CARRABASSETT VALLEY — The 21st Winter Olympics came to a close with the United States having its most successful Olympics in history. The games were exciting to watch and fulfilled their goal of bringing together the nations of the world to build a peaceful and better world through sport.

Eighteen Olympic medals were available in ski racing and snowboardcross in Vancouver. A small academy located in the western mountains of Maine had a hand in producing two of the U.S. Olympians that earned four of those medals. In the overall medal count Carrabassett Valley Academy alumni earned 10 percent of the U.S. medals in Vancouver and 22 percent of the gold medals. Bode Miller’s gold, silver and bronze and Seth Wescott’s gold surpasses the entire Olympic medal count for nine of the 24 nations competing in these winter games.

The Olympics bring together the world. As a nation we are reminded of the great spirit that is the United States. Our Olympians make us proud. Bode, Seth and Emily Cook all honed their skills on Sugarloaf bringing the Olympic dream even closer to home. Today Carrabassett Valley Academy student-athletes walk the same hallways, train on the same mountain and share the same goals as their Olympian mentors.