How do you attract, nurture, and retain talented young riders? We find out in the latest Fast Talk Femmes podcast.
n the latest episode of Fast Talk Femmes, co-hosts Julie Young and Dede Barry chat with Julia Violich, who is the founder and director of the Bear National Team, the longest-standing, most successful development mountain bike team in the U.S.
Violich and the Bear development program has been instrumental in producing many top cyclists, particularly female mountain bike riders. In the show, Violich talks about the many tools and resources that athletes are provided with as part of the program (both physically and mentally/emotionally) in order to reach their athletic potential.
What’s perhaps most enlightening in this show—and from this team—is how much the program emphasizes the importance of gratitude, respect, and appreciation—entitlement is not tolerated—and how the team environment teaches skills that help these athletes develop into not just high-performance athletes, but high-performance humans.
We also chat with Colleen Wanty who was instrumental in starting the Northern Nevada NICA League. In a short time this league has boasted some of the highest percentages of female riders across the country. Wanty masterminded some creative and unique programs to attract, nurture, and retain young female riders in the program. We ask Wanty to share some of her secrets.
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