girls (and boys) day in the dirt

for the past 4 or 5 years, Velo Girls has volunteered to coach a special "girls day in the dirt" for Trips for Kids. the girls who participated are generally from inner-city programs like ROCK or Girls Inc. although there are probably more "troubled" children in SF and Oakland, many of these girls have never had the advantages you and I enjoyed as children. many have never left the city. many have never ridden a bike. or seen the ocean. or a snake.

Saturday, Team Velo Girls headed up to Tennessee Valley to coordinate our annual "girls day." we had arrived before the kids, and when the first van of kids arrived, I was a bit surprised to see high school girls and boys. boys? what happened to "girls day in the dirt?" oh well, we'll play it by ear.

the high school students were from a program called ROCK -- Real Options for City Kids. they were all pretty cool and respectful. as the second van of students arrived, middle school girls from Girls, Inc., one of the Rock boys reminded the others that these were middle school girls and they needed to be on their best behavior.


after furnishing the kids with bikes, helmets, and gloves (all 30 of them), we were off on our great adventure. we started with a short climb up to a campground, where Velo Girls provided about 30 minutes of bike skills. at the last minute, I changed our program and we did a little body/bike separation drill and then had a very competitive game of limbo. one of the two winners was a little tiny girl who barely could pedal her bike. but after a try or two, she mastered the lean technique required to win the game! just goes to show you can't judge a book by it's cover.

after limbo, we had a quick lunch, and then rode down to the beach. the kids were fascinated with the sea cucumbers, the high tide, and the caves. I think they enjoyed their beach time more than their riding time.

the ride back to the start included a super-steep hill (over 15%). all the kids were amazed that the adult volunteers (mostly middle age women) could ride up this hill while most of the kids were walking their bikes.

back to the start, a cookie circle (a TFK tradition) and we were finished for another year! the boys definitely changed the dynamic of the trip, but a good time was had by all just the same!

more girls day in the dirt photos here!