Special Report. ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. — The Watauga Pioneers High School and Middle School mountain bike team had a strong team and individual results at the first 2023 NC Interscholastic Cycling League series race, “Crankin at the Creek” at Browns Creek Trail in Elizabethtown, NC. The Pioneers high school team placed 11th out of 47 teams and the middle school team placed 19th out of 44 teams competing.
The Browns Creek race course provided a variety of features for a bike trail: climbs, switchbacks, fast descents, berms, and flowing singletrack. For the Watauga student athletes used to high country mountain biking, this was a relatively flat course. One loop around the course was approximately three miles and student athletes completed various numbers of laps depending on their grade level.
The Watauga Pioneers High School women made a strong showing with Rachel Cathey placing 3rd in the Varsity Girls category, Aria Arnholt placing 7th in JV2 Girls category, and Ireland Laxton placing 3rd in the Freshman Girls category.
For the high school boys, Alaska Whitehead and Sean Lackey competed in the the Freshman and JV1 Boys categories.
For the middle school female athletes, Sita Cooper placed 4th in the 8th Grade Girls, and Lila Freireich placed 10th in the Middle School A Girls category.
Bodhi Parker posted a top 20 placement in the 8th Grade A Boys category. Raleigh Deal, Camden Masland, and Daniel Wood competed in the 8th Grade Boys category.
Sylas Dunlap placed 20th in the 6th Grade Boys category.
Currently the combined middle and high school teams of 30 student athletes at all skill levels train twice weekly to build personal mountain biking skills, physical fitness, and personal growth. The next race in the series will be the “Dark Mountain Dash” at W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir, 499 Reservoir Rd, Wilkesboro, NC on April 2nd.
About Watauga Pioneers High School and Middle School NICA Mountain Bike Team
The combined middle and high school team of 30 student athletes at all skill levels trains twice weekly to build personal mountain biking skills, physical fitness, and personal growth. The team is lead by 24 volunteer coaches and practices are held at Rocky Knob Mountain Bike Park.
About the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League
The North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League is a youth development program for 6th – 12th grade students through cycling in the great outdoors. We strive to create confidence and responsible young adults and to provide them with the opportunity to learn about and participate in healthy and active lifestyles. We work to ensure that success by establishing and maintaining safe, quality youth programs around North Carolina regardless of ability level.
All photos courtesy of Watauga Mountain Biking teams.
