This fall there is a mountain biking team at Stillwater Area High School, offering a new activity for students to participate in.

As of now only 29 teams are participating in the Minnesota High School Cycling League, but that number is expanding fast. The team is led by world-athlete Calvin Jones, and Co-head coached by Annie Perkins and Joel Nichols. The races are held all over the Twin Cities and its apart of the athletic department. The team includes both male and females of all different grades. 

Even though the idea seemed brand new to many students, a few people had previously thought of starting a team similar to this.

Junior Kyle Szczepanski said, “I had been thinking of starting a team last year but decided against it because I only knew of two other people who would want to do it. But at the beginning of this august I saw there was going to be a team and I joined as soon as I could. To me mountain biking is really fun and it was a no-brainer to join.”

They normally practice about four times a week and practice consists of a two and a half hours of riding hills, technical riding or laps.

Junior Adam Johnson said, “I got involved with the team when a friend told me about it and asked me if I wanted to join”, Johnson added, “The team is important to me because it is a great way to have fun and stay in shape.”

The mountain biking team continues to learn new things about this sport and the people they ride with everyday. Even the coaches seem to have a great time with it. They have a website and a YouTube channel to help spread the word.

Co-Coach Annie Perkins said, “We love coaching the team! In addition to sharing the love of biking to a younger generation, we benefit from the energy they bring everyday. No matter how hectic our “adult lives” get, having the opportunity to bike everyday with our high school students is a complete joy. It puts everything in perspective and reminds us what’s really important in life. The cool thing about coaching is it’s a two-way street; everyone learns something new everyday…all while having fun and staying fit for life”.

The growing popularity of the sport is what made it possible for our school to get a mountain biking team and it’s a new unique thing that is a great new addition to our school.