3 minute read
The Royal
kowalski
by abby henderson and abbie seigenfeld
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Fairview’s Mountain Biking team has been racing hard all season, becoming one of the best teams in the state. The team is split into eight categories for freshman, sophomore, JV, and varsity boys/girls, each with their own winners and standings. There are five major races that make up the season, including the state championship. Here are some notable highlights from this season:
Fairview’s girls’ teams conquered the competition at race one in Leadville (Aug. 28). For the varsity group, Jorja Bond (11) placed first with Elise Harless (12) following in second. Alexa McMynn finished first for sophomores, and the freshman swept the podium with Adeline Hamilton, Rachel Lev-Tov, and Gabby Scott placing first, second, and third respectively. The boys’ teams saw three second place finishes with Liam Baartman (12) taking second for varsity, Carter Kirkpatrick (10) for JV, and Adam Kubala for freshmen.
Two weeks later (Sept. 10th) the team headed to Eagle. Kicking off the second race, three Fairview riders sang the national anthem. Leif Bryan (12) took first for varsity boys, while Rachel Lev-Tov and Adeline Hamilton took first and third respectively for freshman girls.
At race three in Steamboat Springs (Sept. 25), Lev-Tov and Hamilton finished first and second, along with several other podium finishes across the other categories.
At the regional championship in Nathrop (Oct. 8th), the girls’ teams yet again saw several wins and podium finishes. Jorja Bond returned after missing the previous two races while training with the national team, and took first for varsity girls. For JV girls, Fiona Gallagher (10) placed second and Camille Johnson (12) placed third. Alexa McMynn placed second for sophomore girls, and for a third race in a row, Rachel Lev-Tov stood in a familiar place at the top of the podum for the freshman girls. The boys’ categories also performed very well, with Leif Bryan winning his second race of the season in the Varsity category, and Nathaniel Yen topping the podium for sophomores. After race four, Fairview led the region in total points.
The state championships took place on Oct. 22-23 in Glenwood Springs. The freshman and JV categories raced on the 22nd, while sophomore and varsity raced on the 23rd. The team as a whole finished third overall in the state, with Sadie Gallagher (12) placing as Fairview’s top rider by points, followed by Luke Walter (11) and Nathaniel Yen (10).
Cruisin’ for Community
With a group of 120 riders, community lays at the heart of the team’s success, according to many students. “It’s not necessarily a team sport cause it’s just you riding your bike, but it comes together in a way that is not like any other sport,” Liam Baartman (12) said. The Fairview mountain bike team is one of the few teams that practices with girls and boys together. With freshman to seniors, experienced bikers or brand new, the range of skill levels within the team is drastic.
“We have nationally ranked riders, kids trying to go to the Olympics, and kids that have never ridden before,” said Connor Scott (12).
The team has eight team captains. One of the team captains, senior Meera Khadakkar (12), says being a team captain includes responsibilities such as “Including people, learning names, making sure everyone is registered for races, and getting volunteer hours in.”
For Khadakkar, the most rewarding part of mountain biking is the community.
“This team is so supportive and it just makes me wanna get on my bike every single day,” she said.
The races are a great place to feel the community. Parent volunteers set up tents before races while riders anxiously wait to begin. During the race when riders aren’t competing, they have just as much fun off the course.
“I think for some of the riders, that’s their favorite part; we’re hanging out all day with all our friends eating food, hanging out cheering each other on, and that piece is huge,” said Feeney.
The team also works together to give back to the greater Boulder community through volunteering. Volunteer opportunities range from building trails, making food for the homeless youth shelter, or assisting at the races.
“We try to get every kid to do 6 hours of trail building and 2 hours of volunteering with the league,” said Feeney.
The team has won the Golden Pick Award 2 years in a row for their significant number of volunteer hours. The Golden Pick award is presented once a year to honor the hardest working groups in the community.
“It’s not about the racing, it’s about the community that it brings.” said Baartman. “It’s the people you meet, the family atmosphere… if you don’t like it, whatever. But I’ll tell you, you’ll find something about it that you like.”
