NP mountain biking pedals to new medals
While birds often travel in groups across the skies, local mountain bikers flock together and ride across the trails and scenery that populate the Conejo Valley. At Newbury Park High School [NPHS], the school has become a center for mountain biking across the area and is home to one of the most prominent local youth teams.
For Hari Geeson, senior, mountain biking has become an outlet for both physical and social activity. “You’re exposed to different kinds of people I wouldn’t normally meet because not everyone wants to do [mountain biking,” Geeson said. “So you [can] meet a lot of like minded people and make friends really easily.”
Geeson first developed an interest in the sport in middle school. “I got a bike during Covid, and that [is] actually how I learned to ride. From there, being able to join the team showed me [biking] is a more fun sport than what I used to do,” Geeson said. “I [played] basketball and tennis, but nothing really clicked. Then mountain biking just seemed fun because it was more like an individual thing.”
In the future, he hopes to continue learning from the sport by biking recreationally. “[Biking] is a social sport and one [I] can do for the rest of my life because for me, it’s more of a hobby, and I use it to network with others too,” Geeson said.
Though Sarah Sterling, senior, attends Westlake High School, she is a part of the Conejo Valley composite team alongside other NPHS mountain bikers. “I never thought I would race, but I fell in love with the sport. Now, I can train through [NPHS’s] program, [while] racing for the composite team rather than the school,” Sterling said.
Sterling values the relationships she has created with teammates outside of her own school. “I’ve built connections with people I wouldn’t hang out with normally,” Sterling said. “ It’s a fun thing where we train, but it’s not that serious so it’s still enjoyable.”
While she appreciates the enjoyable aspects of mountain biking, Sterling notes that the sport can give rise to many emotions. “I always say [biking] has two types of fun. It’s very stressful on the starting line with so much anticipatory anxiety and waiting for [the race] to happen. But after it’s done, you feel so good [and] accomplished,” Sterling said.
Maddie Pond, junior, trains every week and has noticed improvements in her skill set. Pond dedicates each day she practices to a specific skill, such as downhill biking or endurance. “I would definitely say that my downhill skills have improved since I started. I used to be very timid and afraid to go over stuff, and now I do it [with] no problem,” Pond said.
Throughout local students’ mountain biking journeys, they have come to appreciate the connections and opportunities that the sport has brought them. “People are always super fascinated that I do mountain biking because it’s more of a niche sport and so just meeting new people, I think that’s something I’d love to take with me in the future,” Geeson said.
