Park City Schools Mountain Bike Team former captain Victoria Rosales grew up in Utah and never got involved in sports, let alone mountain biking.
“Growing up in Park City I’ve always wanted to join teams, but I was always intimidated by not seeing other Latino kids, so I never really joined any sports growing up,” she said.
That changed when the head coach of the team, Pete Stoughton, came into her Latinos in Action class to recruit students.
She then convinced her friend, Kenia Ramirez, to join in on the fun.
Now, the two seniors are going into their third year on the team as veterans. Last year, Rosales passed the torch as team captain to Ramirez.
One of the team’s coaches, Heather Sims, said all kids should have the chance to represent Park City High School as part of a team.
While other high school sports may have competitive tryouts, she said any student can join the mountain biking team.
She said inclusion is a core team value.
“My goal was to really increase our low income families and the people of color in the team,” Sims said.
So one of the organization’s top priorities became ensuring the percentage of Latino students on the team was equal to that of the community.
Sims has been a coach for about eight years. She also works as programs director for Youth Sports Alliance, where she prepares kids for the high school team.
She estimates the cost, including league fees, bikes and travel uniforms, adds up to about $1,000 per student.
Sims realized that price tag was prohibitive for some students and started helping them apply for financial assistance.
In years past, she said students have received bikes and gear through the Trek Pathfinder Scholarship in partnership with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association to get more people of color on the trails.
The team also buys bikes for student athletes with funds raised in the Park City Bike Swap.
She said money from the Park City Community Foundation’s Live PC Give PC fundraiser and other private grants help low-income students every year.
Of the team's 21 low-income athletes, 16 are Latino.
Ramirez said if it weren’t for the financial help, she could not have joined the team and eventually become its captain.
“Having a family who struggles with financial health, I just felt happy, like really happy since I was able to get help for it, since it was something I wanted to try,” Ramirez said.
She says the team has also given her strength to persevere through challenges in sports, school and in life, from tough games to difficult course work.
To her, the team has become a family that helps her celebrate her cultural heritage.
Sims said, because of recruitment efforts, the team now has 16 Latino athletes, that’s more than double the previous year.
She said financial assistance has allowed these students to love a sport they otherwise might not be able to afford.
“They came back, and they’ve been back every year,” Sims said. “I think that says a lot about how comfortable they are being part of this team.”
Sims said, as the program grows, adding a Latino coach could help broaden the team’s reach in the community.
Families can apply for financial assistance starting in April before practices begin June 1.
Race season runs from Aug. 16 to the state championships Oct. 18.
