High school sports coverage is proudly supported by Maine State Credit Union. 

Alden Reardon is the fastest Nordic high school skier in the state. He has the race times and accolades to prove it.

But at his core, the Fort Kent senior is a team-oriented athlete.

“I don’t think I’ve ever coached anyone so nice and easy to coach and noncompetitive, but just goes out there and does what he needs to do every time,” said Fort Kent coach Carl Theriault. “It’s very unusual to have a person like that, and just so giving to the team and all that. I’ve been coaching for 25 years, and I don’t think I’ve ever had an athlete like this before. It’s amazing.”

Despite that demeanor, Reardon enjoyed plenty of success, winning the Sassi Memorial and Aroostook Nordic Championship classical and freestyle titles. He also swept the Class C titles, posting the fastest times in any class while helping the Warriors win their fourth straight state title.

For his dominant season, Reardon is the choice as Varsity Maine Boys Skier of the Year.

Someone with Reardon’s resume would typically have a number of colleges to choose from, but that is not in Reardon’s future. He will attend Maine Maritime Academy, which does not have a ski program.

“(Reardon’s) decided, ‘No, I’m not going to compete in college. I’ve had a great stint here in high school,’” Theriault said. “And he loves to recreation backcountry ski, so that’s really his true love.” 

Reardon is certainly not done with skiing. He may even do some community races or biathlons, and he’ll be having fun.

“We all love going to practice, and it’s something we kind of look forward to during the day, so I feel like it doesn’t really become hard work anymore,” Reardon said. “It just kind of becomes something fun that we like to do. And just the growth through that is just kind of natural, since if you like what you’re doing, you just kind of get good at it.”

That joy for skiing served as a constant throughout Reardon’s high school racing career but was especially on display this season as he powered Fort Kent to another state title.

“Being able to win my freshman year, honestly maybe it almost added a little bit of pressure for the years to come, so that kind of motivated me to train more and to get better, since I didn’t want to win my freshman year and then lose the other years,” Reardon said.

Last season, Reardon finished second at the Sassi Memorial. Winning against the statewide field this season was an inflection point.

Reardon mostly enjoyed interacting with fellow skiers. 

“It’s also kind of a really tight community,” Reardon said. “At most races, we can all just walk up to each other and say hi and know what team they’re from, know who they are and be able to have a conversation with them and not feel awkward.”

Though he’s at the end of his high school racing career, just wait for the next snowfall. You may run into the four-time Varsity Maine All-State team honoree on the trails or off.

“As soon as the snow hits the ground for the rest of my life, I know that’s basically going to be the first thing that I want to do, is throw on a set of skis and go ski around,” Reardon said.

Proud to support Varsity Maine All-Region players and teams.

Hammond Lumber Company serves contractors, homeowners and DIYers from 34 locations across Maine and New Hampshire. hammondlumber.com