That Matt Moretti won the Penobscot Valley Conference Skimeister award for the second straight year should come as no surprise. It’s in the genes.

Moretti’s grandfather, Darrell Robinson, was an Olympic alpine skier for the United States at the Oslo Olympics in 1952 where he finished 22nd in the slalom.

“I wasn’t as close to him as I would have liked,” Moretti said. “He lived in Utah and passed away [recently].”

Like his grandfather, Moretti has spent much of his young life on skis. The 18-year-old Moretti has developed into a solid competitor. This week he and his Hampden Academy teammates are competing in the Class B state championships at Lonesome Pine Trails in Fort Kent.

The giant slalom was contested on the first day of the championships on Monday. Moretti finished 17th of the 89 skiers in the event.

“The competition here is really intense. We did all right. The team is in the middle of the pack,” Moretti said.

The team. Despite winning an individual award as Skimeister, Moretti, to his credit is more interested in the team aspect of his sport.

“It’s not about me. It’s really a team effort,” Moretti said.

But Moretti also is focused on the state Class B Skimeister award. The event combines giant slalom, slalom with traditional and freestyle forms of cross-country.

Gary Moretti, Matt’s father, said approximately 20 percent of the skiers in the championships will compete in all of the events and qualify to win the Class B Skimeister.

“It’s not just about long distance cross country skiing. It also used to include the big jump [ski jumping]. It’s really about your athletic ability in all forms of skiing,” Gary Moretti said.

And Matt Moretti said his finish in the giant slalom was a good start.

“I’m doing all right. I don’t expect to win individual events but I’m trying to win the Skimeister,” Moretti said.

Moretti said winning the PVC Skimeister was an honor.

“It’s just like a culmination of everything I’ve worked for. It’s a rush,” Moretti said.

The senior said he started out poorly as a freshman.

“I had a great time but I was a little freshman. I worked hard at it and I had a lot of help. Everyone on the team works together and helps each other,” Moretti said.

He plans to attend Bates College in Lewiston but is unsure whether he will compete on the school’s ski team. Academics are important to him. Moretti takes advanced placement classes at Hampden Academy and is on the school’s honor role.

“There’s a lot of school work and it’s a huge commitment to participate in college sports and I’m not sure if I’m prepared to make that commitment,” Moretti said. “I’ll wait until after I’ve talked to the [Bates ski] coach to make a decision.”

Moretti said he first put on skis at the age of three. Then he began taking lessons at Hermon Mountain. He doesn’t remember every having skied with his Olympian grandfather.

“Maybe when I was really young. I’m not sure. But he was a great guy. He was in a movie called Ski Crazy. He was the star. It wasn’t a movie about him. It was about a guy who’s crazy about skiing,” Moretti said.

Moretti figures to remain a competitive skier in some manner. If not on the college team, Moretti said he will look for ways to continue racing. It’s in his blood.

Speirs finishes 4th at Hilton Head

Bangor’s Jesse Speirs continued his run of good play last weekend on the Plantation Junior Golf Tour with a fourth place finish at the Hilton Head, S.C. Sea Pines Resort stop on the tour.

Speirs shot rounds of 77 and 75 to finish fourth in both the 14-15-years-old age group and overall out of 90 golfers.

Through Feb. 15, Speirs was ranked second out of 351 golfers nationwide on the PJGT in his age group.

Earlier in the month Speirs finished sixth in his age group and seventh overall out of 122 golfers at a tournament at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

Don Perryman can be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or dperryman@bangordailynews.net