Charger Chatter: Gus Hemingway

Home Sports Charger Chatter: Gus Hemingway

 

When athletic trainer Gus Hemingway is not repairing Hillsdale’s athletes, he’s out ripping up single track on his mountain bike. He is a sponsored rider competing in up to 12 races a year. This November, he completed his own biking trails at Hayden Park. 

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Tell me about your position as an athletic trainer.  What teams do you work with?  What’s your favorite thing about this position?

 

I work with the men’s basketball and football teams mostly, though I do see all of the Hillsdale College athletes. As an athletic trainer, I’m at practices and games or events. We are first responders to injuries sustained, and help expedite the healing of those injuries either through referrals or through therapeutic exercises. The thing that I like most is when the athletes I’ve worked with take the time to show their appreciation for the time I’ve spent with them. Something as simple as a thank you card means a lot, even when you are just doing your job.

 

I hear you’re a mountain bike racer.  Do you currently race, and if so where and how often?  When did you start riding/start riding seriously?  What’s your most memorable race?

 

Yeah, I still race. I love racing. I race eight to twelve races a year, mostly in Michigan, but sometimes I get out into other states across the country. I started riding seriously in 1999 when I was 19 years old, and started racing the winter of 2000. My first race was a winter race in late January or early February of 2000. One of my most memorable races was this summer; I competed in a six hour race on a single speed mountain bike. I won the single speed category and rode nearly 90 miles of trails, and was one of the top competitors overall.

 

Tell me about your involvement in building the mountain bike trail at Hayden Park.

 

I was completely involved. I built it with my hands, my rake, my saw… and the occasional weed whacker and lawn mower I borrowed from the college. My experience riding and racing has shown me a lot of different types of trails. In these trails I saw things that I liked and things that I didn’t like. I tried to design and cut the trail at Hayden Park with the natural features that I found makes a better rider and a more fun trail.

 

Are there any students who ride mountain bikes with whom you have been working or racing?

 

Not really. I’ve ridden with several students on the trail, showing them the trail and giving them tips on riding techniques. But the student that really helped was Logan Shoup, who graduated last year. I’ve ridden a few times with (junior) Matt Johnson.

 

Winter has come.  How will that affect your riding?

 

I’ve got some big plans for my racing season next year. I recently acquired a “sponsorship” deal with Foundry Cycles (thanks for all the votes), and I want to have some big results in 2013. So, this winter means more layers! One thing that is great about winter riding is that falling snow is soft and doesn’t hurt. When the snow is packed down with a bit of crust on it, it’s actually very, very grippy.  This can make for a fun, fast ride.

 

Do you just mountain bike or do you road bike also?

 

I really only compete off-road. I do use some road riding for training. I love to compete in Cyclocross races as well, but haven’t been able to in several years. Cyclocross is kind of like the steeplechase. Racing on what look like road bikes but built for off-road riding through grassy fields, some paved sections, with 16 inch barriers that you have to get off the bike and run through. It’s a fun, hard sprint for an hour. I am planning to do the “Dirty Kanza 200” this summer.  It’s a 200 mile race on unpaved roads through Kansas. So that’s kind of like a road race… but not really.

 

What’s your favorite thing about riding at Hillsdale?

 

I love riding on the trail at Hayden park and seeing other people riding on the trail I built, whether it’s students, community members, or people making the trip here from other areas of the state. It’s great to see others benefiting from the fruits of my labors.  For anyone who is interested in riding the trails, contact myself or Coach Lundberg out at the Hayden park clubhouse. The trail is approximately eight miles with the middle section being the harder section and the first quarter and last quarter being a bit easier. An easier four-ish mile ride could be had by staying on the south side of Mauck Road, or for the more adventurous, cross Mauck Road and test out “The Ravine,” “The Wall,” or “The Stairway To Heaven.”  Always be safe when out in the woods, tell people where you are going, and always wear a helmet!!

 

-Compiled by Kelsey Drapkin