Congratulations to 2021 DSHS senior John Yim!
John is a founding member of the Dripping Springs Mountain Bike Team whose hard work and determination have proven to be a student the DSMTB Board wants to recognize and encourage to continue his cycling and educational efforts. He is an outstanding young man that has demonstrated passion and dedication to the sport and team while balancing academics. He is lucky to have had the endless support of his parents Kil and Martha that have been active team members throughout John’s participation.
“Has it already been six years? It feels like yesterday when John in the 7th grade came to me with a flyer that he got in school. From a teacher, Lance Thornton, about a new club that he was forming, it was a mountain bike club. Little did we know what an adventure John would go on after that first meeting.
A journey that would be filled with scrapes and bruises, ups and downs, through the rain and heat while along the way becoming a better person than he was the year before. The riding would and had improved as the years went by. John would evolve into a fine rider/racer, but most importantly, it would be the friendships that he would make along his journey that would define his biking/racing.
To the coaches that guided him, Lance, Shawn, Derek, and the Dripping Springs MTB Club, we can’t thank you enough for the time and effort you all have put in. John has a love of adventure and biking that started with a Flyer to come to a meeting that we had no idea what it would turn out to be.”
– Kil Yim (aka Dad)
In the first few years, John was just a kid having fun riding in the middle of the pack on his bike with his friends. Then one summer, John went on the annual group trip to Durango, Co with TMBRA President Scott Schaeffer. When he returned home to Texas, you could see that a switch had gone off on what mountain biking would look like for John’s future. Suddenly he was dedicated to training, riding, and racing at a higher competitive level while still keeping the balance of having fun rides with his friends! John began elite-level training in addition to the team and joined additional bike clubs. I predict we will see him ride multiple disciplines, grow his circle of friends outside of the Texas League and travel to exciting new destinations for competition and future adventures!
–Coach Derek Russey
I always love stories about progression. John’s is one of my favorites. When John was younger, one of the very first practices for the team was at a local beginner trail named Slaughter Creek Park. John was not having the most pleasant first-time experiences on his bike that his dad had loaned him. It was a little too big. When coach Lance and I rolled up on him, he was in tears with a few scrapes and letting his dad know he was ready to go home. We begged him to give us two weeks at practices before making a final decision and promised he would have a better time. John has definitely come full circle. Not just his development as a rider but the full mountain biking experience. This includes travel, adventure, racing, volunteering, training, fun, family and most importantly meeting new people to share this with. Did I mention a global pandemic and he was also a member of the 2018 HS State Championship Team? Here is someone that will now be a life-long rider. Oh and John has probably had one of the nicest and correctly sized bikes on the team ever since that first practice!
– Coach Shawn McCraw
John will continue his studies and passion for cycling in college. The team will see him return as a volunteer coach next year. We look forward to him achieving his academic and cycling dreams. See you on the trails.
