in Blackhawk (Moderator: Patrick Remington)

Speaking as Blackhawk board secretary & board member with trail oversight....

1. We're 5-10 days from a major build project starting to address gulley area as well as overall design. There will be more separation by skill and better ability to accommodate members wanting to use the club while programs are scheduled.
2. Opportunities for fixes and new projects far exceed people willing to make the switch from talk to action.
3. We don't have younger volunteers the way we used to. What a few thousand people enjoy is only possible because a small group of people give a lot of time and a lot of money. It needs to change.
4. The adopt a trail and work done by NICA teams hasn't worked out as well as hoped but there have been recent work sessions that are a positive sign.
5. I'm finalizing a materials and tools order to help with some needed repairs. Stay tuned for announcement on training and work.

Speaking as neighboring trail steward, past chapter leader, and associate with lots of trail group and work associations.

1. We're not getting younger help the way we used to.
2. It doesn't take much to make a big difference. Just a few new helpers and two good but small turnout work days changed my task list exponentially.

We have a do not have younger people giving time to their trail community the way I observe it where we have a cabin by 3 active groups like CORP. That's worrisome. 3 of the CORP trail stewards are past age 60. All the volunteers I've been working with in the past two weeks have been mostly past age 60 and a few in their 40s.

Knowing who gives time and money, I feel this area has a lot to lose if younger people don't step up for their turn to make all this happen.

We're not getting younger help the way we used to.

This seems to be a recurring theme in your response. I believe it, and can propose a couple different contributing factors from the perspective of a 23-y/o professional in the area:
1. The age 16-30 crowd lead extremely busy lives. Very few people are picking up new active hobbies like mountain biking in this age range.
2. It seems like almost every new person who gets into mountain biking is because their close friends, parents, or significant other is already into it.
3. CORP and the local MTB scene get almost zero exposure to the outside world. Imagine, for instance, some 22-year-old fresh college graduate from <insert favorite university> moving to Madison to work at a hypothetical large tech company in the area. How are they going to find out about the mountain biking scene in the area? In practice, they'll only find CORP if they actively go out of their way to look for it, and few people in that position have a reason to commit the extra time it takes to really get involved. IMHO, that's the crowd you want to tap into.
4. One of the biggest obstacles for young people getting into the sport is the cost of a decent mountain bike. Most people in their low 20s simply can't afford or don't want to drop $700 on a sport they don't even know if they're going to like.

I have a few ideas to bounce off you:
1. There opportunities to actively work with younger crowds. In particular, I recommend reaching out to local scout troops. When I was a boy scout in MN, for instance, I participated in a 5-night camping trip to the north shore (Grand Marais area) and spent 4 days helping build and ride about 2 miles of new trail with 50 or so other scouts - all as a volunteer effort. Only cost to the trail managers was a half dozen organizers and the hand tools. Additionally, the first feature in area 51 at camrock was an eagle scout project, for a more local example. I think coordinating community service projects like that (maybe not as big as my example though, lol) with local scout troops could help get a lot of work done in short bursts a few times a summer, while also generating more interest in the sport in the young crowd.
2. College students are extremely active will do pretty much anything to make friends. I'm not sure whether there's a Hoofer MTB Club, but if not, we should work with the union to make one, and partner with them to have 'dig-and-ride' days - we could probably get young help 2-6 times a year that way while also using that channel to self-advertise.
3. With respect to the barrier to entry of bike cost: I am not sure how to best lower this barrier,  but I think partnering with local bike shops for demo days, and advertising those events would be mutually beneficial. Plus, a Hoofer alliance would be extremely beneficial in this way, because a Hoofer club might be able to keep their own fleet of loaner bikes.

These are of course just some ramblings to share my perspective as a younger person. Let me know if any of these things seem either confusing or promising.

@corkr900, we do work with scouts and have a long history of it. That's not the same as my 20 years experience having groups with younger people very much dedicated to trail work and leadership.

Deer Run between it's original scratching on the hill and damage from logging a few years ago was done and made fun by high school and college students. One was a past Quarry Ridge trail steward and CORP board member. Aaron, Brandon, Tom and Jeff were all trail stewards who took on responsibility and projects at a young age.

The about to start construction at Blackhawk will kill some old school trail but I know more options in the neighborhood. One fun old school spot at Pleasant View got changed at a work day because what was a fun risk for some of us was a plunge to pain for others.

Some things that disappeared are a matter of unsustainable to begin with. Too fall line or wood that rotted.

Some of this is beyond Blackhawk but the opportunities for all sorts of riding options exist. We do have new and more help this summer and I hope that keeps growing.

I split this thread, as it seemed to be going in two directions.

As far as getting young people into the sport in general, we're all for it and more of it, but that isn't the issue right now.  Trail traffic is up significantly this year, NICA teams are at record participation, membership in CORP and Blackhawk are up significantly, bike shops are sold out of bikes.  More people on bikes in general and mountain bikes in particular is what we're all about, but right now, the sport is selling itself pretty well.  Providing and maintaining facilities for this increased demand is where the challenge lies.

One solution to that challenge is to get more riders of all ages to invest back into the sport by volunteering.  It is unfortunate that the same thing that has seemingly driven the explosion in riding this year is preventing us from having events that would build community and make it easier to get involved, but hopefully the momentum continues until we are through the pandemic and can resume those events.  As William pointed out, we've got some awesome new volunteers stepping up this year, but it's been much harder to recruit and organize this year, and for all these new riders, it isn't necessarily obvious that there is a need or opportunity to help.  But that will change.

 To address a couple specifics Corker brought up:

• If you're expecting to get much less busy when you're 30-50, my experience, and most of the folks I know, suggests otherwise.  Those of us who are committed to advancing the sport (or whatever we are passionate about) figure out a way to make time.
• We could do more to sell the sport to those unfamiliar with it; it's on the list, but with a limited amount of time, it happens mostly indirectly, trusting that the creation of accessible and visible facilities like what is planned at Aldo Leopold will sell the sport.
• The entry cost to the sport is an issue at all levels.  Frankly, it's more of a concern to us at the elementary and junior/senior high school level, and there are some great organizations in town working to make bikes available.  It's a little harder sell to try to help 20-something Epic employees find bikes; friends and relatives are probably their best resource.
• Scout troops, and other youth organizations, all have the problem of bike availability.  Making sure every kid in the group has an appropriate bike is a challenge.  We've had great experiences with groups whose leaders are into mountain biking, as well as individual scouts (numerous Eagle Scout projects grace our trails), but we don't have the resources to actively make these things happen
• Hoofers:  That would be awesome.  We don't have the resources to pursue that, but if someone wanted to, they'd get our full backing.
• Demo days:  Another casualty of Covid.  Hopefully they'll be back next year.

We know that there is alot more CORP could be doing, and there are likely great idea out there we haven't thought of.  But the relatively small group of really committed volunteers are all maxed-out.  We put out the fires, keep the day-to-day operation going, chip away at the long term goals, and generally keep things moving forward.  There is plenty of room to get involved for anyone who's inclined to give back.  Reach out to a Trail Steward to help on individual trails,  or jon.augspurger@madcitydirt.com with other ideas or offers of help.

Thanks!

Something that caught my attention on this topic is having associates and friends with NICA kids in other areas. A Madison native friend in NORCAL with a NICA kid has friends with kids on 3 Madison area teams. She described a "WTF" difference between their obligation to help the trail infrastructure compared to our area. CO associates said their team membership required local trail organization membership and a commitment to do trail work.

We've had Eagle Scout collaboration and some team trail work days but could sure use more help. Something like what my associates in CA and CO describe would make a big difference.

There are only 3 leagues listed on the NICA page. Someone I know in SOCAL says they take the adopt a trail concept very seriously and that league is listed.

https://www.nationalmtb.org/teen-trail-corps-league-pages/

The WI league boasts 72 teams, 1200 kids and 736 coaches now. It would seem they could be key people to help sustain all of this. I'm sure we can get help for them to organize and educate on trail work.

http://www.wisconsinmtb.org/about/

Maybe you're seeing something different, William, but local NICA teams have, in my experience, been making good faith efforts to get their riders involved in trail work.  2019 saw large workdays at several trails.  It's been harder to organize this year with group size restrictions (asking Trail Stewards to show up for a dozen work nights instead of one might work if they had nothing else going on in their lives...), but efforts have been made and we've seen several small work sessions and some excellent individual efforts.  I can't speak to what's going on in Colorado or California, but I'm stoked by the effort being made here and expect the results to get better as we get more experience and large gatherings again become permissible.

Maybe you're seeing something different, William, but local NICA teams have, in my experience, been making good faith efforts to get their riders involved in trail work.  2019 saw large workdays at several trails.  It's been harder to organize this year with group size restrictions (asking Trail Stewards to show up for a dozen work nights instead of one might work if they had nothing else going on in their lives...), but efforts have been made and we've seen several small work sessions and some excellent individual efforts.  I can't speak to what's going on in Colorado or California, but I'm stoked by the effort being made here and expect the results to get better as we get more experience and large gatherings again become permissible.

We (CORP) do have area teams and kids involved and that's great. It seems to come from the coaches and not the league.

NICA is one of a few sports my kids have done (still do). I don't see the league push or require the Infrastructure support like the other activities. What I get as a NICA parent isn't asking me to support IMBA, CORP or requiring volunteer time the like others.

I'm with you that it may get better, and my guess is it will probably occur locally before my correspondence from the Wisconsin MTB league encourages or requires it.

We have team leaders with the right attitude even if the league isn't there.