On the Trail with IMBA

Both of us Trail Care Crews, who are traveling together through February for training purposes, recently visited the Coronado Middle School in Tucson, Arizona. The kids are led by Hank Rowe, a social sciences teacher at the school, and also, of course, a mountain biker. Hank is a member of the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists. On a side note, we spent the majority of our time in Tucson with the SDMB, helping them improve their already fun and productive club, meeting their members, and riding their awesome trails.

Classroom Shot

Post-Ride Shot

Hank, or Mr. Rowe to the young riders, leads the Coronodo K-8 Mountain Bike Club. The Club meets every week and rides either the local 1-2 mile system out behind their sports fields, or close-by trails. Chris and Leslie made a quick presentation to them on what sustainable trails mean and basic trail maintenance guidelines (remember, Pulaski and McLeod!), but they could hardly sit still - all they wanted to do was ride! We could all relate to that, so we hit their swoopy and flowy system of beginner, intermediate and advanced trails for 45 minutes or so before the bell rang. I don’t know who was more psyched to be riding together - the club or the crews. The kids’ enthusiasm drew huge grins on our faces. They were of all abilities, but none lacked excitement for mountain biking. I hope that they continue to improve their skills and abilities on the trails within their school and beyond, and become strong advocates for riding - maybe on the SDMB board someday?!

I can’t sign off without mentioning the kids’ humor - some of them knew more about bike mechanics and parts than I would if I holed up with 20 years’ worth of bike mags. One student gave my bike one look and said “I think we need to get you on a lighter bike.” And then proceeded to really school me on why! I was amazed and loved every minute of it.

Club & Crew Group Shot

Rippin' It So Young!