By Kathy Chaffin
Salisbury Post
Emily and Katherine Shields know the importance of teamwork.
As identical twins, they’ve worked together a lot in their 14 years. As students at Knox Middle School, they made a fine doubles team on the tennis court.
“Since we’d been together so long,” Katherine said, “we could always tell what the other one was going to do.”
The twins ó now freshmen at Salisbury High School ó have also competed together in cross country and track. They began cycling competitively in cyclocross events when they were 9.
Today, they’re among four juniors on the 23-member Carolina Masters Team. Sixteen-year-old Austin Wood and 15-year-old Chris Holmes, both students at West Rowan High School, are the other two.
Of the remaining 19 members, 15 are masters or cyclists age 35 and up. A total of 12 team members are from the Salisbury area.
Team racing in cycling events is similar to NASCAR in that members use strategies such as drafting and leading out a teammate. Team members competing together in the same categories split the prize money.
The Carolina Masters Team will be competing in Sunday’s Food Lion Out Like a Lion Criterium at Salisbury City Park. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and continues throughout most of the day, ending with a 60-minute pro race with a $1,000 prize.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Registration is $25 on the day of the race. Pre-registration is $20 and can be done online at www.Active.com and www.bikereg.com.
No refunds will be given. The race will be held rain or shine.
Organizers encourage families and spectators to watch the racing. Though some of the races are for experienced cyclists, anyone with a road bike and helmet may enter the beginner categories with the purchase of a one-day $10 license.
A new event being held to increase spectator participation this year is the children’s bike rodeo featuring a tutorial on bicycle safety maintenance. The Rowan County Health Department will be giving away bicycle helmets to children at the criterium.
The race course is a .9 mile, four-corner loop around City Park with a small hill up to the start/finish line at the dead end of Ellis Street and Lake Drive. The criterium is the second event in the Out Like a Lion Race Weekend officially kicking off this year’s racing season in the SouthEast.
Racers are ranked nationally by the United States Cycling Federation.
Weather permitting, the Carolina Masters Team plans to also compete in Saturday’s event ó the Remax Town and Country Road Race at Kendall Valley School, 36605 Old Salisbury Road, New London.
Proceeds from this year’s Food Lion Out Like a Lion Criterium will go to the Elizabeth Hanford Dole Chapter of the American Red Cross. The Food Pantry at Rowan Helping Ministries was the beneficiary of last year’s event.
A total of 350 registered racers participated in last year’s event representing seven states as far north as Massachusetts and as far south as Florida.
Event sponsors for the Food Lion Out Like a Lion Criterium, of which the Salisbury-based grocery chain is the corporate sponsor, are Gatorade, L.A. Murph’s, Powerbar, Rowan Regional Medical Center, Salisbury Post and Windsong Bicycle Shop.
Sponsors will have tents with giveaways for spectators. The Food Lion tent, for example, will include free bottled water and Gatorade.
Junior members of the Carolina Masters Team hope Sunday’s competition is just one of many racing events in their future.
Emily and Katherine Shields hope to eventually win the nationals and move up to the pro competition. The key to success in cycling, Emily said, is “to train hard and work hard and work as a team.”
Austin Wood and Chris Holmes also want to continue racing.
For more information on the Food Lion Out Like a Lion Criterium, log onto www.CharlotteSportsCycling.com.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-4249 or kchaffin@salisburypost.com.