Tuesday, November 4, 2025
The morning air is crisp at Minooka State Park as hundreds of cyclists from schools across Wisconsin gear up for their third race of the 2025-26 season. Among the vast sea of school tents and bike repair stations, Milwaukee Recreation’s mountain bike team (MKE MTB) gathers in front of the Rec ‘N’ Roll Mobile to celebrate their season.
Since its inception almost 10 years ago, MKE MTB has evolved into more than just an athletic program; it is a space for young people to find passion, determination, and community. Milwaukee Recreation offers middle school and high school students from across the city the opportunity to practice and race under one unified team. The team welcomes athletes of all ages and skill levels, from beginners learning how to shift gears to seasoned mountain bikers with years of experience.
“The first part of the season is just getting a lot of the newer kids, who really aren't used to mountain biking or longer endurance-based riding, giving them the gist of what mountain biking is,” said Joseph McCrary, a former MKE MTB athlete and current junior coach for the team.
As the program has continued to grow, MKE MTB’s roster of coaches have worked to provide each athlete with a tailored experience, one that caters to their current skill level and aims to grow their abilities as the season progresses.
Emmitt Houston, a seventh grader at Downtown Montessori Academy, can attest to the care and attention his coaches provide to each athlete. “They cheer me on a lot in my races. They also give me some advice on how to be faster,” Houston said. “They really push me, and [that also] helps me progress in my skills.”
Each weekly practice includes various skill tests, training sessions, and practice races that athletes can complete as a group or individually with their coaches. Throughout the season, MKE MTB’s coaches also work to incorporate team-building exercises into their practices. On any given practice day at Burbank Playfield, community members are sure to hear the bellowing cheers, claps, and words of encouragement coming from the team as they cheer on their fellow teammates.
“It’s a great community to be in because you all do and love the same thing,” said Astella Scanley, a freshman at Wauwatosa East High School. “People just love cheering for you, and it feels good to be supported.”
MKE MTB sent cyclists to five of the six statewide races this year, with junior Amelia Zippel’s first place finish in the JV III Girls Division at Minooka highlighting the team’s podium finishes for the year.
For MKE MTB and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Cycling League, inclusivity and belonging aren’t just buzzwords to promote the program; they are ingrained into every aspect of the athletes’ practice and race day experiences. Milwaukee Recreation’s interim director Andrew Rossa, who helped launch the program, is adamant that athletes of all skill levels can find community and belonging at both race days and weekly practices.
“I think the neatest thing about a race day event is that a first-place athlete and a last-place athlete in the race are cheered on equally and supported equally,” Rossa said. “That's just a phenomenal thing where you have this welcoming environment, which I think adds that community aspect that a lot of kids are looking for these days.”
Watch our full interviews with coaches and cyclists here!