Golden High mountain biking team reaching new heights
GOLDEN, Colo. — There are a lot of great athletes at Golden High School (GHS), but one stellar team that may have escaped your notice is the GHS Mountain Biking (GHSMTB) team. This team, started in 2010 by science teacher Scott Burcar with eight student athletes, has grown exponentially over the years and become a force to be reckoned with. In 2021, the team had 78 riders, 30 development kids (mostly from Bell Middle School), and a whopping 63 coaches!
Why so many coaches? Believe it or not, they could use more! The Jeffco trail system, with millions of annual visitations, is one of the most highly utilized systems in the country. Jeffco Open Space manages this HIGH usage by requiring trail permits for all organized groups, including the GHSMBT team, so that the trail systems are not overloaded. The permits require practices to be held in groups of ten or less, which means eight students and two adults (one in the front, one in the back). As one might imagine, it鈥檚 quite a challenge to plan for two practices per week for 12 weeks with 100+ people in groups of ten or less, with limited permits, while giving riders some variety each time and staying within their skill level! Organizational and logistic skills, intra-team cooperation, AND many coaches are required to make all this work as well as assist athletes on the courses, which are generally spread widely across race venues.
The GHSMTB team, one of the largest teams at GHS, operates as a club (not an athletic team). It is co-ed and welcomes all, not requiring tryouts to be on the team. GHS is the first high school in Colorado to establish mountain biking as a lettering sport. An inclusive environment fostering sportsmanship, equality of riders regardless of skill level, good trail etiquette, and general good citizenship and community responsibility are pillars of the team. The team is proud of their local trail opportunities, and they protect them by volunteering and perform trail maintenance throughout the Jefferson County Open Space areas and the City of Golden Bike Park.
The team practices twice a week, August through October. Last year, the team qualified 39 riders to the State Championship in Durango at the end of October, where they finished 4th overall in the Large Division category, narrowly missing 3rd, and put five kids on the podium: Sage Hummon (1st JV Girls), Riley Huston (3rd JV Girls), Ben Bravman (3rd JV Boys), Emil Kjellsen (3rd Sophomore Boys), and Sophia Harcek (3rd Freshman Girls). Another notable honor went to sophomore Taylor Czarnecki, who was awarded the 2021 Colorado High School Cycling League Trailblazer Award, given to those who have persevered through challenging circumstances, overcome adversity, and who are inspirational role models. Excellent work, GHSMTB team!
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