I became a student this summer. In May 2020, I began riding my mountain bike again — after a 20 year hiatus. A lot had changed. Dropper posts, tons of travel in the shocks, 29-inch wheels. It was a whole new language. One that I didn’t know.

So I went back to school . . . at the Liv Ladies AllRide mountain biking camp to be specific. From the first moment, I realized the connections between my experience and that of first-year college students. This post details what I learned when I stepped back in a student’s shoes again to learn new things.

“Good company in a journey makes the way shorter." I love this quote from Isaak Walton. As a teacher, I think about it all the time. I see my job as being ‘good company’ for students as they journey toward their goals, knowing their way will have twists and turns.

Our teachers/coaches were good company as we popped over every rock and turned every corner. There were unexpected pit stops and times when we needed to let air out of our tires. And the good company only began with the coaches; the gals in our group made the trail, the drops, and the jumps even better.

I've been thinking a lot about all the parallels between camp and getting ready to go to college. Summer is the time when college-bound students often need ‘good company’ the most. The dog days of summer can heighten worries, introduce anxieties of not being good enough or smart enough. This is the time when teachers, counselors, educators, friends can be good company by simply reaching out to the students in their life. A short text saying “You’ve got this” or a kind offer to listen can make all the difference.

This is a hard summer. The Class of 2021 have had more than a year of uncertainty. Their senior AND junior years were disturbed. They may worry they aren't ready for the demands of college. They may fear their social skills are rusty, having stared at a Zoom screen for 16 months. Their financial situation may have changed due to job losses within the family. If ever there was a time when first-year college students need ‘good company’ on the journey, this is it.

Putting yourself out there to meet new people can be scary. For some college-bound students, especially those from rural high schools where they have known the same kids, it may be the first time that they have asked to join a group in the lunchroom. Making friends is a new skill to develop and it can be anxiety-provoking.

The concept of meeting new people and making friends was smack up in my face at camp. There were all these new people -- all of whom I expected to be waaaay better mountain bike riders than me. I was anxious as we went around the circle, introducing ourselves and a bit about our biking back story. And then I had an epiphany! These women were likely as nervous as I was. They, too, probably doubted their abilities on the bike. They were looking to learn and make new biking buddies. Just like me.

I share this story because when educators (teachers, parents, friends, neighbors, coaches, counselors) connect their life experiences with those of college-going students, we develop a deeper well of understanding and empathy. We can be more present to listen when a student shares their worry and fears because we've been there.

I learned this great saying “Pre-ride, Re-ride, Free ride” at camp and thought how spot on it is for new college students.
Students almost never get new material at the first introduction. They have to give themselves over to the pre-ride; to getting the lay of the land, where the rocks roll.
The re-ride is a chance to come back around to it. Test memory and skills developed from the pre-ride.
Finally, they’re ready to free ride. Ease up on the brakes, trust the body positioning and let it roll.
Maybe a student you know is learning skills to run an experiment accurately in the lab. Maybe they are practicing a tough riff on an instrument. Or maybe they are writing a term paper — brilliance is rarely captured fully in the first draft.
Pre-ride, re-ride, free ride is the mantra that lifts up practice, drafting, and study as essential for all of life. College success or success on the bike really comes down to practice and skill refinement.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I didn't go to mountain biking camp to learn how to drop or jump. I went to learn how to ride switchbacks better. Sometimes, though, teachers have different ideas. And I am grateful for our coaches who pushed me to practice something that scared me. This image captures me trying new things and LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!! Look at that ponytail fly!!!

Trying new things at camp made me think about first-year college students. For many, they may be going to college for one thing: to become an engineer, teacher, or veterinarian --- or just to have fun with their friends. But along the way, the college curriculum encourages--maybe even requires them--to try new things, to take classes in subjects they had never heard of in high school.

This is the nature of general education or the core curriculum; it is designed to introduce students to new content areas and experiences. They may learn how to drop ledges (like me on my bike), write a sonnet, or program a robot to navigate a maze of hazards. In short, it pushes students out of their comfort zone and into the wide world of learning new things.

There is a leap between trying new things and going BIG when doing them.

I dropped off a box ledge onto a cushy lawn 50 times, as part of mountain biking camp, before moving onto something more challenging. And still, my heart stopped when I saw this drop.

Immediately, I thought "No way, that's not for me. Someone else, yes; but not me."

Summoning the courage to go WAAAAY out of my comfort zone did not happen immediately. My coach, Cierra, demonstrated the technique of dropping the ledge. She encouraged, but did not compel, anyone from our group to test their skill. She shared she believed we could do it. We had practiced the technique on progressively larger drops and were ready.

Still, I wasn't convinced. It was in seeing another woman drop first that pushed me to tap that belief in myself.

When I dropped successfully, I gave out the loudest "YEAH!" of the day. I can hear that cheer in my head right now.

I share this story because going BIG is what educators and coaches ask students to do on a fairly regular basis. We scaffold a series of experiences so that students learn the fundamental skills. But at some point, they have to perform those skills in a setting that may feel like going BIG! It’s our job to cheer them all along the way.

I came back from camp with a smile pasted from ear to ear. I was elated with the skills I had learned. I told everyone around me about this incredible experience. It has excited me to channel a lot of camp into creating learning experiences for college students this year.