We now spotlight Willson Moore of Waynflete. Willson was the 2017 Class C Classical and Freestyle state champion. He won the classical race by more than two 
minutes. We asked him about his fast race, his season goals, and his state meet.
1) What were your preparations leading up to the state meet?
I kept up my volume and intensity through the beginning of the week but tapered with some light recovery skis in the few days immediately preceding the state races. Otherwise, I made sure I was hydrated, healthy, and rested and had a good attitude going in.
2) How did you deal with the pressure and emotions that come along with competing in a state meet?
I did my best to focus on my preparations, from what I ate for breakfast to the timing of my warmup. By directing my energy towards my race prep and recovery, I was able to maximize the feeling of pressure. Additionally, I made sure to spend some time decompressing with my team each night.
3) What was going through your mind at the starting line knowing that the conditions were soft and warm?
In the classic race it really meant everything was up in the air, and I had to accept that I might end up having to double pole the hills or stride the flats. It turned out that I spent less time in the race worrying about that and more trying to get over how stiflingly hot it was in long sleeves. Going into day two and the skate race, I knew I had my work cut out for me in an event independent from the woes of troublesome kick.
4) You won the classical race by more than two minutes. What do you attribute your fast race to? What was your reaction to winning?
I definitely owe a lot to my coaches who were at the venue early testing wild kick combinations, trying to nail down something that would work– I ended up with a really solid pair of skis given the variables they had thrown at them, and I’m really grateful. I know a lot of skiers out there didn’t get as lucky as I did, and that my friend Tucker was still really under the weather and was not at the top of his game. I was definitely excited about my first state championship win, but I was even more hungry for a repeat in day two.
5) What are some of your best memories from ski racing this past season?
One of my best memories from this season is one afternoon I spent messing around taking jumps at Pineland in a foot and a half of fresh powder with my teammates and friends from other teams. I also especially loved sharing days of exciting, nail-biting races at the WMC championships and Class C states with Tucker from MCWS– he is such a fierce, compassionate, and gracious competitor and friend.
6) What is your favorite part about skiing and ski racing?
I love the immense physical challenge of competitive skiing. More importantly, I'm grateful for all the different settings I’ve ended up in as a result: from the exhilarating pressure of racing with some of the best US Juniors at EHS, to the beautiful days I’ve spent ripping around Maine trails and beyond; exploring, goofing around and making a countless friends in the close-knit nordic community.
7) What are your plans for next year?
I am going to Middlebury college where I hope to humbly join their outstanding nordic program.
8) What were your goals for this season and did you achieve them?
My goals this year included some I did achieve, i.e. winning conference and state championships, and a reach goal: qualifying Junior Nationals, which unfortunately slipped away more than I’d hoped. I could never have had such a rewarding season without support from my amazing and accommodating coaches, parents, teammates and friends.