Such phrasing also lends itself to an explosion in interscholastic mountain biking since the late aughts.

For a decade-plus, programs at Ogden High and neighboring Northern Utah schools have played a part in growing the sport, which has tripled nationally since 2014, according to data provided by the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, which oversees 30-plus organizations across the country.

Utah is the largest of those organizations with an estimated 7,600 riders in 2024.

Mountain biking is not yet a sanctioned sport by the Utah High School Activities Association. In its place, the Utah High School Cycling League (UHSCL), an independent body governing 90 high school programs in the state, has grown to accommodate its own financial aid programs and partnerships since it launched in 2012 with roughly 300 riders.

BRIAN NICHOLSON, Special to the Standard-Examiner

At its core, the league’s mission is to provide junior high and high school athletes with an avenue into biking, whether competitively or purely recreational, Ogden coach Gavin Hutchinson said. Hutchinson is a Weber State alum and president of the nonprofit EnableUtah, which provides employment solutions and accommodations for those with disabilities.

Varsity, sub-varsity, development and one-lap options fit any interested student-athletes into the program’s weekly race schedule. Ogden recently finished its first race of the season in Price, a 2 1/2-hour drive for a Saturday’s worth of races across every level.

“Everyone who wants to race, there’s a category,” Hutchinson said.

This summer, Hutchinson’s team joined parent-coach Eddie Hill, an associate professor in the Outdoor and Community Recreation Education program at Weber State, for an evaluation of mountain biking and its developmental impacts on young riders.

Hutchinson and Hill (both seasoned riders of 30-plus years) partnered with the Ogden-based ENVE Composites, a leader in bicycle frame, wheel and component technology, to host a one-day, 8-hour camp designed for riders in grades 7-12. The inaugural run brought 28 total participants, with 21 completing the survey.

BRIAN NICHOLSON, Special to the Standard-Examiner

Through the study, Hill, and university associate Cass Morgan, found that participants reported competence in riding, problem solving, overcoming challenges, and establishing new friendships during camp. On a scale of 1 to 10, participants rated their experience an average of 8.33.

Their initial trial may, hopefully, balloon into a presentable strategy for high school programs across the state, Hill told the Standard-Examiner.

“We’re hoping to create a kind of a scalable model and almost a template for them,” Hill said. “They can take this kind of playbook, if you will, and then launch their own and then have some data supporting it, because you can look at the impact and help these organizations get funding.”

The model currently in place at Ogden High already has some proven examples, too.

Junior Clara Geddes (one of four team captains alongside seniors Erik Warren, Charlotte Barnett Shirely and junior Nick Hutchinson) leaned on riding as a support system while recovering from a hip injury during her sophomore year at Ogden.

BRIAN NICHOLSON, Special to the Standard-Examiner

Geddes joined the mountain biking team as a freshman, and plans on returning to her three sports (biking, cross country and swim) again this school year.

Captain or not, Geddes describes her experience of riding at Ogden as not just valuable to her own recovery, but valuable to any student seeking confidence outside the classroom.

“It doesn’t really affect where you are,” Geddes said. “We’re captains to help support our teammates. We’re supposed to be examples. I’d say we’re all really good at that. Erik’s a speed demon — all the kids really love Erik. … Charlotte’s an amazing example. Our levels help because everyone can see that we’re working and we want to race well.”

Ogden’s program isn’t isolated to enrolled students, either. Nick Hutchison, a junior at the Northern Utah Academy of Math Engineering and Science (NUAMES) in Ogden, and the son of coach Gavin Hutchinson, has been riding with his father since his earliest years.

The team’s mission, the younger Hutchinson said, is fostering a unique environment where any team member can cater to one another, regardless of experience.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

“My whole thing is just I love biking and I want to help other people love it as much as I do,” Nick Hutchison said. “If they want to do really well, and I’m riding with them, I’ll try to help them push a little bit harder at practice, if that’s what they need. Or, if they just want to go out and have fun, I love riding with them and trying to help them give a little bit better and learning myself too.”

Wheels are certainly rolling in Utah, Hill’s study showed that the majority of its participants were largely involved with the UHSCL before signing up. In his evaluation summary, Hill said a “broader evaluation” could push arguments for community riding further.

But from their first focus, Hill and Ogden’s team cited some of the same intangible qualities behind their sport, specifically trail etiquette and an awareness of their environment.

“I think the trail etiquette, by being aware of our natural resources, and how we treat them, what that looks like being visitors on the trail, all those things are good character traits in general for all of our youth to be better assets in society,” Hill said.

All three parties (the participation, instruction and research) agree: mountain biking has carved out its own place in interscholastic athletics.

BRIAN NICHOLSON, Special to the Standard-Examiner

“There’s that family component,” Hill said. “Even through some of the interviews we did with kids at camp, we talked about the familial component, which is pretty unique. You don’t have that for baseball or football, where every member of the family is doing something that’s almost literally the same thing — maybe not some technical riding (or) descending, but you can get on a bike.”

Connect with reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.