While we’re mainly "dyed -in-the-wool" roadies here, whenever a noble cause or charity comes our way – we like to report on it – even if it takes us from the "road" a bit.
Such is the case with Amanda Batty, who’s willing to pay other women to race, through Proving Possible project.
Here’s her ditty:
What IS Proving Possible?
The #ProvingPossible project is an ongoing effort to inspire women all over the world to ‘Prove Your Own Possible’. We’re focused on helping women and girls push their limits by trying new sports to raise the level of both female progression and recognition inside of the action sports industry.
Check out the hashtag and submit your own #ProvingPossible moments on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using the #ProvingPossible and#GirlsOnBigBikes hashtags!
The way we look at it, racing downhill can be both intimidating and expensive. However, we’re pretty obsessed with how much fun it is and we believe that if given the chance to just try it out, other ladies will agree with us. So we’re offering to pay for the first downhill race entry fee to get women in that start gate and excited about the radness that is racing.
The clinics are part of a similar effort: girls on bikes. If racing is scary or intimidating, we want to take care of that, too. The more we know, the less we fear. So why not prepare our lady friends to best navigate a downhill race course by giving them tips and tricks to make racing as fun as we think it is?
Yeah. It makes sense to us, too.
Race entry fee coverage is open to any female of any riding ability and age for any legitimate race, anywhere and any time during the 2015 race season. Race fee applicants must be first-time racers and have never raced a downhill race, but the clinics are open to any experience level!
Welcome to my world.
BIO:
Bikes have always been many things to many people and often are used as a form of transportation, but for me, it was a love affair that would never end. My first bike was a rusty red hand-me-down from an older male cousin that my parents painted pink for my 3rd Christmas, and I adored that hunk of metal. My first memories of crashing took place the day I insisted that my father help me learn to ride it, without training wheels. Running beside me, arms splayed into the patriarchal ‘bike holding pattern’ (one hand on the handlebars and one on the back of the seat, simultaneously controlling it from tipping over and propelling the bicycle forward) and yelling, "Pedal, Amanda! Pedal!" before releasing me to the centrifugal force of the spinning wheels. Shortly thereafter, I crashed. In that moment, a pattern was created that would manifest all of my life: hurry up, slow down, do it my way, crash hard and start over.
My ultimate goal is to share the love I have for the sports that saved my life and with that, the invaluable sense of self I discovered. I have a deep desire to give others the opportunity to thrive through accessible programs that develop both basic and advanced life skills for people of all ages and backgrounds which will foster growth, change behavioral patterns and promote healing. People who feel capable and empowered feel more able to change the world; it all starts with building up the self-worth of an individual, and self-worth is a powerful thing. I also seek to sustainably grow the ski and bike industries through public awareness and ambassadorship so that the long-range profitability of our businesses merge seamlessly with their societal impact. To quote Andrew Carnegie: "To do good, businesses must do good."
I have a firm belief that there’s a place in this world for every single person. I was lucky enough to find mine atop a bike and on skis, but not everyone is. Whether it’s raising awareness about the overall impact of our individual responsibility, or building communities through acceptance and healing, we all should be able to find our own place.
GO FAST. GET ROWDY. PLAY NICE.©
http://www.amandabatty.com/#!about/c10fk
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