Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day - Oct. 4

[Benny]

We have signed up to host a Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day event at Bartram Forest on Saturday, October 4.
http://www.imba.com/resources/kids/index.html

This is a great opportunity for you to pass your passion for pedaling on to kids. Plan to go mountain biking on the first Saturday in October - and bring a kid along for the ride!

We are currently seeking interested participants (Kids and Adults) as well as volunteers for all aspects of the event.

More details will be posted soon. Contact me at benny@mvillebikes.com (or post here) if you would like to help.

[Benny]

Maybe I need to see if I can cancel this. We can't pull this off without some of the membership pitching in and working to make it happen.

[hthrlngstn]

I have talked about to a few people with children and they seem interested. Let me ask around a little more and see if I can get some definite commitments before you cancel. I intend to be there with Wyatt even though he will not be able to ride with his training wheels. I am going to ask Troy about mowing the grass around the maze so there will be a flat place for the littlest ones to ride. Renee and Richard, will you guys be able to come??

[Benny]

Sounds good, but we still need some volunteers to help us pull this thing off. It would be embarrassing to have a lot of people bring their kids out to ride and we don't have anything set up for them.

I've been asking for volunteers, but so far the silence has been deafening. :(

[C.U. Allezter]

I will be happy to volunteer. I can do some clean up work @ Bartram and mark some trails for the event. Also, I will go ahead and volunteer the bike shop's tent so we at least have one covered area. Oh, and we have some PowerAde mix left over from the AFR...

Adam

p.s.- Let me know if we're still planning to do this so I can contact Stacy Lewis with the Sheriff's Dept. She works with the D.A.R.E. program, and would be a good way to get the word out in the schools.

[hthrlngstn]

Lets just go for it and hopefully we will have a good turn out. Stephen will be able to help out. The Union Recorder is running an ad sale today. What are your thoughts on purchasing an ad. I think it could mention both BATTY and this ride.

[Benny]

Lets just go for it and hopefully we will have a good turn out. Stephen will be able to help out. The Union Recorder is running an ad sale today. What are your thoughts on purchasing an ad. I think it could mention both BATTY and this ride.

Go for it. Let's handle the details by email.

[MootsMan]

Wish we could help but will be taking my mother to NC that day. Tried to come up with suggestions but having had no kids and having spent little time around them it's not my strong suit. I know that some of the SORBA festivals I've been to would have limbo competitions for kids on bikes and they always seemed to enjoy it. They would also double tape off a very short twist course and kids would try and traverse it without touching the tape.

[hthrlngstn]

They would also double tape off a very short twist course and kids would try and traverse it without touching the tape.

Could we do this with maze or would that be disrespectful? I do not know the history or significance of the maze.

[hthrlngstn]

Just spoke with Mr. Clymer. We have permission for the day!! He will also get the grass cut around the maze area and open the "facilities" for our use. We have the area reserved for the entire day. Benny, I forgot what you asked me about parking. Please remind me and I will check with him again.

[Benny]

This is a great opportunity for the club to help get a younger generation involved in cycling. It is also a chance to show to the pubic and to the officials and decision makers how important a recreational resource Bartram is to our community. But to do it right, we need a few more people to help get the courses ready and to help out during the event.

It seems that increasingly, all the planning and execution of events for the club is falling on the same few active members. We are acheiving many good things, but we can do so much more and do it so much better with more people pitching in to help.

I know that we all have busy lives and too much to do, but it really doesn't take that much time to make a big difference. Please do what you can to help by participating in forum discussions, coming to meetings, coming to the rides, posting your ride plans in the forum and on the calendar and by volunteering to help out when we plan special events like this one.

E-mail benny at mvillebikes dot com if you have not been able to register on the forums.

[lizhavey]

I'll be in town after all to help, but I need someone to point me in the right direction:)

[Benny]

We have 30 Clif Kids bars, 30 number plates for the kids' bikes and 4 t-shirts to give away via a drawing. We will be eligible to win one of 10 Schwinn bikes being given away to clubs holding events.

[hthrlngstn]

Please take a look at the "tool kit" and let me know which poster you like best and I will bring some to the meeting.

[Benny]

Please take a look at the "tool kit" and let me know which poster you like best and I will bring some to the meeting.

This one:
http://www.imba.com/resources/kids/TKMBPosterNPSV2LowRes.pdf

Where: Bartram Forest Trails - Carl Vinson Road

When: Saturday, October 4th, 2008 @ 9:00AM

By: Bicycling Club of Milledgeville

Contact: email - benny@mvillebikes.com - website - www.mvillebikes.com

[Dave]

I'll be happy to assist. I just need to know what I can do. I'll be happy to help mark the trails or ride along with the kids, or both. Kathy said she would help too if it dosn't involve getting on a mountain bike.

Dave

[Benny]

Thanks, Dave! We'll let you know how you and Kathy can help. I know we could use the Specialized tent and some coolers for water and Poweraid.

[hthrlngstn]

That was the poster I liked best also. However, I will be using pieces of the other for the ad in the UR.

[Benny]

Liz, Adam, Dave and I had a good ride/planning/work session at Bartram this morning. We decided on routes for various age and ability levels of riders. We decided to use the pavilion by the pond as a home base and will use the area downstream of the pond and the area around the labyrinth for the riding. We walked the trails with loppers and cut away overhanging brush to make a clear path for riding.

We will need the Georgia Forestry crews to mow some of the trails for us.

[Benny]

I hope we will see a good number of kids at Bartram Saturday morning. I think we have a pretty nice morning of riding, instruction, games and prizes set up for them.

[Jay]

Cameron and I will be there!

Jay

[Benny]

I want to thank everyone who came out this morning to help out with the Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day event. Also thanks to those who brought kids out to ride. We had a very nice day set up for the kids. Although it was disappointing that we had so few kids show up, I still think it was worthwhile for the fun that those few had and the opportunity to hopefully plant seeds of enthusiasm that will grow in them throughout their lives.

Here are some pictures that Lori took of the morning's activities: (see the slideshow for more pictures)

http://flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/sets/72157607746333567/show/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/2913182977_3ca50ec705_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/2913181805_9bd5fbabd3_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2914030236_88fa4c1668_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2913184717_986a51c99c_o.jpg

[Benny]

Hmm, for some reason I thought we might have had a comment or two from the several people who have viewed this.

[Brannon Pool]

Looks like fun, i wish i was in town. What size is your son's bike?

[Benny]

Looks like fun, i wish i was in town. What size is your son's bike?

It's a 16" Sette Reken frame with parts from my '06 Rockhopper Comp.

[RobtheAggie]

Sorry that I could not have been there. With soccer in full swing, that takes up just about every saturday as Heather is starting to find out. I am glad that those that showed up had fun. Heather sent me a flyer and I did post it around campus. I do not know if anyone showed up because of it.