CARIBOU – Matthew G. Baker, a senior snowboarder who has been attending Caribou High School, is the second Aroostook County skier to get a scholarship to attend Carrabassett Valley Academy this year.

Baker received the scholarship from the CVA Alfond Scholarship Fund established by Joan and Bill Alfond through the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent.

Baker, 17, is in his sixth year as a snowboarder. He has competed in the United States of America Snowboarding Association for four years and competed in the USASA nationals the last two years, finishing 45th in boarder cross at Sunday River and 24th Angle Fire.

He has also competed in giant slalom and slalom and in the Tenth Annual Subaru Boardfest at Crested Butte, Colo.

Their is no formal training or competitions for snowboarders in northern Maine.

His family, including his father, Mark Baker, a paramedic, firefighter and sign-maker at Caribou, and his mother, Ann Baker, a quality control manager at First Technology at Caribou, have been very supportive and encouraging of his snowboarding.

However, he could not afford to attend CVA on his own.

The first Alfond Scholar at CVA for the 2004-05 was Dominic Cyr, 14, of Van Buren. He was selected earlier this summer. He is an alpine skier who started skiing when he was 4.

“CVA will allow me to compete without sacrificing grades,” he said. “I will be getting a lot more support at CVA.

“Even when you have to leave for competitions, the faculty helps you get ready with school work ahead of time, and its easier to make up studies.”

After finishing his high school studies, Baker wants to attend the University of Maine at Farmington to study ski area management. He also wants to pursue competitive snowboarding.

Baker only needs two more credits, English and fine arts, to complete his high school requirements for graduation.

“I knew then that this opportunity of attending CVA would be the only way to compete at the level I desire and continue on with my education,” Baker wrote to the Alfonds. “Thank you for making my dreams of attending CVA come true.

” I have wanted to attend this school for several years now, but soon realized that attending the school would not be possible with the financial situation I was in.”

He hopes that the year at CVA will help expand his snowboarding career. The school will give him access to its training facility, an anti-gravity complex and Sugarloaf USA.

Baker has been a student at Caribou High School where he played varsity golf, varsity tennis, managed the varsity ski team, and played junior varsity soccer.

He is an honor student taking advanced classes.

His goals while at CVA are to compete at the Grand Prix level. After CVA, he dreams of being on the 2010 Olympic boardercross team.

CVA, founded in 1982, is an independent co-educational boarding and day school for grades eight through post-graduate. The Academy’s mission is to foster individual student development by providing a balance of excellence in athletic training with a focus on skiing/snowboarding, college preparatory academics, and responsible living.

CVA is seeking one more student to accept an Alfond Scholarship for next school year. Information on the process can be acquired by calling the MWSC or the Dawn Smith at the CVA Admissions Office at 237-2250.