John Wilson
Just a reminder that we have a High School CX program here in OBRA. Like NICA, and Evergreen MTB it operates solely due to volunteers. We only have Two HS CX teams in Portland. Hard to believe given that the Adult demographics for CX in Portland are off the charts, largest Adult participation in the world.
Different from NICA/Evergreen MTB the OBRA HS CX program does not currently have a formalized Coaching Training & Certification Program. We have a standing offer to help all interested coaches with education, training, sample team practice/skills programs. My question is this:
Would a formalized OBRA Coaching & Certification Program get more Adult/Parent volunteers involved?
Here in OBRA we support the High School MTB league concept. If interested Volunteers want to make some proposals, backed up by a volunteering resource plan that can deliver the proposal, you can contact me to explore how to implement.
We have this CX program in OBRA. I would really encourage folks to make an effort there. One of the great opportunities with our CX program is that we are riding the success of CX in the Northwest. We have a nearly ideal arrangement with local promoters to support the Junior & High School League. A challenge with the MTB concept is finding races that are suitable for a HS League, or like NICA/Evergreen MTB they are promoting their own High School/Middle School ONLY events. That is great, but a much larger commitment, cost, and required volunteering base. I say let’s make this CX program successful here in the Northwest. We have had a Camas team. Expanding into Washington is a logical next step. Expanding to middle school teams is also easy. If we cannot make it work in OBRA for CX why would we think it will work for MTB? Help me out. What is missing?
By my estimates OBRA has the second largest Junior CX participation in the world (Behind Colorado). We/OBRA are the only High School CX program that I know of, but it is struggling. We have had only 7-10 teams per year since its inception in 2010. Please help me with ideas to get more Adults/Parents involved so we can triple our number of teams in 2014. It is the Adults that are the key. Coaches who are willing to donate their time to rally the kids together. It is not that hard to do if you have that critical first step. A coach who will volunteer their time.
Thanks
John Wilson
OBRA Board Member
Director, The OBRA Junior & High School Cyclocross Series
541-760-1331
From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On Behalf Of Ed Fischer
Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 5:54 AM
To: obra@list.obra.org
Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Fwd: Junior racing and Coaches for Vancouver/PDX
Thanks Mike for passing that along!
In regards to Lisa's message, we in Camas have been coaching a team in the Washington League since its inception in 2010. As experienced leaders/coaches in the league, we would be more than happy to help others interested in forming a team or looking to get a student involved in the league started with the process and/or share our experiences.
Let me also add that although this is considered a Washington League, I have been told that they would welcome a team from Portland to form and compete against all the Washington teams. Our students looks for more teams locally to compete with. As of right now we are the only team south of Olympia participating, and I am on a mission to get more teams developed in our region. Participation in this league has been a very rewarding experience for us, and the students often move on to join our shop team and/or become life long cyclists like all of us. Here is a short little video to give you the flavor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UIiXOivSvE
This Thursday at 6pm in Camas, I am meeting with a small group of individuals interested in forming a Vancouver Team. I invite anyone else interested from SW Wa or Portland in coaching/volunteering for this program to join us. Just reply directly to me at ed@camasbikes.com
Thanks
Ed Fischer
Camas Bike and Sport
360-210-5160
www.camasbikes.com
240 NE 3rd Ave
Camas, Wa 98607
OBRA
Lisa Miller asked me to pass this along given my
credentials....limited at best. She has quite a few kids in the
Vancouver area looking for guidance. Below is the info and she starts
the kids before High School which is great. Please get ahold of her if
you are interested in getting involved.
Thanks
Mike
Eager kids want to mountain bike in the Vancouver area – looking for
volunteer adult coaches and mentors.
The Washington Student League is a comprehensive cross-country
mountain bike program for students grades 7 – 12.
We provide safe mountain biking and leadership opportunities in a team
environment with the focus of becoming life-long cyclists. Through our
program, students will learn mountain bike skills, explore trails, and
gain fitness. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to learn
about teamwork, leadership, stewardship, and working towards
competitive and non-competitive goals.
Our volunteer coaches are the foundation of our successful program. We
have developed a comprehensive set of coaching development resources
and standards to ensure that our volunteer coaches are the best role
models.
Empowering youth through mountain biking is a greatly rewarding
experience and we hope that you or someone that you know is interested
in joining our community and helping the Vancouver, WA area student
riders.
If interested in learning more, please contact Lisa Miller at
lisa@evergreenmtb.org.
Website: www.washingtonleague.org
See what people have to say about our program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UIiXOivSvE
View our league brochure: http://washingtonleague.org/brochure-league/
Volunteer Coach Job Description:
http://washingtonleague.org/wp-content/uploads/Job-Description_Coach.pdf
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Mike Ripley
Mudslinger Events/Oregon Trail Runs
PO BOX 87
Monroe, OR. 97456
541-225-7946
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