Saint Joseph High School rolls with a new club Mountain Bike Team

SJCHS

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Courtesy of SJCHS

OGDEN — Saint Joseph Catholic High School sits majestically at the foot of the east bench of the Wasatch Mountains in Ogden. The school’s very backdrop is the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, where miles of historic trails are used by many avid runners and cyclists. This natural infrastructure was ideal when the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) came to town with the hope of implementing a mountain bike club league in Utah, and the SJCHS Mountain Bike Team started when a few Ogden area advocates of cycling became aware that a Utah High School league was being established for the 2012 season.

Pete Buttschardt, father of a SJCHS student and mountain bike coach, who spearheaded the team’s formation, attended the necessary trainings and was able to help facilitate the addition of club biking other northern Utah schools, including Ogden and Ben Lomond high schools.

High school mountain biking is a club sport organized and governed by NICA. The NICA branched into Utah with 32 high schools and 180 high school athletes, mostly along the Wasatch Front. They competed in four races during this inaugural fall season.

SJCHS’ team, with eight students, recently finished the season with a good showing.

"The greatest success is found in introducing our kids to something new and seeing them learn and enjoy a sport that will stay with them for life," Coach Buttschardt said.