Supporting Partners
What’s inside:
DNA of Adventure: Self-Supported Ethos
Gluski Park: A month of construction!
Finishing What Was Started:
Gluski Park Takes Shape Around a Bigger Vision for Outdoor Adventure
Adventure Team Petoskey Crushes First Season
Adventure Teams Wrap for the Season
Keep the Spirit of Adventure Alive!
Made U.P. Podcast
Events with 906AT
DNA of Adventure: Self-Supported Ethos
With Marji Gesick less than two weeks away… I pulled an old blog post out of the archive. This article first hit our website back in 2021. Five years later… it’s still true.
I’m going to build off of this story in next month’s newsletter, but for now enjoy the DNA of Adventure: Self-Supported Ethos.
You are on your own. You accept responsibility for your preparation, choices, and the outcome. – The Crusher, Enhanced Gravel Wilderness Adventure
SETTING THE TONE
The self-supported ethos can be summed up quite simply: You are on your own. You are responsible for yourself. You are accountable for your actions and behavior. Simple. Direct. Honest. The bar is set high – for everyone. No excuses, no finger-pointing. For the uninitiated, this might all seem a bit heavy handed. Modern society panders to the unprepared, perpetually offended, and entitled. One thing will never change: If you want it, you gotta earn it. There are no shortcuts, and by constantly trying to create them we undermine the foundation of strong communities. Stability rises from a clear and equal distribution of responsibility among the people, mutual respect, and character. No one gets a pass.
LIFE IS NOT FAIR
People love playing games. What makes a good game? Is it the action? The rules? Winning? While we certainly don’t line up to lose, what happens when we do? Do we blame someone, or do we look in the mirror? What happens when a rule is changed or misused?
So many people are quick to yell “That’s not fair!” from the stands. It’s also common to hear a dad tell his kid, “You got robbed.” With these messages, we’re grooming kids to expect predictability and fairness. They automatically blame someone else when things don’t go as planned. Instead of mentoring resilience and durability, we seem to be giving preference to comfort and safety. The result? Kids who are scared and insecure – lashing out at the world around them.
Adventure is inherently unpredictable, uncomfortable, and unsafe. You control your preparation and adaptability. A lack of rules and predictability is a lesson in and of itself: to prepare for the unexpected. Adventure empowers individuals, not rules. Adventure ignores fairness, viewing complications as experience enhancements and an opportunity for personal development. While many sports (including competitive cycling) give priority to natural skill and athletic ability, adventure-centric programs level the playing field for kids who may not have been born the fastest or most coordinated but are equally capable and worthy of our time.
COLLABORATORS INSTEAD OF COMPETITORS
Interesting things happen when we remove head-to-head competition and focus on personal conduct, character, and responsibility. Behaviors change. We become collaborators. We focus on the journey, what we hope to accomplish, and what must be done to see it through – forging relationships more likely to endure adversity.
Kids are getting a lot of pressure from adults to succeed now and become a leader now, as though they need to prove their worth now. Whatever happened to being a kid? Becoming a good follower today is an important prerequisite to future leadership. Yet it seems few people want to take orders or respect the learning than comes from a chain of command.
AN UNSAFE WORLD
The self-supported ethos is predicated on a belief that the world is not safe. We are not at the mercy of the world. We are at the mercy of our own willingness to face the world. We possess the ability to adapt and better ourselves. Success is a choice. Preparation, work ethic, and commitment will pay dividends long after natural ability. That’s why the self-supported ethos is such a defining part of the adventure team. Instead of paving the path to make everything easy for kids, we give them the tools to forge their own path. Why? Because we believe sending kids off unprepared would be the real tragedy.
Gluski Park: A month of construction!
Construction began on Gluski Park just over a month ago – and let me tell you – the work being done has exceeded all of my expectations. I have the privilege of starting every day at 906AT headquarters – and for the past month that has meant watching the flat, open space behind our office building begin to transform.
At first, it was massive dirt piles. That alone was honestly, impressive. Watching the trucks on a constant back and forth from our property to Lindberg and Sons gravel pit – it was wild! So much material was hauled into the site, I had doubts it could possibly all get used. I was wrong! It was used – and they needed more!
As the crew from Rock Solid got to work – it seemed like I blinked and suddenly, I could not just see the pump track taking shape, I could feel the energy and excitement kids will experience when they approach this feature. And then, work on the hub began – a culvert was placed – rocks were hauled to the site – and suddenly, the park was taken to new heights, literally. Standing on top of the hub – I’m pretty sure will feel like standing on top of the world to our five- and six-year-old visitors.
I remember first sharing the park illustration with all of you – I was so excited for the community to see what we were going to build. And now that we’re building – I cannot wait for you to feel the magnitude of this project and the opportunity it brings for exploration, adventure, development and community.
We’ve seen some of you walk by, you’ve stopped for a chat and a tour – if you’re in town and able – check it out! It’s really something to see in person. And, if you’re not – you can keep updated via our socials and our YouTube channel, where we’re posting updates – many of which showcase a bird’s eye view – my favorite of all the perspectives!
Next week crews will begin laying asphalt on the pump track. Stay tuned! We’ll be sure to keep you updated every step of the way! -Elizabeth
Finishing What Was Started: Gluski Park Takes Shape Around a Bigger Vision for Outdoor Adventure
‘For someone already immersed in mountain biking, finding a trail, choosing a bike or knowing where to take a child for a first ride might seem simple. For a family with no connection to the sport, those can become barriers.
“You really have to be in the know,” Todd said. “You have to be in the community. You have to know people. There’s just a lot of barriers for entry that you just would not imagine are actually there unless you’re not attached to this world at all.”
Gluski Park is designed to lower some of those barriers.’
Click the link below to read more about Gluski Park from the online publication, ‘TheNxrth.’
“You really have to be in the know,” Todd said. “You have to be in the community. You have to know people. There’s just a lot of barriers for entry that you just would not imagine are actually there unless you’re not attached to this world at all.”
Gluski Park is designed to lower some of those barriers.’
Click the link below to read more about Gluski Park from the online publication, ‘TheNxrth.’
Adventure Team Petoskey Crushes First Season
When Ryan and Rachel Brown moved to the Petoskey area, they knew they wanted to bring Adventure Team programming with them. And so, they did.
“The biggest challenge for us, moving to a new area, we knew no one, we knew nothing – but I knew the Adventure Team experience because I’d been coaching Marquette, so we were really able to describe it, but we had to figure out where to start,” said Ryan.
Sharing their passion for the program and starting Adventure Team Petoskey Area actually helped them get to know their new community. And they both agree, once the connections started – “the bike world pulled through for them.”
Adventure Team Petoskey Area’s first season consisted of 28 kids and 15 coaches riding from Avalanche Park. Ryan recalls when they first moved, he’d ride different trail systems trying to find the right space. He says, the first time he rode the trails at Avalanche he knew, texting Rachel, “This is it; this is the one!”
From there it was coordination, getting the word out and putting in the work to make a new program happen.
Rachel says the response from families has only fueled their passion further. Families and coaches sharing their gratitude for a program and experience they affirmed the community was lacking. And watching that first group of kids this summer, well – it was what they worked so hard for.
“Seeing their improvement – from start to end,” says Rachel. “Some of the kids with tears on the last night because they didn’t want it to be over – just seeing how much fun they were having and how much they changed throughout the season, it’s been amazing.”
Ryan says, “When you get to the end and see the kids who could hardly pedal and are now tearing up and down the trails, watching them fall and get back up with a smile and keep going, it’s just really cool.”
Overall, they say everyone has been supportive and they’ve heard from a lot of people who say they’re encouraged to get involved next year. A sentiment they couldn’t be more thrilled about as their goal heading into next year is to impact more kids and more families.
We can’t wait to see what next year brings for Adventure Team Petoskey Area! Congratulations Ryan and Rachel on a successful first year!
“The biggest challenge for us, moving to a new area, we knew no one, we knew nothing – but I knew the Adventure Team experience because I’d been coaching Marquette, so we were really able to describe it, but we had to figure out where to start,” said Ryan.
Sharing their passion for the program and starting Adventure Team Petoskey Area actually helped them get to know their new community. And they both agree, once the connections started – “the bike world pulled through for them.”
Adventure Team Petoskey Area’s first season consisted of 28 kids and 15 coaches riding from Avalanche Park. Ryan recalls when they first moved, he’d ride different trail systems trying to find the right space. He says, the first time he rode the trails at Avalanche he knew, texting Rachel, “This is it; this is the one!”
From there it was coordination, getting the word out and putting in the work to make a new program happen.
Rachel says the response from families has only fueled their passion further. Families and coaches sharing their gratitude for a program and experience they affirmed the community was lacking. And watching that first group of kids this summer, well – it was what they worked so hard for.
“Seeing their improvement – from start to end,” says Rachel. “Some of the kids with tears on the last night because they didn’t want it to be over – just seeing how much fun they were having and how much they changed throughout the season, it’s been amazing.”
Ryan says, “When you get to the end and see the kids who could hardly pedal and are now tearing up and down the trails, watching them fall and get back up with a smile and keep going, it’s just really cool.”
Overall, they say everyone has been supportive and they’ve heard from a lot of people who say they’re encouraged to get involved next year. A sentiment they couldn’t be more thrilled about as their goal heading into next year is to impact more kids and more families.
We can’t wait to see what next year brings for Adventure Team Petoskey Area! Congratulations Ryan and Rachel on a successful first year!
Written By: Elizabeth Peterson
Adventure Teams Wrap For The Season!
2026 was our biggest year of Adventure Team programming to date with over 1,500 kids and over 600 volunteers across 16 communities! We couldn’t think of a better way to recap the season than by having the volunteers who put in the work week after week share a bit about their experience! We’re grateful to share space with so many like-minded individuals who show up with one goal: to empower youth to become the best version of themselves through outdoor adventure. Read on to learn more about the impact Adventure Team programming continues to make!
ADVENTURE TEAM GREEN BAY
Adventure Team Green Bay
In 2026, we welcomed our largest group of riders, volunteers, and youth mentors yet, making this our biggest season to date. As always, our focus remained on the number of smiles, not the number of miles. Throughout the summer, we shared countless high-fives, played tag, explored the outdoors, caught frogs, and even found ourselves in a pond once or twice. Most importantly, we watched a group of individuals grow into a true team.
This year, our riders continued to build their cycling skills through trail rides, dedicated coaching, skills features, and more than 900 cones set up each night! The growth, confidence, and friendships we saw throughout the season were remarkable. We are incredibly grateful for the support of our local sponsors and donors, including Stadium Bike, Pete’s Garage, The Bike Hub, and BelGioioso Cheese. Their generosity helps make this program possible, and we couldn’t do it without them.
Thank you to all our riders, families, volunteers, and supporters for making this such a memorable year. We hope everyone has a wonderful school year, and we can’t wait to see you all again next summer!
Mitch & Dana
Adventure Team Green Bay Leads
In 2026, we welcomed our largest group of riders, volunteers, and youth mentors yet, making this our biggest season to date. As always, our focus remained on the number of smiles, not the number of miles. Throughout the summer, we shared countless high-fives, played tag, explored the outdoors, caught frogs, and even found ourselves in a pond once or twice. Most importantly, we watched a group of individuals grow into a true team.
This year, our riders continued to build their cycling skills through trail rides, dedicated coaching, skills features, and more than 900 cones set up each night! The growth, confidence, and friendships we saw throughout the season were remarkable. We are incredibly grateful for the support of our local sponsors and donors, including Stadium Bike, Pete’s Garage, The Bike Hub, and BelGioioso Cheese. Their generosity helps make this program possible, and we couldn’t do it without them.
Thank you to all our riders, families, volunteers, and supporters for making this such a memorable year. We hope everyone has a wonderful school year, and we can’t wait to see you all again next summer!
Mitch & Dana
Adventure Team Green Bay Leads
ADVENTURE TEAM LUDINGTON
Our second season of the Ludington Adventure Team was one to be proud of! We were excited to welcome even more kids to the team this year—more kids on bikes, more time in the woods, and more opportunities to get stronger while doing gritty, challenging things together.
One of the coolest parts of the season was watching our first-year riders get stronger, more confident, and more skilled, while our second-year riders really began to advance and take on new challenges. The growth – both on and off the bike – was incredible to see.
We’re already looking forward to next year, when we hope to get even more kids on bikes, push a little farther, grow a little stronger, and keep building something special together!
Alison
Adventure Team Ludington Lead
One of the coolest parts of the season was watching our first-year riders get stronger, more confident, and more skilled, while our second-year riders really began to advance and take on new challenges. The growth – both on and off the bike – was incredible to see.
We’re already looking forward to next year, when we hope to get even more kids on bikes, push a little farther, grow a little stronger, and keep building something special together!
Alison
Adventure Team Ludington Lead
ADVENTURE TEAM MARQUETTE COUNTY
My personal theme for the 2026 Adventure Team – Marquette season was Communication and Respect.
In our first coach meetings of the season we touched on guiding the kids to repeat audible cues from the guide volunteer coach to the rider behind them until it reached the back of the group…”slowing”, “stopping”, “left turn”, “right turn”, “rider/walker up”, and so on. In addition, we emphasized maintaining at least a bike length of space between riders, giving everyone a chance to react appropriately to sudden changes in the ride tempo.
I observed many instances each night and consistently through the season coaches/kids practiced good communication within their groups. On the season as a whole, instances of riders bumping into each other were down, reportable injuries for the season were down, and I heard a good number of veteran coaches report at the season’s end that this was their best summer of programming yet.
Communication is everyone’s responsibility.
Marc
Adventure Team Marquette County Lead | Partner in Adventure
In our first coach meetings of the season we touched on guiding the kids to repeat audible cues from the guide volunteer coach to the rider behind them until it reached the back of the group…”slowing”, “stopping”, “left turn”, “right turn”, “rider/walker up”, and so on. In addition, we emphasized maintaining at least a bike length of space between riders, giving everyone a chance to react appropriately to sudden changes in the ride tempo.
I observed many instances each night and consistently through the season coaches/kids practiced good communication within their groups. On the season as a whole, instances of riders bumping into each other were down, reportable injuries for the season were down, and I heard a good number of veteran coaches report at the season’s end that this was their best summer of programming yet.
Communication is everyone’s responsibility.
Marc
Adventure Team Marquette County Lead | Partner in Adventure
ADVENTURE TEAM LA CROSSE COUNTY
If there was one lesson our La Crosse County Adventure Team learned this summer, it was how to adapt and keep adventuring!
Mother Nature certainly kept us on our toes. Between rain, thunderstorms, heat, and a mosquito population that seemed determined to join Adventure Team itself, this season didn’t always go according to plan. But that’s part of the adventure and our kids handled every change like champs. Week after week, our riders and hikers showed up ready to learn, explore, and have fun. They practiced new skills, tackled challenges, played games, built confidence, and made new friends along the way.
This year was especially exciting because we added hiking to our Adventure Team program, giving even more kids an opportunity to get outside, explore, and be part of the team. Whether they were on two wheels or two feet, our participants spent the summer learning that adventure isn’t about how fast or far you go. It’s about trying new things, building confidence, supporting your teammates, and having fun outside.
One of the highlights was our water night, when sprinklers and reusable water balloons turned Adventure Team into what may have been the world’s wettest practice. Judging by the smiles (and the number of kids who went home completely soaked), we’d call it a success!
None of this would be possible without our incredible coaches, volunteers, and families. Our coaches give their time, energy, patience, and enthusiasm every week to make sure every child feels supported and successful. Our families rolled with every weather update, schedule change, and last-minute adjustment we threw their way this year.
But most of all, we’re proud of our kids. They tried hard things. They learned new skills. They made new friends. They got dirty, sweaty, wet, and probably collected a few mosquito bites along the way. They encouraged one another, laughed a lot, and showed us week after week what Adventure Team is all about.
Thank you to everyone who made this season possible. We can’t wait to see where the adventure takes us next year!
Randi
Adventure Team La Crosse Lead
Mother Nature certainly kept us on our toes. Between rain, thunderstorms, heat, and a mosquito population that seemed determined to join Adventure Team itself, this season didn’t always go according to plan. But that’s part of the adventure and our kids handled every change like champs. Week after week, our riders and hikers showed up ready to learn, explore, and have fun. They practiced new skills, tackled challenges, played games, built confidence, and made new friends along the way.
This year was especially exciting because we added hiking to our Adventure Team program, giving even more kids an opportunity to get outside, explore, and be part of the team. Whether they were on two wheels or two feet, our participants spent the summer learning that adventure isn’t about how fast or far you go. It’s about trying new things, building confidence, supporting your teammates, and having fun outside.
One of the highlights was our water night, when sprinklers and reusable water balloons turned Adventure Team into what may have been the world’s wettest practice. Judging by the smiles (and the number of kids who went home completely soaked), we’d call it a success!
None of this would be possible without our incredible coaches, volunteers, and families. Our coaches give their time, energy, patience, and enthusiasm every week to make sure every child feels supported and successful. Our families rolled with every weather update, schedule change, and last-minute adjustment we threw their way this year.
But most of all, we’re proud of our kids. They tried hard things. They learned new skills. They made new friends. They got dirty, sweaty, wet, and probably collected a few mosquito bites along the way. They encouraged one another, laughed a lot, and showed us week after week what Adventure Team is all about.
Thank you to everyone who made this season possible. We can’t wait to see where the adventure takes us next year!
Randi
Adventure Team La Crosse Lead
ADVENTURE TEAM LANSING AREA
AT Lansing Area (Burchfield) had an excellent summer of adventure!
The kids had a great time exploring the huge variety of trails, from two-track to singletrack and even the toboggan hill. Rattlesnake was a favorite trail section, and getting to McNamara Landing was a big accomplishment for many of our teams.
By adding special coaches stationed at Dirt School, we were able to provide even more skill development and confidence building. Big thanks to all our volunteers and sponsors for all their support!
Laurie
Adventure Team Lansing Area Burchfield Lead
The kids had a great time exploring the huge variety of trails, from two-track to singletrack and even the toboggan hill. Rattlesnake was a favorite trail section, and getting to McNamara Landing was a big accomplishment for many of our teams.
By adding special coaches stationed at Dirt School, we were able to provide even more skill development and confidence building. Big thanks to all our volunteers and sponsors for all their support!
Laurie
Adventure Team Lansing Area Burchfield Lead
ADVENTURE TEAM MIDLAND
Coaching Comes Full Circle: This story is from the 2026 Crusher Mass Start and is told by Midland Coach Casey Smith.
35 miles into The Crusher, my legs were starting to get heavy.
This summer looked a little different. Less time on the bike because family activities came first.
By that point, I was definitely feeling it.
Then, out of nowhere… “Coach Casey!” I looked over, completely caught off guard. We’re eight hours from home in Copper Harbor, and standing at an aid station was one of our 906 Adventure Team riders helping his mom while his dad was out riding The Crusher. I rolled over to their aid station to grab a drink, and before I took off, I asked, “Hey, do you want to see the cut?” He took one look at my knee, and I said, “It probably needs stitches.” He agreed and thanks to my brother carrying a small first-aid kit, we got it cleaned up, wrapped it with a bandage, and kept rolling.
The best part? Before I rode away, he made sure my pedals were level. If you’ve ever been part of 906 Adventure Team, you know exactly why that made me laugh. It’s one of the fundamental
skills we teach every season. That simple interaction meant more than he’ll probably ever know.
I’ve been coaching with 906 Adventure Team for four years now. Watching my daughter grow as a rider has been incredible, but watching so many other kids discover confidence, resilience,
and a love for riding has been just as rewarding. People often think we’re teaching kids how to ride mountain bikes. We’re really teaching them how to solve problems, encourage others, adapt when things don’t go as planned, and keep moving forward. The bike is simply the vehicle for those lessons.
I’ve always said, kids watch better than they listen.
Seeing one of our riders out there reminded me that they really are paying attention. Not just to how we ride, but to how we respond when things get hard.
I thought I was showing these kids what perseverance looks like.
Instead, one of them reminded me why I keep coming back to coach.
Sometimes the encouragement you need comes from the last place you expect it. Thank you, buddy. You have no idea how much that moment meant to me.
This is why I’m proud to be part of 906 Adventure Team.
35 miles into The Crusher, my legs were starting to get heavy.
This summer looked a little different. Less time on the bike because family activities came first.
By that point, I was definitely feeling it.
Then, out of nowhere… “Coach Casey!” I looked over, completely caught off guard. We’re eight hours from home in Copper Harbor, and standing at an aid station was one of our 906 Adventure Team riders helping his mom while his dad was out riding The Crusher. I rolled over to their aid station to grab a drink, and before I took off, I asked, “Hey, do you want to see the cut?” He took one look at my knee, and I said, “It probably needs stitches.” He agreed and thanks to my brother carrying a small first-aid kit, we got it cleaned up, wrapped it with a bandage, and kept rolling.
The best part? Before I rode away, he made sure my pedals were level. If you’ve ever been part of 906 Adventure Team, you know exactly why that made me laugh. It’s one of the fundamental
skills we teach every season. That simple interaction meant more than he’ll probably ever know.
I’ve been coaching with 906 Adventure Team for four years now. Watching my daughter grow as a rider has been incredible, but watching so many other kids discover confidence, resilience,
and a love for riding has been just as rewarding. People often think we’re teaching kids how to ride mountain bikes. We’re really teaching them how to solve problems, encourage others, adapt when things don’t go as planned, and keep moving forward. The bike is simply the vehicle for those lessons.
I’ve always said, kids watch better than they listen.
Seeing one of our riders out there reminded me that they really are paying attention. Not just to how we ride, but to how we respond when things get hard.
I thought I was showing these kids what perseverance looks like.
Instead, one of them reminded me why I keep coming back to coach.
Sometimes the encouragement you need comes from the last place you expect it. Thank you, buddy. You have no idea how much that moment meant to me.
This is why I’m proud to be part of 906 Adventure Team.
Keep the Spirit of Adventure Alive!
We spent the summer months in hike and bike club sharing the value of movement, bike or hike skills, nature, and adventure. If we can carry that momentum from bike and hike club into fall it will help kids understand the importance of adventure, the natural world and movement in additional spaces. Here are some suggestions for how to accomplish this:
Find something outdoors and local – touch the grass. If you keep it simple, you will be more likely to follow through. Kids do not need to be entertained outdoors.
Get out immediately after work or school, as the days get shorter it becomes more difficult if you wait. Take your snack with you and hit the trails before dinner.
Take a path or a route which allows multiple modes of transportation (on foot, bike or scooter) to satisfy everyone. Talk about what you enjoy about your mode or try someone else’s.
Enjoy the process, slow the pace – make some discoveries and appreciate the adventure. Talk about what you observe.
Allow for everyone to add some ideas to a family list of favorite outdoor places to visit and then cycle through the choices. Talk about which were your favorite spaces and why.
The only way that youth are going to learn to adventure and appreciate the outdoors is if they see the adults around them doing the same. Adventure Team coaches share these values with them over summer, and their work will be more meaningful if it continues in the off season.
Enjoy the Adventure.
Written By: Julie Cunningham
Trilogy Partners
