CVA Fall Sports Hit Their Stride
This fall, CVA students took to the soccer field and mountain bike trails to build skills, take on new challenges, and connect with student-athletes across disciplines. The season brought separate girls’ and boys’ soccer teams, the return of home games after years away, and the largest mountain biking group the school has seen.
A New Season for CVA Soccer
This season, CVA soccer expanded to include separate girls’ and boys’ teams. For Girls’ Soccer Coach Garrett Morrow, a dedicated girls’ team gives female athletes their own space to compete and grow in the game.
“I think this is a really empowering moment for our young female athletes,” Morrow said. “They’re extremely excited about the change from last year.”
Soccer also brings together students who might not otherwise train or compete alongside one another. Many CVA athletes focus on individual snow sports disciplines, making the chance to work toward a shared goal a valuable part of the experience. As Morrow explained, soccer allows students from different disciplines to play together and learn what it means to be part of a team.
On the field, players are developing the skills and strategies that make a team click, going beyond the fundamentals of passing, dribbling, and shooting.
This fall also marked the return of home soccer games for both the girls’ and boys’ teams after years away. The girls earned a win over Hebron in their first home game, and the boys picked up wins against Hyde and Mt Abram this season.
“It’s a great community-building event,” Boys’ Soccer Coach Freddy McCarthy said. “We’ve had a pretty full house at every game, with teachers, parents, and community members coming out to watch the team play.”
Soccer gives CVA athletes a chance to develop their skills, learn to work as a team, and prepare for the winter season. For McCarthy, it’s also an opportunity to develop the mindset athletes need when competition gets tough, especially when things don’t go as planned.
“Sometimes, you have to power through the things you can’t control and use your own abilities to change the outcome,” he said.
Taking on New Trails
CVA’s mountain biking program has its largest group yet, with riders of all experience levels improving their technique and confidence. Led by World Cup mountain bike athlete Mazie Hayden, the program ranges from relaxed rides with a group that calls itself The Tourists to advanced riders tackling black-diamond terrain. Some athletes have also put their skills to the test in enduro and downhill competitions, with several earning spots on the podium.
Athletes have been primarily riding at the Outdoor Center and Sugarloaf Bike Park, with Friday afternoon sessions at the bike park emerging as a season highlight. Riders are eager to try new features and push their skills on more challenging terrain.
“There is a lot of excitement surrounding the DH riding,” Hayden said. “They never want to come off the hill!”
That enthusiasm is matched by plenty of technical work. Athletes are practicing downhill positioning, cornering, balance, jumping, and dropping. Hayden also uses games like bike limbo and foot-down challenges to sharpen bike-handling skills. Along the way, riders are learning to manage their fear and excitement, make smart decisions, and respect others on the trails.
Hayden is especially proud of the group’s enthusiasm for downhill riding and trail building, as well as their willingness to keep working on their fitness and technique, even when the work gets challenging.
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List of 3 news stories.
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CVA Fall Sports Hit Their Stride
This fall, CVA students took to the soccer field and mountain bike trails to build skills, take on new challenges, and connect with student-athletes across disciplines. The season brought separate girls’ and boys’ soccer teams, the return of home games after years away, and the largest mountain biking group the school has seen.Read More -
CVA’s Campus Master Plan
Carrabassett Valley Academy has always been about more than a place to go to school. It is a community built around a shared love of learning, athletics, personal growth, and the mountains that make our setting so unique. The relationships formed here, the challenges our student-athletes embrace, and the traditions we carry forward are at the heart of what makes CVA special.Read More -
Fall Family Weekend Brings the CVA Community Together
There’s something special about Fall Family Weekend at CVA. Held alongside Sugarloaf’s Homecoming Weekend, it brought CVA families, alumni, staff, and community members together across campus and the mountain. With fall colors throughout the valley and a full weekend of activities, there were plenty of opportunities to catch up and enjoy time together.Read More
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