Kelly Meek Gym at Steamboat Springs High School was decked out in red and white for a formal letter of intent signing ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

Five Sailors sat in front of a small crowd of parents, coaches and friends and committed to continue their sports in college.

Wally Magill will ski for Dartmouth College next year, Hailey Moss will play soccer for Kenyon College, Aidan Story signed to play lacrosse at LaGrange College in Georgia, Eric Pollert will join the Colorado Mesa men’s basketball team and Devon John will play soccer for West Virginian Wesleyan University.

While she wasn’t in attendance, Paula Effinger signed to play golf at Goucher College in Maryland.

Story has played lacrosse for 12 years through the Steamboat Youth Lacrosse team and is in the middle of his senior season.

“I really like the creativity aspect of it. I love the team and the coaches,” Story said. “They have really kept me around. I find the culture of lacrosse in this town really fascinating.”

Story will pursue a nursing degree while at LaGrange in Georgia, an environment that will allow for Story to play on grass more often than he’s used to in Steamboat.

“My grandma is a nurse; she’s been a nurse in the valley,” Story said. “At the end of the day, I just wanted to help people and feel accomplished in helping people. And I like how many options it opens up.”

While playing soccer for Kenyon College, Moss will pursue a math degree. Moss thanked her coaches Rob Bohlman, Erin Early, Hobey Early and Linda John for supporting her through her long soccer career.

“It’s a really good feeling to have all the hard work pay off,” Moss said. “It’s really exciting. I love my team. I’ve gotten to know them pretty well by now, so I’m definitely really, really grateful.”

Magill will join a few other former Steamboat skiers at Darmouth College where he’ll compete for the Nordic ski team.

He’s also considering pursuing an engineering or pre-med degree, just in case he isn’t busy enough with skiing.

“I’m super happy that I was given this opportunity,” he said. “And I feel like I’ve worked hard to get here, so I’m super thrilled that I can keep working and keep pushing myself throughout college.”

Shelby Reardon is the assistant editor at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach her, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.