Supporting Partners
What’s inside:
A note from the Director of Adventure
Adventure Team Iron County: Leading With Heart
Adventure Team Marquette: Totally Changed My Kid
Adventure Team Midland: Showing Up, Even When It’s Hard
New on Made UP Podcast
Events with 906AT
A note from the Director of Adventure
It’s Crusher week.
You could look at the Crusher and call it dangerous or crazy. You could call the people who do it crazy, too. At some level, it is, and we probably are.
But look around you. Read the news. Isn’t that crazy, too? How in the world did we get to the point that we walk around buried in a screen all day and everyone thinks it’s normal? That’s dangerous, and if we’re really being honest, sad.
It’s hard to describe how simple the world feels when you’re in the middle of nowhere with nothing but your bike, your gear, and a few hundred miles to go. All the other shit we worry about kinda melts away as we realize how little it all matters, and we stop looking at other people like something that’s in our way – and we see em’ as someone we wanna get to the finish line with. Stuff like Crusher, and Marji, and Polar Roll, and the youth Adventure Teams keep us connected to each other and somethin’ innately wild – our spirit. The essence of being human is to face danger and adversity – and overcome, not run from it.
Facing danger is dangerous. Running from it is, too.
The hardest paths offer the most memorable and meaningful memories.
That’s why we do what we do, and strive to pass it onto our kids.
You could look at the Crusher and call it dangerous or crazy. You could call the people who do it crazy, too. At some level, it is, and we probably are.
But look around you. Read the news. Isn’t that crazy, too? How in the world did we get to the point that we walk around buried in a screen all day and everyone thinks it’s normal? That’s dangerous, and if we’re really being honest, sad.
It’s hard to describe how simple the world feels when you’re in the middle of nowhere with nothing but your bike, your gear, and a few hundred miles to go. All the other shit we worry about kinda melts away as we realize how little it all matters, and we stop looking at other people like something that’s in our way – and we see em’ as someone we wanna get to the finish line with. Stuff like Crusher, and Marji, and Polar Roll, and the youth Adventure Teams keep us connected to each other and somethin’ innately wild – our spirit. The essence of being human is to face danger and adversity – and overcome, not run from it.
Facing danger is dangerous. Running from it is, too.
The hardest paths offer the most memorable and meaningful memories.
That’s why we do what we do, and strive to pass it onto our kids.
Adventure Team Iron County: Leading With Heart
Roberta Scott has been volunteering with Adventure Team Iron County for three years. It’s been a family affair. Her husband volunteers as well and her 7-year-old daughter, Sparrow, participates.
The Scotts moved to the Upper Peninsula three summers ago. Roberta says they joined Adventure Team to find community – a place where they could all, as a family, meet people and make friends. And that is exactly what the Scotts have found – community and so much more.
“Sparrow found her independence. I remember distinctly – she can get herself ready, her t-shirt, helmet, water, snack – and then it was pulling teeth to get her to leave bike club every night. When we got back home, she’d bring her bike back in and unpack – she had a real sense of responsibility – doing the best you can, yourself. There is so much emphasis on team sports – it’s nice to find something that is individual based.”
Roberta says there’s a great energy at bike club filled with camaraderie and activity. She says in a world full of divisiveness, it’s a place where you realize how much more similar we all are than we are different. Plus, she says she’s constantly learning new skills and leaves every night feeling better than she did when she got to bike club.
“I learn something every time I go out there. Kids are so in tune with nature, animals, the plants and trails – they really lead the way, telling me where I need to go in a fork in the road, they talk about signs of animals that they just saw – I’m constantly surprised with the information I walk away with and much of it has very little to do with biking, but I’m also very impressed with the biking that I’ve done.”
Adventure Team programming has been running in Iron County officially since 2021. It began with one man leading with his heart and the desire to better his community. That man is Benjamin Garcia, he continues to volunteer as a lead in Iron County, ensuring the program stays energized, organized and moving forward.
Benjamin says, “I’ve always resonated similarly with Todd’s thoughts on kids, community and society as a whole – everything 906AT stands for and does programming wise, pushing people to grow – I feel the need of that in my community. Biking is great, but the aspect of what we do is the driver.”
Benjamin admits it’s not always easy to find volunteers and to relay the value of what Adventure Team is – but he believes in the mission, he’s seen the positive impact it makes – and he remains determined to keep Adventure Team a part of his community.
He’s encouraged by the growth of the trail system in the area, the work being done by volunteers to grow and support biking and he continuously leans on where it all started – Doing Hard Things – as a community, as volunteers and coaches, and as youth riders in the program.
It’s Doing Hard Things together, but it’s also going back to the basics, says Roberta. “It’s grounding to do something almost very simple, ride our bikes with our friends and family. It brings you back to your roots. Just getting out, being without a phone, without a screen, focusing on the trail ahead, laughing with your friends, it feels pretty special and simple and it feels good to sort of round back to that.“
The Scotts moved to the Upper Peninsula three summers ago. Roberta says they joined Adventure Team to find community – a place where they could all, as a family, meet people and make friends. And that is exactly what the Scotts have found – community and so much more.
“Sparrow found her independence. I remember distinctly – she can get herself ready, her t-shirt, helmet, water, snack – and then it was pulling teeth to get her to leave bike club every night. When we got back home, she’d bring her bike back in and unpack – she had a real sense of responsibility – doing the best you can, yourself. There is so much emphasis on team sports – it’s nice to find something that is individual based.”
Roberta says there’s a great energy at bike club filled with camaraderie and activity. She says in a world full of divisiveness, it’s a place where you realize how much more similar we all are than we are different. Plus, she says she’s constantly learning new skills and leaves every night feeling better than she did when she got to bike club.
“I learn something every time I go out there. Kids are so in tune with nature, animals, the plants and trails – they really lead the way, telling me where I need to go in a fork in the road, they talk about signs of animals that they just saw – I’m constantly surprised with the information I walk away with and much of it has very little to do with biking, but I’m also very impressed with the biking that I’ve done.”
Adventure Team programming has been running in Iron County officially since 2021. It began with one man leading with his heart and the desire to better his community. That man is Benjamin Garcia, he continues to volunteer as a lead in Iron County, ensuring the program stays energized, organized and moving forward.
Benjamin says, “I’ve always resonated similarly with Todd’s thoughts on kids, community and society as a whole – everything 906AT stands for and does programming wise, pushing people to grow – I feel the need of that in my community. Biking is great, but the aspect of what we do is the driver.”
Benjamin admits it’s not always easy to find volunteers and to relay the value of what Adventure Team is – but he believes in the mission, he’s seen the positive impact it makes – and he remains determined to keep Adventure Team a part of his community.
He’s encouraged by the growth of the trail system in the area, the work being done by volunteers to grow and support biking and he continuously leans on where it all started – Doing Hard Things – as a community, as volunteers and coaches, and as youth riders in the program.
It’s Doing Hard Things together, but it’s also going back to the basics, says Roberta. “It’s grounding to do something almost very simple, ride our bikes with our friends and family. It brings you back to your roots. Just getting out, being without a phone, without a screen, focusing on the trail ahead, laughing with your friends, it feels pretty special and simple and it feels good to sort of round back to that.“
Adventure Team Marquette: “Totally Changed My Kid”
“Dad, I have found my sport.”
It was a simple comment after the first night of bike club in Marquette between a father and son. But, that one comment from his son brought tears to Jason Swanson’s eyes.
Jason’s son is 8 years old. This is his first year in Adventure Team. Jason says he and his wife have always wanted to get their son involved in activities, they tried baseball, talked about joining soccer – as parents they think both are great programs, but their son didn’t have much interest in either.
Jason has been a part of the mountain biking community his whole life. He rides with his son – they both love riding bikes – so, Adventure Team seemed like it might be the right fit.
Three weeks in and dad says the program is the greatest thing that’s ever happened for his son – he says he’s found his thing.
“It’s the best decision we’ve made as parents. I know it seems dramatic – but I’m so grateful for it. I just wish we would have done it sooner, but everything happens for a reason.”
Jason already sees a change in his son, not just physically, but mentally.
“Being on a team, understanding what it means to look out for every link in the chain, helping out, being encouraging,” he says, they’re all positive experiences that in turn are making an impact at home with his son’s relationship with his five-year-old sister (who’s working to ride this summer without training wheels, so she can be a part of bike club next year).
Jason and his wife are proud to be a part of the Adventure Team community. He says the experience as a whole has been tremendous – for his son, but also as a parent.
“We know where we need to be, when to be there – communication is top notch – this program is such an asset to all the communities running Adventure Team. As an outsider, the work you guys are doing for kids, for all ages, from the Marji, Crusher, Polar Roll and bike club – you just bring joy… and pain to people… and I love it!”
Jason continues to watch his son with awe as he evolves, adapts and finds his way through every challenge, feature and skill. It’s a summer they’re grateful for and a program they’re thrilled to be a part of.
“His focus is so different when he gets on a bike – to watch him fail, he gets upset and then he gets even with the feature – we’re going back and trying this again until I clear it.” We call that effort, consistency and grit in bike club – and we’ll keep showing up so kids like Jason’s can keep getting after it and find their “thing.”
It was a simple comment after the first night of bike club in Marquette between a father and son. But, that one comment from his son brought tears to Jason Swanson’s eyes.
Jason’s son is 8 years old. This is his first year in Adventure Team. Jason says he and his wife have always wanted to get their son involved in activities, they tried baseball, talked about joining soccer – as parents they think both are great programs, but their son didn’t have much interest in either.
Jason has been a part of the mountain biking community his whole life. He rides with his son – they both love riding bikes – so, Adventure Team seemed like it might be the right fit.
Three weeks in and dad says the program is the greatest thing that’s ever happened for his son – he says he’s found his thing.
“It’s the best decision we’ve made as parents. I know it seems dramatic – but I’m so grateful for it. I just wish we would have done it sooner, but everything happens for a reason.”
Jason already sees a change in his son, not just physically, but mentally.
“Being on a team, understanding what it means to look out for every link in the chain, helping out, being encouraging,” he says, they’re all positive experiences that in turn are making an impact at home with his son’s relationship with his five-year-old sister (who’s working to ride this summer without training wheels, so she can be a part of bike club next year).
Jason and his wife are proud to be a part of the Adventure Team community. He says the experience as a whole has been tremendous – for his son, but also as a parent.
“We know where we need to be, when to be there – communication is top notch – this program is such an asset to all the communities running Adventure Team. As an outsider, the work you guys are doing for kids, for all ages, from the Marji, Crusher, Polar Roll and bike club – you just bring joy… and pain to people… and I love it!”
Jason continues to watch his son with awe as he evolves, adapts and finds his way through every challenge, feature and skill. It’s a summer they’re grateful for and a program they’re thrilled to be a part of.
“His focus is so different when he gets on a bike – to watch him fail, he gets upset and then he gets even with the feature – we’re going back and trying this again until I clear it.” We call that effort, consistency and grit in bike club – and we’ll keep showing up so kids like Jason’s can keep getting after it and find their “thing.”
Adventure Team Midland: Showing Up, Even When It’s Hard
We just completed week four of this season’s Adventure Team and I have been thinking a lot about the dedication of the coaches and the lives they touch. It is difficult to quantify the number of lives touched when a rider learns to adventure on a bike and the value that has for them and those around them. I am certain in many cases we will never know what type of an impact we have on the riders. Sometimes the rider or their adult shares a success story with us and yet those stories cannot be the only reason volunteer coaches show up each week.
Our ride night this week was really hot, like the kind of hot where we measure the heat index to see if we can safely hold Adventure Bike Club. This was the first spell of hot weather we have had which means riders and coaches were not acclimated to the heat. We asked our teams to ride shorter distances, take more breaks, hydrate often and spend more time near basecamp on the obstacles in the shade. The heat also meant patience was shorter and focus was not as sharp. Within the final half an hour of the ride time, three separate riders returned with their teams to basecamp. Two were minor injuries – one over the handlebars because they braked hard on a downhill and the other missed a corner and took a fall. The third rider was returned to us for not listening to their coaches which led to some unsafe behaviors.
The coaches handled the two injuries with care and grace. They returned to basecamp with the rider and as a team, made sure the rider was treated and parents were notified at pick up. The riders also handled their falls well. They took a minute to catch their breath and be tended to and then left at the end of the night with the knowledge they would have an opportunity to get back on their bikes next week. And the rider whose behavior kept them from finishing the night with their team – we talked about it and they too will be back for a fresh start next week.
Often the riders who seem to need the most from coaches are also those that need adventure in their lives. Riders that need something extra from a coach might include riders who are just losing the training wheels or those who need a push to get their bike started. It might include riders who don’t have another extracurricular activity or a friend group outside of school. It might include riders who have a difficult time focusing or those who don’t fit in well on traditional teams. Adventure Team coaches show up for these riders each week with a consistency that is a mark of the 906 programming. They implement their program training, their ability to collaborate with other coaches, and all of their communication skills. We don’t know what effect this has on a rider, and we do know that all of us will be out on the trails with a fresh perspective next week.
What we can hope for all the riders is that they go on to adventure with intentionality in life and apply the lessons they learn in bike club.
Written By: Julie Cunningham, AT Midland Lead
MADE U.P. PODCAST #54 Countdown to the Mass Start!
With the Mass Start only days away, Todd and Paul preview the routes, the files, camping, talk a little about the field manual and race week blog, and give some final tid-bits and advice. If you are headed to Copper Harbor this weekend this episode is a must!
MADE U.P. PODCAST #53 with Paul Hytinen, Dave Whaley, and Kiko Silvelet.
We recorded this one just before Crusher EX opened up July 1. The crew focused on two things: 1) Crusher EX. 2) Crusher Culture. Crusher isn’t another gravel event – it is an enhanced gravel event. You need to understand the difference and this episode (and the crew) really dig into it. If you’re Crusher-curious this is a great episode to listen to and for the veterans who need a refresh on the field manual and rules of engagement, too.
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