Mary Grow – director@newmexicomtb.org
I was lucky enough to grow up in Southern Utah, surrounded by amazing outdoors access. Although I have always loved the outdoors, I didn’t really mountain bike until my kids couldn’t get enough of it and I started riding more. I fell in love with the sport and the inclusive community around it.
Not only were we having fun outdoors as families, I noticed the impact cycling had on youth riders. They were getting the physical and cognitive benefits of exercise and also developing more confidence and a connection with each other and the outdoors. In 2018 I jumped into coaching a NICA team with some good friends and loved seeing every rider, regardless of ability, get so excited about riding, improve over the course of a season, and get the chance to ride and race at youth specific events. I am so excited to help more youth and their families grow through mountain biking.
By day I am a hydrologist and water manager, by night (and weekends) I am The Director of Fun. I am devoted to mountain biking with kids and I show them that it is not how old you are but how old you act that matters. My superpower, on top of riding bikes and knowing lots about geology, is making each person I meet feel important and special. My favorite person in the whole wide world convinced me to start a NICA team and then left me for the trails of Los Alamos, but I forgive her most days. People say that I am the reason kids in New Mexico mountain bike.
I started MTBing when I was a sophomore in college. I received a scholarship from the Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club and promptly bought my first MTB, a Trek 8000. It has been a twenty-plus-year love affair.
Scott is the founder of the Gallup Composite Team, and co-founder and the Diné (Navajo) Composite Team comprised of student-athletes throughout the Navajo Nation. Bringing the bikes, riding opportunities, and joy of cycling to youth who may have otherwise not had the exposure or opportunity to ride. Scott comes to the League with experience in both professional racing and coaching. His seasoned passion for cycling lies
in (what he calls) “the human body experiment” as well as addressing issues of equity and equal opportunity in the sport. He also founded and directs the Silver Stallion, a non-profit that helps youth and young adults develop skills in bike repair. Scott lives in the western part of New Mexico with his two
boys and wife Jennifer.
I have 23+ years supporting production activities at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory as a product, quality, process, and system engineer. I currently serve as the Co-Chair of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Bicycle Safety Committee and I am a League Certified Instructor by the League of American Bicyclists to teach their Smart Cycling curriculum. With strong Spanish speaking skills, I have also taught Ciclismo Seguro to native Spanish speakers. For over 10 years I ran my own IT consulting business for doctors and dentists in Los Alamos and Santa Fe. Currently, my 18-year-old son owns and manages that business with some mentorship.
I have lived and worked on the Navajo Nation for over 25 years as an educator and librarian. As an organizer, I have served on various state level professional boards in NM since 2008. I was one of the leaders in a grassroot effort to establish Gallup’s first locally controlled charter school. As a parent, I see what mountain biking is doing for our local youth. In the fall of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, I was contacted by Scott Nydam and asked if my then 12 year old daughter would like to try mountain biking. She had her first ride on a cool October afternoon and has been hooked ever since! She completed the Fall 2021 racing season in AZ. I am amazed at what mountain biking has done for her confidence, energy, and enthusiasm for life. I get to see first hand what mountain biking is doing for my students on the reservation. These events are opening doors for so many young men and women. Personally, I want to make sure all NM kids have access to this new adventure our family is experiencing. My passion lies in organizing and creating access for all students no matter their background. More kids on bikes!
“I have always loved the bike. The way the gears transfer your power into speed; it’s an incredible thing, really! Recently I’ve found tremendous satisfaction coaching junior racers. It’s almost like being reborn with younger, faster legs. It totally fires me up!” –Jen Robinson
By day I work in the banking industry where I developed a 20+ year career in information technology. Over the past two decades, non-office life has focused on all things cycling. Having spent my late 20’s learning my way around the skinny tire and road racing scene, I discovered the joy of dirt and tread on a three-day Colorado to Moab, UT mountain bike tour, where I was in quite over my head but had the time of my life. When I returned home, I promptly started looking for more mountain bike opportunities and never looked back.
I love to support the communities I am engaged in as well as continuously learn and through that passion, my cycling resume includes helping revive the local IMBA chapter, the Albuquerque Mountain Bike Association (AMBA), sitting on the board of AMBA as well as the New Mexico Bicycle Race Association (NMBRA) for numerous years, extensive experience as a USAC official as well as obtaining a Level II Coaching Certification through BICP. Most importantly, I found the joy of developing passion, skill, and community in the Albuquerque area kids through the last three years as a NICA coach for the Albuquerque team. The 2021 season included a girls only component, co-founded by Jen Robinson, to roaring success. The kids are a tremendous inspiration and I hope to support the growth and strength of this group for many years to come.
Today, my job is working at a national lab where I utilize my broad experience and talent gained from over 26 years in the Naval Special Operations Community. While previous endeavors of conducting high-risk operations and training instruction in domestic and global environments have ended, being a part of the New Mexico youth mountain bike community has become my new mission and purpose. In less than two years of being in New Mexico, the exceptional guidance from Anders, Mary, and Scott led to my Level 1 Coach certifications. I quickly learned the need to grow the youth MTB community here, so I pursued starting a new NICA team at Albuquerque Academy, where we just completed a very successful first year.
Additionally, I have achieved my Level III NICA Coach certification and hold a qualification as a PSIA Level 1 Ski Instructor. Another formal training was completed as a Naval Exchange Officer in the Royal Navy, where I qualified as a U.K. Ministry of Defense Instructor. Without question, my unique and broad experiences have prepared me for this next adventure in New Mexico. Utilizing my talent, experience, and tenacious work ethic to support our community and New Mexico youth mountain biking is seen as a rewarding and immense opportunity.
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