Two-time national J2 champ makes U.S. Ski Team

Ben Morse of Carrabassett Valley stops to talk about ski racing while watching his brother's little league game in Kingfield. (David Hart photo) CARRABASSETT VALLEY - - When 16-year old Ben Morse left for Aspin this past winter to race in the J2 National Junior Olympics, he knew national ski racing acknowledgement was on his radar but never imagined it would come this quickly.

On June 23, the U.S. Ski Team announced its 2010 alpine ski team made up of the nation's top alpine ski racers. These athletes include Olympians such as Ted Ligety, Steve Nyman, Marco Sullivan and Scott Macartney. When you scroll down the list you'll now see the name Ben Morse of Carrabassett Valley, Maine.

Carrabassett Valley Academy's top scholastic senior qualified to compete at the J2 Nationals last winter highly ranked in the technical events.

A shock to many and possibly even himself, after improving on each day of his downhill training, Morse came out and won the downhill event. Winning two J2 national events automatically nominates a young skier to the U.S. Ski Team.

"Aspen holds the world cup for the women each year so this was the "real-deal" course, Morse said. "We were breaking 70 mile-per-hour with some really hard turns. It was not just 70 straight, but 70 while turning. So those technical aspects sort of changed the event of downhill and probably made it more geared for me."

The national champion also said that on the third day of training it snowed and froze quickly making skiing more "eastern-like" and other kids were faltering while he felt at more at home under his skis.

On each night after training, Eastern Regional coaches including CVA's Doug Williams analyzed film and helped him improve each day.

"I really owe a lot to all the coaches who were instrumental in my success," Morse said. "It was really constructive criticism which really made the difference in the end."

Morse praised not only Williams for his coaching, but also Sawyer Fahy back home in Carrabassett.

"We looked at every aspect of his line and on the third day of his downhill training he had the line exactly where we wanted it to be," Williams said. "We asked him to do that on race day and be more aerodynamic and that's exactly what he came out and did."

After the downhill win, Morse said he knew at that time that winning two J2 national titles would qualify him for a spot on the development team and was well aware of the criteria on the day of the slalom event.

"I knew if I won that would be the wicked coolest result, but it was a slalom race which is also such a crapshoot," Morse explained.

After the first run in slalom, Morse was in third place and knew he had to lay-it-all-out on his second run.

Morse explained that making the team was still a very distant possibility and had to make up the difference in time.

Making time is what he did in his second run when he gapped the completion by nearly 1.3 seconds to secure his second national title and his spot on the U.S. Ski Team.

"To win two very diverse events really shows that he's an all-around skier and that's what the ski team is looking for at this age and not somebody who can just ski speed or only ski technical events," said CVA headmaster John Ritzo. "He can go in either direction."

"Ski racing is clearly a sport of luck," Morse explained, "and things could have easily gone the other way for me. I could have hooked a tip in the slalom. It happens to Bode all the time and people don't understand the low percentage of success with this sport," he added.

However, Ritzo said he was not surprised that he made the team. The timing was the only real surprise. Morse made the team as early as he could have possibly made it.

Now 17 years old, Morse is the youngest male member of the development team which is a new first step of the ladder for him in ski racing.

Four women on the D Team are slightly younger including a familiar name to the Sugarloaf community. Turning 16 last month, Greta Byrne has also been named to the development team.

"He's the real deal," Ritzo explained, "and I think we've known that for a while having watched him progress. If you look at Ben and you compare him to Forest Carey, Kirsten Clark, Bode (Miller) or Chrissy Guptill who have all made it to the U.S. Alpine Team, Ben has done the same things that all of those kids have done. They've won at every level - -they won as J3s, J4s; they won as J5s …"

That he would go to the J2 Nationals and win was exactly what he needed to do, Ritzo said. "But it also establishes the fact that he's the very best in the country. Those other kids did the same thing," Ritzo explained.

Morse said that once he won the second event he was congratulated by many at the finish. Ski team officials such a Walt Evens, director of development for the USSA told him that his letter of nomination would be arriving soon after the race.

Ritzo said that this was not just a fluky thing or that he just had a really good day. "He's right on track and been tracking this way for the past few years."

"He's the complete package," Ritzo explained. "Physically he's big and strong and a terrific athlete, mentally he's very bright and has a good competitive head and very smart about the sport and he's well prepared. He really is the complete package."

"My feeling is that I think the future is really bright for Ben. He's one of these kids who I think will not just make the ski team, I think he will actually climb the ladder and it would not at all surprise me to see Ben skiing World Cup down the road and to continue to progress the way that he has. He's got all the tools that he needs."

Ritzo said that one of the things that he really appreciates about Ben over and above all of his success is that he just has such a terrific attitude. "He's a humble guy, he's modest, it's not all about him and just lets his skiing speak for itself. In addition to being a great athlete, he'll be a great asset to the U.S. Ski Team."

Earlier this year, Morse had a chance to ski with his U.S. Ski Team coaches in Oregon before the news became official. A full trail was roped off for just seven ski team members and special terrain was built specifically for their individual training. "We had speed training there that I've never had and it was a very cool first experience," Morse explained.

He came home for a stretch this spring to enjoy his family, friends and to graduate from CVA. Just recently Morse has returned out west and is training at the all new Center of Excellence at the Park City headquarters of the U.S. Ski Team.

The brand new 85,000-square-foot facility will formally open on July 17 in celebratory fashion. Athletes including the US Ski Team will use the state-of-the-art, high tech training facility to better develop individuals. The new center is part of the USSA's long-term vision according to reports.

Morse spoke a bit about the road which led him to this point.

"I definitely had to work hard for it and it did not come easy, especially on the academic side. The skiing was something that was more natural, but to keep plugging away on the academics while I was gone from January through March, literally … was challenging.

The 2009 Valedictorian graduated from CVA one year early. As a sophomore last year, Morse essentially was able to leapfrog his junior year and enter his final year at CVA as a senior.

After this summer's training, Morse will be in Chili for the month of September and return to Park City for the month of October to do dry-land training at the center. With luck, Morse said, he'll be competing from coast to coast in the NorAm circuit, racing in the Colorado FIS races and most likely competing in some of the Eastern Cup races. There is only a slight chance that he'll be given the opportunity to ski in Europe on the Junior World Team made up of athletes 17 to 19 years old. However Morse has competed in Europe in the past. We remember Morse as a J3 and taking a bronze medal at Topolino signifying that he is a world wide contender in his age group.

Morse said his developmental squad is self-enclosed and has two U.S. coaches and one technician who tunes their skis.

"The big joke is that now we don't have to tune our own skis anymore, but now have to cook for ourselves which is sometimes equally as challenging."

Morse said he was again thankful for so many including his middle school ski team coach Denny Olsen where it all began and for his family's support over the years. He mentioned his gratitude for the other Earl Morse (the Earl with no "e") and all of the CVA coaches and the teachers who put up with him going in and out. He mentioned many other names and sponsors which he was so grateful for, but in particular he recognized all of the race volunteers who are out there to help on the coldest of days. "This is a big shout out to them."

"I'm the youngest member of the team and starting on the bottom again," Morse said, "but one ladder always leads to another."

As ski racing arrives this winter, we'll be sure to look for national and possibly even international ski racing events to follow our local Loafer Ben Morse.