A pair of young women from central Alberta had to get creative when the novel coronavirus cost them their summer jobs.
“I was a little frustrated because I didn’t know what I was going to do this summer and I needed some money for college,” 18-year-old Bethany Kiers said.
Bethany was planning to work at a summer camp in Saskatchewan, while her 20-year-old sister Barbara was supposed to do the same in B.C. Both were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So we were both looking for jobs, but they’re not super easy to come by right now,” Barbara explained.
The sisters decided to take a chance on themselves and launch their own day camp for kids: Pedal 2 the Metal.
“Biking seemed like the best option because the kids are already distanced from each other naturally,” Bethany said.
Their plan is simple: keep the kids safe and entertained.
“Having lots of experience at camp made us feel prepared to tackle something more on our own and it allowed us to plan some of the activities that we’ll have and facilitate a fun environment for the kids,” Barbara said.
The camps start mid-July and will run five days a week, for four hours a day.
“Each day we’ll teach a little bit, maybe about bike maintenance, how to wash your bike,” Bethany explained.
But there will also be plenty of riding, she added.
“It’s summer, we don’t need to be learning all the time. It’s not school. We should have some fun as well.”
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Their new business was an instant success. It turns out families in Lacombe had been waiting for something like this.
“It’s probably the first organized activity of the summer that we’ve heard of. The kids love to bike,” said mom of two Marti Doktorchik.
“I think they need to learn some skills, some safety skills and how to get off their training wheels.”
The sisters are catering their bike-riding camps to kids based on age.
“The older kids are like, ‘Oh we want to learn how to jump a little!’ That’s awesome, maybe we’ll have a few little jumps and can safely teach them to ride properly and have new skills,” Barbara said.
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Spaces are almost full a month before the camps begin.
“I think the thing they’re most excited about is the chance to socialize with other kids and get out biking with them,” Doktorchik said.
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