Sprockids Youth Program Coaching Tools 2020 – $700

The Community Foundation of Teton Valley is honored to provide Mountain Bike the Tetons this grant. Building future stewards of our land and community through mountain biking will have a positive impact on our recreational resources in Teton Valley. The Foundation appreciated the combined educational goal of skills and respect.
Mountain Bike the Tetons uses mountain bike skills as a tool to teach self-reliance, increase confidence, promote physical fitness, foster respect for one’s self and one’s peers, and develop a greater appreciation for outdoor recreation. The program prioritizes teaching kids to be courteous and responsible neighbors over turning them into competitive mountain bikers. As a result, much of the Sprockids program focuses on giving back to the community through trail work and advocacy, as well as how to respectfully interact with multiple user groups and avoid and mitigate conflicts when out on the trails. With increasing participation, evolving expectations, developing partnerships (One22 Foundation, the Coombs Foundation, Buddy Pegs, TVSEF, and Grand Targhee) and subsequent growth, MBT needed to assure that their coaching staff had the proper equipment to support the growth of their participants. To that end, the program provided radio communication capability and bicycle repair tools for leaders and coaches to be utilized at each session.
Grant funds will be used to purchase 6 Rocky Talkie brand two-way radios for use by coaches and group leaders during Sprockids sessions. These radios will give Sprockids leaders the ability to communicate over distance during sessions – on public lands trails and in local parks. This will add a critical tool for program risk management, while keeping sessions manageable and consistent. Funds will also be used to purchase a selection of bike repair tools that will provide for on-the-spot repairs to participant’s bikes – especially at the free “Pop-Up” events where Mountain Bike the Tetons offers community bike safety checks. Volunteers or the Sprockids Program Coordinator have previously used their own personal tools or simply not had the appropriate tool to make a critical repair. This purchase will empower Sprockids leaders to provide a greater service to program participants.
The Sprockids Youth Cycling Program is an 8-week program for 6-11 year-olds that teaches mountain bike fundamentals focused on safety, riding skills, etiquette and bike maintenance. Participants cultivate values and learn to employ techniques and strategies that will help guide them toward their full potential as riders, trail stewards, and community members. As the organization strives to provide utility in the community by fitting productively into the grand, lifelong journey of being a cyclist – from kick bikes at 18 months old, to the NICA high school program, to senior citizens, Mountain Bike the Tetons aims to provide an organized program for kids who are just learning to be proficient on 2-wheeled bikes.
The Community Foundation understands that instructors need specific resources to help provide a safe and quality learning environment and that Mountain Bike the Tetons is providing a well-developed program that will have a positive effect on Teton Valley youth as they develop their mountain biking skills and gain a better understanding of how they can support their community as a whole. Thank you Mountain Bike the Tetons for caring for Teton Valley’s youth and natural resources.