Two collegiate cycling conferences welcome new leadership
Both the North Central Collegiate Cycling Conference (NCCCC) and the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) are welcoming new leadership with the appointment of Mark Guthart as the new conference director for the NCCCC and Joe Kopena as the primary conference director for the ECCC.
Guthart, who will replace long-time NCCCC director Larry Martin who moved on to a full-time regional coordinator position with USA Cycling, will oversee all facets of the conference which covers North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota and Iowa. The director’s main responsibilities will include administering an annual conference meeting, scheduling collegiate seasons, facilitating the formation of new collegiate teams and supporting existing collegiate teams. With vast experience as a race director and promoter as well as in competing and officiating, USA Cycling hopes Guthart’s experience will help streamline collegiate cycling in its period of rapid fire growth.
"It's difficult to lose a great Collegiate Director like Larry Martin, but we’re extremely fortunate to have numerous talented volunteers at the conference level and Mr. Guthart’s willingness to step up is a testament to that,” explained USA Cycling’s Collegiate Cycling Manager Daniel Matheny. “The tough part in identifying collegiate conference directors is often finding the perfect fit; a motivated and well qualified individual that meshes well with our collegiate members. With his prior work as example and numerous testimonials, we feel Guthart's appointment will benefit collegiate cycling as a whole."
Currently the Secretary for the Iowa Bicycle Racing Association, Guthart began racing in 1988 and continues to hold USA Cycling licenses for both road and mountain bike racing. Guthart also holds a USA Cycling Category A Road Officials license and promotes and manages several races across various disciplines each year in his home state of Iowa. The 39-year-old is the President of G4 International, LLC and resides in Waterloo with his wife, Lisa, and two daughters.
In the ECCC, the unfortunate loss of long-time collegiate stakeholder Mark Abramson has brought new blood to the country’s oldest collegiate cycling conference this fall. As Abramson moved on to the position of President of the USA Cycling Board of Directors, Joe Kopena of Drexel University was appointed the conference’s primary director. Kopena however is joined by several other individuals who will help share the responsibility of managing the largest collegiate cycling conference. Caitlin Thompson of Tufts University is serving as ECCC Mountain Bike Coordinator/Assistant Director, while Mark Vareschi of Rutgers University is serving as Cyclo-cross Coordinator and Josh Schwartz of Massachusetts Institute of Technology is serving as Track Coordinator.
"This model of focused young leaders within the conference has proven to work well,” said Matheny. “The members of the ECCC respect the leaders as their peers who understand what they want to see happen within the conference. The fact that the ECCC was the first conference to offer a qualifying season in all four collegiate cycling disciplines and the fact that they are hitting record attendance at fall conference mountain bike events is testimony that the conference is on the right track. This group is like the ECCC A-team...they are accomplishing great feats."
About USA Cycling
Recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling is the official governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the United States, including road, track, mountain bike, BMX and cyclo-cross. As a membership-based organization and sanctioning body, USA Cycling consists of 64,000+ members, including 57,000 competitive cyclists, 1,500 coaches, 4,000 student-athletes, 2,200 officials, 350 professional cyclists, and 200 certified mechanics. USA Cycling also sanctions 2,500 competitive and non-competitive organized cycling events throughout the United States annually, as well as 1,800 clubs and teams. Associations of USA Cycling include the United States Cycling Federation (road, track & cyclo-cross), the National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), the BMX Association, the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the United States Professional Racing Organization. USA Cycling is also responsible for the identification, development, support and promotion of American cyclists through various athletic initiatives and programs including the USA Cycling National Development Team, the USA Cycling Women’s National Team, the USA Cycling Junior Development Team, Talent Identification and Regional Development Camps, domestic and international race calendars, direct athlete funding and support programs, and educational camps and seminars. USA Cycling also fields and supports U.S. National Teams for various international events, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games, Continental Championship and World Cups across all levels and disciplines of competitive cycling. USA cycling further supports grass roots and locally-based initiatives through its 32 Local Associations and comprehensive network of licensed and certified coaches and officials. Additionally, USA Cycling conducts National Championship events for amateur and professional cyclists, awarding more than 600 national titles annually to men and women in junior, U23, masters, elite, professional and paralympic categories throughout the various disciplines of competitive cycling. To learn more about USA Cycling, visit www.usacycling.org. For media-related or general inquiries, please contact USA Cycling Director of Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867 or alee@usacycling.org.
This Article Published 2008-10-07 10:01:42
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to build the sport of bicycle racing, assist with athlete development and
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