April 16/02 1:38 am - Sprockids "Coastrider" Bike Building Event

Posted by Editoress on 04/16/02
 

Sprockids "Coastrider" Bike Building Event.
Courtesy Doug Detwiller, Sprockids

3Bike Building 2002 - Sprockids Style
Friday April 12th

Do you remember when you were a kid and snuck down early on Christmas morning, only to discover the mound of brightly wrapped presents under the tree? Your eyes sparkled, your heart pounded, and you just couldn1t wait to find out what was cocooned inside those packages. But, you had to wait until your parents came down and brought some sort of adult order to this annual ritual. You tired to appease yourself by shaking every package, trying to imagine what lay inside. Finally your parents emerged from their bedroom, and still you had to wait some more. When it was finally time to begin, you were buzzing around the room in a state of total euphoria .

They say you can never go back, but on Friday April 22, 2002 over 30 high school students and, I suspect, quite a few adults, had that same sparkle in their eyes as they entered the gym at Gibsons Elementary. What they found inside were six tables covered with some of the finest components by; SRAM, RaceFace, Manitou,TruVativ, Outdoor Gear Canada, Hayes, Chris King, Wilderness Trail Bikes, Sun/Ringle, and a floor covered with an incredible assortment of frames by Norco and Santa Cruz. The final table was covered with the various Park Tools and FinishLine Lubricants to put it all together. For a young mountain biker this was Nirvana, and they had been invited to come and play. This wasn1t one of those dreams where you suddenly wake up and find yourself in Mr. Kirpatrick's math class, but rather this was the Sprockids 3Coastriders2 annual bike building event. This year we took it out of the shop and turned it into an event!

The "Coastriders" mountain bike club, located on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, is the original Sprockids Program and continues to be the testing ground for new ideas. One of the main mandates of the program has always been to provide any young person, regardless of their financial situation, the opportunity to participate in the program and enjoy the mountain bike experience. One of the ways that we do this is to build up and maintain a number of bikes that are available to anyone in the program. These bikes range from entry level xc to high-end specialized racing bikes. The bikes are signed out for a season, racing, special events, or just to try out on our weekly rides. This gives the young riders and their families the opportunity to experience first hand the various options before purchasing their dream machine or that special component. These frames and components are generously donated by companies that support the philosophy of the program. This year our sponsors have truly out done themselves by contributing an amazing array of components and frames to this event.

The purpose of the event was to bring together our local bike shops, sponsors, teachers, parents, and high school riders to meet and work together. Teamed up with their mechanic mentors, the participants assembled over 20 new bikes and administered some much needed TLC to some of the program's existing stock of bikes.

Teenagers require a great deal of energy and by 1:00 PM the sounds of rumbling stomachs could be heard and we headed outside for a BBQ. After the feast it was time to hit the trails. This was an opportunity for the high school riders to learn from some of the best pro riders the West Coast has to offer. Many of the young riders picked out their favorite club bikes, suited up in our club gear, donated by Bell Helmets, Pearl Izumi, Ryders, and Spy Eyewear. Despite some of our West Coast Liquid Sunshine, spirits were high and all of us looked forward to riding some of the best single track anywhere. From the trailhead we broke off into a variety of groups and disappeared into the misty forest. After several hours of total adrenaline rush, bands of muddy riders made their way back. It was obvious from the smiles on their faces that a good time had been had by all. As the various participants climbed back into their vehicles and headed for home one could not help but stand back and survey the conclusion to yet another magical day here on the Sunshine Coast. Mountain biking is truly unique, and all of us who participated today came away with something very special and personal, sharing a common experience and bond that all who ride feel so intensely.

Sprockids has been happening here on the Sunshine Coast of Canada since 1990, and continues to involve young people in the mountain biking life style. Sprockids has joined forces with IMBA, International Mountain Biking Association and together they are bringing Sprockids to the world. Check out our web site at www.sprockids.com to discover what the original Sprockids 3Coastriders2 Club is all about, or to learn more about joining the IMBA/Sprockids Program.