Mountain biking gains traction at Hingham High

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Fifteen helmeted mountain bikers came bounding over the hill at Wompatuck State Park on a Friday morning, flying over the cemented roads that lead from Union Street and into the shaded trails of the woods ahead.

These 16- to 18-year-old bikers were not in some sort of race, they were taking a class – in mountain biking.

It was a program Hingham High School gym teacher Jon Rice started three years ago, almost by accident. When he offhandedly suggested to Hingham school administrators the idea of a mountain biking class, they immediately took him up on the offer.

“They supported the program, and put their money where their mouth was and donated the bikes,” Rice said.

The purchasing of half a dozen bikes initially soon turned into 12. Now, almost three years later, the Hingham PTO and Hingham Sports Partnership has purchased a total of 18, $350 mountain bikes for the class, and students are raving about the experience.

“We don’t just get to go outside, but we get to do a unique gym sport,” said Pat Cahill, a student taking the class. “It’s challenging, you break a sweat, and it relieves stress.”

“It’s kind of intense,” said student Corbin Robichaud. “And it’s harder than I anticipated. There are a lot of uphill climbs and it’s rocky.”

Part of the impetus was that Rice himself didn’t know the trails existed until a friend suggested he check them out.

“I had always been into biking, and was talking to someone who said, ‘Ever been to Wompatuck?’ And when I said no, he said, ‘You’re a mountain biker but you’ve never been to Wompatuck?’ So we had to do something about it,” Rice said. “A lot of mountain bikers [don’t know this exists].”

The proximity of the trails, which offer a multitude of difficulties, terrains, and views to bikers, was part of the reason the idea of the course was so enticing to fundraisers.

“Jon Rice came to us with the concept of the bike riding course about 2 1/2 hrs ago, and had felt like we had such a great natural resource next to the high school and we weren’t taking advantage of it,” said Hingham Sports Partnership President Warren Pelissier.

Not only has the partnership and PTO dedicated themselves to purchasing the bikes, helmets, and accessories, they have also been maintaining the bikes – getting tune-ups for bikes every year, and fixing those that break.

According to Rice, it’s money well spent. Many of the kids are discovering mountain biking for the first time, or are learning new trails after having participated in the sport for years.

Students also take the two-week program, which occurs throughout the year, repeatedly. It doesn’t get boring, Rice said. There are so many trails, students are never on same trail twice.

The students agree that the class has been successful.

Despite the difficulty of the class, which is so challenging that students go through a week-long orientation about proper bike riding technique, about 20 percent of the school has taken the class, and then taken it again.

“No other class takes you to a state park that’s conveniently right by school,” student Jack Murray said.

Kids in other towns, “they’re jealous,” said Liam Koenen, a Hingham High student in the class. “They don’t have the opportunity we have to go on all the trails. It’s a privilege.”

Although Rice started a similar program when he taught at Silver Lake Regional High School a decade ago, he said he hasn't seen a mountain biking program anywhere else in the South Shore, or even within the state.

"Aside from Silver Lake and a program I learned about in New York, I don’t know of any other programs like this,” Rice said.

Regardless of how unique the program is, Rice said he is happy overall with the results of the class, and that he hopes it continues to stay this popular.

“We’re doing what I would like to do,” Rice said. “There is just so much to explore in Wompatuck. Which is as appealing part of the unit as any. And the kids develop a familiarly with this massive state park that is in their town. So its exciting seeing the kids go trail to trail and recognize where they are.”

Pelissier agreed that the estimated $4,000 for the course equipment and maintenance had proved worth it.

“We like to get involved in those initial programs where someone with a great idea just [doesn’t have] the resources,” he said. “The investment is very well worthwhile in our minds.”