I love working with teenagers. In just six to eight years they go from being cute, active, black and white thinkers into messy, capable adults with a lifetime of potential. It’s amazing the changes they go through and the impact that a good coach can have as they learn to master their own life.
When I was a teen, I had a number of adults make significant impacts on my life. This was important because, like most of us, my parents were the most important people in my life until about age 12. They were my role models, my social planners, my bankers and spiritual guides. Then a magical thing happened and I started to want to be different from mom and dad. It is a normal part of development but most parents still dread the process of no longer being the centre of their child’s universe.
This year at Kids of Mud we’re going to try a new group for teens who love to ride and who want to learn to lead. We’ve got some really good coaches who will be good role models for our teens. We will cover a curriculum that teaches cycling skills, coaching skills, self-leadership skills and helps our teens to connect to the community of cyclists that we have through our Kids of Mud/Sprockids groups. Most of all, a small group of teens are going to discover new things about themselves and their potential.
On Tuesdays, at Kids of Mud, I will ride with the teens – the teaching will be mostly on our bikes with a few outside course opportunities thrown in. Then, these teens will join another group on one of the other group rides where they’ll ride with an experienced coach and practice what they’ve learned. You have options for this second ride: Thursday evenings (Winnipeg East), Saturday mornings (Sprockids) or Monday evenings (Winnipeg West).
So, if your teenager is loving riding and needs to have a little more responsibility or another trusted adult speaking into their lives, we’d love to give them that opportunity.
You can register here: https://ccnbikes.com/#!/events/bikes-and-beyond-kids-of-mud-2020
See you on the trails,
