Learning to ride a bike is both an intimidating and exhilarating rite of passage for many young people. You fall down numerous times, but once you get the bike rolling, you’re happy you kept getting up and shaking the gravel off your hands.
Some people look at a bike and see it only for its functional purpose: two wheels and a way of getting from here to there. However, those consumed by a passion for cycling are more inclined to see the bike for what it gives them when they ride: adventure, new experiences, and freedom.
But this appreciation for cycling is not only relegated to adults. With two pedals, two wheels, and a chain, local Santa Maria students are powering their way to better health, fun, and more independence.
Born to ride
During the day, the band room at Tommie Kunst Junior High School is filled with the melodic cacophony of students making music. But on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, the classroom is filled with the light “tick, tick” of bikes being rolled out of closets and the “whoosh” of air being pumped into tires. The students are anxious to get out and ride, their excitement demonstrated by the premature donning of bike helmets.
Rather than sitting at home playing video games or perhaps even getting into trouble, these students are proud members of the Pedal Power Club. This is the first year the club is being implemented at Tommie Kunst, and it’s only been active since the start of February. Instructor and teacher Charlotte Belyea said there has been a phenomenal amount of interest joining the group.
“The program is going very well so far; 30 students returned registration forms,” Belyea said. “At this point, we have a lot of students and just enough time to accommodate them. The class had to be divided into two separate sessions.”
Belyea, an active cycler in her own time, said she was excited when she heard about the six-week program from another teacher, Julia Pustizzi. She was directed to Christine Bourgeois of Bici Centro in Santa Barbara; Bourgeois recently took some time to explain the Pedal Power program to the Sun.
The French-born education director said the program first got its start in 2009 through the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting safe transportation and recreation through the county. She said the idea for the club came about shortly after Bici Centro was created.
“Bici Centro is a do-it-yourself community bike shop that recycles and refurbishes donated bikes to sell to the community,” Bourgeois said. “We offer bike mechanic classes, and [we] had this idea that there are many kids who would love to ride, [but] don’t have a bike.”
Several grant applications later, the program was a go. The nonprofit’s first target was Santa Barbara’s La Cumbre Junior High School, which agreed to start a pilot program for girls. Bourgeois said the program is now available at all the junior highs on the South Coast and at three schools in Santa Maria.
She said the first program in Santa Maria got its start in 2009 at Fesler Junior High School, thanks to science teacher Pustizzi. Also an avid cycler, Pustizzi said she first learned about Pedal Power while student teaching in Santa Barbara, and she decided to bring a pilot program to her site.
Like Tommie Kunst, Fesler had so much interest its first year of the program that the students had to split into two groups to accommodate everyone. The program has enjoyed continued success, and Pustizzi anticipates it will only become more popular.
“It’s a wonderful way to spend time with the students in a way that’s not teaching,” she said. “Maybe I’ll see these kids on their bikes someday. I hope they make connections and continue on with it.”
Fesler Principal Brian Zimmerman was very supportive of the program coming to his school. In addition to giving students something active to do, Zimmerman said the safety factor is also important because he never wants to hear about one of the school’s students being injured because he or she wasn’t being safe while riding a bike.
“It has made a big impact on some of our students,” Zimmerman said. “We had one who used to be very reserved and shy, [but] because of this program and the bonds he formed with the teachers and students in the club, he has really come out of his shell.”
To participate in or lead this program, Bourgeois said all club teachers must be certified as League Cycling Instructors through the League of American Bicyclists, as well as covered by insurance. The club welcomes students with or without bicycles, but students must be at least 10 years old to ride.
“We feel junior high is the best age because they want to be more independent, and many students don’t have a bike,” Bourgeois said.
Perhaps the coolest aspect of this club is that it is classified as an “earn-a-bike program.” That means that at the end of the session, the students of the club will earn a refurbished bike. Bourgeois said Tailwinds Bicycle Club and the Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, and Santa Ynez landfills are helping recycle bikes to be donated to the Pedal Power program. In addition to the bikes, students will also earn a helmet, light, and bike lock. Bourgeois said Bici Centro is hard at work refurbishing bikes to be ready for students at the end of the course.
Only a couple of weeks in, Tommie Kunst’s Belyea said the first step in the program is teaching students about proper bike and helmet fit, and understanding the overall purpose of the Pedal Power course, which each week builds on the skills learned in the previous week. Belyea said this introductory part of the program is important because riders don’t often pay attention to how they “fit” on a bike.
“Many people feel that their feet should be able to touch the ground when they sit on a bike. Unless the bike is a recumbent- or semi-recumbent-style bike, this is untrue,” she said.
The students also learn how to adjust their handlebars correctly, which Belyea said helps the students alleviate tension and gain more control, and allows them to fully enjoy bike riding. The club meets twice a week for an hour and a half; the first portion of the class is lecture.
“Students will learn applicable rules of the road, signaling, and bicycle control techniques,” Belyea said, adding that there are intermittent riding tests and quizzes throughout the course as well.
She explained that students also learn how to change and patch a flat tire, how to clean and maintain a bicycle chain, and how to map a good bicycle route.
Of course, one of the best things about after-school clubs is the variety of students they attract, and the Pedal Power Club is no exception.
“Some [club members] are academically high achievers, but not all of them,” Belyea said. “It’s an opportunity for all students to share their love of cycling and to earn a bicycle.”
One of those students is eighth-grader Juan Zarate. Tall, quiet, and very polite, Zarate remembers his brother teaching him how to ride his first bike when he was 5 years old. In his first year with the club, Zarate said he was interested in bicycles and hoped to learn new things. So far, he is having a blast.
“I enjoy being in the club. I don’t feel as lonely,” he shared. “I get to experience new things with new people.”
Zarate said he enjoys cycling because it gets him places faster and he doesn’t need a license to be on the road, and he like being active. He also said he has learned important laws for the road.
“I’ve learned to always check my bike whenever I am ready to ride; safety is huge so you don’t get injured or killed,” he said. “I want to learn more about different riding scenarios.”
Belyea said this program will also benefit kids when they’re old enough to get their driver’s licenses.
“The kids who participate in this get an early dose of understanding of the rules of the road. I believe this will help them later when they become operators of motor vehicles,” Belyea said. “They will also have that feeling of independence that anyone who ever biked as a child has felt.”
Independence and freedom are two things seventh-grader Monserrat Camacho enjoys about bike riding.
“I heard about the club over the announcements,” Camacho said. “I decided to join because I wanted to learn more about bikes and earn a new one because mine is dismantled. Being in the club has helped me make new friends.”
Camacho said she thinks the club is good for kids her age because it keeps them out of trouble and teaches them how to be responsible and careful. If she wasn’t in the club, Camacho said she would probably be bored at home.
“Bike rides keep me active and happy; they’re therapeutic,” she said. “My favorite place to ride is the levy because it is not always crowded.”
A portion of each class is taught on the school black top, where club members practice a variety of drills and bike handling skills. Later on in the course, students, instructors, and volunteers from Tailwinds Bicycle Club will embark on road journeys. Belyea said the rides will be near the school and will focus on different traffic situations, with or without bike lanes.
After-school programs have proven especially beneficial for students in Santa Maria, a working town with predominantly low-income families. Belyea said clubs and activities like Pedal Power provide students with something productive to do.
“In this particular program, they are learning many skills and interacting with each other,” she said. “It’s an active program that fosters a sense of [teamwork] because, as a class, we’re trying difficult and challenging things together. It also fosters a sense of independence.”
In addition to safety and bike knowledge, there are applicable life skills Belyea hopes the students will take away from their time in the club. Riding a bike means making safe, quick decisions and maintaining one’s composure.
“In the program, we call this, ‘keeping your cool.’ This is a really important life skill applicable to many situations,” Belyea said.
The instructor feels the program fosters a sense of confidence and self-reliance in students, as well as a common-sense approach to responding to various environmental factors.
Bici Centro’s Bourgeois added that there is a valuable social aspect to the club because many students who live close to each other continue riding and hanging out after the program ends. An added bonus is that they also learn about the importance of hydration and good nutrition. For the future of the program, the director said she wants instructors to continue to have fun with the kids. She would eventually like to see bike education offered in physical education classes, too.
For the club members of Tommie Kunst Pedal Power, the anticipation of graduation on March 12 looms closer. A special day filled with family, food, and bike rides, this is when the students will receive their bikes, locks, and helmets.
“It is nice to see how proud the parents are of their kids for sticking it out,” Bourgeois said. “When they get their bike and helmet, the smiles on their faces are amazing; they have really worked for it.”
Contact Staff Writer Kristina Sewell at ksewell@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 6, 2014.