By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
Third-year coach Marie Beckum did not have many additions to her Caribou alpine ski roster from last season. In fact, the only new skier on the team is senior Alexis McCrossin.
The veterans for the Vikings include Ginger Kieffer and Courtney Burby for the girls and Nolan McDuffie, Sean Barbosa and Dean Walker for the boys. All are seniors with impressive resumes.
Kieffer, in fact, is the defending Class B state skimeister champion. The skimeister is the skier who has the top overall placements in giant slalom, slalom, Nordic freestyle and Nordic classical events at the state meet.
“She is a strong and smart racer and I know she is dedicated to training to be at her best by championship time,” Beckum said.
Burby made huge gains as a skier as a junior and Beckum expects further improvement this season.
On the boys’ side, McDuffie is a consistent performer, while Barbosa is very fast and is capable of turning in some solid runs when he is focused. Walker was the Aroostook League runner-up in the giant slalom a season ago and should have continued success, according to Beckum.
Other Viking veteran skiers are seniors Regan Buck, Alex Hodsdon and Grahm Freme and juniors Connor Thibeault and Tyler Strid.
“With a small team, I hope to keep everyone healthy,” Beckum said. “Looking ahead to the championship portion, I’d like to see this senior-saturated team end their careers with personal-best performances.”
