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 The Collegiate Cycling Monthly Update appears at the beginning of the first full week of each month. We are a week late this month, and apologize for the inconsistency. We'll be back on schedule next month.
In this issue are two articles that would behoove EVERYONE to read. The first is a story on the unfortunate results of a team party last spring, leaving one of the nation's best teams to stay at home this year. The second is the story of how one collegiate team not only grew from the ground up during a recession, but helped save the world in the process. Both are full of important lessons of two very different sorts.
Don't forget, if you're on Twitter or Facebook, be sure to look us up! And be sure to send questions, comments, story ideas, or photos to collegiateupdate@usacycling.org.
-Jeffrey Hansen, USAC Collegiate Program Manager
The Real Risks of a Real Good Time
A major player on the national collegiate racing scene* will be markedly absent this year, and while the story is complicated, it can all be blamed on a party. Most collegiate teams hold parties of some kind. And, since it is collegiate cycling, it would be naive to believe that alcohol is never involved. While everyone knows that college parties can easily go awry and have dramatic consequences, it is often forgotten that even the most normal of parties can ruin things for everyone there, long after the party is over.
In May, a team with a long history of success in collegiate cycling held a party to celebrate another year of great racing. The season was over, finals were finished, and the Giro d'Italia was on TV. The team gathered at a house off campus for the annual post-season celebration, grilling burgers, roasting teammates with mock-awards, and viewing slides from the spring's long racing season. No big deal.
But the chill celebration transitioned into a house party as friends and acquaintances joined in the festivities. Still, just a party. There's usually at least one a night on most college campuses. Why was this one different?
We all know that athletes are representatives of their schools, and as a result, for better or worse, are held to a higher standard than many other students. But we also assume that this  standard only applies to varsity athletes in sports like football and basketball; this isn't the case, and this cycling team learned that in an unfortunately difficult manner.
Of course, photos were taken. Riders wore school cycling caps and were photographed playing drinking games involving rollers and copious amounts of alcohol (certainly not the best idea in the first place). Soon after, a team member sent the pictures to the team’s public e-mail list, which included not only students, but also members of the local cycling community, alumni, and members of other teams.** Needless to say, the pictures worked their way back to the school administration.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
This is a space to learn from each other and get a peek into the operations of teams you might not otherwise encounter. So start sharing. Submit stories to collegiateupdate@usacycling.org.
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Conferences Wrap Up Mountain Seasons
Last weekend, six of the eleven conferences held conference championships for their mountain seasons, and this past weekend two more finished up, just in time for National Championships this coming weekend.
 The ACCC saw one of the closest competitions for D1 team championships in years: West Virginia University ended up with its 10th mountain bike conference title, taking in 1405 points over Virginia Tech's 1400. Talk about a close one! Emily Moy and Robert Loehr, both of WVU, took the Women's and Men's A titles, respectively. The D2 competition, while fielding more schools, was not nearly as close, with Appalachian State University scoring almost twice the points of its nearest competitor.
The ECCC crowned their champions at Easterns this past weekend, hosted by the University of Vermont. Northeastern University came away with both men's and women's individual omnium titles, fought for and won by Sam Mellen and Maggie Sullivan. That didn't stop UVM, however, from winning the overall team championship in D1, 100 points ahead of Northeastern. Clarkson University, meanwhile, took top honors in D2.
In the Midwest (MWCCC), Lindsey Wilson College cleaned up Division 1, taking the season-long team title by 6000 points, while also claiming D1 individual titles for Adam LaRochelle and Sara Lukas. Meanwhile, in D2, Ripon College was on a similar rampage, claiming both individual titles for Eric Smith and Tiffany Seering while also winning the team championship. 
After conference championships in Colorado for the RMCCC, the University of Colorado, Boulder came out on top of the D1 standings, barely squeaking out ahead of perennial powerhouse Fort Lewis College. FLC did manage to nab 3 of the 4 individual titles in D1 (Sage Wilderman in women's gravity, Trevor Downing in men's endurance, and Evan Elliott in men's gravity), however, while CU's Katie Sodergren took the Women's Endurance title. The D2 field was even closer, though, as the US Air Force Academy edged out the Colorado School of Mines and Mesa State College. All three were within about 400 points of one another (that might not sound close, but it is!). Mines star Christen Boyer claimed both the D2 women's titles, proving her versatile talents in both gravity and endurance categories. Meanwhile, Brent Steinberg won the endurance individual title for Mesa State and Jordan Newth of Western State took home the gravity championship.
Down in Texas (SCCCC), Texas A&M claimed the DI championship, while Baylor University won Division 2. Chad Haga of Texas A&M walked away with the men's D1 individual championship, while Luan Roberts, University of Houston, won in the D1 women's competition. Amy West of Baylor won for D2 women (there was no D2 men's title awarded). 
The SECCC hosted its Mountain Bike Conference Finals last weekend at Clemson University. The event was held under good weather conditions, something that had been absent from the prior two weekends of racing. Many conference titles were on the line, both for teams and individuals. Reflecting the heated competition, there was a huge turnout for the events. Some of the largest field sizes ever seen toed the line at conference finals, including Men's A downhill that boasted 46 competitors and the Women's A short track event that lined up 21 riders. Field sizes this big made the event feel more like a Nationals event than a conference event, and really added to competitive aspect of the weekend. In the end, it was Lees-McRae and Brevard that ended up with the team trophies for conference champs.
Finally, the Southwest Conference (SWCCC) Championships were hosted by the University of Arizona, where a record turnout spiced up the weekend's races. Kevin Clegg of UA won his 2nd straight event and former Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championship omnium winner Chloe Forsman, also of UA took advantage of teammate Madeline Hack going off course to take her 3rd win (out of 3 races) for the season. Both racers claimed the overall individual conference omnium. The University of Arizona had a 30 point lead for nationals points going into the event, and they only increased it once they got there. UA also overtook the University of New Mexico for the season-long team omnium win with their riders' performances over the course of the day.
Dueling Views on the Dual Conference Race
SECCC Director Nathan Haslick and ACCC scorer Ryan Post duke it out with their opinions on how the dual conference race went in Banner Elk, NC. Actually, they don't really disagree at all.
Nathan Haslick, Director of the SECCC:
"The dual conference race between the SECCC and ACCC on the weekend of September 19-20 was best characterized when the chief official made the dual slalom qualifier announcement on the side of the hill next to the Lees McRae gymnasium. As the brackets were announced to the crowd, the official got to the Men's A field and said that there were 56 qualifying runs,  and that 32 would be seeded. There was quite a reaction from the crowd, as the riders clearly realized that this was not your average collegiate race.
The races on Saturday included cross country and dual slalom. The cross country event was chaotic, to say the least! Between the two conferences, the race had over 100 riders out on the 4-5 mile course at once, with lead lap times coming in at close to 15 minutes from the front-runners of the Men's A field. The weather was great, and the racing was very competitive.
Ryan Post, ACCC Scorer:
"This year Appalachian State University joined with Lees McRae College to put on a dual conference race. I’ve raced in dual conference races with ECCC, but never with SECCC. There were some very noticeable differences.
The first thing we noticed was the number of racers. Usually during a dual conference race, there are fewer riders since it the race is held on the conferences' border, extending the drive for some schools. But this time that wasn't the case. In the ACCC there was a very tight battle for the conference title in Division 1. This weekend would play a very important role in that fight, as ACCC rules give dual conference races additional points. The SECCC teams seemed to be in full force as well, but that might have been due to the number of schools with varsity funding, which likely have a much larger travel budget than the ACCC club teams."
FOR THE FULL STORY, CLICK HERE.
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Track Nationals Go Off Smoothly
Though Sunday, September 27th was scheduled to be a rain day for the 2009 USA Cycling Collegiate Track Nationals, it wasn't needed. That was because the rain held off until exactly 5 minutes after the final event had taken place Saturday evening. Perfect timing. The final  awards ceremony had to be moved under the tent overlooking turn four, but no one seemed to mind. Everyone present was too excited from three days of great track racing to care about the weather.
There had been some incredible matches. The women's match sprints were gut-wrenchingly tense and some of the most exciting races of the weekend, as the top 5 places went to some very well matched talent in Elena Dorr (Illinois Institute of Technology, 5th), Lauren Shirock (Penn State University, 4th), Stephanie Torres (Bard HSE College, 3rd), Amelia Bjesse Puffin (Portland State University, 2nd), and Colleen Hayduk (Kutztown University, 1st). The men's Points Race qualifier saw Ian Burnett, of Fort Lewis College, pull off for a mechanical, only to find out it wasn't actually a mechanical, and lap the field twice to reclaim his lost points and make it into the final race. The US Military Academy shared their top-secret strategies for flat repair (they would leave it to the Navy to fix, as they do all the Army's "light work") while MIT theorized about the wheel velocity required to time travel and prevent the flat in the first place. They also had a mathematical theory about some kind of fancy flat-fixing function that no one understood.
For complete results from the event, click here here and here. Also check out Facebook for a photo album.
Mountain Bike Nationals Fast Approaching
The year must be going by quickly, because Mountain Bike Nationals begin in just a few  days. Either that or they were moved earlier, as Truckee, CA gets real snowy real fast in just a few weeks. Be sure to check out this site for all the latest info.
Also, don't forget that discounts with Enterprise Rental Car have been arranged: the under 25 fee has been waived, in addition to the extra driver fee. Click here for the deal. If you are interested in cargo vans, you need to contact the manager, LaRoyshia, at the airport location directly (775-325-3977) and use the discount code: 23A3330.
And be sure to preview the courses with helmet-cam videos on YouTube and here. You can also find the Race Technical Guide here.
Be Sure to Check out Collegiate Cycling in the News!
Click here for all the latest stories in the press about collegiate cycling.
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Why are Nationals So Expensive?
Wait, I have to pay WHAT for Nationals? Are the officials having caviar for lunch or something? Actually, no. Every year there is a bit of sticker shock about the cost of attending the national championship events. Mountain Bike Nationals are no different this year.
 College kids are poor. This is a known fact. So to fork over $350 for a plane ticket, $250 for a rental car, $100 to ship the bike each way (double that if you're competing for the omnium with two bikes), $300 for lodging, $180 in entry fees, $50 for lift tickets to practice the gravity events, and $35 for the awards banquet ($1265 total), it adds up pretty quickly.
So where does the money go? Well, here is a general breakdown of the basics:
1. Transportation, lodging, food, and daily pay for 5 officials, 4 USAC staff members, 5 timing and scoring employees, and an announcer.
2. Insurance against all the liabilities involved with sending college students at 40 mph down a mountain on a bicycle. [Ed. note: Keep in mind you can't even sell a cup of coffee these days without insurance. -JH]
3. Subsidized lift tickets: Paid for on race day, and discounted for practice use. When you go skiing in the winter you may pay upwards of $70 for a day of lift use. The lift takes money to operate, whatever the season.
4. Equipment rental: start gates, trusses, generators, A/V, radios, fencing, tents, etc.
5. Little things that add up quickly: race plates, printing technical guides, food for the 50 volunteers on site every day.
6. Medical staff on site at all times.
7. Medals, trophies, and jerseys: After all, what else are we racing for, right?
Ok so estimate how much all that costs, then multiply it by 1.5 or so because everything in life is always more expensive than it should be. Got a total? Is it big? It should be, because the costs of a national event are huge. Cycling is an expensive sport that doesn't generate profit for anyone; we're all in it for the fun of it, especially in collegiate cycling. USA Cycling is always trying to reduce costs for student athletes, and will try even harder at this in the future.
Petitioning the Board
Not qualified for nationals? Break a rule? Not your fault? Write a petition and send it to the board! They're very understanding folks with the goal of improving collegiate cycling for everyone, and making sure everybody gets to participate that should. So here's what to do, according to USAC rule 7.B.3(c):
The Board of Trustees has the authority to grant exceptions to and provide interpretations and clarifications of these Rules on a case-by-case basis. Collegiate Board decisions are final and there shall be no appeals. Any Rider or other individual who wishes to be granted an exception to or provided with an interpretation or clarification of these Rules must submit a petition by email to the Chairperson with a carbon copy to the Collegiate Cycling Manager and Conference Director of the Conference in which the Rider's Team competes. The written petition must contain at least the following information: (i) All information relevant to the requested petition; (ii) The name, telephone number and email address of the petitioner and of the appropriate representative of the athletic department, club sports department, student groups department or similar office that is responsible for supervising the Rider's Team; (iii) The date by which the Rider wishes to have the petition resolved and the reason for that date.
Easy as pie! Now go save yourself some trouble and read the rules!
Submit any questions you have about the world of collegiate cycling to collegiateupdate@usacycling.org
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Mars-Hill College's "Green Team"
Essay by MHC head cycling coach, Hugh Moran
 Last year, in August 2008, I was hired to build the cycling program at Mars Hill College in Western North Carolina. We were then a “green” team, in the sense that we were a young and inexperienced organization. Our cycling team had a few hundred dollars of seed money in its budget, maybe enough to get to the first race or two. A month later the bottom fell out of the economy. Calling and asking for team sponsorship during a very bad recession was an exercise in futility. But with the support of a few dedicated alumni and individual supporters, donations from a couple of local cycling organizations, and a cycling film fundraiser, we were able to get our team to nearly all of the races, and eventually to nationals. We cut costs where we could: staying at host housing, cooking our own meals, putting on a fundraiser, having a silent auction, even asking supporters to please just buy us a tank of gas.
A year later, the economy is not much better and many potential sponsors’ marketing budgets have been curtailed if not frozen. While the team made a name for itself with a number of strong results last year, our budget has not grown enough to fully support our growing team, and sponsorship prospects again seem daunting. The number of scholarship athletes on the team has now tripled in size, meaning that we need a much larger budget to cover the basic support we offer our athletes: entry fees, travel and lodging expenses, food per diem, etc. Plus, we’ve expanded into the mountain and cyclocross disciplines, further stretching our resources. The team’s growth is a great thing but presents an even larger financial predicament for our team than last year. What to do?
Several days of mulling it over produced a number of critical questions: How can we create a team of sponsors who are more than just logos on a jersey? How can we create win/win/win relationships between the college, sponsors, and the team and make cash sponsorship attractive? What types of businesses actually have budgets for marketing and promotion? Eventually, the idea to build a “green” team developed, a team that would be supported by local companies who provide access to sustainable and ecological goods and services.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Want your team to be recognized here? Send an essay telling us why (500 words or so) and you could be featured in this space next month. Please submit by October 30.
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Matthew Reynolds, South Central Conference
CORRECTION: Last month's interview phrased a few questions incorrectly, leading some to believe that the conference director position is a paid one. Unfortunately, this is not the case. CDs volunteer their time, and dedicate a full-time job's worth to make collegiate cycling function. Without these hard working individuals, collegiate cycling would not exist. End of story. Their generosity and enthusiasm deserves a thousand thank-yous.
How did you first get involved with cycling? I played baseball in high school and decided that college baseball wasn’t for me so in order to keep active, one of my friends suggested cycling. I went to the local bike shop and bought the compulsory Trek 1000 and that’s how I got started.
What about collegiate cycling? I did some charity rides before college and found out the school I was going to attend had a cycling club, it was a natural progression to join up, start racing, make new friends and eventually led me to this position.
How long have you been conference director? I think since the 2006/07 school year, it all runs together.
You co-direct the SCCCC with Jacque Payne; how does that work out and how do you divide responsibilities? It works out pretty well; I’m not very good with numbers so for the most part she handles the money and points scoring. I tend to find myself working more with the technical aspects of the conference, upgrading riders, working with promoters, working registration, stuff like that. She is a national level official, so officiating with her is pretty fun when we get the chance, I learn a lot.
Describe a typical race weekend; what do you do? Other than mind numbing travel from East Texas to all the races, I work at registration making sure everything is running smooth. After the races start, I help out where I can, I’m an official so I can do that if needed or sometimes I’ll just walk around a MTB venue and check out the action or hop in a follow car and encourage our C riders not to pull out of the race. It all depends on where I’m needed each weekend.
READ THE REST OF MATTHEW'S INTERVIEW HERE.
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Matt Jones
How did you first get involved with cycling? I started cycling right after my senior year in high school after a major knee injury caused me to stop running. 
What about collegiate cycling? Started in collegiate cycling my freshman year at Purdue University in 2006 and have been racing collegiate the past 5 years now.
How long have you been on the Board? First year on the board.
What motivated you to run for the Board? I felt that I had some ideas that I wanted to share as well as gain some experience on the board as well as maybe give something back to collegiate cycling.
Do you ride very often? Ride between 6-7 days a week for training plus commute riding almost every day. Race? Try to race 2-3 times a week during the season. Track and Road.
What kind of bike(s) do you have? Bianchi 928 T Cube (Road), Bianchi Pista Concept (Track), Motobecane Immortal Pro (Time Trial), 1976 Univega (Fixed Gear)
What’s your favorite part of being on the board? Knowing that I have the chance to have some say in collegiate cycling.
What do you hope to change and/or accomplish while on the board of trustees? Maybe encourage the idea of spreading the word of collegiate cycling to people that are unfamiliar with it such as Juniors that don’t even think about riding for teams other than those that offer scholarships.
READ THE REST OF MATT'S INTERVIEW HERE.
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Pink = Mountain, Purple = Cyclocross, Bold = Conference championships
*Conferences not listed here do not have events in this time period.
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