Health & Fitness
Youth Off-Road Riders to Ride RAGBRAI w/ ICPD
Henri Harper, ICPD community outreach assistant, and Tony Branch, Neighborhood Centers' Youth Program Director, organize RAGBRAI youth team.
Captions: 1. Henri Harper, the Iowa City Police Department's community outreach assistant. 2. Tony Branch, the Neighborhood Centers' Youth Program Director. 3. From left, Jim Conzemius, City of Iowa City transit operator, long-time RAGBRAI bicyclist, and bicycling commuter; on right, Maria Conzemius, Iowa City Patch blogger and long-time RAGBRAI bicyclist (both Jim and Maria belong to the MelonHead cycling team).
Henri Harper, the Iowa City Police Department’s community outreach assistant, called a meeting at the Iowa City Public Library on November 9th, 2016, for people willing to help him, the police department, and Tony Branch, the Neighborhood Centers’ Youth Program Director, to put together a youth RAGBRAI team from Iowa City. The team, already fit as in racing-team fit, is called the Youth Off-Road Riders.
Henri, Tony, Brian Loring, the Neighborhood Centers director; Laurie Roetlin, Iowa City Community School District board director, and her child, Ellie; Emily Bothell, assistant Transport planner for the City of Iowa City; Wayne Fett, retired Recreation Center staff; Jim Conzemius, City of Iowa City transit operator and long-time RAGBRAI bicyclist/bicycling commuter; and Maria Conzemius, Iowa City Patch blogger and long-time RAGBRAI bicyclist were in attendance.
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Parents of the Youth Off-Road Riders are involved. They sign a contract that they’ll make sure their kids ride safely. Helmets are a must. Bob Oplinger of the Bike Library is assisting.
Five Iowa City police officers have volunteered to accompany the junior high and high school aged youth (six kids): Jory Bailey, Ashton Hayes, David Swindt, Troy Kelsay, and possibly Colin Fowler. (C’mon, Colin!)
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McDonald’s might do the jerseys.
Jim and I are doing the camping and planning process. We’re also lending out a large tent if needed. Henri doesn’t want to stay in the main RAGBRAI campgrounds. Jim and I promised to find little county campgrounds where we’d camp in the days when we used to camp with our kids when they were little and young teens.