LOCALadk Magazine

Park, a recently expanded downhill park at Whiteface Mountain and a fresh regional Leadville Qualifying race were all instrumental in causing the turnout at local group rides to swell to record numbers. With such a strong and diverse local backing, Young decided that mountain biking embodied his mantra of 'lifetime fitness' and that mountain biking needed to become part of the LPES Curriculum. The seeds of the Lake Placid Elementary School Mountain Bike Project had been sown. With no shortage of enthusiasm, Young quickly realized that safe, reliable equipment would be his primary limiting factor; enough properly sized mountain bikes for a class of 20, helmets, and an adequate storage facility would be necessary to launch the program. Young cites the amazing volunteer response as the force that saw his vision through to completion. LPES parent, Jennifer Ledger, is an avid mountain biker. She provided initial momentum by contacting an old college friend who worked for Rocky Mountain Cycles and who agreed to issue 21 youth mountain bikes at substantially discounted prices. Local bike mechanics Shane Kramer and Mark Nassan donated untold man hours professionally assembling and tuning each new machine. Local Olympian Joe Lamb offered building materials from his family's lumber company, and the Lake Placid Central School District stepped in to provide labor to build a weather proof storage shed to house the equipment. To finance the project, Young patched together awards from seven local grant foundations, all of whom saw the obvious merit in the cause. Raising $12,000 in a less than perfect economic climate wasn't easy, but Young reports that folks identified with his mission. "People realized immediately the importance of the project," says Young. "By teaching students to enjoy mountain biking, we're giving them yet another reason to fall in love with the place in which they're growing up. Students that develop positive memories will be more likely to return to the Adirondacks after attending college." A winning singletrack lesson plan: Friendship, fundamentals, and flow With the students fired up, the bicycles assembled and paid for, and a small skills park and singletrack loop behind the school ready to go,—the LPES Mountain Bike Project was set to launch. However, teaching 5th graders the nuances of mountain biking meant starting from scratch. Young began with the absolute fundamentals: proper bike fit, helmets, safety, and proper riding techniques. While some students eagerly began to buzz around the skills park, others began with the daunting challenge of simply learning how to ride a bike. Young proudly describes his biggest success story, when a fifth grade student took it upon herself to teach one of her classmates to ride. "The girl who didn't know how to ride was embarrassed and wasn't comfortable with me helping her. When her friend came over to help, the two clicked immediately. By the end of the second class, they were riding confidently around the field together; I haven't seen that kind of community amongst our students with any other activity we've done." Young explains that a typical lesson begins with LOCALadk Magazine Spring 2013 35

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