Juniors

 Junior programs are divided into two groups:

Dirt Squirts 3-14yrs
and
Young Guns 13-18yrs

As our programs are evolving rapidly and becoming more and more popular, we are making changes regularly in order to cater for as many participants as possible, in a safe and fun environment. Please continue to check the Junior pages regularly for updates.

At GMBC, we consider the safety and wellbeing of children and young people to be our highest priority.  We achieve this through the following means:

  • Creating an environment for children and young people to be safe and to feel safe
  • Ensuring that all committee members complete the Child Safeguarding In Sport Induction as recommended by Auscycling
  • All committee members are trained in First Aid and have obtained WWCC 
  • Cover off any child related issues / concerns / ideas at each monthly committee meeting
  • Promote, support and build positive relationships between children and young people, and other participants at our events

    We strongly encourage parents or participants at our events to report to us if you have a safeguarding concern about our programs. For example, you may have witnessed a situation that put a child or young person at risk.

    In the first instance, we ask you to raise your concern with one of our committee members who will be able to provide immediate support.

     

 

Young Guns

 The GMBC Young Guns program is a fun, inclusive MTB program which aims to keep teenage Boys and Girls (13-18 years old) riding bikes through to adulthood.

 The program forms an integral part of our clubs Junior Development Program and provides the vital link between our “Dirt Squirts” (3-14 years old) and open age riding. Meeting once a month at various locations the program varies between social rides, skills sessions, race reconnaissance and adventure rides. In January 2020 we will be also holding a Summer Camp in Bright, Victoria (details coming soon!)

 Our sessions are run by our bank of Club Coaches, Junior Mentors, and recognised Junior MTB Coaches. All Coaches are accredited, hold a working with children certification and hold first aid certificates. To find our more about our upcoming events visit our club calendar or our junior specific social media platforms, Facebook, GMBC Junior Development Program.

 All participants are required to be a member of AUSCycling. Membership offers multiple benefits from insurance through to discounted race entry. If you’re unsure, give the AUSCycling 4 week trial membership a go first!

If you have any questions feel free to contact us either via social media or click on our contacts page.

 

  

Dirt Squirts

What is a Dirt Squirt ?

Dirt Squirts is GMBC’s junior program for boys and girls between 3-14 years old who love to ride their mountain bike!

We have a variety of events and skills rides at the You Yangs Mountain Bike Park throughout the year.

The Dirt Squirts Program is based around a fun relaxed racing format where the focus is on fun and gaining skills through a typical club Cross Country racing format. 

We use Entry Boss for Entering the Races Link https://entryboss.cc/ and to participate your child will need to have a Race License through AUSCycling https://www.auscycling.org.au/

There is more information below under the FAQ below.

 

Frequently asked questions –

Do I need my own bike ?

  • Yes. You need your own, suitable bike in good working order and a well fitted Australian Standards approved helmet.
  • Please ensure that the brakes and gears are in good working order and bar plugs are installed
  • Young kids can use balance bikes to develop their skills riding on the dirt – no bikes with training wheels please as they are unsuitable for riding off road and encourage bad riding habits (we have two balance bikes available to test out at our events)
  • All riders must have water, water bottles or camelbacks are most suitable.
  • Optional/Encouraged items include sunglasses, sunscreen, gloves (long finger).

Do I need to be a AUSCycling member to Participate?

What is GMBC’s policy on age limits for Dirt Squirts participation ?

  • GMBC uses day of age on the day of the event to determine age category.  If the event is part of a series – i.e. Dirt Squirts Summer series or Dirt Squirts Winter series, then it is their age at the last event in the series.  This allows riders to complete the series in the one age group eg. Under 6 must be 3-5 years of age, Under 8 must be 6-7 years of age, Under 11 must be 8-10 years of age, under 13 must be 11-12 years of age and Under 15 must be 13-14 years of age.  We believe that this is in the best interest of the childs progressive development and enjoyment of their mountain biking into the future.

Who leads and organises the rides/races?

  • Experienced coaches lead the Dirt Squirts skills sessions with other coaches occasionally helping out too.
  • GMBC also has several variously qualified Skills Coaches to help the kids enjoy their mountain biking in a fun, safe environment.
  • DS Parent helpers also support the DS program in various roles.
  • We are all volunteers and active GMBC club members committed to providing a fun, safe environment for kids to enjoy mountain biking.

How do I purchase a GMBC subsidised Dirt Squirts jersey ?

  • Order from entry boss
  • Sold below cost to members only for $40 each

Can my Mum or Dad ride with me?

  • At our skills sessions, we like to encourage kids to become independent on their bikes, however we understand that beginners may require a little extra encouragement from their parents. Parents are free to take advantage of the time to themselves and take off for a ride while our Level 1 Mountain Bike coaches and ‘Registered Dirt Squirts Parent Helpers’ take the kids for a ride.  However, we do require a small number of registered parent helpers to assist with supervising each group of kids for our skills sessions.
  • During our race events we ask that parents do not ride along side and coach their kids, but feel free to cheer them on from the sidelines. We are striving to to acheive a fun and friendly race environment for everyone. Under 6 Course is visable at all times. Our emphasis is on participation and maximising kids enjoyment and safety in our race events.

How can I become a Dirt Squirts volunteer ?

  • Just turn up at one of our events and offer to help with course marshalling, fruit preparation, number plate collection, set up or pack up.
  • Our events don’t run without the dedication of enthusiastic parents to help create the fun, family friendly environment that we are famous for.

How do I contact the Dirt Squirts crew?

  • You can email the Dirt Squirts crew via our contact form https://gmbc.com.au/contact-us/ – please allow a couple days for a response as we are volunteers trying to get in a bit of ride time for ourselves too!!
  • Emails will be sent out to remind you of our major events – if you want to be included on this list please contact us.
  • You can also check out the GMBC facebook page for regular updates. 
  • We also have a ‘GMBC Junior Development’ Program Facebook page for all relevant information on junior mountain biking. It is a closed group, so you will have to request to be a member.

Working with Children Check

Geelong Mountain Bike Club is a childsafe club.  It is important to us to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for young people, and we are constantly assessing our operations to ensure we are fulfilling our responsibilities under the AusCycling Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy.

We have been working toward ensuring all our volunteers have a Working With Children Check (WWCC), and Service Victoria has just made this a little easier for us all. You are now able to download your WWCC to your digital wallet. The link to the instructions is below.

From the Winter race season, we will be asking all volunteers at races where U18 are present to show their WWCC. 

This will include marshals, first aiders, photographers, timing and race/event coordination.

For members with a WWCC, could you please add GMBC to your check. This is a straight-forward process that will only take a few minutes of your time.

GMBC contact details for WWCC:
PO Box 496, Geelong 3220 VIC
Mob: 0407 433 682

If you don’t have a WWCC, it is free for volunteers to sign up – we encourage you to do so, the link is below.

To add your WWCC to your digital wallet:

Working with Children Check ID (service.vic.gov.au)

To sign up for a WWCC: 

Working with Children Check | Working and Volunteering | Service Victoria

For more information on the AusCycling Policy:

Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy Template 2023 (auscycling.org.au)

 

Remember GMBC is a 100% volunteer run organisation, so even if you can only spare a little time here and there – please go and get your WWCC for free and be ready to support us when your schedule permits.