05/20/2008

Coaching in Colorado by Michelle Dumaresque

My true passion is cycling. It always has been and always will be. I live to hop on my bike and just go. It doesn't matter if it's flying down a nasty downhill trail or covering the miles on my Roadster, I just love to ride. I have also been a coach for about five years now and this year I've had the pleasure of working with my local shop's (and Santa Cruz dealer) downhill team. I get a great thrill from coaching. There is something about the expression on someone's face when they learn something new that makes it so I can't wait until the next session.

The race team is made up of 42 smiling faces, split into Juniors and Seniors with the occasional Po thrown into the mix. As far as shop teams go, this one is very well supported and anyone who attends a Mountain State Cup event will not only notice the big team trailer, but also the abundance of Mojo jerseys. Yeti rider, Jared Graves, asked me at the last MSC race "What's with that Mojo team? Those kids are everywhere".

The team captain organized a practice day every week throughout the spring and summer. For a normal session we'd usually head to the nearby ski hill for practice but the Nissan Xterra event was taking over the mountain for the weekend, so today it was 4X practice at the local BMX track.

Practice laps on the BMX track

Everyone gathered beside the shop at eight a.m. and headed out to hit up the track for a few hours. It was an uncharacteristically overcast and cool day for August but perfect for some practice laps.

The group is led by the very experienced Rob Sears, who has more than a few Pro NORBA races under his belt. He set the pace but it wasn't long before the groms are pushing each other to clear double after double. Anyone who has taken a mountain bike to a BMX track will know that these tracks were built for BMX's, not mountain bikes. It takes a very good rider to make a mountain bike work on a flat BMX track and this team has a lot of talent.

Bobby, Mojo's head of sales, was definitely feeling the pressure from the middle school crowd as he erupted big at the end of the first straight. He went one way and his Blur 4x went the other. Meanwhile, one of the future stars of this sport, Justin was making it look easy with a nice touch of style.

One of the great things about this group is that some of the kid's parents not only come out to watch, but ride as well. Dr. Mojo and Mr. Linne don't just cheer from the side lines. They put the armour on and hit the course with their kids. If only every parent took that kind of interest in their kid's sports.

The team includes everyone, not just podium Pros. For example, Matt Brainey is a force on a bike, even if the bike is half his weight. Can you imagine riding a bike that weights 75+ lbs? He's the most talented 8 yr old that I've ever had the pleasure to ride with.

After their long round of warm up laps, everyone breaks off to work on the parts of the track that gave them the most trouble. For me, it was the second straight away rhythm section. Rob was giving pointers, as well as hitting the second straight like a seasoned Pro. I was trying to find my rhythm and not get to shown up by a bunch of kids. It was great to watch the better riders clear a hard double and then turn around and give the rest of the kids tips so they could go and hit it the right way.

By the end of the day everyone was flying and we "older kids" were sitting on the sidelines taking pictures and giving pointers. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have the go-hard-all-day energy of a ten year old again. No job, no bills - just a bike and summer vacation.

It has been said that a great rider does not necessarily make a great coach but it certainly helps to be enthusiastic and have a lot of heart. The leaders at Mojo have a big helping of both.

Michelle at the track

Being a coach is an amazing feeling. Perhaps it's getting to share my passion for the sport or maybe it's that we all just like to learn something new. I still do. Of course, when you are eight, pretty much everything is new. Over the years, I've taught men and women, young and old but all of them have smiled in their own way, the way you smile to yourself when you finally "get it". Having the chance to help create those kinds of smiles makes it all worthwhile for me.

Ciao!
- Michelle