Boden Gerry, a senior at Carrabassett Valley Academy will represent Maine and the United States in January at the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea. Carrabassett Valley Academy

CARRABASSETT VALLEY — Three students from Carrabassett Valley Academy have been selected to represent Maine and the United States Jan. 19 to Feb. 1, 2024, at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games [YOG] in Gangwon, South Korea.

Boden Gerry is a snowboard cross athlete while Maggie Swain and Morgan Shute will compete in ski cross. Gerry and Swain are seniors. Shute is a junior.

Moguls athletes Jack Egan, a junior and senior Chase Littlefield have been selected as first and second alternates, respectively, for Team USA.

The YOG is a globally renowned sporting event taking place every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are a platform for emerging athletes ages 15-18 from around the world to showcase their skills and compete at the highest level in their sport. There are only 28 qualification spots for each gender in ski cross and snowboard cross, and 20 qualification spots for dual moguls, with each participating country sending only two or three athletes from each gender and discipline.

The Franklin Journal sent email questions to Gerry, Swain and Shute. The questions and their responses follow.

Where are you from and are you a day or boarding student at CVA?

Boden: I am from Falmouth but I live in Carrabassett Valley right now. I am a day student.

Swain: I am from Kingfield and I am a day student

Shute: I am a boarding student from Allendale, New Jersey.

Why did you choose to attend CVA?

Boden: Attending CVA was a big dream of mine as a little kid because it was the first step on the
path towards doing what I do today.

Maggie Swain, a senior at Carrabassett Valley Academy will represent Maine and the United States in January at the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea. Carrabassett Valley Academy

Swain: I chose to attend CVA because I always admired the lifestyle of CVA kids when I would see them out skiing, and I knew that going to this school would provide me with the best opportunities to get far in my sport.

Shute: I chose to attend CVA because it was always a dream of mine to go to a ski academy. CVA
has the best ski cross programs in the United States.

What do you like most about the school?

Boden: I like the structure. It’s easy to get lost with everything that you need to do to become a
high-performing athlete, but CVA gives structure that helps you get a clearer picture of what
you need to do to achieve those goals.

Swain: I love that at CVA everyone is working to help you achieve your goals. Every teacher and
coach is willing to go above and beyond to ensure that every student gets a good education and goes far in their sport.

Morgan Shute, a junior at Carrabassett Valley Academy will represent Maine and the United States in January at the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea. Carrabassett Valley Academy

Shute: CVA gives me the ability to pursue my dreams while getting a good education. It gives me the ability to travel and complete my schoolwork on the road.

How did you get involved in your sport, and why that one over other winter sports?

Boden: I liked freestyle skiing, and I liked snowboard racing. I chose the sport where I can go fast and still go off of jumps and other features. I chose snowboard cross over ski cross because the ski boots were much less comfortable.

Swain: All of my childhood I grew up skiing on the weekends in programs like Bubblecuffers and
the CVA Weekend Program for alpine, but then I had a few friends in the ski cross CVA Weekend Program. They just seemed to be having so much fun, and it looked like a great environment, so in the sixth grade I decided to try it out.

Shute: I started with ski cross at a young age. I tried other disciplines like alpine skiing and park, but I always went back to ski cross. It just gives you that sense of adrenaline when you’re racing other people at the same time.

What is the most challenging thing for you about your sport?

Boden: The variability is the most challenging part of my sport. There are so many different variables spanning from weather to who you’re racing with and how they race that it’s hard to keep up with it all. The important thing is to focus on developing good improvisational skills.

Swain: I think the hardest thing about ski cross specifically is the inconsistency between every race. Every course is so different, with unique features, and it can be hard to master your run with just one day of training on the course.

Shute: The most challenging thing about my sport is probably that you aren’t just racing by yourself. You’re always racing next to people. You have to have the proper technique to stay on your feet through rutted turns and to win the race. You need to stay sharp mentally in the sport of ski cross, to always attempt to make the right move at the right time.

What are some of the other accomplishments you have achieved in your sport?

Boden: I was recently invited to the Youth Olympics. I placed 18th at the Junior World
Championships in Italy in March of 2023. I won a North American Cup at the age of 17 and in
the same year was named to the Snowboard Cross Development team for the United States of
America.

Swain: Some of my accomplishments have been placing 12th at the Junior World Championships [Junior Worlds] in Italy in March of 2023, having top-ten finishes at numerous North American [NorAm] Cup events, and qualifying for a World Cup spot. I also secured a spot on Team USA for the Youth Olympic Games in 2024.

Shute: Some of my accomplishments in ski cross have been scoring a World Cup start, winning a
NorAm Cup, placing seventh at the Junior Worlds in Italy in March of 2023, finishing fourth in the NorAm overall, and representing Team USA in the Youth Olympic Games for Ski Cross in Gangwon in 2024.

What are your goals, both for the next few years and in the future?

Boden: Currently, my main goal is to place in the top three for the overall North American Cups. That would secure me a World Cup spot. After that, my goal would be to place in the top three at
a World Cup race.

Swain: My current goals are to place in the top three at a NorAm and to hopefully finish on the
podium for the NorAm overall. I also want to place in the top ten at Junior Worlds and the Youth Olympics.

Shute: My goals for the next few years are to win more NorAms, to podium at Junior Worlds, and in the future, to make it to the Olympics.

What are some of the things you like to do outside of school and your sport?
I’m into skateboarding, sports cars, and my friend and I started a volleyball club at CVA.

Swain: I like to waterski, spend time at the river and lake, hangout with friends, snowmobile,
travel, and workout.

Shute: I like to spend quality time with friends and family, working out in the off season, and going to the ocean!

Please provide any additional information you would like readers to know about you.

Boden: I’m looking for brand deals and sponsorships to help me offset travel and gear costs.
Anyone with inquiries can contact Kim Karn at Carrabassett Valley Academy kkarn@gocva.com or 207-237-4457.