Welcome to the Club!

"So I have this brand new mountain bike, but I haven't been out around here very much."  And so begins this story...  That statement was made by, of all people, our superintendent, who had stopped by marching band practice one Monday night last fall.  I had heard he was a triathlete (true), and I had already made a plug for him to make sure he visited the most awesome bike shop in town, but wasn't aware that he rode off-road as well.  

"I have a fat-tire bike; we should hit the trails around here some time," I replied.  He said something along the lines of that sounding good, and I sort of let it go.  A few days later I sent off a quick email just to say thanks for stopping by rehearsal (administrators very seldom do that), and just sort of saying that I enjoyed our conversation and would be open to a ride.  All of this was based on the idea that "this is the boss, he's being polite and talking about stuff we share common interest in, etc." kind of thing.  His reply was very quick - "how about Thursday afternoon?"

Ummm...  OK.  What do I do now?  So we went on Thursday (or whatever day it was - don't hold me to details...) and rode the Bass River trails, which are awesome.  First time I officially uttered a four-letter word in front of a supe, with a "sh*t" barked out as my handlebar hooked a tree on a turn and I was nearly unseated.  ("Pardon my French..."  "No problem...")

Soon after that ride I bought my F-29, and we went out again.  "You know, I've taken a few kids out for rides on the fat bike over the last few months.  I've been toying with the idea of starting a mountain bike club or something."  And from there?  
 - "Write up a proposal to take to the board"
 - Proposal written
 - Spoke with Brad and Jenny about a partnership with Velo City (they are possibly more excited about the idea than I am...)
 - Spoke to a school board committee prior to full board meeting
 - Some announcements made in HS and MS student announcement pages
 - Crashed my bike two days later (THAT must have inspired confidence in the people I spoke to...)
 - Item conveniently tabled since I was unable to attend meeting
 - Item passed in August (I didn't go to the meeting, anyway)

And this past Wednesday?  We had our first ride of the official ZHS MTB Club!  Seven students headed out from the parking lot after school and hit the Riley Trails, an Ottawa County park with a network of MTB, hiking, and cross-country ski routes, and enjoyed a beautiful sunny afternoon in the woods.

Full disclosure that five of the seven were students already in my classes, but all I did was tell folks about the opportunity - they already owned bikes and wanted to go.  One brought a friend along.  And number seven?  Andrew - heard about it through the announcements.  Relatively quiet and shy, especially in the van as all the band kids gabbed the whole way, but I saw plenty of smiles from him and he said he had a good time and would be back.

 In between the start of school and the first outing there were of course some organizational things that had to happen.  Reserve the school van, find a way to transport the bikes, etc.  Easily accomplished.  At some point someone has to pay for the school transportation stuff, though.  As though on cue, about a week ago I received an email from the CEO of a local corporation: "Mr. Walker, someone passed along the Holland Sentinel article about the new MTB club.  I love cycling of all kinds and would love to help.  What can I do?  Do you need money?"  Ummm...  Yes.  So we have some field trip funding provided!  (You might be surprised to find out that it's somewhat difficult to figure out how to process a donation for that sort of thing...)

Not to be outdone, several folks from the local cycling community stepped up as well.  The owner of a local greenhouse/nursery business offered his trailer for bikes.  I received several items in donations in response to a post on the Team VCC page asking folks to pass along items that they no longer use to enhance the kids' riding.  

And Brad and Jenny and Velo City?  They kind of deserve their own paragraph or so.  I can't tell you how cool it is to have someone not only think what you are doing is worthwhile, but to also run with it and get as excited about it as you are.  "What can we do to help?"  They have loaned bikes, helmets, the trailer for the first trip (we may need the larger one from you, Brian!!), and have offered kids a discount on parts, accessories, and service at the shop.  Nate and Brent have jumped in as well, providing their usual service excellence, and Hawkins has offered to come along and assist/coach/whatever also.  (It should be noted here that if you ever want to know everything about mountain bikes, and I do mean every little detail, then you need to talk to Nate and Hawkins...  Most of the time my eyes kind of glaze over as they discuss the size of disc brake rotors, the composition of brake pad material, fork travel, how well the front tire should track while the rear grabs the dirt...  Every. Thing.  They are both outstanding riders as well.)  

So there you have it - the newest club at ZHS.  One of the very first things I've officially been a part of from the ground up - from idle thought to an actual event.  I must say that I appreciate all of the support from everyone who has pitched in; Cal's encouragement to give it a try, Brad and Jenny and all the VCC folks, and of course the kids who want to ride.  It's a great chance for all of us to meet new people, do something we enjoy, and get some exercise in the process.  Does it get any better??