Rookies hit the track in first event of Little 500 season

Rookie Week started Monday and kicked off Little 500 activities. The event allows all first-time riders to take in their first experiences of the race at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

“It kind of feels real,” said senior Jackie Leach, an Athena rider. “Up until now, you’ve been training for some later date, but now it’s the actual bike, with the other girls. It just feels real.”

Rookie Week, which runs through Feb. 23, gives new riders time on their bikes at the track before veteran riders begin practices.

The 16-member Riders’ Council, consisting of veteran men’s and women’s riders, run the week’s activities. They teach basics such as mounting and getting off the bike, learning to ride in a pack and race history.

Riders’ Council member junior Kristen Metherd saw plenty of mishaps Monday afternoon as she helped teach the new riders how to jump off the bike in motion.

“The goal of the week is to have them doing full exchanges and have the pack moving faster,” Metherd said.

By the week’s end, the rookies will participate in mock series events and increasingly faster activities as they prepare for the practice sessions prior to qualifications on March 28.

“They just need to be more track-savvy before the vets get on the track and tear it up,” Metherd said.

For Leach, the day culminates with a goal she’s had since coming to IU.

“I’ve always wanted to participate,” she said. “I saw my first race freshman year, and I knew that I had to do it before I graduated.”