John Knight is in his third year as the head coach of the Grand County High School’s mountain biking team. Last year, the team finished their season undefeated, winning the State Championship and finishing at the top of the Utah league, which has over 7,000 student-athletes. At the first race of this year’s school season, held in Manti, the team took first place in their division, with nearly half the team members placing on the podium (places 1-5).
So what makes Moab’s team so skilled, year after year?
“I think it’s because we spend a lot of time focusing on the fun aspect,” Knight said. “I really want kids to enjoy being outside and to build confidence on their bike.”
During races, Knight said—there will be four this year, plus the state championships—he encourages the team members to stick around all day and to cheer each other on. That makes for a long day, he said: “But for me, it’s more important for them to cheer on their teammates and their friends than to win the race. Winning is the last thing on my mind, and I think that’s why it’s so successful.”
The races will take the team all over Utah: they started in Manti on August 19, then they’re off to Cedar City (Sept. 2), Beaver City (Sept. 16), Eagle Mountain (Sept. 30), and back to Cedar City for the state championships on Oct. 20 and 21. The courses are typically five or six miles: freshmen and the JV team do two laps, varsity girls and JVA boys do three laps, and varsity boys do four.
Knight said another aspect of what makes the team so good is their camaraderie: the team practices at the Brands trails north of town, and team members will usually bike up to practice together. It’s easier to train and to work hard when you’re with other people, Knight said, and when all those other people are cheering you on.
Plus, mountain biking is a huge sport. The Utah league—part of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association—is the largest state league in the entire country. Moab has two youth programs for kids to bike together even before they reach the high school level: Moab Youth Cycling, an after-school group for riders in upper elementary and middle school, and the middle school team, coached by Greg Heitkamp.
Heitkamp too thinks the camaraderie and fun aspect is what makes Moab bike riders so talented.
“We don’t separate our teams,” he said. “Some of the bigger teams separate by gender or by skill level—we found that we can just start everybody, regardless of their skill level, together. Slower riders get better throughout the year and we all end up riding together.”
The middle school team has 19 riders this year; the high school has 21.
“Our only success is if the kids had fun,” Heitkamp said. “When I asked the team if they had fun after our first race, they all raised their hands—our goal is met whether or not they win podium, as long as they have fun.”
But that’s not to say the teams don’t train hard. Both teams start practicing in the early mornings in June, then switch to evening practices when the weather cools later in the summer. They have access to a number of local trails, too; they typically practice at the Brands trails north of town. Knight said the high school team does three practices on the bike per week—Monday is a fun day, where kids ride the trails for fun; Tuesday is “torture Tuesday,” with lots of interval training; Thursday is all about long-distance miles—and one weight-training class off the bikes. Before races, the teams do a “community dinner” together and take it easy on practice miles.
Knight said the team wouldn’t be possible without support from the community: mountain bikes can be expensive, and with community support, the team is able to sponsor kids who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford the sport. Moab Youth Cycling is also able to provide bikes.
“The most fun part of the season is seeing these kids realize they can do really hard things,” Knight said.
Manti Race Results
The high school team took 1st place in their division with the following podium finishes:
Elisabeth Knight – 1st place Varsity Girls
Bowdie Parker – 1st place JV A Boys
Elliet Trim – 4th place JVA Girls
Madi Niesen – 5th place JVA Girls
Pierson Vagts – 5th place JVA Boys
Sienna Guzman-Newton – 1st place JVB Girls
Jackson Edge – 1st place Freshman A Boys
Sydney Cornelius – 5th place JVB Girls
Podium finishes for the middle school team:
Charlie Hines – 1st place Intermediate 8th grade boys
Liesel Hays – 1st place Intermediate Girls
Isis Tatera – 2nd place Intermediate Girls
Ellie Cornelius – 5th place Intermediate Girls
Sonora Hadler – 1st place Beginner Girls
Andrea Thompson – 2nd place Beginner Girls
Coral Cameron – 5th place Beginner Girls
