Jane Emerick
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Four provincial banners hang in the Don Ross secondary gym and this year the school's mountain bike team will try to make it five.
The group of 45 riders is led by a strong contingency of females, a history of successful male athletes, and a coach who has led the team since its infancy and to four provincial titles in the past five years.
The Don Ross secondary mountain bike team began in 1996 and since then head coach Peter Lang has watched the team grow in terms of numbers and success.
"We started with about 10 or 12 athletes and one or two girls. Now we have 45 on the team and about 10 girls," said Lang. "Mountain biking is something that has really been worked into the culture of the school."
Since 2000 the school has taken the provincial title for mountain biking every year, but the 2001-2002 season. Part of this success is attributed by Lang, and the number of girls on the team coached by local rider Lorraine Ross.
Although new to the high school racing scene, Ross has been involved with the sport for the past 20 years and said she was proud of the number of female racers coming out of Squamish's schools.
"You look at a bigger school like Seacove, in Deep Cove, and they have two girls on their team through grades 8 to 12. Don Ross has a team of ten, and there are six or seven girls at Howe Sound [secondary]."
She said the trail systems in Squamish, combined with the longevity of the sport, explain its growing popularity among students."Just look at the trails we have around here and mountain biking is something that can be done long after high school," she said.Molly Nolan-Patterson, also a part of Team Squamish, is one of the veteran girls on the squad. She said racing and training for the mountain bike races is a part of her high school life.
"I train as much as possible. About three times a week," she said. "It's part of going to school for me."
By working with Ross, Nolan-Patterson is hoping to learn more training techniques and ways to train more efficiently.The overall success of the team has traditionally been based on male results and former members have gone on to successful, competitive careers.
Ryan Edwards, on the original 1996 team, now races pro and Neil Kindree, a part of the team from 2000-2003, now races on the Men's National Espoir team.
The current group of males is no exception to this success. Grade ten students Phil Cairns, Michael Mee and Scott Halverson are the three-year veterans of the team and will play a large role in leading their squad to victory.
Last year, Cairns placed second overall in his category and is well poised to repeat the same result this year. He said his love of the sport is simple.
"There's no school work when you ride."
Mee is also passionate about racing and said he repeats a training routine nearly every day to help him reach his goals.
"First I spend a half an hour asking people if they want to go riding and then I usually end up going by myself. I ride on the road to upper 樱桃视频then usually I head to the Highlands for some trails," he said.
All of the athletes on the male squad agree Lang's guidance has been pivotal to their success with the sport.
"He is a super good coach, super cool, and knows what he is doing," said Cairns.
"He teaches us to be ready for the rides and to have things like a pump and tube or you can't go for a ride," said Mee.
"He stresses preparation but also stresses having fun and participating in the sport," said grad nine athlete, Kodi Stoddart.
Despite his continued success with the team, Lang is considering passing the coaching title off to younger teachers at the school."I can barely keep up with the grade eights anymore," he said.
Lang said a strong base of bikers and a focus on fun has made the team successful over the years.
"樱桃视频is a cycling town. We have really accessible trails and a really good group of people at SORCA. So we have started with a really good base of kids who ride," said Lang, who also credits many parents and other teachers with the functioning of the team. "I make sure there is a practice. I make sure the kids get to the races. I make sure they have fun on their bikes."
The Don Ross secondary mountain bike team will compete for the provincial title this year on May 27 in Whistler.
