Dear Shredders MTB parents,

The recent Amber Alert and circumstances around it have shaken our entire community. We are an organization made up of families with parents and kids who ride bikes in parks – so it all hits especially close to home. As a result, our team is re-evaluating our child safety measures and adding to our policies and practices to ensure our program is as safe as we can make it.

What we currently do:

• ALL Shredders Volunteers and Coaches are background checked by a company called Sterling Volunteers.

• All Shredders volunteers and coaches receive annual training in the Spring, which includes a Zoom call and an On-The-Bike session, where we cover bike skills training, but also first aid, trail etiquette, and rider safety training. The deck we use for our Zoom training is here for your reference.

• Each Head Coach carries a phone and a list of emergency contacts for each rider with them at all times. 

• We have developed an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for each of the trail systems at which we ride.

• Before a group ride departs, we do a head count for each group.

• Each ride group typically has two adults. One adult rides at the front as a trail guide. One adult rides at the rear as a sweep. Occasionally a group of three or less might have a single adult who rides at the back. Every group has an adult at the back of the group - there is NEVER a child riding as the last person in the group.

• Many of our coaches have received formal first aid training and certification and all others receive basic first aid guidance as part of our onboarding process. 

• Each group on the trail carries a basic first aid kit and a phone.

What we are adding:

• Starting immediately, we will be adopting the “buddy system”, in line with communication from Saratoga Central Schools. Riders in groups will be assigned a “buddy” to keep track of and care for on rides.

• In 2024, we will be adding additional technology (Garmin inReach Devices or similar) for each of our groups. This will allow us to contact each other/emergency services when out of reach of phone service.

• In 2024, we will also be adopting a new Child Protection Policy (view full policy here). A Child Protection Policy is a written set of policies, procedures and practices employed to make an organization safe for all participating children. Signatures of compliance are required from any adult who would encounter any child in our program.

Guarantees of safety can ring hollow, especially at a time like this. But we want you to know that child safety is our first priority, and we are doing everything we can to ensure every child in Shredders is secure while we continue to have a great time exploring trails on bikes with our friends.