Bouncing over small hills and turning tight, dusty corners, a small crowd of 11- and 12-year-olds practiced riding their mountain bikes Sunday afternoon near Phil’s Trailhead in west Bend. Their zealous attitudes, playful jeers directed at teammates and youthful exuberance fit the mold for a group of middle schoolers.

In a city filled with mountain bikers of varying ages and skill levels, the next generation of cyclists has a new opportunity to get out and ride.

A middle school composite mountain biking team started up this year in Bend as a member of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, drawing a dozen young riders in the early stages of its first season.

The fledgling program is among nearly a dozen teams around the state of Oregon, according to coach and co-director of the Bend team Debbi Mason. She and her fellow co-director and coach, Nora Barrett, started putting the team together in April after attending a coaches’ summit in Lake Oswego, after which they recruited a handful of coaches first before the athletes.

“We joked for a while that we had more coaches than we did kids,” Mason said with a laugh. “Enough can’t be said about our volunteer coaches. They volunteer their time, and they have to pay out of pocket for background checks, concussion training, CPR training, etc.”

Mason said the program is “flourishing” in its early stages. Many young cyclists, she said, are placing top three and some are already winning races.

“Eventually, there will probably be two or three Bend teams as it gets bigger and bigger,” Mason said. “Mountain biking is huge around Central Oregon.”

Sporting white-framed sunglasses underneath his helmet, 12-year-old Will Fogarty sat confidently on his bike and smiled when thinking back on recent races. He has won all three races the team has participated in this season, and he said he was introduced to the sport by his dad, whom young Fogarty affectionately called a “mountain bike freak.”

“Meeting everybody and making friends is my favorite part of this,” Fogarty said. “I also like how this is the first year of NICA in Oregon, and we’re the first people to do it here.”

The team practices two to three times per week, according to Mason, and will compete in its fourth race of the season coming up Nov. 4 in Bend. Many of the kids who joined the NICA program belong to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend as well.

Funding for the program comes from two local sponsors and money provided by the eight coaches. Riders are responsible for $275 paid to the NICA, along with the equipment necessary to race. The NICA provides scholarships for some kids, and local businesses have helped out with the ancillary costs, according to Mason.

“One of the most exciting parts about this is you can have all sorts of kids on mountain bikes,” Mason said. “Some of the community shops have donated equipment or given kids discounts on certain things. That makes sure it isn’t just a rich kids’ sport.”

Many of the kids say they have been mountain biking for their entire — albeit short — lives. Whether it was a parent or other family member who got them started, some of them have been on bikes longer than they have been in school.

Emma Cheney, 11, said she started mountain biking when she was 4. Her uncle, who she said is a “really good mountain biker,” showed her the ropes at an early age. The first few practices with the Bend composite team were a challenge for her, though.

“When I first joined the team, I walked every single hill that they threw at me,” she said. “Now, I can do most of the hills that we bike, and I’ve won second place in every race. (The coaches) have made me stronger than I’ve ever been.”

This middle school team is just the beginning, according to both Mason and Barrett. In the coming years, the coaches hope, the current middle schoolers will stick with the club so they can start a high school team. For now, this small group is laying the foundation for active kids all over Central Oregon to pursue a sport that many of their adult family members already love.

— Reporter: 541-383-0307, rclarke@bendbulletin.com