Raceday: Sunday, September 26th, 2021
This page updated Friday 9/24
Race FAQ:
- What time should we show up? At least 45 minutes before staging time (listed below). We will publish specific team warmup times as we get closer to race day and recommend you get there for a ride so you can warmup with teammates. There is a single driveway into this park. Sometimes it gets really backed up. Please plan to be early.
- Do we have to pay for parking? Parking is $5/car per day. Please bring cash to speed up the long lines!
- What if the roster doesn’t show my name? If you are not listed here, then you aren’t registered for this race, or you are not listed as a Coyote with MiSCA. Either of those scenarios can be easily resolved by emailing the coaches and/or emailing MiSCA.
- When do I get my number plate? Coaches will have your number plates at the race. Please turn them in after your race so that we can bring them each week for you. There is a $10 fee to replace, but if you give them back to us each week we will ensure they arrive safely. You can keep the number plate at the end of the season.
- Who do I tell if my rider quits mid-race or cannot finish for some reason? MiSCA needs to know first. Please stop by the scoring tent near the start/finish to let them know. They will go out on the trail looking for your child if they don’t show up at the end of a race, so it’s important to let them know. After telling MiSCA, please tell a Coyotes coach as well so that we’re not wondering what happened.
Lodging
- Some people are camping at Addison Oaks County Park (which is the nearest campground to Bloomer Park)
- Some people are staying at Hampton Inn Utica/Shelby Township, located at 51620 Shelby Parkway, Shelby Township, MI 48315
Food at the Race:
- Sign up for the team potluck luncheon and snack depot. Questions about this can be routed to Megan Miller, Maegan Wert, Julie Hughes. Special shout-out to Alan and Tish Hoffman for the camp-kitchen-grill setup we’ll be using to prepare the food this year.
- Diners: Please throw your trash away when you’re done so the take-down crew isn’t stuck picking up your gross hot-dog buns and used cups.
- Please bring a reusable drink container (anything from a solo cup to a hydroflask). We have drink coolers but almost no cups. Bike water bottles work too!
Race Rules 101 (a quick summary)
Bike racing is pretty basic, right? The fastest biker wins. Like any sport, however, there’s a big rulebook for you to review. Please check it out so you’re up to speed. Here’s a summary of the big rules you need to know:
- Wear a helmet. Everyone. Parents, riders, siblings, friends. Anyone with a leg over a bike needs a helmet or we risk penalties. They will dock your rider 5 minutes if it’s a parent. They’ll dock the team some points as well, as an alternative. Either way, it’s easier to put on a helmet, so do it.
- Don’t be late for staging. You risk being started late, or worse being told you can’t race. The easy solution? Be early for everything.
- Feed zones are the only area you can hand bottles/food to racers. This ensures that people aren’t stopping/slowing to grab water bottles in unsafe spots (blind corners, etc). Feedzones will be marked at races so you know where it’s ok.
- Mechanical Assistance: Varsity. Varsity riders may only receive assistance from other racers who are currently racing on the course at the same time. This means that coaches, parents, friends, siblings, teammates from another race may not help. The time-penalty for violations isn’t worth it.
- Mechanical Assistance: Elementary, Middle School, High School Novice, Junior Varsity. Assistance is more complex here.
- Anyone can share parts, tools, etc. (adults, coaches, etc.)
- Assistance in the form of physically aiding in repairs, including touching the rider’s bike during a repair, may only be received from others actively engaged in racing at the same time or approved adults.
- Approved adults:
- Active volunteers (a volunteer on-duty at the time of need)
- MiSCA race staff
- Mountain bike patrol
- Official neutral support
- Race offficials
- This does not include coaches who do not meet one of the listed criteria.
Spectator Etiquette
Parents, fans, friends, and anyone else at the park during a race will find the races exciting. Here are some spectator etiquette tips to help you adjust to our exciting sport if you haven’t been to a race in the past.
- Bring a cowbell. It’s the traditional bike-racing noisemaker and Coyotes pride ourselves on boisterous cheering. If you don’t have a cowbell, we’ve also seen horns, whistles, old bike wheels/rims, vuvuzelas, jinglebells, chainsaws (seriously), and of course our own lungs as noisemakers at bike races. Shimano was gracious enough to post this Fan Training video a few years ago. We think it’s still applicable today.
- Hike into the woods! The races are great to watch from just about anywhere. Especially at Merrell where most of the course is within a mile’s hike of the start-line, you can really “get out there” and enjoy!
- Stay off the trail when you’re hiking to a viewing spot. Riders and marshalls are the only people allowed on course unless the race calls for more adults to be on the course for some reason.
- Only cross the course where necessary, and only if there aren’t any riders within 50 yards of you. It’s distracting and startling to riders to see someone running down the trail.
- Please treat course marshals with respect and follow their directions. They took the time to volunteer and they deserve our respect and cooperation.
- Keep it fun. Kids put enough pressure on themselves, they don’t need our help in that department.
- Be early, clean up your trash, respect the parks we’re visiting, be nice to park staff if they’re around, be nice to MiSCA staff who are doing this for so your kids can have a great experience.
Rider Etiquette
- Let people pass quickly if they’re from a faster group
- If you’re getting lapped, let them pass
- If you’re getting passed by someone in your actual race, don’t cut people off… hold your line within reason, you don’t have to give way, but this isn’t NASCAR. Rubbing isn’t racing in MTB, it’ll get you DQ’ed. If they’re clearly faster than you, let them by. You’ll be friends over lunch afterward.
- Be early, clean up your trash, respect the parks we’re visiting, be nice to park staff if they’re around, be nice to MiSCA staff who are doing this for so you can have a great experience.
- Please stay away the start and finish gates with your number plate on until it’s time to race. The chip in your plate can set of the timing and screw up the race results. It’s best to stay 25′ away if your plate is on your bike.
Pre-Rides
Saturday Pre-Rides:
Advanced/JV/Varsity w/Coach Frehr at 10:30am (or later, rain)- Advanced / JV / Varsity w/Coach Frehr – 2pm (rescheduled due to rain)
- Elementary : 3pm
- Coach Zuelke’s car at about 3pm
- Hoffmans about 4pm
Warm-Up Rides Sunday
The following times are tentative pending an updated race-day schedule from MiSCA.
- Varsity / Advanced MS warmup: TBD somewhere around 8:00am (on-course, departs from team-tent)
- Junior Varsity warmup: About 9:30am (off-course, once races start we cannot use the course to warm up). We will likely use the long driveway to/fromt 10 mile for the warmup. There is an event at the baseball complex nextdoor so we cannot use those sidewalks as we have in the past.
- Novice 8th (Boys), 9th-12th (Boys/Girls): About 10:30
- Novice 6th-8th (Girls), 6th-7th (Boys), Advanced Elem: About Noon
- Upper Elementary: About 1:45
- Lower Elementary: About 2:45
Staging Times for Bloomer
Please report to the start at the time marked under “Staging.” The following has some slight changes from the first 2 races. Don’t forget, you’ll need time to park, prep, warm-up (20 minutes) before you report to staging. Get there early and give yourself plenty of time to get ready.
Race Roster
- Marshall Aerts (10) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Carson Andrews (7) Advanced Middle School Male
- Matia Battjes (5) Advanced Elementary Female
- Elin Beeck (5) Upper Elementary Female
- Valerie Beeck (9) Novice 9-12th Grade Female
- Adreian Blaszczyk (3) Lower Elementary Male
- Jeremy Blocker (10) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Gerrit Boer (10) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Jakob Boer (4) Upper Elementary Male
- Jacob Boon (12) Varsity Male
- Charlotte Braidwood (5) Upper Elementary Female
- Sage Brewer (10) Junior Varsity Female
- Cole Briggs (9) Novice 9th Grade Male
- Dane Briggs (7) Novice 7th Grade Male
- James Broughton (2) Lower Elementary Male
- Nicholas Budden (11) Varsity Male
- Griffin Bumstead (2) Lower Elementary Male
- Kellen Carpenter (3) Advanced Elementary Male
- Emma Cavner (8) Advanced Middle School Female
- Ashton Chastain (6) Novice 6th Grade Male
- Hazel Cherney (5) Upper Elementary Female
- James Cherney (2) Lower Elementary Male
- Landree Darnell (4) Upper Elementary Female
- Jordan Deras (3) Lower Elementary Male
- Jensen Dew (4) Upper Elementary Male
- Owen Dew (6) Novice 6th Grade Male
- Grant DeWall (3) Lower Elementary Male
- Luke DeWall (5) Advanced Elementary Male
- Nicholas DiLaura (6) Novice 6th Grade Male
- Reese Drajka (4) Advanced Elementary Female
- Jack Elms (8) Novice 8th Grade Male
- Owen Eves (3) Lower Elementary Male
- Henry Flanders (4) Upper Elementary Male
- Jackson Flanders (6) Novice 6th Grade Male
- Addison Forrester (12) Varsity Female
- Braedon Fournier (7) Novice 7th Grade Male
- Gideon Franciscotty (8) Advanced Middle School Male
- Haydon Frehr (10) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Niko Gjorgjievski (8) Novice 8th Grade Male
- William Grant (8) Advanced Middle School Male
- Ezra Greene (11) Junior Varsity 11-12th Grade Male
- Zachary Hargrave (7) Advanced Middle School Male
- Eric Hoffman (12) Varsity Male
- Bridger Hoogeveen (9) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Laila Hubbard (4) Upper Elementary Female
- Tristan Hubbard (5) Upper Elementary Male
- Erin Hughes (5) Upper Elementary Female
- William Hughes (5) Advanced Elementary Male
- Freida Kincaid (9) Junior Varsity Female
- Timothy Knape (10) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Evan Leitow (2) Lower Elementary Male
- Olivia Leitow (4) Upper Elementary Female
- Owen Leitow (6) Novice 6th Grade Male
- Isaac Lilly (3) Lower Elementary Male
- Florenc Loewen (12) Junior Varsity 11-12th Grade Male
- Grant Louisell (8) Advanced Middle School Male
- Madison Louisell (6) Advanced Middle School Female
- Kyle Lukas (6) Novice 6th Grade Male
- Sierra Lukas (5) Upper Elementary Female
- Drake Marine (9) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Marley Marine (6) Advanced Middle School Female
- Ava Martin (5) Upper Elementary Female
- Brevin Martin (8) Advanced Middle School Male
- Nevaeh McCaughan (5) Upper Elementary Female
- Caleb McLean (7) Advanced Middle School Male
- Sacora McLouth (2) Lower Elementary Female
- Henry Mears (9) Novice 9th Grade Male
- Anabel Miller (11) Varsity Female
- Levi Minnerick (9) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Bryce Natter (12) Varsity Male
- Camille Natter (9) Novice 9-12th Grade Female
- Lucas Nykamp (9) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Finn OByrne (3) Lower Elementary Male
- Owen Odroski (10) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Silas Ondersma (11) Varsity Male
- Adam Polmanteer (12) Junior Varsity 11-12th Grade Male
- Mason Pomeroy (12) Varsity Male
- Brayden Porter (10) Novice 10-12th Grade Male
- Dawson Porter (12) Junior Varsity 11-12th Grade Male
- Hudson Porter (8) Novice 8th Grade Male
- Caleb Post (5) Upper Elementary Male
- Bram Remtema (7) Novice 7th Grade Male
- Landon Riedel (5) Upper Elementary Male
- Easton Roberts (7) Novice 7th Grade Male
- Harper Roberts (4) Upper Elementary Female
- Megan Scheuerle (8) Novice 6-8th Grade Female
- Indio Segerlind (7) Advanced Middle School Male
- Bodelle Spearman (12) Junior Varsity Female
- Owen Tesch (10) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Evan Thompson (8) Novice 8th Grade Male
- Brayden Todd (10) Novice 10-12th Grade Male
- Landen Todd (7) Novice 7th Grade Male
- Desiree Tuohy (12) Novice 9-12th Grade Female
- Finneas Tyron (3) Lower Elementary Male
- Crew VanBeynen (5) Upper Elementary Male
- Elliott VanBeynen (2) Lower Elementary Male
- Levi VanBeynen (7) Novice 7th Grade Male
- Miles VanBeynen (9) Junior Varsity 9-10th Grade Male
- Isaac VanSingel (6) Novice 6th Grade Male
- Felix VerHage (6) Novice 6th Grade Male
- Samantha Weaver (4) Upper Elementary Female
- Henry Wert (6) Advanced Middle School Male
- Brigid Whitmer (8) Novice 6-8th Grade Female
- Madine Whitmer (11) Varsity Female
- Lucas Williams (8) Novice 8th Grade Male
- Luke Zuelke (12) Varsity Male