Alpha Delta Pi rider hopes to lead team to success

Playing on the softball team and performing as captain of her dance team in Newport, N.Y., was the only physical activity that Alpha Delta Pi senior Emily Derkasch said she did in high school. Riding a bike was something she considered a leisure activity. \nIt wasn't until her sophomore year in college that she saw it as something more than a hobby. \nDerkasch's grandmother at Alpha Delta Pi was a rider in the women's Little 500 and is responsible for getting Derkasch on a bike in a competitive atmosphere. Derkasch said she would go away from Briscoe Quad and spend "a lot of time at the track." Her interest grew with each trip. \nSince then, she has lead her sorority to two top-10 finishes, two consecutive semifinal appearances in Miss-N-Out and a win in this year's Individual Time Trials. \nDerkasch said she caught the riding "bug" from her grandmother, but it wasn't something that came to her easily. \n"It was harder than I thought it would be," Derkasch said. "It was tough balancing school and training. In terms of a physical activity, it was fine."\nOnce Derkasch joined the Alpha Delta Pi team, it turned out that her house grandmother wasn't the only person on the team she knew. Senior rider Sara Herman is from Derkasch's hometown, and the two went to the same high school, although they were not close friends. \nDerkasch said she and Herman didn't become friends until they came to IU and joined the same sorority. Herman said the unexpected surprise that someone from her hometown, halfway across the country, would be on the same team, has helped them prepare for the race.\n"It worked out great," Herman said. "We spend the summers biking together and have become really good friends."\nAs the two seniors on the team, Derkasch and Herman have taken a co-captain approach to team leadership. Herman said that while they share the lead role, Derkasch takes more of a lead on the track. \n"She's a very determined rider," Herman said. "We ride with the best."\nSophomore teammate Rachel Mindel said Derkasch's personality has helped her as a rookie rider.\n"It's amazing to watch her ride," Mindel said. "She has that leadership personality."\nDerkasch has helped out Mindel more than once this year. In October, while riding through Bloomington, Mindel hit a part of the shoulder of the road that caused her to wreck. When Mindel crashed, she hit her head on the pavement, losing consciousness.\nThe second accident occurred during spring break when Mindel hit Derkasch's back tire, once again causing her to fall and hit her head on the pavement, again losing consciousness. Both instances sent Mindel to the emergency room.\nInstead of giving up riding completely, Derkasch encouraged Mindel to get back onto the bike and never give up.\n"She was in the hospital with me," Mindel said. "She told me stories about some of the wrecks that she had. Some of them she had also lost consciousness."\nThe doctors told Mindel to stay off a bike for three days. That was on a Sunday. By the next Wednesday, Mindel was back on a bike.\n"She told me that I should get back on the bike as soon as I can," Mindel said. "She has really helped since the day that I decided to go out and get on a bike."\nAlthough she has received much credit for team leadership and considers herself a decision maker, Derkasch said she doesn't like to dwell on it and would rather just be a part of the team.\n"I try to downplay it as much as I can," Derkasch said.