Beyond the Finish Line: Local Cycling Team Builds Confidence and Character

For students on the Damien High School Road and Mountain Biking Team, success isn’t measured solely by podium finishes or race times. It’s found in learning to navigate unfamiliar trails, make smart decisions under pressure, support teammates and persevere when things don’t go according to plan.

Based in La Verne, the coed cycling program includes riders from Damien High School, St. Lucy’s Priory High School and Pomona Catholic High School. The team competes in the Southern California league of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association.

The team has roughly 25 to 30 student-athletes and welcomes riders with a wide range of experience. Head coach Dominic Maricic leads the coaching staff alongside assistant coaches Jeff Church and Jason Corella.

Church, who has volunteered with the program for almost eight years, said the lessons taught on the bike extend far beyond cycling technique.

“We’re teaching respect,” he said. “Treat other people at least as good as you would want to be treated.”

That philosophy plays out on local trails such as Marshall Canyon, where riders are taught to slow down for hikers and equestrians, communicate courteously and prioritize the safety of everyone sharing the outdoors.

Church said leadership within the team isn’t reserved for the fastest riders.

“The kids who become team captains don’t have to be the fastest,” he said. “They have to be the best stewards who think about what everybody else needs and look out for them.”

For Lance Durant, a Damien graduate who began attending the University of La Verne this fall, the program played a major role in his development as a cyclist.

Durant grew up around cycling. His father raced road bikes, while his uncle introduced him to downhill mountain biking. After playing baseball, soccer and other sports, Durant began racing bikes in middle school.

He credits his transfer to Damien as a turning point.

“If I hadn’t transferred to Damien, I don’t think I would have achieved what I did,” Durant said. “Coach Dominic and the mountain bike program changed everything for me.”

Durant’s sophomore year became his breakthrough season. During the summer, he trained daily after work and spent weekends riding up Mount Baldy. By the end of the racing season, he had finished as the top rider in his division.

He said the results came from work that often happened outside organized practices.

“If you really care about this sport, it’s the weekend rides and the extra training that make all the difference,” Durant said.

The commitment required by the sport can also bring challenges. After his breakout season, Durant said he experienced burnout and considered quitting. His parents encouraged him to finish what he had started.

Although his final season wasn’t his strongest competitively, Durant said he left with no regrets. It may have been his most meaningful season because he rediscovered his enjoyment of riding.

For parent Heather Sarrail, whose three daughters have participated in the program, the experience has helped build independence in ways traditional youth sports often cannot.

Unlike sports played on a field or inside a gymnasium, mountain biking regularly takes students onto remote trails, where they must think for themselves while relying on teammates and coaches when necessary.

“They grow tremendously in self-confidence, self-reliance and independence,” Sarrail said. “They’re constantly making decisions and learning to trust themselves.”

She has also noticed practical skills carrying over into everyday life. Because practices require students to ride on public roads before reaching the trails, they develop an understanding of traffic patterns, visibility and safe riding habits that later translates to driving.

The program’s emphasis on resilience is perhaps best illustrated by one of Sarrail’s proudest memories.

During her first race as a sixth grader, Sarrail’s daughter Cameron crashed within the opening moments, damaging her front wheel and spending several minutes recovering from the fall. Rather than withdraw, she continued and completed the nearly 10-mile race despite riding on damaged equipment.

For Cameron, who recently graduated from St. Lucy’s Priory High School after seven years with the team, the biggest rewards weren’t trophies but friendships and confidence.

“I’ve made some great friends from mountain biking,” she said. “It’s an individual sport when you’re racing, but it’s also very social. You’re out there relying on each other for safety and encouragement.”

She credits the program with teaching her to make quick decisions, trust her abilities and remain calm in unfamiliar situations.

“When we come to something difficult on the trail, the coaches have us stop, break it down and remind ourselves that we have the skills to do it,” Cameron said.

She plans to remain involved by returning as a volunteer coach and mentoring younger riders.

Her younger sister Tristan, who has raced with the team for three years and now attends St. Lucy’s, echoed many of those sentiments.

Some of her closest friendships and strongest relationships with mentors have come through cycling, she said. The experience has also taught her patience, teamwork and emotional control.

“We’re all working hard together and cheering each other on,” Tristan said. “I’ve learned to be more forgiving, encouraging and helpful to others.”

For Maya Patel, a senior at Pomona Catholic High School, joining the team in seventh grade opened the door to a community she hadn’t expected.

Patel has danced since she was 3 years old and wanted to try something different. A friend connected her with the team, and after attending an interest meeting, she was hooked.

“I had only ever ridden a beach cruiser, and I didn’t have any experience cycling competitively,” Patel said. “But I loved it immediately.”

Mountain biking eventually became one of the reasons she chose Pomona Catholic.

Patel said the team introduced her to people she likely wouldn’t have met otherwise and gave her a new passion during an important time in her life.

The difference was particularly meaningful compared with her experience in dance, which she described as more of an individual activity.

“Middle school is such an important time in a person’s life, and joining this team helped shape me into who I’ve become,” Patel said. “It gave me something new to be passionate about.”

She said she doesn’t expect to race competitively in college, but cycling will remain part of her life.

“One of the greatest things about this sport is that you can do it your whole life,” Patel said.

For more information about the team, you can visit their website.