Jay Pier, Blake Enrico, Caleb Abbott and Ryder Bennell anchored a superb performance by the Freeport boys alpine ski team at States, held at Mt. Abram last week. Pier took first in the giant slalom and seventh in the slalom to lead the Falcons to second. Combine that with their counterpart Nordic team’s third-place finish at their own States the week before and the Freeport boys take second overall for the 2013-2014 winter season. 

The Lady Falcons finished seventh at Alpine States; pair it with their Nordic friends’ second-place takeaway and the Freeport girls can call themselves No. 3 for the year.

“It was a total team effort for us at States this year,” said head coach Jay Thomas, who also has high hopes for next year, as only two of his team will be graduating in June.

Pier’s two runs on the GS course, in times of 44.12 and 44.64 seconds, totaled 1:28.76, giving him a .34 second edge over his nearest competitor. Abbot finished fourth (1:30.93) in the race and Enrico 10th (1:33.74).

“You never know how things are going to turn out,” said Thomas. “Having Jay win the GS was a fun surprise, but any of Freeport’s top four skiers could have done the same, as well as any of the other teams’ top skiers.”

Pier (1:17.57), Bennell (1:17.60) and Enrico (1:17.74) went seven-eight-nine in the slalom.

2013-14 was Freeport’s first go in Class B, so they saw some new competition, including the intimidating Maranacook, whose boys took first at Alpine States and in the overall (i.e., combined with Nordic) standings, both by large margins. Yarmouth finished third overall, and Gray-New Gloucester fourth. The Cape Elizabeth girls took first at Alpines; overall, Yarmouth finished first on the year, Maranacook second and Cape fourth.

Thomas said several factors seem to contribute to a team’s strength, including high-caliber feeder (for example, middle school) programs; supportive families, fully invested in skiing as a part of their regular lives, who sometimes possess or have access to condos or houses at ski mountains and often enroll their kids in race programs; and sizeable teams – “Some schools are finding it more difficult to field a viable team,” Thomas said.

It’s best to have at least six racers on a squad; when fewer than four complete a course, the team as a whole receives scores for the missing finishers based on the last place finish. But frigid conditions don’t appeal to everyone: “Basketball and indoor track have become options that some potential skiers have chosen as alternatives to freezing, out on the side of a mountain,” Thomas said.

The Freeport alpine ski team this year consisted of Wynne Cushing, Julia Schneider, Emily Latulippe, Lauren Moore, and Lily Smith for the girls; and Ryder Bennell, Blake Enrico, Caleb Abbott, Jay Pier, Charlie Zachau, Spencer Drake, Isaac Salisbury for the boys.