Practice Starts June 23rd – Get Ready!
Coyotes, you’ve got three jobs before practice starts, we cover them each in this newsletter and there’s an FAQ of parent questions from the last couple days at the bottom of this. We are happy to answer any other questions you might have, as well! Just shoot an email to the coaches: wmcoyotesmtb@gmail.com
1. Register for the team
We are insured by the West Michigan Coast Riders. They are also our largest sponsors. In short, it’s required that all Coyotes get registered before they attend a practice. Details on how to register are available here: https://www.coyotesmtb.com/join/
2. Time Trial Mosquito Creek
To ensure our riders train with people of similar speed and skill, we have them do a time trial before their first practice. This year we have selected Mosquito Creek trail for this time trial. You can ride on your own, with a parent, or with a coach. Time trial instructions:
- Mosquito Creek Trail map: https://www.trailforks.com/region/mosquito-creek-22097
- Parking is located on Maple Island Road near Messinger Road. The parking lot has a big sign, you can’t miss it!
- Elementary Riders – Please record your time for 1 loop of the Green trail
- Middle and High School Riders – Please record your time for 1 loop of Green + Matrix (Outer Loop)
- This trail is directional by day of the week. You can time trial either direction.
- Let us know your time, or your intent to ride with a coach on this form.
3. Train with your pack!
Practice starts the week of June 23rd. Once a rider has a time trial, we will assign you to a pack and you’ll train with them through July. The consistency of coaching and training partners worked well last year. This year it will also help us ensure a safer practice environment for your kids in the era of COVID-19.
Practices start June 23rd. You can join us any time throughout the summer though. There is no requirement that you start on a given date.
To ensure you are in the loop for practice locations and times, whether the weather is impacting our plans, etc. please sign up for the texting service. We will ensure you are informed of any changes in our schedule. Newsletters will let you know the general schedule, but the texting service is how we do last-second changes.
Parent FAQ
Questions people have asked this week are listed below. We don’t mind questions, so feel free to reach out via email as well: wmcoyotesmtb@gmail.com
- Question: “I cannot get to Mosquito Creek because ______. What do I need to do about the time trial?”
Answer: If you’ve got times from other local trails, we can try to use those. Please try to get to Mosquito Creek though, it’ll be the easiest way to ensure a good training pack for your rider. - Question: What if we have other obligations and cannot start until later this summer?
Answer: No worries. We will take you whenever you are ready to start! Please still plan to do a time trial before your first practice if at all possible. We will want to get you assigned to a pack. - Question: I’ve already been to Mosquito Creek. Can I use my time from a previous ride?
Answer: Absolutely! If you already have a recorded time at Mosquito Creek, just let us know what it was.