Hilltop
S P O RT S N EWS F ROM C A M P US
SPORTS
Peak Performance Mountain biking team finds camaraderie on the trail. Sometimes it’s more common to find Aidan Davie ’22 on two wheels than on two feet. Slowly pedaling through the quad in late afternoon, Davie returns from the Potato Patch, where he and his teammates spent an afternoon on the single track—enjoying fresh air, the camaraderie of friends, and learning skills that will stay with them for a lifetime. As part of the mountain biking team, Davie is one of 18 students who are finding their place in the forests that surround campus. They are in good company among people of all ages who have found mountain biking a counterbalance to hectic, screen-driven lifestyles. Although mountain biking saw growth during the past decade, COVID-19 drove a meteoric rise in the past year. Market researchers reported sales of front-suspension mountain bikes were up by more than 150 percent in 2020. Located near world-class riding in New Hampshire and Vermont and a place where the sport already had a foothold, KUA finds itself in the right location at the right time. The team is coached by faculty members Bryant Harris ’04 and Mike Van Dolah. Harris was drawn to the sport as a KUA student through his advisor and former faculty member Mike Cloutman, who built the initial program. Today Harris advances Cloutman’s efforts while building a culture that promotes healthy, active participation over cutthroat competition. As a result, the team doubled in size in the past two years. The team travels regionally for Lakes Region races and competes well, but it’s the time spent in the saddle on KUA’s trails that appears to have the biggest impact on student-athletes. “We’re not always super race-oriented like some other schools,” says Davie. “They’re very focused on HOOPS ASSIST Kenyon College men’s basketball player Kamal Aubakirov ’17 was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Community Assist Team for outstanding community service. Aubakirov and his brother run 360 Mentors, a nonprofit that mentors students in his home country of Kazakhstan.
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KIMBALL UNION MAGAZINE
placing well in races. Here, we do so much more than that. We’re encouraged to race but we also really try to maintain health and have fun and make this an environment that’s friendly for all. I like the thrill of the jumps, I get exercise, I build a lot of confidence, and I love my teammates.” “A lot of kids are not in it for the racing, but they do the racing because it’s such a positive environment,” says Harris. “And this is true for everyone participating in the races. They encourage the last-place person as much as the first-place person.” The sport, he says, is different from others because it’s not a college sport. “For our top riders, they might get to compete as an adult or gain small sponsorships. It’s a lifelong sport, and they’re learning things with the intention that they can use this for the next 50 years.” For now, the student-athletes are fortunate to have everything they need in their backyard. Harris utilizes the campus as much as possible so students can enjoy it in their free time. In the past couple of years, KUA has doubled the trail network at French’s Ledges, particularly around the old ski hill, and added nearly seven miles of single track above the Potato Patch. Harris also weaves in lessons from his U.S. history class so students can better understand the land they ride—the growth of forests, the stone walls, the abandoned root cellars. He’s built partnerships with local bike shops and invites parents and alumni to tag along on rides. “These kids are all representing the school and they’re all wearing their orange,” says Harris. “I tell them to just go out and ride as hard as they can and have fun.” K ICE TIME Kyle Konin ’17 made his NHL debut in December with the St. Louis Blues as backup goalie for a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Konin serves as the emergency backup goaltender for all Lightning home games, where he’ll dress if either team needs a goaltender.
