Marin Independent Journal

09/04/2005

Christine Vardaros

Now that Lance Armstrong has retired, the big question is, "Who will take his place?" Matt Fritzinger, a Berkeley High math teacher, was ahead of his time when he came up with an answer five years ago by founding the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League.

Fritzinger's original intention was simply to encourage kids to ride bikes in a fun, safe and competitive environment. Considering he has grown the program from 60 high school athletes and a handful of loosely organized clubs, to over 200 athletes and 14 established clubs, he has more than accomplished this task.

But his ultimate dream was for cycling to gain acceptance from the CIF (California interscholastic Federation). He figured this would aid his
mission to develop quality cycling programs within California's public and private schools, making the sport more accessible to kids. He also thought that CIF acceptance would bring about a higher level of school spirit for the clubs while opening up opportunities that are already being enjoyed by kids competing in CIF-accredited sports.

After plenty of hard work and intricate acrobatics used to navigate through multiple obstacles, Fritzinger may not have succeeded in getting
the CIF to recognize cycling as a high school sport, but he did realize all the benefits that accompanied his dream. Although high school clubs will not be referred to as teams just yet, the school spirit and perks achieved are much more important to the kids than any organization's stamp of approval.

When Daniel Novak, a senior and varsity racer for Drake, was asked for his opinion on cycling's exclusion in CIF's list of sports, his first reaction was one of confusion. "What is CIF?" he asked. Once Novak figured it out, he said, "In every aspect except funding, we're considered a school team. We are included in the school's sports rallies and every Monday, our success is broadcast over the loudspeaker along with all the other sports.

"Sometimes we will wear the jersey to school the Friday before a Sunday race. One kid even came in with a jersey, Campagnolo (bike component company) cycling cap and spandex shorts."

There are even rivalries among schools and among individuals from different schools. Novak's rivalry partner is Kyle Wright of Nevada Union High, with whom he battles it out at every high school race.

Since the kids don't receive a share of the already overstretched sports budget, they support their passion with the help of limited club
sponsorship while earning the rest. They have learned to be creative in their efforts to cut costs and make money.

"We'll go out to the races the night before and camp out to save money," said Novak, who pays for his cycling expenses by working at Sunshine Bikes in Fairfax. "For the first seven months of working there (while he was building his race bike), it was common for my boss to tell me I spent more (on bike parts) than my paycheck will be worth."

He also sells his used parts to supplement his income from the bikeshop.

Once the students are ready to graduate high school, their future in cycling is looking brighter.

Colleges are starting to recruit from high school teams in similar fashion to other established sports - some even have preferred admissions programs in place. There are also cycling-specific college scholarships up for grabs. One scholarship source comes from the Fast Freddie Foundation, created by three-time national road racing champion, Fred Rodriguez.

"My goal is to show kids that it is possible to do both sport and school," said Rodriguez.

Along with many triumphs for the kids, Fritzinger scored one for himself; he can finally quit his teaching job and work full time as league director.

"This was something I saw as a possibility - a motivation for me. Full-time teaching and full-time league - I did this for a few years. When you're working 80 hours a week, you're going to burn out," said Fritzinger.

While people would consider Fritzinger's accomplishments an absolute success, he remains motivated to reach an even loftier goal. He plans to make cycling accessible to every single high school student in Northern California. By actively encouraging and supporting Northern California schools - including those in inner cities - to set up cycling clubs, he is ensuring his chances on making his new goal a reality.

Although Northern California is his target market, Fritzinger is expanding his outreach to the rest of the country.

"I have been contacted by people all over the U.S. who are looking for help in setting up a program similar to ours. Just recently, I received inquiries from South Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas." said Fritzinger.

Another project Fritzinger has in the works is an elite bicycle racing team comprised of the league's most successful athletes.

"By developing an elite team to compete in National Calendar events, we will be supporting them in their cycling career while simultaneously promoting the League's mission of making the sport accessible to all kids," said Fritzinger.

Considering many famous road racers such as Floyd Landis, Michael Rasmussen and Cadel Evans started off as mountain bikers, maybe the next Lance Armstrong will come from this team.

The League is currently in search of a coach for the Redwood High Cycling Club. For further information, visit:http://www.norcalmtb.org or stop by their booth at the San Francisco Grand Prix today.