Mt. Blue High School girls alpine brings home state championship

BRIDGTON – The Mt. Blue High School Girls’ Alpine team has brought home another state championship, with head coach Mark Cyr at the helm and assistant coach Matt Reynolds. The girls fought hard against strong showings at the Class A Alpine State Championships Feb. 14 and 15 at Shawnee Peak.

As a relatively young team with only one senior, they showed perseverance and composure under pressure. The first day of the championship was the Giant Slalom component. After the first of two runs, Mt. Blue found themselves ahead of Edward Little High School (last year’s state champions) and Oxford Hills, but only by a small margin. Two skiers on the team had fallen, leaving the scoring up to the remaining four skiers on the GS team, Taylor Gordon (5th), Sadie McDonough (16th), Cassidy Strunk (25th), and Molly Kearing (38th). They all came in slightly below their typical scoring positions. Each racer had to finish their second run strong; there was no room for error. At the end of the day, Mt. Blue found themselves in second place, only two points behind Edward Little.

The second day of the championships was the Lady Cougars’ opportunity to show the best of their skills. Slalom races had been the team’s strength all season long and they knew if everyone could put in two solid runs, they stood a chance to place high in the overall state championship standings.

Taylor finished her combined runs with a first-place finish, followed by Strunk in 10th, McDonough in 13th, and Khloe Dean gave the team their final scoring position of 19th; enough to secure a win not only for the slalom standings but also for the state championship. The combined score for the team was 1481. Edward Little followed with a score of 1428 and Fryeburg Academy and Oxford Hills tied for third with a score of 1420.

To cap off the championship win, the Mt. Blue Girls’ Alpine team also took home the Class A Sportsmanship award. The girls relied on each other to stay motivated, encouraged, and energized. This award was well deserved by the group of young women who took on the challenge of the Mt. Blue skiing legacy by working hard and displaying a positive attitude toward their teammates, coaches, and opponents.