NEW GLOUCESTER – Basketball can be a game of constant adjustments.
You may have one strategy to start, but by game’s end, you’re often trying something different.
For the basketball players at Eastgate Christian Academy, it was like a junk defense applied out of the blue, forcing them to create a new plan with the game clock ticking away the final minutes.
In April the school announced it would discontinue grades 9 through 12, shelving the basketball teams and forcing players to look for other options.
“We had a time out, met with the principal or the coach and made some different options for them,” said Ron Giasson, the school’s principal, athletic director and girls’ coach.
Some of the players that would have returned were contemplating other options anyway. Many juniors have opted to graduate early, but younger players have had to find other avenues. One closed door has opened other windows of opportunity.
“Certainly they have taken advantage of it,” said Giasson. “Nick Starbird has been accepted at Maine Maritime, and he’s gotten the Presidential Scholarship. So that’s a golden opportunity. He was an honor roll student and that opened that door for him. He’s already redirected his life.”
Junior Sarah VanderLinden had contemplated studying abroad, but it wasn’t until the word of the closure came that the chance truly presented itself. She’s deciding whether to take the year off to do mission work or study in France.
“I am very excited, but I’m sad that I won’t be here,” said VanderLinden, the school’s valedictorian. “I like to travel, and I’ve wanted to go abroad. I briefly thought about spending my senior year somewhere else a long time ago, and now I have that opportunity.”
After 11 years, economics and dwindling enrollment forced Eastgate to make the change. The school had originally been kindergarten through grade eight before adding the high school grades in the early 1990s.
The basketball teams had pretty good success for such a small school. The Eagles girls’ program had reached the Western D quarterfinals in Augusta eight years in a row and advanced to the semifinals in 2002. The boys’ program made it to Augusta twice.
“Count your blessings for going eight years with the girls’ team and two for the boys, ” said Giasson.
The trophies, plaques and team pictures will remain, and there always exists the possibility that the school could add another grade or two in the future. For now, Giasson will concentrate on developing the athletic program at the younger levels. He says he has many parents offering to coach, but if the need arises, he may continue coaching.
“We hope to continue on with the junior high program,” said Giasson. “We’ll take that route and work on our K-through-8 program.”
For the players, the change wasn’t so easy, and there wasn’t a lot of time for making decisions.
“It was a shock because you’re expecting to do it for another year and then all of a sudden you have to apply for scholarships and financial aid,” said junior Emilee Michaud.
“Normally, you have like a year and we had a month,” added junior Angie Elvin.
It didn’t take long for people to jump into action and barely a month later, most have their futures planned.
“I started that week,” said junior Elizabeth Tillson, who will attend Andover College to study Accounting. “In a couple of days, I started applying and getting scholarship information.”
For some players, they had already been mulling over changes. Sophomore Nate Damm had elected to attend Winthrop next year. Sophomore Meghan Jannarone was considering going to St. Dom’s.
“I actually started thinking about it at the beginning of the year,” said Jannarone, who added she was looking for more opportunities and hopes to play basketball and soccer. “I made up my mind right after basketball season ended. When the note came out, it affected me, but not as much as if I had planned to stay.”
Many of the juniors were already close to having enough credits to graduate. The possibility of them returning as seniors next year to finish up the last class needed was an option, but since so many were so close to taking the next step, they chose the college route.
“We have one English course, and we’ll get our diplomas from here, which is what the juniors wanted.” said Elvin. “I’m ready to move on. It’s been great here.”
Elvin, Michaud, Aaron Anderson and Zachary Dean will all take the needed English course this summer and then attend Central Maine Community College next fall.
“We’re still going to be together next year,” said Tillson. “We’ll get to see new faces and old faces. That’s good. We’ll all be really close. No one’s really going away.”
For those students with more than a year left, the options were different. Sophomore Charlotte Doak of Poland will attend Royal Academy, a home schooling program in Gray. Justin Begin, who lives in Sabattus, will also be home schooled. Steve Kelly will go to his local high school at Gray-New Gloucester while Tim Barclay has decided on Edward Little.
“I’ve always wanted to play hockey since I was in the lower grades,” said Barclay, an Auburn resident who has also considered attending Leavitt. “I like basketball, but I’d definitely rather play hockey.”
It might not have been a change they wanted or expected. Their basketball careers at Eastgate ended sooner than planned, but the players are discovering the positives in other challenges.
“It definitely keeps them on task,” said Giasson. “(The future) is there for them, and they have to be sure it happens. So the ball is still in their court.”
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