Meet the team…
The ‘team’ on the ground may be small, but jeez we’re lucky to have such a huge crew of friends old and new, rolling up their sleeves to help get the job done. We’d be nothing without the Shredders Association!
Morgz and G
A blind date meeting at the start of a trail worked out rather well for these two… dreams of turning their fathers sheep farms in to bike parks were exchanged during the ride, and the rest is history!! True story.
G (otherwise known as Genevieve) grew up at Middle Hill, exploring the hills on her pony and dreaming of one day turning the property in to a ski area (which evolved in to a bike park instead once climate reality set in!!).
While G was busy chasing winters with her snowboard, Morgz was doing the opposite, carting his downhill bike around the world in pursuit of the eternal summer. He got his first taste of trail building at the Wairoa Gorge, and when the pair met he was working on a monster jump line on the family farm in the Dove valley near Motueka.
Paua
The Middle Hill mascot right from the beginning, Paua Pup is possibly the most important member of the team… she thinks so anyway! Chief supervisor and trail tester, Paua loves freshly shaped berms and tight technical sneak lines.
WilBoar
Rescued from a possum trap when he was the size of a bunny rabbit, Wilbs has become a much loved member of the family. He loves left over sandwiches, hangin’ with the stags, belly scratches and rolling in the mud.
The Events Team
Will Keay turned up at opening day and has pretty much been part of the furniture ever since. The Mud Buster Enduro is his brain-child, made possible (and quite epic actually!) due to his passion, hard work and ‘she’ll be right’ attitude. Watch this space, he’s got all sorts of ideas brewing for future events at Middle Hill!
Pezza (Perryn Lydford) also turned up soon after opening day and quickly became part of the family. She runs the medic team for the enduro, and keeps us all trained up and ready to respond to emergencies. Pezza’s chainsaw-laugh can be heard a mile away, and her no-fuss attitude keeps everyone in line and on track!!
Ben Oakeley (otherwise referred to as our Top of the South Ops Manager…) is a straight up Middle Hill legend. Ben gathers up the troops for super-productive work-to-ride weekends, is always here to lend a hand on the big jobs, and keeps everyone entertained with his quick-witted, often inappropriate banter.
The Next Generation
There’s not too many locals in to riding bikes, but what we lack in quantity we certainly gain in quality! Here’s the start of what will one day be ‘Team Middle Hill’ aka the Paua Rangers!
Oli Clark and his family have played a huge part in helping us get Middle Hill to where it is today. Oli’s an absolute shredder and we've loved watching his crazy progression curve over the past few years (believe it or not, Morgz actually used to be faster that him!!!). Listen up for this name in the future of NZ DH racers.
Zoe Trolove lives just up the road from Middle Hill and spends a good chunk of her school holidays helping us out on the hill, and getting faster on the trails. She overtook G months ago, and we’re loving watching her turn in to a super talented, focussed young rider.
