestyle team has been making huge improvements in the warmer weather. These athletes have recently mastered the following tricks, all done on Sugarloaf parks!
- Zack Bussiere '26 has learned front flips and back flips.
- Noah Tippie '26 has learned front side 540s.
- Josh Polchies '25 has learned frontside 900s.
Their dedication in the park has paid off, and it shows because 6 athletes qualified this year to compete at the USASA Nationals.
USASA Nationals: Dena Abreu '22, Zack Bussiere '26 , Kyla Harvie '25, Brady Harvie '24, Sullivan Platte ‘25, Noah Tippie '26
Sullivan Platte ‘25 was also invited to compete in Eastern Boarders 20th Annual LAST CALL event at Loon Mountain. It's a gathering of professional snowboarders, from all over the country, who come to ride a one-of-a-kind set up. Sully performed very well at the event with some standout tricks.
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The Snowboard Cross athletes had an event-packed season, with many of the team's athletes competing at the FIS/NorAm level for the first time. NorAm circuit stops included visiting resorts in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia with the finals being in Colorado. This group of athletes looked to gain a variety of course exposure, apply technical skills to new features and terrain, and worked towards finding consistency in their riding. When the dust settled after finals, all of the riders in the group had earned their first FIS points and made it to race heats at the FIS level.
The youngest riders in the group trained through multiple disciplines this season while competing in Slopestyle, Rail Jam, Giant Slalom, Slalom and SBX. Their focus is on quality performances at USASA Nationals in Copper, Colorado. This event has been cancelled for the last two years, due to COVID-19 implications, so the athletes are eager to attend and compete again in this high-level competition.
The following athletes qualified for USASA Nationals this year: Boden Gerry '24, Kyla Harvie '25, Brady Harvie '24, Mitch Marquis '24, Noah Tippie '26, Paarth Tyagi '24, Jack Velenchik '24, Walker Wolfe '26, Zack Zaman '22
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The CVA Ski Cross athletes have been working hard all season in preparation for USASA Nationals in Copper, Colorado. The team this season had a strong showing, with many medals and invites to postseason events to show for it. Aidan Butler '26, Jamie Hering '26, Morgan Shute '25, Lilian Sittig '25, Maggie Swain '24, Lily Day '23, Lyle Hering '23, Tyler Currier '22, and Aidan Steffe '21 qualified for USASA Nationals and are very excited for their upcoming competitions.
CVA Senior, and Type 1 Diabetic, Tyler Currier '22, pushed hard all season to secure his spot on the U.S Junior Worlds team that recently raced in Switzerland. Tyler skied his heart out, fighting through a pesky injury, and finished 40th in the world. CVA postgraduate athlete, Aidan Steffe '21, came away with 2 Holeshot Tour victories, taking 1st place in both races at Copper.
Head Coach, Mike Phelan, says, "I could not be happier going into Nationals. I can't wait to see what we can do as a team!"
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The Backcountry Team recently returned from a two-week trip to Washington’s Cascade Range. This trip was the culmination of months of training and incorporated elements of avalanche education, ski mountaineering, team building, and off-the-grid living.
The home base for the trip was the unique Bavarian village of Leavenworth, which not only is home to great schnitzel, but also provides unparalleled access to Stevens Pass Resort and its periphery backcountry terrain.
While the trip was chock-full of memorable moments, the 4 days that the team spent at the Alpine Lakes High Camps was the trip highlight. The backcountry cabins where they stayed are nestled deep in the mountains on the edge of the Federally-designated Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area and are among the first places where legendary mountaineers like Fred Becky cut their teeth. The group was ecstatic to be surrounded by so many like-minded skiers, such deep snow, and such limitless terrain.
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The competitive spirit continued into our Community events this month, with a food drive fundraising competition and an all-school game of Kahoot with prizes worth getting into the competitive spirit for! |
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Door-to-Door Food Drive March 5th |
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On Saturday, March 5th, from 4-5:30pm, a total of 53 students, staff, and community members volunteered their time to canvas various areas of Carrabassett Valley and the mountain collecting canned food and dry goods to help feed families in need in our area. In only two hours we were able to collect 1,270 non-perishable food and non-food items, along with over $3,000 in monetary donations.
For over 30 years, this door-to-door food drive has made a significant impact on the food reserves at local food banks. We are so grateful for the incredible generosity of this community. Thank you for helping to put food on the table for those in need.
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The Peer Mentors put together a campus-wide game of Kahoot. They spent hours compiling challenging CVA/Sugarloaf trivia questions and gathering epic prizes to incentivize our students to bring their A-Game. The students downloaded the Kahoot! app and played along by phone. Three prizes were at stake- a gift basket, a speaker, and a pie to Dave’s face. 1st place was Dan Godomsky ’22 who picked the sugar-filled gift basket with cotton candy, pops, and chocolates galore! 2nd place was Tyler Currier ’22 who picked the new JBL speaker, and 3rd place was Lance Dolan ’22 who instead of pie-ing Dave Koenig in the face, gave Head of School, Kate Punderson, the honors!
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CVA Scholarship Bash Totals Are In |
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This year, the Apres Ski event and Virtual Scholarship Bash brought the community together in a tremendous show of support. We are less than $2,000 away from reaching our goal of $150,000. It's not too late to support the CVA Scholarship Fund. Visit our website to donate now.
We are so grateful for your support and for the opportunities we’ll be able to give to the next generation of skiers and riders because of your donations.
Save the Date for next year's event on February 25, 2023!
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The Weekend Program came to an end on Sunday, March 27th with a dramatic parade that started at the top of Boardwalk and ended right outside of the Bill & Joan Alfond Competition Center. Cheers and cow bells were heard from family members, friends, and onlookers as the Weekend Program athletes snaked down the hill in record-breaking numbers.
The 2021-2022 season of the Weekend Program was our largest yet. Athletes joined us for four different programs from December to March.
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- Alpine: 152 athletes
- Freestyle: 95 athletes
- Snowboard: 19 athletes
- Ski Cross: 6 athletes
Thank you to our Weekend Program athletes, families, and coaches. We couldn't have reached this milestone year without your dedication to our programs. Thank you for being a part of the Big Dog family. We hope to see you again next year!
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Middle School Student of the Month |
Lucia works very hard in class and speaks up when no one else will. She is diligent about her schoolwork, even when traveling. Her effort is paying off, and her improvement in Math this year is evidence of that effort. Congrats, Lucia, and keep up the good work! |
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High School Student of the Month |
Maggie has been doing great in all her classes this year and has been working very hard in Math. She is a self-starter who is also thoughtful, conscientious, and a pleasure to have in class. Her character in the classroom is truly one to aspire to. Thank you, Maggie, for your amazing effort! |
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Sasha's top 30 ranking in NorAms this year guarantees her a World Cup invite next year. She was invited to 3 World Cup events this year and competed in Junior Worlds, coming in 21st, the second American to place in both races! She has been on the road for almost 2 months competing and is still doing very well academically. Congratulations, Sasha, on an amazing year! |
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Community Member of the Month |
Haley is very responsible and always leads with a positive attitude. She has been great in the dorms with peers and younger students alike. She is a strong student, a friend to all, and has a strong moral compass. Congrats, Haley, and thank you for all that you do. |
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CVA Snowboard Alumni Coach at the Paralympics |
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Two CVA alumni coached at the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing. Alex Tuttle ‘09 CVA alumnus and current Snowboard Cross Head Coach coached the US Paralympic Snowboarding Team. Alex coached 3 athletes to the podium in the Snowboard Cross and Banked Slalom events.
Mark Fawcett ‘90 coached the Canada Paralympic Snowboarding Team. Mark coached 2 athletes to the podium in the Snowboard Cross and Banked Slalom events making history by winning the country’s first-ever medals in the sport since it joined the Paralympic program in 2014.
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CVA Alpine Alumni Compete at the Loaf |
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The nation's top alpine ski racers returned to Sugarloaf for the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships and North American Continental Cup (NorAm) Finals held March 20-April 1, 2022.
These events were an exciting time for CVA alumni Luke Kearing and Sam Morse.
Luke Kearing took home the silver in Junior Nationals for Downhill and US Ski Team athlete, Sam Morse, raced to third place on the famed Narrow Gauge.
Congratulations to both athletes for an amazing showing at the events!
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41st Annual Sugarloaf Ski Club Golf Classic |
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The 41st Annual Sugarloaf Ski Club Golf Classic to support the Dick & Martha Ayotte Scholarship fund will be held this year on Friday, June 24th 2022. This fund provides local kids access to the sports of Skiing and Snowboarding through providing generous scholarships. The event, Sugarloaf's longest running and premier golf event, will start at 9am with a shotgun start scramble. You can sign up as a foursome, or you can sign up as a single and be placed with an awesome group of golfers. |
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If you cannot play, or golf isn't your sport, but you still want to support the cause email TheClub@Sugarloafskiclub.com to see how you can help.
Interested in being a part of the event?
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If you are not a Ski Club member please consider joining today. We are all in this together. |
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Become a part of the Big Dog team. |
Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA) has open positions available in the following fields: |
Teaching:
- Mathematics Department
- Humanities Department
Coaching:
- Alpine
- Backcountry
- Snowboarding
- Freestyle
- Strength & Conditioning
Staff:
Opportunities range from full-time year-round to part-time seasonal employment. Full job descriptions will be posted on our website, as they become available. For more information, contact Kate Punderson by email at kpunderson@gocva.com or by phone at 207-237-4470.
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3197 Carrabassett Drive
Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947
Phone: (207) 237-2250
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