I keep thinking about how quiet the next weekend is going to feel. 72 Coyotes raced at Bloomer, and somewhere between getting everybody to staging, fixing bikes, cheering, and trying to figure out the points, we finished another season together. Now I’m home, and I’m realizing I won’t be seeing everybody at the tent next weekend. That part kind of sucks. Although Iceman is coming…so I won’t have to behave like a normal person for long.
You get used to having these kids around. They wander over to tell you something about their race, ask for help with their bike, or give you absolutely no context before launching into a story you’re apparently supposed to understand. Sometimes they just hang around with their friends, and you get to overhear enough of the conversation to remember why adults probably shouldn’t try to understand everything.
Whether you raced once or all six, stood up front at awards or clapped for your friends, I hope you felt like you belonged here. Maybe you picked a goal and got it. Maybe you worked at something all summer and still aren’t quite there. Maybe your favorite part was riding with your pack and whatever nonsense happened afterward. I hope there’s something from this season you’ll want to come back for.
We care about the racing…of course we do. You’ve heard us yelling out there. But when I think about why I keep showing up, it’s these kids and the little things we get to be part of as they grow up. Getting comfortable with their pack. Making a friend they probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. Finally riding something and immediately looking back to see if their coach saw it. We saw it buddy. We’re probably going to tell your parents about it too.
By the end of the summer, you’ve gotten pretty attached to everybody. You want their race to go well because you know how excited or nervous they were before it. And when it doesn’t, you want them to know they can come back to the tent, be upset for a bit, and still have their people around them.
Max and Kaitlyn both had to pick themselves up this weekend and keep racing. I was proud of them for sticking with it when their day got hard. Jakob’s race ended with an injury and a trip to the ER, and I wish we could’ve given him a different ending to his season. There’s a lot happening out there that doesn’t show up next to a finishing position.
Our high school riders brought home a second straight team series championship. Back to back baby! Elementary and middle school both finished second, and I know some of those kids are disappointed. We can give them room for that while still celebrating everything they did this year.
I hope our novice kids felt just as much a part of this team as our varsity kids. Same for the ones who couldn’t wait to race and the ones who were still deciding whether this was their thing. I loved having you around, and I hope I told you that enough this summer.
Thanks to the parents for getting them here and trusting us with them, and to the coaches and volunteers who kept coming back. These kids have given us a pretty good summer. I’m glad we got to spend it with them.
Now…about Bloomer. Grab a coffee. We’ve got some racing to talk about, a borrowed bike that may have become significantly more expensive, and a very brief running career that I’d like to officially retire from.
Sunday started with drizzle that never really went away. Nothing heavy, just enough to be annoying and make everybody take another look at the bridges and roots. Bloomer was offering complimentary moisture with every registration. Very generous. Would’ve preferred a muffin.
Katrina brought a “Here for the Vibes” shirt with Justinian on it, which feels like the kind of thing we need to discuss before anyone orders next year’s team kit. We’ve got riders chasing championships, and meanwhile Justinian has a clothing line. I don’t know what the licensing agreement looks like, but I assume payment is in snacks.
Ocean’s bike then decided we hadn’t experienced enough excitement this season.
Eleven minutes until staging, we pulled it off the trainer and found the thru axle wasn’t threading correctly. Pulled it out, found some metal and gunk, cleaned it, and tried again. Nope. Tried another axle. Also nope. We had officially reached the point where standing around saying “come on” wasn’t fixing anything.
Okay, who has a bike Ocean can ride?
Sawyer Weaver did…same size, available, and about to get called up to varsity. Pedals swapped, seat adjusted, Garmin moved, and Ocean headed out for a quick test ride. All good. Two minutes to line up. Plenty of time, if you don’t count any of the time we actually needed.
With Ocean set, I went to fist bump the varsity boys. Walked up to Cam and we noticed he had the other Cam’s number plate. Naturally. So now I’m sprinting to the tent and back to swap plates. Between that and the Le Mans start at Marji, I’ve completed my running for the season. My resignation from running is effective immediately.
Then the varsity boys gave us plenty to yell about. Tristan. T-dawg, T-money, my man T. Another sprint finish, another win, and apparently another opportunity for his mom to test the structural integrity of her vocal cords.
We were already excited about that when the parents started doing some math. Tristan and Nathan had finished the series tied at 2,356 points. The tiebreaker was their last head to head finish, which Tristan had just won.
HE FREAKING WON THE VARSITY BOYS SERIES.
After the DNF start to his season, seeing him finish it this way was pretty special. He’s such a cool kid and an absolute delight to have on this team. Getting to watch that finish and then figure out together what it meant for his whole season was a pretty good few minutes at Bloomer.
And yes…I have another video of his mom screaming. This one’s better than the last. I’ll just drop it here because his mom told me how much she loves this. Well, his dad told me…and I sort of believe him. VOLUME UP!
Easton Roberts finished 7th in his last MiSCA race as a senior. Cam DeJong came through 12th, with his fastest lap saved for the end, and Will Hughes finished 16th. Will’s three laps were all within about 14 seconds. I can’t even make three cups of coffee that consistently.
Over in varsity girls, Reese Drajka finished 3rd, with Sammy Weaver right behind her in 4th. Ocean brought Sawyer’s bike across in 7th, her best varsity finish yet. Apparently the bike understood the assignment.
Then Ocean gave the bike a kiss as she rolled across the finish line and told me, “Coach Tobi, I always thought I was slow on the flats, and it turns out it was just my bike!”
Coach Paul, I’m not sure you knew about that part, but you’ve now got a pretty strong customer testimonial. Here’s your chance to get two to three times the value of that bike. Coach Ryan, it’s upgrade time. The bike has spoken and demanded it.
Kellen Rottier finished 3rd in JV 11th-12th grade boys, closing out his senior season with three straight 3rd place finishes. Henry Wert came through 7th.
That’s the part of the weekend that sneaks up on you. You know Easton and Kellen are seniors, but you’re busy getting everybody ready and watching the races, and then they cross the line and that was their last one with us.
Sam Bazuin and Ray Muehlenz weren’t racing at Bloomer, but they belong in this goodbye just as much. Easton, Kellen, Sam, and Ray, we’re going to miss having you around. Thanks for spending these years with the Coyotes and letting us be part of them. I hope you’ve got a few stories you’ll still be telling long after you’ve forgotten where you finished.
Come back and see us. You’ve still got a place at the tent. We may ask you to carry something, but that’s how you’ll know you’re home.
In JV ninth- and tenth-grade boys, Sawyer Willink finished 4th, with only about four seconds between his two lap times. Tyler Veley came through 7th, and Tyler Whipple finished 20th with a faster second lap. Two Tylers and another Sawyer. We’re one busy staging line away from needing name tags.
Calvin Host and Owen Rookus finished 28th and 29th, about five seconds apart, after riding together for much of the race. It was good to have Owen back out there, although he apparently felt simply riding the bike wasn’t enough. We caught him doing a wheelie around the corner into the switchbacks. Yep, that corner. Bro just got back and is already reducing his tire contact by 50 percent.
Jakob Boer had been reporting brake noise before the race, so Coach Chris and I checked and found a loose rear caliper. Weirder things happen around here, we swear.
Unfortunately, Jakob went down hard on lap one, and his day ended with a trip to the ER and a fractured wrist. Dang, buddy. We wish you’d gotten a different ending to your season. Heal up, and we’ll be happy to have you back when you’re ready. Maybe ask Owen for some advice on dealing with a cast. He’s unfortunately got recent experience.
Harper Roberts finished 4th in JV girls. Kaitlyn Tungl finished 16th after a morning that could’ve used a few fewer plot twists. Her shoe’s BOA broke on the preride, so we used black tape to tighten it up. Then a couple of overlapping wheels at the start sent her down and over the bars. Her bars were turned, but after a quick check she got going again and finished. It was a tough start to work through, and I was proud of her for keeping at it. Really glad to see her come across that line.
Max Clemo also had an unplanned meeting with the ground. Thankfully he wasn’t hurt, popped right back up, and got back past two riders to regain his position. He finished 4th in advanced middle school boys, less than four seconds behind Ryland Modzeleski in 3rd.
Cruz Woodbury won again, making it six wins in six races and a series championship. Cruz control was engaged all season. I checked, and unfortunately that feature is not available on my bike.
Easton Johnson finished 7th and Michael Eicher 9th, giving us five Coyotes in the advanced middle school boys top ten. That’s quite a bit of orange moving through the woods.
Lola Clemo and Hadley Ruch finished 4th and 5th in advanced middle school girls, less than three seconds apart. Both went faster on their second lap. Shake and bake…apparently. I’m over here getting tired walking back to the tent, and they’re picking up the pace.
Michael Count and Dylan Grenier gave us another close finish in intermediate 7th and 8th grade boys, taking 1st and 2nd about two and a half seconds apart. Then they ended the series tied on points, with Michael taking the championship on the tiebreaker and Dylan finishing second. Six races together, and these two still couldn’t give the parents an easy afternoon.
Brayden Bender finished 13th, sneaking under 50 minutes. Jack Witte came through 24th and Spencer Bundy 34th. Three laps each, because apparently the first two trips around Bloomer weren’t enough opportunity to enjoy the scenery.
Camden Host finished third in intermediate 6th grade boys, saving his fastest lap for last. He also brought home second in the series. Both Camdens finished with their fastest lap this weekend. I appreciate the coordination. Now we just need to work on number plates.
Alida Ward finished 16th in intermediate middle school girls, with Anneke Willink 18th and Jeannie Reckner 20th. Alida and Anneke were only about 15 seconds apart after nearly an hour of racing. Plenty of time together out there, and still less separation than a parent trying to get through the coffee line.
Emily Eckert won novice middle school girls and joined Cruz in the perfect season club. Six starts, six wins, and the series championship. Pretty cool watching her put that season together. Fiona O’Byrne finished 9th, riding her second lap almost a minute and a half faster than her first. Apparently once she knew where everything was, she had places to be.
William Scholz took 3rd in novice 7th and 8th grade boys, and Christopher Scholz took 3rd in novice 6th grade boys. David Terrell finished 4th in novice 10-12th grade boys, with Robbie Scholz 5th. We were already three Scholzes into the weekend and still had Theodore to come. Somebody get that family a punch card.
Over in elementary, Sawyer Weaver finished 3rd in advanced boys. His bike also finished 7th in varsity girls, which is a fairly productive weekend for a bicycle. We should probably get it a chair at the year end celebration in November. Ryder Pankey came through 6th and Raylan Hansma 7th. Nine miles each at Bloomer. When I was in elementary school, nine miles sounded like something your parents claimed they walked to school. Uphill….both ways.
It was good to have Alta Woodbury back for the finale, finishing 4th in advanced elementary girls. Between Alta and Cruz, the Woodburys were keeping us busy, and Zion hadn’t even raced yet.
Our 5th grade boys came through in a little orange procession. Ivan Rookus 8th, Coleman Erb 9th, Nolan Widmayer 10th, and Hunter Heinz 11th. Ivan and Coleman were barely more than a second apart. Did we just become best friends? Or are we both just trying to get to the snacks? Gavin Ebeling finished 16th and Diego Martir 20th. Miles Eicher came through 26th, completing six miles. Yes…Miles rode miles. I’ve been waiting all season to use that. Please respect my commitment to the craft.
Emmett Katerberg finished 32nd, and Rainey Broughton came through 12th in 5th grade girls. Rainey lined up for all six races this season. We would also like to clarify that she had nothing to do with Sunday’s forecast.
William Bernatche finished 3rd in 4th grade boys, less than a third of a second ahead of fourth. That’s close enough that I’m glad somebody else was responsible for the timing. Jeremiah Fisher came through 7th, Bradley Stiles 11th, Caleb Grenier 26th, and Henry Stoddard 33rd. Caleb and Henry both rode faster second laps. Six miles on those little bikes is a pretty substantial weekend assignment.
Aspen Trierweiler finished 2nd in 4th grade girls, only about three and a half seconds off the win, with Lucy Clemo 3rd. Adalyn Sytsma finished 6th and Winnie Richardson 11th. Aspen and Lucy also brought home second and third in the series. There was plenty to celebrate in that group.
Titus Broughton won 3rd grade boys by about a second and brought home the series championship. Small bike, big finish. Wyatt Johnson took 3rd, with Zion Woodbury 12th and Theodore Scholz 26th.
And there’s our fourth Scholz. William, Christopher, Robbie, and Theodore all raced at Bloomer. At this point I assume their family packs snacks by the pallet.
Lucas Sytsma finished 3rd in 2nd grade boys and Rory Katerberg 13th. Three miles through the woods on little wheels. I don’t know how many times those legs went around, but I’m guessing enough to power a small appliance.
Lynlee Widmayer finished 5th in 2nd-3rd grade girls, Emalyn Fisher 11th, and Adalynn Widmayer 16th. With Nolan racing too, the Widmayers had another busy weekend. I hope everybody got back into the correct vehicle. Our number plate department cannot be trusted to assist.
And we’ve got to include Alexander Clemo and Benedict Stoddard, who rode the noncompetitive pre-K and first-grade race. A full three-mile lap for our little guys. Pretty cool seeing them out there as part of this whole thing. Three miles is a long way when your legs are roughly the length of a water bottle.
That’s all 72 of our Bloomer riders, from the little guys getting their lap in to the seniors finishing their last race with us.
Across the series, Tristan, Cruz, Emily, Michael, and Titus brought home individual championships. We also had Reese, Sawyer Willink, Max, Hadley, Camden Host, Dylan, Ryder, Aspen, Lucy, and Wyatt Johnson finish in the top three of their categories. A lot of work went into those results, and I hope everybody got a chance to enjoy their moment at awards.
Our high school team won at Bloomer and secured that second straight series championship. Middle school and elementary both finished second for the weekend and second in the series. Middle school ended up just 16 points off the title after six races. Close enough to keep us checking the results, even after we knew what they said.
Now we’ve got wet stuff to dry, bikes to sort out, and approximately a thousand photos and videos to look through. Somewhere in there I’ll probably start missing the noise again.
Thanks for another season, Coyotes. Seniors, come visit. Jakob, heal up. Everybody else, if you’re still finding Bloomer dirt in the car next spring, just tell your parents it’s a souvenir.
Full results below the gallery.
Full results:
| Name | Category | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Tristan Hubbard | Varsity Male | 1st |
| Easton Roberts | Varsity Male | 7th |
| Cam DeJong | Varsity Male | 12th |
| Will Hughes | Varsity Male | 16th |
| Reese Drajka | Varsity Female | 3rd |
| Sammy Weaver | Varsity Female | 4th |
| Ocean Trierweiler | Varsity Female | 7th |
| Kellen Rottier | Junior Varsity 11–12th Grade Male | 3rd |
| Henry Wert | Junior Varsity 11–12th Grade Male | 7th |
| Sawyer Willink | Junior Varsity 9–10th Grade Male | 4th |
| Tyler Veley | Junior Varsity 9–10th Grade Male | 7th |
| Tyler Whipple | Junior Varsity 9–10th Grade Male | 20th |
| Calvin Host | Junior Varsity 9–10th Grade Male | 28th |
| Owen Rookus | Junior Varsity 9–10th Grade Male | 29th |
| Jakob Boer | Junior Varsity 9–10th Grade Male | DNF |
| Harper Roberts | Junior Varsity Female | 4th |
| Kaitlyn Tungl | Junior Varsity Female | 16th |
| Cruz Woodbury | Advanced Middle School Male | 1st |
| Ryland Modzeleski | Advanced Middle School Male | 3rd |
| Max Clemo | Advanced Middle School Male | 4th |
| Easton Johnson | Advanced Middle School Male | 7th |
| Michael Eicher | Advanced Middle School Male | 9th |
| Lola Clemo | Advanced Middle School Female | 4th |
| Hadley Ruch | Advanced Middle School Female | 5th |
| David Terrell | Novice 10–12th Grade Male | 4th |
| Robbie Scholz | Novice 10–12th Grade Male | 5th |
| Alida Ward | Intermediate 6–8th Grade Female | 16th |
| Anneke Willink | Intermediate 6–8th Grade Female | 18th |
| Jeannie Reckner | Intermediate 6–8th Grade Female | 20th |
| Emily Eckert | Novice 6–8th Grade Female | 1st |
| Fiona O’Byrne | Novice 6–8th Grade Female | 9th |
| Michael Count | Intermediate 7–8th Grade Male | 1st |
| Dylan Grenier | Intermediate 7–8th Grade Male | 2nd |
| Brayden Bender | Intermediate 7–8th Grade Male | 13th |
| Jack Witte | Intermediate 7–8th Grade Male | 24th |
| Spencer Bundy | Intermediate 7–8th Grade Male | 34th |
| Camden Host | Intermediate 6th Grade Male | 3rd |
| William Scholz | Novice 7–8th Grade Male | 3rd |
| Christopher Scholz | Novice 6th Grade Male | 3rd |
| Sawyer Weaver | Advanced Elementary Male | 3rd |
| Ryder Pankey | Advanced Elementary Male | 6th |
| Raylan Hansma | Advanced Elementary Male | 7th |
| Alta Woodbury | Advanced Elementary Female | 4th |
| Ivan Rookus | Elementary 5th Grade Male | 8th |
| Coleman Erb | Elementary 5th Grade Male | 9th |
| Nolan Widmayer | Elementary 5th Grade Male | 10th |
| Hunter Heinz | Elementary 5th Grade Male | 11th |
| Gavin Ebeling | Elementary 5th Grade Male | 16th |
| Diego Martir | Elementary 5th Grade Male | 20th |
| Miles Eicher | Elementary 5th Grade Male | 26th |
| Emmett Katerberg | Elementary 5th Grade Male | 32nd |
| Rainey Broughton | Elementary 5th Grade Female | 12th |
| William Bernatche | Elementary 4th Grade Male | 3rd |
| Jeremiah Fisher | Elementary 4th Grade Male | 7th |
| Bradley Stiles | Elementary 4th Grade Male | 11th |
| Caleb Grenier | Elementary 4th Grade Male | 26th |
| Henry Stoddard | Elementary 4th Grade Male | 33rd |
| Aspen Trierweiler | Elementary 4th Grade Female | 2nd |
| Lucy Clemo | Elementary 4th Grade Female | 3rd |
| Adalyn Sytsma | Elementary 4th Grade Female | 6th |
| Winnie Richardson | Elementary 4th Grade Female | 11th |
| Titus Broughton | Elementary 3rd Grade Male | 1st |
| Wyatt Johnson | Elementary 3rd Grade Male | 3rd |
| Zion Woodbury | Elementary 3rd Grade Male | 12th |
| Theodore Scholz | Elementary 3rd Grade Male | 26th |
| Lucas Sytsma | Elementary 2nd Grade Male | 3rd |
| Rory Katerberg | Elementary 2nd Grade Male | 13th |
| Lynlee Widmayer | Elementary 2nd–3rd Grade Female | 5th |
| Emalyn Fisher | Elementary 2nd–3rd Grade Female | 11th |
| Adalynn Widmayer | Elementary 2nd–3rd Grade Female | 16th |
| Alexander Clemo | Non-Competitive PreK–1st Grade Male | Noncompetitive |
| Benedict Stoddard | Non-Competitive PreK–1st Grade Male | Noncompetitive |
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