When she first began to ski, it was done so as an activity that allowed her to be free from her family. It was a hobby that allowed her to do her own thing. Now, over a decade later, the Millis senior is putting her skiing skills to the test for Mohawks ski team as its captain. As a team leader, Curtis is confident in her ability and more than willing to share her knowledge of the sport to her teammates.
“As a captain, she has been showing great leadership skills,” Millis Coach Pier D’Aprile said. “When Meredyth first got here, she didn’t say three words, but once she got on the mountain, you couldn’t shut her up. She’s very passionate about the sport.”
By her ninth birthday, the hobby had begun to light a fire within her, and she wanted to be skiing more so she decided to join a racing team and immediately fell in love with it.
“Slalom or Giant Slalom, I didn’t care, it was great flying down the mountain hitting those gates,” she said. “Not only was it entertaining, but I was doing it with other people who really loved the sport.”
During her third year with the racing team, Curtis realized that she had a serious talent when she buckled up her skis and decided to take the sport beyond hobby. As she took things to the next level with total seriousness, the Millis native soon found that she had qualified to participate in the New Hampshire State Championship where she finished fourth out of 20 skiers. It was here that she began to invest her money and time into strengthening her skills to get better.
Entering high school and trying out for the ski team was a nerve racking experience, but one she really had no issues with.
“I was definitely nervous at tryouts, but I shouldn’t have been. I had put a lot of time in to get ready for this and knew that I would make the team,” Curtis said.
Along with the team, Curtis works out in the Millis gym and practices at Ski Ward Ski Area in Shrewsbury for two hours every Tuesday with meets taking place on Thursdays. Over the past three years as a Mohawk skier, Curtis has not only improved but has qualified to take part in the state tournament.
“Meredyth has qualified the last three years, and I expect her to do so again this year,” D’Aprile said. “In addition to her skiing improving so has her leadership style; she is a much more aggressive and powerful skier.”
As a freshman, Curtis earned a ski order of 135 in the MIAA Alpine Ski Run she crossed the line with a time of 44:32 in the slalom good for 65th place and posted a time of 69:49 in the giant slalom for 116th place. During her sophomore campaign, she improved upon those numbers skiing 62nd while finishing 20th in the slalom with a time of 37:21 and 25th in the giant slalom with a time of 55:22. Last year, Curtis drew a 93rd order and amazingly finished 14th posting a time of 40:60 in the slalom, but had some difficulties in the giant slalom and crossed the finish line in 120th place.
“Racing 93rd put her at a disadvantage as the course deteriorates with each skier,” the Millis Coach said. “But she charged it and was in complete control and pulled out a decent finish. If she had grabbed a better seed – there is no doubt in my mind that she would have finished in the top 10.”
Curtis agreed that the course was not in the best of shape by the time she came down
the mountain, but it’s something that you have to deal with.
“Each year, I find myself getting better, and last year, I had a great slalom run,” Curtis said. “Experience as a skier helped me through that race as a whole. It was not a perfect course but you have to do the best you can with what you are given on any particular day. It all comes with experience.”
As the season gets underway this winter Curtis and her teammates, who now include boys, will not be looking toward the big picture, but taking things in on a smaller scale.
“For the first time, we have boys skiing on the team as well as a junior varsity team – those are both huge milestones for the school,” she said. “As a team and individually, we want to improve with each race, but we’re not looking at the long term goals, we’re looking at race by race.”
As she has improved over the past three seasons, Curtis should definitely be able to advance once again into the State Tournament and this year should be able to cross the line with a time worthy of a top 10 finish.
Issue Date:
February, 2017
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