2012 Coaches & Staff

Director/Coach Dan

Director/Coach Dan

Dan Freeman – Team Director

Dan is Team Director and a teacher at Drake High School. He founded the team in 2002 and is a lifelong educator with a focus on helping teens achieve academic and athletic goals, as well as introducing them to philanthropic work through school, sport and travel.

Dan also oversees all business aspects of the program including fundraising, committees, budget, expenses, personnel and affiliations.


Coach "Peg Arm" Paul

Coach "Peg Arm" Paul

Paul Chourre – Head Coach

Paul was born and raised in San Anselmo and attended Drake High School where he played Football and ran Cross Country.

Graduating in 1967, Paul attended College of Marin and was involved in the very start of Mountain Biking in Marin. Gary Fisher and Charley Kelly custom made a disk brake bracket for his clunker that was sporting the “newest” Cook Brothers rigid fork. “I grew up loving the trails of Marin from my Cross Country days and mountain biking was a perfect way to enhance the combination of physical exercise and love of the outdoors.”

Although Paul worked and participated in many local races in Marin, racing was never the dominant inspiration. “My inspiration comes in opening the door to kids and teaching the love of the sport as something they will carry with them throughout their lives as I have.” Paul is coaching the team for the 6th year now and is a USA Cycling Club Level Certified Coach and has met the requirements Head Coach for the NorCal MTB League.


Coach Sarah

Coach Sarah

Sarah Starbird – Asst. Coach

A transplant to the Bay Area after graduation from Boston University, Sarah has been riding and creating great memories on the trails since discovering Marin in 1989.

She originally relocated to San Francisco to be, believe or not, a banker (booor-ring) but quickly learned about a very cool place to work where you were paid to ride your bike and travel as a bike guide – called Backroads. “It wasn’t quite as glamorous as it sounds, because it was grueling hard work, but it was a fantastic experience and one of great opportunities and amazing adventures.

Soon into her new career at Backroads, she began racing mountain and cyclo-cross bikes.  “From the time I was six, I have been racing or competing in one event or another; swimming, tennis, softball, crew, running and riding. I have a lot to be thankful for from my early and recent mentors I met during my competitive racing days. They were so supportive of my efforts and achievements.”  Sarah hopes to deliver the same act of kindness by being a mentor to the Drake riders and making a difference in their lives.

Now living on Woodacre with her 3 dogs and partner Chris, you can usually find Sarah riding the trails, often with the dogs running along side.


Coach Patty

Coach Patty

Patty Brockley – Asst. Coach

Patty has been passionate about biking since she was a child but only in the past 7 years has she learned to love mountain biking.

She started the Lagunitas Middle school elective 6 years ago and continues to teach youths about the joy of riding, appreciation of the land and nature while helping them to develop strength, skills and safety on the bike.  She was the Safe Routes to School coordinator and most recently secured a large grant for the Lagunitas School district which taught her to never give up.

She has been a coach for the Drake High School for the last 4 years, and focuses on assisting the girls to develop their own style of riding.

In the Fall Patty has coached soccer for over 6 years.

She has been an R.N, for 20 years working in all aspects of health care.  She has been a Nurse Practitioner specializing in adolescent health care and wellness for 15 years. She helped coordinate and administered care along with Huckleberry Youth Program in the Marin County Teen Clinic for the last 5 years.

She is truly honored to have the opportunity to communicate, listen and encourage each youth in attaining their goals as a mountain biker.


Kevin Hall – Asst. Coach


Otis Guy – Asst. Coach


Paul Coleman – Asst. Coach


Jeff Broussard – Asst. Coach


Eric Brandt – Mechanic


Joe Breeze – Mechanic

History

It was a spring day in 2002, when a Drake High sophomore and Drake teacher found themselves competing against each other unexpectedly at a race infamously known as Billy Cross.

It was a classic match-up of student versus master every bit as great as Vader vs. Kenobi. They fought, struggled, and even trash-talked to gain cycling supremacy at Drake High, the only high school in the country to produce not one but two national collegiate cycling champions. The stakes were high.

What happened on that day is the stuff of legend. Some will say that the kid showed up the master by beating him to the line. Others deny, saying the kid only had to do two laps, and the old timer, three. Not a fair comparison.

But, what we do know is from that meeting came the birth of the Drake Mountain Bike Team.

In December of 2002 we had our first meeting. That spring, 8 Pirates came out to race. By the spring of 2009, Drake had earned the title of 2004 and 2006 NorCal State Champions. And, finally, in 2009 Drake won the first-ever California State Championship, bringing high school mountain biking’s most prestigious honor to where it truly belongs…at the foot of Repack and Mt. Tamalpais.

2009 Season Final Newsletter

Click here to read all about our team’s experiences in the state finals and more (PDF file).

2009 Team Roster

Dommen Nik Male FROSH 804
Calder Mitch Male FROSH 812
Breeze Tommy 9 Male FROSH 815
McLaughlin Sam 0 Male FROSH 814
Briese Conor 9 Male FROSH 806
Sandler Jacob 9 Male FROSH 810
Taylor Ryan 9 Male FROSH 813
Jensen Jacob 9 Male FROSH 808
Luse Austin 9 Male FROSH 805
Miranda Alejandro 9 Male FROSH
Wheeler John 9 Male FROSH 811
Kavanaugh Ian 9 Male FROSH
Hamilton Sofia 10 Female FROSH/SOPH 425
Winkler Carlea 10 Female FROSH/SOPH 404
Carr Alissa 10 Female FROSH/SOPH 402
Ruggiero Kayla 10 Female FROSH/SOPH 406
Garfink Anna 10 Female FROSH/SOPH 403
Penberthy Eve 10 Female FROSH/SOPH 405
Stanley Mackinzie 9 Female FROSH/SOPH
Kassin Alec 11 Male JV 221
Abballo Andrew 11 Male JV 245
Mannheimer Claire 11 Female JVG 104
Brockley Roman 10 Male SOPH 507
Wise Austin 10 Male SOPH 504
Wickersham Kyle 10 Male SOPH 506
Stephens Ryan 10 Male SOPH 508
Wise Sam 10 Male SOPH 509
Hurley Dylan 10 Male SOPH 505
Allen-Hyma Alexander 10 Male SOPH
Newcomb Nick 11 Male VAR 27
Predum Riley 11 Male VAR 28
Ketcham Jack 11 Male VAR 26
Bassetti Sam 12 Male VAR 44
Dillon-Hurley Everest 12 Male VAR
Catlin Lauren 11 Female VARG 1
Lovett Sarah 12 Female VARG 6

2008 NorCal High School Mountain Bike Club Season Opener [VIDEO]

2005 NorCal Series Race Video [VIDEO]

Some footage from the earlier days of the NorCal Mountain Bike League, of which Drake’s Mountain Bike Team is a league member.