How did the school get involved with the program?

It was more of an idea from our assistant principal, who heard about the program. He went about getting interest from us as staff and students and saw that there was a need in the community. Based on the fact that some of our children, although we're in a rural area, knew how to ride bikes, many of them did not know any safety practices and did not practice safe riding of bikes. meaning they did not wear helmets, they did not own helmets, and they did not know any proper procedures, such as how to ride on dirt roads versus highways. So we wanted to make that investment for the safety of our children. Of course, we applied for the program and were accepted. We were notified, and at the time, I'm sorry, I'm blanking on the name; I don't know the full details. But we were accepted, and we created a video with our children expressing the need, and that’s how we got accepted. 

What originally motivated you to get involved?

After the school got accepted for the program, a couple of the administrators and I became champions for the school. After being selected as champions, we had our training, where they flew them to California, where they have a ride-home training facility out there where they even train some professional bikers. They have a partnership with Stanford University, so it's based on a lot of work done by a multitude of people at Bike Ed and people who are truly researching brain research and the correlation between not just exercise but academics. So we went out there and just got the information, helmets, and curriculum.

How does your school ensure that the bikes used in the Riding for Focus program are properly maintained and safe for students to ride?

For the adults and the students, it's making sure that we know how to do some quick checks on the bike. So before each child gets on the bike, before every ride, the child does a quick maintenance of the bike, where they check the tires, check the chain, and ensure the bike is in minimum operating condition. Then from there, when bikes need maintenance, we have some of the basics, of course, being able to know how to put the chain back on, knowing how to check the tire gauge, and making sure that they're properly inflated. We have a partnership with a biking company that has pretty much done that for us, and they have helped us develop some of those partnerships to help us out. They help us once a year, but it's a little bit more challenging for us to go beyond that. It's so important, so we do things such as make sure we wipe down the bikes, have children wipe down the bikes, and spend a lot of time with the children before they get on a bike, really letting them know the importance of bike safety and that if they're not following directions, it will result in injury to the child.

In the event of an accident or injury during a Riding for Focus activity, what protocols are in place to address liability concerns?

When an injury does occur, of course, you would treat it like any other injury that may occur at the school level; contact parents. We've been very fortunate enough to not have anything major happen while unable to ride a bike. So with that being said, you know we support that child through their comfort until they are able to ride the bike safely. And then, even then, we're making sure the children are riding bikes appropriately.

Can Riding for Focus be integrated into the school's PE curriculum and fulfill any state-mandated PE requirements?

I believe the program can meet the requirements for the state physical education class. I’m not the physical education head of our school, but I can tell you that it aligns with state standards. Our PE teacher doesn't do the biking program every day. Once the children hop onto their bikes and start pedaling, the time they spend riding can vary. For instance, on one day of the week, it might be a full-day activity for them, while on another day, it could just be a brief 10 to 15 minutes to get their muscles warmed up before moving on to other things.

Does the program require students to ride within the school grounds or venture out into the city?

We are very fortunate that our children's bikes are stored inside a gym and closet/storage area, and children are fortunate enough to ride right outside the door, right on the walking path. So when you say outside of school, for the most part, because we have such a large area where children can ride, we do teach our children how to ride in the parking lot, all of those road safety rules in the parking lot, and then we have a roadside road right there as well.

Have you seen any long-term benefits for students who have participated in "Riding for Focus"? Did it encourage them to continue cycling after they completed the program?

Long-term, I think physically they are more aware of their health, and more children are more active. But I think it would be a good idea to send out a survey, but I do know that just because we are, you know, we basically have fifth grade and eighth grade. Our kids get excited to get into the program because they're excited to come to sixth grade. The principal lets us know that they are aware that this is a program that begins in sixth grade.

How has your community responded to Riding for Focus? 

She says, I think it would be a good idea to send out a survey, but I can’t tell you exactly what the community thinks about it, but I do believe they like the program. In our program, we have fifth grade and eighth grade, and our kids get excited to get into the program because our kids come to sixth grade and they're excited. The principal lets the community know that this is a program that begins in sixth grade.

If you were to set up the program again, would there be anything you’d do differently?

I don't think we would try to do the program with every grade in the first year. I think we would definitely only choose one grade, and then every year after that, we would probably add a grade. That way, we would probably get the focus of just implementing it well at each school.

What advice would you offer to other schools or organizations interested in applying for the Riding for Focus grant through Outride?

I would say to think about where you would place the bike's storage and the location where you would store the bikes before you get the bikes. I think the program can benefit any school, any city school—I mean any of the rural schools. I think if you have children in middle or high school, it would work. I'm not the one who originally started the program, but I did go to the training. When you are signing up, you shouldn't look at it like signing up for six weeks. Now it's a commitment; it's like you should look at it as if you're committing to this program for however long, like a year. So this 6-week program is teaching the children how to ride safely, but it's a year-long program. Like our children, they have a schedule for the year, so we introduced the program in 6 weeks, and then we're continuing on all year. They can always come in and ride a bike. We can grab bikes if the coaches put the bikes out and invite them in first thing in the morning; they can do that in the afternoon. You're looking at it like once you're trained, you know, whenever we get an opportunity, even if you are not in the class, you can do riding. So even though it's a 6-week program, I hope you know, and they do. I believe there's a contract. I don't remember the specifics, but they want you to take some notes about your recording, certain things about children's rides, and look at some data concerning the benefit of the program.