iRide enjoyed an excellent week with many students excited about cycling as part of Bike to School week across the province. New programs were run in Delta and Summerland and highlights of the week included a surprise visit by Shaw Cable to our Giant’s Head event and the delivery of huge thank you cards from students of Diefenbaker Elementary. Overall, iRide visited 14 schools across British Columbia and provided a safe and fun cycling experience for 1150 students.
iRide Head Coach Wes Ochitwa and Nigel Thompson spent most of the week at Chantrell Creek in White Rock, BC. Our lead teacher at the school published a large series of blog posts after our visit including videos and images. By day three, Mrs. Bett reported:
When we went on the field today we had an obstacle course that included a ramp, a teeter-totter, a log, a noodle and some cones to weave in and out of. It was so much fun!
The teeter-totter was a bit scary at first but many of us were able to do it by ourselves by the end of the lesson! Read more here: Day 1; Day 2; Day 3
iRide coach Laura Harp and Louise Blais visited Giant’s Head Elementary in Summerland and Shaw Cable visited to film the event.
The highlight for me was a teary student at the beginning of the week who insisted that she would never ride on trails or with other kids and then she rode to school on our last day with her brother! She was so proud to tell us that she did it. That story and the thank you cards from the students were so satisfying and the reason we coach iRide. Watch the Shaw Cable Piece here.
Events in the Comox valley continued to build momentum towards the summer with Lauren Lan and Lynda Magor working with students of Ecole Robb Road, Aspen Elementary, Queneesh and Brooklyn Elementary.
Bike-to-School week enjoys a strong following in our community, so the students were very excited to build their skills and spend as much time as possible on their bicycles. Students at Ecole Robb Road also enjoyed a collection of bike rides led by their teachers outside of iRide time, bumping the total numbers of students on bikes to +200 a day.
Queneesh Elementary Montessori students were keen and ready to continue their skill acquisition after last week’s initiation and new-found riding successes! We started by practicing wheel lifts over small cones and moved quickly to larger obstacles such as small log! The students really gave it their all in the straight line riding exercises, maintaining focus through the long “skinny” mapped out on the grass with yellow rope. This effort paid off as they demonstrated perfect accuracy when they headed over to try the A-frame stunts! Next week, we conquer the teeter-totter!
Lynda Magor at Brooklyn Elementary reports:
Students were super keen to get out on the local North East Woods trails today and enjoy another sunny day. With a caravan of 27 little rippers and 7 tall rippers (adult chaperones), we snaked our way through the forest over roots and rocks, down rollers and up slopes to total 45 minutes of bliss. Needless to say, the smiles were ear to ear by the time we made our way back to the school! The afternoon group also welcomed the forest riding as a relief from the heat of the day. Students displayed excellent awareness and decision-making skills en route back to the school grounds, using their urban riding skills and hand signals effectively. “More please” is what one student quipped as we ended our session.
If you’re a fan of Cycling BC’s iRide program, check us out on Twitter, Instagram, or donate through Chimp to support our programs in your area. To learn more about iRide Summer Camp or book future in-school events, please contact iRide@cyclingbc.net or (604) BC-iRide.
