Growing Schools Cycling – A recipe for success  

We recently caught up with a school who were taking charge of their own success and driving forward with growth and development of a cycling programme within their school.

Selwyn College were first time representatives at the 2019 National School Road Championships and had 11 riders racing at a national level for the first time.  One of the drivers behind the team has been Paul White.

After initially starting cycling at a previous school, Paul’s daughter moved to Selwyn in 2017 and with no existing cycling team, Paul took the lead to recruit and support others from the school to create their first cycling team.

Paul’s first call was to Cycling New Zealand who were able to provide some key tools to start the ball rolling. 

One of the biggest challenges raised by not only Selwyn but any new cycling school is equipment, particularly bikes.  Selwyn were fortunate to be able to loan a number of bikes from Cycling New Zealand which enabled the riders to take their first steps in the sport without a significant outlay.  By working with local companies such as Barfoot and Thompson, they were able to find further support for uniforms and other key items that kick started their foray into the schools cycling system.   

It was a big learning curve for both riders and parents, and Paul was fortunate to have the support of other cycling schools and parents especially Sacred Heart College, Baradene and Epsom Girls Grammar. 

The biggest success has been setting and maintaining a welcoming and supportive culture

“Right at the start we set the team priorities of Safety, Fun and Competitiveness; in that order and these have stayed true throughout the initial years. I am also pleased that our dropout rate has been minimal with people keep wanting to come back” said Paul.

Ensuring their team priorities are maintained, they are now in their third year they are starting to get some competitive riders that are in the mix with more established school riders.  They have established training programmes and schedules that work for them including wind trainer sessions that enables them to address different abilities and also provides an opportunity to focus on improving individual riders without having to keep tabs on where everyone is out on the roads.

Paul believes the key for new schools is to engage in the composite team programme which is been enabled through a recent change in the Schools Rules which permits riders from smaller schools to combine with other schools to be able to field a team for the team events.  Enabling the riders to take part in a team event not only increases their racing opportunities but it also helps fulfil the team and social benefits of cycling which in turn can help encourage riders to stay in the sport longer.  It can also help create support networks for coaching, administration and other resources across schools.  Selwyn still collaborate and co-ordinate resources with Glendowie College and Hobsinville Point

Selwyn heads into their 4th season in 2020 – the engagement of new cyclists is the key for them, particular to attract junior riders.  With many sports on offer for kids at schools it is vital for cycling teams to stand out and find ways to show the benefits of cycling and Selwyn have found that creating promotional videos is beneficial for recruitment.

Schools Cycling provides all the ingredients to supporting non-active kids develop into active kids and for some great friendships to be formed. The ability to travel as a team to events outside the region is another benefit.

While Paul has now stepped away from Schools Cycling, he knows he has left a strong legacy and framework in place and knowing equally passionate people are set to continue to drive the sport within the school.

The best advice Paul can leave is ‘remember why kids ride - it is the fun and comradery.  Base decisions and actions on this motto.’

For more information on how to start a schools cycling team, see the Schools Toolkit here or contact Cycling New Zealand Schools.