Helping out at the BC “Basic Mountain Bike Skills for Beginners and Improvers” Course in Amersham
By Seth Kanaris, British Cycling Young Volunteer
Today (Thursday 19th February), I went to a MTB skills development course for beginners/ improvers, but as an “official” Young Volunteer. I’d never actually done any official volunteering before, so this was my first time helping people out in this capacity.
When I arrived, Mac and Josie were already there so I helped unload the van and set up. There were several familiar faces from Summit MTB Club, and a few Slipstreamers as well (Ollie, Maddie, Jed, Lucy, James, and Katie – sorry if I missed you out!), which is always a good thing!
The Slipstreamers Gang!
So to start, we got everyone going round in a circle, and us volunteers were giving high fives in various places so as to ensure that everyone was comfortable riding one-handed. It then progressed to the classic limbo game, where most people could just casually ride under a bar like it wasn’t there (I think that’s why I had to do a demo, because I’m tall and had to work)!
Organising the troops!
After that, we split into 2 groups (the small people and the really small people), one of which was looking at the ready position and going over little jumps; and one of which was doing more basic skills like slalom and more limbo. In fact, the bar was so low that not even my bike could fit under it! We then alternated and had lunch.
The bit I liked best was right at the end, when the three volunteers (myself, Tom, and Matt) all had our own groups and took them out to the woods! I had the group consisting of all the Slipstreamers, and needless to say, it was interesting, but ultimately quite rewarding…
We started off with no idea of where to go, and when we did find somewhere, 90% of my group were very nervous – gnarly roots and steep bombholes faced them, which can be quite daunting the first time you tackle them! But then (thanks to my amazing coaching skills, obviously :-)), after some demos and some advice regarding technique; not to mention some encouragement, everyone picked up momentum and by the end of it, were skipping over everything – scary roots and all – like there was nothing there! It was a very proud moment!
We were a little late back, mainly because I got stuck in a very awkward position on a muddy and slippery hill while pushing my bike up, but overall it was well worth it! I learnt and applied some invaluable coaching skills today, and I hope that I helped a few young people get over their initial fears and mindset, not to mention their overall MTB technique.
To sum up, it was a very muddy day in Amersham, where I learnt some great skills and left feeling very successful knowing I contributed to shaping some better mountain bike riders today (and m now one step closer to completing my bronze Young Volunteers Award!).