Team with the Highest Number of Respondents
15 respondents in all… not bad given it’s the first year of the survey.

1. Amarillo ISD: 5 (33.3%)

2. Jesuit: 4 (26.7%)

3. McKinney ISD: 2 (13.3%)

Teams with no respondents that thus should be properly shunned and scorned…

Denton, Fort Worth, Fort Worth Nolan, St. Marks,Frisco, Plano, Lubbock Coppel

The Best Team Kit:
Sometimes bike racing isn’t all about crossing the line first, it is about looking good. With a few schools to choose from the THSCL has spoken about the best looking duds on the roads. It seems some people don’t know that ‘kit’ is cycling terminology for uniforms or jerseys… well, now you know.

1. Amarillo (?Jetstream?): 5 (50%)
2. Jesuit: 2 (20%)

Worst Team Kit:
Sad to say, but some of the teams in the THSCLaren’t yet up to the same vanity standards as others. Of course it’s just because they are new and/or small clubs too busy recruiting new members to spend time on things like getting a proper kit.

1. “You have to be kidding me. We're supposed to denigrate another team? Ridicoulous”

2. Bishop Lynch:2 (33.3%) Editors Note… At least they have a school jersey and hey, they can’t help it if their school colors are the non bold, sometimes un-exciting black and white. They have a team kit which is better than many of the schools in the league ;-) Baby steps.

Single Biggest Investment in a Bike:
It seems that most people didn’t understand the question, although as a few pointed out I will admit that it was not in complete sentence question form… it was trying to find out who in the THSCL made the single biggest investment in a bike….

  • “Keaton Owens - Jetstream - Spent huge bucks for cycling attire and rode in only one race series. Tremendous talent unused - tremendous kit - unused.”
  • “Clayton from Catholic HS! He had those sick orbea frames, and those nasty zipp's on his TT bike!”
  • “Teel atkinson put down 8 thousand for his cannondale super six with sram red.”
    Biggest investment in cycling gear by a SINGLE PERSON.
  • “Teel Atkisson - Jetstream All new high compositon bike frame,SRAM Red components, custom coded cables, bar tape. The man is tricked out!”
  • “Again, clayton! Zipps and an aero helmet!”
  • “Ben crutchfield bought a 2500 dollar bike right before the lubbock race”

Coolest, best looking, most 'blinged out' bike. You may elaborate.

1st “Teel atkinson. he has a cannondale super six with sram red. its sweet!!!”
Others: “My bike! The green custom painted one with blue, red, and white circles all over it!”
“Idk his name but I think he has an Easton bike or if not Easton deep dish rims and he's from the Dallas area. He beat me in Lubbock at the road race cause of a missed turn.”

Best Male Rider

1.Tie for first with two votes each: Paul Madsen(Jesuit) “despite some unlucky breaks and things, just the best overall rider” and Ben Crutchfield (Amarillo) “is encouraging to other riders” and“he came back from a broken collar bone and won many races.”
Honorable Mention: Nick Enthoven (Bishop Lynch) “dedication to the sport”Andrew Nolan(Jesuit) “big improvement over the year i knew him”

Best Female Rider

1. With 44% of the vote… Bailey Hess(Amarillo)
“Bailey Hess - Jetstream There's a reason we call her 'Tuffie'. Bailey puts high demands on not only herself but those who train with her. MSU has offered Bailey a chance to ride competitively in college and Bailey's work ethic will benefit the Mustangs.” “always at the races”
2. Erin Popovich (Plano) with 22% of the vote: “she wins or places year after year” “even though she is a fast rider, she cares that ALL have a good race. She would almost sacrifice her race to help someone else.”
Others mentioned: Megan Baab (LD Bell), Kristen W. (Amarillo), and Lainey Douglass (Amarillo)

Best and/or Worst Road Rash

1. “Justin Hicks (McKinney ISD) before the B race at MSU”
OTHER: “I really don't think there was crash this year? unless i was in a crash and don't remember it ;)”
BEST race WEEKEND
1. MSU with 40% (4)
“Bike Racing+Rain+Street Sprints=win” “it was raining and it was cool” “Rain made it awesome and exciting”
2. Tie for 2nd with 20% (2) each… DFW HS/Collegiate Weekend and Texas Tech.
“The Frisco site is demanding yet easily accessible.” “Because it was one of the ones I attended, they had cool shirts, and I liked going there.”

The BEST single RACE…

1. MSU Crit 27.3% (3)
“GREAT course, loved those steep climbs in it, course marshals at every turn/ turnoff. Great support by their school. great venue,”
“How does it get better than dirt roads? Oh you're right, sand.”
2. Jesuit Ranger Roundup RR 18.2% (2)

WORST Race WEEKEND

1stTie for first with 30% (3): Baylor and State Champs at UT “Didn't have a crit at Baylor for high school”
2nd MSU 20% (2)
“RAIN!!! FREEZING!!!”

WORST single RACE:

1stA FOUR WAY tie for first with 20% (2) for each: TX Tech RR, Baylor RR, MSU Street Sprints, and UT/State Champs Crit
“Not near as exciting as advertised” “Because I lost my spot due to a poor corner marshal who failed to point me in the right direction” “everyone was soaked while waiting to race” “Collegiate riders were EXTREMELY rude to the HS athletes” [editors note: If this ever happens again please let me know ASAP as I will take it up with the collegiate riders and conference director…I’ve also had one complaint from collegiate riders about h.s. kids and their attitude so hopefully it is nothing serious but just kids being kids at their level of schooling but I’d like to stay on top of it none-the-less]

What would have made the worst race better…

The overwhelming response here seemed to be“corner marshalls doing their respective duties” “Bigger group of riders” and “less rain”

Best Victory Salute
A Collegiate respondent summed it up best…“Victory salutes are for the arrogant...... no such thing as a good one in my mind.” But if they must be done then these are the one’s that did it well…

1. “The guy who won the UT crit in mens A”[Editors Note: I believe that was Penland, Connar Penland (Northeast ISD)]

Biggest Trash Talker
“Everyone's pretty cool, maybe ______that I know of (don't tell him though)”

1. Caleb Schnatz (Amarillo)

Best / Funniest Conversation Overheard During a Race

  • “how gross the porta potties were” \
  • “Caleb-"Let's just all stick together this race"
    Me-"Ok"
    (meanwhile i attack and make a breakaway)” [editor: NOT COOL MAN! NOT COOL… if you agree to a truce then stick to it…otherwise you’ll get a bad name in the peloton]

Best Nickname Given to A Rider

  • “Byrd - Ben Crutchfield - Jetstream Had a bird divebomb him repeatedly, peck & poo on his helmet!”
  • “Twinkies”
  • “Crash”
  • "You" -Zack from Arkansas
  • “snott rocket”

Best Music Played
What do you enjoy getting pumped up to?

  • “texas tech riders played rock”
  • “The raindrops gitting the ground at the MSU street sprints”

Worst Music Played

  • “some opera stuff in Austin”

Best Team
This is the team that most people thought was king of the hill… The BEST in the land… Can YOU dethrone them next year?

1. Amarillo ISD:70% (7)
2. Tie for 2nd with 10% (1) each: McKinney ISD and Jesuit

Best team president, captain, and/or coach?

1. Coach Doug Fairchild and Branden Annen of Jetstream (Amarillo, Canyon, Catholic High Little Rock)
2. Coach Andrew Armstrong of Jesuit
3. Nick Enthoven of Bishop Lynch

Best Team Parent? You know, the parent who is always there and always helping out...

  • Rodney Hess - Jetstream Tireless worker, open hearted, always there to assist. We are going to miss him now that Bailey's graduating....
  • Libby McDuff
  • Gary Wixom
  • All the Amarillo parents. And Andrew Chalk’s mom, she’s so nice!
  • Every Parent
  • Jetstream, Danny Goodin. He held people in the rain and in the shine for time trials.
  • John Schnatz, Jetstream
  • Carl Hicks-McKinney
  • Mr. Madsen (Jesuit)

Best Moment of the Season
This is really why we all do it… since there’s no money and little fame or glory in H.S. cycling THIS is why were here and keep coming back…

  • “Jetstream winning their 3rd THSCL State Championship!”
  • “Going 51 on the descent in the Baylor RR, and bringing back zack to get 3rd in that race”
  • “caleb schnatz finishing third overall in the season”
  • “First race - Road Race in Lubbock”
  • “Awards ceremony at Texas Tech”
  • “my lady friar doing well in the Baylor Time Trial after not finishing the RR”

Worst Moment of the Season
You just can’t keep us down…

  • “Losing my spot to a missed turn”
  • “The rain in MSU”
  • “Falling on a turn at MSU during the crit”
  • “jetstream losing the race”
  • “I liked all of it”
  • “Having our numbers of team participants drop.” [editors note: Our actual number of teams increased this year and our total number of unique participants (racers) dropped by just one person]

Best Recruiting Strategy

  • "We need to win state"
  • “Amarillo going out of state for riders, this is smart”
  • P.E. Credit from the school

Best Inter and Intra Team Fraternization
It seems some of you don’t know the difference between inter and intra … inter means between and intra means within but whatever, it’s probably a lost cause amongst cyclists; even collegiate ones.

Inter…

  • “Jesuit, McKinney, and some of the other local schools”
  • “Amarillo teaming up with Paul [Madsen (Jesuit)] in the crit in Austin”
  • “Jesuit – Bishop Lynch given their historical rivalry”

Intra…

  • “Jetstream”
  • “Jesuit team”
  • “Amarillo teaming up on Paul [Madsen (Jesuit)] in the crit at MSU”

Biggest Sandbagger

1. “Justin Hicks [McKinney]... even though i know he didnt mean to”

The action is always better with a little color commentary. What's your favorite Matt or Jacque quote, aside, joke, ribbing, or story of something they said?

  • “When me and justin were sharing that blanket at MSU and you took that picture of us and posted it on the website! Uggh”
  • "it is what it is.."
  • “Never got to talk to Andrew... Wouldn't know the man if he walked up to me now.”

A good league director is even-handed and impartial, keeping his or her biases from influencing actions. But in the end they're only human. Which team holds the dearest place in Andrew's secret heart of hearts?

  1. Jesuit 85.7% (6)

Have you ever actually seen Andrew riding of racing a bicycle?

Riding: Yes: 60% (6) No 40% (4)
Racing: Yes 60% (6) No 40% (4)
Without Andrew the Texas H.S. Cycling League would…

1. Slowly disintegrate into oblivion 55.6% (5)
2. Quickly descend into tribal warfare 33.3% (3)
3. Various “Others” 24/3% (9)

  • “run by elves and then slowly disinigrate into oblivion because they dont make bikes small enough for elves and theyre too slow to keep up with claeb so it was a failed operation form the beginning”
  • “die out quickly”
  • “SUCK! He is a positive re-enforcement and it wouldn't be the same without him!”

Anything Else You Want to Say…

  • “McKinney dominates”
  • “the race race series was a great success!!!”
  • “To all cyclists: duringthe offseason do some triathlons you will love them”
  • “Making the A or B category more definite so guys who are just there that weekend won't wreck the race because theyre so much better or so much worse than everyone else.”
  • “Come on DFW kids, travel beyond the metroplex. Let's get more HS kids involved next year.”
  • “I hope to make more races next year..so don't change a thing!”