NRDW Youth Crew

In 2019, the club established the ‘NRDW Youth Crew’ as a way to encourage and support local high school students to engage in the sport, with the club, and to build riding relationships among themselves.

The initiative has been well received and it has been a great experience with teenagers from Byron Bay, Woodlawn, Ballina Coast, Emmanuel, Alstonville, St Mary’s and Lindisfarne High Schools joining in so far.

We have been organising a ‘long’ ride together at the end of each month, under the guidance of a MTBA Level 1 Skills Instructor, for any of the teenagers that want to participate. We’ve been averaging around 19 kms with a respectable level of elevation each ride.  We provide plenty of variation and options to cater for different levels of riding experience and competence.  All that is required is MTBA membership, a keen attitude and a basic level of fitness.

The purpose of the rides is to build the students endurance, capacity, and club spirit. The rides have a relaxed approach with an emphasis on fun. We wait at the end of each trail for everyone before setting off to the next.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if your teenager would like to be involved. We have a Whatsapp group for the Youth Crew that gives us the opportunity to post when and where we are going riding to give the teenagers the opportunity to join in and organise lifts to trails etc.

These events are advertised on our Facebook pages, in the Club Events Calendar, and if you are a member, via email notification.

More recently, the Youth Crew has expanded to include several different riding groups based on age, interest and ability. These rides are generally led by parent helpers (who are competent riders themselves) and allow groups to ride when and where they like. This approach has ensured that young riders are challenged and get more choice about what kind of riding they would like to take part in whilst still maintaining the same goals as the original Youth Crew rides.