2010 State Champions and NorCal League Champions!

State Championships (Grass Valley CA) - May 16, 2010

Drake Pirates Take Top Honors At NICA 2010 California State Championships Race May 24, 2010

Grass Valley, CA — Nearly 500 student athletes from northern and southern California competed on the custom trails at Loma Rica Ranch in Grass Valley, California, as the second meeting of the NorCal and SoCal high school mountain bike racing leagues met in as many years to determine the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) California state champions.

Team results from the May 16 race included combined points from both the NorCal and SoCal Leagues, with the Drake Pirates taking the Division 1 category with 4,404 points, ahead of Nevada Union (4,120) and Redwood High (4,066). For Division 2 teams, Marin Catholic took top honors with 2,229 points, followed by the Branson Bulls (2,126) and Tamalpais High (2,105).

The 5.8-mile course mixed steep fire-road climbs, plenty of single track, and swoopy, well-burmed turns, as the mostly tree-covered course eventually sent riders around a quarter-mile horse track before winding through the Loma Rica Ranch, seated in the heart of Sierra Nevada Gold Country. With nearly 70 student athletes from the SoCal League mixing it up with the host NorCal League, there were several exciting finishes throughout the day, as 96 girls and 398 boys rode their hearts out for points and a shot at the California state champions jersey in all four categories: Varsity, JV, Soph and Frosh.

Several bike industry VIPs attended the event, including Easton Sports Development Foundation’s Jim Easton, Specialized Bicycle Components owner Mike Sinyard, plus several NICA, NorCal and SoCal board members.

“I’ve been involved in the SoCal League since October 2009,” said Hart District head coach Paula Rogers. “My son Jesse was racing cyclo-cross and downhill, and I wanted him to keep riding his bike, so I built this team around him. He has Asperger’s Syndrome. Kids like him are awesome athletes; it’s just that when they get off their bikes you have to have somebody there to take care of them. Next year we’ll have four more riders with Asperger’s. We’re recruiting them, some from my son’s Asperger’s program, and we’re also involved with the Special Olympics in Santa Clarita because they recently lost their cycling program. Our team is certainly not just for challenged kids like these, however. We want kids of all kinds. Next year we’ll have 30 riders from five high schools. The more kids we can get on bikes, the more they’ll stay out of trouble and be healthy and green. This is the future of our sport, of the cycling industry.”

NorCal League director Vanessa Hauswald echoed Rogers’ enthusiasm. “The State Championships is always my favorite race of the year due to the energy and enthusiasm that everyone brings to the event,” Hauswald said. “I especially enjoyed watching the kids from both NorCal and SoCal line up and race together so respectfully and with such sportsmanlike behavior. I learned a lot this season and had a great time working with all the League athletes and coaches. We’re already looking forward to the 2011 season!”

*Race Results
Varsity Boys*
San Rafael senior Will Curtis ended his high school racing career by winning
the 23.2-mile Varsity Boy’s race in 1:41:53, narrowly beating SoCal Hemet
High senior Zach Valdez by two seconds after racing wheel to wheel the
entire event. Tony Smith (Marin Catholic) finished third, nearly
two-and-a-half minutes behind. Cody Kaiser (Trojan Composite) and Riley
Predum (Drake) rounded out the final podium. Forty-six Varsity boys
competed.

*Varsity Girls*
Sophomore Shayna Powless (Independent) returned to her winning ways after
her unbeaten streak was broken by Drake’s Sophia Hamilton at Fort Ord on May
2. Powless won the 17.4-mile Varsity Girl’s race in 1:32:52, while Hamilton
finished 3:16 later for second on the day. Victoria Yoham (Marin Catholic),
Christine Weir (Nevada Union) and Lauren Catlin (Drake) rounded out the
final podium. Twenty-four Varsity girls competed.

*JV Boys*
In the JV Boy’s Division 1 event, Berkeley High’s Isaiah Rapko took top
honors in 1:22:12 over the 17.4-mile course, more than a minute ahead of
Redwood High’s Taylor Smith and Folsom’s Sam Wamhoff. Brandon Blakely
(Yucaipa High) and Steven Baldock (Nevada Union) rounded out the final
podium. Seventy JV boys raced the Division 1 event.

In the JV Boy’s Division 2 race, SoCal independent racer Casey Williams won
the 17.4-mile event in 1:18:59, beating Tamalpais High’s Spence Peterson by
nearly a minute. Santa Cruz teammates Jacob Albrecht and Tobin Ortenblad
finished a couple minutes later, followed by Jefferson’s Brandon Dillard.
Fifty-six JV boys raced the Division 2 event.

*JV Girls*
Branson’s Kate Courtney kept her season-long winning streak alive and well,
taking the JV Girls 11.6-mile race in 1:03:40, beating runner-up Sofia
Gomez-Villafane (Wildcat Racing) by more than three minutes. Emma Arata
(Nevada Union), Renee Salva (Trojan Composite) and Rainee Chandler (Salinas)
rounded out the final podium. Thirty-five JV girls competed.

*Soph Boys*
In the Soph Boy’s Division 1 race, Newport Beach’s Alex Milewski won the
17.4-mile event in 1:28:19, beating Drake’s Mitch Calder by 32 seconds.
Devin Eastman (Redwood High), Steven Larson (Salinas) and John Morehouse
(Casa Grande) rounded out the day’s final podium. Sixty-eight Soph boys
raced the Division 1 event.

In the Soph Boy’s Division 2 race, Branson’s Eliel Anttila won the 17.4-mile
event in 1:24:30, nearly a minute ahead of independent runner-up Cody
Phillips. Bob Siegel (Tamalpais), Nick Price (Jefferson) and Charlie Cone
(Novato) rounded out the final podium. Thirty-four Soph boys competed in the
Division 2 event.

*Soph Girls*
San Ramon’s Emily Lawrence won the Soph Girl’s 11.6-mile race in 1:19:17,
beating her teammate Kaitlyn Elvidge by a hair under three minutes. Emily
Anderson-Merritt (Berkeley), Hanne Andersen (Miramonte) and Libby Caldwell
(Drake) rounded out the final podium. Seventeen Soph girls competed.

*Frosh Boys*
In the Frosh Boy’s Division 1 event, Drake’s Lucas Newcomb finished the
11.6-mile course in 0:58:37, nipping runner-up Jonathan Kaufman (San Rafael)
at the line one second ahead. Daniel Szawarzenski (Drake), Alex Bagg
(Yucaipa High) and John Newcomb (Drake) rounded out the day’s podium.
Sixty-five Frosh Division 1 boys raced the event.

In the Frosh Boy’s Division 2 event, Tamalpais High’s Alex Howard won the
11.6-mile event in 0:57:00, with only one second separating independent
racer Ryan Stevens and Lawrence Smith (Marin Catholic) a minute later for
second and third. Howard’s Tamalpais teammate Skyler Taylor finished fourth,
just two seconds ahead of independent racer Jack Keane. Forty-nine Frosh
boys competed in the Division 2 event.

*Frosh Girls*
Redwood High’s Josephine Nordrum won the Frosh Girl’s 11.6-mile race in
1:15:37, beating independent racer and Dominique Vanden Dries by a shade
over two minutes. Elizabeth Maguire (Casa Grande) finished third, while
Annika Hoy (Drake) and Isabella Breen (San Rafael) rounded out the podium.
Twenty Frosh girls competed.

For complete individual results, visit NorCal
Results<http://norcalmtb.org/race/results.htm>
.

*NorCal Race #4 Team Results*
Team results from the May 16 race included combined points from both the
NorCal and SoCal Leagues, with the Drake Pirates taking the Division 1
category with 4,404 points, ahead of Nevada Union (4,120) and Redwood High
(4,066). For Division 2 teams, Marin Catholic took top honors with 2,229
points, followed by the Branson Bulls (2,126) and Tamalpais High (2,105).
For complete results, visit http://norcalmtb.org/race/2010/TeamResults4.html
.

*NorCal Final Points Results: Individual*
For the NorCal student athletes, the May 16 race counted toward the overall
season series points standings, due to the cancellation of race #3 at Boggs
Mountain. The category winners were: Boy’s Varsity: Will Curtis – San Rafael
(1,725 points); Girl’s Varsity: Shayna Powless – Independent (1,725); Boy’s
JV Division 1: Isaiah Rapko – Berkeley High (1,640); Boy’s JV Division 2:
Spence Peterson – Tamalpais High (1,639); Girl’s JV: Kate Courtney – Branson
(1,650); Boy’s Soph Division 1: Steven Larson – Salinas (1,544); Boy’s Soph
Division 2: Eliel Anttila – Branson (1,565); Girl’s Soph: Emily Lawrence -
San Ramon (1,560); Boy’s Frosh Division 1: Daniel Szawarzenski – Drake
(1,534); Boy’s Frosh Division 2: Alex Howard – Tamalpais (1,575); Girl’s
Frosh: Dominique Vanden Dries – Independent (1,544).

Students were awarded 25 bonus points for completing all races. For complete
results, visit NorCal Results <http://norcalmtb.org/race/results.htm>.

*NorCal Final Points Results: Teams*
Drake High captured the Division 1 overall team award with 16,353 points,
ahead of Salinas (15,802) and San Rafael (15,166). In Division 2, Marin
Catholic took top honors with 8,060, followed by the Santa Cruz Chain Gang
(7,912) and Branson (7,849). For complete results, visit NorCal
Results<http://norcalmtb.org/race/results.htm>
.

“Our goal this year was to repeat our championship, which hadn’t been done
before,” said Drake head coach Paul Chourre. “Every year is different. You
think you have it all figured out and then some team shows up from nowhere
with a lot of power. It’s been super exciting this year. The secret is
keeping it fun. You have to find a balance to not make it too intimidating
so newer riders can ease into it, but still make it competitive for those
who are. You have victories big and small, individual and team. Little
victories are like when a rider finally finishes a race, and big victories
are like when a rider is first or second in a big meet like this. It’s so
rewarding. You make a difference in kids’ lives every day. It’s an
incredible opportunity for kids, to get involved in a sport they can do all
their lives.”

NorCal League founder Matt Fritzinger also witnessed his last race as
director; Fritzinger is now the executive director of NICA, and has passed
the reins to Hauswald.

“It was wonderful how many parents and athletes found me and told me how
much the League means to them,” Fritzinger said. “This work has been very
gratifying, but I’m also very proud of the NorCal staff we have. They’re
doing such a great job.

“It was also a great honor of giving Jim Easton a tour of such a historic
and beautiful race venue,” he added. “Jim is on the International Olympic
Committee and he and his wife had not yet seen a high school race; they were
very impressed. Jim founded the SoCal League, and for him to witness the
close Boy’s Varsity finish between NorCal and SoCal was priceless. It was
also bitter sweet to watch over 100 seniors gather for the Class of 2010
photo.”

Loma Rica Ranch
Trails for the NICA 2010 California State Championship were created during
the summer of 2009, with more than 900 volunteer hours contributed by the
Youth Bicyclists of Nevada County Foundation’s Trail Stewardship Program of
teen club members, parents, contractors, and local non-profit volunteers.
The hilly course was held on a 127-acre parcel with flowy single tracks
among stands of old pine and madrone stands. For more information, visit
YBONC <http://ybonc.org/>.