Members of the College of Education Ride with Conference Champion Husky Cycling Team
College of Education students Lisa Toner (Learning Sciences) and Mary Whipple (Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership) helped the University of Washington’s co-ed Husky Cycling team win the 2010 Northwest College Cycling Conference championship this spring. Tom Halverson (Lecturer, EDLPS) and Kent Jewell (Staff, EDPSY) also train with the team, and Kent helps out in an occasional volunteer capacity.
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Husky Cycling racers celebrating their NWCCC championship after the final series race at WSU. Lisa is second from L. in top row. Mary is second from L. in bottom row (w/sunglasses). |
Lisa took on the role of women’s team coordinator this year, and helped lead training rides, organize events, and played a key leadership role in developing the much-improved squad. She also earned her way up into the top A category of collegiate women’s racing. Lisa was also one of six accomplished UW cyclists to qualify for and recently race at the national collegiate cycling championships in Madison, WI. Although the team didn’t bring home any top honors from the national Division 1 races, the Huskies made huge strides this year in developing a large and powerful squad that holds much promise for next year.
The NWCCC is comprised of 18 colleges and universities throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. NWCCC series races are primarily held on weekends in March and April, though Husky Cycling rides and trains year-round. Husky Cycling is a club sport at the UW and is thus open to all who want to participate (students, faculty and staff). The club has grown in size (currently 100+) over the last couple years by cultivating an internal culture welcome to all levels of riders. Weekend social and training rides are now featured year-round, with additional rides and gatherings set up by members.
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Huskies fueling up before a brisk January training ride (refreshment courtesy of local team sponsor, Essential Baking). Lisa in middle w/cap & yellow jacket. Kent in back L. in cap. Photo by Mary. |
The club receives no funding from the UW Athletic Department, though does benefit from a few perks in being a University organization (e.g., motor pool vans to drive to weekend races, and some training sessions at the IMA facilities); but the bulk of the work of building the team, securing sponsorships, developing new riders, designing and ordering uniforms, etc. falls almost entirely upon the students (some of whom also train up to 15-20 hours per week). And all riders provide their own racing bikes – it’s certainly not the cheapest sport for student athletes! Husky Cycling also organizes one race in the NWCCC series each season, so alumni and club members all pitch in to make that event happen. Fundraising for the team is also accomplished by the club members (e.g., purchasing a bike trailer for transporting bikes to races, helping racers with some of their out-of-state travel costs, etc.).
Although the competitive focus of the team is channeled into the annual NWCCC road race series, members of Husky Cycling also compete in track, cyclocross, and mountain bike races (e.g., one Husky won the national cyclocross men’s race this past autumn), as well as other local road races. The program also has a history of producing excellent racers -- two recent graduates of Husky Cycling are currently racing on continental-level professional teams that compete around North America and beyond.
If you’re interested in joining the club, don’t hesitate to talk to Lisa, Mary, Tom or Kent, or visit the Husky Cycling website!
Mary Whipple on her experiences riding with the team this year: “With Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership being a relatively new program (I'm in the 4th cohort) I wanted to make sure my time here got me as much exposure to other students on campus as possible. This was basically my first year on a road bike and I thought joining the Husky Cycling Team would help me become better at the sport. I did my undergraduate (Class of 2002) work here and majored in Communications while being a student-athlete for crew. After graduating I got invited to join the US National Team for rowing and was lucky enough to compete in two Olympics earning a Silver in Athens and Gold in Beijing. Being able to join the Husky Cycling Team definitely went hand in hand with my masters degree that I'm working toward. I got to see the other side of Intercollegiate sport at the grass roots level which made me appreciate all the cyclists that dedicated so much time while attending school, working jobs and paying to compete in their sport. As a future coach and hopefully administrator for a Division I school, I hope to bring this experience with me to help influence the scholarship student-athletes to take full advantage of what they are given to achieve their education.“ |
Lisa Toner on her experiences this year up through racing in the national championships: |
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Lisa racing in the national collegiate championship women’s road race |
“Husky Cycling introduced me to great people, got me hooked on racing, and has been a wonderful compliment to graduate school. After racing a few times last season, I decided to compete more seriously this year and began training about 12 hours per week. I sacrificed my savings for a carbon fiber bike, ate more vegetables, and came to love riding up hills. I surprised myself by winning the first collegiate race of the season--and by winning every weekend after that until I upgraded to the A category. In early May, I boarded a plane to Madison, WI, for nationals. A hilly 15 mile loop awaited me; I was to race around the loop four times and then ride up another huge hill to the finish line. Race day dawned like a miserable Seattle January morning with soaking rain, wind, and 42 degree temps. It was brutal: the men raced first and more than half dropped out. Yet as I lined up with 90 other women, I felt optimistic. I like hills, and don’t mind suffering. The gun fired! The pack set a blistering pace through the Wisconsin farmland, staying together for about two laps then gradually splitting into smaller groups. Miles and hours passed, and I stayed positive and found a strange enjoyment in the harsh conditions. Finally, I arrived at the finishing climb. My mind and body clicked into a state of incredible determination as I cranked uphill. Ignoring the burning in my muscles and lungs, I didn’t even look at the spectators cheering for me as I raced to the finish, sprinting past any rider I saw in front of me. When I crossed the line, I nearly cried from pain and exhaustion. 3.5 hours, 60 miles, 6000’ of elevation gain, and 42nd place. While I was nowhere near winning, this was a personal victory. And as I face my next daunting project, conducting a research study and writing my thesis, I have a greater confidence in the power of power of focus and discipline.” |
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