On the downhill side, coach Neal Sleeper sees his team continuing to improve on their solid performances as the season progresses. It all starts at the top, and Sleeper says he sees two athletes standing out among the talented group.
“Scott Bray continues to excel on the male side and Camryn Langille on the female side. Other teammates are making huge advancement with their skiing, and their finish times are reflecting it,” he said.
According to the coach, Bray “has been an excellent role model to the other skiers, he demonstrates a positive attitude and his skiing a fine example for the other kids to watch,” while Langille’s “rock solid skiing style and positive attitude have given her teammates encouragement that, if you practice and listen to the advice of the coach, your results will improve.”
With a group as talented as this comes high expectations, and the effort and commitment the Vikings have shown leaves the team feeling confident in their chances. Sleeper said that the slow start to the winter weather made the team focus more on running and strength building early on, improving their stamina for the season ahead. This, combined with free skiing away from the practices and meets, has helped the Vikings vastly improve overall.
For the boys, the roster includes sophomores Bray, Lane Moir, Camden Dumont and Andy Russell; freshman Mat Whitten; and manager Evan Burgay. On the girls’ side, sophomore Langille is joined by seniors Maria Espinosa, Maura Freme and Eileen Patten; sophomore Ciara Richards; and freshmen Maren Moir and Grace Gallagher.
Members of the Caribou varsity alpine ski team are, in front from left, Maura Freme, Ciara Richards and Maria Espinosa. Middle row,
Maren Moir, Camryn Langille, Eileen Patten and Grace Gallagher. Back, coach Neal Sleeper, Andy Russell, Camden Dumont, Scott Bray and Lane Moir.
(Courtesy of Sha-Lam Photography)
The Vikings Nordic (cross country) squad is led by coach Evan Graves and assistant coach George Ferland. Similar to the alpine team, the late snowfall made it so land training was key to preparing for the season, with both the boys and the girls working hard to get ready for the first snowfall.
The girls’ team is relatively young this season, with one senior on the roster, which has given many underclassmen the opportunity to show their skills. While the athletes have performed well individually this season, Graves hopes to put those efforts towards improving the team’s performance overall.
“These girls are improving their form every week, [their] fitness is starting to show and they’ll continue to improve,” he said.
Skiers Madeline Gudde, Kendra Furber, Richards and Erin Kashian have been the key performers this year, filling in for the seniors the Vikings lost from last season. As for expectations for the rest of the year, Graves is confident in that the team will continue to find their stride.
“We are within reach of the expectations,” he said. “We tell the kids to ski hard and to challenge themselves … and they continue to work hard and improve.”
The boys’ team is also young this season, but Graves doesn’t see that as an issue, with the Vikings’ dedication to the sport serving them well in preparing for the competition.
“We are an experienced group who really challenges each other well in practice,” said Graves. “We have a great blend of leaders and experienced skiers, with some younger kids who are showing some great promise and will really have a positive impact on the team.”
The Vikings’ top performers include Riley McDuffie, Lukas Lagasse, Caleb Willett, Alec Cyr and Dan Randolph, with McDuffie and Lagasse taking charge of this talented group.
As for the rest of the season, Graves has confidence in the boys.
“The other teams are improving and we just have to keep working hard and focusing on our goal to challenge ourselves to be the best every day,” he said.
The girls’ Nordic roster this season includes senior Julia Page; juniors Gudde, Kashian and Furber; sophomores Kyleigh DeMerchant, JoJo Fields, Anya O’Meara, Richards and Rachel Ring; and freshmen Emily Austin and Olivia Austin.
The boys’ team consists of seniors Chathu Karunasiri, Lagasse, McDuffie, Elijah Verhoff and Willett; junior Bryce Coffin; sophomores Rieley Bossie, Cyr, Evan Desmond, Emerson Duplissie-Cyr, Noah Margeson, Randolph and Nic Sleeper; and freshmen Kyle Boucher, Ghent Durepo, Noah Hixon, Austin Laplante, Aaron Macek, Sebastian Marquis and Theo Strid.
