Clinton Township Newsletter

2 8 n o v e m b e r 2 0 2 3 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M t h E f l E m i n g t o n f o o d p a n t r y – h E l p u S h E l p o t h E r S The Flemington Area Food Pantry, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, needs your help! How? Donate – click on the "Donate" button on our website or mail a check to: Flemington Area Food Pantry, PO Box 783, Flemington, NJ 08822. Food and personal care products can be donated at one of our convenient dropoff boxes in the Flemington ShopRite and the Flemington Stop & Shop. A list of our current needs can be found in the "Help Us" section of our website. Volunteers are always needed! Run a Food Drive: Any group, religious congregation, company, or social organization is encouraged to organize a food drive in support of the Pantry or to set up a collection box. For more info, call: 908.788.5568 or visit: www.FlemingtonFoodPantry.org. Recently, C3Q spoke to a member of the coolest group on two wheels, high-schooler Luke Slota from the local teen mountain biking club "Hunterdon Havoc"! C3Q: Tell me about 'Hunterdon Havoc,' Luke. How did you join, and what is this club like? LS: So, I joined 'Hunterdon Havoc' last year. I had a friend who liked mountain biking a lot, and they invited me. It's a league of about 20-30 teens, plus adults. It's part of a national league called NICA, (National Interscholastic Cycling League), which has mountain biking teams within NJ and the rest of the US, and is open to riders in grades 6-12. Primarily, we practice at Nassau Trails in High Bridge, but we go to many other places with diverse terrain to ride. Races are not very competitive, but you get your time and place, and there are recognized podium finishes. The girls on the Hunterdon Havoc really dominate! We have some incredible female athletes who consistently come in the top three. The season runs December through June, and ends with five state-wide races among the participants of over twenty New Jersey teams. Everyone really gets out there and has a great time and enjoys themselves. After the races, it's like a big party, we all just hang out. Sometimes there's a barbecue; one of the coaches brought a pizza oven and made fresh pizza, and we've had pool parties. C3Q: What if someone is not a very experienced mountain biker, or they just have a regular bike? LS: We have a great ratio of coaches to riders; the coaches make sure we are all riding safely and coach us over how to navigate the jumps and features of a course. I definitely give it a ten-out-of-ten for how exciting it is. About $300 bucks gives you full access to the team; you ride trails, go to races, and they even have loaner bikes if you don't have a good mountain bike. It's all-weather riding to a point, (as long as it's not too muddy). We have also gone indoor rock-climbing and done geo-cache-style scavenger hunts as a team when there is too much snow. As for protection, you wear the usual protective gear of elbow and knee pads, helmet, and there is a team shirt. As well as learning how to mountain bike, there are clinics for bike maintenance, and you also pick up a lot of skills over time from participating in the sport, such as watching someone fix a flat and then learning how to do it yourself. C3Q: What is your advice to someone who might be interested in learning more? LS: We're always looking for new riders. Try it while you can, before you get too old! If you don't like it, oh well. If you like it, you have time to get really into it and to get good! T h e r e w i l l a l w a y s b e coaches who are willing to work with b e g i n n e r r i d e r s t o h e l p y o u . N o t everyone is a g o o d f i t for a team sport, and it can be hard to find other o p t i o n s . T h i s i s a wonderful option that opens up a new world; you can be part of a team, but do it at your own pace; and you can be competitive or just enjoy yourself and learn. For me, it's been a great getaway from stress and gives me a place where I feel at home. Without Hunterdon Havoc, I wouldn't have met some of my closest friends. C 3 Q : Y o u c a n c h e c k o u t H u n t e r d o n Havoc at their Facebook page below, or reach out to Head Coach Kevin Watkinson, at: njpassivehouse@gmail.com | www. facebook.com/hunterdoncompositemtb n Rachel Sprague, a resident of Clinton Township, has a degree in journalism from Rutgers. With her husband Russell, Rachel is raising two young children in the Clinton Township School District. She thinks that Clinton Township is a delightful place to live. Welcome to with Rachel Sprague * C linton ree Questions * Luke Slota and teammate Nick

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