On Sunday, November 6 we had our last race of the 2016 season. We had a great time and can't wait until next year. Enjoy the video!
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Giving Back to our Local Trail System - Pennypack Park
A small bridge (called the Double Arches bridge) running over Paul's Run creek, a tributary to the Pennypack Creek, was recently closed due to structural problems. The Pennypack Park Trail Advocates team worked with the city to plan out a work-around trail, and we all collectively did the work to create the trail.
We had a great day getting our hands dirty. Some of work we did was:
- put up detour and other signs
- clean up the trail, roughly 3/4 mile
- move fallen trees
- create a small hill cut in at the trail entrance
- create a flat-rock water crossing
- create some trail features from a large rock
Thursday, October 20, 2016
At Season Midpoint, SoMont Youth MTB Team Riding High On Early Season Accomplishments
CONTACT
OCTOBER 20, 2016 (WYNCOTE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA)
John Raisch
Wyncote,
Pennsylvania
(215) 704-1556
jraisch@gmail.com
OCTOBER 20, 2016 (WYNCOTE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA)
At Season
Midpoint, SoMont Youth MTB Team Riding High On Early Season
Accomplishments
Team &
Individual Performances Highlight Season So Far After 3rd Race (of 5)
in Pittsburgh, PA.
After competing in
their third race of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League's
inaugural season, the SoMont Cycling Youth MTB team continues to train and
prepare for the final races of the season. Like any other sports
team, the SoMont youth cycling athletes reflect on their past
performances, and discuss what they learned as a team and as
individuals, as they conduct their weekly practice routine.
Elsa, a 7th grader
at Cedarbrook in Cheltenham Township and recent 2nd place podium
finisher in the Boyce Park race on October 16 just outside of
Pittsburgh, summarizes her recent experience saying "Being on
the podium was great. But what was even better was crossing the
finish line on my bike in second place - with my team, my coaches and
my parents cheering me along!"
The 9 member youth
cycling team, comprised of students in Abington, Cheltenham, Lower
Moreland and Springfield townships, practices twice a week and races
in league events every other week. With more than 20 practices and 3
official race events under their belts, team camaraderie is high and
sportsmanship at league events is clear and present.
As testament to
this, Luke, a 7th grader at Abington Jr. High School and
racer/finisher in the first 3 race events, stopped during the Boyce
Park Pittsburgh race to help a fellow racer who had been racing in front of him "A racer in front of me took a pretty bad spill on the trail. He seemed hurt so I helped him up and made sure he was ok. We then continued on, racing together!" said Luke after completion of his
race.
In early 2016, local
Cheltenham residents founded the SoMont Cycling Youth MTB Team, John
Raisch and Thuong Nguyen. The friends and fellow mountain bikers
founded the team based on 5 core principles; ideas they aspired the
team to achieve -- adventure, exploration, excitement, friendship and
fitness.
"We're just
past the halfway point of the season, and these kids have already
achieved so much. I can't be more happy about their accomplishments.
They're a great bunch of kids and I can't wait to see what they
accomplish this year, next year and in the future!" said coach
Thuong.
“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 continue to represent our community here in 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.”
The team races next
on Sunday October 23rd near Altoona PA, then again on Sunday November
6 in Fair Hill, MD for the season finals.
Specific SoMont
Cycling individual accomplishments this season:
- Race 1, September 18, 2016- Marysville Epic, Marysille PA: 5 Top 10 Finishers, 1 podium: 3rd place, Miriam Rose, Cheltenham-Cedarbrook, 8th grade girls classification
- Race 2, October 6, 2016- The Flow at Jordan Creek, Allentown, PA: 4 Top 10 Finishers, 1 podium: 3rd place, Reibert Recinos, Lower Moreland, 7th grade boys classification
- Race 3, October 16, 2016- Boyce Big Ring, Pittsburgh, PA: 4 Top 10 Finishers, 1 podium: 2nd place, Elsa Nguyen Cheltenham-Ccedarbrook, 7th grade girls classification
More About SoMont
Cycling Youth MTB Team
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
Boyce Park race October 16, 2016 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Elsa on the podium
Boys 7th grade staging start - over 30 deep!
Maris takes a fast turn
Crossing the finish line
Monday, October 17, 2016
The Flow @ Jordan Creek Video Recap
Check out this quick video recap of our race in Allentown on Sunday October 2nd!
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
After Making PA interscholastic Sports History, Local MontCo-based Youth Mountain Bike Team Gears Up For Second Race This Weekend
CONTACT
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.
Monday, September 26, 2016
SoMont Coaches Ride to Support Local NE Philadelphia Cycling Initiative
On Friday, Sept 23rd SoMont Cycling coaches rode to Ryan Ave via the Pennypack Rail Trail and Pennypack Park Trail to support the City of Philadelphia and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia in the opening of the Ryan Avenue Parking Protected Bike Lanes.
Check it out! We got on TV with our new kits!
Check it out! We got on TV with our new kits!
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Check Out Our Facebook Page for Race Day Pictures and Updates
Scroll within the window below to see more Facebook posts and pictures!
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