With the increasing worry of Covid-19, many were worried about Chelsea High continuing their sports programs for 2020-2021 school year. Despite Covid-19’s many limitations, Chelsea High is finding many ways for students to participate in sports, including the formation of a new Mountain Biking team.

 Initially, Chelsea was part of the Shelby County Composite Mountain Biking team, but this year, Chelsea will be competing independently. 

The team will include about twenty-five riders from Chelsea Middle School and Chelsea High School and will be coached by Mrs. Newman, Coach Scroggins, Coach Carbonie, Coach Lusk, and other parent volunteers/coaches.

The team’s director, Mrs. Newman has high hopes for Chelsea’s mountain biking team.

“Since this is our inaugural season after splitting from the Shelby County Composite MTB team and forming our own team, we hope to grow this sport in Chelsea and Shelby County,” Newman said. “In general, we want to provide an opportunity for students to be as competitive as they want or to simply be out there riding.”

The mountain biking team’s first practice will be on November 15. 

The season will last from November/December to February. Mountain biking races will begin at the end of February and end in early May. 

Mrs. Newman’s daughter, ninth-grader Julieanne Newman, is very happy to be joining the team. 

“I’ve had the best experience mountain biking, meeting new friends, and competitive racing,” she said.

Regarding the issue of Covid-19, the NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) released a statement on their website in order to clarify its position.

 The statement says that the primary objective of NICA as it relates to COVID is  to “reduce our participants, volunteer and staff potential of exposure by following, to the best of our ability, guidance from the CDC, State and local health departments as appropriate for NICA at the national, league and team level.”

The mountain biking team will try out both male and female students from sixth to twelfth grade. For those interested in joining Chelsea’s mountain biking team: a student can join by emailing [email protected] or attending one of the interest meetings.