A year ago I spent some time at Sunday River with some younger members of the ski patrol. These kids were part of Gould Academy’s partnership with the resort, taking part in a program that trains young skiers as patrollers. I was impressed with how smoothly faculty members worked with the patrol. Last weekend I had a look at the rest of the school’s programs.

No one familiar with Gould’s long tradition in skiing would be surprised to learn of the school’s partnership with Sunday River to further its racing programs. In the 1960s, Gould ski teams were a powerhouse among eastern prep schools.

Program director Tim LaVallee tells of finding communications cables in the woods above the school’s jumps at Swan’s Corner. These cables date back to the forties and fifties when a rope tow occupied the left side of that hill along Sunday River Road. The kids would ride that tow to the top of the open slope and hike to starts well above on narrow trails cut though the woods.

Today, Gould skiers have a modern competition center at the foot of Lower Cascades and programs that extend well beyond the ski racing heritage. The center is named for the late Paul Kailey, who coached many of those skiers at Gould. It is also fitting that the center is adjacent to the building that housed the Sunri Ski Shop where he helped so many skiers with their equipment following his retirement from coaching.

With the temperatures struggling to get close to zero, the comp center was a good place to start the day, inside with hot coffee. Tim LaVallee explained the origins of the current Gould Sunday River (GSR) programs. Seven students were on hand to provide their views from within the school and its ski activities.

LaVallee, who coached at Gould before a 10-year stint that included coaching for the U.S. Team, Colorado and Bates College, returned in 1994 to start the current program. He met with Bill Cough of Gould and Bob Harkins, then director of skiing at Sunday River, to develop the concept. According to LaVallee, “We wanted a program that can support the exceptional athlete while meeting the needs of all athletes.”

Evidence of success is easily found in the records of the school, national competition and the colleges attended by graduates. Gould skiers consistently find their way to podiums in Eastern junior ski events and even national championships. Recent grads include Dominic Arsenault (Canadian National Freestyle Team), Carl Burnett (U.S. Disabled Ski Team), Parker Gray (Junior Olympic champion), Dana Drummond of Middlebury and Christa Goodman of UVM.

The long list of successful skiers continues to grow. The students on hand with us were a good mix. Luba Lowery of Cumberland Foreside is a three tracker who started with Maine Handicapped skiing and is working toward the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. Shelley Bowen of Gilford, N.H., is ranked third in the world among junior alpine skiers.

Rebecca Rowe came up from Florida, had just learned to ski and is racing. Chad Walz is a snowboarding ski patroller from New York.

If we could get a complete list it would show alpine and cross country skiers and snowboarders in competition, ski patrolling, instruction and working with Maine Handicapped Skiing.

The cross country skies have 25 kilometers of trails starting on campus. They also learn ski tuning and care of equipment. In all, close to two thirds of the 215-member student body are part of an on-snow program at Gould.

For some this means working with an adjusted curriculum so they can ski every day, while others ski weekends. It may sound as if skiing takes precedence, but as one student pointed out, “We only get to ski if our academics are up.”

Maybe that’s one of the reasons 100 percent of Gould graduates go on to college.

To that end the school has made sure students can keep up wherever they are. An info server allows traveling skiers to plug in their laptop, get their assignments and complete their work. After skiing we had an opportunity to tour the campus and found modern laboratories for all disciplines. A pair of auditoriums can seat a small intimate group or up to five hundred. The arts have their place whether painting or sculpture, silver working or pottery, and even blacksmithing. Some buildings date back to the beginning in 1836, but most are modern, although in the traditional New England red brick.

The founders of Sunday River were closely tied to the school and when the ski area was first built, Gould bought one of the largest blocks of stock, helping to get the area started. The connection today is closer than ever. And for 170 students a lifetime sport is an integral part of their education.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.

Copy the Story Link