CHENANGO COUNTY – This 2016 spring sports season welcomes a potential new face to the list of high school and middle school level athletics, competitive Mountain Biking.
In 2001, Matt Fritzinger, a math teacher at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California began an after school biking program for his students. Fast forward to 2016, and Fritzinger's once simple after school program has evolved into the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), while also making its way east across the United States. The sport has even now begun to grow in Central New York.
“Founded in 2009, The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is the National Governing Body for grades 9-12 interscholastic mountain biking and fosters the development of high quality competitive cross-country mountain biking programming for high school aged athletes. NICA provides leadership, governance and program support to promote the development of interscholastic Mountain Biking Leagues throughout the United States,” reads a description of the association.
The sport has now found a home in Chenango County, where a composite team consisting of roughly 12 middle and high school age students from Sherburne, Norwich, and Greene – as well as two coaches –  have taken the initiative to continue the spread of this sport.
Rob Baker, a Shurburne-Earlville graduate and retired United States Marine of 25-years now living in Plymouth, and Boris Trifunovic of Greene have taken it upon themselves to team up and head the “Chenango Composite” team for the 2016 sports season.
“When I was down in Virginia in the Marines I got into mountain biking and did a lot of it out in California too. When I came home I still liked to do mountain biking and learned of this NICA thing starting up in New York and became interested,” said Baker. “I was going to start it last year, I am a retired Marine now but I still work for the Marine Corp., so travel with work prevented me from doing the league. This year, I was contacted by Boris Trifunovic who was also interested in it, so between Boris and I, we discussed starting up this Composite Chenango team."
Currently the New York Mountain Bike League in Chenango County is only recognized by the local schools as a club sport, something Baker and Trifunovic hope to change in the near future if participants in the sport continue to grow.
“The kids are loving it so far. Just getting them outside and off the game systems,” said Baker. “We are taking the kids and introducing them to project management, developing trails, building them, maintaining them.” 
With 12 registered students in the NICA program – one sixth grader, two seventh graders, five eighth graders, two ninth graders, one junior and one senior – the program's growth in just a few short months of spreading to Chenango County has been tremendous.
“Their (Oneonta team) first year they had three or four riders, so for us to have 12 already is a huge success,” said Baker. “Word of mouth getting it out there that this sport exists, and it is a true New York Interscholastic league is big. It isn’t sponsored here yet and that is what we want to work our way towards.”
Currently of those 12 riders, three of them reside in Norwich, two from S-E, and the remaining seven from Greene. There are notably three additional riders who are showing great interest in the sport and may join the squad soon.
Baker attested that anyone from the Chenango County area, both girls and boys, who attend either middle or high school are invited to join the team. 
However, as all are welcome, Baker noted that their Composite Team is currently hindered when at competitions due not having a female rider on their roster. Baker explained that scoring at the competitions requires the top three boys and a top two girls to race, in order for the team to be scored as a whole.
“We are racing on an individual level, but not team level yet, so we are looking for more boys and some girls to come out,” said Baker of missing the girl rider criteria for team scoring.
This individualized scoring sees a top five podium finish for each age group, with the groups broken into seven different age/experience categories of: sixth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade, freshman, sophomore, junior varsity, and varsity.
“I am practicing with these kids after their other sport, all my kids are in track right now. So they’re doing double duty and love it. But we race Sundays, so it doesn’t interfere with other sports,” explained Baker. “For track guys or any sports really, the cycling is just going to improve their leg strength and endurance. And the kids don’t have to hit every practice now because we don’t want to over stretch them and its just a club right now, but the kids really enjoy going to the races.”
Anyone potentially interested in the growing sport should not shy away from the opportunity, as the season is only halfway through –two meets completed with one meet coming up this weekend and an additional to follow in the near future – new riders are welcome at any time, with the very workable practice schedule. 
“All winter long, I have been collecting bikes through craigslist, a lot of my bikes were donated or they took like 50 percent off what they wanted to sell to me, so I have a stable of 12-15 bikes in my barn. All the kids except one I am providing bikes for them,” said Baker in regards to equipment needs for interested student athletes.
Baker went on to explain that he will be in talks with local Athletic Directors in an attempt to inform the schools on liability, and transportation issues, in order to move forward with the procedure of how to get the sport recognized as a varsity level sport.
“We are growing, I am reaching out to some places and people to help get some sponsorship side. Even if I can put their name on a jersey and they’re cool with it, any little bit is good to help us grow,” said Baker. “Word of mouth getting it out there that this sport exists, and it is a true New York Interscholastic League, it isn’t sponsored here yet and that is what we want to work our way towards.”
Baker explained that currently, due to the sport originally spreading up from the Poughkeepsie area, thus why all the races are in the Southern Catskills and Hudson Valley area.
“It can be a chore on Sundays to get over there, race, and then get home. But Boris runs the Greene kids down and I run the S-E and Norwich kids down, we meet there, pre-ride the course together, then race together. But in the future we hope to get some Chenango County or more local races,” explained Baker, even mentioning a six-mile designed course that he has built into his farm in Plymouth as a potential landing spot for a local race spot.
“This year is basically understanding the experience, going to the events, but we want to grow and it is a great thing I am glad I am involved in and can hope spread,” said Baker.
Anyone interested in the sport or with any questions, is instructed to call Rob Baker at 334-4960, where he can try to answer any underlying questions or give instructions on how to get the online registration process for NICA underway, getting those interested one step closer to hitting the trails.