After a comprehensive safety course, including traffic awareness, hand signals and the rules of the road, the kids traveled to Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park in Galloway on May 22 to undertake a group ride on the Ohio-to-Erie trail.
“This is the culmination of a lot of work and practice, but ultimately it’s about riding bikes, learning bike safety, and our fifth graders getting a bike,” said Corey Fry, the school counselor at Avondale and an avid biker himself. “What we are doing today is we are going to put the practice to use and hopefully have a wonderful, fun time on bikes – safely.”
The enthusiasm of the kids was obvious from the time they arrived at Franklinton Cycle Works to pick out their bikes and helmets while also getting a look at the shirts they would be receiving that were designed by one of the fifth-grade students at the school.
The kids immediately wanted to hop on their new rides, but of course safety came first, which meant picking out and sizing helmets with Gudbranson lending a hand. Columbus Police then shut down a stretch of road outside of the bike shop, with the students receiving lessons from staff as they pedaled away for the first time.
It was the start of what should be plenty of trips around the neighborhood with their friends.
“I think a bicycle means freedom,” Fry said. “I love bikes. I’ve ridden bikes my whole life, even as an adult. I know for the kids, it gives them a sense of safety and freedom, especially with all of the practicing we’ve done. Really, it’s about them being able to move around their neighborhood, hopefully doing so safely with the helmet and the locks that we’re also providing them.”
Looking back at his childhood, Gudbranson can certainly understand the kids' excitement.
“I used to ride my bike everywhere,” he said. “I honestly explored my entire neighborhood that way. I figured out where everything was. All my buddies had bikes. We’d always meet up at a particular spot at a particular time. I spent a large part of my childhood playing hockey and riding my bike lots of different places.
“For a fifth grader, what better way to get around than this right here? It gives you a little bit of autonomy, a little bit of independence, and I hope they enjoy it.”
The Great Bike Adventure program’s partnership with the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters is part of the Blue Jackets Foundation’s new Corporate Playmaker platform, which connects the team’s corporate partners with local organizations making a positive difference in the community.
Through this initiative, the Blue Jackets and their partners champion programs that further advance the mission of the Blue Jackets Foundation to keep kids active, healthy and safe in our community.
