Varsity Club: Mountain Valley senior reflects on sports, success, and small-town pride

RUMFORD, Maine — As spring sports begin to take over the schedules of student-athletes across Maine, one Mountain Valley High School senior is soaking up every moment of her final season in a Falcons jersey.

For Layce Boucher, sports have been a way of life growing up in Rumford.

“I started playing sports when I was like three, and so it’s always been a part of me for as long as I can remember,” she said.

Growing up with nine siblings, she didn’t have to look far for competition. Whether it was football in the yard or baseball with her brothers, Layce felt like she was a part of it all.

Now, Layce is closing out her high school career as a three-sport athlete, competing in softball, basketball, and soccer.

“Layce’s the kind of athlete that you ask 100% of, she’s going to give you 110%, and then some,” Mount Valley High School JV basketball coach Lynn Gould said.

Gould said Layce is a humble athlete on and off the court, as well as in the classroom.

“She’s not one of these types of kids that, ‘Hey, I had a 40-point game last night,’ or ‘I just made president of the class.’ It’s just very quiet. She just does her job and moves on with life,” Gould said.

But it wasn’t just sports where Layce pushed herself. Early in high school, she admits academics weren’t her top priority. With a shift in mindset, she valued doing well in the classroom, and now she’s graduating as valedictorian of her class.

Beyond school sports, she participates in another activity that puts her athleticism to the test: karate. Layce is a second-degree black belt.

“I started doing karate when I was seven years old. My mom just kind of dropped me off, and I went there. My hair was crazy. I got mismatched socks on, and it was something that I really wanted to do,” Layce said.

Over 11 years, what started as a hobby turned into a passion.

“I have now been given the opportunity to go to Okinawa, Japan in September to, I guess, not only learn more about the sport [but] more about the culture around it and stuff like that,” Layce said.

This fall, Layce plans to leave Rumford to attend the University of Rhode Island, where she plans to study pharmacy.

Still, she’s grateful for the lessons and community that raised her.

“I think it’s really easy to look at Rumford and like our small community for what it’s not and the limited opportunities and stuff like that,” she said. “It’s so easy to look at it for what it’s not, but to appreciate it for like what it is and to be able to get the opportunity and success out of it—it’s so important to me,” Layce said.

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