Discover the MSJ Mountain Biking Team Experience

The Mountain Biking Team is one of those corners of MSJ that most people don’t know about, and I’ve had the privilege of being a part of this past year. Biking is something I’ve done all my life, as it is probably for most of us, but I’ve never ridden competitively or on trails. It was a new experience for me, something I would have never thought I would like so much.

The Mountain Biking Team had almost 30 people last season, an all-time high. This is an amazing achievement from where it started in 2015 as a club with two people.

And this past week, I had the opportunity to talk to the head coach of the MTB Team, Ms. Nikki Kelley, who is responsible for the idea and foundation of the team. And after talking to her, I can see how important the team is and how important a good culture is to her. Ms. Kelley said, “I want to win, I do, but the culture is just as important or more important to me.”

Speaking from my personal experience, I could feel that. A culture of encouragement and support. Especially as someone who never rode a bike competitively, it was an experience that was greatly enhanced by the company and the attitude of everyone.

Everyone on the team, riders, and especially the coaches, wants to see you win and improve. This isn’t a sport where only the best players get played. Everyone has an opportunity to race and score points. “There’s a quote, the slowest kid gets the most riding time. Kids fight over playing time in other sports, when the slowest kid gets the most playing time.”

Coach Kelley and all the other coaches give so much room for you to be able to improve at your own pace. I think that quote is a great representation of how mountain biking can be for everyone. There have been new kids joining every year, so you can’t expect everyone to know how to do everything. So there are all kinds of opportunities for you to challenge yourself at your own pace.

Three members of the mountain biking team pose together, wearing purple team jerseys and smiling, with bikes and trees in the background.

I was even surprised to hear that Mr. Stromberg and Mr. Slattery, though we wish for them to come back, got hooked after just one ride. “I did a faculty thing, and he and Mr. Slattery came out, and they were like immediately hooked…they loved it, and they’ve ridden on their own, and he got better…he got better and better and better,” said Ms. Kelley.

Someone like Mr. Stromberg tried it out for the first time last year, with no experience, and loved it. And it didn’t take long for him to improve a lot. This shows that anyone willing to put some effort into this sport CAN get better and have lots of fun doing so.

Overall, the Mountain Biking Team stands out as a unique and welcoming part of MSJ that many people don’t get to see. It brings together students and coaches of all experience levels to share a sport that is genuinely fun and accessible.