While sports fans often cannot agree on which teams constitute dynasties, and argue over even the definition of dynasty, no one can deny Don Ross Secondary is the dominant school in B.C. mountain biking. They confirmed this again last Saturday (May 28) at Halfmoon Bay on the Sunshine Coast at the provincial mountain bike championships.
For the third straight year, and fourth year out of the last five, Don Ross can call themselves provincial champions. The only thing stopping the Brackendale bikers so far has been the infamous teachers' strike of 2002. The Eagles also have a clean sweep of all of the official championships, as B.C. School Sports only began sanctioning the mountain biking championships in 2001, when the streak began. These feats are staggering when you consider that they are being achieved with only junior-aged bikers, as it is only a junior secondary school.
Girls' coach Michele Desjardins and boys' coach Peter Lang try to keep the spotlight on the bikers, admitting the athletes primarily train on their own, as the team has simply grown too large to go on trail rides together. Around 10 per cent of the entire school population is on the bike team. It is for this reason the team is trying to divide into teams based on age, and is actively looking for coaches for the new groups.
Lang personally is "very excited about the potential of the grade 8s."
The Bantam (grade 8) boys finished second overall, while the Bantam girls raced with the Juvenile (grade 9) girls and placed first overall as a group. Allison McClements and Raina Shortreed led the way with second and third placings, respectively.
The Juvenile boys also took their category and second and third individually, only this time it was Phil Cairns and Chris Bandy picking up the hardware.
The trend continued in the junior boys category, where DRSS was able to fend off the lads from Howe Sound, who placed second. Howe Sound's Gavin Arnott was able to steal a little bit of sunshine from DRSS, however, as the first Squamish finisher, in second place, one spot ahead of the Eagles' Dan MacKellar. The Sounders finished fourth in the overall standings.
In the junior/senior girls category, Don Ross was nothing short of spectacular. Despite only racing grade 10s against mostly grade 11s and 12s, they pulled out the second most lopsided victory of the day (next to the bantam/juvenile girls rout). Four of the top six finishers - Jaclyn McClements (first), Aislinn Merkel (second), Lauren Hughes (fourth), and Kyla Valleau (sixth) - were from the Brackendale school. Lang called these and the younger girls "the reason why we win every year."
Desjardins admitted with a laugh that she "can't keep up anymore" with the "very tight-knit group."
McClements was sad to be competing in her last race with Don Ross before she moves to Howe Sound next year, but is happy will make the change with her fellow bikers. It is training and racing with these friends and teammates that help to make it "not as nerve-wracking," she said.
The other high school in town did manage one more major victory, as Howe Sound senior boy Neal Kindree claimed the provincial championship, putting a history of "bad luck in the provincials" to rest.
"It really meant a lot to me," said the accomplished Kindree of finally achieving the title he has worked so hard for.
He now sets his sights on more lofty goals - specifically top three at the national championships in Quebec - but hasn't forgotten where he started, and developed his skills.
"I think the school mountain bike league is a very good place to start a mountain biking career, and Squamish is the ideal place to be, with two top high school teams and great coaches in David Gregr and Peter Lang."
He now sets his sights on more lofty goals - specifically top three at the national championships in Quebec - but hasn't forgotten where he started, and developed his skills.
"I think the school mountain bike league is a very good place to start a mountain biking career, and Squamish is the ideal place to be, with two top high school teams and great coaches in David Gregr and Peter Lang."
