Beta Mt Biking program for kids / teens?

Scotty of the other Beta folks on here is there any Beta program that would be a group ride and some guidance for the local kids / teens?  SL has a program at Dewey for kids but my son is now going to be in HS so he is too old for it plus its a shlep to get over there.

I would think that a teen program for Beta would be a pretty good idea.  Keep teens busy with something productive / constructive and fun and Beta gains access to some labor for trail work and future members.  Fits right into what is going on bike wise in Wilmington.  

I'm not a good enough rider and my work schedule doesn't fit this but if someone is willing to act as a coach / mentor my wife and I could help with the organization of a program like this.

Anyone interested in getting this going?  It would be great to try to get the word out to the schools before classes end.

http://www.newyorkmtb.org

^ I talked to someone who coaches a high school mountain bike race team that's associated with this organization. They're trying to expand. I'd start there.

that looks pretty good but those races are far away and there would be little to no funding in the schools for a sport like this.  Probably would not fly in our schools given the funding issues and lack of support for non traditional sports on our district.

I'm not sure kids want to race bikes - just riding them for fun is what I am shooting for here.  You need to create awareness, participation and make it fun then maybe racing happens later.

I'm thinking that this is a natural for Beta as an already established local grass roots org to expand and grow their sport.

I'm not sure kids want to race skis, just riding them for fun seems like it'd be better. You need to create awareness, participation and make it fun. But yet, your son races. And your son is a better skier because he races and trains.

I'm not saying that the school will pick it up as a sport. I'm saying a motivated person could get pay-to-play grass roots mountain biking teams going at LP, Saranac, etc.

But I was only trying to help. If you don't like the idea, fine. Sounds like you don't want to do much organizing, you just want BETA to look into this kind of thing for you. Why didn't you just say that in the beginning? EDIT: I guess you did. "I don't have any time, but someone else follow through on this idea I have".....   CoachLoco strikes again.

this seems to be a growing sport in Northern NJ..
I have a friend in the Bay area that coaches a local team ...Unfortunately it's a rich kids sport


http://www.newjerseymtb.org/teams/

mattchuck2 wrote

I'm not sure kids want to race skis, just riding them for fun seems like it'd be better. You need to create awareness, participation and make it fun. But yet, your son races. And your son is a better skier because he races and trains.

I'm not saying that the school will pick it up as a sport. I'm saying a motivated person could get pay-to-play grass roots mountain biking teams going at LP, Saranac, etc.

But I was only trying to help. If you don't like the idea, fine. Sounds like you don't want to do much organizing, you just want BETA to look into this kind of thing for you. Why didn't you just say that in the beginning? EDIT: I guess you did. "I don't have any time, but someone else follow through on this idea I have".....   CoachLoco strikes again.

Matt
Because i travel for work and honestly am not that great of a Mt biker I can't be the coach / mentor.  I did offer my and my wife's time to help organize it as part of Beta which we are paying members.  My take is this is something Beta would be better at than a couple parents trying to get it started on its own.  You need to chill out.

I don't need another travel and cost intensive racing sport for my kid though

Not sure what you're even looking for anymore. You need a chaperone for your kid to ride BETA trails? Organization? Other kids? Maybe just tell him to go ride the trails with his buddies?

And you're not into doing anything yourself, but you're volunteering your wife's time and energy?

I'm just trying to help, bud, but it seems like you haven't really thought this through?

Coach Z wrote

 You need to chill out.

Si, Senor Z, I think Matt is Muy Critico 2 !  

Matt do you have a reading comprehension problem?  I said my and my wife's time and effort.  We plural are willing to put some time and effort into this.

Personally I like riding by myself.  My kid likes to ride but for a teen it's much more fun riding with others.  You might not understand this but he goes to AuSable Valley where a lot of kids can't afford a decent bike and we live in a remote and very rural area so getting kids together takes some doing.  The school district for one high school stretches out over 600 square miles.

JasonWx wrote

this seems to be a growing sport in Northern NJ..
I have a friend in the Bay area that coaches a local team ...Unfortunately it's a rich kids sport


http://www.newjerseymtb.org/teams/

No kidding! How cool. I never new HS mtb teams were a thing. I would've done that in a heartbeat. For sure it costs some coin which is too bad.

Yeah. I would have, too. Seems awesome to me.

Coach hates the idea, though, so don't try to suggest it to him. He's got his idea and that's his idea and he wants to do it his way.

I love the idea of HS lifetime sports. Biking, golf, skiing, canoeing, etc etc

I don't have kids and it bugs me I have to pay the same amount of school tax as someone with kids. That said, I'd be OK with it if some of my/our tax dollars went to subsidize the cost of equipment for the lifetime sports. Don't get me wrong the traditional teams sports can never be replaced. The lessons learned playing team sports can't be duplicated anywhere, but they aren't for everyone. Hopefully these types lifetime sports truly start to take off.    

http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/idaho-mountain-biking-league-creates-teams-for-teens/Content?oid=3598997

"How many people actually keep playing football [after high school or college], and what does that do to your body?" he said. "This has the opposite effect. It creates something you can enjoy for your whole life."

Quick google search seems like this has been a thing oout west for some time now. Man that's just so cool.

I'm friendly and ride with Jason, who runs the New York league that Matt put the link up for. Let me know if you want me to make an introduction, Coach.

Go NY!!! From MC's link

I think this is a cool idea but in this area with the budget issues that our public schools have this has less than a zero chance of a my kids school doing it.  Northwood could certainly afford it but I certainly can't afford NW.  Kids in the district cant afford expensive bikes which when you add racing to the program it starts to become about the bike and not about the kid having fun just riding what ever they happen to have.  The video was good but maybe the kid with the broken leg on crutches from riding is not the one to have speak.  If I lived in the rich suburbs or Saratoga where they can afford this I'm sure my kid would be participating.  The AuSable Valley is a far cry from those rich areas.

The other issue up here is that this is a spring sport but our trails are not ridable in the Spring sports season until the end.  it might work better as a fall sport here though the light gets pretty crappy in the fall in the forest pretty early.

It also seems to put the cart in front of the horse - you need to get kids riding and develop their skills then you can talk about racing.  Racing could become the natural progression of what I am proposing but I don't think its the starting place.

Coach Z wrote

I think this is a cool idea but in this area with the budget issues that our public schools have this has less than a zero chance of a my kids school doing it.  Northwood could certainly afford it but I certainly can't afford NW.

 

This part sucks but from the quick reading I've done on this I think we will start seeing this change.

Coach Z wrote

 

The other issue up here is that this is a spring sport but our trails are not ridable in the Spring sports season until the end.  it might work better as a fall sport here though the light gets pretty crappy in the fall in the forest pretty early.

 

It could be a fall sport. Our HS golf here in CNY is a fall sport for the reasons you've mentioned.

Coach Z wrote

 

It also seems to put the cart in front of the horse - you need to get kids riding and develop their skills then you can talk about racing.  Racing could become the natural progression of what I am proposing but I don't think its the starting place.

This makes no sense. Just because you're on a hoops team doesn't mean you'll play in the game?

We have the downhill champion of the world up here for his age group over in S.L.   Its already out there for the active parents.  I bet there are a few BETA members that would chaperone rides for the kids for say 30 bucks an hour.  Get a group of kids together and send them an email it would be cheap if you had groups of ten.  

A riding friend of mine is instrumental in establishing a grass roots high school racing program down here in eastern pa - it's set up like our regional (lehigh valley) scholastic ice hockey -  a club level intramural league.
http://www.pamtb.org/
no state dept ed  / piaa sanction or funding so all you need is interest and folks to administer, organize and coach. Schools can and do combine to make teams if needed, "pure" teams are eligible for higher level events. As far as the racing aspect goes it seems pretty mellow at this stage of their development. We cross paths with the kids "practicing" which consists of group rides with some guidance and coaching culminating with a scholastic race  event or two. I wished they had this when my son was in school... he never wanted to get up for my early morning rides after awhile.

campgottagopee wrote

I love the idea of HS lifetime sports. Biking, golf, skiing, canoeing, etc etc

I don't have kids and it bugs me I have to pay the same amount of school tax as someone with kids. That said, I'd be OK with it if some of my/our tax dollars went to subsidize the cost of equipment for the lifetime sports. Don't get me wrong the traditional teams sports can never be replaced. The lessons learned playing team sports can't be duplicated anywhere, but they aren't for everyone. Hopefully these types lifetime sports truly start to take off.

I like this, too. When people get older, it becomes harder and harder to get a group of 18 people for a baseball game or even 10 people for a full court basketball game. But I can road bike out my door, golf whenever, or mountain bike after work and it's great. A mountain bike league would have been awesome.

And yeah, talking to the guy from this league, he says the weather isn't usually an issue. If the singletrack trails are too wet, they just train on dirt roads or doubletrack.

And, as Gorgonzola and others have mentioned, self funded club-style mountain bike programs have been successful in other parts of the country, and even southern NY.

No idea why Coach is so resistant to the idea. I think it sounds great.

That being said, I'll show some kids around any trails they want up there for $50 an hour.