There are about 20,000 high school mountain bikers in the nation and 4,500 of those come from the Utah League which makes Utah the largest high school league in the nation. The Utah League is now bigger than the next three combined and is still growing in popularity. Weber High School has 65 high school riders and the junior high talent development team has nearly 50 riders. Our kids are part of the Northern Utah region and there are 5 meets in the season, 4 regular season meets and a state final. These races are huge, typically featuring 1,200 to 1,300 racers. The races are a ton of fun with all the families out cheering for their racers and supporting the team.
On the weekend of Oct. 18 and 19, the Weber High team competed for the State Title with several outstanding performances from the team. Jack Sather and Keaton Rands both took first place in their individual State Races. Ambree Burgraff, placed in the top five. Taylor Becker and Isaac Hortin placed in the top ten and Brooke Mortensen, Layla Walker, Andrew Schaelling, Spencer Reynolds, and Logan Ramage all finished in the top twenty five.
The regular season results were as follows. The team took second place in the Northern Region. Team members who took first place in races during the season were Natalie Quinn, Ambree Burggraff, Jack Sather, and Keaton Rands. Top five finishers were Brook Mortensen, Taylor Becker, Layla Walker, Andrew Schaelling, and Spencer Reynolds. Top ten finishers were Maelynn Fidler, Logan Ramage, Braxton Nielson, Tanner Johnson and the top twenty finishers were Eli Langeveld, Adam Pendleton, Bowen Satterthwaite, Tyler Matheson, Jace Montano, Daicin Johnson, Cooper Robinson, and Mark Weber.
Congratulations to the team! I had a chance to interview several of the student riders and a couple of coaches and I was thoroughly impressed with these athletes. Adam Pendelton who is a senior said, “Mountain biking is a good outlet to exercise, stay in shape and meet people.” His favorite part of being on the team is the friends he has made because of the unity of the team.
Maelynn Fidler, who is a freshman, also enjoys the exercise and really enjoys being out in nature. She loves how fun it is to be on the team and make friends and compete in the races. Ambree Burggraaf, who is a senior, has been riding for 5 years and she has learned she can do hard things and learn a new skill. She loves that feeling when she crosses the finish line knowing she has tried her hardest.
Brett Fidler is Maelynn’s dad and an assistant coach. He has been a mountain biker his entire life and he finds it very rewarding. He loves watching his daughter compete even with higher level athletes and still perform well. He has seen how being on the team builds confidence in not only his daughter but in the other student athletes he helps coach.
Head Coach John Pendleton has enjoyed helping with the team and this year took over as the head coach. He and his coaching staff have helped the team get sponsors to pay for needed equipment, scholarships and a team trailer with the assistance of Keaton Rand’s father Sky.
John would like to see some more growth on the girls’ team this coming year. One of their biggest needs is to find some female coaches to bring along the girls team and help it grow. He would also like to see more parent involvement on the team. They have had more parent involvement than ever before including a volunteer to take role so the kids get credit for their efforts. These kids practice two times per week as a team and then often on their own.
A huge shout out to the Weber High Team for their great season!