John Raisch
Wyncote,
Pennsylvania
(215) 704-1556
jraisch@gmail.com
SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
(WYNCOTE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA)
After Making PA
interscholastic Sports History, Local MontCo-based Youth Mountain
Bike Team Gears Up For Second Race This Weekend
The SoMont Cycling
Youth Mountain Bike Team will again blaze trails this weekend at the
second race of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League 2016
season at Jordan Creek Park in Allentown, PA.
Still feeling the
excitement from their first race on September 18th, the 6th to 10th
graders from Southern Montgomery County continued their training
regimen the past 2 weeks at Lorimer Park, Pennypack Park and the
Pennypack Rail Trail. The SoMont team will compete against 20 other
Pennsylvania-based teams with over 200 youth athletes competing in
total.
WHEN: Sunday October
2, 2016 (races start at 9am)
WHERE: Jordan Creek
Park, Allentown, PA
1950 Mauch Chunk
Rd, Allentown, PA 18104
WHO: SoMont
Cycling Youth MTB Team
Cheltenham,
Abington, Springfield & Lower Moreland youth cycling athletes
- 1 of 20
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling teams
DETAILS: 4 mi. loop,
+/- 200 ft. of climbing/descent per loop
2-4 loops
depending on grade classification
Hugging the water
that gives it its name, Jordan Creek Park is a hidden cycling gem
right in Pennsylvania’s third largest city. The park is just off of
Route 22 and not far from of the Northeast Extension of the
Pennsylvania Turnpike. Just 2 weeks after making PA interscholastic
sports history in the inaugural 2016 event where the youth athletes
had their first race-day experience, directors Raisch and Nguyen
believe the team is once again ready for the challenge.
Miriam, an 8th grade
SoMont athlete from Cheltenham Township and third place podium
finisher at the inaugural event, enthusiastically awaits her second
race “Being in the first race was surreal. After I finished, I was
shaking with excitement, unsure how I did. I knew I did pretty well,
but I didn't know I had made it on the podium. I was ecstatic when I
found out.“
“Our athletes
impress me every time we’re out on the bikes,” said Coach Nguyen.
He further added, ”Their confidence is growing off the charts, but,
more importantly, they are developing meaningful friendships. They’re
just a great bunch of kids.”
“We have a
fantastic group of dedicated community based sponsors, coaches,
student-athletes and families. I am so proud of what we’ve
collectively accomplished and I look forward to seeing our team race
and represent Southern Montgomery County,” remarked Raisch.
However, Raisch is boldly looking beyond this season further adding,
“We are actively recruiting more student-athletes, preparing for a
time when Abington, Cheltenham, Lower Moreland and other school
districts adopt mountain biking as an interscholastic sport. This
wonderful sport promotes physical and mental fitness, equality,
inclusivity, and an appreciation of the great outdoors. We don’t
think it gets much better than that.”
SoMont Youth MTB
team introduces 6th to 12th grade boys and girls to adventure,
exploration, excitement, friendship and good health through the sport
of mountain biking. These characteristics are the bedrock of the
team’s philosophy. Through instructional practice and competition
student-athletes also develop problem solving skills, increase their
self-esteem and see the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle.
The SoMont Cycling
Youth Mountain Bike Team was sanctioned in early 2016 as composite
team in the newly formed Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League
(PICL). It is an independent interscholastic youth mountain bike team
with student-athletes from Cheltenham, Abington, and Lower Moreland
and Springfield areas of southern Montgomery County, PA.
To learn more about
the SoMont Youth MTB Team visit them on Facebook, Instagram &
Twitter or at their website: www.somontcycling.org , www.pamtb.org ,
www.nationalmtb.org
More about PICL,
NICA and SoMont Cycling
Founded in 2009, the
National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) develops
interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes across
the United States. NICA provides leadership, services and governance
for local leagues to produce quality mountain bike events, and
supports every student-athlete in the development of strong body,
strong mind and strong character through their efforts on the bike.
NICA operates in over 20 states, has over 7,500 student athletes and
over 3,000 NICA-licensed coaches across the United States. NICA's
vision is to develop interscholastic mountain biking coast-to-coast
by 2020.
SoMont Cycling Youth
MTB Team is a PICL sanctioned composite team, organized in 2016. It
is an independent youth mountain bike team in the Cheltenham,
Abington, Rockledge, Lower Moreland and Springfield areas of southern
Montgomery County. The goal of SoMont Youth MTB is to introduce boys
and girls (6th to 12th grade) to the sport of mountain biking and to
help them use the sport as a way of developing a new life-long
athletic interest. The team and coaching philosophy is to use
cycling, and the mountain bike itself, as a way-of-thinking to
transport our riders to a sense of adventure, exploration,
excitement, and good health.
###
Pictures from the
inaugural race September 18, 2016 in Marysville, PA.
