Me, Myself, as Mommy: Cycling back to advocate for Utah to sanction a new sport
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- The author’s son, Benson, with his dad during a seventh grade race at Soldier Hollow, organized by the Utah High School Cycling League.
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- Seventh graders line up for a race at Soldier Hollow, organized by the Utah High School Cycling League.
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- Max Wessman
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- Meg Sanders
Years ago, when I wanted my husband to think I was interested in his hobbies, I agreed to take up mountain biking. Little did I know my bike wouldn’t be equipped with the lavender banana seat and flowered wicker basket of my youth. Instead, I got major muffin-top-inducing bike shorts and a pointed seat that grinded my parts like I was sitting inside a mortar and pestle set. One would think he’d ease me into mountain biking with a jaunt along a paved trail — but no. We drove south for hours, finally unloading our bikes on a beautiful trail aptly named Barrel Roll, which came complete with a hillside of cacti. I hope I looked graceful as I rolled down the side of that trail, bike handles still in hand. For my second and final ride, we headed to the Wasatch Back where I encountered a naked man, tanning his Wasatch back on a rock. That was all I needed to officially retire from mountain biking.
Thanks to strength of marriage, self-preservation, general lethargy and having children, I no longer need to pretend to enjoy Brian’s hobbies; he’s got home-grown compadres trained to like camping, biking and motorcycles. His dream since the birth of our children was to teach them both dirt and mountain biking, preparing them to be his ultimate friends. I remember asking him after the birth of our daughter if he liked babies, Brian replied with “They’re cute but they don’t really do anything.” The day he can actually “do” something with his kids has finally arrived thanks to the Utah High School Cycling League and Max Wessman.
While coaching U13 boys’ soccer with SWAT, I landed a fantastic player, a natural leader and generally great athlete — Max Wessman. Max spent the fall season balancing two worlds — soccer and mountain biking. The kid loved mountain biking, missing a couple of games for the various races held throughout Utah. He races for Weber High School, which gathers riders from Orion, North Ogden and Snowcrest junior highs, as well as the high school. Thanks to Max’s passion for biking and his assurance that every level of rider is represented in the league, my kid joined the team, spending the summer mountain biking with his dad. The cycling league’s website even says, “With the philosophy that ‘nobody rides the bench,’ our youth are building strong bodies, minds and character through the lifelong sport of mountain biking.” It makes sense Max was made one of the captains of the team since he’s so good at drumming up support for the sport.
These athletes start riding in seventh grade and continue through high school where they race schools from across the state on trails in places like Manti, Mantua, Soldier Hollow, and some in Southern Utah (not the Barrel Roll, I hope). Thousands of students take part in the Utah High School Cycling League. Their parents give hours of support, and the generous sponsorships from outdoor recreation businesses keep the riders fully outfitted and fed. It is a true community sport that motivates the athletes to push themselves on local trails while also showing true camaraderie. At the last race, I watched members of the Park City Miners team run bikers to the finish line, cheering them on no matter the school they represented. Both races I attended saw Davis High’s Creighton Kent sweep through the finish line with parents and students alike stunned at his skill.
With all this in mind, I was shocked to learn mountain biking is not a Utah High School Activities Association-sanctioned sport, nor is it or the accolades of the riders recognized by many of the high schools. I reached out to Chris Best, head of the Utah High School Cycling League, about this issue and he wrote back, “The riders in our league identify as high school athletes representing their schools like most any other sport. The actual relationship, however, can vary significantly. Some schools choose to recognize mountain biking as a school club activity and often do extend similar recognition to those student athletes. In some of our more rural communities, teams are a composite with other area schools in order to share resources.”
I learned Weber High itself will not lend the official logos of the school to the Weber Mountain Biking Team as it does not sanction the sport. Weber School District spokesperson Lane Findlay told me it’s both an issue of trademark and caution over the logo’s use in unsanctioned sports. Because the mountain biking team is not an official Weber High sport, according to Findlay, the school is hesitant to allow the logo’s use when there is a separate set of rules outside the purview of the high school “Dr. Kachold (Weber High principal) is trying to clean up its (the logo) use and make sure that we’re using official logos for school sponsored sports. We’re making sure that we’re protecting ourselves in the process as well, “explained Findlay. He went on to tell me of situations where anonymous social media sites stole the logo for unscrupulous use and because there was no official trademark, it was difficult to act against the sites. While Weber High School does allow the team to ride in the Homecoming parade, more could be done to recognize the achievements of these students who proudly represent their school.
For now, it seems the Utah High School Cycling League, parents and school officials are at peace while they watch the trajectory of youth mountain biking and whether it needs to become officially sanctioned with the UHSAA. Findlay said, “It really needs to be group-driven like what we saw with lacrosse and boys’ volleyball. They were very passionate about it, going through all the hoops to become sanctioned. So we took it to the next level.” UHSAA officially sanctioned lacrosse in Utah back in 2019 and boys’ volleyball just this year after a push by parents.
As for the cycling league, they’re in their 13th season with more than 7,000 students in six different regions, riding in as many as 25 races bursting with adrenaline, dirt, rocks, sweat, smiles, tears and cheers. The sport isn’t going anywhere. More so, I expect Max, a freshman this year, to pump up the volume and keep spreading the word of mountain bike racing in Utah’s schools, maybe stopping off on some podiums along the way. Happy racing!
Meg Sanders worked in broadcast journalism for over a decade but has since turned her life around to stay closer to home in Ogden. Her three children keep her indentured as a taxi driver, stylist and sanitation worker. In her free time, she likes to read, write, lift weights and go to concerts with her husband of 18 years.