High school sports coverage is proudly supported by Maine State Credit Union. 

A day before the Class C Nordic state championships, Clara White raced a 15K.

The Orono senior was competing in the NENSA Eastern Cup, and the final weekend of the series, which included a sprint on Saturday and a 15K on Sunday, took place in Hanover, New Hampshire. 

For many, racing on four consecutive days would be too much to handle. For White, it was business as usual. She just wanted to get a little extra racing in ahead of the final state championship races of her high school career.

“One, the dedication to the team, and two, to be in that kind of mindset for four straight days of hard competition was impressive,” said Jamie Arsenault, Orono’s Nordic coach. 

White traveled to Fort Kent for the state championships on Feb. 16-17 and won the Class C classical, freestyle and pursuit titles while skiing the fastest times regardless of classification. For her success, White is the Varsity Maine Girls Skier of the Year.

“Four days of racing’s going to be tough no matter what, but honestly, it was just really fun to be able to race all of those races,” White said. “And I just kind of tried to take it one day at a time, have fun the weekend before, and then I was able to just kind of flip a switch in my brain and think, ‘This is states. This is fun. I’m with my team. I’m with all these athletes from across the state, and I’m just going to use whatever energy I have left each day, do the best I can.’” 

White has spent four years doing the best she can, which has translated into many victories and accolades. 

This season, she won the Sassi Memorial at Black Mountain in Rumford, the Roy Varney Hornet Classic in Turner, and the MVC freestyle championship.

“Quite honestly, I did not have any race goals necessarily for this season, mostly just to go out there and do the best I can, spend as much time as possible with my teammates,” White said. “We only have two girls on our team, including myself, and about 10 boys, so we have a small, close team, which is really fun for practices and races. And overall, I was just trying to enjoy that for my last year of skiing in high school.”

Even as she leaves behind such a successful career, which includes winning last year’s Sassi Memorial and Class C classical and freestyle races, White never imagined how established she would become in the sport. 

For her, it was about the skiing community, and the fun of the sport itself. Not to mention getting to ski two years with her sister, Ruth, who had quite the high school career as a cross country runner and is now in her second year competing in cross country and track at the University of New Hampshire. Clara will ski for Bowdoin College.

“I’ve found so much joy in everyone at each race, and just the idea of being able to be out there with my friends in the winter when it’s beautiful and snowy, I just think it’s a really fun sport, and I’ve met a lot of awesome people through it,” White said.  

No matter how impressive a skiing legacy White leaves, Arsenault said he will remember her for the person she is beyond the sport, as well as the practice habits and leadership she bestowed upon Orono’s program.

“I quote (Cid Dyjak), who is our assistant coach the last two years, but he’s coached her all four years,” Arsenault said. “And how he always puts it, ‘No matter how good she is on skis, she always will be a better person.’ And I mean, that’s just how she is. At practices, she’s always about just having a good time, keeping things light, making sure if there’s anything that she can do to help out the team.”