New HS Mountain Bike Team Picks up Speed
by Steve Smail, HS mountain bike team coach
High school students spin up for the first race as part of Tennessee's first High School Mountain Bike League.
High school students spin up for the first race as part of Tennessee's first High School Mountain Bike League.
New to Tennessee and USN this fall are the TN cycling league and USN's very own high school mountain biking team. The league's parent organization, NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association), admitted Tennessee in 2012 as a new state league and high schools Tennessee-wide will compete in four races this fall, with the first race to be held in Tullahoma on September 22.
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Coaches Trent Boysen, Greg O'Loughlin, and I are coordinating the team's initial season, which includes half a dozen full-time riders and a similar number of other students who will compete as schedules and primary sport schedules allow.
Like the league, we are starting small and slow, and we're really excited about the students who have expressed interest in joining the team. Cycling is one of those off-the-radar competitive sports that's historically had pretty limited access to high school students. What's great about our team and NICA's vision is both the flexibility and formality of establishing the program, along with the fact that students both new and experienced can find a comfortable place to train and race. Cycling is both an individual and team sport that operates much as cross country teams and competitions do now.
With four races scheduled through the fall, and a State Championship race in Gallatin on November 17th, the season is long enough to allow for new riders to gain experience, experienced riders to refine skills, and athletes who compete in other sports to join the team along the way.
Trent Boysen, HS photography and digital imaging teacher and the HS golf coach, says the team is the realization of many years of a desire to deliver cycling to high school students. "Many of us at USN have wished for a team cycling opportunity to be a possibility for many years. Organizing a school team is one thing; establishing and running a league is quite another. NICA's experience running leagues in West Coast states for more than a decade, and vision to bring cycling coast-to-coast by 2020 allows interested schools, coaches and athletes to plug into a formal and well-designed league system. We've seen an amazing improvement in cycling skills even after only a month of practices with our team's riders."
Greg O'Loughlin, part of USN's 3rd grade teaching team, says, "Bicycling is empowering, invigorating, green and just good old fashioned fun, and it's wonderful to get a chance to share that with students of all ages. I rekindled my passion for bicycles last year when I started commuting by bike after a long break from two wheels. Coaching the High School Mountain Bike Team has been very rewarding. We've got an excited group of riders who are breaking new ground for cycling in Nashville. I am really enjoying the opportunity to work with students across the full K-12 span. I was fortunate to join the Middle School Out Of These Doors bicycle trip last year, and this year I joined my third grade class for a ride out on the field with Lisa Preston's totally rad cycling curriculum she started last year in the Lower School. I am loving the opportunity to help students learn about the many benefits of cycling as well as how to take care of their own bicycles."
The team hopes that you will contact one of the coaches if you are interested in being part of this new adventure. We are on the lookout for volunteers to help the league at our four races. Stay tuned for more info about purchasing official USN cycling gear and a handy tool kit as part of a fund-raiser for the new club team.
Links:
Race #1 on Sunday, Sept. 22: http://www.tennesseemtb.org/events/races/
Volunteer Opportunities: http://www.tennesseemtb.org/volunteer/
NICA League: http://www.nationalmtb.org
Links:
Race #1 on Sunday, Sept. 22: http://www.tennesseemtb.org/events/races/
Volunteer Opportunities: http://www.tennesseemtb.org/volunteer/
NICA League: http://www.nationalmtb.org
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Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.