iRide Head Coach Lauren Lan, of Comox, BC, has been busy this past week as students lined up to test their skills on a collection of stunts. Riders from Valley View and Lake Trail began a 3-part iRide program that will see students enjoy 3 sessions spread over 3 weeks. Lauren says, “I prefer to work with the one-session-per-week schedule, as it gives the students time to practice their skills at home. The change in skill level over the 3 weeks is significant, and I believe that that degree of improvement is what makes iRide an effective and memorable experience for students.”
Lauren notes:
Great first week with the Valley View students! We had 3 classes (grades 3-4) on Monday, 3 classes on Tues (grades 1,2,3) and 3 classes on Thursday (grades 5,6). During this first session this week, we covered the benefits of cycling, helmet/bike check, basic foundation skills of mountain biking: neutral position, bike/body separation, weight distribution and turns/cornering. We also played a couple of games like bike limbo and the lightbulb game (getting as many riders as possible riding in a tight circle inside a lightbulb shaped rope) to practice the skills introduced. There was a wide variety of experience and skill level in all the classes, but all the kids are very keen, even if some are a wee bit apprehensive. Kids were receptive and good listeners. Almost all reported being excited for the next week’s session!
It was also a great first week with the Lake Trail students on Friday. The majority of them are very capable riders already and we will be able to progress quickly.
This week, our 2nd week ongoing with the Valley View kids, is a big hit despite some rain. Our sessions included straight-line riding, wheel lifts and utilizing a lot of the stunts, which the kids love of course.
Grade 4 rider, Sidney Howe says:
“I like this program because it is awesome. The first session is a little bit of practice. After two sessions, it’s amazing what you can do. For example, by the second session I was doing little jumps, small drop offs, teeter totters and more! I liked every little bit of it. I even liked the coaches because they are so encouraging. Before today I never thought I’d be able to do a little jump in a million years but I can now. It inspired me so much that as soon as I got home I grabbed some wood and attempted to make a jump. My Dad helped me. I practiced for a really long time.”
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