A F.A.S.T. HISTORY The history and stories of the Fryeburg Academy Team and in the town of Fryeburg, Maine

By: John S. Weston Fryeburg’s Ski Trains: With the town of Fryeburg’s location in the snow belt of the foothills of western Maine, skiing has been a natural part of the town’s winter lifestyle from the early 1930’s. Some of the first known documentation of this history began with the storied ski trains that many western Maine towns established to boost the traditionally slow winter economy. In 1935, the Fryeburg Winter Sports Committee (which grew from the local Kiwanis Club) was established to build and promote Fryeburg as a winter sports destination. The instrument they focused on was the local Maine Central Railroad train that ran from Union Station in Portland through Fryeburg. The idea was to advertise and promote the entire town as a destination for winter enthusiasts from all over and have the train be their transportation.

Fryeburg Winter Sports Committee letterhead

Among the activities offered were ice skating, tobogganing, snowshoeing, sleigh rides, ski-jouring ( with dogs), ice fishing, bobsledding, and, of course, skiing. Skiers coming to town were divided by ability. Novices were started in the open pasture on the north side of Pine Hill at the Weston Farm. Intermediates went to the local landmark known as Jockey Cap, and in 1936 two trails were cut at Stark’s Hill for the advanced. A winterized horse drawn sleigh called a “sledge” picked up the travelers at the train station and transported them to the various activity sights or their Jockey Cap toboggan run. 1936 accommodations. Many townsfolk even offered rooms in their homes for the visitors to stay.

One of the few open slopes at the time was located on the east side of the boulder called Jockey Cap. In 1936, 10 local businessmen chipped in $25.00 each to build Maine’s first rope tow at Jockey Cap. The tow drew a lot of attention, and skiers, to the area and proved to be a wise investment. The Jockey Cap rope tow held the distinction of being the first rope tow in Maine for a mere two weeks before a group from the Bridgton Highlands built their own.

Jockey Cap ski slope. 1936 This photo of the rope tow at Jockey Cap in 1936 was one of the first color photographs printed in National Geographic Magazine.

In 1936, Winter Sports Committee member John F. Weston offered a portion of his timberland on the nearby slope at Stark’s Hill to increase the skiing options. Two trails were cut that offered more advanced skiing on the north facing slope located behind what would eventually be the shop on Route 302.

Jockey Cap Ski Slope and Rope Tow Corporation Members: Asa O. Pike III Clifford Hill Roger Boothby Henry McIntire Bill Vinton John F. Weston Harry Jewett Clifford Eastman Lawrence Gray Dudley Perkins

The Hannes Schneider of Fryeburg Academy: While Fryeburg was expanding its ski infrastructure, North Conway native and Fryeburg Academy alum Harvey Dow Gibson (Class of 1898) was taking steps to do the same in North Conway. Gibson, a tremendous ski enthusiast, had a dream of transforming North Conway into the center of skiing in the Northeast. This concept was based around the convenient proximity of Cranmore Mountain (then called Lookout Mountain) to the North Conway train station. Rumors have claimed that Gibson originally conceived Fryeburg and Stark’s Hill to be the focus of his development dream (and the location for his famous Skimobile) but he instead settled on Mt. Cranmore because North Conway had two daily trains to Fryeburg’s one.

Gibson was very successful in New York’s financial world, eventually becoming President of the Manufacturer’s Trust Company in Manhattan. During this same time Gibson became President of the Fryeburg Academy Board of Trustees. Still following his ski vision for the valley, Gibson purchased the Eastern Slope Ski School and a majority of nearby Mt. Cranmore. While Gibson had the means and infrastructure for his dream he lacked the ski knowledge to complete his vision.

Harvey Dow Gibson

Gibson soon entered the life of what most consider to be the founding father of modern Alpine ski instruction, Austrian Hannes Schneider. Schneider is credited with developing the “ Method” of ski instruction. This method is centered around a crouched and lowered position and the use of the Stem-Christie turn (also called a Wedge-Christie). The Stem-Christie is done by lifting the inside ski while weighting the outside ski to facilitate a turn. Schneider was a high profile critic of the Nazi Party as his homeland of fell under Nazi control during World War II. Schneider and his family were targeted and tormented by the Nazis, and realized that escaping Austria was their only option. A friend and former student of Hannes’s named Benno Rybizka had moved to North Conway a few years earlier to run the Eastern Slope Ski School which was then owned by local ski pioneer Carroll Reed. Enter Harvey Gibson; Rybizka is thought to have told Gibson of Schneider’s plight in Austria. Regardless of how he became aware of Hannes Schneider, Gibson had found the man he needed to transform the Mt. Washington Valley into New England’s ski destination.

Gibson began the difficult process of getting Hannes and his entire family (wife Ludwina, son Herbert, and daughter Herta) out of Austria under the watchful eye of the Nazis. Only the most powerful and influential people in the world would be able to pull that off. Gibson proved to be one of these people. In nothing short of a Hollywood script, Gibson began backdoor negotiations with members of Hitler’s inner circle. Gibson’s ability to do this was based through his company that had loaned millions of dollars to the German government before Hitler came to power. It just so happened that Germany needed to start paying this money back, but Hitler was involved with an expensive war and didn’t have the money. Gibson (who was working through a representative) demanded payment on the loan or threatened to fail Germany’s credit which would threaten the country’s entire economy. Hannes Schneider

With the Nazi Party in a difficult position Gibson played his hand and offered to extend Germany’s credit in exchange for the safe defection of one Hannes Schneider and his family. With little other choice, SS Commander Heinrich Himmler himself signed the Schneider families release papers and the Schneiders quickly left for America. With the Schneider’s now safely in North Conway, Hannes could begin his work at Cranmore. Many of Hannes’s former Austrian students also joined him at his Cranmore school. Gibson, always thinking of the students of Fryeburg Academy, decided to get Hannes to teach skiing to Academy students as part of a Physical Education class. Thus in the winter of 1940 the Fryeburg Academy chapter of the world famous Hannes Schneider Ski School began. Some rumors surmised that in addition to instructing Academy students Gibson put Schneider on the Academy staff to help speed up his American Visa approval process, but those rumors are not able to be proven. The Hannes Schneider Ski School of Fryeburg Academy met every week after school during the winter.

Schneider’s ski school skiing at Stark’s Hill overlooking the Saco River and the White Mountains in .

The following is an entry from the 1940 Fryeburg Academy Bell Yearbook written by Wayne Richardson, Class of 1941: "This year through the efforts of Harvey D. Gibson, president of the school trustees, we were fortunate enough to have a ski school directed by Hannes Schneider, world famous Austrian Ski Meister. Our instructors were such as Herbert Schneider, son of Hannes Schneider; Toni Matt, winner of last year's National Downhill Slalom races at Sun Valley; Benno Rybizka, Vice-President and Director of the Eastern Slope Ski School of North Conway; Franz Koessler, Director of the Jackson branch of the Eastern Slope Ski School; Otto Tschol, former instructor in Hannes Schneider's Ski School in St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria, and other well known skiing instructors." Richardson went on to say, "With the world's best coaches to help and time for regular practice, I believe that Fryeburg Academy should produce some outstanding skiers.”

Group photo of Schneider’s Ski School at Stark’s Hill. Herbert Schneider is on the far right. Franz Koessler is towards the left in the white top, white hat and dark glasses.

Patricia Atwater Pipe, a teacher, coach, and dorm parent at the Academy at the time, recalled her memories of the Schneider Ski School: “Nicky Grey and I had to chaperone the female dorm kids to take ski lessons, Headmaster LaCasce insisted that they all try. Every Wednesday we walked with the girls from the Academy with the over our shoulders to the Weston Farm on the west side of Pine Hill to ski with Hannes Schneider and Toni Matt, they were the instructors for our group.”

The Legend of Toni Matt:

One of Hannes’s instructors at the Academy, Austrian Toni Matt, was also a local legend in his own time. Matt was a US National Champion but his local fame will always be connected to Tuckerman Ravine. His legend is somewhat unrelated to Fryeburg but Matt’s tale is worthy regardless. In 1933 a group of pioneers held the first of three “American Inferno Races.” The race course was simple; start at the summit of and finish at the bottom via the headwall of Tuckerman Ravine. The first race in 1933 was won in a time of 14 minutes. The next year the race was won in 12 minutes, 35 seconds. The third year Toni Matt decided to enter. Matt, who had learned to ski in the Austrian , had little concern for the relatively small Mt. Washington. On April 16, 1939, 19 year old Matt shocked the nearly 3,000 in attendance by finishing the race in 6 minutes and 29 seconds, nearly half of the previous record. It has been estimated that Matt was already traveling 45 mph when he shot off the lip of the Tuckerman headwall and pointed his skis straight down the fall line. A film of the run exists and experts calculate Matt’s speed down the headwall near 90 mph.

Toni Matt

That year was the last Inferno race ever held as organizers deemed the course too dangerous. Matt’s famed run is believed unable to be duplicated, even with modern equipment and methods.

The Fryeburg Academy Ski Team is Born: The Hannes Schneider Ski School at the Academy was short lived as Schneider soon focused all his efforts at Mount Cranmore. Although Schneider was gone, his beloved skiing was just beginning to take hold at the Academy. Through the mid 1940’s students organized ski clubs which were based around trips to Pine Hill to practice and participate in ski events like Sadie Hawkins Day. In 1947 the first official Fryeburg Academy Ski Team was chosen. The five charter members were; Roger Merserve, Robert Eastman, Reginald Vernet, Bernard Seavey and Ralph Woodward. The team was selected to represent the Academy at the First Annual Southwestern Maine Ski Meet. The Fryeburg team took second place just behind Gould Academy. Charter team member Ralph Woodward lived in East Conway and would often trek across the intervales to the Weston Farm to ski on Pine Hill. One day he decided to forgo crossing the bridge and take a shortcut across the seemingly well frozen river. Ralph was careful in his crossing and made it to the opposite bank when he stepped through some weak anchor ice and went into the frigid water. He made it out and quickly got to the Weston’s where Betty Weston covered him in blankets and sat him by the fire to warm him up. Ralph continued cross the intervale to ski at Pine Hill but gladly took the long route across the bridge from then on.

The earliest “official” ski team photo, 1948. L-R: Kenneth Hutchins, Ronald Hill, Ralph Woodward & Bernard Seavey.

In 1949 the Academy named its first official girl’s ski team. This groundbreaking group was Barbara Bowles, June Davis, Anne Tebbitt and Dorcus Blaich. The inexperienced girl’s team competed in only one meet against the likes of the University of Maine and University of New Hampshire. In these beginning years, skiing at the Academy saw many forms of organization. Some years official teams were never organized and only clubs skied occasionally at Pine Hill. One yearbook account in 1948 told of students teaching students in the absence of an official coach. Other years more formal teams were run with coaches and training held at the Stark’s Hill trails. 1953 saw the introduction of cross country skiing to the team. The Academy purchased five pairs of cross country skis for team members to use.

As the ski team grew it needed to increase and grow its training area. Stark’s Hill was the obvious choice for this expansion. Getting tired of hiking up Stark’s to get in their training, the ski team took it upon themselves to build the Stark’s rope tow. The team began construction on the 800 foot tow and the tow started running in 1956. It was engineered, built and funded almost exclusively by the students. Team members Skip Eastman and Al Thomas were credited for being the engineering minds behind the tow. The tow serviced the main slope, the original side trail that was mostly used for GS training, and a beginner’s slope.

Stark’s Hill rope tow 1956.

Although the tow wasn’t finished until mid-February it proved its worth as the boy’s team of 1956 won FAST’s first state championship title. The championship team was lead by future FAST coach and Academy Trustee Brett Russell. In addition to Russell were Dick Breen, Skip Eastman, Chuck Reed, J. Doucette, Al Thomas, Doug Severance, Ned McSherry, Fred Dallinger and Asa Pike. The team was coached by Walter Jerome, an art teacher at the Academy that took the job as ski coach without the benefit of ever skiing. Regardless, Jerome was well respected by his athletes.

Fryeburg Academy’s first state championship Ski Team, 1956.

The Famous Broomhalls Leave Their Mark in Fryeburg: The Broomhall name is synonymous with skiing throughout New England. Most notable is Wendall “Chummy” Broomhall that raised the Black Mountain ski area of Rumford, Maine to international distinction. Though the family’s roots are in Rumford, several family members have created legacies in many other New England communities, and Fryeburg was fortunate to be one of them.

In the summer of 1960, Erlon “Bucky” Broomhall (younger brother to Chummy) accepted a position teaching Biology at the Academy. Realizing his extensive ski background he was quickly asked to coach the ski team as well, which he gladly accepted. Bucky soon began developing ideas to host a state championship meet at Stark’s, and not just any meet, the Class A meet. The state ski meet had now expanded into four events; alpine slalom and , cross country and jumping. While Stark’s had an excellent alpine course it didn’t have a cross country course or a jump.

Coach “Bucky” Broomhall

With the full support of Headmaster Phil Richards, the Academy Board of Trustees and Stark’s landowner John F. Weston, Broomhall got to work. He began roughing out an approximately 3 mile cross country course to the left of Stark’s alpine trails. Broomhall credited the of FA Maintenance, Howard Ross, as being the leader that saw the work done on everything from clearing Nordic trails to building . With mechanical grooming yet to be developed, the course was packed entirely by snowshoes that Ross had collected from an Army surplus store. With the cross-country course finished, work began on a 20 meter jump. Broomhall acquired a set of USSA developed jump plans that gave specific engineering specs for the jump and Stark’s Hill ski jump. 1961 State ski meet. outrun.

The jump hill and outrun were completely artificial in that the entire site was heavily excavated. The jump was located a fair distance up the slope so after landing on the outrun jumpers would actually pick-up speed as they continued down the mountain. It is believed that the jump record was 72 feet. With the unthinkable complete in just a few months, Fryeburg hosted the 1961 State of Maine Class A state championship ski meet. Broomhall enlisted the help of many locals to help run the meet but the most notable were Joe Dodge and Toni Matt. Joe Dodge (an original pioneer of Pinkham Notch and Tuckerman Ravine) timed all the races. Broomhall recalled that Dodge used a special propane heated box that he kept the timing watches in to keep them working in the cold weather. Former National Downhill Champion and Tuckerman Ravine legend Toni Matt set the courses for the alpine races. Bucky Broomhall remained at the Academy only one more season but he permanently left his mark on the ski team and started a cross country trail system that is still in use today.

Stark’s Hill Cross Country: In September of 1961 Paul McGuire was hired as an Academy history teacher and assistant Nordic coach under Bucky Broomhall. McGuire was young and energetic and was instrumental in expanding and improving the Stark’s Nordic trail system that Broomhall had started. McGuire took over as head Nordic coach in 1962 and remained head coach until he left Fryeburg in 1969.

The original Nordic course started at the alpine area and headed toward the stone quarry where it turned left and traveled through the swamp toward the field. From there it went back up to the quarry and turned left where it eventually headed uphill and made its way along the shelf above the ledges. At the top of the climb the course made a hair raising decent down in the vicinity of the saddle between Stark’s and the adjacent Long Hill. Skiers would then make their way down to the bottom of the land, then through the tall pines and finally back across the swampy wetlands on the way back to the finish at the alpine area. Most of this original course is still in use today, but is usually raced in the opposite direction.

McGuire would organize work crews in the fall to clear and brush the trails in anticipation of the upcoming snows. In 1964 former FAST standout Brett Russell joined the Academy staff as a History teacher and Alpine ski coach. The McGuire and Russell coaching team were responsible for elevating the Academy ski program from a functioning team to a perennial contender. The duo had a long history together and knew each other well, which added to their successful dynamic. They began as former rivals in high school skiing (McGuire skied for Mexico, Maine and Russell for FA). The two eventually became roommates at the University of Maine. One of McGuire’s rising stars at Fryeburg was future FAST coach John L. Atwood. During this period the classification system for skiing was not based on school size, as it is now, but rather a performance based system from the previous year’s results at the state meet. The top 4 schools in the Class A meet the previous year received an automatic bid into the A meet again. Everyone else raced in the Class B meet which was held the week before the A meet. The top three teams in the B meet advanced to the A meet to compete in a seven team competition for the ultimate state championship. McGuire recounted the first time he coached a team under this performance based system in 1967; “That season we won the Western Regional and managed to hold off Bridgton, coached by Chip Taylor (who joined the staff at FA the next school year), to win the State Class A championship which we hosted.” McGuire went on to say, “The most exciting moment of my ski coaching career, which included nearly a decade at Gould Academy, was seeing everyone’s hard work and patience bear fruit when we squeezed by Bridgton to win that state meet in 1967 – and at home too. We were so very proud of them all.” McGuire was also a pioneer of sorts. He annually organized an early season relay race that attracted schools from all over. The race was a novelty because Nordic relay races were basically unheard of at the time. The race was held in the open intervales across the street from the Academy where a larger audience could be drawn with better viewing of the race. The relay started and finished in Peary Park, located next to the Headmasters House.

The start of a Nordic relay race in Peary Park next to the Headmasters house. 1966.

The Story of Ski-W: The first Alpine trails at Stark’s Hill were cut in 1936 as a commercial venture to try and develop a winter industry for the town. After those initial years, skiing at Stark’s was basically only run by the Academy for its team’s training and races. The sport of was growing and small hometown mountains were being developed all over New England. Stark’s was already functioning as a ski slope and visions of further developing the site to once again offer commercial skiing began. Around 1969, Keith Hodsdon a local skier that had vast experience in the industry from everything from rental shop manager to ski instructor to lift maintenance approached Stark’s landowner John F. Weston with his development idea. Weston, who was always looking to support skiing and especially the town, was receptive. Hodsdon was short on an initial cash flow to get the development started, so with a leap-of-faith and a handshake, Weston agreed to deed 50 acres on the side of Stark’s to Hodsdon for collateral to start the ski area. The agreement had many stipulations which included allowing the Academy to continue to train and race at Stark’s.

Keith got to work with step-sons Gary and Wayne Foote as well as son Joel Hodsdon. They started by cutting more trail. The Fryeburg Academy trail only went halfway up the slope, so Hodsdon continued this trail to the top. They cut a new main slope to the right of the Academy trail. Next they built an A-frame style lodge complete with a front deck, ticket booth, and utility room. A First-Aid room was later built in the lift base station.

Clearing the main slope at Ski-W.

To this point the only lift system was the Academy’s old rope tow which needed repair. Hodsdon developed a T-bar lift using two towers from an old lift he acquired from a defunct ski area in northern New York. Gary and Wayne Foote drove the two towers in pieces from New York in the back of a U-Haul truck to Fryeburg. These two towers served as the top and bottom towers, the remaining 7 towers in between the group fabricated themselves.

Ski-W’s main slope in the mid-70’s. T-bar on right.

In the fall of 1972, before the area opened, Weston died unexpectedly which left the project in question because the deeding process had not been completed. To honor the memory and wishes of John, his widow Betty and son George agreed to continue the process and deeded the land to Hodsdon. In 1974 the area was ready for operation and the “Ski-W” Ski Area started its T-Bar. Gary lived in the base lodge and served as the caretaker and manager for the area. Ski-W operated for 2 successful years when tragically the lodge caught fire and burned to the ground. Gary lost everything he owned in the fire. This event would be the end of Ski-W because the expense to rebuild was simply too much. Sadly it would also be the end of Alpine skiing at Stark’s, as the sport was moving toward larger ski areas with more vertical drop and trail options. Soon, high school would be abandoned in the state of Maine and therefore so would the jump at Stark’s. Stark’s Hill would remain the home of the Nordic team, eventually expanding the trail network to over 5 miles.

Ski-W base lodge 1974.

So what did Ski-W mean? Gary Foote described it best:

“Well, the ‘W’ was in memoriam of John F. Weston who had been so gracious in his deeding the land to us for development. He believed, as did we, that Ski-W had the potential to drive the winter economy in Fryeburg. Had not the lodge burned it might well have done so and still be in operation today.”

Fryeburg Winter Sports Committee member and Stark’s Hill landowner John F. Weston.

The Atwood’s begin their legacy: One of the biggest names in Fryeburg skiing is the Atwood family. The patriarch of the family is John H. Atwood who began coaching the girls ski team in 1967. Though the first officially recorded girl’s team was in the winter of 1949, the girl’s side of the ski team had been all but forgotten until John H. brought it back. That first year he had 15 girls join the team. In 1976, Atwood’s girls brought home FA’s first State Championship in skiing. John H. Atwood coached the girl’s team for 12 years until 1979. Two of John H.’s sons, John L. and Peter, would eventually become coaches of the ski team and five of his grandchildren would excel on the team in the mid 2000’s.

1967 Girls ski team with Coach John H. Atwood. Atwood helped pioneer girls skiing which was almost unheard of at the time.

The Dynasty of the 80’s: In 1978, as one Atwood was ending an impressive coaching career, another one was just getting started. John L. Atwood (son of John H.) returned to the Academy and joined the ski team coaching staff. Shortly, John L. would be paired with Ed Quinn and eventually Jim Gibson, and through this trio the Academy teams would rule Maine high school skiing for the next decade.

1984 Ski Team: Coach Jim Gibson on far left, Coach Ed Quinn on left in white hat and Coach John L. Atwood on far right.

From 1980 to 1989 FAST won 7 state championships and 4 Runner-Up plaques. These teams produced an unbelievable 31 individual state champions in Nordic, Alpine, and Skimeister during this time period.

Betsy Eastman, daughter of FAST alum Skip Eastman, was the foundation for many of the championship teams during this era. She was the most dominant skier of her time winning 6 state Alpine titles. The 1984 State Championship meet was held in Fort Kent. The Fryeburg team had made the trip to “The County” the day before the GS race, and was staying in nearby Edmundston, Canada. Late that first evening Coach Atwood was awakened by a team member to the news that Betsy was in such pain that she could hardly walk. Coach Atwood quickly realized that Betsy needed to get to a hospital and called for a taxi. At the hospital Betsy was diagnosed with a kidney infection and given antibiotics. Betsy Eastman

The GS race was starting in a matter of hours and Betsy was still in significant pain. However, she did not travel 8 hours on a school bus to be a spectator and decided to race. Still in pain, she had to be helped into her boots and GS skis. She completed the first run, and unbelievably was in first place. However, during her second run she fell, and although she was able to recover quickly, the elapsed time was just too much to overcome for a top spot. Though disappointed, Betsy returned the next day for the Slalom race feeling much better. She would go on to win the Slalom and eventually both races the following year. She finished with 6 state titles and created a level of dominance that would be hard to top.

Another of the many noteworthy stories from the 1980’s came from Betsy Marsh. The mid-80’s were a transition period for Nordic skiing as the sport was developing the skate technique. Until now the classic technique was the only recognized style. In 1985 Marsh, a junior, won the state Nordic title using the classic technique. The following year she repeated as state champion but this time using the newly approved skate technique. As coincidence would have it Marsh would later go on to marry the grandson of Hannes Schneider.

Betsy Marsh

John Atwood, Ed Quinn, and Jim Gibson left many lasting impacts on the team. Two of particular note were taking over the small maintenance building that would become known as the “Ski Room,” and the other was the beginning of the traditional capture-the-flag game held annually at the Fairgrounds know as “VC Rangers”.

The original “Ski Room.” Removed in 2006.

An Olympian Among Us: Of all the great champion skiers from Fryeburg in the 1980’s, one stood out from the crowd. The Nash family had several prominent skiers that had a success in Fryeburg and were key figures in the championship teams of the early 80’s. However, it was the youngest in the family that would make the biggest impact. In 1986 a thin and lanky freshman named Marcus Nash entered the Academy. Though Marcus was new to the Academy, he was not new to the ski team. He had been training with the high school team since sixth grade and was well acclimated to the team. He was often spotted by locals skiing on the intervale farmland behind his house with his dog. Marcus credits his older brother Macdara (Mac) for sparking his interest in Nordic skiing. Mac was a very successful skier in his own right, and Marcus just wanted to be like his older brother. Marcus was instantly the team’s number one skier his freshman year. That year he finished fifth at the state championship meet. From that point on Marcus would win every high school ski race he entered in the state of Maine, including the next three individual state championship races.

Marcus created many stories with his high school success. His senior year the boy’s team entered the last event of the 1988 Class A state championship meet needing to win the team relay to take the championship. Marcus was skiing the anchor leg of the 3k relay loop at Black Mountain in Rumford. As the relay progressed, Oxford Hills built a sizable lead. When Marcus was tagged, Fryeburg stood in third place behind Edward Little and Oxford Hills. Everyone knew Marcus would have a good leg, but the Oxford Hills anchor was over one minute ahead. Marcus was tagged and disappeared into the . Spectators in the stadium at Rumford knew that the race was going to be won by whoever appeared first at the top of the hill outside the stadium, because it was all down hill to the finish. Marcus was wearing a red race suit, and Oxford Hills was wearing their traditional green. Marcus Nash Everyone waited and watched the top of the hill. Minutes later, in disbelief to many, the first skier appeared – wearing a red suit. From there it was simply a formality for Marcus to cross the finish line securing the boy’s championship. Marcus had caught the Oxford Hills skier in less than three kilometers starting one minute behind.

After the Academy, Marcus moved on to the college ranks and eventually the US National team where he was a 9 time US National Champion. He was named to the US Olympic team in both 1998 and 2002

Marcus was a bit of a pioneer in the US, gaining full sponsorship which allowed him to focus on training year round, a rarity for US Nordic skiers at the time. Marcus was also part of a group of US athletes that began to break America’s poor showings on the international stage.

The 21 st Century: The Fryeburg Academy Ski Team of the 21 st Century continues to write a story of success. The first team to win a state title in the new century was the 2001 girls combined team that did so in rather dramatic fashion. The team entered the final event, classic, thinking they were in 3 rd place, realistically too far behind to catch the favored first place team from Yarmouth. However, a scoring error in the Slalom (based around misfortune for Yarmouth in their Slalom runs) did not become known until nearly the beginning of the classic race. So, unknown to the Fryeburg girls, they were actually in first place entering the final race. The girls turned in inspired races to maintain the combined victory. The scoring error was missed by so many that one Portland paper mistakenly reported that Yarmouth had won and had to embarrassingly reprint the correct story announcing Fryeburg as the true victors.

The Portland Press Herald headline the day after the paper had incorrectly reported the State results.

Two members of the girl’s team in the early and mid 2000’s defined domination and ruled the course.

Joanna Kinsman became a 6 time individual state champion in Nordic skiing (she also won another individual state championship in Cross Country Running). Kinsman became the most dominant girl’s Nordic skier in the State of Maine in recent history. She won both the skate and classic state titles her sophomore, junior and senior years. Known for her tremendous strength and power, one tale did her justice. Skiing the anchor leg for her team at the 2002 Telstar Relays, Kinsman approached Telstar’s famous hill known as “Alice” to find a crowd of racers clogging the course in front of her. With what she described as “no other option”, Kinsman began double poling the steep climb to safely get through the crowd, eventually bringing her team across the finish line in 3 rd place.

Joanna Kinsman

Domination is one thing, perfection is another. In the mid-80’s, Betsy Eastman nearly ran the table on state champion Alpine races, winning 6 out of a possible 8. 20 years later another female from Fryeburg named Amy Dyer would emerge and top Eastman’s record. Dyer would win both the GS and Slalom state championship races all four years of her high school career. Like Eastman 2 decades earlier, Dyer was so dominant that she would win races by 5 and even 10 seconds. The top boy’s skiers would nervously watch her times, hoping she wouldn’t best them as well. Considering the pressures involved with winning, especially at a young age, Dyer’s accomplishment is remarkable.

“Awesome” Amy Dyer

With the tragic fire that burned the Gibson gym in 2005, the original ski room was removed for the reconstruction of the new field house and athletic complex. In 2006 the ski team opened their brand new ski building behind the Industrial Arts building. On December 23, 2006 it was dedicated as the “Weston-Atwood Ski Building.”

The new Ski Building 2006. Ski Building dedication: L-R: George Weston, John S. Weston, John L. Atwood, John H. Atwood & Brett Russell

With a rich history behind it, the Fryeburg Academy Ski Team looks to continue that tradition into the future by teaching the love of skiing to the next generation of champions.

References:

First Tracks by Glenn Parkinson

Flight Without Wings by Gerard Fairlie

Fryeburg Academy Yearbooks

Champions Magazine

Tales of the 10 th by Jeffrey Leich

He Challenged the Headwall and Won by Jim Graham

New England Ski Museum website

New England Lost Ski Area Project website

Fryeburg Academy Archives

Interviews: Paul McGuire Erlon Broomhall Brett Russell John L. Atwood Patricia Pipe Herbert Schneider Betty Weston George Weston