Our Story

WEST MICHIGAN COYOTES TIMELINE (2016–2026)
Built to make youth MTB approachable. Built to race. Built to grow good humans. Fueled by snacks. Powered by volunteers. Always SEND IT.

Origins and launch

Late 2016 | The Coyotes idea forms
The Coyotes existed in concept in late fall 2016, and the team started in earnest right after New Year’s in January 2017 thanks to Rick Budden (EGR) and Aaron Zuelke (Spring Lake), working with WMCR leadership to launch a new scholastic MTB team.

Logo and name lore
The team name West Michigan Coyotes was conceived by Nick Budden (“Little Nick” from the Andrie Juniors Devo road program).
The logo’s design and colors were intentionally built to echo WMCR’s colors, typeset, and design DNA (original WMCR design credited to Randy Borns, Rick Borns’ older brother).
Rick Budden’s mascot logic: pick something no high school team had so Coyotes could be a composite team if MiSCA ever aligned with that direction.

Why Coyotes happened
Budden’s core idea was to break down the exclusivity of road racing and build something more approachable. MTB was taking off with NICA nationally and MiSCA in Michigan. Most kids had some kind of mountain bike, and almost none had road racing bikes. This was the on-ramp.

2016 | MiSCA context, pre-Coyotes
No official Coyotes registration yet.
West Michigan shows up in MiSCA results anyway. Maddy Frank wins women’s varsity, Raven Kincaid wins girls middle school undefeated, and a handful of future Coyotes show up across categories.
Wild memory: the 10-under group rode actual singletrack on the same courses as MS/HS riders (Cannonsburg), and MiSCA leadership remembers pulling riders because the course was so tough.

The early years

2017 | Coyotes officially launch
From a 2017 sponsorship pitch: WMCR kicks off the West Michigan Coyotes to draw West Michigan grades 6–12 into cycling through instruction, structured practices, and MiSCA racing.
Plan: start small with 4–6 riders and grow in 2018. Reality: 25+ riders within two months.
Practices: two practice groups (Lakeshore led by Aaron, GR led by Rick Budden and James Gunderson). GR practices were Luton-only at first, then riders migrated toward Lakeshore rides (so many Bass River memories).
Race-days: uniforms were loose-fit wicking tees. No tent. No food system. No plan. Just granola bars out of the trunk in a parking lot. Amateur hour.
Then “the moms” saved the day and by Cannonsburg the snack and supply table was real.

2017 | Early results and future seeds
First real Coyotes results start appearing. Haydon Fox cracks top 10 in JV Boys. Anabel Miller shows up as top 10 MS Girls.
West Michigan talent pipeline keeps showing up, including future West Michigan Coyotes and independent standouts who become part of the later bench.

2018 | Momentum, grit, and snow tears
Head coach Aaron Zuelke. 20–30 kids at most races.
MiSCA adds Advanced Middle School. Standouts include Anabel Miller, Luke Zuelke, and Nicholas Budden.
Races were one-day Sundays and included Addison Oaks, Lake Orion HS, Fort Custer, Novi Tree Farm, Cannonsburg, and Mid Michigan CC.
Fun fact: it snowed at Mid Michigan CC for the morning races. People weren’t wearing gloves. There were tears.
Home-race fun: Cannonsburg was sandy and brutal. Detroit-area teams complained. Coyotes trained in it every week and loved it.
Team result: 2nd overall Middle School, 4th High School Composite.
Podiums and series highlights include Raven Kincaid (JV Female champion), Anabel Miller (MS Advanced Female champion), plus multiple other top finishes.
Tradition begins: Coyotes show up at Skirts in the Dirt and start what becomes a long-running presence.

2019 | State Champs and “we’re a real program now”
Leadership: Aaron Zuelke head coach, Brian Miller running day-to-day ops, Rick Budden supporting via WMCR board leadership. Many planning meetings, many beers, and a lot of “how do we grow this right?”
MiSCA 2019: State Champions in Middle School and High School (ahead of HVU in both).
Roster note: 56 active riders at practices, around 30 raced at least once.
Race-day infrastructure levels up: trailer acquired via Jason Ryan donation (cash) with Aaron discovering and purchasing it, and John Frehr helping with maintenance.
Tent and food ops evolve with families taking ownership so race day becomes a system, not chaos.
Non-MiSCA lore: first real team party rhythm forms (Iceman cabin party beginnings), first team tent at Skirts in the Dirt, and the end-of-year party experiments begin.

The scale years

2020 | The massive growth year (COVID era)
112 total riders on the team at practices. 35 racers at Hickory Glen, then a record 62 racers at Merrell (elementary powered).
Leadership and structure: Head Coach Aaron Zuelke with Brian Miller as administrator, plus a deeper bench of parent coaches and organizers.
COVID reality: MiSCA and state requirements shifted constantly. Masks at race starts, then off after the whistle.
All races ran time-trial style, so riders rotated through the tent all day. This was the year you learned you needed a coach assigned to the tent the entire day.
Elementary Coyotes launches under Andy Richardson, intentionally run semi-independently to keep the machine manageable.
Results: High School State Champs, Middle School second. Multiple individual podiums across Varsity, JV, MS, and Elementary.
Course fun: Coyotes helped design and shape courses at Merrell and Cannonsburg, using local knowledge to build real home-field advantage.
Iceman is canceled (UGH), so Coyotes rent a cabin and do a team out-and-back on “race day.”
End-of-season party fun: night ride at Cannonsburg, thunderstorm chaos, and a moment where a rider got lost in the woods during the storm, creating the kind of story that becomes permanent team folklore.

2021 | Undefeated, dominant, and legendary finishes
165 riders on team. 234 kit orders when you include parents.
High School State Champs again, undefeated season, plus Elementary Champs.
New pack system: pre-season time trial introduced for pack assignments instead of self-sorting.
Course facts: Merrell and Cannonsburg course design goes next-level. Cannonsburg finishes start including a ski hill climb to end laps for the upper categories. Strategy was basically “build it and mark it before MiSCA arrives so nobody has the energy to say no.” It worked.
Nationals fun: Winter Park, Colorado trip becomes a defining team experience. High altitude suffering, big parent rides, big stories, and team bonding that sticks.
Iceman party levels up into “this is a thing now” with a packed cabin, bonfire, and night ride vibes.
End-of-season party ridiculousness: torrential rain the day before, mud so deep you needed ripped-up pizza boxes as a walkway under the wedding tent.

2022 | Transition year, still on top
Head coaches: Andy Richardson (Elementary) and Brian Miller (MS/HS).
Harder to track roster size as MiSCA systems evolve, but the team still runs open enrollment deep into the summer and early season.
Awards level up: you start doing post-season awards beyond certificates, including recognition for full attendance.
Nationals return to Winter Park with a slightly smaller squad and the same “flatlanders vs altitude” reality.
Program transition: Zuelkes move on to college, and several early leaders graduate out, including senior year for Anabel and Madine.
Results: High School State Champs again (fourth straight), undefeated season again, and Elementary State Champs again.

Modern Coyotes era

2023 | Building year with a big bench
Head Coach: Andy Richardson. About 130 riders and a season where practices were packed, loud, and borderline dominant, the kind of “we’re building something big” year that shows up later in results. Signature moment: snacks became a full-on race weekend identity, not an afterthought. Coyotes finished 2nd Middle School Composite and 4th Elementary Composite at the Stony Creek finale, with series State Champs including Haydon Frehr (JV Male), Reese Drajka (Novice MS Female), and James Broughton (4th Grade Male).
Bonus fun facts: “Saturday’s Moist Adventure,” Sunday rainbow skies, coach race with a Saturday morning cartoons theme, and full-send jump energy. 
Final race recap.

2024 | Heritage Park, double champs, completely unhinged in the best way
Head Coach: Andy Richardson, with Brett Pankey stepping in as the co-pilot when needed, and this was the year Katrina and Ryan “volun-told” Tobi into the Chief Communications Officer role. About 140 riders and a season defined by middle school growth that turned into straight-up domination. Coyotes win State Championships in both Elementary and Middle School at Heritage Park, and the program feels like it leveled up across packs. Bonus flex: we picked up our first tire sponsor, which is objectively cool.
Fun facts: snack spread that could embarrass a carnival, Finn’s legendary donut-and-cake fueling, and the “volun-told” culture that keeps this team running. 
Final race recap.

2025 | Heritage Park 25, High School Composite State Champs
2025 marked a new leadership chapter with Brett Pankey stepping in as Head Coach and Tobi continuing as CCO/coach, with roughly 140 riders and the biggest coach bench yet at about 67 coaches (UGH we didn’t mean to say 6-7, in 2025 IYKYK).

A new race venue at Warnaar was a hit (even if they took out the really fun stuff), and the racing story was a big push in the high school series that ended with the Coyotes as High School Composite State Champions at the 2025 MiSCA State Championship, with full-program series strength 1st HS Composite, 2nd MS, 2nd Elementary plus a pile of top-three overall individual series finishes.
All in a finale packed with fog, a “mythological” two-foot drop, chaotic chicken shirts, Sweet 16 theme with a full sweets costume takeover, coaches race antics, and the kind of energy you only get from a team that’s equal parts serious and ridiculous.

Best highlights: James Broughton earned the MiSCA Sportsmanship Award! Fog, “mythological” two-foot drop, chaotic chicken shirts, Sweet 16 theme with a full sweets costume takeover, coaches race antics, and the kind of energy you only get from a team that’s equal parts serious and ridiculous.

Final race recap.

2026 | SEND IT (the next chapter)

2026 | SEND IT
This is the year you frame as the next era. More kids. More coaches. More community. Same standard: ride hard, be kind, keep it fun, keep it real.

#SENDIT