2007 champs reflect on Little 5
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Little 5
In all honesty, I am not a very good person to talk to about winning. What I like about Little 5 is the event and the sport. Winning is fun, but it's not really the important thing. Having fun, riding safely and enjoying ourselves far outweighs the "glory" of winning.
The girls I rode with last year just enjoyed being on their bikes. When we trained, it wasn't really like we were training so much as riding with friends and for fun. Well, that's what I felt like anyway. It was exciting to win, and it was wonderful because there were competitive riders from every house. A Pi Phi and a DG rode with us most of the race, and there were a few really talented Theta riders - Jess Boyer is just an awesome rider and athlete. She works hard, is competitive but not overbearingly, and is all around very friendly. The Alpha Phi team rode with awesome strategy and determination, which presented a challenge for the rest of the riders: they rode in such a tight line it was hard to break them up. The Independent team came out of nowhere and was very impressive. Mariah Romaine was a powerhouse, and she's leading their team again this spring. It will be exciting to see what they bring to the race this year. A lot of the Alpha Chi riders are returning, they had a lot of new riders last year who were really impressive.
It was also nice that each Kappa rider contributed differently, Lauren Guggina won street sprints, Abby Dean was the highest Kappa rider in the time trials placing second, Allie Davis was a solid competitor always in the top eight. Amy Still was a huge support system, for the team and led a few laps during Saturday's race.
As for this year: We have about the same attitude as last year. I love the women I am riding with. They are cheerful, bright and enjoy being on their bikes. It makes practicing not feel like practice, because it is enjoyable.
Jamie Grivas, sophomore Kappa
There's a lot to be said for being part of a tradition that has run for 14 years. When we look at the numbers, adding another each year, it makes us realize that we are a part of something much bigger than any of us. Members of our fraternity have been winning this race since most of us were just entering grade school, and that is very humbling. Fourteen years is a long time, and it's an honor to add our names to the list of winners.
Yet with that, our tradition puts a lot of pressure on the current year's riders. We have an incredible amount of support, both from inside our fraternity and from our alumni who have ridden in the past, and this helps drive us, but it's nerve-racking wondering how the race will end.
There is a lot of added stress in knowing that we carry our legacy with us on our bikes. Our alumni make sure we are aware of the pressure on us as well, as they have no desire to see that legacy lost. It's very clear we aren't the most athletic fraternity on campus. We're simply the most motivated when it comes to Little 5.
The support and the past 14 years is what make us train like we do. Many of our riders have raced or currently race collegiately for DePauw, and we also have the opportunity to ride with strong collegiate cyclists on a daily basis. From Winter Term on, there's rarely a day when a cyclist doesn't hear, "You ride today?" from another member of the fraternity. But regardless of the outcome of the race, we can each look at our teammates and have pride in the hard work we all put into this. On all the days in our bike room on trainers; on the days with 25 mph head winds; in the blazing hot sun; when we suffer, we suffer together. As with every year, last year we were very honored to win, and we took pride in our victory, not just as cyclists but also as a fraternity.
Our experience and our legacy are key to our success. We're not backing off.
DU Little 5 Team
The girls I rode with last year just enjoyed being on their bikes. When we trained, it wasn't really like we were training so much as riding with friends and for fun. Well, that's what I felt like anyway. It was exciting to win, and it was wonderful because there were competitive riders from every house. A Pi Phi and a DG rode with us most of the race, and there were a few really talented Theta riders - Jess Boyer is just an awesome rider and athlete. She works hard, is competitive but not overbearingly, and is all around very friendly. The Alpha Phi team rode with awesome strategy and determination, which presented a challenge for the rest of the riders: they rode in such a tight line it was hard to break them up. The Independent team came out of nowhere and was very impressive. Mariah Romaine was a powerhouse, and she's leading their team again this spring. It will be exciting to see what they bring to the race this year. A lot of the Alpha Chi riders are returning, they had a lot of new riders last year who were really impressive.
It was also nice that each Kappa rider contributed differently, Lauren Guggina won street sprints, Abby Dean was the highest Kappa rider in the time trials placing second, Allie Davis was a solid competitor always in the top eight. Amy Still was a huge support system, for the team and led a few laps during Saturday's race.
As for this year: We have about the same attitude as last year. I love the women I am riding with. They are cheerful, bright and enjoy being on their bikes. It makes practicing not feel like practice, because it is enjoyable.
Jamie Grivas, sophomore Kappa
There's a lot to be said for being part of a tradition that has run for 14 years. When we look at the numbers, adding another each year, it makes us realize that we are a part of something much bigger than any of us. Members of our fraternity have been winning this race since most of us were just entering grade school, and that is very humbling. Fourteen years is a long time, and it's an honor to add our names to the list of winners.
Yet with that, our tradition puts a lot of pressure on the current year's riders. We have an incredible amount of support, both from inside our fraternity and from our alumni who have ridden in the past, and this helps drive us, but it's nerve-racking wondering how the race will end.
There is a lot of added stress in knowing that we carry our legacy with us on our bikes. Our alumni make sure we are aware of the pressure on us as well, as they have no desire to see that legacy lost. It's very clear we aren't the most athletic fraternity on campus. We're simply the most motivated when it comes to Little 5.
The support and the past 14 years is what make us train like we do. Many of our riders have raced or currently race collegiately for DePauw, and we also have the opportunity to ride with strong collegiate cyclists on a daily basis. From Winter Term on, there's rarely a day when a cyclist doesn't hear, "You ride today?" from another member of the fraternity. But regardless of the outcome of the race, we can each look at our teammates and have pride in the hard work we all put into this. On all the days in our bike room on trainers; on the days with 25 mph head winds; in the blazing hot sun; when we suffer, we suffer together. As with every year, last year we were very honored to win, and we took pride in our victory, not just as cyclists but also as a fraternity.
Our experience and our legacy are key to our success. We're not backing off.
DU Little 5 Team
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