We will now spotlight state champion Emma Charles of Mt. Blue. Emma won the 2022 MPA Class A Classical, Freestyle, and the Pursuit. She was a state champion
during all four years of her high school career. We asked her about her plans for next year and about all of her successes.
1) What were your preparations leading up to the state meet?
I spent the weekend before states doing races that qualified me for Junior Nationals, so I had to do a lot of recovery on the two days between those races and states. I made sure to stretch every night and only did short, easy workouts. I would normally do some race-prep intervals the day before a race, but because I needed to focus more on recovery, I did a much more abbreviated version of what I usually do.
2) How did you deal with the pressure and emotions that come along with competing in a state meet?
I wasn’t terribly nervous for states because I had confidence on the Black Mountain course and had my teammates to get excited to race with. Knowing that the conditions weren’t perfect, I decided to only focus on what I could control in the moment and not worry about what was coming up ahead on the course.
3) What was going through your mind at the start knowing that the snow conditions were challenging?
I tried to not let the snow conditions mess with my head too much, especially because I knew I'd raced in worse conditions. I just had to remember that everyone has to deal with the same conditions and that it won’t affect my race more than anyone else as long as I have a good attitude. I tried to keep any doubts I had about the conditions to myself because complaining about it will only make my teammates more nervous and we wouldn’t be able to perform at our highest capacity.
4) What are some of your best memories from ski racing this past season?
My best memories from this season would probably be cheering for our boys team with my friends after the second day of KVAC’s because we were all super energetic from having awesome races and it began snowing so when the boys came by we knew we had to cheer extra loud for them.
5) If you are a senior, what are your plans for next year?
I will be skiing Division 1 at UNH where I will study Wildlife Biology and Conservation.
6) What were your goals for this season and did you achieve them? What led to all of your success?
My biggest goals for this season were to qualify for the New England Junior National team and to become a 3x state champ. I did a lot of training over the summer, which included roller skiing, running, and strength training. I also tried to be better at giving my body good recovery by stretching and being conscious to go super easy on easy days.
7) Anything else that you would like to add?
I would like to thank my family and coaches for supporting me and my goals. I also want to thank all of my teammates and friends for helping me enjoy skiing throughout all the years.