Putting a team accomplishment above personal glory couldn’t have been easy, said Falcons ski coach Joe Poole, but Ian Hanson did just that and was rewarded with the one accomplishment that had alluded him throughout his four years at Bow High School.

The senior captain went against every competitive bone in his body and took a more conservative approach on the slopes during the Division III championship meet on Thursday, Feb. 12. And the Bow boys took home their first state title.

“He’s one of the best skiers we’ve ever had, and he purposely made sure he finished the races,” said Poole. “In other years, he would have pushed it to the edge, and he may have finished or may not have. But this year he did just enough to make sure we got our team points.”

Hanson, had he “pushed it,” likely would have won both races, but ended up finishing second in slalom, with a two-run total of 63.3 seconds, and third in giant slalom, with a two-run time of 71.49 seconds.

Even with Hanson’s sacrifice, however, the Falcons didn’t know they had won until the final results were announced.

“It was just a feeling of extreme delight, or maybe a high sigh of relief,” said Poole. “It was a nail-biter of a day, so it was good to come out on top.”

Indeed, Poole’s Falcons raced in the morning session, putting up a score of 752, then sat back and watched … and waited … for the rest of the teams to compete.

Of particular interest was rival Kearsarge. But when the final scores were tallied, Kearsarge fell four points short, finishing second with 748 points.

“We’ve always been close, but have never come home with a trophy – not even a runner-up trophy,” said Poole. “It was just like all the planets aligned for us, and it was also really great for Ian to get that (team) win.”

Hanson now heads to the Meet of Champions for the fourth time in his career. Jake Hughes, who placed fourth in slalom and sixth in giant slalom, makes his second trip to MOCs, and Matt Raffio and Emile Hatem each make their first appearance.

Cali Hatem, who is often tenths of a second ahead of his twin brother, had a rough meet, but will be among the best in the state next season, said Poole.

“This team will be fun to watch for the next several years,” he said. “As we lose talents like Hanson, we’re getting his younger brother and several other siblings who already know how to race.”

Bow girls

The Lady Falcons failed to earn their third title in four years, finishing fourth with a 713 team score, three points behind second-place Bishop Brady and 48 points ahead of fifth-place Oyster River.

Krystal Cummings, who finished third in slalom and giant slalom with times of 63.42 and 82.38 seconds, respectively, heads to the Meet of Champions, as does Jordan Bibeau, who finished 10th in giant slalom in 69.21 seconds and 14th in slalom in 95.49 seconds.