As a relative new-comer to mountain biking in the Lehigh Valley I have been very fortunate to benefit from the hard work put in by those who have built the great local trails we all enjoy and spent many thankless hours maintaining those trails.
Over the last several years I have steadily gotten more involved with the club, first by attending group rides, helping out on trail work days, joining the Board, and organizing this year’s Steel City Enduro. Along the way I have identified several areas where I believe the club needs to improve. At the same time, I have had many opportunities to dream about the incredible potential we have to further develop mountain biking in our area. I am running for Vice President because I’d like the opportunity to do my part to protect our existing trails, build new trails, and foremost to organize and effectively utilize the passion and talent of all of our members.
As Vice President, I would endeavor to:
· Work with the President to develop a clear and organized management structure of the club. Better organization will allow us to more effectively harness the passion of our members.
· Ensure that the officers and board regularly and clearly communicate with the broader membership of the club. Consistent, proactive communication will be the key to our success.
· Prioritize developing strong, mutually beneficial and productive relationships with our local land managers. Our reputation with land managers and standing in the community is the foundation on which our trails are built.
· Work to continue developing and fostering organized trail crews at Trex, Jordan, Nox, Jacobsburg, Sals, and SME. Active and well planned trail work at each trail system will increase our standing with the land managers and benefit our relationship with them.
· Ensure increased opportunities for all members to actively participate in the club through group rides, trail work days, volunteer training, certification opportunities, and social events.
· Leverage IMBA resources to improve volunteer training, grant writing proficiency, and member communication.
· See the Killdozer replacement trail through to a comprehensive construction plan. In addition to restoring the great trail system at Trexler, properly executing this project will serve as a template and springboard for working with our partners at the County, IMBA, and other organizations for future trail expansion in the region.
Thank you for your consideration. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and a lot of great things we can accomplish. I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to work on your behalf towards these goals.