Winters in Maine can be daunting. We miss the warmth of the sun, the green grass, and the long summer days. However, there is something to be said for those who enjoy Maine’s winter activities…and those who actually leave the lives they know to pursue their interests. Josh Polchies, Lexi Ordway, and Morgan Edenbach made the decision to leave the comfort of Gorham and their family and friends, to pursue both their education and their love of skiing and snowboarding at different schools both in Maine and Vermont.
According to Erin Whipple, Director of Enrollment at CVA (Carrabassett Valley Academy), of the 90 students attending CVA, 53 are from Maine. The mission of the school, Whipple shared, is to foster focused individual student-athlete development by providing the optimum balance between outstanding college preparatory academics, responsible community living and world-class athletic training in competitive skiing and snowboarding. The kids ultimately make the decision to leave their hometown to go to a “training” type school, not only because of the education (which can be rigorous), but to foster their passion for the sport of skiing and snowboarding.
Josh Polchies is a seventh grader who, along with his family, made the decision to attend Carrabasset Valley Academy. He started skiing eight years ago at Shawnee Peak and Sugarloaf; he has since switched to snowboarding. Polchies started snowboarding competitively last year. When he joined the CVA weekend program, he was hooked.
Josh’s mom, Jodi Polchies said, “We were looking at options for a school with smaller class sizes and a different learning environment for Josh. Josh has always enjoyed athletics and is a natural competitor, we thought merging the two could be a positive experience.”
Photo courtesy of Jodi PolchiesJosh Polchies
After completing the application process, which included letters of reference, an interview and essay, it became reality, and Josh and his mom moved to Sugarloaf in November. Josh’s father Gabe and his older brother Jacob (GHS ’20, and captain of the GHS ski team) live in Gorham and head to “the loaf” on the weekends where Jacob works as a ski instructor.
Jodi works full-time at the mountain and said they have been home much less than she anticipated. “It was a difficult decision to leave or friends and family but it has been a hugely positive experience for him and makes it worth the sacrifice,” she said.
A typical day at CVA begins around 7:30 a.m. for breakfast, then it’s up to the mountain to train until around 11:30 a.m. “At 11:30 we head back to campus for lunch. I have four, one hour long periods that last until 5:15. I have about an hour of homework a night,” Josh shared. CVA offers a winter term for seventh graders and also has an extended spring term. Next year, Josh plans to attend for the full year.
Jodi said there are a lot of talented snowboarders in New England and the competition is fierce, but Josh is holding his own and finding success. He recently placed third in a Slopestyle competition at Waterville Valley. “His coaches are enthusiastic, and supportive of all the athletes. He has gained a lot of confidence,” she said.
Josh has some times before he has to think about college, however, he has dreams and they include playing baseball and snowboarding at a D1 college. For now, his mom said, “I like to say we came for the education with a side of snowboarding. If his snowboarding becomes more than a hobby we will welcome that but the goal is prepare him for college. While we have loved Gorham and will have four GHS graduates come June, we couldn’t be happier with the academic and athletic experiences he is having at CVA.”
Lexi Ordway learned to ski when she was just two years old. Prior to her family living in Gorham, Ordway lived in Bethel, the backyard of Sunday River. “I learned to ski there along with Shawnee Peak in Bridgton, but Sunday River has always felt like my second home. Living that close to a mountain, I skied a lot when I was young with my family,” she said.
Ordway started skiing competitively when she was about six years old. She’s now 17 and a junior at Gould Academy in Bethel. “Gould has always been a place I have wanted to go. My grandfather and my father both went there and being able to grow up around such a strong skiing loving community in Bethel, I knew for sure I wanted to go as well.”
Photo courtesy of Jennifer LandryLexi Ordway
Starting with the weekend program that Gould offers, as Ordway grew up and “dove” into her skiing around 12, her family looked into the winter term program which meant attending your local public school until November and returning to it in April. The time in between is spent at Gould.
Ordway participated in the winter term at Gould through middle school and as she continued to immerse herself in the sport, she made the decision to attend Gould full-time during high school. She said, “I chose Gould because it offered me the chance to do the thing I love most in the world, while also getting strong academics at the same time.”
Ordway said balancing skiing and school is the most difficult part of going to Gould, however, she believes the school does a great job of understanding the commitment that skiers have for their sport and school. Despite that, she shared it is still very difficult. “Last year alone I missed almost 60 days of school. Trying to keep up with all the school work is a big challenge.”
A typical day for Lexi is similar to Polchies with an early wake up, training on the slopes and afternoon class time before before mandatory study time before lights out at 10 p.m.
Thus far, Ordway is ranked top 20 in the country for birth year, top in the state of Maine for 2015-2016, U16 Nationals 2018 ranked top 10 in East for birth year, and she received the Maine Alpine Scholarship in 2019. As for her future plans, she said, “I want to ski Division 1 NCAA for a school that offers competitive skiing and great academics. My dream is to make the U.S Ski Team. With some hard work, hopefully that will be possible.”
Morgan Edenbach is Lexi Ordway’s neighbor in Gorham. She is a sophomore at Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS) in Waitsfield, Vermont, and she has been skiing since she was two years old as well. Her journey began at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, NH.
Photo courtesy of Morgan EdenbachMorgan Edenbach
Edenbach started skiing competitively at the age of 11, and at age 13, knew she wanted to go to a school where she could not only get a good education, but a place where she could ski as well. After visiting GMVS, she applied and made the move for eighth grade.
Similar to Ordway, Edenbach said balancing skiing and school is not easy as it is both physically and mentally exhausting. Mornings are spent skiing, and are usually followed by core training and spinning classes. After lunch, students attend a full afternoon of classes until 6 p.m. before dinner, homework, and a 9:30 p.m. curfew. Edenbach’s future after graduation is not set in stone. “I have no idea what the future holds for me. I would love to ski in college either for club or for the school, but I’m just trying to take it one day at a time and work hard in school so I can get into a good college,” she said.