St. Francis Racing: May 2011

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

2010-2011 Year-end Slideshow

2010-2011 SFHS MTB Team Slideshow from Lee Bird on Vimeo.

Monday, May 23, 2011

La Canada Outlook - Another Great Article

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

We're famous! CV Weekly Article. 5/12/11

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

More than 450 high school students from the State of California met at Los Olivos, just north of Santa Barbara, for the California High School Mountain Bike State Championships. Thirteen students from the St. Francis Mountain Bike team made the journey for the opportunity to compete against the best in the state.

“This is the first time at the State Championships for our team. I am very proud of their efforts this year and hope that this is a good learning experience and a vision of the future for the St. Francis team” Head Coach Lee Bird said.

In a huge Freshman Boys Division 1 class of 60 riders, Sean Bird’s season peaked at the right time and he raced neck-and-neck with the SoCal and NorCal series leaders, ending up with a very strong 5^th place result and the team’s lone podium position for the day. Hunter Nalley also rode strong to 28^th place and Daniel Balsam raced to 30^th, securing them a top 50% result in a deep field of talented Freshman racers. Also competing in the Freshman class and doing well were Michael Greenberg in 47^th and Keenan Koch in 55^th.

Our Sophomore Boys Division 1 team also competed in a deep field with 48 racers from across the state. Matt Kubly rode hard on the technical and bumpy course to a solid 13^th place. Not far behind was Scott Marshall sprinting to 17^th. Making the trip after a break away from racing and doing his best was Michael Togneri in 40^th.

The JV Boys Division 1 team also raced against a large field of 48 racers. Matt Misetich completed his season with another solid result and finished in 18^th. Christian Breitschwerdt made the trip to Los Olivos the morning after attending his prom and finished in 29^th. Cameron Aubert rode a steady race to 39^th. Not far behind and battling with a stomach bug, but completing the race was Connor Haas in 40^th.

Our sole Varsity rider, Eddy Kronfli, had set a goal at the beginning of the season to compete against the best in the state as a Varsity rider. Eddy achieved that goal and finished in 39^th position.

It’s been a long season and the St. Francis team has a lot to be proud of. We have achieved a lot this season, including many podium positions and top-10 finishes. Those solid results and experience will catapult us into the 2011-2012 season with renewed energy and dedication.

Well done Golden Knights!

Matt battling for position in the infield portion of the course.

Christian did the whole race with a bloody nose!

Matt Kubly riding strong.

Sean had a great start and was on his way to a 5th place podium.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Vail Lake - Final SoCal League Race of 2011

The St. Francis Golden Knights mountain bike team recently competed at Vail Lake for the final round of the 4 race SoCal high school mountain bike series. It was another successful weekend of competitive racing for the Golden Knights.

In the Freshman Boys Division 1 class, Sean Bird battled with the overall series leader and held on for a strong 4^th place finish. Sean’s 4^th place result secured his 5^th place overall in the 4 race series. Hunter Nalley rode strong to 10^th place securing a 7^th overall in the race series. Also competing in the Freshman class and doing well were Michael Greenberg in 11^th, JT Ingram in 16^th, and Keenan Koch in 26^th.

Our Sophomore Boys Division 1 team also had a podium finish. Scott Marshall dug deep to secure his first podium finish in 5^th place. Matt Kubly who was not able to attend the race secured a solid 7^th place overall in the series. Colby Koklas had a crash on the first lap but got back on his bike to finish in 21^st.

The temperatures started heating up, and so did the racing as the JV Boys Division 1 team headed out for their race. Matt Misetich and Christian Breitschwerdt dueled side by side as they have done all season, finishing in 6^th and 7^th place. Their results also placed them in 6^th and 7^th overall for the JV boys. Connor Hass rode to another well deserved top-10, finishing in 9^th place. Cameron Aubert and Steven Ayoob have steadily improved all season and finished in 12^th and 16^th.

Our sole Varsity rider, Eddy Kronfli, had his work cut out for him. The Varsity class is filled with pro level riders, and Eddy has worked hard all season to be the best that he can be in a very competitive class. Eddy’s #1 goal this season has been to qualify for the State Championships so that he can represent St. Francis as our first Varsity rider. Going into the race, Eddy knew that he needed to finish in 12^th position or better. On the last lap, after 16 miles of racing in 90 degree temperatures with a little more than 5 miles to go, Eddy was battling neck and neck with another rider for that 12^th position. With all of his coaches and teammates cheering him on, Eddy raced smart and succeeded in holding off his rival to finish in 12^th and qualify for States.

Many of our riders have qualified for and will be competing against riders from all over California at the State Championships on May 15^th in Los Olivos.

Well done Golden Knights!