FARMINGTON -- Last year, Mt. Blue High School's Welly Ramsey established himself as one of the top Nordic skiers in Maine. This season, the junior added Alpine skiing to his repertoire, taking on the quest for a Skimeister title.

Ramsey's effort produced a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Skimeister title and a fourth-place finish in the competition at the state Class A meet. Along the way, he notched four top-four finishes in Nordic championship events at the KVAC and Class A title meets.

Even with the added pressure of learning to ski as an Alpine race, Ramsey continued his growth as one of the dominant Nordic skiers, impressing everyone -- including his coach, Buzz Davis -- with his talent and knowledge of the sport. "Welly continued to show remarkable talent and a natural aptitude for Nordic skiing," Davis said. "He has the skills and fitness to go very far in the sport."

For his desire and ability, Ramsey has been named the Morning Sentinel Boys Nordic Skier of the Year for the second consecutive year. Also considered for the recognition was Adam Fissette of Mt. Blue.

Although Ramsey was successful this season, he plans on focusing more on Nordic competition next season. Working on his Alpine skills took away from his practice time, leaving him short necessary training hours on the trails.

"Alpine takes away from what I was doing in Nordic," Ramsey said. "I spent a lot of time just trying to get my feet under me while going through the gates."

Ramsey also plans on spending considerably more time training in the summer, opting to build a solid endurance base before heading into next season's racing schedule.

"Between my freshmen and sophomore years, a couple of us really worked hard in the summer," Ramsey said. "We did less training last summer, but are planning on getting back to what we were doing."

Added Davis: "He has the skills and fitness to go very far in the sport. His attention and training were diverted this year when he added the challenge of Alpine racing."

Regardless of his training hours and focus, Ramsey was still able to peak at the end of the season, when the Cougars were battling for titles in the KVAC and Class A. He played a major role in helping Mt. Blue capture boys overall titles in both venues.

"For the amount of training, I feel I peaked at the right time," Ramsey said. "My goal is to come back even stronger for my senior year."

Welly Ramsey, Mt. Blue, MS Nordic Boy Skier of the Year

KVAC -- 21st GS, 25th S, 1st C, 2nd F (1st Skimeister)

Class A -- 63rd GS, 52nd S, 3rd C, 4th F (4th Skimeister)