Girls Moving Mountains

In Episode 20, we talk with Stephanie Chall. Stephanie has been a spin instructor for the last decade, started cycling outdoors with her husband, and dove into the Maryland League as the Director of Stoke. Essentially, this means she helps share the stories of student-athletes, coaches, and families throughout the league. Stephanie does not coach so she can focus fully on capturing photos, videos, and memories at the events. Something else that is unique about Stephanie is that she and her husband do not have kids in the league yet they passionately dedicate their time and energy to help get #morekidsonbikes.

In August, Stephanie did something completely out of her comfort zone - she traveled to Whitefish, Montana to ride in her first ever race at the Last Best Ride! While Montana’s beauty was certainly a draw, she was also inspired to attend the event because the Race Director, Jess Cerra, is a female and she was stoked to support a female-led race. We talk about what the event was like and how she overcame feelings of uncertainty to ultimately have a wonderful experience. This episode is full of important conversation, laughter, and inspiring stories.

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Follow the Maryland League on Instagram HERE.

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

In Episode 19, we catch up with Em Meier. Em began coaching her local Wisconsin team, Driftless MTB, in the spring of 2020. She quickly moved into a leadership role and is now the Team Director and one of the Head Coaches. For her work, Em is a middle school teacher at the school she went to when she was a kid. Both in the classroom and on the trails, she aims to give kids a space where they can be themselves and feel safe in doing so.

Em is very passionate about cycling, too. She has only been cycling for a couple of years and has only been mountain biking since 2020. Recently, she rode a century and used it as a fundraiser, which we talk about. In this episode, we also discuss how youth sports can teach lifelong lessons, why it’s important to create an inclusive team culture, and ways we can recruit more female coaches and student-athletes. This episode is filled with a lot of important conversation and it’s sure to leave the listener motivated and inspired!

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Follow Em’s team here: Driftless MTB

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

In Episode 18, we have a unique show! Jen and Nikki sit down and talk about a milestone: the NICA Ohio Mountain Bike League (OMBL) have now officially held two races! The first race, which had 164 kids registered, was held at John Bryan State Park in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The second race was held at Bailey’s Trail System in Millfield, Ohio. 

Jen Malik and the OMBL Leadership team have worked countless hours in preparation for the first race. In this episode we get to talk about what it felt like to finally see it come together! A GRiT tent with a pre-ride, smiling kids, and excited families and stoked coaches are some of the highlights that Jen shares about the races. This race will be the first of many and we are so excited to share the experience with listeners!

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

In Episode 17, we catch up with SoCal League GRiT Ambassador, Makena Kellerman. Makena joined the SoCal League in 8th grade because her 6th grade brother joined the team. Now, it’s a family affair! Her dad is the head coach, she has two siblings on the team, and her cousins and uncles are also in the SoCal League. Besides having family members in NICA, Makena uses her outgoing personality as a GRiT ambassador to help grow the number of girls in the SoCal League.

After two years of no racing in the SoCal League, Makena will finally be lining up as a Varsity racer! In addition to being a Varsity athlete, Makena was recently selected to represent the USA in Val di Sole, Italy for the UCI World Championships Junior XCO race. This will be her first time leaving the country to race and her goals are to have fun, soak in the experience, and ride a race that she is proud of. In this episode we talk about how NICA races help her in UCI races, and vice versa. This episode is a great reminder that while racing fast and winning races is great, having fun on the bike is the most important objective!

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

In Episode 16, we catch up with Evie Heflin. Evie is the PRIDE Coordinator for the Ohio Mountain Bike League and a coach with her local NICA team. Evie has enjoyed mountain biking for years and has found a community that is inclusive and welcoming. In fact, much of this podcast talks about how to create an environment where everyone feels included!

Off the bike, Evie is a social worker for a clinic that focuses on supporting trans children and their families. As a trans woman herself, Evie is very passionate about her job and even switched careers to follow this passion. Evie helped start the Ohio Mountain Bike League’s PRIDE Program and runs social media. She focuses on maintaining a positive vibe with the social media page and plans to do the same for in-person events! 

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

In Episode 15, we catch up with Professional Mountain Biker Alexis Skarda. While Alexis races professionally, she also has other interests like music. In fact, Alexis wrote and produced the music for the Girls Moving Mountains intro and outro! We delve into how the two interests compliment each other so well and why she feels balance is important. Alexis is a very motivated person and she has worked hard to learn the importance of recovery. For her, having side projects like music help her to relax when she is not out training.

Alexis has supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), a heart condition. While it’s taken years to get  a diagnosis, she knows the triggers that cause it to go off. She has learned to compete with SVT and certainly hasn’t let her affect her results. In fact, Alexis recently finished in second place at the USAC National Championships in the Cross Country Olympic discipline that was held at altitude in Winter Park, Colorado. She gives us a summary of her race, including some of the highlights! 

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

In Episode 14, we have a wonderful conversation with Kathy Wayman. Kathy is a mother, wife, physical therapist, coach, and a triathlete. She has been competing in triathlons for 16 years and prefers the longer Ironman distance. Kathy gave it everything she had in training, and missed qualifying for Kona by one position. While some would be disappointed, Kathy’s mindset on the result is inspiring! Now that she is a mom of two young children, her time is more precious and she has turned to competition for another reason - for her girls to see their mother give it her all in an athletic pursuit! 

In the office, Kathy is a very knowledgeable physical therapist with a passion for treating endurance athletes. She has been practicing for 11 years and loves her job! She gives listeners some tips on bike fits, muscle assessments, and more. Besides physical therapy tips, she also gives insight on how she balances it all: being a mother, working full-time, and pursuing her athletic goals. This episode gives a lot of valuable information for anyone looking to maximize their life with a positive mindset!

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

In Episode 13, we talk with Kate Courtney! Kate’s journey with cycling began on the back of a tandem riding with her dad to blueberry pancakes. Later, her race career started as a freshman on the NorCal League Branson High School MTB Team. In 2018, Kate became the first American in 17 years to win an Elite XCO World Championship, only the fourth American woman to do so. Though her career has evolved from pancakes to rainbow stripes, her love for mountain biking has stayed close to its roots.

Kate was officially announced as a USA Olympian for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games. We talk about her journey to reach this point. From mindset to nutrition to realizing why she wanted to make the Olympic team, we dive into what makes Kate such a phenomenal athlete and role model, especially for younger riders. We also talk about how NICA is helping create high caliber athletes, not by being a development program, but by instilling a lifelong passion for mountain biking with a focus on character development and the importance of community. This episode is inspiring for everyone who listens in!

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Follow Kate on Instagram @kateplusfate and her website: katecourtney.com.

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

In Episode 12, we catch up with Sofia Gomez Villafane! Sofia was born and raised in the Argentine Patagonia and moved to the United States when she was 12. She discovered mountain biking through the NorCal League and then went on to compete at the collegiate level for Fort Lewis College, where she received a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science and a minor in Business Administration. Sofia currently lives in Heber City, UT training for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and working part time for a bean-to-bar chocolate company called Ritual. While Sofia enjoys riding and racing her bike, she has many aspirations off the bike and sees the importance of balance in her life. This episode talks about Sofia’s family support, some of her decisions off the bike (like paying off her college debt with prize money), and her journey to becoming an Olympian!

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Follow Sofia on Instagram: @sofithevilla

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

For Episode 11, Vice President of Programs at NICA, Amanda Carey, joins us for a wonderful conversation. Amanda discovered the power of #morekidsonbikes when she started her local Teton Region Composite team with seven riders in 2015. While Amanda was the Team Director and head coach, she grew the team to over 60 riders and 20 coaches. Amanda is still a very involved Level 3 coach and enjoys being involved at the ground level. She has a deep passion and commitment to coaching and making mountain biking accessible to riders of all ages and abilities. Prior to being named VP of Programs, Amanda worked as the NICA Coach Licensing Manager and GRiT Program manager. In fact, Amanda was one of the main contributors in bringing the GRiT program to life! 

Amanda brings a depth of experience to the table. She was a Professional cyclist for many years before transitioning into her current roles. While she enjoyed her time racing, Amanda is very passionate about helping others fall in love with the bike! This episode touches on many important topics and it is a conversation that we are very excited to share with our listeners!

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.orgNikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org