Mondays with Mel: The future?
📸 @rockhillbmxsupercrosstrack
I didn’t get a chance to do Monday Night World Championships in Rock Hill, SC. I opted for an invite to meet with the NICA crew from South Carolina. Why do a blog post on a NICA group of high schoolers and younger? It’s the importance and significance of what the group meeting at the Rock Hill BMX Course means to the state of current cycling, training, health, and wellness.
The Group from SC NICA (The composite team from York SC) paid a fee to use the BMX course. So, what’s the big deal? The big deal is the idea and philosophy I preach to my clients. Family First. Health and Wellness second. Bike racing is third. I have been to many events in my life (as a kid and adult) where the parents simply dropped their kids off and then sat in the car and played on their phones or read. Not this crew. It stems from the passion the parents have for THEIR sport that propagated to their kids—a full family wellness affair.
Dad pushing daughters. Moms with their sons. All with Mountain bikes riding on a BMX course. What a wonderful idea 😃. There was food, fellowship, and fun. Plus, the kids and parents were pushed to try something new and uncomfortable. (Trust me, the 5-meter hill is no joke on a BMX or MTB bike.)
The parents were engaged. The kids laughed and did things that took them out of their comfort zone. Are you Mountain biker? Try BMX. Are you a Roadie? Try MTB. Challenge your endurance sports reach. This will eventually pay huge dividends in the discipline you lock in on. It will keep you, your kids, and the family fabric stronger and intact. I wish I had done a lot of this when I was a new father and husband. I can’t change the past but I can recognize, as a coach, the benefits now.
If I learned anything about cycling last night it was that the future is bright. Parents volunteering their time and riding with their kids. I do make a living in this sport, however, when I engage with kids and adults in this manner it makes me want to donate my time more and more. Hopefully, this post will push you to do it as well.
Tailwinds,
Chad