The Edge of Excellence

(above) In February, the Cougars had a chance put their hard work, team unity, and passion for skiing to the test at the NEPSAC Championships, which took place at Mount Sunapee Resort.

By Chris Adams, Director of Communications and Marketing

In the winter of 2024–25, the Cardigan Ski Team carved out a season to remember.

“Look how small they are!” I heard one girl shout as the younger members of Cardigan’s Ski Team scurried into place for a team photo on the podium. “What’s a junior boarding school?” someone behind me asked. “Did we get beaten by middle schoolers?”

From my position about thirty feet in front of the podium, I felt a wave of incredulity come over the crowd as they realized what had happened. Competing against older and more experienced secondary school skiers, the Cardigan middle school Cougars stunned the competition by capturing both the slalom and giant slalom wins on their way to claiming the Class A NEPSAC Championship in February at Mount Sunapee. Seven Cougar skiers contributed to the win—Cam Blatz ’25, Thomas Choi ’25, Matthew Blanchard ’25, Simon Manners ’25, Mac Navins ’26, Riis Peterson ’26, and Everett Lo ’26—while their teammates supported the day’s effort in multiple ways.

“What makes this team so special is how they push each other every day,” Director of Skiing Julia Ford reflected on the team’s achievement. “Their success isn’t just about individual performances—it’s about how they work together, support each other, and grow as a team. That’s what makes these accomplishments even more meaningful.”

But their success didn’t stop there. With the team championship in hand, many members earned accolades of their own, including co-captains Cam Blatz and Thomas Choi. Both qualified for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard U16 National Championships at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. Facing a field of the nation’s top young racers, Cam and Thomas rose to the challenge in the giant slalom: Cam landed an impressive 2nd-place podium finish, with Thomas close behind in 5th. Both Cougars were also honored to represent their countries in international competition.

I sat down with co-captain and 2025 Caldwell Prize recipient Cam Blatz to talk about the team’s rise, the thrill of racing at the national and international level, and his Cardigan experience.

Chris Adams: Did you have any challenges in your first few weeks at Cardigan?

Cam Blatz: Honestly, knowing that I wasn’t going to have my phone was a big thing for me. I was nervous, and I knew it was going to be a challenge because I had attended an online school for two years prior to coming here, so I had access to my phone a lot, and I was with my parents a lot. It was a big adjustment, but I had my brother Casey ’23, who was a really big factor.

CA: Were there any particular people who were helpful that first year?

CB: Yeah, I’d say a big one was Mr. Turcotte. He was my math teacher, and at the time, math was the class that I was really struggling with. He knew it, and he was always there for me, as a teacher and a person, and he still is. Ms. Ford was there from day one. And there were some older boys in my dorm, like Enrique Rojas ’23, who were always checking on me.
 

What makes this team so special is how they push each other every day. Their success isn’t just about individual performances—it’s about how they work together, support each other, and grow as a team. That’s what makes these accomplishments even more meaningful. Julia Ford, Director of Skiing

CA: Ski racing demands a lot of time. How did you balance ski racing with school and your other sports?

CB: This is a good question. I honestly can’t give you a really good answer…I don’t even know how I balanced it. It just flowed because my teachers supported me and were in communication with me when I was away. They were available for Zoom calls if I needed to catch up on any work. Everyone had my back.

CA: Do you think playing football and lacrosse helped your skiing?

CB: Definitely. I think that lacrosse and football helped to get my mind off skiing for a little bit. Football really helped with my conditioning, and the thought process of memorizing all the plays and footwork definitely helped with my skiing. And this year, I went on the North Carolina lacrosse trip. It took my mind off skiing because I just played lacrosse and just thought about lacrosse. When I came back to skiing, all of my bad habits that I had had before were just magically gone after my first day of training, which was really cool.

CA: You’re graduating in two days. Was there one moment from your time at Cardigan that you might remember forever?

CB: One? Oh, man. I’ve got three and I don’t know how to…

CA: Well, let’s hear the top three and we’ll see how it turns out.

CB: Okay, playing varsity lacrosse on Eaglebrook Day of my seventh-grade year. It was pouring rain. We were at home. We had lost to Eaglebrook away [earlier in the season], so it was a really big game for us, and the entire school showed up and cheered the whole game. We ended up winning, and everyone stormed the field after. Another was coming back from the Whistler Cup last year. I won a gold medal, and at my first meal, Mr. Fassina announced that I had been successful and asked me to stand up. It was the best feeling knowing that the whole community was there for me. I had chills. And then, this year, it was my last spring Eaglebrook Day…Being on the field for the last time and knowing that it would be the last time I’d wear a Cardigan jersey was just so special. I cried for a while.

CA: What was it like to represent the United States at international ski races?

CB: Those races were unbelievable. I got to race against guys from maybe 20 countries, and it was just a really cool experience knowing that I belonged there. Last year at the Whistler Cup, I won the slalom, so that was something I’ll never forget. Going up to the podium and wearing my Team USA jacket and my Cardigan hat; it felt good being able to represent my country and my school.

CA: Tell me about the day the Cardigan Ski Team won the NEPSAC Championship.

CB: It was just a whole team experience at NEPSACs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen our team work so incredibly well together and ski so fast. The entire team was there for each other at the bottom of the course and cheering as loudly as they could. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a team so loud as during the second run of GS. There were people on course, and they heard our entire team, and they were like, whoa, that Cardigan team’s loud! Winning the championship was a moment I’ll never forget. We were a team, and that’s why we were fast.

CA: You and your co-captain, Thomas Choi, were leaders of the team and often had similar results. You have been celebrated together and compared to each other. What’s that like?

CB: The comparison is definitely hard. People are constantly in your ear…oh, who was faster today in training? But Thomas and I have been working on it for two, three years now…We’re both fast skiers. We’re both top skiers in the world. And at the end of the day, it is because we have each other that we’re so fast. We made each other faster, but we both know—I know at least, and I think he knows—we’re really good friends and because of that, we can be competitive with each other. But then once we’re in the AV at the end of the day, we’re just buds, we’re Cardigan brothers.

CA: You will be attending Stratton Mountain School next year. Do you think you’re ready?

CB: 100%. I was just telling my parents, I’m so happy I have had this opportunity because I’m prepared. There’s nothing more that I could ask for than to be prepared next year.

CA: Is there anything you’re nervous about?

CB: I’m nervous about leaving because Cardigan is my family. I’m definitely a little nervous for that next step in my skiing—how difficult it is about to get. It’s going to be demanding and I’m going to be working out a lot and I’m going to need to balance my skiing and school. I’m a little nervous for it, but I know I’m ready.

CA: What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself?

CB: The biggest thing is to take chances and not to be afraid of failing. I think that for someone new, do things that are out of their comfort zone, like giving a speech in Chapel.

CA: What are you going to miss?

CB: Oh, a lot. I’m going to miss the people. I’m gonna miss my guys, my really close friends. I’m definitely going to miss Ms. Ford a lot, and Mr. Fassina too. Ms. Ford feels like family now, and it’s going to be difficult leaving someone like that because I can go to her about anything. I will miss the whole Brotherhood at Cardigan, just being here with my friends and being at a boys’ school.

CA: You obviously love playing lacrosse, too. Do you plan to keep playing?

CB: I’m definitely squeezing in some lacrosse! I got invited to a Nike national camp, so I’m going to that this summer. Lacrosse is definitely something that has been a big part of my life for a while, and I’m not ready to give it up yet. I’m still playing.

CA: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

CB: Honestly, I just want to thank my parents. Without my parents’ support, without my brother’s support, I don’t really think that I’d be where I’m at today. And then everyone here, all my coaches, have just been phenomenal. I’ll definitely miss them and the big part they were in my life.

While attending Stratton Mountain School next year, Cam will also be training and competing with the U.S. Regional Development Team.

This article was originally published in the summer 2025 issue of the Cardigan Chronicle