3 minute read
Kimball Union Magazine, Fall/Winter 2022
Peak Performance
Mountain biking team finds camaraderie on the trail.
Sometimes it’s more common to find Aidan Davie ’22 on two wheels than on two feet. Slowly pedaling through the quad in late afternoon, Davie returns from the Potato Patch, where he and his teammates spent an afternoon on the single track—enjoying fresh air, the camaraderie of friends, and learning skills that will stay with them for a lifetime.
As part of the mountain biking team, Davie is one of 18 students who are finding their place in the forests that surround campus. They are in good company among people of all ages who have found mountain biking a counterbalance to hectic, screen-driven lifestyles.
Although mountain biking saw growth during the past decade, COVID-19 drove a meteoric rise in the past year. Market researchers reported sales of front-suspension mountain bikes were up by more than 150 percent in 2020. Located near world-class riding in New Hampshire and Vermont and a place where the sport already had a foothold, KUA finds itself in the right location at the right time.
The team travels regionally for Lakes Region races and competes well, but it’s the time spent in the saddle on KUA’s trails that appears to have the biggest impact on student-athletes.
“We’re not always super race-oriented like some other schools,” says Davie. “They’re very focused on placing well in races. Here, we do so much more than that. We’re encouraged to race but we also really try to maintain health and have fun and make this an environment that’s friendly for all. I like the thrill of the jumps, I get exercise, I build a lot of confidence, and I love my teammates.”
“A lot of kids are not in it for the racing, but they do the racing because it’s such a positive environment,” says Harris. “And this is true for everyone participating in the races. They encourage the last-place person as much as the first-place person.”
The sport, he says, is different from others because it’s not a college sport. “For our top riders, they might get to compete as an adult or gain small sponsorships. It’s a lifelong sport, and they’re learning things with the intention that they can use this for the next 50 years.”
“These kids are all representing the school and they’re all wearing their orange,” says Harris. “I tell them to just go out and ride as hard as they can and have fun.”
