We now spotlight state champion Maddie Marston of Yarmouth. Maddie won the Class B classical, freestyle, and the pursuit. Her Yarmouth team also won 
the Class B Nordic state title. We asked her about the success and her thoughts at the starting line. (RVG Photo)
1) What were your preparations leading up to the state meet?
Each race I do motivates me to improve for the next race. I did an Eastern Cup sprint two days before the state meet which helped put me in a competitive mindset. Our team had also done uphill double pole interval training the week before which was very helpful to prepare for the uphills at Titcomb.
2) How did you deal with the pressure and emotions that come along with competing in a state meet?
I try to remain calm and focused. I mostly picture myself skiing the course when I am at the start. I think about a certain part of the course that I found challenging during the course preview to reassure myself that it is possible.
3) What was going through your mind at the starting gate?
For the classic race, I knew I had to set myself up well for the pursuit, so in my mind I was telling myself to go all out. The skate race was definitely a mental battle because I was all alone, so at the starting gate I imagined there was someone who started 30 seconds ahead of me and was just around every corner.
4) What do you contribute your success to?
I contribute my success to my teammates and our coach, Dylan Thombs. He pushed us all to ski to the best of our abilities and taught us to support each other like a family. We had such a close team this year and everyone's positivity made me happy to be on such a special team. Thank you Coach Thombs, Coach Franceschetti, Coach Gray, Coach Welsh, and Coach Teare!
5) What are your goals for next year?
Next year I think that my goal is to go to as many Eastern Cups as possible. My far-reaching goal is to qualify for Junior Nationals. I am going to do a lot of nordic focused training this summer so that I can be stronger and reach my goal.
6) What surprised you the most about this season?
The thing that surprised me the most about this season was how far I have come as a skier. I feel like it was just yesterday that my team was playing speedball on the turf during dryland training. I learned how to push through illness, tough courses, and still have fun with skiing. I am determined to improve more and more every day with the help of my coaches and teammates
7) What moment/event will you remember the most from the season?
The moment that I will remember the most is the end of my skate race when I entered the stadium and all I could hear were the people who supported me throughout the season yelling my name. As I got closer to the finish line it all became reality and a wave of happiness hit me because this was what I had been waiting for all season. I started to cry happy tears because at that moment I knew I had done my best for myself and my team.
8) What do you like most about Nordic Skiing?
The thing I like most about nordic skiing is being around the best people every day. Even though it's an individual sport you are still part of a close-knit team. Nordic skiing allows me to be outside in beautiful places with great people. It is a physically exhausting sport but incredibly rewarding.
9) The Yarmouth girls team won states, what were your reactions when you found out that the team won?
I was so proud of our team because we have come so far from dryland training in late November. At training camp over winter break, we set team goals and we agreed that winning states would be the ultimate achievement, so seeing it come true was amazing. I was extremely happy for Coach Thombs because he had so much faith in our team and you could see that through our results.