For a couple of summers now, I have been coaching the Level 1 group for Summit Jr. Cycling--which is the youngest (and yet most mature) group of racers in the program. This summer, I was privileged to coach the best group of kids in all of Summit County, if not all the world. Here is a short narrative about each of them:
Brenden Collins
(aka: too skinny to fit into the XXS SJC Jerseys, that's how awesome he is.)
Brenden was the ONLY guy in the group this year besides myself, and I wouldn't really consider myself part of "the group". They were always conspiring against me. Anyway, Brenden is by far the smartest, most genuine 7-year old (Bren, are you 8 yet???) you'll ever meet. On top of that, the kid can ride a bike, and I mean RIDE THE BIKE. Brenden can climb like Alberto Contador, descend like Steve Pete, and brag about it like Jan Ullrich (just kidding, he's extremely humble). You get my point... this kid is a star.
Although sometimes he has a hard time reading his own limits:
Megan Collins
(aka: MOST IMPROVED RIDER EVER!)
Which brings me to our next candidate... Megan Collins isn't just laughing at her little brother all the time. She's laughing at everyone all the time (except when it's early in the morning and she had a "sleep" over the night before). She's the kind of rider that you tell her how to do something, and she does it backwards... but does that make it wrong? For example: On a skills session at the Keystone MTB Park, I attempted to teach 10-year old phenom Megan how to bunny hop... For some odd reason, she could only get the rear wheel off the ground, which is almost harder than a regular bunny hop in the first place. Anyway, Megan is an excellent backwards learned, and she was by far my most improved rider this summer, and EVER.
Becca Rosko
(aka: with a name like that, how could you not be an awesome mountain biker? She's up there with Tinker Juarez and Philip Mirhaeghe on the cool name spectrum)
Yes, you guessed it... Becca is the WILD ONE. Although not in the crazy, hard to control sort of wild that you might expect from a young ball of energy like herself. Becca is conservative with no one. She's the kind of outgoing person that will come up to you in the store and tell you her life story (which is remarkably long) without even introducing herself. This outgoing nature of hers translates directly into her cycling. She rides until she can't ride any longer. Becca was always the one that said "why do we have to stop?" (although that's probably because she was always showing up late). Becca always made us smile, rain or shine.
Hanna Markel
(aka: "it's a bird, it's a plane...")
When you think of talent in relation to a 9-year old girl, you think, "maybe she can play piano nicely" or "perhaps she's a up and coming ballerina"... Most people don't think about mountain biking, and especially downhill mountain biking, as a particularly feminine sport. Well, let me assure you, Hanna wouldn't have it any other way. Aside from playing hockey and a wide variety of other stereotypical "male" sports, Hanna can descend on two wheels faster than most adults, let alone kids her age. This year, we christened her "the best descender" in the program for her superb lines and speed on the descents. Not only that, but she's a strong climber as well.
Claire Vaneyacht
(aka: the Veteran or "CLAIRE-BEAR")
Claire was the only returning rider to my program this year for one reason... she was the only one in 2007. Yes, if you can imagine spending 3 months of summer being coached by me, big scary high school mountain biker, then you have come close to what never was between Claire and I. Sure, there was some tension at first... Claire not knowing who the heck I was, and me just starting out as a coach, but soon, we became great friends. Claire is the most dedicated rider I know, even more than many of the professional riders I know. She is always asking questions (relevant and otherwise), and she is always prompt and prepared when it comes to group rides. This summer, Claire competed for the first time at the Marathon National Championships in the "short" event called the Sparkler. In reality, this "short" event was at least 5 miles longer and contained much more vertical than any other race she'd ever entered. However, she pulled through with a spectacular time, and a second place... out of two. However, we must remember that the first place finished was a whole 8 years older than her.
In the beginning of my career, I idolized riders like Absalon, Saucer, and Armstrong... Now things are different. Each day I am reminded that those riders have it easy. They get all the bikes and equipment that they want, and have plenty of support along the way. No, I idolize the small group of kids that, each summer, puts up with their 18-year old coach in order to have fun on the bike.
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