Dave and Andrea Bender

As a cyclist himself, competitively racing as a Pro, Dave Bender had a dream to one day give students in school the opportunity to be on a mountain bike team.

That dream became a reality when NICA was going to start a WI league. Dave and his wife, Andrea, went to the WI leaders Summit in 2014. Andrea was a cheerleading coach for 9 years, so used her experience to assist Dave in developing the team. Dave and Andrea presented the idea of a mountain bike team to Westosha Central High School, the future school of their twin babies. After getting the support from the Athletic department, recruitment

was started.

Season one, 2014, had a very humble beginning with just ONE

athlete.

There was slow and steady growth over the first couple years.

The Benders did little to recruit, as their own “Team Bender” was doubling yet

again. Yes, Dave and Andrea Bender had 2 sets of Twin Boys in TWO years.

As the team started to multiply year after year, the Benders knew they needed more help. To incorporate a larger region of athletes from many different schools, SLSMTB was created. It’s a 501(c)3 organization and has a Board of Directors. Each year we are seeing incredible growth with not only athletes, but parent volunteers.

In 2020, a junior program was started so younger athletes could ride too! As a “test ride” during a pandemic, it was limited to families on the team. It was a great success.

Andrea is a great example of a novice coach. She has basic riding skills and no trail experience. She does not compete competitively. She has the simple joy of riding with her family and wants to be able to keep up with her kids. She is also a certified coach.

The Benders are a package deal…Dave is the Coach Director and Andrea likes

to say she’s “the Boss.” If you get the opportunity to coach with Dave, you may also have a little Bender boy or 4 tagging along. They are “Team Bender”

and are hands-on in every aspect of the team. The long rides home after a

weekend of racing/camping are spent discussing the race weekend and

brainstorming on what can be improved, or what needs to be developed.

The team is truly family friendly. In fact, they encourage parents to become Coaches, and/or have a sibling join the team. In fact, athletes that have graduated, come back and coach. Some coaches don’t even have kids on the team. SLSMTB has athletes as young as 5 years old and coaches in their upper 60s. There is a place for everyone on this team. One of the best things to come out of the development of this team is the community of families. Weekends at the races are a safe, family friendly environment, and a wonderful opportunity to bond with families. The dream of having a team for the Bender children, has exceeded all expectations.

As Dave continues to handle the Coach Director role, Andrea continues to work with the Junior athletes during practice, motivates and cheers the athletes during races, and would like to develop our SLSMTB community to go to the next level. The community has

welcomed SLSMTB and have been very supportive and

generous in their sponsorship. Volunteering is a HUGE part

of the SLSMTB community. Every Coach and Board Member

is a volunteer! Thousands of hours have been spent to

develop our athletes and follow our mission. The athletes

complete trail work to maintain the trails they ride on.

Andrea wants to take the next step and have the athletes

give back to the community that has supported them through

volunteerism. Andrea has developed a new program she will

implement this year.

Be a PATH finder