Adirondack Sports November 2020
IN THIS ISSUE:
1 – Mountain Biking: Saratoga Shredders Girls Mountain Bike Club
3 – Running & Walking: Thanksgiving Reimagined
5 – News Briefs &From the Publisher
7 – Hiking & Snowshoeing: The Secret Views of Eleventh Mountain
9 – Athlete Profile: Skiing with Jack & Cathy Hay
12-14 – CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Find Races, Events & Things to Do!
15 – Hiking, XC Skiing & Snowshoeing: Prepare for Late Fall Adventures
16 – Alpine Skiing: Willard, The Little Mountain That Could
17 – Bicycling: Winter Riding Options
19 – Run, Walk & Snowshoe: Best Bets for Winter Running
IN THIS ISSUE:
1 – Mountain Biking: Saratoga Shredders Girls Mountain Bike Club
3 – Running & Walking: Thanksgiving Reimagined
5 – News Briefs &From the Publisher
7 – Hiking & Snowshoeing: The Secret Views of Eleventh Mountain
9 – Athlete Profile: Skiing with Jack & Cathy Hay
12-14 – CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Find Races, Events & Things to Do!
15 – Hiking, XC Skiing & Snowshoeing: Prepare for Late Fall Adventures
16 – Alpine Skiing: Willard, The Little Mountain That Could
17 – Bicycling: Winter Riding Options
19 – Run, Walk & Snowshoe: Best Bets for Winter Running
10 Adirondack Sports MOUNTAIN BIKING continued from 1 ● GRACE LAZZARI TRIES THE MANUAL MACHINE AT A SHREDDER SKILLS DAY. ANNA LALOË ● VOLUNTEER FEMALE MENTORS AT ONE OF THREE SKILLS DAYS THIS FALL. PHOTO BY SHERAY TARIO NORTH COUNTRY MTB ● THE AUTHOR LEADING HER GROUP IN THE COSTUME BIKE PARADE IN SPA PARK. The attendance and support have been unprecedented. Along with the 40-70 girls that ride together each week, we’re supported by more than 20 volunteer female mentors, ride leaders, and general volunteers who enable us to maintain small group sizes – and allow for two female mentors per group. We meet two evenings per week at one of three rotating trail locations: Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, Luther Forest in Malta, and Kalabus Perry County Forest in Wilton. Each of these trail systems require a range of technical skills, as the terrain can vary from fairly flat with few rocks or roots in Spa Park, to hilly with many features such as log rolls, roots, skinny bridges in Kalabus Perry. We also ran two bike mechanic sessions (sponsored by Bikeatoga) and three skills sessions for the girls, and three ride and skills sessions for the mentors. Most girls that start with us are ‘neighborhood riders’ – they are comfortable riding a bike on paved streets, but haven’t had much or any trail experience. We divide up the group by age and ability so all riders are comfortable. Before each ride the mentors do bike safety checks, provide trail etiquette guidelines, and some basic mountain bike ● BIKEATOGA OFFERED TWO BIKE MECHANIC SESSIONS THIS FALL AND DONATED FOUR BIKES TO THE GROUP. ANGIE NAVEREZ ● WATCH THE SHREDDERS IN ACTION: YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=JANWNMX-GYW&T=127S
NOVEMBER 2020 11 ● SHREDDERS SHREDDING. NORTH COUNTRY MTB ● SOME OLDER SHREDDERS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO RACE THIS FALL. ANNA LALOË ● MENTORS SPOTTING A SHREDDER IN KALABUS PERRY TRAILS. ● THE AUTHOR’S DAUGHTERS, ANNE-SOPHIE AND ZOE. ANNA LALOË handling tips. During the ride, the groups will stop and ‘session’ features, which could mean anything from learning how to roll over a log on the trail for the beginner riders, how to pedal up and down a small ‘gravity cavity,’ to bunny hopping and track stands for our more advanced riders. Our goal is simple: get more girls on bikes. As part of our diversity and inclusion initiative, we have bikes available for those that don’t have the means to buy one. Providing an opportunity and a platform for girls to feel empowered by riding their bikes in the woods with other girls has proved, time and time again this season, that confidence on the bike translates to confidence off the bike. The girls are proud to be part of this movement to get more girls on bikes, and their parents and other adults in the community have been incredibly supportive of this mission. A couple of dads asked if they could accompany their daughters early on in the season and I kindly declined. We are not anti-boys/dads, but we exist to provide a unique opportunity for girls in our community, and will remain as such. After a hugely successful summer and fall riding season, we’re transitioning into NORTH COUNTRY MTB off-the-bike activities for these Shredders. We began our shoulder season sessions on November 2. This is a six-week, once per week series for Shredders aged seven to 12 to be exposed to skills and conversations that are inherent to and important in all sports: respect, team building, anti-bullying, balance, agility, strength and flexibility. These sessions are run in the Spa Park, and will mostly be conducted in the dark! Each child has a headlamp and we will set up stations in the pavilion areas and the woods where they learn the various facets of sport and sportsmanship. The theme is that small positive behaviors by many girls can make a BIG impact – we are helping to grow kind humans. In addition, we will be teaching a bit of outdoor science as we have mentors with PhDs in ornithology, botany and geology! Every session will start and end with a mini hike through the woods. In the winter, we will do a webinar series where we will invite inspirational female adventurers every week to speak with the Shredders virtually – elite mountain bike racers, mountaineers, Ironman athletes, polar scientists and more. The girls will be able to chat with these inspiring role models and ask them questions about their adventures and their careers. And in the spring, we will return to our focus of getting #moregirlsonbikes! If you’d like to find out more about our organization, or have a potential new Shredder in your family, visit: saratogashredders.com. Sponsors include Grey Ghost Bicycles, The Form Collaborative, Adirondack Multisport Club, Trek Bicycles of Saratoga, Bikeatoga, Capital Bike Racing Club, and Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder. Anna Laloë, PhD (annaelizabethlaloe@ gmail.com) is proud mama to Shredders Anne-Sophie and Zoe, a polar geologist, environmental consultant, mountain bike racer for North American Velo, and founder/CEO of ecoFête and Saratoga Shredders. NORTH COUNTRY MTB ● SHREDDERS IN KINGDOM TRAILS, VERMONT.
- Page 1 and 2: COVERING UPSTATE NY SINCE 2000 Sara
- Page 3 and 4: RUNNING & WALKING NOVEMBER 2020 3 T
- Page 5 and 6: News News Briefs Briefs Virtual Tri
- Page 7 and 8: HIKING & SNOWSHOEING VIEW FROM ELEV
- Page 9: ATHLETE PROFILE VAIL, 1997. NOVEMBE
- Page 13 and 14: HEALTH & FITNESS ONGOING M-F Rock Y
- Page 15 and 16: HIKING, XC SKIING & SNOWSHOEING NOV
- Page 17 and 18: BICYCLING NOVEMBER 2020 17 Winter B
- Page 19 and 20: RUN, WALK & SNOWSHOE NOVEMBER 2020
10 <strong>Adirondack</strong> <strong>Sports</strong><br />
MOUNTAIN BIKING continued from 1<br />
● GRACE LAZZARI TRIES<br />
THE MANUAL MACHINE AT<br />
A SHREDDER SKILLS DAY.<br />
ANNA LALOË<br />
● VOLUNTEER FEMALE MENTORS<br />
AT ONE OF THREE SKILLS DAYS<br />
THIS FALL. PHOTO BY SHERAY TARIO<br />
NORTH COUNTRY MTB<br />
● THE AUTHOR LEADING<br />
HER GROUP IN THE<br />
COSTUME BIKE PARADE<br />
IN SPA PARK.<br />
The attendance and support have been<br />
unprecedented. Along with the 40-70 girls<br />
that ride together each week, we’re supported<br />
by more than 20 volunteer female<br />
mentors, ride leaders, and general volunteers<br />
who enable us to maintain small group<br />
sizes – and allow for two female mentors per<br />
group. We meet two evenings per week at one<br />
of three rotating trail locations: Saratoga Spa<br />
State Park in Saratoga Springs, Luther Forest<br />
in Malta, and Kalabus Perry County Forest in<br />
Wilton. Each of these trail systems require a<br />
range of technical skills, as the terrain can<br />
vary from fairly flat with few rocks or roots<br />
in Spa Park, to hilly with many features such<br />
as log rolls, roots, skinny bridges in Kalabus<br />
Perry. We also ran two bike mechanic sessions<br />
(sponsored by Bikeatoga) and three<br />
skills sessions for the girls, and three ride<br />
and skills sessions for the mentors.<br />
Most girls that start with us are ‘neighborhood<br />
riders’ – they are comfortable riding<br />
a bike on paved streets, but haven’t had<br />
much or any trail experience. We divide up<br />
the group by age and ability so all riders are<br />
comfortable. Before each ride the mentors<br />
do bike safety checks, provide trail etiquette<br />
guidelines, and some basic mountain bike<br />
● BIKEATOGA OFFERED TWO<br />
BIKE MECHANIC SESSIONS<br />
THIS FALL AND DONATED<br />
FOUR BIKES TO THE GROUP.<br />
ANGIE NAVEREZ<br />
● WATCH THE SHREDDERS IN ACTION:<br />
YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=JANWNMX-GYW&T=127S
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