During the first 6 weeks of school, student-athletes have been fully engaged in academics, athletics, and responsible community living. They’ve participated in traditional rituals, new activities, and blends of both.

On registration day, 71 families brought their student-athletes to campus, prepared with paperwork, negative COVID-19 test results, maybe a few happy tears, and tons of excitement to start a fresh new year on campus. Teachers and coaches covered a variety of topics including introductions to health and safety protocols, academics, and athletics. Students signed their CVA United social contract, committing to keeping our community safe.

During the first week, students met their teachers and hit the books the morning after they arrived with typical programming involving two academic blocks and two athletic blocks. Thanks to the beautiful weather several classes met outside.

After spending last winter tutoring CVA students, Kristin Littlefield returns full-time as Director of CVA’s new Academic Success Program (ASP). As Director, Kristin will bring her educational expertise and passion for supporting individual students to help all students find success in their classes. Prior to coming to CVA Kristin earned a BA in English Teaching from UNH and worked in the Special Education Department in the Yarmouth School Department as a Level III Ed Tech. She has experience analyzing IEPs and will work directly with classroom teachers to address different learning styles. Kristin will also teach our full credit 8th/9th Grade English and The Fundamentals of Study course. "It is very exciting to be joining the CVA community full time. I am committed to providing our students with the opportunity to be successful in all areas of their education by teaching them how to learn more efficiently. I look forward to helping students create effective study habits, understand their own learning style and reach their personal best.”

Jessica grew up in Maine and skiing at Sugarloaf. She received her BS in Mathematics from Simmons College in Boston and went on to receive her Masters Degree from James Cook University in Australia. For 13 years she lived and worked in Australia in the field of marine research, specifically ichthyology with a specialty in tropical reef fish ecology and shark fisheries. She began working as a teacher 3 years ago. Last year, Jessie and her son Jack returned to Maine, and they recently moved into Murfey Hall on campus. They'll spend the summer getting settled. Jessie enjoys SCUBA diving, fishing and skiing.

Physical Testing - The first week included comprehensive physical assessments guided by the SkillsQuest program. SkillsQuest is a cornerstone program of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems. It’s designed to motivate and reward athletes in working toward and improving abilities in the key areas of emphasis. As its name implies, it represents a quest, or journey, toward success in competitive skiing and snowboarding, by focusing on skills, the critical components that make up a high-performing athlete. We are so proud of all our athletes as they learn to push their own limits and pursue their performance goals.

Other athletics activities this fall have included soccer, mat circuits, sprinting, hurdle mobility, core workouts, and exercises in the new sand pit behind the soccer shed. River running is also a popular fall tradition where athletes run fast from rock to rock in a stream trying to stay dry!

Backcountry Team Training Trip - The Backcountry Team spent a week in New Hampshire's White Mountains rock climbing, hiking and backcountry camping. These activities helped the student-athletes develop mountain travel, teamwork, and leadership skills that will serve them well once they hit the big mountains this winter. The crew is stacked this year so keep an eye on their future goals accomplishments, there will be many!

Freestyle Team Training Trip - Lake Placid’s water ramps are a cornerstone of the Freestyle team’s fall training. Athletes pushed their limits with flips and spins, using the opportunity to develop their skills in preparation for the winter season.

Tristan is from Salt Lake City where he grew up snowboarding. He began competing at age 8 and from 2004-2014 he competed in all disciplines. In 2013 he was Snowboard Cross champion at USASA Nationals. He went on to compete in the NorAm tour and multiple Grand Prix events, and earned multiple Gold Camp invitations. Tristan turned to coaching in 2014 working for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Team Utah Snowboarding SBX team, and most recently the Head Coach and Assistant Director of the Jackson Hole Ski and Snowboard Club’s Freeride program. Also joining the CVA community will be Tristan's wife Brenna Huckaby Clegg and their two young children. Brenna is currently training with the U.S. Para Snowboard team to defend her double Gold medal Snowboard wins in Peyong Chang 2018.

Jesse Lowell graduated from CVA in 2014. At school here, he was a three time Nor Am finalist with a few top ten finishes in Moguls. Jesse started out skiing with the CVA weekend program and continued to cultivate his talents all the way through high school under the coaching of Nate Mackenzie and staff. After graduating from CVA, Jesse moved on to St. Lawrence College to graduate with a major in environmental studies in 2019. Jesse has now been a USSA Freestyle judge for the past two seasons, working at events in both Freeski and Moguls. Jesse will be a great asset to our Freestyle program with experience in all the areas; Moguls, Freeski and Freeride.

Jeni Conover has many years of coaching experience in multiple aspects of youth development. As a mother of 3, she is devoted to guiding children to achieve new skills on all levels and she strives to build self- confidence in every athlete she works with. Jeni attended Stratton Mountain School in the 80s, where she earned herself a spot on the US Ski Team’s development squad. She earned a BS in Kinesiology and exercise science from Western State College in Gunnison, CO. Her alpine ski coaching experience is extensive. She began her coaching in Telluride, CO, and upon returning to Maine, she revived and directed the Ragged Mountain Ski Club at the Camden Snow bowl for many years before joining us at CVA to head our U12 program. At the Snow Bowl, she played a major role in race and event organization. Last year Jeni returned to Colorado for a year to coach U12s with Ski Club Vail and brought back valuable experiences. Jeni’s certifications are extensive, including Ed Tech #3, US Coast Guard captain, US Ski & Snowboard Level 200 alpine coach, and CPR/First Aid. She ran a licensed day care in her home town of Camden, and also runs many summer maritime based and adventure camps. In her time with us here at CVA, Jeni has been a major positive influence on our young athletes, and has played a key role in many preseason and winter camps here at Sugarloaf, in Colorado, and Chile.

Orientation trips have long stood as the highlight of our first weeks back at school. They offer the opportunity for student-athletes to get to know their classmates in a fun and challenging environment. Each class went on their own overnight adventure, including Moosehead Lake, a high ropes course, whitewater rafting on the Kennebec River, rock climbing in NH, and Maine Huts & Trails Poplar Hut and Stratton Brook Hut.

Mountain clean up - One way our student athletes show their gratitude for Sugarloaf while participating in community service is Mountain Clean-up done several times throughout the year. This fall, athletes and coaches participated in another super Mountain Work Day. They worked in small groups in the lower resort areas to pick up litter. They received the following note from Sugarloaf’s President & General Manager Karl Strand: “Dear CVA Students, You all did an amazing job yesterday on resort-clean-up-duty. Thanks so much for your hard work and dedication to our community; you make us proud in multiple ways. Have a great season and I’ll look forward to seeing you on the slopes soon.”

Congratulations to newly elected student council members. We’re proud of these 12 students for offering to serve as leaders for the CVA student body: 12th Grade: Arden Velenchik, Brighton Bradford, Angelique Labelle, and Acy Craig. 11th Grade: Cassidy Strunk and Adin Freeman. 10th Grade: Dory Michaud and Addison McDermott. 9th Grade: Charlie Koenig and Max Krizo. 8th Grade: Mia Bruno. 7th Grade: Kenadie Dickey.

CVA is a dog-friendly campus and during any given year, several dogs reside in the faculty apartments and join students during class and athletics. This year, we also have a service dog in our community who helps an 8th grader manage her Type 1 diabetes.

The Carrabassett Valley region is remote but has no shortage of things to do and places to see. Our student-athletes enjoy a variety of local activities during the week and on the weekends. This fall, weekend activities have included open time on the outdoor trampolines at the AGC, cornhole tournaments, swimming at Meyers Beach on Flagstaff Lake, hiking, hanging out at the base lodge area, and outdoor movie nights. Other weekday activities have included a surfing trip at Old Orchard beach, visiting the local bison farm, hiking and mountain biking on the local world-class trails, fly fishing, golfing, and disc golf.

Attending a winter camp with CVA is a great way for athletes to gain extra time on snow to train on world class courses and experience life at Carrabassett Valley Academy. Camps are held in a variety of time periods (long weekend, partial week, multi-week) usually with day and boarding options. Coaches work with athletes on technical skills, video analysis, school work monitoring and much more.

Our camp offering is beginning to develop, with a few camps announced for Alpine and Backcountry programs. Others are still being developed. Stay tuned for more information, or contact Venise Fournier if you're interested in an opportunity for your student-athlete.

Questions, please contact Sarah Krizo, 207-215-6662, skrizo@gocva.com