Bailey Middle School Champion Stephanie Ford, Principal Chad Thomas, Spirited Cyclist Bike Shop staff and Bailey resource officer, Patrick Malderalli celebrate completing the bike builds for the Riding for Focus Program.

Veteran educator Stephanie Ford recognized the potential value of an innovative program using bicycle riding to encourage student development. And representatives of the Spirited Cyclist Bike Shop, with locations in Davidson and Huntersville, North Carolina, were intrigued by the prospect of introducing young people to the world of cycling while also supporting a local school. As a result, Bailey Middle School in Cornelius is now part of Outride’s Riding for Focus program.

Spirited Cyclist Bike Shop includes four locally owned stores—Spirited Cyclist (Huntersville and Davidson ), Uptown Cycles, First Flight Bikes. They span collectively among four communities and share a common warehouse for supplying bikes. The shops are a short 10 minute drive from the hustle and bustle of Charlotte, North Carolina. The shop has been key to the success of Bailey Middle School.

Riding for Focus School Champion, Stephanie Ford shared, “Spirited Cyclist and employees have really been the backbone of my success. We are still in the beginning stages with our first year interrupted with COVID-19. I finished out Spring Semester teaching Outride online. On a normal day school administrators are so busy with the everyday routine of running a successful middle school (now not so routine) that I feel blessed to have Spirited Cyclist as a mentor/support of sorts.” The program is currently on hold due to virtual learning but fully expect to be up and biking for second semester

Bailey principal, Chad Thomas will have overall responsibility for its development. Bailey Physical Education teacher, Stephanie Ford, wrote the grant proposal that provides $30,000 for the program, and she will handle its day-to-day engagement. Cornelius police officer who is also the four-year Bailey resource officer, Patrick Malderalli, will accompany Ford and students on their 30-minute thrice a week warm-up rides. Students are accustomed to seeing Office Malderalli on two wheels since he already patrols the sprawling campus on a bike because it helps him get from place to place most efficiently.

Technicians from Spirited Cyclist’s Davidson and Huntersville stores assembled the new bikes at no cost, and will maintain them for a year. James Good, a member of the Spirited Cyclist ownership team, said the program takes advantage of the benefits of cycling. He said, “It’s a great way to get kids off of video games. Everyone gets involved, and no one gets to sit on the sidelines.”

PE teacher Stephanie Ford said she’s looking forward to the advent of the program, and noted that Bailey Park, and its associated neighborhoods and greenways, provide many areas for participants to explore. She said, “It’s also one of few forms of exercise that virtually any student can participate in. It quickly builds up confidence and gives kids a sense of accomplishment, freedom, and adventure. It improves the dynamic of student-to-student and student-to-teacher relationships. And it’s fun!”

“I had known about the program for several years, and tried before to get a grant, said Ford. She shared after her 2016 grant application was denied, she still “kept up with the program and how it was working in other places. And then Cathy called and asked if we were up for trying again.” That “Cathy” was Cathy Mathews, an advocate and public liaison for Spirited Cyclist who reached out to Ford after discussing the program with colleagues.

“We heard about the program and it just sounded like a perfect fit,” Mathews said. James Good, part of the Spirited Cyclist management team, agreed.

“I think Stephanie was working on this for years, and when we found out about it, it just seemed like a really great program,” Good said. “I’m glad we’re part of it.”

Boosted by the company’s support, Ford recommitted to the application process, which included recruiting some students to produce a video to accompany the paperwork. “Stephanie did all the hard work to pursue this,” Mathews said, “but I think having support, a connection to the community, made the application more powerful.”

Cheers for Spirited Cyclist Bike Shop and Bailey Middle School!