Welcome from the New Patrol Coordinator

IMBA Trail News
Volume 14, Number 2
Early Summer 2001

As IMBA's new National Mountain Bike Patrol Coordinator, I am excited to be a part of this important advocacy program. With more than 50 patrols in the United States and several more flourishing around the world, the NMBP is playing an increased role in providing trail opportunities for mountain bikers.

I recently traveled to the Berryman Trail in Missouri to participate in an informal patrol training gathering hosted by Ken Miner and the Midwest Mountain Bike Patrol (www.earthriders.org). Their patrol knowledge, enthusiasm, and good humor were contagious. Yet what impressed me more than anything was the camaraderie within the patrol.

This spirit can be found in patrols everywhere. It is perhaps the main reason why we become patrollers in the first place. Besides enjoying our sport and the personal fulfillment we get from providing assistance to other trail users, joining a volunteer mountain bike patrol connects us with a diverse group of people who share a passion: mountain biking.

So far this year we have made a number of improvements in the NMBP program so we can better assist you. We've overhauled the NMBP membership process, making it easier than ever to join or to renew your patrol membership. The NMBP website is expanding and will soon offer more training resources, an interactive component and new NMBP merchandise. In the near future, patrollers can look forward to receiving a new NMBP newsletter, increased patroller benefits, and low-cost NMBP products and apparel.

Thanks to patrollers everywhere for volunteering your time. I look forward to working with you to make this the best year ever for the National Mountain Bike Patrol.

Kevin Stein, NMBP Coordinator