MIssion+Statement


 * Summit Biking’s Junior Road Development Program- **

** Program Goals: **

** relationships among parents and the Summit Biking program. **
 * ** Foster a community of road cyclists that range in age and abilities, including **


 * ** Make road cycling and racing accessible to youth through personal, financial and educational support. __This includes actively promoting sponsorships and retail discounts to make the entry into this sport more cost effective for youth.__ **


 * ** Provide Youth with an opportunity to experience road cycling with a cohort group in a non-pressured setting. **


 * ** Promote community involvement, citizenship mindedness, and positive social impact during rides and other service opportunities. **


 * ** Foster camaraderie and racing skills through group riding/training, and promote appropriate role model relationships between younger riders and adult mentors. **


 * ** Provide opportunities for youth to learn from experts in fitness and bike related fields. **


 * ** Support the development of racers through group rides, individual scholarships and financial support, mechanical support, and a set of back up wheels at racing events. **


 * ** Educate youth on rider safety, mechanical skills, along with more general topics such as goal setting, proper nutrition and adopting healthy lifestyle choices. **


 * ** Provide Summit County youtha healthy alternative to sedentary pastimes. **

** Structure: **

** __ Junior Road Biking League __ **

** In its first year, the program will consist of a Junior Road Biking League. Participants will commit to participating in scheduled group rides, as well as committing to some type of community service. In the first year, the age range of participants will be 12 to 18. In subsequent years, pending successful participation during the first year, this program will expand to include younger children (ages __8 – 11)__ in the community. The goal of this expanded program will be to reach out to younger kids and introduce them to and foster their passion for the sport of road biking. This will be accomplished by providing age appropriate biking skills/education programs, combined with regularly scheduled rides for this younger demographic.The program will be free to students and will include at least 7 organized rides during the summer. **

** The program will also be modeled after the Snowsports Outreach Society, a local non-profit that encouraces citizenship and core values in addition to sports skils. **

** Before each group ride, a short training session will be presented based on one of the goals mentioned above (i.e. bike mechanics, rider safety, drafting skills, nutrition, sportsmanship/teamwork, goal setting, etc…) The group rides will be broken into ability level, and an adult (non-parent) mentor will lead each group. **

** As part of theJunior League training program, there will also be specific training sessions, such as bike mechanics to be held outside of the group ride dates. The Quizon’s Pro Tour is an example of a great educational opportunity. I’ll organize the group to observe the tour as they come through Summit County. **

** Community service requirements will include volunteering for Summit Biking fund raisers/activities, particularly the Circle the Summit ride. Other volunteer opportunities will include participating in trash pick up rides or volunteering to work with younger kids in the next stage of the program. **

** __ Junior Road Racing Development Program __ **

** Several of the older youth in our community, including Tucker McCrerey and Troy Meeker have an interest and passion for Junior Road Racing. Up to this point, this has been an individual sport, and it’s been financially taxing and time consuming for their parents. The Junior Road Program will include a racing development component to provide the infrastructure, tools, and support to encourage participation in junior road competitions. **

** The goals of this program will be to: **


 * ** Identify racing opportunities and provide a venue for traveling to competitions as a cohesive group **


 * ** Provide resources for the racers such as mechanical support and an extra set of race wheels at the competitions. (This might be done in conjunction with Summit Velocity, a non-profit established to develop competitive youth biking opportunities.) **


 * ** Actively work with sponsors and retailers to provide discounts so that entry into junior road racing isn’t so cost prohibitive (Again, this might be done in conjunction with Summit Velocity, who has substantial experience in this area.) **


 * ** Provide financial support through grants and scholarships to assist in expenses such as travel, entry fees, equipment, or bicycle training camps. **


 * ** Make opportunities available for young racers to learn from experts and professionals in fields related to biking and overall healthy living. Some of these might include fitness professionals, dietary coaches, mechanics, pro riders, etc.. For example, Sam Parker knows Connie Carpenter, and she’s expressed an interest in helping youth development. We could perhaps provide a weekend training program with Connie (and perhaps Davis Finney.) **

** Summit Biking Commitment: **

** Summit Biking's commitment to youth will include monetary support including sponsorship that will help them develop as riders/racers. This includes race entry fees, gas money supplements, assistance with bike training camps, and possibly some help with equipment as required by the participant. **

** Financial need will be taken into consideration, along with the level of commitment and participation in the Junior Road Racing Development Program. Monetary support will be obtained through a grant application process. (See attached for grant examples.) Grants will be submitted by a specific deadline each year, and will be approved by a special 6 member (?) committee composed of key Summit Biking members (including the President and Youth Group Director) and me (along with any other suggested members.) **

** Grants will be considered on an individual basis through an application submission. The applicant’s participation in volunteer efforts (such as promoting and volunteering for the Circle the Summit ride), participating in group training rides, educational opportunities, and other group activities will be highly considered in the grant approval process. **

** Other Partnerships: **

** To ensure that this program will reach out and gain recognition in the community and have the maximum possible impact on kids, this program will seek to align itself with as many professional organizations/shops as possible and maintain existing relationships. **