Yojimbo's Track Cats

Yojimbo’s Garage. Best bike shop in Chicago. Mecca for all things track and tarck. Marcus Moore isn’t just the owner of Yojimbo’s, he also the main force behind a new initiative to get more kids racing track: Yojimbo’s Track Cats. Recently, I talked to Marcus and to Brean Shea, head coach of the Track Cats, about the program.

First, I asked them how Yojimbo’s Track Cats had gotten started. “Well, Nicole Kemerer (Track Cats’ program administrator) was running a juniors program on another team last year, but she found that there were a few drawbacks to running a program like that within another team. She talked to Marcus about it, and they had the idea to start a team/club that focused only on juniors, with Yojimbo's Garage donating bikes and mechanical skill. It was a great idea, so we are working hard to make that idea into a reality.

Then, Sarah Miller, an After School Matters instructor (and now a program administrator with Yojimbo’s Track Cats) got in touch with Marcus because some of her kids had expressed an interest in track racing. From there we got in contact with some other people working for the After School Matters program, and some people associated with the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. The way the whole biking community is connected here, we found our way back to West Town Bikes, Working Bikes, and the Chicago Cuttin' Crew, and the people associated with these groups have been chipping in like crazy. With the help of all these people and organizations, the whole thing started to come together, and we became a part of the West Town Bikes not-for-profit (501c3) organization. Various local riders have helped too, some have donated money and volunteered. For example, Walid Abu-Ghazaleh donated some of his own money and got the company he works for, Van Wagner to donate also. Chuck Cox (Track Cats program administrator) is a local rider who has volunteered to help efforts in the past; he was quick to volunteer and take on daunting administrative roles.

Yojimbo's Track Cats at the Illinois State Junior Track Championships. Photo by Luke Seemann.

After School Matters put us in contact with a bunch of kids who were interested in racing, and we had a recruitment speech about track racing that we gave to every kid who came into Yojimbo’s Garage! Now we have about 15 kids from a number of high schools, including Kelvyn Park, Tilden, Lincoln Park, and Von Steuben, involved in the program. We practice at least once a week, and race every available Friday night. 13 of the kids have been racing so far, including 5 young ladies. We’re very pleased that a lot of those kids represent minority groups and women. Moral and financial support are grossly lacking for kids whose parents aren't into the sport, and moral support is lacking for anyone who doesn't LOOK like your typical racer, therefore many women, girls, minorities, and underfinanced racers feel a cold reception if they try to break into our sport. We would like to bring the barriers down for kids who are curious about bike racing at the track.”

As for sponsorship and funding, the Track Cats are trying to do a lot with a little. Here’s how Brean and Marcus explain it: “We’re a not-for-profit organization. Right now we’re a program of West Town Bikes, and so we’re covered under their 501c3, so any contribution to us is tax deductible. Hopefully, we’ll have our own 501c3 status in the future. All of our financial support has come from donations, without which we couldn’t continue.

Yojimbo's Track Cats at the Illinois State Junior Track Championships. Photo by Luke Seemann.

After Matt Manger Lynch's tragic death in the Tour da Chicago this year, the Chicago Cuttin' Crew took a collection for Matt’s family, using donation cans at bike shops. The family were grateful, but they asked that the money go to West Town Bikes or another organization promoting young racers, which was something that Matt had been interested in. Alex Wilson of West Town Bikes and Jeff Perkins of Chicago Cuttin' Crew agreed that the money should go to Yojimbo’s Track Cats in Matt's name. The money that was raised in honor of Matt has been used to start a racing scholarship within the Track Cats.

When it comes to sponsors on the jerseys, we have kept away from traditional sponsors that may change from year to year, because getting new jerseys made every time you change a sponsor is expensive, and we’d like to keep the program costs down by reusing the jerseys. We’re not even sure if we’re going to have “Yojimbo's Garage” on the jerseys. The shop is reflected in the name of the team, and maybe that’s enough.”

Yojimbo's Track Cats at the Illinois State Junior Track Championships. Photo by Luke Seemann.

I asked Brean and Marcus about their plans for the Track Cats. “For now, we are working on getting the kids ready for Friday night racing at Northbrook Velodrome. We are going to use the money raised to pay for uniforms (t-shirts at first) and licenses for kids who need them, as well as for transportation to the track. A few of the kids will be able to race Thursdays, also, when they are ready. Some of them are completely fine on a track bike, others are finding it a new experience all around.” Brean continues, “when I lived in Hyde Park, I used to pass a little-used running track at Pershing and Cottage Grove on the way to work that’s perfect for teaching kids about track racing (well, almost, a velodrome would be better, of course). It has a wide open infield for grass drills, you can see all the kids at once, and the surface is rubberized. Yay, rubber!”

Transportation to the velodrome in Northbrook has been difficult. “Metra (the commuter train system in Chicago and its suburbs) doesn't allow bikes during rush hours, and getting ten kids and ten bikes up to Northbrook is hard. We've been using the Cuttin' Cruiser a bit which has been good to us as long as we have appropriate drivers for the right times (not always so easy), So far it has been working out pretty well, but it’s not perfect. The kids are really enjoying getting up to the track, though. They have a blast watching the Cat5 races and then getting out there for themselves in the junior races.”

Yojimbo's Track Cats at the Illinois State Junior Track Championships. Photo by Luke Seemann.

To sum up, then, Yojimbo’s Track Cats is an incredible initiative, started by Marcus and sustained by the hard work of Brean, Sarah, Chuck, Nicole, Lindsay Jones and the volunteers, who are all working hard to get kids in Chicago interested in and excited about track racing. As Brean says “anybody can race. That is the whole point of this. You wanna race? Just come to a practice and we will give you a bike and a helmet to use and we will teach you. That's it. You don't have to be fast, that will come in time. You don't have to be all kinds of skilled on the bike, either. That, too, will come in time. You just have to want to do it, and we'll make sure you can make it happen. We just need kids' willingness and time and the parents’ permission.” So far, the program is doing great. Yojimbo’s Track Cats just went to the Illinois State Junior Track Championships, where 5 of their boys and 4 of their girls came home with medals!

If you want to support and learn more about Yojimbo’s Track Cats, you can go to their webpage here for info. Well done to all concerned!

[update] Track Cats shirts on sale now at Yojimbo's!