Bike Patrol Training Conference a Hit
 Patrollers from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee gathered for a weekend of training, networking and riding. |
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 Alfred Barker of the Gainesville SORBA Patrol leads a session on lesson planning and patrol instruction techniques. |
 Brian Shoemaker of Tennessee, an expert HAM radio operator, explains the pros and cons of various patrol communications tools. |
 Saturday afternoon sessions covered the seven core elements of a mountain bike patroller training course: First aid/ Emergency care guidelines, communications skills, trail-user interaction, riding skills, map reading/GPS navigation, trailside bike repair and responsible riding. |
 SORBA Executive Director Tom Sauret and Georgia Recreational Trails Program Coordinator Bryan Alexander lead a panel discussion on fundraising techniques. |
 Attendees hit the trails of nearby Chicopee State Park for some tight and twisty singletrack after the conference sessions ended each day. |
 Steve Masone, Patrol Director of the Friends of Harbison State Forest Trail Patrol in South Carolina, was one of twenty patrollers to become newly certified NMBP Instructors. |
 Daniel Elzey, SORBA Patrol Director and newly appointed NMBP Southeast Regional rep, leads one of the group rides on Saturday afternoon. |
 After feasting on beer and burritos provided by La Parilla, a nearby Mexican restaurant, patrollers were serenaded by the local mariache band. |
IMBA and SORBA Team to Certify New National Mountain Bike Patrol (NMBP) Instructors
More than 25 National Mountain Bike Patrollers (NMBP) from across the southeast gathered for the NMBP Regional Instructor Training Conference on Oct. 8-9 at Gainesville College in Gainesville, Georgia. SORBA (Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association) hosted the event, which brought patrol leaders together for a weekend of seminars, speakers, networking and riding. Twenty people were certified as National Mountain Bike Patrol Instructors and Daniel Elzey of SORBA was appointed as the Southeast Regional NMBP Representative.
"The Conference was a great reminder of how important the Patrol is to mountain biking and how valuable volunteer service is to land managers," said Zach Vanderkooy, IMBA's Bike Patrol Coordinator. "We're hoping this event is the first of many to train more patrol leaders and strengthen the program from the ground up."
Conference attendees took part in patrol organizing and advocacy sessions as well as skills clinics. Some of the topics covered included fundraising, attracting and retaining volunteers, working with land managers and teaching the seven core skills of a mountain bike patroller. Attendees also enjoyed afternoon rides on local singletrack in Chicopee State Park.
IMBA is committed to helping patrol groups host regional training conferences in 2006. If you would like to bring a NMBP Instructor Training Conference to your area, contact patrol@imba.com.
IMBA's National Mountain Bike Patrol program supports and organizes more than 60 volunteer patrol groups throughout North America. Patrollers assist, educate and inform all trail users.
