Dream Team in search of youth bikers, mentors

Organizers of a Clay County Dream Team are looking for participants who'd like to train to ride The Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI).

The idea for the Clay County group of bicyclists sprouted last spring with Dr. Bill Phelps, a local dentist who's also a biking enthusiast. Phelps, who along with his two sons has participated in the annual touring bicycle ride in the past, approached Kerry Schmidt, the district executive for the Thundercloud Mid-America Council for the Boy Scouts of America, to actively engage local youth who also wanted to take part.

"He came to me with the concept of the Dream Team," Schmidt said, "and wanted me to help him find the right youth. ... Dr. Phelps takes it from there and gets the bikes."

The Dream Team concept originated in 1996 in the Des Moines area when local organizations wanted to identify teenagers who would benefit from the RAGBRAI experience. Today, Dream Team groups across Iowa rely on the generosity of businesses, bike clubs, charitable groups and individuals to fund team activities and equipment needs.

Potential youth candidates will be 14- to 18-year-olds who reside in Clay County or the surrounding area.

"We're hoping to have some bigger numbers this year and looking to, hopefully, serve anywhere between five and 15 youth from the community," Schmidt said. "...They're going to want to have a level of commitment there to work out starting this winter and slowly build up to where they're physically fit and ready to ride RAGBRAI in July and participate in the RAGBRAI program along with the Dream Team out of the Des Moines area."

Judah Hoffman, a teenager who completed the local Dream Team program last year along with her mother, Crystal, is planning to serve as a team captain in 2009.

Clay County Dream Team mentors, on the other hand, are required to be above the age of 18 or a previous participant with two years experience.

"The mentors provide consistent support and the guidance necessary for the youth to gain the confidence and the technical riding skills needed to achieve their goal of completing RAGBRAI," Schmidt explained of the adults who participate in this role. "Maybe they've rode RAGBRAI before and are interested in helping kids get physically fit and be willing to do that. Maybe they're biking enthusiasts who've never rode the program and would like the chance to ride RAGBRAI with the Dream Team program. But, really, any adult in the area who is looking to be a mentor. That's really what their position is, it's mentoring them both at the physical level and at the mental level and helping the youth take on some leadership responsibilities and perhaps some fundraising if they need to do that."

Local participants will begin working together as a team this winter. During the winter months, teens and their mentors will work out about once a week. According to Schmidt, Dream Team participants will be allowed to bike and run at the Spencer Family YMCA during the very cold months this winter. But when the weather improves, outdoor training rides will take place.

"We'll start out with one mile one week, two the next and so on," Schmidt explained. "By the end of June, we're hoping to take a pretty decent climb on the bike and go 30 - 50 miles one way, camp, spend the night, get up in the morning and head back. So, we'll really give them a good feel for RAGBRAI."

Hopes are a Clay County team will be organized before 2009, allowing participants to start meeting in early January to begin working out.

"Dream Team, the non-profit out of the Des Moines area, is going to provide the program registration costs for RAGBRAI. So they're willing to let the kids ride for free; they've worked that out with the RAGBRAI team," Schmidt said. "Additionally, we're asking the youth to provide $15 to be part of our group, the (Boy Scouts of America) Venturing program that's going to put them under an insurance policy. So, if there were to be an accident during training, we'd have them covered and it would be a burden for a family without insurance."

Phelps, who takes part in the Smiles for Life program, a national non-profit which raises money through teeth cleanings and allows dentists to earmark different outlets for that money, has chosen to target funds toward the Clay County Dream Team.

"There is a little bit of a monetary buy-in for the youth, but any youth who needs a bike, we'll provide a bike so they can get out and be training. ... If they complete the program and ride the five-day voyage across the state of Iowa, those youth who get a bike and get to work out on it and get to ride RAGBRAI, if they can do that without getting into any trouble, the bike is theirs to keep," Schmidt said. "We'll probably ask them to come back next year, but their commitment is really done at the end of July."

Youth and adults interested in participating in the 2009 Clay County Dream Team should contact Schmidt at (712) 240-0970 or at kschmidt@mac-bsa.org.