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A high school student preparing for a speech, asked my why I thought cycling
was not more popular in high schools. I gave here my thoughts, and she sent
the following text of her speech. Norman Babcock
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<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"><FONT SIZE=2>A high school student preparing for a speech, asked my why I thought cycling <BR>was not more popular in high schools. I gave here my thoughts, and she sent <BR>the following text of her speech. Norman Babcock</FONT></HTML>
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Return-path: <Amy-@aol.com>
From: Amy-@aol.com
Full-name: AmyH2O
Message-ID: <28.e50ba56.2766eca7@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 21:51:19 EST
Subject: my speech
To: BPAY-@aol.com, RBSKE-@aol.com, Norma-@aol.com, LOONC-@aol.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
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X-Mailer: AOL for Macintosh sub 28
This is my 6-8 minute speech/essay. It's a bit long, but here you go! =20
Thank you very much for all of your help!
* Cycling =20
=20
Legs aching, heart pounding, finding the strength to persevere=20
through--and enjoying every minute of it. What does this describe? In=20
short, it describes road cycling. Road cycling is the =E2=80=98cross countr=
y=E2=80=99 form=20
of cycling: Lance Armstrong, two-time champ of the bike race =E2=80=9CTour=20=
de=20
France,=E2=80=9D is an example of a road cyclist. Lance grew up in Plano, T=
exas. At=20
age 13, he entered and won the Iron Kids Triathlon, and at the age of 16, he=
=20
was already a professional cyclist. By the time he was a senior in high=20
school, he had decided to concentrate on the cycling part of the triathlon,=20
and had been offered major sponsorship. He said that he was =E2=80=9Cborn t=
o race=20
bikes.=E2=80=9D After graduating from high school, he decided that he would=
hold off=20
on college and concentrate on cycling. By 1992, he was at the Olympics in=20
Barcelona, finishing 14th overall. In 1993, he earned a total of 10 titles,=
=20
including World Champion, and U.S. PRO Champion. In October of 1996, Lance=20
was diagnosed with cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. He had a=20
50/50 chance of recovery. He received intense chemotherapy, and in May of=20
1998, was victorious over the cancer. He won the Tour de France in 1999, an=
d=20
2000.
While there are many high school sports present throughout the United=20
States those involving cycling are few and far between. An attempt to chang=
e=20
this should be made.
I have enjoyed attending a spinning class at Prairie Life Center. =20
Cycling is considered an aerobic form of exercise, as is walking, swimming,=20
and running. Spinning is a stationary biking class which includes=20
endurance and sprint training. I have found that the more I go to the=20
spinning classes, the better I do at swimming. The strength and endurance,=20
which can be obtained through the spinning class transfers over to the pool,=
=20
and, I believe, to other sports.
In researching the topic of cycling and spinning, the term VO2 came up=
=20
quite a bit. VO2 is oxygen consumption by the muscle. VO2 max is simply a=20
person=E2=80=99s oxygen dependent metabolism. Two determining factors of a=20=
person=E2=80=99s=20
VO2 max are lung capacity, and the ability of muscle cells to obtain oxygen=20
from blood. In other words, how difficult/easy it is for a person to get=20
and use oxygen efficiently. Why is this important to cyclists? As I said=20
above, cycling is an aerobic exercise--it uses oxygen, and it is therefore=20
imperative that a person get enough oxygen during this type of exercise. If=
=20
they don=E2=80=99t, lactic acid will build up within the body leading to oth=
erwise=20
avoidable fatigue.
One reason cycling should be a high school sport is that it can assist=20
athletes in other aerobic areas. During my off season of swimming, I would=20
have the opportunity to participate in the =E2=80=98road cycling team,=E2=
=80=99 as could=20
other athletes if the sport was implemented. It would be a spring sport, an=
d=20
in the off season of the sport those not involved in other sports activities=
=20
could go to spinning classes, or cycle independently in the WHS weight room.=
=20
Once recognition is gained and the sport has been established, we would try=20
to get other high schools involved to compete against us during the season.=20=
=20
Also, cycling does not discriminate between boys and girls, as other team=20
sports, such as football, do.
Team sports must include a team aspect, which is an important element fo=
r=20
students have in order to work well with others in their adult life, learn=20
valuable lessons, meet new people, and expand their views on issues. While=20
most sports do this, cycling would provide another interesting venue through=
=20
which it could be expressed. People would begin to see it as more of a=20
sport, and students who otherwise did not participate in sports could find=20
their hidden potential as a cyclist. With all of the new innovations=20
Westside has embarked upon in recent years in technology, I think it=E2=80=
=99s time=20
to bring new insight in the world of sports. Cycling is included in most=20
colleges, and is an Olympic sport, so why not high schools?
Bikes can be expensive at the racing level. Athletes would be required=20
to wear a helmet, and other safety gear. Cycling shoes would be optional,=20
but suggested. I think it is very possible to get a =E2=80=98team deal=E2=
=80=99 from a=20
company, however another factor is where to find and recruit coaches willing=
=20
to get the certification needed. Since there are other mainstream sports in=
=20
the spring drawing otherwise potential cyclists away such as soccer, track,=20
and baseball, it would take a lot of publicity to gain the respect and=20
numbers sufficient to create a team. For everything there must be a=20
starting point, and this could quite possibly be the starting point for=20
cycling. Ignorance, in my opinion, plays a big part in this issue. If we=20
educate the school and its officials about the pros of cycling, we could mak=
e=20
it a success. Every sport currently running at Westside has begun from=20
scratch at one point or another.
The training involved in cycling would be one or two practices daily, an=
d=20
weight training. Athletes could train one practice inside on stationary=20
bikes, and another outside around the district. Just as cross country=20
runners run throughout the neighborhood, cyclists could bike. =20
The sport of cycling improves endurance, lung capacity, fast twitch=20
muscle fibers, and muscle in general. It is not very complicated: if you=20
know how to ride a bike, you can begin to experiment with road cycling. If=20
the weather is bad, the team would be able to practice indoors, on stationar=
y=20
bikes, or the coach could come up with an alternate activity.
Cycling is an overlooked sport, and, with a lot of effort and hard=20
work, high school cyclists could aim toward the Tour de France, the World=20
Championships, and even the Olympics. Let=E2=80=99s give cycling a chance.
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