Contact: Paige Watson
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State is announcing its first Bulldog Bike Camp to teach participants with disabilities how to independently operate a bicycle.
The May 23-27 program is being organized by the university’s kinesiology department, in partnership with iCan Shine, a Pennsylvania-based philanthropic organization that helps make possible bike camps throughout the United States. For more on iCanShine, see www.icanshine.org.
All activities will be held on campus at the Sanderson Center recreation facility.
Participants must be at least 8 years old, weigh less than 220 pounds and have a diagnosed disability. Additionally, they must have a minimum inseam of 20 inches and be able to walk without assistive devices. Teens and adults are welcomed.
A single, 75-minute session will take place daily for five consecutive days. According to organizers, the program has an average success rate of approximately 80 percent.
Complete details and a registration form are found at www.bulldogbike.msstate.edu.
The attendance fee is $100 per person. A limited number of need-based scholarships are available.
Gregg Twietmeyer, MSU assistant professor of sports studies and sports philosophy, is camp director. He said benefits of the program are two-fold.
“On one hand, participants can learn the joys of riding a bike, which can lead to increased self-esteem and confidence,” he said. “Secondly, MSU students volunteering as spotters for the riders will get to see firsthand the important roles of physical activity and play in human well-being and culture.”
A Pennsylvania State University doctoral graduate, Twietmeyer said “physical activity and play are part of the good life,” adding that, “As kinesiologists, we’re always excited when barriers to physical activity can be removed, which is exactly what this camp does.”
Organizing the camp has been “an amazing experience” because it can “help bring the joys of riding a bike to an underserved population,” he said.
The kinesiology department is part of MSU’s College of Education. For more, visit www.kinesiology.msstate.edu.
Individuals interested in helping defray costs of Bike Camp participation through financial donations or becoming a camp sponsor should contact Trish Cunetto, COE development director, at 662-325-6762 or tcunetto@foundation.msstate.edu.
For information about camp scholarships, telephone Twietmeyer at 662-268-7533.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.