Well, if you were part of the league and team last time we were at Thatcher, we really lucked out this weekend on the weather front. Phew, thank you to the powers that be. Ultimately, we had perfect racing weather: warm, overcast, and not too humid. Our sharks continued to improve their racing—not only in finishing results but also in learning, working on skills, and gaining confidence. 

There was a lot of shuffling around with the race schedule this weekend, and our parents and coaches really came through for us to keep things running smoothly and consistently for all our riders. Thank you, thank you for making this team what it is!

My favorite part was how ALL of our riders were supporting each other - it makes my heart swell, and maybe I had a few tears in my eyes seeing how much all our sharks are cheering each other on and helping each other. 

Photos from the race weekend! :) https://photos.app.goo.gl/CALriKug1arD52g58 

Full Race Results: https://my.raceresult.com/402596/ 

**denotes first NICA Race

5th Grade Boys

• Henry Kreso - 12th 

• Billy Sosville - 17th 

• Beckham Collins - 23

• Anderson Hager - 24

• Connor Wells - 27 **

• Elijah Luka — 31st

5th Grade Girls

• Liliana Jennings — 12th

6th Grade Boys

• Logan Timmerman — 2nd *was behind 1st by 6 seconds (and hungry for that top step) 

• Easton Hammer — 7th

• Henry Strong — 8th

• Cillian Rudnick — 12th

6th Grade Girls

• Elodie Brown — 3rd 

• Clara Kennard — 5th

7th Grade Boys

• Theodore Kreso — 2nd 

• Cooper Gush — 3rd ** (first podium)

• Liam Ryan — 4th (first podium)

7th Grade Girls

• Maude Sosville — 3rd *was only 10 seconds behind 2nd! 

• Alice Schilling — 4th

8th Grade Boys

• Ethan Brown — 6th

• William Marris — 19th 

8th Grade Girls

• Hazel Bazzano — 2nd 

Freshman Boys

• Noah Awald — 1st 

• Tristan Drachenberg — 5th

• Matthew Monroe — 6th

• Kai Greven — 10th

• Lennin Mastrangelo — 15th

• Charlie Obernesser — 18th

Freshman Girls

• Mae Sosville — 5th

• Ada DeOrdio — 6th

Sophomore Boys

• Francis Tolman — 1st 

• Quintin Goodemote — 2nd 

• Nathan Corfield — 5th

• Cyril Sheehan — 12th (back at it!!)

• Jude DeOrdio — 16th

• Benjamin Walz — 17th

Sophomore Girls

• Ella Komanecky — 6th

JV Girls

• Audrey Poole — 6th

• Eva Rudnick — 10th

Varsity Boys

• Peter Del Pino — 1st 

*You should see the other guy. The day before, Peter got stung by a bee, and even with some symptoms, he raced well and truly showed the importance of focusing on what you can control.

One thing I love so much about NICA NY is how it’s racing, but it’s all about community. It’s supporting our riders but also supporting other riders. We have loads of stories from the racers, but two highlights for me involve the sophomore boys' race. 

First, Derek and I got messages from the field about Ben Waltz having a flat - we immediately started problem-solving in the feed zone and grabbed the flat kit - but not only that - we asked Audrey if she would let us borrow her rear wheel so Ben could keep racing. Audrey didn’t bat an eye and immediately went to take her wheel off. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get her wheel on—another NICA Rider, Julia from RYCC, was there and watching and offered Ben her BIKE to continue racing - I don’t know about you, but I almost cried. We love our bikes, but here, Julia told me, “I wasn’t going to use it, it’s not a big deal," but it was. Ben was able to keep going and finished his race.  

Secondly, it’s hard to race your friends. I think it’s safe to say we're all a little competitive, and racing often requires things outside of your control. Quintin made the sophomore boy race happen; he was leading and working SO hard. It came down to a sprint finish, resulting in Frances winning the race. It was hard - but my favorite part, after emotions died down, there was a major bro hug, and Frances pulled Quintin onto the top step because in his mind they tied. These actions make me so honored to see our Sharks grow, overcome, and realize that, at the end of the day, some things are more important than race results. 

Again, if you made it this far, thank you!! We continue to love that our sharks are balancing working hard each day while still having fun. This is KEY in creating a safe, fun environment where they ride bikes (hopefully) forever! 

Again, Parents, thank you, thank you. Coaches, thank you! 

We’ve got one more race, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. Two weeks until the NICA NY Championship race at Fronhofer Farm.