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Nov 2, 2005 6:54 pm US/Pacific
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Teaching Life Lessons On East Bay Trails
by Kate Kelly
(CBS 5)
Former math teacher Matt Fritzinger didn't always get a big response from teaching algebra. But when students try his mountain biking program, they can't get enough.
"You definitely push yourself," says rider Andy Goessling. "You get really fit, really fast. It's just a whole lot of fun!"
The fun is what draws kids into a program that also teaches them critical life lessons.
"They get a sense of empowerment," Fritzinger says. "They realize they can do more than they first realized."
Six years ago, the former road racer invited students at Berkeley High School to try something new.
"In my second year of teaching I just kind of, on a whim, thought I'd see how many kids would respond to a bulletin and want to be a part of a bike team," Fritzinger recalls.
That first year there were four students. There are now more than 30 young men and women who go out for the team. We caught up with them at a recent meeting of the Berkeley High team. The focus at that meeting was on safety and conduct on the trails. Principal Jim Slemp says those skills help make for better people.
"It's a tremendous outlet. It fits perfectly with high school age kids," Slemp says. "It's an activity, but really connects kids to the school. He really works to recruit all kinds of kids, and helps them to be better human beings."
Riders practice three times a week to get in shape for the spring racing season.
"It's a sport that works for all body types," Fritzinger says. "I've seen really tall, large kids…I've seen kids lose 40 pounds."
To race mountain bikes takes strength, agility and endurance. Those are qualities that benefit every high schooler. So Matt quit his teaching job at Berkeley high school to focus full time on the Northern California High School Mountain Bike League.
He created the league in 2000 to give his new team competition from their teenage peers. Now he helps coordinate six racing events between February and May. He's been instrumental in developing other high school mountain bike programs throughout Northern California, 30 schools and growing, making it one of the largest high school cycling programs in the nation. Anyone who can't afford a bike gets help buying one.
"We see our kids become goal-oriented," Fritzinger says. "The cycling seems to add momentum to their life."
For providing students with athletic opportunities that set them on the trail to success, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Matt Fritzinger.
The league holds its big fundraiser next week. To learn more, visit
http://www.norcalmtb.org/
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)