Garrett Composite Earns Community Award

The Garrett Composite Mountain Bike Team hosted the second annual Deep Creek Adventure Rally with the Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League (MICL) mid September. Deep Creek Lake State Park was a perfect setting for the event as the rally started and finished on the picturesque lake shore!

The 8.5 mile ride included 600 feet of climbing up Beckman’s Trail and Indian Turnip Trail which challenges the most seasoned athletes. Once at the top the MICL riders and coaches were rewarded with a sweet singletrack trail full of smaller rock gardens, sections of flow trail and a whole lot of beautiful wooded forest as they continued across the top of Meadow Mountain.

The second half of the loop included a bonus lap where riders could again challenge themselves on the rocky Thayer Trace Trail, before heading back down the mountain to the lakeshore. The focus of this event was shifted from the normal head to head race to the Adventure side of mountain biking with 24 teams from all across Maryland coming to Garrett County to explore and challenge themselves on some of the most technically difficult trails in the state.

The true magic of the adventure happens behind the scenes when the 6th -12th grade student athletes, their coaches and families are in the woods and on their bikes together! It happens when a student athlete successfully conquers the rugged 8 mile loop, it’s the stories that are told around a campfire, or maybe just seeing a bunch of kiddos enjoying some unplugged, quality outside time after all the racing tents, timing equipment and starting gates are packed away. Sharing the adventure, having challenging yet rewarding experiences with teammates, friends, competitors, and family is what the Coyotes, MICL and NICA is all about! Simply put..we are Building Better Humans through Cycling. 

Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League directors and core staff awarded the Garrett County Coyotes the  “Community Award” during the event. This award is given to a  MICL team that goes above and beyond to help build a better community we live in and within the MICL league. The Coyotes helped elevate the success of the Deep Creek Adventure Rally by building new trails to provide a safer route to the course. The Coyotes have increased the opportunities for community members to participate in outdoor recreation by creating the new multi-use trails at Broadford Park. They have volunteered countless hours cleaning trails in DCL State Park, facilitated a bike rodeo for the Lions Club, and supported other newly formed MICL teams.    

The event did include a mile-timed section that only counted for good ole fashion bragging rights. Of the 400 riders from 24 teams, the Coyotes had 14 of their 21 riders finish in the top 10 in their respective division. The Coyote girls crushed the mountain as all 8 riders finished in the top 5 of their division! Aspen Smith took First place with a time of 5:43.7 while Mary Thrush finished 3rd in the 6th Grade Girls div. with a 6:03.2. Tessa Dubanski and Ava Anderson finished 3rd and 4th place in girls 7th Grade Div. with times of 6:24.7 and 6:26.7.   Eight grader Allison Thrush finished 4th in 5:53.7.  Ashlynn Anderson won the JV2 Girls Div. in 5:23.5 just in front of teammate Ellie Hudnall with the second place finish in 5:37.5.  JV3 Girls: Iris Dubansky placed 3rd in 5:42.1.

Coyote boys laid down some great times and places on their home turf as well! JV 1 rider Jackson Hordubay recorded the fastest time for the Coyotes with a 4 minute 22 second sprint through the top of Indian Turnip Trail to place 5th in his division. Teammate and varsity rider Nathan Aldridge finished with 4:23.0 for 8th place finish which is an impressive comeback from an early season injury. Boys JV1 Division Ian Cooper took 16th Place in 4:40.7. In the Boys JV3 div, Ben Richards took 14th (5:16.5) and Matthew McCartney took 18th place in 5:21.7. In the Boys 8th grade Div. : Cooper Haley took 3rd Place in 4:33.9, Jason Van Antwerp Jr. took 6th place in 5:05.6, Andrew SanJulian in 8th place with a 5:09.9. and Andy McCartney took 42nd in 6:25.8. In the Boys 7th Grade Div.  Cam  Hundall took 17th in 6:07.2  while Jake Richards took 19th in 6:09.9. In the Boys 6th Grade Div: Ryan Aldridge finished in 20th place in 7:25.4.

Special thanks to the staff of the Deep Creek State Park, the Staff of MICL, the countless volunteers and these local businesses that have sponsored the Coyotes in the past. Garrett Trails, High Mountain Sports, Taylor-Made, , Brenda’s Pizzeria, Vagabond, Tiny Corner Bike Shop, Brian Boal and Assoc. CPA,, Sport Tech / Giro, Bill’s Marine, Tom Dabney Law Firm, Grenier Law Group, CTAC, Alvarez Construction, Phenix Technologies, Mountain Maryland Maintenance, Mountain Top Claim Services, Wisp, Clear Mountain Bank, and Walker & Dunlap

For complete race results go to https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mCgf07kzyM7omplGmeLY8EPFLbW_LVWy/view

Click here for more information about the Garrett Composite Team or the Maryland MTB league.

 

Garrett County Coyotes mountain biking team received the Community Award from the Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League for their commitment to building the MICL Community and local biking community through volunteer trail maintenance, trail building, and promoting and enhancing recreation in the community.

Front Left to right: Annabelle Miller, Ashlynn Anderson, Ellie Hudnall, Drew Hordubay
Back Row Left to Right: Coach Eric Anderson, Coach Aaron Hordubay, Cam Hudnall, Andrew San Julian, Ava Anderson, Iris Dubansky, Anna Buczynski, Tessa Dubansky, Cooper Haley, Jason Van Antwerp, Jackson Hordubay, Coach Brian Haley, Micah Buczynski, Coach Sharon Seling, Coach Pat Hudnall, Maryland League Co-Director Jon Posner

 

Garrett Composite Mountain Bikers Ashlynn Anderson and Ellie Hudnall racing across Indian Turnip Trail at the MICL Deep Creek Adventure Rally. Ashlyn won the Girls Division JV2 with a time of 5 minutes and 23 seconds while Hudnall finished in second place with a time of 5 minutes and 35 seconds.