What a great way to start the season...
BANNISTER RIDING SKILLS AND COACHING DAY
141 kids got the season off to a great start, by attending the Riding Skills Coaching day at Bannister, with 62 of them attending coaching for their first time.
It was the first time we have used this property at Bannister and it turned out to be a great one for Coaching & improving rider skills.
It had a good open paddock area to practice basic skills, and then lots of rocky outcrops, creeks and tight bush to practice more advanced Enduro skills.
The morning got under way with a talk on Protective Gear and Bike Set up & Maintenance.
Once out of the way, riders headed out to their designated skill area to start the morning skills practice.
Riders were divided into two main Groups.
Group 1 - Riders renewing their 5 hours (competency certificate) and brushing up on their skills before the race season. This group was divided into 7 smaller groups.
Set out around the paddock were 7 skill areas, covering all basic riding skills of Body Position, Clutch & Throttle Control, Braking, Starts, Cornering, Logs and Rocks.
Each group was led from skill to skill by a Lead/Demo rider.
Group 2 - First time (Kickstart) riders who were divided into 4 smaller groups.
They also had their own separate area with a variety of basic skills set out around the paddock.
In total 24 Coaches & Assistants took the riders through the best technique for each skill.
After a quick bite to eat at Lunch time, a talk on “What to Expect” at the next event was given.
Running through the basics of how an Enduro works to filling out time cards etc.
In the afternoon riders were led around a challenging 6km trail section by the lead riders, to put into practice the skills they had learnt in the morning.
The Coaches positioned themselves at various points along the trail to provide guidance through some technical sections.
Some riders found the trail to be quite challenging in the dry conditions with very little traction.
At the end of the day all riders were presented with an Achievement Certificate by their coaches and all went in the draw for some fantastic spot prizes from the Sponsors of JORE.
A big thanks goes out to the Wessell’s Family for the generous use of their property, and to all the volunteers & sponsors that made the day possible.
It was very rewarding to see the improvement in so many riders throughout the day. We now have 141 kids “Ready to Race!”
Looking forward to the first competitive event of the season.
Winton Lawton
Junior Event Co-Ordinator
Trail Section Footage available HERE.
