High School Road racing programs? Why aren't there any?
05-25-21, 01:07 PM
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You got me thinking. Maybe that's the key. I assume the "industry" gives these scholarships because it fosters a love for the sport, and enough people will grow up doing it regularly enough that the industry as a whole makes than investment back and then some. If bicycle shops and manufacturers did the same, maybe more people will grow up with a love for cycling.
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05-25-21, 01:08 PM
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05-25-21, 01:09 PM
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I think the main reason why there are no high school races is because of lack of interest in cycling....Majority of high school students have no interest in owning a bicycle and using that bicycle, either for sport or recreation or commuting....Here in North America bicycles are still being viewed as toys and riding a bicycle is considered children's activity.
05-25-21, 01:13 PM
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I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of kids under 18 would think road cycling is lame (if they thought about it all).
We're a small minority of an even smaller minority (regular cyclists). There's just no interest there.
But take heart....you are still allowed to absolutely LOVE-LOVE-LOVE something that the majority of people around you, while not actively disliking it, might view it as nothing more than a lame hobby at best. It's OK to enjoy something and not try to get everyone else involved in it. We don't need individualized Mormon missions to knock on doors with our Steel Lemonds trying to convert the blind.
A Survey in the UK found that 47% of kids aged 11-17 said parental worries prevented them from cycling/cycling more. You'd have a better chance at a High School Gravel team. As others have mentioned MTB Teams abound. We have a well attended High School league in my area (my club "sponsored" ten kids for the year...and we're a road cycling club).
Ain't gonna happen.
Side note: There's a US High School Bowling National Championship. The "Bowling Industry" provides 6,000,000 dollars annually in scholarships to High School Bowlers.
https://usbcongress.http.internapcdn....ool_Guide1.pdf
USHSBF - ABOUT US page for the United States High School Bowling Foundation (U.S. High School Bowling Foundation)
So...Bowling yes. Road Cycling...nope.
Face it. Our hobby is pretty lame for the most part. I know I love it...but the VAST majority of people think what we do is alien at best and contemptible at worst.
"Get Off The Road Lance!"
We're a small minority of an even smaller minority (regular cyclists). There's just no interest there.
But take heart....you are still allowed to absolutely LOVE-LOVE-LOVE something that the majority of people around you, while not actively disliking it, might view it as nothing more than a lame hobby at best. It's OK to enjoy something and not try to get everyone else involved in it. We don't need individualized Mormon missions to knock on doors with our Steel Lemonds trying to convert the blind.
A Survey in the UK found that 47% of kids aged 11-17 said parental worries prevented them from cycling/cycling more. You'd have a better chance at a High School Gravel team. As others have mentioned MTB Teams abound. We have a well attended High School league in my area (my club "sponsored" ten kids for the year...and we're a road cycling club).
Ain't gonna happen.
Side note: There's a US High School Bowling National Championship. The "Bowling Industry" provides 6,000,000 dollars annually in scholarships to High School Bowlers.
https://usbcongress.http.internapcdn....ool_Guide1.pdf
USHSBF - ABOUT US page for the United States High School Bowling Foundation (U.S. High School Bowling Foundation)
So...Bowling yes. Road Cycling...nope.
Face it. Our hobby is pretty lame for the most part. I know I love it...but the VAST majority of people think what we do is alien at best and contemptible at worst.
"Get Off The Road Lance!"
And now that I'm thinking about it, most high schoolers that ride bikes, I think, as a lifestyle do it on fixies or single-speeds. There isn't a racing bike culture here. Heck, we don't even have the Amgen Tour of California anymore.
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05-25-21, 01:26 PM
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Dang, I skipped ahead to comment, and now I see it'd been said already ... But, yeah, culture.
And now that I'm thinking about it, most high schoolers that ride bikes, I think, as a lifestyle do it on fixies or single-speeds. There isn't a racing bike culture here. Heck, we don't even have the Amgen Tour of California anymore.
And now that I'm thinking about it, most high schoolers that ride bikes, I think, as a lifestyle do it on fixies or single-speeds. There isn't a racing bike culture here. Heck, we don't even have the Amgen Tour of California anymore.
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05-25-21, 01:34 PM
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I did a quick search on this. It's even worse than that. Cycling isn't an official NCAA sport. There are 20 schools with varsity cycling programs. Zero are Division I and 6 are Division II.
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05-25-21, 01:49 PM
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Yeah, I saw the less than 25 figure in an article, and then later came on the figures you just cited. Thanks for the correction!
05-25-21, 02:16 PM
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Liability is also a big factor. You'd be racing on public streets (?) so the local city/county would want liability insurance to protect themselves, they'd want the security I listed above (road closures and police/security pay). Once again, check with your local city/county offices and see what the price is, and you'll probably find its astoundingly high, which makes it a no-go.
Of course it's a concern of the school - every sport is 90%+ practice, then competition. The school could be liable for injuries occurring during practices. Mountain biking is one thing, but can you imagine road cycling - team practices for high school kids (who are not noted for good judgement) on roads open to traffic?
05-25-21, 04:07 PM
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Some of the high schools in my area have MTB teams that seem to be growing in numbers every year. A few of them also race on the road, but (generally speaking) those are kids where cycling is a big thing in their family. In my observation, it's a sport that is growing fairly well.
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05-25-21, 04:38 PM
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That a few kids do better because of school sports doesn't convince they're worthwhile.
05-25-21, 06:06 PM
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Thee local public school system where I worked had several dorky after school groups including a Squirrel Watching Club. I figured the only requirement to joining was that one needed to be a geeky dweeb.
05-25-21, 06:22 PM
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05-25-21, 06:50 PM
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There's more than one way to skin a cat. The big trend in education right now is differentiated instruction, because one size does not fit all. Team sports will provide many of the same valuable lessons that band or theater do, or academic debate, or model UN. Not to mention that any of these programs are better than leaving the kids with idle hands.
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05-25-21, 07:34 PM
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05-25-21, 08:01 PM
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05-25-21, 11:22 PM
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05-26-21, 12:28 AM
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That's just as ridiculous as your previous suggestion of no sports. "One-size-fits-all" is rarely a good answer for humans.
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05-26-21, 01:21 AM
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I think the purpose of organized sports for young people is to feed the needs of the adults who run them. Then to rationalize it we get all the ******** about life lessons and teamwork and such.
05-26-21, 02:53 AM
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The kids wouldn't want to wear lycra. That's always been an odd analogy to me. People always laugh at cyclists for wearing tight shorts but it's acceptable for football players wearing skin tight pants, wrestling, track and field, swimming. ect. It's just cycling shorts that people talk smack about.
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05-26-21, 04:50 AM
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I don't think it's weird that there aren't high school road cycling teams. I do think it's very weird that a violent sport like football is a high school sport. We're just so used to it, we don't see the anomaly.
So we'll continue to pretend football helmets actually protect brains much.
So we'll continue to pretend football helmets actually protect brains much.
05-26-21, 06:23 AM
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Frankly, it does not surprise me in the least that kids would be more interested in MTB racing than road racing.
05-26-21, 06:34 AM
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Doesn't seem much has changed in a year and a half. Wonder why this got stirred up again?
05-26-21, 06:57 AM
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Most of the current younger USA pros I know starting racing MTB in high school.. Joe Dombroski in Virginia (although not school sponsored events), Sepp Kuss and Quinn Simmons from Durango in the CO HS racing league.
There is a combined HS MTB team here in Central PA that races in a fledgling league. Not school affiliated, but it's a start. K
There is a combined HS MTB team here in Central PA that races in a fledgling league. Not school affiliated, but it's a start. K
05-26-21, 07:11 AM
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not a lot of kids are cycling anywhere anytime. It's not a part of U.S. culture for the most part
if there was a demand for this it would happen, just like lacrosse is happening and high school bass fishing is happening
cycling is a niche sport. We all just happen to be in the niche. It's like asking on a bowling website, why don't we have high school bowling (which by the way would be safer than high school road cycling)
part of high school sports is supervised practice by people that know what they are doing (coaches!). How are you going to practice road cycling in a safe manner? Do schools have people that are qualified to lead a cycling team?
everything cannot be a sport offered by the high school
if there was a demand for this it would happen, just like lacrosse is happening and high school bass fishing is happening
cycling is a niche sport. We all just happen to be in the niche. It's like asking on a bowling website, why don't we have high school bowling (which by the way would be safer than high school road cycling)
part of high school sports is supervised practice by people that know what they are doing (coaches!). How are you going to practice road cycling in a safe manner? Do schools have people that are qualified to lead a cycling team?
everything cannot be a sport offered by the high school
05-26-21, 09:03 AM
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It is funny when someone suggests buying a good bike for less than $1000 and gets jumped on because the minimum is upwards of $2000.
Then there is a thread about why competitive cycling is not a high school sport.
Cycling as a competitive sport is a rich person’s sport. It is too much expensive equipment based. Few parents will want to incur those costs, “maybe” those parents who ride. And those without the means will not embrace it, regardless of how much potential ability exists. It will never happen except in certain places where it is a part of local culture.
Even high school golf, which is also for those with means, costs less to outfit a high school golfer with decent clubs.
John
Then there is a thread about why competitive cycling is not a high school sport.
Cycling as a competitive sport is a rich person’s sport. It is too much expensive equipment based. Few parents will want to incur those costs, “maybe” those parents who ride. And those without the means will not embrace it, regardless of how much potential ability exists. It will never happen except in certain places where it is a part of local culture.
Even high school golf, which is also for those with means, costs less to outfit a high school golfer with decent clubs.
John
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