RACE #2 UPDATE 9 Mile Recreation - Wausau, WI
9 Mile Recreation Race Results - Wausau, WI September 15, 2019
- 730 students registered for racing in Wausau, up 35%
- 42 SLS MTB registered for racing
- 14 MS Racers
- 28 HS Racers
- 8 podiums
1 first place finish
3 second place finish
2 third place finish
2 fourth place finish
Team Win - SLSMTB Composite IL North - 3rd place
SLSMTB BY THE NUMBERS
2019
63 student athletes
13 females
50 males
23 middle school
40 high school
25 coaches
2018
44 student athletes
10 females
34 males
17 middle school
27 high school
10 coaches
Due to team size and NICA rules, our association is comprised of 6 teams
1. Wilmot High School 2. Indian Trail High School 3. Tremper High School 4. SLSMTB WI Composite Team 5. SLSMTB IL North Composite Team 6. SLSMTB IL South Composite Team
Nine Mile Photos
A note from our coaches:
9 Mile Recreation Park is nestled in the big pines of Wausau WI. Weather was similar to race one, cloudy, humid, but a little warmer starting out at 60 degrees. The weather had a huge storm front that was forecasted to hit the area on Saturday night, but the rain missed the event by a few miles keeping the course from becoming an “Epic Muddy Race.” 9 Mile Recreation is an extensive cross-country skiing and mountain bike park. Wisconsin High School League utilized the wide cross-country ski trails to allow passing during the race. They also lengthened a lap from last year, working in our favor, making one lap approximately 7.5 miles long.
Racing netted some strong results in almost every class our team raced. 6th-grade boys, Jack Bozych, had a great start and held his position for the full race, ending in 3rd place. 7th-grade boys, Jon Olenick also had a strong start in 3rd place, but one racer passed him giving him the 4th place finish. Paula Urban had just finished two days of racing Cyclocross (winning 2 races) in Iowa and drove to Wausau the morning of this race. With no pre-ride, she pulled up on the leader’s wheel and held the position for the full race. She attempted to out sprint the leader but couldn’t pull ahead, and held firm on a second place finish. Samantha Brooks had a good start in 5th place. She worked her way up, and at the last double track she put the hammer down and pulled a sizable lead over 4th place to finish in 3rd place.
The race of the day and possibly the race of this year happened in D2 JV3 boys race. Conner Buchanan was the points leader heading into this race. Our team has several athletes that are strong contenders in this class. The strategy of sticking together and working together paid off. The four SLSMTB boys got a good start and worked together throughout the three laps. Drafting and pace lining, they were able to pick off all the riders that started ahead of them. Then they stuck together until the last 250 meters when all 4 of the boys set out in a dead sprint. The fun part was all 4 finished within a second of each other and first place scored as a tie in time. After a photo finish review, Nathan Gowe eked out a first-place finish by inches. Conner Buchanan wearing the white leader’s jersey came in second, holding enough points to keep his white jersey. Rider Rainer and Alex Martin in the middle of this swarm came across in 3rd and 4th place. These boys worked together so well they had a full minute gap on 5th place!
We would also like to thank all of our sponsors for their commitment to the team. With the support of our sponsors, we were able to purchase a race team trailer. With the help of The Sign Shop of Racine, our race trailer is complete with our sponsor logos, and we looked like the team to beat…because we are!
In addition to racing..... we are creating communities. Our SLSMTB community this weekend included 31 families camping together.
FUN is a key part of what we do at NICA where all of our events strive to inspire friendship, joy, and adventure." - NICA
Kim Schnoor /Remax Advantage ~ Iguana Wana ~ Crawford & Wright Orthodontics ~ LMI Packaging ~ Brian Ketterer State Farm ~ ULINE ~ Moles & Ferri Orthodontics
“To be gritty is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. To be gritty is to hold fast to an interesting and purposeful goal. To be gritty is to invest, day after week after year, in challenging practice. To be gritty is to fall down seven times, and rise eight.” - Angela Lee Duckworth