Youth mountain biking is growing across Missouri and the country, and Columbia is no exception to the trend. Columbia’s COMO Composite Raptors were founded in 2020 and have offered a unique sporting opportunity to middle and high schoolers since.
This all started as a one day story for photographer Nicole Gutierrez. Initially she was just supposed to go and take photos of the COMO Raptors mountain biking team for a short sports feature story. She went there and got all the photos needed to create a gallery to go with the story. It was a couple of days later that Nicole and I were talking about the race and how neither of us had covered mountain biking before. And Nicole pitched me the idea continuing to follow the Raptors as they finish their season. We immediately started to brainstorm. One of the most important things to us was to show how there was more to the COMO Raptors than just racing. That the team was more like a family even if they raced against one another. Nicole went to multiple practices, races and even the teams end of the season party to show the bonds that they had all formed.
All photos taken by Nicole Gutierrez for the Columbia Missourian
John Huffington adjusts Kaid Shaw’s helmet before entering the trail during a practice on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. Huffington and Shaw both won the team’s Turkey Vulture Award for Tenacity for Raptors who “embraced many challenges this season, shouldered them with smiles and kept soaring.”
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
LEFT: Blake Morris sets up water bottles for him and his teammates to jump over on Oct. 19, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. At the end of every practice the team compliments each other and chants, “Who are we? Raptors! What do we do? Ride bikes! What do we say? Kaw-ka!”
RIGHT: Blake Morris jumps over water bottles on Oct. 19, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. Columbia Parks and Recreation has plans to build a bike park in Cosmo Park to include features such as a mountain bike skills course, an asphalt pump track and a cyclocross event space
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Lizette Somer holds a raptor while answering questions about it on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. The team had adopted the vulture through MU’s Raptor Rehabilitation Project.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
From left, Ari Middelkoop, Nicholas Moore and Ian Daniels-Teixeiro look at Daniels-Teixeiro’s phone between races at their competition on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Highlandville, Mo. At certain race locations like Highlandville, competitors have the opportunity to camp on the competition grounds.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
COMO Raptors coach Mike Stornello, left, and Jason Sutherland get Sydney Sutherland’s bike ready for her race on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at Binder Park in Jefferson City. “I’m helping him get it adjusted so Sydney can rock it,” Stornello said.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Marlowe Weis, left, fist bumps Lawrence Simonson between races on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Springfield. Simonson, like many of the team’s coaches, is a coach as well as a parent to an athlete.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Marlowe Weis, right, takes a turn in the first couple minutes of her race on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at Binder Park in Jefferson City. Weis finished 3rd in her race, 3rd overall in points for the season and was named female athlete of the year by the Missouri Lottery.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Carmen Daniels-Teixeiro looks at her mother shouting “Vale, vale, vale!” as she biked up the hill to the finish line on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at Binder Park in Jefferson City. This is the COMO Raptors third season, and second season of competitions due to COVID-19 impacting the 2020 season.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
National Interscholastic Cycling Association athletes race next to a bike park on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Highlandville, Mo. The final race of the season was the Tussle at Two Rivers. The location had a bike park that was open for athletes at the end of the competition day.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Brett Froeliger, right, cheers on Yojit Sharma as he nears the finish line on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Highlandville, Mo. Sharma won the team’s Most Improved Merlin award for being open to new ideas, working well with teammates and seeking to improve their techniques.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
LEFT: From left, Marlowe Weis, Adam Gingrich and Blake Morris, check race results on Oct. 23 in Highlandville. The COMO Raptors team has 35 members after launching in 2020.
RIGHT: Kaid Shaw points at race times on Oct. 23 in Highlandville. The members of the team range from 6th graders to 11th graders.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Blake Morris gives Kaid Shaw a piggy back ride on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Highlandville, Mo. The COMO Raptors compete in five races for the 2022 season across Missouri.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
From left, Blake Morris, Kenny Townsend and John Huffington race on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. Morris finished 4th in his last race, his best of the season.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
From left, Philo Turner, Kaid Shaw and Kenny Townsend head to a trip after the COMO Raptors end-of-season celebration on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. The team had awards, a raffle, played, talked and rode their bikes.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
John Huffington adjusts Kaid Shaw’s helmet before entering the trail during a practice on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. Huffington and Shaw both won the team’s Turkey Vulture Award for Tenacity for Raptors who “embraced many challenges this season, shouldered them with smiles and kept soaring.”
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
LEFT: Blake Morris sets up water bottles for him and his teammates to jump over on Oct. 19, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. At the end of every practice the team compliments each other and chants, “Who are we? Raptors! What do we do? Ride bikes! What do we say? Kaw-ka!”
RIGHT: Blake Morris jumps over water bottles on Oct. 19, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. Columbia Parks and Recreation has plans to build a bike park in Cosmo Park to include features such as a mountain bike skills course, an asphalt pump track and a cyclocross event space
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Lizette Somer holds a raptor while answering questions about it on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. The team had adopted the vulture through MU’s Raptor Rehabilitation Project.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
From left, Ari Middelkoop, Nicholas Moore and Ian Daniels-Teixeiro look at Daniels-Teixeiro’s phone between races at their competition on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Highlandville, Mo. At certain race locations like Highlandville, competitors have the opportunity to camp on the competition grounds.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
COMO Raptors coach Mike Stornello, left, and Jason Sutherland get Sydney Sutherland’s bike ready for her race on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at Binder Park in Jefferson City. “I’m helping him get it adjusted so Sydney can rock it,” Stornello said.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Marlowe Weis, left, fist bumps Lawrence Simonson between races on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Springfield. Simonson, like many of the team’s coaches, is a coach as well as a parent to an athlete.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Marlowe Weis, right, takes a turn in the first couple minutes of her race on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at Binder Park in Jefferson City. Weis finished 3rd in her race, 3rd overall in points for the season and was named female athlete of the year by the Missouri Lottery.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Carmen Daniels-Teixeiro looks at her mother shouting “Vale, vale, vale!” as she biked up the hill to the finish line on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, at Binder Park in Jefferson City. This is the COMO Raptors third season, and second season of competitions due to COVID-19 impacting the 2020 season.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
National Interscholastic Cycling Association athletes race next to a bike park on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Highlandville, Mo. The final race of the season was the Tussle at Two Rivers. The location had a bike park that was open for athletes at the end of the competition day.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Brett Froeliger, right, cheers on Yojit Sharma as he nears the finish line on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Highlandville, Mo. Sharma won the team’s Most Improved Merlin award for being open to new ideas, working well with teammates and seeking to improve their techniques.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
LEFT: From left, Marlowe Weis, Adam Gingrich and Blake Morris, check race results on Oct. 23 in Highlandville. The COMO Raptors team has 35 members after launching in 2020.
RIGHT: Kaid Shaw points at race times on Oct. 23 in Highlandville. The members of the team range from 6th graders to 11th graders.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
Blake Morris gives Kaid Shaw a piggy back ride on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022 in Highlandville, Mo. The COMO Raptors compete in five races for the 2022 season across Missouri.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
From left, Blake Morris, Kenny Townsend and John Huffington race on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. Morris finished 4th in his last race, his best of the season.
Nicole Gutierrez/Columbia Missourian
From left, Philo Turner, Kaid Shaw and Kenny Townsend head to a trip after the COMO Raptors end-of-season celebration on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, at Cosmo Park in Columbia. The team had awards, a raffle, played, talked and rode their bikes.