Getting Started in Junior Development
At some point in your athletic career you are likely to find yourself looking for ways to “give back” to the sport for the many meaningful memories and lessons learned. One of the best ways I know of is to pass the torch to those of the next generation. Before you make a determination that you’re perhaps too young, too old, too busy, etc. take a few minutes to really evaluate what cycling has given to you and what you might gain (not just give) through such a commitment. Working with young people can be very rewarding regardless of their ultimate success on the bike. This reward is not just theirs, but yours as well. When you choose to work with young people you become much more than just a coach, often you become a friend, a mentor, perhaps even a role model. This can shape their life and future as well as yours.
Should you decide to take the plunge, I’d like to share some things that I’ve learned the last couple of years in working with juniors. My hope is that you can learn from my experience what to do (and not). Following then are what I consider some of the keys to a successful junior development program.
Know Your Audience
Depending on your age and background, it may have been quite some time since you’ve had much interaction with teenagers. One thing that I found really helpful in trying to create a bond with these kids was learning what made them tick. There are several ways to do this, but one of the best I found was to get in touch with those who deal with them everyday, namely teachers, school administrators and parents. This interaction can be formal or informal, but the goal is the same in all cases. You want to ask questions that will allow you to understand what these kids like and how you might connect with them. If you can find a way to get their attention initially then from that point you can try to establish relationships. This can be as simple as learning what kind of bikes (if any) most of them have (i.e. BMX, MTB, Road) and deciding whether or not to focus on this discipline in your initial program development.
Involve the Parents
I have found that most parents, regardless of background or means are supportive of anything they view as a positive activity that their kids want to be involved with. Parents generally want the same things, positive growth opportunities for their children. When we began our program one of the first things we did was set up informational meetings with the parents. This provided us with an opportunity to sell the positive points of our program and allowed parents the opportunity to meet us and also ask questions as needed to put concerns about safety, cost, etc. to rest.
Once the program was rolling I found that several of the parents were very supportive and were always willing to provide rides and ongoing help as needed. Once this support base is in place you need to encourage it and grow it. Why? Simple. Mom and Dad have much more interaction day to day with their kids than you do. If they support what you’re doing and encourage their kids, the kids are more likely to stay involved.
Establish your Priorities
Before you ever hit the road you need to establish your priorities with the parents and the kids. Our number one priority must be safety, Period. Cycling by its nature is a dangerous sport. You need to take whatever precautions you can to minimize the risk of serious injury. In our group rides we always carry at least one cell phone, in fact we purchased one with pre-paid talk time specifically for the juniors team. The phone is carried in a fanny pack along with medical supplies to treat minor abrasions and related minor trauma. In addition to being prepared for the worst, let every kid know that they are expected to follow the rules of the road and that dangerous behavior will not be tolerated. This obviously includes making sure everyone wears an approved helmet AND that they fit it properly to their heads.
Once you address the safety issues, the next priority should be assessing fitness. Again, a rider pushed too hard is subject to fatigue and poor judgment. Start with easy rides and work from here.
Next we work on technique issues such a pedaling, pacelines, braking techniques, cornering skill etc on the road. If you’re riding off-road you can work on balance, body placement for obstacles, braking techniques, etc.
Our philosophy is simple; we want to teach these kids to be efficient, safe and strong riders. You do this by learning the basics first and then moving on. I would not really plan on working on speed, specific training applications, etc. for several months or more depending on the make-up of your group. None of this will do any good if they lose the desire to ride, so be careful how “regimented” you get. If you have more advanced riders address their needs separately and consider having them train with the local racing groups or others if you are comfortable doing so. One nice option in this case is have them train with you.
Be Consistent
In our program we established routines regarding scheduling and activities early on. I would encourage you to do the same, particularly working with young people. Humans, in general, like routine. Teenagers require it. Early on I made the mistake of assuming that these were young adults thus they would return massages within a day, read e-mail often and generally behave like most adults that have had to deal with work for any length of time. This, I will warn you, is not the case. Going in you need to assume that last minute changes will become failures that you do not want. Set a schedule, get it to them far in advance and do not deviate unless you are willing to call all of them and make sure they understand the change. We run off of a two-month calendar throughout the year and attempt to stay one month ahead. This allows for plenty of “lag time” which you will find in working with these groups. Once the routine is set they will respond and you can move forward. Also, week to week be consistent on ride days and times as well as event times (i.e. ride leaves every Sunday @ 9:00am from the shop).
Don’t Expect too Much
It is likely that you will have kids showing up that have little to no experience in competitive cycling. In fact you will likely have some kids with very little fitness at all. This should not be an issue and you do not want to crush their spirit. Remember, you may have a future champion here that like a flower just needs proper care to grow and flourish. Begin with short (i.e. 45 mm to 1 hour) rides and a low to moderate pace. This serves two purposes, first it keeps things safe and allows you to evaluate bike handling skills and habits. Second, it allows everyone to participate and does not result in those less fit limping home feeling like a beaten dog. If you see early on that you have disparate abilities, pull aside the strong riders and let them know why the pace seems so slow and that you will soon be splitting groups or finding other ways to let them stretch their legs. Also, depending on their maturity, skill level and your trust in them, consider asking them to work with the less experienced riders to pass along things they might know from experience. This again benefits everyone and gives the stronger and the weaker a place of meaning in the group.
Race Day Prep
At some point you will head off for that first event. When you do, be prepared as most of your kids will not be. They will likely be very nervous (whether they admit it or not) so it’s up to you to be calm, cool and prepared. Following are things I found very helpful in preparing to take some of my juniors to their first race:
- A week or more in advance of the event provide the riders with a checklist of the things that they are likely to need. Include everything including the basics (i.e. helmet, gloves, clothes, shoes, food, water, bike, money etc.) so that if they use the list they will not forget a key item like their shoes. Be specific and provide detail as you see fit. Remember this is all going to be new to them.
- At least two days in advance confirm all logistics for the time you will leave and the meeting place if there is one. Do not do this by e-mail. Use the phone or do it in person if possible. Also, give yourself extra time for transitioning gear, loading bikes and in case someone is late.
- Before you leave, make sure everyone has a signed waiver from his or her parents. This is critical. If they do not, have a cell phone handy to work something on the fly. To avoid this race day issue it’s best to actually work this with the parents directly a day or two in advance.
- Before you leave town, go over your check list again and give them a quick review of the items that they need. If they forgot something this will usually trigger an alarm in their head. Again the cell phone is handy here. If they did forget an item evaluate whether or not they can make due and act accordingly.
- Plan to bring enough water (and bottles) with drink mix for everyone. I have found that almost every kid forgets either their water bottles, or food the first time (often they bring the bottles with no water assuming they can just fill them at the event).
- Once you are at the venue, walk them through the registration process and coach them through the warm-up. Plan on them not really warming up properly. You will likely really need to push them a little the first time to really break a sweat pre-event.
As the start time approaches do what you can to calm them, encourage them and remind them that they are simply here to learn and have fun.
Post-event, be around with dry warm clothes (as needed) and something to eat and drink to start their recovery process. Let them know how well they did and celebrate their success of simple competition. Expect that many of them will not have performed to their expectations. Let them know that this is normal and that they will improve. Most will be excited once they realize they “did it” and will encouraged to push forward. Once everyone is cleaned up, cooled down, etc. find a place for a post-race team meal and chat. Letting them socialize will really help all of them feel good about what they just accomplished.
If you get this far, you will have established a “team”. You will have routines in place that you can perpetuate for training and racing and you will find that you have become a special person to these kids. From here on out the process is one of building (and re-building) as kids move on and situations change. Regardless, you now have a framework and philosophy in place that you can simply roll forward over time.
Good Luck, enjoy the ride…