This website is our history, and our legacy. It's incredible to look back to see what we have accomplished in the first 5 years of our program.
We are on Facebook now and will keep that page updated more frequently. Please go to Facebook and LIKE us by clicking HERE.
Thanks!
Friday, February 21, 2014
Monday, October 28, 2013
Bikes 4 Orphans Bike/Hike-a-Thon
On a
beautiful, fall Saturday morning, more than 20 students and their parents from
the St. Francis High School Mountain Bike Team came out in support of their
teammates Sebouh Bazikian and Sean Bird, and their Bikes 4 Orphans
Bike/Hike-a-Thon fundraiser. The St. Francis Mountain Bike Team arrived early
to help get everything setup, and then provided trail support to the hikers and
mountain bikers that came out for the fundraiser.
The Bikes 4
Orphans Bike/Hike-a-Thon was held at the Glendale Sports Complex and showcased
the City of Glendale’s new Verdugo Catalina trail. Over 200 supporters of this
great cause came out and enjoyed a morning on the trails that meandered through
the local hills. More than $5,600 was raised - money that will go directly
towards the Bikes 4 Orphans mission of providing bicycles to orphanages in
third world countries. (More information on Bikes 4 Orphans is available at http://bikes4orphanages.blogspot.com/).
As the
hikers and cyclists returned, they were treated to music from a live band and
warm food provided by the “Meat and Potato’s” food truck. The end of the day
featured a raffle with prizes donated by PAA, Incycle, Pasadena Cyclery, and
Warner Brothers.
The St.
Francis Mountain Bike team is entering its 6th season of mountain
bike racing in the SoCal league. In addition to training and racing, the
students will provide hundreds of hours of charitable service for events like the
Bikes 4 Orphans Bike/Hike-a-Thon.
The Golden
Knights mountain bike team is 100% volunteer managed and coached and is very
grateful for all of the support they have received from the parents, alumni,
and their generous sponsors, including: Design Imports, Hollandays, Merchants
Building Maintenance, Mountain Pine Shutters, Strategic Law Partners, Nu-Hope,
Kevin Martin/UBS, Stratz & Company, Financial Guaranty Insurance Brokers, Lucas
Horsfall Murphy & Pindroh, Lantern CycleWorks, Montrose Bike Shop, Crescenta
Valley Insurance, Church and Larsen, and Sport Chalet.
GO KNIGHTS!
Monday, September 30, 2013
St. Francis Mountain Bike Team Alumni and Families Keep Racing
The St. Francis High School mountain bike team will be
entering its 6th season of mountain bike racing in December. The
team has developed a true love-affair with the outdoors and a deep culture of cycling
competition among its current students, alumni, and their families.
Eddy Kronfli, Cameron Aubert, and Scott Marshall all
competed for the St. Francis team all four years that they were at St. Francis
and have taken that passion for the sport of cycling to new levels in their
college careers.
Eddy is the captain of the cycling team at Santa Clara
University and races at the collegiate level on the road and mountain. This
last summer, Eddy achieved one of the top “bucket-list” goals of any cyclist by
qualifying for, and then competing in (and finishing) the Leadville Trail 100
mountain bike race. Leadville is widely regarded as one of the most difficult
mountain bike races in the world, covering 100 miles and 11,000 feet of climbing,
all at an elevation over 12,000 feet! Cameron is in his sophomore year at
Gonzaga University and like Eddy, is the captain of the cycling team. Cameron
has competed in cyclo-cross and mountain bike events for his team and is
looking to help grow the size and performance of their team. Scott Marshall is
a freshman at Northern Arizona University and competed in his first collegiate
mountain bike race last week in New Mexico, and won his race! Scott had been a
very talented racer for the Golden Knights, and is now taking that passion for
racing to new levels in college.
The moms are racing also! Not to be outdone, Debbie Palaski,
Teresa Aubert, and Tricia Hamilton all raced this summer at the Over the Hump
series at Lake Castaic. In her second ever race, Teresa Aubert won her event!
Tricia Hamilton has years of endurance racing and tackled the fast paced races
as well. Debbie Palaski is a runner, but decided that she didn’t want her son
Andrew (’16) having all the fun. Rather than sitting around while Andrew raced
at Over the Hump, Debbie competed on the mountain bike for the first time ever
and finished well.
Our team has really become a family affair, with parents,
alumni, and students all enjoying each other’s company out on our mountain
bikes. Weekly group rides and dinner afterward became a common occurrence
during the summer with parents, alumni, and current students all sharing time
together out on the trails.
The St. Francis Mountain Bike Team is open to all students
at St. Francis High School. For more about the team, please contact Coach Lee
Bird at leebird@btechonline.com.
Cameron Aubert at Gonzaga University |
Eddy Kronfli finished Leadville and got the belt buckle! |
Scott Marshall won his first college mountain bike race! |
Our team on a summer ride up Brown Mountain |
Mrs. Aubert with a win in her 2nd ever race! |
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
2013 California State Championships
The St. Francis GOLDEN
KNIGHTS Mountain Bike Team
“California State
Championships”, Novato CA – May 19, 2013
The 2013
season for the Golden Knight’s mountain bike team concluded on Sunday with 13
members of the team traveling to Northern California to participate in the NICA
California State Championships. Over 650 students would test their mountain
bike racing fitness and skills against each other in this one-day event
featuring the largest race fields ever for high school mountain bike racing. The
race site was at Stafford Lake Park in Novato and featured a purpose-built
technical course with over 5 ½ miles of distance and 700’ of elevation gain per
lap. All classes would compete on the longest circuit of the year.
The Golden
Knight freshman team started the day off with high-hopes. Unfortunately, Andrew
Schiller and George Orloff both crashed in the first turn and were soon chasing
from last place behind the field of 84 riders in their 11 mile race. Teammates
Michael Vega and Andrew Palaski, who have both improved tremendously this year,
would be the first Golden Knight’s in to the finish at 23rd and 30th
place. Andrew Schiller would earn the “hard-charger” award, passing 49 riders
to finish in 35th position, with George Orloff also working extremely
hard to fight back for a very respectable 43rd place.
Four members
of the St. Francis Sophomore Division 1 team traveled to Novato, but only 3
were able to race. Remi Roth would be unable to compete because of the flu, a
disappointment for Remi who had worked very hard all season. In his place and
ready to work hard were Skyler Payne, Owen Shain, and Nathaniel Blakely. Out of
the 62 Sophomores who lined up, Skyler Payne would finish a season-best result
of 12th place, covering over 16 miles! Also having a season-best was
Owen Shain in 28th, with Nathaniel Blakely coming in at 37th.
Next up was
the JV team. Not only would the lap distance be longer than normal for this
race, but the JV and Varsity teams would race for 4 and 5 laps respectively,
instead of the traditional 3 and 4 laps. The extra distance and time on the
course would prove to be challenging for most of the riders. Like the freshman
race, the JV race would see a huge field of 82 riders lining up. Hanging in
there for over 22 miles of racing was Austin Hamilton, finishing in a very fast
race in 23rd. Teammates Keenan Koch and Kenny Larsen battled and
worked through tough conditions to finish in 65th and 72nd.
Kenny Larsen said after the race that “it was the hardest thing I’ve ever
done”.
The Golden
Knight Varsity team was once again represented by junior Sean Bird and senior
Scott Marshall. The deep Varsity field of 51 riders would be on course for over
2 hours, covering more than 27 miles! Sean Bird dropped back on the first lap
because of mechanical problems, but clawed his way back to finish in 18th
place. Scott Marshall wrapped up his high-school mountain bike racing career
(over 20 races) with a hard-fought 41st place.
For the 5th
season in a row, the Golden Knight mountain bike team completed every race
without a single DNF! This is unheard of in a difficult sport where physical
and mental challenges are commonplace, but testament to the hard work and
dedication of the students. The Golden Knights will begin recruitment for the
2014 team in September, with the first practice on December 1st.
The Golden
Knights mountain bike team is 100% volunteer managed and coached and is very
grateful for all of the support they have received from the parents, alumni,
and their generous sponsors, including: Design Imports, Hollandays, Merchants
Building Maintenance, Mountain Pine Shutters, Strategic Law Partners, Nu-Hope,
Kevin Martin/UBS, Stratz & Company, Financial Guaranty Insurance Brokers, Lucas
Horsfall Murphy & Pindroh, Lantern CycleWorks, Montrose Bike Shop, Crescenta
Valley Insurance, and Church and Larsen. GO KNIGHTS!
Andrew Palaski |
Owen Shain |
Michael Vega |
Andrew Palaski |
Sean Bird passing 5 Varsity riders |
Kenny Larsen |
Keenan Koch - Smiling |
Skyler Payne - That face says it all - Tough Sport! |
Scott Marshall celebrating the finish of his final high school race! |
Friday, May 10, 2013
A very special morning...
On Sunday, May 5th before the start of our race at Los Olivos, Brother Christoper arranged for Father Bobby to say Mass for us at the team's pit-zone. What an incredible treat and privilege.
Familes, friends, and students all enjoyed the opportunity to worship together as a community of St. Francis.
Thanks to Ken Marshall for the pictures below.
Familes, friends, and students all enjoyed the opportunity to worship together as a community of St. Francis.
Thanks to Ken Marshall for the pictures below.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Cow-Pie Classic - Los Olivos - Race #5
The St. Francis GOLDEN
KNIGHTS Mountain Bike Team
“Cow-Pie Classic
Race”, Los Olivos CA – May 5, 2013
It was the
final race of the 5-race SoCal High School Mountain Bike league series, held at
the Dirt Club mountain bike venue in scenic Los Olivos. Seventeen members of
the Golden Knight Mountain Bike Team battled epic weather conditions (50 mph
wind gusts), new single-track trails, and the longest course of the season for
a difficult season-ending mountain bike race.
The strong
4-man Golden Knight freshmen team had another great showing at Los Olivos.
Andrew Schiller gave it his all and was overwhelmed at the end of the race with
his season-best 7th place finish, which also earned him a podium
award for being 8th overall for the SoCal league series. Close
behind was Michael Vega who also had his best result of the year, an impressive
11th place. Battling the tough conditions was George Orloff in 13th.
Andrew Palaski had two mechanical problems that required lengthy repairs, but
soldiered on to finish in 38th. This impressive freshman group
finished every lap of every race, and is certainly a bright spot for the future
of St. Francis mountain bike racing!
All five
riders from St. Francis for the Sophomore Division 1 class were in Los Olivos.
Earning his 4th top-10 result in what became a remarkable break-out
season was Nathaniel Blakely in 9th. Close behind in an equally
impressive break-out season was Remi Roth in 10th place. Skyler
Payne finished in 16th, with Owen Shain close behind in 18th,
his season-best result. Rounding out the sophomore group was Alex Marshall in
22nd.
The St.
Francis JV team was again well represented with 6 riders showing up to battle
Los Olivos. Austin Hamilton had a fantastic race, narrowly missing his first
podium of the season coming in 6th place, only 3 seconds behind 5th.
However, Austin was awarded a well-deserved 6th place overall for
the season in the JV division with solid results all season long. Senior Matt
Kubly has competed in every mountain bike race for the Golden Knights since his
freshman year, and has been an inspirational leader for the team this season.
Matt wanted to go out feeling good about his hard work, and did just that with
a season-best 19th place! Also earning a season-best result was
Hunter Nalley in 24th, followed closely by Kenny Larsen in 27th.
Will Towne battled illness to finish in 33rd, with Chris Perez close
behind in 35th.
The Golden
Knight Varsity team was once again represented by junior Sean Bird and senior
Scott Marshall. Like Matt Kubly, Scott Marshall was racing in his final SoCal
league race and had something to prove. Scott has worked hard all season,
improving his results each race. This week was no different with Scott Marshall
finishing with his season-best 13th place. Sean Bird has also raced
extremely well this season, his first in the Varsity class. Sean narrowly
missed the podium with another great 6th place result, and also
earned a 4th place overall for the Varsity class for the season.
Like all of the St. Francis Golden Knights, Sean completed every lap this
season and earned bonus points that helped lock up his 4th place
overall result.
In two
weeks, 14 members of the Golden Knight mountain bike team will travel to Marin
County in Northern California to compete in the NICA California State
Championships. If the results in Los Olivos are any indication, it looks like
the Golden Knights are peaking at the right time and can hopefully achieve
great results.
The Golden
Knights mountain bike team is 100% volunteer managed and coached and is very
grateful for all of the support they have received from the parents, alumni,
and their generous sponsors, including: Design Imports, Hollandays, Merchants
Building Maintenance, Mountain Pine Shutters, Strategic Law Partners, Nu-Hope,
Kevin Martin/UBS, Stratz & Company, Financial Guaranty Insurance Brokers, Lucas
Horsfall Murphy & Pindroh, Lantern CycleWorks, Montrose Bike Shop, Crescenta
Valley Insurance, and Church and Larsen. GO KNIGHTS!
Even though it's a race weekend, they still have to do homework. Dissecting a pig. |
What are they looking at? |
The Los Olivos venue is the most beautiful location that we race at. |
Owen Shain has worked hard all season. |
Coach Nick doing what he does - VIDEO! |
Andrew Palaski rippin' it! |
Remi Roth had another great race - 10th place! |
Sean Bird on his way to a great 6th place in Varsity. |
Matt Kubly in his final race being cheered on by alumni Christian Breitschwerdt |
Can yoou tell that Coach Bird is happy with the overall results? Andrew Schiller in 8th place Freshman, Sean Bird 4th Place Varsity, and Austin Hamilton 6th place JV. |
Michael Vega and Andrew Schiller were "cooked" after the GREAT race! 11th and 7th in Freshman D1. |
Time to celebrate those results! (L to R) Austin Hamilton, Hunter Nalley, Sean Bird, Andrew Schiller, Andrew Palaski, and alumni Matt Misetich. |
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Keyesville Race Report - it was WINDY! - Race #4
The St. Francis GOLDEN
KNIGHTS Mountain Bike Team
“Cruise the Keys
Race”, Keyesville CA – April 14, 2013
Nineteen
members of the Golden Knight Mountain Bike Team made the long journey to one of
the most scenic race courses in California for the Cruise the Keys race in
Keyesville, near Lake Isabella. Gusty winds and a very dry course made a
difficult venue even more challenging as the riders would cover more than 6
miles per lap on an undulating course. Coming off of the school’s spring break,
the riders would need to find their “racing legs” to prove that they were again
up to the challenge.
The first
race of the day featured four Golden Knight freshmen taking on 49 other
freshman riders from throughout Southern California in the largest field of the
day. The freshman racers have really stepped up this season and have shown
continued improvement. “I’m really proud of the freshman this year. These guys
have worked hard and have improved all season long, becoming a very tough
group”, said Coach Bird. All four Golden Knight freshmen finished in the
top-20, with George Orloff narrowly missing a top-10 finishing in 11th.
Michael Vega had his best race of the season in 13th, with Andrew
Schiller close behind in 14th. Rounding out the Golden Knights was
Andrew Palaski in 20th.
Four riders
from St. Francis represented the Golden Knights in the Sophomore Division 1
class. All four of these hard-working young men had their best results of the
season at this race. Getting closer to the podium were Nathaniel Blakeley in 8th,
Skyler Payne in 9th, Owen Shain in 19th, and Alex
Marshall in 20th.
St. Francis
again had the largest number of riders of any team in the JV Division 1 race with
9 guys lining up for the start. Unfortunately, a bad accident 100 yards into
the start of the race hampered most of the Golden Knight JV racers with bad
positions and mechanical problems. Escaping in front of the pile-up was Austin
Hamilton who again rode extremely well to an impressive 7th place
finish. Coming from dead last after the accident was senior Matt Kubly who wore
a tough game-face to fight for a respectable 23rd finish. Close
behind with their season-best results were Kenny Larsen in 25th and
Keenan Koch in 27th. Close behind were Will Towne in 29th,
Carl Demolder in 30th, and Daniel Balsam in 34th.
Rounding out the JV team were Hunter Nalley in 39th and Chris Perez with
his season-best 40th. Chris Perez was also a 3rd place
winner in the Felt Bicycle sponsored essay contest for the SoCal League and
received recognition at the race for his essay about what the St. Francis
Mountain Bike Team has meant to him.
The Golden
Knight Varsity team was once again represented by junior Sean Bird and senior
Scott Marshall. Sean worked hard all-day and passed two riders on the final lap
to earn a solid 6th place, which moved Sean into 4th
overall for the season in the Varsity class. Having his best ever result in the
Varsity class was Scott Marshall with a hard-earned 18th place
finish.
Even with
the horrible pile-up at the start of the JV race, The Golden Knights again
showed grit, courage, and perseverance to have all 19 riders complete their race.
That’s 23 straight races without a single DNF! The Golden Knights head to race
# 5 in Los Olivos in three weeks for the final SoCal League race with hopes of
getting all riders qualified for the State Championships in May.
The Golden
Knights mountain bike team is 100% volunteer managed and coached and is very
grateful for all of the support they have received from the parents, alumni,
and their generous sponsors, including: Design Imports, Hollandays, Merchants
Building Maintenance, Mountain Pine Shutters, Strategic Law Partners, Nu-Hope,
Kevin Martin/UBS, Stratz & Company, Financial Guaranty Insurance Brokers, Lucas
Horsfall Murphy & Pindroh, Lantern CycleWorks, Montrose Bike Shop, Crescenta
Valley Insurance, and Church and Larsen. GO KNIGHTS!
Andrew Palaski |
Chris Perez - Essay Contest 3rd Place Winner!!! |
Our "Top Chef" Coach Marshall |
Owen Shain heading into the switchbacks |
Chris Perez |
Carl Demolder |
Hunter Nalley |
Sean Bird in close quarters at the Varsity start |
Matt Kubly battled back from a bad crash at the start |
Sean Bird |
Will Towne |
Not where Matt Kubly wanted to be at the start |
Michael Vega on his way to his best finish, 13th! |
Nathaniel Blakely worked hard for 8th! |
Scott Marshall |
Sean Bird |
The Keyesville venue - Beautiful! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)