Ryan Mooney '11 Speaks at Eaglebrook's Winter Athletic Assembly

Ryan Mooney, who attended Eaglebrook School from 2008 until 2010, was the guest speaker at the annual winter term Athletic Assembly. Ryan grew up in nearby Charlemont, MA and arrived at Eaglebrook in 2008 as a Third Former. His younger brother also attended Eaglebrook from 2010 until 2014. Ryan’s passion was alpine ski racing from a young age and Eaglebrook provided Ryan with great training and a great platform to succeed. He told the students, “Being able to walk to the ski hill every day was amazing, and it is such a tremendous resource you all have access to.” Ryan’s results were impressive during his time at Eaglebrook. During his Fifth Form year, he qualified for Junior World Championships in Whistler, British Columbia.

Ryan then attended Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, VT. Green Mountain Valley School is one of the nation’s most premiere ski academies. Ryan was a standout alpine ski racer in high school, and one of the nation’s best for his age. During his freshman year, Ryan won the Junior World’s Giant Slalom. He said, “It was a dream come true, and a real high point in my career where I knew I made the right decision to follow my passion.” After graduating from Green Mountain Valley School, he decided to take two post-graduate years to continue following his dream.

Ryan was offered a spot on the University of Vermont Ski Team in 2016. UVM is one of the nation’s best and they have won many NCCA ski titles over the past decade. Ryan recently skied in the final races of his career at Sunday River in Maine. While racing this year, Ryan has also been coaching his longtime girlfriend Paul Moltzan. Next year, he will transition into being a full-time coach for Paula, who is currently the second-best slalom skier in the country. Paula also attends UVM and has balanced racing on the world cups in Europe, while also representing UVM on the college circuit. Ryan told the audience, “Since December 16th, I have traveled to Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Croatia and most recently Sweden.” This season, Paula has raced every world cup slalom race and has had some impressive results, including a season-best 12th place at the World Cup Flachau Night Slalom. The FIS World Ski Championships took place in Are, Sweden recently and Paula finished in 18th place.

Ryan concluded, “It is important to do what you love and love what you do. Do it for the love not for the money, follow your passions and enjoy the ride.” He continued, “You’re always going to face adversity, welcome it and learn to overcome it. Learn from your mistakes and do not let the same mistake happen twice.” He finished with, “When you finally figure what you want to do in life, go out and get it and do not let anybody stop you.”
 
Watch Ryan's speech here
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