Bikes in Schools – Shredders Launch New Program

By Josh Clevenstine

The mental health crisis that is rising in our society, especially when it comes to smart phone addiction, is a scourge. Middle school was hard enough mentally and socially when I was a kid without having social media and smart phones. The difficulties of the early teen years are exponentially turned up to an unhealthy degree thanks to the constant connection of smart phones, social media and the overall net-negative these things bring. All that said, it is one thing to point the finger at a problem, but it is quite another thing to step up and be a part of the solution. Well, it is time to give some serious credit where credit is due – thanks to Saratoga Shredders, the Saratoga Springs City School District, and some very generous donors, the world of cycling is being brought to students as a deliberate step towards improving mental and physical health, promoting healthy social activities, community and purpose, and bringing equity in this cost-prohibitive sport to ALL kids at SSCSD.

“We are thrilled to partner with Saratoga Springs City School District to bring this exciting program to life,” said Anna Laloë, Executive Director of Saratoga Shredders, “Our goal is not only to teach kids how to ride but also install a passion for the outdoors and physical fitness that will last a lifetime.” 

The goal of the “Bikes in Schools” program is to introduce cycling as part of the Physical Education curriculum in all the SSCSD schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. The first phase has been successful this year in getting bikes in the six elementary school buildings. The next step will be getting bikes into Maple Avenue Middle School by fall of this year, followed by Saratoga High School in 2025. 

For the elementary program, many generous donations came pouring in from all over the Saratoga region to raise $58,000 to cover not only the cost of bikes, but the helmets, curriculum development, teacher training and maintenance skills to keep up the fleet of 144 balance bikes and 30 pedal bikes.  The pedal bike fleet will rotate between the six elementary schools. The Saratoga Springs City School District’s recent Athletic Director, Nick McPartland, was enthusiastic on seeing this idea come to life, and offered the district’s full support, as does the current SSCSD Athletic Director, John Goodson. 

Saratoga Shredders has some *excellent* coaches in its organization. When I found out who Shredders had assigned to help this project come to life, who was going to be the ‘boots on the ground,’ and who was going to teach teachers how to teach “cycling culture,” I grinned when I found out the answer. 

Sheray Tario is a friend of mine. I’m hard pressed to think of someone more suited to the task of bringing all the positives that come from cycling culture to an entire school district than Sheray.  She’s a teacher, Shredders Coach Director, ridiculously talented mountain biker, and a great person.  If you’ve met her, then you know that there isn’t a room, trail head or space that doesn’t grin when she walks in, as she immediately lifts up those around her and has them chuckling, riding more confidently and smiling.  It was Sheray’s job to teach and inspire the SSCSD teachers to get kids on bikes in their classrooms. Seasoned PE teachers were put through the same skills-refining drills on the bike that the Saratoga Shredders do with their own coaches and participants. The PE teachers took to it quickly, and embraced the idea that biking is a lifestyle - one worth showing their students!

In talking with Sheray and Anna about this K-12 Bikes in Schools PE Program, both pointed out that it, as far as anyone knows, is the first of its kind to ever exist in the US. Sheray said that there were three main things that had to happen. First was getting folks, groups and organizations to donate the money to get the program off the ground.  This first and critical goal was met so quickly it’s a testament to the region’s agreement that biking in schools is a positive worth pursuing. The second large hurdle would be a Physical Education Staff within the district that was willing to take on a new challenge and embrace a new curriculum. Sheray said that all the PE teachers were on board with the plan, particularly Mitch Schneider at Maple Avenue Middle School. The third crucial element in bringing “Bikes in Schools” to life was a school district willing to take on the project and step out of their comfort zone, and the Saratoga Springs City School District answered the bell. These were three large hurdles, and all the folks listed above helped them be cleared and cleared well. 

Recently Sheray stepped into one of the gym classes at an elementary school and was struck with “one of those moments” when she saw all the kids rolling around on bikes doing their drills with smiles on their faces. Sheray had a tough time pinpointing the feeling she experienced in that moment. Between sentences, even her silence exuded emotional, honest pride and joy. There before her eyes were the results of a group of parents who took their kids for some group rides back during 2020 to get outside when things were dark and uncertain. That group became Saratoga Shredders. In four years, Saratoga Shredders has massively boosted the local cycling community in countless ways. If you ride bikes in the Saratoga region, you can’t help but see the fruits of their labor, and now we are seeing bikes formally introduced as a part of a school district’s curriculum so that ALL kids have the opportunity to access this historically cost-prohibitive sport of mountain biking.  Hopefully, we will see an improvement in the mental health crisis and more kids riding bikes together having fun instead of sitting isolated scrolling their phones.

Saratoga Shredders is currently in the middle of a spring fundraising campaign for their Bikes in Schools program, aiming to raise $15,000. If you are able, please donate here: saratogashredders.com/bikes-in-schools. 

Josh Clevenstine released his second full-length album, By My Fire Again: An Adirondack Album in May. It’s available streaming on all major platforms or for sale at all of his gigs. For schedule: joshclevenstine.com.