May Newsletter: Activate, Engage, Empower on Bikes!
Activate, Engage, Empower on Bikes!
This summer, Coombs Outdoors will provide access to mountain biking in a variety of ways in each of our Activate, Engage, Empower programs. From learn to ride clinics for kids of all ages, to scholarships for the local NICA team (Jackson Hole Youth Mountain Bike League), and internships with Wheel Wranglers, our goal is to have as many kids as possible experience the joy and freedom that bikes provide.
Mountain biking in the summer is just as essential to the Jackson culture and community as skiing is in the winter, and it poses similarly challenging barriers to entry. On bikes, participants can learn to overcome personal challenges, explore Jackson’s plentiful trail systems and recreation opportunities, and experience the social-emotional growth that all of our programs strive to facilitate.
“Being outside definitely contributes to my everyday life. Going through those tough parts, like a hard turn on the bike trail, shows me that when I keep trying I can eventually get through challenges.” - Mikey (13), Coombs participant
Coombs Bike Program Details:
A fleet of 10+ mountain bikes for Coombs participants to use during programs
Scholarships for 10 Coombs participants to ride and race with the Jackson Hole Youth Mountain Bike Team
Mountain bike intro clinics for the Activate elementary school program
High school internship stipends for kids working at local bike shops
We are currently working to raise $10,000, which we have applied for matching grant funds through the Specialized Outride Fund, for a total of $20,000 to fund this program.
Click below to help us meet our goal!
Partner of the Month: Wheel Wranglers
Wheel Wranglers has been instrumental in helping introduce Coombs participants to cycling. Wheel Wranglers has led Learn-to-Ride clinics for Coombs participants (more to come this summer!), as well as supporting Coombs through the Empower High School Internship Program, where two Coombs High Schoolers will work as interns this summer, learning the ins and outs of bike mechanics, customer service, and gaining professional experience in the outdoor industry.
"We believe in collectively working towards a biking community that is inclusive and accessible for everyone. Through co-creating opportunities for youth to participate in the outdoor industry workforce and connecting kids to fun mountain bike rides, we are thrilled to partner with Coombs Outdoors."
- Katie McNamara, Owner, Wheel Wranglers
What do you Outride?
Jenny learned to ride a bike when she was three years old. Growing up in rural Maine, her bike was a tool for freedom and independence, allowing her to ride to friends’ houses before she learned to drive. In college, she spent time honing her skills through lift-served downhill mountain biking, enthralled with the speed and technical aspect of racing down hill as fast as possible. A few years later, she got the endurance bug, shifting her goals from speed to distance and pushing herself to train, compete, and podium at 100K and 100+ mile races like the Leadville 100, Gunnison Growler, Breck100, and Pierre’s Hole.
“I’m the type of person that has pretty much every minute of every day planned out, and my mind is always racing to what I have to do next,” Jenny says. “When I get on my bike, there is only one thing I need to do: pedal. Bike riding forces me to live in the moment, which is really therapeutic and provides a healthy break from the chaos that I create for myself."
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect. When I’m on my bike, I’m outriding those unrealistically high expectations I set for myself”
Biking has shown Jenny what she's capable of. “Mountain biking has taught me some very important lessons, like the fact that success takes a lot of work and doesn’t happen overnight,” Jenny says of building up from 10 miles to 100.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect,” she adds. “When I’m on my bike, I’m outriding those unrealistically high expectations I set for myself.”
After a stressful day, Jenny turns to her bike, and with every mile, she finds her stress slowly melting away. “I feel myself smiling on the climbs, hooting and hollering on the downs, and I’m a completely different person when I finish the ride. The world can be a hard and stressful place, and bikes fix that for me.”