Help awesome Traverse City kids race the Iceman Cometh Challenge this November.
Mr. Iceman, Steve Brown, has been a super Norte! supporter since day one. He has regularly come out for our weekly mountain bike ride, Vasa Domingos, and has spent lots of coaching and mentoring time with the kids to help them have more FUN! on the bike.
2 years ago, with the help of Mr. Brown, we founded the Norte! Iceman Scholarship Fund (N!ISF). The N!ISF is committed to helping Traverse City kids who have earned it – think showing up consistently for our mountain bike rides, being a positive Norte! ambassador, championing bikes at their school, volunteering at our community outreach events, graduating from The Bike Más Project – take part in arguably the most awesome mountain bike race in the US.
Adopt an Icekid aims to raise funds to help 30 deserving young people race this November by covering half of their Iceman/SlushCup registration fee.
30 kids x $35 = $1050
Norte! needs your help.
Please donate $35 and we will pair you up with one of our young racers. Your adopted Icekid will continue to train hard by riding mas bikes in the woods, give it her/his best on race day and then write you a thank you note after the Iceman.
Meet Will. Will is a 5th grader at Eastern Elementary. He came out to many Vasa Domingos – our weekly mountain bike shred – this fall and was also part of our first Bike Más Project class – our after school empowerment program – at Eastern too. We asked Will to share his experiences. Here’s his story:
Vasa Domingos + The Bike Más Project = Awesome Iceman SlushCup
by Will Unger
When I first started doing Norte!’s Vasa Domingos rides I had no confidence in being able to do the Slush Cup. I felt like I was being asked to ride to California and back. Luckily, I learned on the first ride that you could go at your own pace and the group would wait for you; you didn’t have to feel rushed.
After a few weeks of doing the Norte! rides, I had way more confidence and actually had somewhat a belief of being able to do the Slush Cup. Now, I felt like I was being asked to ride to Kalkaska, not impossible but hard. As weeks passed, I gained more and more confidence. I felt stronger. I could go through sand pits and make it up most of the hills without walking. I felt like I could do it in just over an hour. On race day I finished the race in my goal time because I had done the Norte!’s Vasa Domingos rides.
The Bike Más Project also helped me do the Slush Cup because I learned communication so I understood what the other riders meant by “on your right.” Also I learned bike maintenance so I could check if my tire release is tight enough or if my brakes work. I certainly didn’t want my tire to fall off or my brakes to stop working while going down a hill in the Slush Cup. Also The Bike Más Project allowed me to see what it is like to ride in a group. I learned how much more fun it is to ride in a group that communicates and lets you know exactly what is going to happen. I loved riding through town joking around with my friends. Our leader, Cody Sovis, always had a joke ready.
The Bike Más Project is a lot of fun and the Norte! rides are a ton of fun too.
♥
Will is also involved with Class Chat, a student run video series at Eastern. Check out this episode featuring our very own, Cody Sovis:
♥
Norte! has played a part in mucho Bike Happy moments in Traverse City this year. From pedaling to school to exploring our woods and trails, Norte! has empowered our local youth, like Will, to be resilient, independent, and self confident both on and off their bikes.
If you like Will’s story and want to support more of the same, please consider donating to our end-of-year Bike Happy, Traverse City campaign. With your continued support, we’re committed to building a more bike-friendly Traverse City by inspiring its youth through bicycles.
Norte! put on a great show in a sea of orange….thanks to those (big and small) for representing us and supporting our mission. So proud of the efforts, smiles, positivity and courage.
Special thank you to Mr. Steve Brown for helping us bring mas Traverse City kids on bikes to the Iceman. Learn more about the Norte! Iceman Scholarship Fund (N!ISF) HERE.
Iceman is coming! 17 days till race day and Norte! has the fever. Bad.
Mr. Iceman, Steve Brown, has been a super Norte! supporter since day one. He has regularly come out for our weekly mountain bike ride, Vasa Domingos, and has spent lots of coaching and mentoring time with the kids to help them have more FUN! on the bike.
This year, thanks to an incredibly generous donation to the N!ISF, Mr. Brown will be helping bring más Traverse City kids on mountain bike to the Iceman. In less than 3 weeks, nearly 40 Norte! riders will be toeing the line in the Iceman, Slushcup and Sno-cone races and we couldn’t be more excited.
We are beyond proud of these kids. They have earned it. They are fit. They are fast. They are legit mountain bikers: Strong on the climbs. Smooth out of the corners. Confident through the sand.
They are the next generation of bikes-for-life leaders in Traverse City.
Make sure to come out to Timber Ridge November 7th to cheer them on.
If you would like to make a donation to help grow the Norte! Iceman Scholarship Fund you can do so HERE. Gracias.
In June I had never mountain biked before. At the time my dad and I were going to do the Iceman SlushCup on a tandem. Then we started biking with NORTE! Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt convinced me to do it on my single. I was signed up now I had to do it.
Finally, it was race day. I was in the fourth wave to start. Then I was at the start line. Three, two, one bang, I went. I biked as hard as I could for the whole ten miles. At last I saw the finish.
When I finished I had to get my award. I thought I got fifteenth place, but it turned out I got first. I was very happy! So, I got my award and we went to my parents’ friend’s cabin to eat.
**UPDATE**
The best way to become a better mountain biker is to ride your mountain bike more. Amelia showed up nearly every week for our VASA DOMINGOS ride. From May to November, she transformed from a complete beginner to a legit mountain biker. Strong on the climbs. Smooth out of the corners. Confident through the sand. We’re pretty proud of Amelia and the rest of our crew for their hard work and determination all season long. Let’s do it again next year!
A special gracias to Mr. “Iceman” Brown for donating a few race entries to N!YC and leading a Slush Cup Practice ride on Take A Kid Mountain Bike Day. Read TC RIDES With IcemanHERE.
~ Ty and Johanna
____________
A NORTE! Story is a blog series highlighting N!YC riders/volunteers/supporters in our first year of inspiring Traverse City youth through bicycles. If you like Amelia’s’s story and want to support more of the same, please consider donating to our end-of-year KIDS ON BIKES + YOU campaign. Levels and awards can be found HERE.
El Grupo Norte 