OnWORD: Learning to Ride a Long Way (Video)

We’re going to head back to 2002 (turns out that’s over 20 years ago, ahem) when I was finishing up high school in Arizona, the internet wasn’t really a thing on my radar, you could buy a $4 burrito, and I knew all the words to every Green Day song (also the Backstreet Boys, just in case you were getting the impression that I was cool).

It was a rule in our house that I would go to university, so I reluctantly agreed and then quickly got stoked when I found out you could get a degree in people and the outdoors (aka parks and recreation). My mum wanted me to be a dentist, but she reluctantly accepted my choice because at least I was going to college.

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You see, we weren’t a family that did “outdoors” things. In fact, the first time I went camping was at a school camp when I was 12. That trip sparked my love of the outdoors and the power that nature has to bring us together. At 18 years old, I got a job as a summer camp counselor (how American of me), went for my first mountain bike ride, and realised that I had found it. That it was my ikigai—my purpose. While it took up until a couple of years ago that I learned there was actually a term for this it of mine, I knew all I wanted to do was work with people in the outdoors and do some real good in the world.

After moving to New Zealand in 2005, I found my community in Wellington through mountain biking. I wanted to dig in and do some good in my new home, but to do some good and be useful to this community, I needed to learn more. I grabbed every opportunity to get better, went to all the mountain bike skills courses I could find, started a weekly riding group that evolved into the (still going!) women’s cycling club (yay, Revolve!), did a postgraduate in education to learn how schooling worked in New Zealand, started an MTB tourism company (RIP Bike Wellington, I was way ahead of my time), guided cycling tours in remote destinations (gosh, I still miss those donuts in Kyrgyzstan), ran an MTB skills course company with a bestie, and then the stars aligned to start WORD. Now we’re talking!

Traditionally, any sort of youth mountain biking had been run through adult cycling clubs. It was the pathway to the Olympics; you had to want to win to be in. And then I founded WORD (World Off-road Riding Department) in 2013, helping change the makeup of the mountain biking community and youth sport in New Zealand. Over the last 12 years, WORD has grown and developed a new generation of mountain bikers who are in it for the long haul—the life long love of riding bikes. 

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WORD is a youth mountain bike charity on a mission to change the world one ride at a time by offering after-school programmes, holiday camps, events, and a youth leadership programme in Wellington and Wanaka. WORD has grown from two instructors and 11 kids to over 1,000 kids with 80 instructors and 40 assistant instructors.

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One of the first dedicated youth mountain bike organisations in New Zealand, WORD was the first organiation that took a holistic approach to young people mountain biking. It could be a sport and recreation, and both of these paths are valued equally. Drawing from outdoor leadership principles, best practice guidelines in adventure activities, and Mana Taiohi (a principle-based framework that informs how people working with young people work in Aotearoa), WORD developed programmes with and for young people.

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That’s where the WORD values come in. They are youth-centred, adventure, connection, fight for equity, and embracing change. We see these as our trail map; without a well-built trail, we risk wandering aimlessly through the wilderness. We maintain these values in each decision made, from instructing pedagogy and programme design to external partnerships and strategic planning.

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Sounds dreamy right? Well, like other sport and recreation organisations, WORD has sadly seen a drop-off in participation during the teenage years. Progression in mountain biking (and other sports) has traditionally looked like an increase in sport performance—competing/racing in events. A different approach was needed.

WORD sees progression as development within the whole person. So, once a young person is 14 to 17 years old, they can apply to be part of the WORD Youth Leadership Programme, which teaches skills that are relevant to life, not just riding bikes. These young people develop their leadership skills in a practical, safe, and inclusive community. Through a youth-centred model, the assistant instructors gain risk-management tools, mountain bike skills, and relationship-building knowledge to be excellent role models. 

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To eliminate economic barriers, there is no charge for the programme. The assistant instructors volunteer their time each week during the after-school programmes with the 7-to-9-year-old or the 10-to-12-year-old WORD groups. They receive free term programmes to continue to grow their own riding skills and friendships, mentorship from the instructor whānau (extended family), and other opportunities to lead through WORD and in the community.

All of this introduction sets the stage for OnWORD, a video following 10 young people on a bikepacking journey across New Zealand from Wellington to Wānaka. The riders all came from the original cohort and had been in the program for a decade when I sprung the idea on them via a group video call. The trip was youth-led, naturally, but Tom and I, the responsible adults of the group, helped shepherd the plan together with the riders. After a great deal of planning, we were off. None of the brave young participants had ever ridden more than 60 kilometres in a day before, but they all signed up eagerly. We hugged our families goodbye and boarded the ferry at midnight to embark on the big journey (a rather big journey by most standards). 

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Like any good adventure, it started with pouring rain, freezing temperatures, massive road closures, and the first of many pies. Everyone had their moment on the trip, or as Hughan, one of the riders, put it, “The good thing about yesterday sucking so much is that it can only get better from here.”

Most of the time, the young crew was filled with “I can’t believe we’re actually getting to doing this!” moments. The late-night tent chats, the smell of dehydrated meals cooking, the excitement of the next cafe, the emergency toilet stops, the snack competitions. They all stuck together in a way that was completly unplanned yet entirely expected. After all, they are WORD kids at heart.

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After 10 days with these incredible humans, it became apparent that they don’t need us anymore. They have everything they need, and we’re now just along for the ride. All is good.

You can learn more about WORD and support their work at WORD.org.nz.

Further Reading

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