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California State High Schools Mountain Bike Championships

Walker Creek Ranch, West Marin, California, May 2 2004

Sir Francis Drake High On Top After Final Round of League’s Fourth Season

Sir Francis Drake High School of San Anselmo claimed both championship and series honors in the teams category of the State Championships Mountain Bike Races, May 2, at Walker Creek Ranch, West Marin, an event that also served as the final round of the six-event NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing Series Presented by Clif Bar.

Participation in the competition, at 135 entrants, took a big step up in 2004 from 85 last year, confirming this as a milestone year in the growth of the series. Series founder Matt Fritzinger said: “I’m as pleased as can be with how this season has come together. Participation in the league is way up, and the atmosphere we have created is ideal. It’s competitive, but the riders and teams support each other really well, too. And all the parents are a terrific support. I’m really stoked!” Fritzinger is a math teacher at Berkeley High.

One of the founding fathers of Mountain Biking, Gary Fisher, attended the championships as a celebrity guest. “The league seems to have reached a critical mass this year, it’s growing on its own. Just look at all these parents, and the school banners and tents, and see how everybody’s smiling and mellow. But it’s not surprising it’s taking off: The sport doesn’t require any road closures, it’s safe relative to other sports, and look at how many kids in the USA own mountain bikes. I can see this high school mountain biking thing really taking off across the USA.”

Interscholastic competition was tight, as expected. In Division One, San Anselmo’s Sir Francis Drake High riders proved more than a match for their closest rivals, finishing the series with a tally of 7244 points. They also won the one-day championship. Redwood High, of Larkspur, ended the season second overall, with 7012 points, and Nevada Union High, of Grass Valley, placed third with 6969.

In Division Two, for schools with very small teams or recently having entered the league, Woodside High comfortably held off a challenge from the plucky riders of South Fork High, a school of only 391 students, in Miranda, Humboldt County.

Two stand-out riders on a weekend redolent with talent and courage were sophomore riders Katelyn Calvelli and Kevin Bernotas, both of Sir Francis Drake High.

Bernotas, who has already established himself as a promising young cross-country runner, and is built uncannily like the great Ned Overend (the Durango rider who became Mountain Biking’s first ever world champion), made league history by winning all six rounds of the series.

Katelyn Calvelli, like Bernotas, is an accomplished cross-country runner. Shortly after the start she found herself with three riders from the age group above, and stayed with them for the rest of the race. While Calvelli’s adversaries admit to being awestruck by her pace and dexterity on the trails, Calvelli herself was very low-key about winning this championship race.

The overall series award went to Sarah Ely of Nevada Union High, whose three early-season wins stood her in good stead. When Calvelli started firing on all cylinders, Ely focused on consistency and getting podium results to maintain her lead.

In the Junior Varsity category, Lauren Willis, of Redwood High, compensated for a troubled season by riding to a championships victory. On the way to the event her bicycle was destroyed when it fell off the car, and Willis competed on a bike borrowed from a female coach. Emma Worldpeace of South Fork High claimed the series prize in the Girls Junior Varsity category.

The Boys Junior Varsity championship was taken by Fred Stamm, of San Mateo High, riding in his third mountain bike race. Stamm is regarded as a promising young rider on the Bay area road scene. Nate Roter of Berkeley High won the series.

Varsity Boys, the highest level of racing at the championship, was won by the impressive Garrett Gibson, of Galileo High in San Francisco. Gibson is hoping this win will help him on his way to consideration for a place in the U.S.A. national team for the world championships in September. Nick Agate, of Albany High, won the series after finishing fifth at the championships. Agate trained through this race, in preparation for world championships pre-selection events coming up in two weeks time.

Results

Teams
 
Championships – Division 1
 
1 Sir Francis Drake High School     2188 pts
2 Nevada Union High School          2064
3 Redwood High School               2054
 
Championships – Division 2
 
1 South Fork High School             764 pts
2 Woodside High School               762
 
Series – Division 1
 
1 Sir Francis Drake High School     7244 pts
2 Redwood High School               7012
3 Nevada Union High School          6969
 
Series – Division 2
 
1 Woodside High School              2582 pts
2 South Fork High School            1980
3 Petaluma High School               800
 
Championships – Varsity Boys (4 laps/24 miles)
 
1 Garrett Gibson (Galileo High School)
2 Kyle Wildman (San Marin High School)
3 Chris Spencer (Lowell High School)
4 Matt Goebel (Sir Francis Drake High School)
5 Nick Agate (Albany High School)
 
Championships – Junior Varsity Boys (3 laps/18 miles)
 
1 Fred Stamm (Junipero Sera High School)
2 Kyle Wright (Nevada Union High School)
3 Kurt Schimmell (Nevada Union High School)
4 Nathan Roter (Berkeley High School)
5 Matt Freitas (Nevada Union High School)
 
Championships – Junior Varsity Girls (2 laps/12 miles)
 
1 Lauren Willis (Redwood High School)
2 Emma Worldpeace (South Fork High School)
3 Mira Radosevich (El Cerrito High School)
4 Michelle Labelle (Sir Francis Drake High School)
5 (result not available)
 
Championships – Sophomore Boys (2 laps/12 miles)
 
1 Kevin Berontas (Sir Francis Drake High School)
2 Daniel Novac (Sir Francis Drake High School)
3 Nick Kintz (Monterey High School)
4 Dan Freitas (Nevada Union High School)
5 Rex Roberts (El Cerrito High School)
 
Championships – Sophomore Girls (2 laps/12 miles)
 
1 Katelyn Calvelli (Sir Francis Drake High School)
2 Bryanna Smith (Redwood High School)
3 Sarah Ely (Nevada Union High School)
4 Thea Mertens (Nevada Union High School)
5 Karin Eames (El Cerrito High School)
 
Series – Varsity Boys
 
1 Nick Agate (Albany High School)
2 Todd Norwood (Woodside High School)
3 Alex Weissman (Berkeley High School)
4 Chris Spencer (Lowell High School)
5 Matt Goebel (Sir Francis Drake High School)
 
Series – Junior Varsity Boys
 
1 Nater Roter (Berkeley High School)
2 Josh Estrella (Salinas High School)
3 Joshua Miller (Berkeley High School)
4 Nathan Sowle (McQueen High School)
5 Kurt Schimmel (Nevada Union High School)
 
Series – Junior Varsity Girls
 
1 Emma Worldpeace (South Fork High School)
2 Mira Radosevich (El Cerrito High School)
3 Misha Lebell (Sir Francis Drake High School)
4 Lauren Willis (Redwood High School)
5 Sonja Rindermann (Calvary High School)
 
Series – Sophomore Boys
 
1 Kevin Bernotas (Sir Francis Drake High School)
2 Daniel Novac (Sir Francis Drake High School)
3 Nick Kintz (Monterey High School)
4 Rex Roberts (El Cerrito High School)
5 Dan Freitas (Nevada Union High School)
 
Series – Sophomore Girls
 
1 Sara Ely (Nevada Union High School)
2 Bryanna Smith (Redwood City High School)
3 Michelle Annereau (Calvary Chapel High School)
4 Thea Mertens (Nevada Union High School)
5 Katelyn Calvelli (Sir Francis Drake) 

Local results 2004

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