Mountain biking team raises money

HAYS COUNTY — A local mountain biking team — composed of students, parents and adult volunteers — is gearing up to have a fundraiser early next year.

Founded at least 10 years ago, originally at Lehman High School, the Hays County Composite Stingers is a mountain biking team that accepts sixth through 12th grade students, primarily in Hays CISD, but there are also students who are homeschooled and in other school districts. The team is a part of a league called the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), which develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes across the United States to have adventures with their teammates, while also tackling challenges.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
William King, a member of the Hays County Composite Stingers and a student at Dahlstrom Middle School, rides his bike on a trail during a race.[/caption]

“We have about 30 kids this year. We have five or six races in the spring. This year, there will be five, last year there were six,” said coach Jenn Loy. “They are mountain biking races, so cross country style, none of the crazy downhill stuff that you see where [there is] jumping, flipping and all of that stuff. It’s wheels on the ground, cross country racing. If you ever saw a cross country run, it’s kind of the same thing, but on bikes.”

The pre-season starts in October, but the official season is December through May.

Loy said that they will welcome any kid who lives in the area to be on the team, even if they are hesitant at first. She explained that they have kids who compete that are really passionate about earning a specific score, but then there are other kids who have never been biking on a trail before who want to get outside to try something new and hang out with friends.

The coach encourages students, or parents, who are interested in being on the team to visit one of the practices or reach out with any questions.

“We try to provide the environment for them to do whatever level of biking they want to do,” she said. “It's an unusual sport. It's not basketball or baseball, something that people have seen a million times. So, there's always a ton of questions of, ‘What does this really look like?’”

The Stingers started at Lehman High School with one coach, who was there for about five years, according to Loy. Then, Donald Davis — the team director and a teacher at Hays High School — coached for about five years with his son being on the team. Last year, the team was passed down to Loy and her husband, Travis, who teaches at Hays High School.

Loy said that during the time that she has been helping lead the team, she has enjoyed being able to coach the beginners.

“I love watching the ‘Aha!’ moments of them learning to do something on the bike and the accomplishment that you can see their faces. They get down that hill, up that hill [or] over that obstacle,” she said.

Hosted by For The Love of Go, there will be a Go for Good 2024 5K at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13 at Hays High School, located at 4800 Jack C Hays Trail in Buda.

The team is hoping that the fundraiser will help with getting new equipment, along with aiding in its pool of bikes. Team members bring their own bikes or borrow from a small pool of bikes available to get a new team member started.

Loy said that part of their mission is to help kids that don’t usually have access to bikes and equipment. She said for those that may have financial hardships, they will “work with them as much as can to find a way for them to ride. Sometimes, there are scholarships available [and], sometimes, we have donors that will sponsor a kid.”

League fees paid to NICA are $90 plus $50 per race, or $180 for all five races if the rider registers early and all at once, according to Loy, and the team fee is $130.

For more information, or to contact the team’s coaches, visit . To learn more about the upcoming 5K, visit .