Isla Heusted is a very busy student at Lake Fenton Middle School. She earned all A’s during her first semester and is on track to do the same this semester. She manages this while taking on dual roles in theatre and participating in singing lessons.
Isla also races with Huron Valley United Racing, a composite mountain bike team that competes across the state. This season, Isla and her teammates took part in six races, finishing strong with a State Championship title at their final race in Adrian. Her dedication, teamwork, and passion for mountain biking helped lead her middle school team to the top. Isla has shown her Blue Devil pride for Lake Fenton and demonstrated grit both on and off the trail.
What are your favorite classes at school?
My favorite subjects are Geography (social studies), Art, and Choir. I love to sing and I’m really good at it.
What extracurricular activities do you take part in?
I take private singing lessons, which I’ve been doing for eight months, and I perform in theatre through a nonprofit company in Fenton called Kidz Theatre Kompany. I just finished performing in my sixth play, and I plan to continue through high school.
Tell us about your mountain biking.
I started mountain biking in 2020. When Covid hit, my parents took the training wheels off my bike and said, “Ride your bike.” I’ve been riding trails ever since. My dad had friends who rode and said it was a good family activity for all of us. Some of those friends had kids on the HVU team. I decided to join to make new friends and compete in races because it’s fun. There are so many kids, and with the camping, it’s a blast.
Last year, I won my first medal and placed 6th overall in my age group. This year, I helped my team win the State Championship. My goal for next year is to put in more miles and hopefully win another medal.
What other sports do you like?
I snowboard in the winter and also ride horses when I’m not riding bikes. I ride some beautiful horses—Hank is my favorite. He’s not my horse, but I hope to own one someday.
Do you have any nicknames?
Some of my friends call me “I.”
What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to going to camp this summer to ride more horses. I could ride horses every day—they are such amazing animals. I also can’t wait for the snow to fall so I can snowboard at Otsego and hopefully Boyne. However, I would rather go downhill on my bike at Boyne!
Then I’m excited for the mountain bike club. Practices start in April, and I hope to get faster and win another medal. Let’s go HVU!
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