GOING FOR GOLD: LEARNING WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN ELITE CYCLIST

Divya Verma '24 and physical education teacher Camie Kornely routinely take home gold, silver, and bronze medals at world and national cycling competitions. 

Just this summer, Verma:

This is her last year competing as a junior woman before she moves to the elite category next year. You can read more about her 2022 competition season on the blog. 

When students learn from Merle-Smith teacher Camie Kornely, they're taking their cues from a five-time cycling world champion with more than 20 national titles. Kornely also shines as an example of determination and not letting setbacks deter you from achieving your dreams. In September 2022, she took home two gold, a silver, and a bronze medal at the 2022 UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships after previously suffering a bad crash while competing in the 2019 Manchester championships. 

This week, Verma and Kornely were joined by three-time Olympian and executive director of The Valley Preferred Cycling Center, Bobby Lea, for an assembly at the Merle-Smith Campus. Students learned about each athlete's background and international race experience in track cycling, and Lea spoke on the history of olympic development at the Center as well as cycling programs and opportunities available there. 

Two of Verma's teammates and the Center's Community Programs Director, David Underhill, set up a Wattbike demonstration for students.