S.A. downhill ladies

[nigelhicks]

Also you need to remember that internationally there is NO DH for any rider under 16!!! So we are actually making big strides with development of youngsters in DH ... both male and female ...

 

Internationally anyone younger than 16 is not allowed to race - i think they have to go and do Enduro??? I think .... 

[nigelhicks]

Regarding the funding / prize money for the weekend you are forgetting the following.

 

All the prize money (except the Enduro) is based upon the sanctioning criteria set out by the UCI. 

 

For an "out of category" (HC) XCO event (which is one below a UCI world cup), there are set prize monies that have to be given out. 

 

The same of the XCO Masters.

 

The prize money for the DH is in line with the prize money across the board at every round of the CSA NAtional series - so you cant change this for one event as that may marginalise the other events and riders who cant make this event. Also remember that for some daft reason CSA did not make the National series DH categorised in the UCI this year - so there is no Cat 1 status as we have for the XCO rounds ... so again to have the prize money that they do is ok. 

 

I am really stoked that Alec and CSA came on board and gave prize money for the enduro at a level that is consistent with that of the EWS! EVEN THOUGH it is not a UCI category and has no stipulation regarding prize money.... It is a good gauge for us to show the EWS that we can do this and have the capabilities to handle an event of this magnitude ...

[KathF]

Also, someone posted that pic of Rachel, Manon and Tahnee earlier. Read a little bit about those extremely talented women online and you will see that each of them has the complete and utter backing of their brothers and fathers, and have done since they were little. In SA we tend to find that most girls are princessed up to be very precious about what sports they can and can't do, and that doesn't stop at the cycling disciplines. Girls are prodded to stay in XC because it's 'safer' and that's where the 'money and sponsors' are.

 

Sure CSA could do more, but it kinda starts with how girls are raised and what they believe they can and can't do. Beani is a product of talent and determination, combined with supportive parents, and very supportive men in her life - her Pops, Greg Min and the lads at GMC her help her out so much - it's great to see men backing women so much. It's truly wonderful, and when the bike brands and institutions start backing little girls from a young age, it'll help more in transferring them out of the safety zones and into the adventure zones.

 

And ja, I'd say KZN's progressive nature is working. Kim Westbrook has charged, in her early to later twenties, from a beginner rider into being one of the top XC ladies in the country and marched right into winning Enduro's left right and centre, and she won the last St Ives Provincial DH, while getting stuck in with digging, building and organising events in between. It's flipping awesome to see that transition and overlap - which happened as the scene began to get healthier in KZN.

 

Time will tell In the mean time, let your little girl ramp stuff in the garden and let her ride her strider to preschool. My friend does that with his three year old, and I'm pretty sure she's going to settle straight into being the SA Women's DH Champ in about 14 years...maybe 10 years actually at the rate she is going.

[blondeonabike]

Also, someone posted that pic of Rachel, Manon and Tahnee earlier. Read a little bit about those extremely talented women online and you will see that each of them has the complete and utter backing of their brothers and fathers, and have done since they were little. In SA we tend to find that most girls are princessed up to be very precious about what sports they can and can't do, and that doesn't stop at the cycling disciplines. Girls are prodded to stay in XC because it's 'safer' and that's where the 'money and sponsors' are.

 

Sure CSA could do more, but it kinda starts with how girls are raised and what they believe they can and can't do. Beani is a product of talent and determination, combined with supportive parents, and very supportive men in her life - her Pops, Greg Min and the lads at GMC her help her out so much - it's great to see men backing women so much. It's truly wonderful, and when the bike brands and institutions start backing little girls from a young age, it'll help more in transferring them out of the safety zones and into the adventure zones.

 

And ja, I'd say KZN's progressive nature is working. Kim Westbrook has charged, in her early to later twenties, from a beginner rider into being one of the top XC ladies in the country and marched right into winning Enduro's left right and centre, and she won the last St Ives Provincial DH, while getting stuck in with digging, building and organising events in between. It's flipping awesome to see that transition and overlap - which happened as the scene began to get healthier in KZN.

 

Time will tell In the mean time, let your little girl ramp stuff in the garden and let her ride her strider to preschool. My friend does that with his three year old, and I'm pretty sure she's going to settle straight into being the SA Women's DH Champ in about 14 years...maybe 10 years actually at the rate she is going.

I agree wholeheartedly with you here Kath

 

The only thing I would add is that guys must encourage their ladies to to join them when they and their mates go ride singletrack and downhill.  Give us girls a little chance and we tend to get the hang of things quite quickly.   The notion of a "guy" ride (singletrack) and "ladies" ride (district roads) is nonsense.

[NicoBoshoff]

At this weekend's Easter Enduro we had 11 and 9 ladies competitors on days 1 and 2 respectively. If I'm not mistaken when the enduro's started there were 3/4 ladies taking part.

[Stretch]

I'm glad to see by bringing up this topic again I wasnt flogged to death by the ladies in the house..but i am really keen to see progression. And yes you are right kath..all three of those girls have got passionate fathers...but..they also have multiple places and facilities to go to provided by the respective councils and cycling bodies and that is what we are lacking. Nige I agree with the brits....as I said earlier..if a parent heard dh they would freak..but enduro..not so much. Too much focus is on xc here..and not enough on dh and enduro...I just wouldn't even know where to start to get things going for a junior enduro skills morning....or even a race.

 

We have enough people here to promote and set a morning session up....instruct and advise. I can help with promotion....but I can't easily do the rest....

[Stretch]

any ladies try take Amanda Batty up on her offer?

 

just got to sort out accommodation and airfare 

 

but seriously..great initiative

 

http://www.bicycling.com/racing/mountain-biking/pro-downhiller-amanda-batty-wants-pay-you-race

[RockCoach]

Also, someone posted that pic of Rachel, Manon and Tahnee earlier. Read a little bit about those extremely talented women online and you will see that each of them has the complete and utter backing of their brothers and fathers, and have done since they were little. In SA we tend to find that most girls are princessed up to be very precious about what sports they can and can't do, and that doesn't stop at the cycling disciplines. Girls are prodded to stay in XC because it's 'safer' and that's where the 'money and sponsors' are.

 

Sure CSA could do more, but it kinda starts with how girls are raised and what they believe they can and can't do. Beani is a product of talent and determination, combined with supportive parents, and very supportive men in her life - her Pops, Greg Min and the lads at GMC her help her out so much - it's great to see men backing women so much. It's truly wonderful, and when the bike brands and institutions start backing little girls from a young age, it'll help more in transferring them out of the safety zones and into the adventure zones.

 

And ja, I'd say KZN's progressive nature is working. Kim Westbrook has charged, in her early to later twenties, from a beginner rider into being one of the top XC ladies in the country and marched right into winning Enduro's left right and centre, and she won the last St Ives Provincial DH, while getting stuck in with digging, building and organising events in between. It's flipping awesome to see that transition and overlap - which happened as the scene began to get healthier in KZN.

 

Time will tell In the mean time, let your little girl ramp stuff in the garden and let her ride her strider to preschool. My friend does that with his three year old, and I'm pretty sure she's going to settle straight into being the SA Women's DH Champ in about 14 years...maybe 10 years actually at the rate she is going.

well said!

I wish it worked 100% though Kath. You know our daughter, how she was brought up as a trail rider, wanting to ride DH and that she always had our full support but just didn't take that leap. Actually now that she's out of the house and moving to CT she might do it on her own...

[KathF]

Hello all...

 

So the KZN ladies have been strategising around creating a team of female riders in order to support and develop female gravity riding, not just in KZN but in SA. Essentially, it's frustrating for us to not be able to race away from from KZN due to the high cost of travel (most of us earn pretty average salaries and work full time) but even more frustrating when we hear people saying "Ah the women's scene is so dead, the women don't support the Nationals or the SA Champs" and so on. You know those dreams where you want to scream or run away but you can't make a noise or actually move your feet? It feels kind of like that...

 

So my question here, since we've done a lot of debating over how to structure it and how to fund it, is: what sponsors would you recommend we approach to garner funding for travel/accommodation/race entries - the things we need actual money for versus product? We have a budget, we have set objectives, aims and deliverables for sponsors - we have it planned out really well - but we're getting pretty stuck at the next point.

 

We'd be less of a pure race team and more of an SA version of Trek Gravity Girls (except we don't have a bike sponsor, ha ha) so our objective is to do really cools articles, videos, have a Facebook page and Twitter Account - but we'd do all the DH & Enduro KZN provincials, the National series, the Champs and if we can get the funding we'd travel for Gauteng and WC races too.

 

Just throwing it out there - would like to know people's thoughts, suggestions and recommendations? We're a professional crew of women so a professional approach is what we want.

 

Shot!

[Stretch]

Let me ponder this week while i have my feet up kath

[Iwan Kemp]

Hello all...

 

So the KZN ladies have been strategising around creating a team of female riders in order to support and develop female gravity riding...

 

 

Drop me a PM with your details. I'm in CT, but would be willing to donate / give-away / commit / hang about some of my time to the cause.

 

My time would involve helping with "the next step" and getting some strat and direction going.

 

Spoke about this the weekend with someone in the trade abd realized that if we're going to sit around and wait for CSA / PPA to make this happen then, well...you know the rest.

[Danger Dassie]

As professionals some of you are media/marketing types. Generate a press pack. Throw together in a word doc a small profile of your team, what it's about and the riders etc. 
Some photos with captions/byelines, not much just a couple cool shots 5-10 max and a composite of head and shoulder shots of each rider into a single image.

 

Send this to all the cycling/sports media, more often than not they'll publish online with syndicated content.

 

That will give you a platform and help create the footprint you need for sponsors.

 

Also speak to the women's commision within CSA, Lise is a former pro and still a competitive rider.

[KathF]

Let me ponder this week while i have my feet up kath

Ponder away Stretch, ponder away - ps why are your feet up?

[KathF]

As professionals some of you are media/marketing types. Generate a press pack. Throw together in a word doc a small profile of your team, what it's about and the riders etc. 

Some photos with captions/byelines, not much just a couple cool shots 5-10 max and a composite of head and shoulder shots of each rider into a single image.

 

Send this to all the cycling/sports media, more often than not they'll publish online with syndicated content.

 

That will give you a platform and help create the footprint you need for sponsors.

 

Also speak to the women's commision within CSA, Lise is a former pro and still a competitive rider.

Thanks Danger Dassie - yep we have something along those lines in the pipeline (actually been fiddling with InDesign and collecting pics etc). Our main 'stumper' is that we've been trying to brainstorm brands that are not necessarily cycling related but are women related - like Nivea, First for Women Insurance, Mitchum Women etc. - but I sort of don't know how to get an inward edge there. I don't personally know people who work in those industries but I know that in order to get financial support we're going to need to look outside of the cycling industry as the actual bike brands, distributors and cycling stores have a bit of a marketing ceiling so to speak, and we have actually been trying to talk to CSA. But perhaps the wrong person...Lise may be a better person to approach.

[KathF]

Drop me a PM with your details. I'm in CT, but would be willing to donate / give-away / commit / hang about some of my time to the cause.

 

My time would involve helping with "the next step" and getting some strat and direction going.

 

Spoke about this the weekend with someone in the trade abd realized that if we're going to sit around and wait for CSA / PPA to make this happen then, well...you know the rest.

Thanks Iwan, will definitely drop you my deets. Appreciate the offer to help It seems so simple until you try and map it out properly...and then it's a lot less simple.

[Stretch]

Ponder away Stretch, ponder away - ps why are your feet up?

On holiday in zululand..no bikes..just a few beers and nature