Skills practices will begin in July 2024! Skills practices are incredibly important to the start of the season. First of all, they provide opportunities for the whole team and coaches to meet each other in a central location. High school riders get teamed up with small riding groups (pods) of middle school riders to demonstrate skills, support younger riders, and act as ambassadors for the team. Coaches run team-building activities, and pods get to know each other with ice breakers and games. Then, pods play tons of games that are super fun and also teach critical technical and safety skills.

Here’s why skills are so important:

  • Experienced riders need to refresh their technical and safety skills on a regular basis.
  • New riders need to know these key aspects of mountain biking to ride better and stay safe.
  • Experienced athletes, including those who road bike or even mountain bike, may not always know these important skills, and it’s essential that they master them before hitting the trails with the team.

This is why we require athletes to attend at least three summer skills practices before they can ride trails with the team–most athletes attend as many as they possibly can to refresh their skills before riding trails.

Skills practice games include a version of “ring toss” to practice bike-body separation, speed control, and braking.

Practicing bike carries over obstacles during ascending dismounts, when your coach, with camera in hand, is the obstacle.

Our summer skills practices are all about getting to know each other, especially within our smaller riding groups, and practicing the fundamental skills we’ll need to stay safe on the trails and ride our mountain bikes with optimal technique. Student athletes learn how to check their bikes before practice, practice bike-body separation and proper body positioning, and practice riding downhill and stopping suddenly. By spending three weeks (six practices) practicing these key skills and more, student athletes and their coaches build and refresh their skills and stamina before hitting the trails in August.