Q&A with Millville area mountain bikers Blake and Nicole Rasmussen
MILLVILLE, Utah — A Q&A with Blake and Nicole Rasmussen who are mountain bikers from the Millville area.
Blake Rasmussen
Age: 15 years old
School: I race with Ridgeline High School and attend InTech Collegiate Academy
Years on the team: 3 years
Grade: 10th
“On a team with lots of heart, Blake is always at the beating center. He clearly embodies the National Interscholastic Cycling Association mission and enthusiastically exemplifies its core values of fun, inclusivity, equity, respect, and community.” -Trip Armstrong, Head Coach of Ridgeline MTB Team
What are your personal goals within your sport/activity dreams?
Blake Rasmussen: I want to get myself to state championships. This requires a lot of effort. Another one of my goals is to log 20 miles at least twice per week.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Rasmussen: One of the biggest challenges in my sport is tough obstacles in the middle of trails. One thing that I do to manage this challenge is to watch other people do it, then try the obstacle myself. If I don鈥檛 fully clear the obstacle, I will walk to the end of it.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Rasmussen: The best piece of advice I’ve received from one of my coaches, or maybe my dad while doing this sport has been: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 do this sport mainly to have fun or get exercise, we do this sport to make and keep good friends.鈥�
What do you love about your sport?
Rasmussen: I love biking not only because it gets me place to place and to exercise, but that I get to meet and do stuff with cool people that like this same sport.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Rasmussen: My ritual is to get myself and my bike ready and then warm up so I lessen the chance of getting cramps.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Rasmussen: I like to hike, run, ski, read, calisthenics, and other things.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Rasmussen: Being a member of a team has taught me that sometimes even though it may not seem like it, there is always somebody cheering you on. Also, it has taught me you can learn from others and help them improve.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Rasmussen: The best piece of advice I have gotten from my head coach, Trip Armstrong, was: 鈥淚 think that it’s good to always finish with a smile, but continue to keep pushing.鈥�
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Rasmussen: A mistake that I have made during a race was when I wasn鈥檛 prepared well enough and I got 2 charlie horses. It was really hard to compete with a charlie horse so I decided to go to the side of the climb I was on to hydrate and stretch. After a while some spectators noticed I was having problems, so they suggested I should walk up the climb to stretch out my legs and still keep moving. This provided me with the ability to finish the race. I also learned that I need to work on my nutrition and hydration at least a day before I compete.
Anything else you would like to add?
Rasmussen: The main reason I do this sport is because I have fun doing it and I’ve made good friends. Even though during races I may have a problem, I realize that experience is meant to help me figure out how I can push through it and better prepare myself next time.
Nicole Rasmussen
Age: 13 years old
Sport: Mountain Biking
School: I race with Ridgeline High School Junior Devos and attend South Cache Middle School
Years on the team: 2 years
Grade: 7th
“Nicole happily leads our team鈥檚 female cohort through her undaunted commitment to ride every practice and race. She is both mindful and present, gathering those around her into the joy of being part of the team.” -Trip Armstrong, Head Coach of Ridgeline MTB Team
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Nicole Rasmussen: My dreams with mountain biking are to get top 5 (top 5 get medals) and to last all throughout middle school and high school (if you do, you get amazing prizes!).
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Rasmussen: My biggest challenge is definitely that I don’t have very much endurance and tend to get tired easily. I try to manage this by riding more often so my body gets used to it and making sure to push myself to keep riding.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Rasmussen: Really just to have loads of fun. At the races they have snacks and food and tents so you can talk with your friends/family and at state (anyone can go, you don鈥檛 have to make it to go) there are prize opportunities and learning opportunities for everyone (I learned how to correctly do CPR at a race last year).
What do you love about your sport?
Rasmussen: I love the challenge, but also the people. Everyone is so nice and supportive by cheering you on and making you feel good, even if you’re not on their team.
Do you have a pregame ritual that you follow?
Rasmussen: Not necessarily, I mean my friends and I usually hang out before we start at the venue and we usually do a quick pre-ride together. We usually also get our nameplates on together and write our lineup number on our arms together as well.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Rasmussen: I love to hike in the summer and ski in the winter. I also love the yearly river rafting trips we do with our cousins.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Rasmussen: It has taught me that I can do hard things even though sometimes I doubt myself. It has also taught me how to support others well.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Rasmussen: The best piece of advice I鈥檝e gotten was when my coach encouraged me to push myself just past my comfort zone so that I can improve but not overwork myself.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Rasmussen: One mistake that I’ve made multiple times is walking my bike when I鈥檓 not super tired yet. I’ve overcome that by learning from my mistakes and not walking my bike as much each race.
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