An interview with program director: Terry Ritter What were some highlights of year four for the program? We were able to win a number of local road races in the Elite class, on both the west and the east side of the state (Waterford and Grattan), with multiple juniors. 3 of them did the 2023 Iceman in the PRO class, with Jonathan Meyer getting 13th overall. Jon also raced in his first PRO criterium field at Tour of America’s Dairyland (ToAD). Charlotte raced up a junior class at ToAD and took 2nd in the 17-18 field for the 5 day omnium. Jack Kozlowski took 3rd in his Cat. 4 omnium as well. We also took a few wins in the
By: Briony Dean Hi, my name is Briony Dean! I am 14 years old and a freshman in high school. I see myself as an athlete and try to be my best. I am currently pursuing track where I hope to run the 800 and the mile. My favorite athletic activity has got to be swimming. Something that makes me very proud of myself is that this year, I went to the Division 2 state meet as an alternate for Portage Northern. I’ve wanted to be in the water for as long as I can remember. Now, I’ve been a competitive swimmer for almost 7 years! The part about competitive swimming that I love the most is mainly the environment.
By: Kellen Siems One thing to consider when preparing for a cold weather run is what clothes you’re going to wear. The temperature should be taken into account, especially in fall and winter. To start, it’s highly recommended that you wear a base layer which would include any type of shirt, mainly something that will keep you warm and keep sweat off your skin. Cotton should be avoided because it absorbs moisture. Next you will need either a mid layer, outer layer, or both. A mid layer would be something like a vest, hoodie, or even a long sleeve shirt. An outer layer might be a light jacket like a wind breaker that protects you from the wind and keeps
By: Jay Campbell A recent Scientific Triathlon podcast argued that the best predictor of average bike-speed on a flat course is watts per CdA. If your watts per CdA is higher than the rider next to you, you will beat that rider in a flat time-trial. Most of us triathletes do power-based workouts on the bike. We work on increasing our Functional Threshold Power (ftp) and have a good feel for the average wattage we can produce during a race. But do any of us have a handle on what our CdA is? And how do we reduce it? What is CdA? CdA is the coefficient of aerodynamic drag multiplied by a relevant area. Area(A) is usually taken to be the frontal area of
By: Nathan LaGest My name is Nathan LaGest. I live in Ortonville Michigan, I’m 15 years old, and a sophomore at Oxford High School. I enjoy school and I do well with over a 4.0 GPA. I have been in competitive cycling for 8 years and started because I was looking for a new sport after participating in motorcycle racing, soccer, and baseball. I love the sport, the fun technical features, the beautiful scenery, constantly pushing my limits, and being out in nature. I raced and rode as an independent rider in MiSCA for the first two years of cycling. I then joined the Lake Orion Dragon Cycling Team when I was in fifth grade which I have been on for
By: Raquel Torres Ashwagandha is an herb that has been used in traditional Indian medicine (Ayurveda) for centuries. It has been shown to have a number of potential health benefits. Ashwagandha has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels by lowering the production of cortisol, a stress hormone. Ashwagandha, one of the most popular Indian botanical plants, has been used in Ayurveda – the 5000-year-old Indian system of medicine, as a rejuvenative, and a daily tonic for many centuries. Ashwagandha embodies the very essence of a preventative and curative approach to health in Ayurveda. Ashwagandha is referred to as the Prince of Herbs in Ayurveda. What is Ayurveda? Ayurveda is a whole-body (holistic) system of medicine that began in India,
Athletic Mentors