May 20/14 9:18 am - Cyclesmith Junior Racing Program (Nova Scotia)

Posted by Editoress on 05/20/14
 

Cyclesmith is proud to introduce you to the Cyclesmith Junior Racing Team. The team, led by President and Head Coach Andrew Feenstra, came about quite naturally. "It all started with the kids and their parents," says Feenstra. "Their passion and dedication has made it all possible." What began as a bunch of kids riding together has quickly grown into a group of talented and enthusiastic youths who train and compete together out of their love for the sport, while encouraging the next generation of riders to discover the fun and freedom of cycling.

The ultimate goal of exposing young riders to the sport of cycling is to make them "Active for Life," continues Feenstra. "It's our hope that they continue their involvement in cycling well past their competitive racing years by becoming coaches, event organizers, officials and volunteers. It's important to make their experience as positive and fun as we can so that they remain involved in cycling, and pass on the same values to the next generation of riders." Each member of the team is expected to be an ambassador of the sport on and off the track, and promote cycling to their friends and classmates by word of mouth and through their social media connections.

Team members will train based on the Canadian Sport For Life Long Term Development Strategy, which breaks down training into three phases - Learn to Train, Train to Train, and Train to Compete. Each phase targets a specific age group, giving those riders the skills and experience needed to advance to the next phase. In addition to regular training, the team also organizes regular clinics on various topics as well as "Projects" - two-day training events involving travel throughout Atlantic Canada.

• 10 riders, ages 11 - 16
• Cycling is their primary sport
• All riders and parents must agree to our Code of Conduct and align with the True Sport Principles
• Primarily Mountain Bike XC focused
• Also compete in Road, Cyclo-cross, Track and BMX for overall development
• Team attends 15 Nova Scotia Provincial events
• Team attends 5 out-of-province events
• 2 members represented Nova Scotia at the 2013 Canada Games for XC - All but 1 member will be age eligible for the 2017 Canada Games Core Team
• Team trains together 3 - 5 times per week
• The team gives back to sport by running: 10 Race Short Track XC series for 80+ riders, 5 Race Cyclo-cross Series for 100+ riders
• Promote cycling at every opportunity through media interviews, opportunities at school and by reaching out and assisting new participants at events.

To learn more about The Cyclesmith Junior Racing Team, visit their website at www.cyclesmithjuniorracing.com or contact Andrew Feenstra at Andrew@cyclesmith.ca or by phone at 902-425-1756.

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