Dick Gould

When Richard Gould attended high school in the thirties there was little organized skiing either in school or on lifts. Still he was able to develop his skills to become a leading skier at Bates College where he won the State Collegiate Cross Country Ski Championship in 1937. Following college he joined the faculty at Farmington High School in 1938.

As Winter Sports Coordinator he was charged with overseeing ice hockey, snowshoe races, speed skating and winter carnivals from 1938 to 1944, when he added alpine and cross country skiing to the mix. In 1952 Gould inaugurated four event skiing at Farmington at a time when only a handful of schools were involved in the state championships, Edward Little, Gould Academy, Rumford, Andover, Fryeburg and Wilton Academy.

To compete in all four events, downhill, slalom, cross country and jumping Titcomb Mountain needed a jump and cross country trails. Enlisting the aid of Olympian Chummy Broomhall from Rumford, Gould oversaw the cutting of a three mile cross country trail and construction of a jump. In those days before grooming equipment the cross country trail was prepared by snowshoes. The jump was used until jumping was discontinued as an interscholastic event many years later.

It didn’t take long for Farmongton to become a power in Maine high school skiing. In 1954 the team qualified for the Eastern Interscholastic Championship and the New England Championships. The next year the team won the State title and placed second in the East and third in New England. Norm Twitchell won the Skimeister award as the best four event skier in Maine that year. Farmington repeated as state champs in 1957. One legacy of any coach is the athletes he develops and a number of Gould’s skiers went on to success in college and other competition, including Peter and Icky Webber, Tommy Stearns, Dave Horn, Dave Hodgkins and Brud Folger. Another is the success not only of teams he coached but future teams. Through his tenure which ended in 1961 Farmington was always a factor in Maine and New England skiing competition often against much larger schools. Gould’s work helped lay the foundation for one of the most successful ski programs in the state winning 15 state girl’s titles and 12 boy’s championships.

In both 1955 and 1961 Gould was named coach of the year by the Maine Ski Council and in1978 received the Comminty Recognition Award.

His work at Titcomb resulted in the area hosting numerous meets including the New England Championships in 1955. Long after his retirement as high school coach Gould continued as an instructor and Titcomb and worked in reconstruction of the cross country trail system. In 1998 his devotion was recognized when the complex was named the Richard B. Gould Cross Country Center.

The accomplishments of lifetime devotion to skiing in Farmington and Maine have earn Dick Gould a place in the Maine ski Hall of Fame.