FREEPORT – Merriconeag is a small school, but a gigantic competitor, especially in the snow. The Freeport-based Waldorf school serves around 225 students total, but just 40 at the high school level, which pales in comparison to the maximum size (499) allowed for a class C schools fielding a ski team.

But on Feb. 6 and 12 the school won both the boys and girls Western Maine Conference Nordic team championships in Fryeburg. Then, on Feb. 18-19, Merriconeag did it again, capturing the boys and girls crowns at the state championship meet, held at the Nordic Heritage Ski Center in Presque Isle. It was the girls’ third title, and the boys’ first.

The small teams, said Merriconeag Athletic Director Susan Sonntag, means everyone matters.

“What’s hard about [doing this interview] is our team is small,” Sonntag said. “Everybody is an important player on this team … Somebody may have had a third-place finish, and somebody may have had a second-place finish, but our last skier may have only been back in 13th. It’s hard to highlight certain people without saying something about everybody.”

Merriconeag (from an Abenaki word meaning “a place of easy portage or passage”) is a non-traditional, Waldorf school. According to their website, Merriconeag fosters “a sense of wonder, meaning, and compassion” in students’ lives by teaching “according to a developmental curriculum that honors each child’s unfolding individuality.” They “strive to educate the whole human being through a balance of will-strengthening, artistic, and intellectual pursuits.” As Deeda Burgess, Merriconeag public relations described, every student plays one or more musical instruments, practices art, acts in plays, does woodwork, speaks a foreign language, and participates in movement classes.?

At the Western Maine Conference championship meet, the boys beat Yarmouth by 16 points, 66-82. In the skate race (where skiers move by pushing out and back to the side in a motion that resembles ice-skating), held on Feb. 6, senior Jack Pierce finished third in 15:14.4, while teammates Ben Tindall (a senior) and Graham Roeber (a sophomore) finished seventh in 15:59.6 and ninth in 16:26.9, respectively.

In the classic race (where participants use the traditional cross-country technique of striding in a track), held on Feb. 12, Tindall took third in 17:51.3, followed by Roeber in seventh (18:40.4) and Pierce in eighth (18:41.1).

On the girls’ side, twin sisters Zoe and Emelie Chace-Donahue (both seniors) finished first and second in the skate race, respectively, requiring 18:01.4 and 18:08.8 to do so. Samantha Pierce, a sophomore, came in fifth, registering a time of 18:34.0.

In the classic race, Emelie Chace-Donahue placed second (20:32.1), Pierce fifth (21:15.9), and senior Teagan Wu eighth (21:26.8). Zoe Chace-Donahue was ill that day, and therefore unable to contribute but her teammates had her back, and combined to edge out a narrow, 53-54 victory, also over Yarmouth.

At states, Jack Pierce placed second in the skate race (13:43.3), followed by Tindall (seventh, 14:45.6) and Roeber (ninth, 14:50.5). In the classic race, Pierce took fourth (16:11.7), Roeber sixth (17:21.3) and Tindall seventh (17:21.4). Over two days, the boys put considerable distance between themselves and Freeport, ultimately winning 63-96.

The girls’ triumph over Freeport was also by a wide margin, 20 points, 46-66. Four Merriconeag skiers finished in the top 10: Emelie Chace-Donahue took fourth in 16:54.5, followed by Pierce (fifth, 17:03.2), Zoe Chace-Donahue (sixth, 17:11.4), and Wu (eighth 17:53.0).

The state championship wins capped a season full of highlights. Jack Pierce, Tindall, and Roeber consistently finished near the front of the pack, as did Samantha Pierce and Emelie and Zoe-Chace Donahue for the girls. But the team consists, in fact, of only 12 skiers total – six boys and six girls – and since Merriconeag also performed outstandingly in relays and won many of its regular-season meets overall, every athlete necessarily contributed to the team’s success. Junior John Burgess and sophomores Zach Neveu and Lars Gundersen pulled their weight for the boys, and Carlin Tindall and Lily Tupper did so for the girls.

“Everybody on the team skis,” Sonntag said. “If you had a team of 20 kids – which many schools do – only the first six affect the scoring. And we have six, so everybody affects the scoring. At the states, only six kids can race, but at the WMCs and at the races throughout the year, you can have 20 kids racing, and only the first six affect the scoring.

“Everyone of these kids has gone to Waldorf schools since they were little. I think that’s noteworthy. I think that the well-roundedness of all the things they do in our schools throughout all the grades has helped.”

Sonntag also explained that the middle school team has done very well this year, the boys taking first and the girls taking second in their respective end-of-season competitions. So the high school team appears to have a great deal of future talent headed its way, and can look forward to performing impressively and rewardingly for years to come.

The Merriconeag  Nordic ski team, winners of the boys and girls Class C state titles, are front row, from left, coach John Tarling, Lily Tupper, Jack Pierce, Emelie Chace-Donahue, Ben Tindall, Samantha Pierce. Back row, Zachary Neveu, Lars Gundersen, Teagan Wu, John Burgess, Graham Roeber, Carlin Tindall, Zoe Chace-Donahue. (Courtesy photo)