Here we are at Season Number Four for Shorewood MTB and the Wisconsin League of NICA. Our team and league have both continued to grow and we are constantly amazed by the outpouring of support from our families, volunteers and community. Minooka Park in Waukesha County was the setting for an incredible weekend of racing as we launched into the new season. This year's race saw almost 20 new teams from around our state (and beyond in a few cases) and 50% more racers than last year. Minooka sets up perfectly for us as an opening stage, as we've spent many hours of practice on this flowing singletrack. It's always amazing to see the hard work that our team has been putting in all summer blossom into confidence and skill on demanding trails, like we have at Minooka.
The growth and maturity of our league has prompted our first season in the new Division format for Team Competition among high schools. The biggest, single-school teams are now competing at the Division 1 level, while the smaller teams and those comprised of combinations of students from multiple schools (Composite Teams) have been grouped into Division 2. As we've been a single-school team from the very start and also one of the biggest in the state, Shorewood MTB welcomes this new Division 1 challenge as our sport and league continue to grow.
Conditions for the race could not have been any better...the temperature was mild, if not slighly breezy, and the trails were dry and fast. We had the pleasure of being sent out for each of our three race groupings by a stirring rendition of the National Anthem, peformed by our very own Shorewood High School Chamber Singers. They brought the house down and the races were underway. There were some great battles throughout the day and Shorewood MTB was up to the task. Every one of our new riders that started, conquered the challenge of finishing their first mountain bike race - Congratulations to Jack T., Zoe B., Louis, Sylas, Kyle, Rana, Charlie M., Leo, Adit, Will, Jason, Ezra, Federico, Josh & Giancarlo...WOW!
Our first race of the fourth season also produced a couple of new milestones for Shorewood MTB. In the past, we've had riders battling for the overall win and been very well represented on final podiums, but the top step had eluded us. At Minooka, we changed this and had two race wins dramatically provided by brothers Eli & Isak! They both did an amazing job, working with teammates and leading their races from the very start all the way to the finish line. Podium photos throughout the ceremony were filled with Hounds, many of them making their first ever appearances in the awards...and in most cases, racing at longer distances than last year. The strength and depth of our performance from the entire team catapulted us to our first-ever Team Victory for the race! Watch for more of these beautiful new trophies in school display cases near you! Once again, congratulations are in order for the whole team and our support crew. See below for the detailed race results and photos from the event...
