Three days a week from July through October, a white pickup truck arrives at a trailhead, and the driver unloads a mountain bike. In the truck’s bed are two-way radios and two whiteboards (one has words like “passing”, “pacing”, and “climbing”, scrawled on it; the other has about 50 first names magnetically stuck to it). Soon, additional vehicles arrive, and over the course of a half-hour, the once quiet trailhead buzzes with activity: young riders checking in with coaches and each other, preparing their bikes, and warming up their legs by riding in short bursts around the parking lot. Laughter predominates over the sounds of gravel crackling under tires and buzzing free hubs. Anyone stumbling upon this scene might overlook that something special is happening when the Garrett County Coyotes Mountain Bike Team meets for practice.
“We have a deep commitment to the kids as individuals and keep our focus beyond the sport,” said the driver of the pickup truck, Aaron Hordubay, who is also the team’s director. He added, “We want to help them to become the best version of themselves, not necessarily the best biker.”
Now in their 9th season, the Coyotes are a composite mountain bike team comprised of student athletes in the 6th to 12th grades from Garrett County (and surrounding counties in WV/PA without a nearby team). The team has about 30 riders and 20 coaches. As a member of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League (MICL), the Coyotes participate in a fall race series sponsored by MICL for the 25 teams in Maryland.
This season they’ve already traveled to race weekends in Elkton and Germantown. This month two races are scheduled: September 19 the Coyotes host (along with teams from Linganore, Monocacy, Oakdale, and Brunswick) the Deep Creek Adventure race at Deep Creek State Park; and September 26 they travel to Upper Marlboro. The 5-race series concludes the weekend of October 17/18 at Patapsco State Park in Baltimore County. The next weekend, October 24/25, high school student athletes from 11 states will participate in the NICA Eastern Regionals in Charlottesville, VA.
Pat Hudnall, one of the team founders, said mountain biking shapes kids in a good way: “They’re in these races with no parents or coaches on the sidelines watching everything they do. It’s just them out there racing for 4 miles before they see anybody, and they have to gain that confidence and learn to do it on their own.”
According to Hordubay, the team’s supportive culture allows kids room to fail, which leads them to want to be there and try their best. He said, “They’re gonna get to a challenge and fail, and we can help them figure out how they get around, over, or through it”.
Student athletes on the team thrive learning to ride in that environment. For example, Lacie Krisher (age 12) in her first season with the Coyotes said, “Even if I fall, I get right back up and say to myself I’m gonna try that again, I’m going to make it through, and then I always do.” Weston McConnell (age 11) also in his first season reflected on his experience, “When I started biking with the team for the first time, I thought I was just not gonna make it and got tired really quick. But it turns out, the more you’re on a team, the stronger you get.”
And it’s not just new riders who are grateful for that supportive culture. Ava Anderson (age 16), now in her 6th season, started on the team with no experience and last year placed 3rd in her age group in the state. “I’ve improved tremendously over the years,” said Anderson, who added, “Everybody’s so kind to each other on this team. We’re here for everyone, whether you’ve never mountain biked or you have been mountain biking your whole life, there’s a spot for you.” In his 7th season, Cooper Haley (age 17) said, “It has definitely helped my riding skills. We can keep trying stuff at practice and get better and better throughout the years. It’s also just nice to be around a bunch of friendly people all the time.”
The team’s season officially starts in July with practices at trail systems throughout the county, including Deep Creek State Park, Fork Run, Margraff Plantation, Herrington Manor, and Broadford Park. Practices take place in the evenings on Monday and Wednesday, and Saturday mornings when it’s not a race weekend.
Coaches supporting the team have gone through basic NICA leadership and skills training, and some have earned more advanced certification levels. Mike McConnell is in his first year coaching. A graduate of the Garrett College Adventure Sports Program, McConnell said, “It’s given me an opportunity to apply the skills I gained through that program as a coach supporting the Coyotes.” He added that being able to share time with his son Weston on the trails is an added bonus.
At practices, Hordubay organizes the first names on the whiteboard under ever-changing group names such as Rowdy-Root Riders, Mud Mashers, and Puddle Jumpers. The goal is to match riders by ability and the day’s skill objectives with coaches. Coaches grab radios to communicate with each other. Riders check the condition of their bikes and verify having water and the basic tools to handle breakdowns on the trail. Everyone at practice takes a warm-up lap as a team followed by dynamic stretching before setting out on the trails in the smaller groups to focus on their objectives.
When the groups return to the trailhead at the end of practice, there is a team debrief. Coaches review what their group did that day and individually recognize a few riders in their group for overcoming a challenge or mastering a skill; and after each shoutout, a collective “Yip! Yip!” cheer rises from the team.
Leah DeLauder said her two sons are, “Just glowing every time they get done with practice regardless of whether they had an easy or challenging time, because the coaches really promote that having fun on the bike is first.” She added that the team, “makes it so much less intimidating to have fun on a bike, regardless of your skills coming in.” Jessica Mash, also a parent of two sons on the team, said “You hope that your children find a group like this where they are supported and talked to respectfully, and the children then show that exact same thing back.”
Coach McConnell said, “This team has helped kickstart an awareness in the county that continued development of trails for newer riders is not only good for the kids riding them but it leads to increased trail use and growth in the sport.” The Coyotes regularly participate in trail maintenance activities in the area. This season they have worked 250 volunteer hours as part of the NICA Teen Trail Corps program, encouraging student athletes to maintain and advocate for the trails they ride on. Throughout the year, the team also provides volunteer support to other nonprofits in the area, including the Dove Center, Deep Creek Lions Club, and Garrett Trails.
Mash highlighted the importance of the Coyotes coaches’ efforts and team culture, saying, “They are growing great mountain bikers because their skills are crazy, but they’re also just growing great human beings.” DeLauder echoed the sentiment, adding, “You really dream about it as a parent, finding something like this.”
Anyone looking to get involved with the team as a rider, coach, or volunteer email garrettconica@gmail.com, visit their Facebook page, or see the website at http://garrettcoyotes.com.
More than 400 student athletes and 200 coaches are expected to ride in the September 19 event at the Deep Creek State Park, which takes place across the most challenging terrain and elevation changes MICL riders face in Maryland.
The first wave of riders hits the course loop at 9:00 a.m., followed by 13 more waves in 20-minute intervals until 2:00 p.m. Coyotes are scheduled to start in the 11:20 a.m. wave. All riders participating in the event should be off the course by 4:00 p.m.
For additional information, see http://marylandmtb.org, and to volunteer for the event, see https://signup.com/go/pNkaTve. The Coyotes anticipate holding a trail work day a week or two before the event to help prepare the course.
