This weekend, PEAC and RydeOn! spinning studio in Saline are hosting its 2nd Annual PEAC Ryde-A-Thon to support our Summer Programs. Thank you to everyone who has supported our programs over the last year, because of your help, PEAC was able to work with over 250 students in its Summer Program and over 1,500 students in community events.
Below is a story from one of our first time Summer Program staff members, Monica and how she felt the first time one her students took a spill on her two-wheel bike and the courage of Maria to get back up and try again.
Before
beginning the summer program with PEAC, we had to go through staff
training. At this training, we did a lot of bike riding, bike mechanics, and
rules of the road. Additionally, we were trained in how to interact with the
kids who would soon attend the summer program. This involved the classic
rundown of disabilities we would encounter and the basics of how to interact
with these kids.
One of the most important pieces of information I received during staff training was regarding accidents. We were instructed to celebrate the falls. Being a worried mother at heart, this seemed incredibly contradictory to what I would usually do. I have seen kids fall off of bikes, or trip over their shoelaces, and all I want to do is coddle them and wipe their tears until they feel better. But J. Waterman said no. And whatever J. Waterman says, goes.
I distinctly remember when my first student fell. Maria was a determined little bugger who was re-learning how to ride a bike after suffering head injuries in a car accident. We spent the morning warming up, Maria eventually riding with me only having my hand on her back for support. We finally were able to work up enough courage to the point that Maria felt comfortable with me letting go while she continued pedaling.
This, in itself, was a challenge for me. But Maria was strong and confident, and so I took my hand off of her back and continued running slightly behind her. She rode like a champion! When we decided to try stopping, Maria squeezed the brakes and came nearly to a full stop before she lost her balance and fell to the side of her bike, on her hands and knees.
My heart stopped, and my instincts told me to go help her up, hug her, and get her some band-aids. But instead, I tried out what John had instructed us to do. I cheered for her. I told her it was a "great fall!" and that she was going to have some awesome scrapes that would let everyone know what a true bike rider she was. Maria smiled a smile that I had never seen before. It was different from the joyous, blissful smile of when she was riding. This was a smile of pride, determination, and drive. She was smiling because she had pushed herself past her comfort zone and accomplished something that she had been working towards for a long time. While she may have fallen after her success, she would soon prove to herself that she COULD get back up and do it again. She WAS strong enough for that. And the absence of coddling was exactly the right move.
One of the most important pieces of information I received during staff training was regarding accidents. We were instructed to celebrate the falls. Being a worried mother at heart, this seemed incredibly contradictory to what I would usually do. I have seen kids fall off of bikes, or trip over their shoelaces, and all I want to do is coddle them and wipe their tears until they feel better. But J. Waterman said no. And whatever J. Waterman says, goes.
I distinctly remember when my first student fell. Maria was a determined little bugger who was re-learning how to ride a bike after suffering head injuries in a car accident. We spent the morning warming up, Maria eventually riding with me only having my hand on her back for support. We finally were able to work up enough courage to the point that Maria felt comfortable with me letting go while she continued pedaling.
This, in itself, was a challenge for me. But Maria was strong and confident, and so I took my hand off of her back and continued running slightly behind her. She rode like a champion! When we decided to try stopping, Maria squeezed the brakes and came nearly to a full stop before she lost her balance and fell to the side of her bike, on her hands and knees.
My heart stopped, and my instincts told me to go help her up, hug her, and get her some band-aids. But instead, I tried out what John had instructed us to do. I cheered for her. I told her it was a "great fall!" and that she was going to have some awesome scrapes that would let everyone know what a true bike rider she was. Maria smiled a smile that I had never seen before. It was different from the joyous, blissful smile of when she was riding. This was a smile of pride, determination, and drive. She was smiling because she had pushed herself past her comfort zone and accomplished something that she had been working towards for a long time. While she may have fallen after her success, she would soon prove to herself that she COULD get back up and do it again. She WAS strong enough for that. And the absence of coddling was exactly the right move.
By the end of the summer, Maria was riding circles
around me. We even began working on the sidewalk and practicing rules of the
road. Without having celebrated the falls, Maria would have been
discouraged time after time, fall after fall. Instead, the falls symbolized her
continued perseverance and her constant new accomplishments.
This weekend, please consider donating to PEAC, whether it is at the 2nd Annual PEAC Ryde-A-Thon or online. Please visit bikeprogram.org for more details.
