In the first year as a varsity sport at St. John’s, mountain bike racing has picked up as much momentum as the “fat tired” bikes careening down a muddy trail. It is a sport growing in popularity because anyone can try it if they have an adventurous spirit and aren’t afraid to get a little dirty – ok, maybe really dirty.

Head coach Parker Heath and assistant coach Vin Miserandino led the Prep team of 13 athletes to win the New England High School Championship in June. The team not only won the series, but also won the overall team standings in each of the six races, and team captain Jackson Heath ’17 won all six varsity races.  This is no small feat with a program in its inaugural year.

The Prep team races in two different leagues; the fall season competition is primarily with other prep schools in northern New England, and the spring season has them competing against teams across New England in the New England High School Cycling Association (NEHSCA). Each racer had to commit to a five-day training schedule. According to Coach Heath, this commitment enabled the team to improve enormously.

To be eligible to compete in the NEHSCA 6 Race Series, schools must compete as coed teams. While the fall league allows for a single gender team, the rules in NEHSCA require each team to have results from both boys and girls at each race event. This is when team co-captain Jackson Heath jumped into action and reached out to Kaia Schmid from Marblehead. Kaia is an extreme sports enthusiast and a nationally ranked mogul skier trying to make the US Ski Team. Her father, Kurt Schmid, is a pro mountain bike racer and introduced her to cycling at an early age.

“While we've both known and ridden with Kaia for years, my son Jackson gets the credit for recruiting her onto the team this spring. Although she had already raced competitively in other cycling disciplines, she had little mountain biking experience before joining the boys at the Prep. Before she came to her first practice, Coach Miserandino and I made it clear that even though she did not attend the Prep, she would be part of the team in every way,” Coach Heath said. “From day one, her athletic ability earned respect from us all; she was terrifically fast right away (faster than many of the boys) and she was a quick study learning to ride in the woods.  Her determination, discipline, and drive was an example for the whole team to emulate.”

Kaia said that from her very first practice, the boys made her feel a part of the team. “The coaches and my teammates all made me feel very welcomed. They were super nice, encouraging and really cheer each other on at the races. I’ve been on many sports teams, but never had this type of family/team chemistry. The Prep is a very special team. I don’t think I’ll be able to find that strong of a team again with their spirit,” Kaia said.

“Along with working to instill the desire to become better riders and better racers individually, we fostered an environment of team improvement; they encouraged and pushed each other,” said Coach Heath. 

Kaia graduated from the Brookwood School and will attend Proctor Academy in New Hampshire next year, where she plans to ride and ski. However, she still plans to race in some of the competitions with the Prep team. She hopes to spread the word about her positive experience with the Prep team to encourage more female riders to give the sport a try. “Mountain biking is super different than any other sport or cycling you can do. I love that you can get the speed and the gnarly downhill adrenaline rush!” Kaia smiles. Kaia gained so much traction with her mountain bike skills this year that she went to nationals for mountain biking in West Virginia at the end of July.

Coach Heath said that having Kaia on the team made them stronger. “I am grateful that we had six freshmen on this year's team who were able to witness her work ethic and focus first hand. They will have three more years to race at the Prep following her example. That's a huge take-away. That said, there were a few boys on the squad with incredible speed and skill whom Kaia was able to learn from and follow. One of the great things about this team was how the complex set of mountain biking skills got pollinated across the entire squad. As the season progressed, her new-found technical abilities helped her win her first mountain bike race, beating this year's junior Cyclocross national champion. And she was wearing a Prep jersey – we all were very proud of that.”

The team was also proud to bring the gigantic New England Championship trophy home to the Prep. Mountain biking rolls in nicely with the ongoing focus on wellness at St. John’s, and it will also be offered as a physical education elective in the fall. There is also a program for grade seven and eight students in the Middle School. Trying new things, like mountain biking, and stepping outside of a student’s comfort zone is one of the goals of the Prep’s focus on wellness. “It’s a great opportunity for kids to be involved in different activities like racing,” Coach Miserandino said. “The goal at the Prep is to educate the whole person, and not everybody is into football or baseball. Mountain biking is another outlet and it’s an activity you can enjoy your whole life.”

“It's not lost on me that these kids are the same age I was when I entered my first bike race. Coach Miserandino and I share a passion for this sport and we both know each new ride offers a chance to improve – even at our age. The kids get it. We always point out the successes and the improvements, even the small ones. And we encourage the kids to face, understand, and tackle the things they need to work on,” Coach Heath said. “For us as coaches, it's a thrill to see this process of growth and improvement happen. We aren't limited to watch from the sidelines; we both recognize the blessing of being able to get out and ride with these terrific kids.”