Q & A with Sarah Averill

Maria: How did you get involved in WE Ride?

Sarah: My son rides with the Youth Off Road Riders, and I was looking for a way to support Johnson County youth riding services. My son is a teenager and is pretty independent, so he didn’t want his mom hanging around and driving him crazy. Tony
told me they were doing a camp for girls in the summer. That seemed like the right place for me to help out. I met Audrey through the camp and helped with a couple of the summer group rides after the camp. I then continued to ride to school with the WE Ride group on Wednesdays.

Maria: Why do you think it is important that girls are taught the mechanical side of biking?

Sarah: If you understand that you can maintain and repair your own bicycle, it translates to other areas of your life. I’ve had that in my own schooling. I was intimidated by chemistry and physics, but had learned several languages in my life. I knew if I could learn a language, I could learn chemistry. It’s just another set of symbols with definitions. Likewise, for young girls and bikes.

Maria: How do you think WE Ride will make a difference?
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Sarah: WE Ride can make a difference by encouraging young girls to use their bodies in healthy, active ways. It’s a way for them to expand their thinking around what is available to them in life. A bike engages your senses and expands your world.