The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
They may not know a bottom bracket from a bar end. But with a little practice and helpful advice, cyclists in Thompson with a with a do-it-yourself attitude could be adjusting derailleurs and replacing brake pads at the community bike shop that will open this summer. 'It's a bike shop where you get your bike fixed but you fix it yourself,' says Bruce Krentz, regional health promotion coordinator with the Northern Regional Health Authority and an avid year-round cyclist. Unlike your garage or workshop at home, however, it will have volunteers and even a couple of iPads to help walk people through the bike repair process. 'The volunteers are basically expert knowledge,' says Krentz. The initiative is a partnership of Hope North, a regional suicide prevention committee and Mission Possible, a Hope North subcommittee, as well as other organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Thompson. 'Mission Possible will pay for the shed (that will house the bike shop) and stuff to go in it,' says Krentz. The Boys and Girls Club will not only provide a site for the shop, which will be in operation two nights a week through the summer, but also the labour and expertise to erect the building that houses it. 'One of the main reasons for wanting to start this shop is because it meets Boys and Girls Club outcomes,' says Melanie Cherevaty, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Thompson. Those outcomes include promoting physical activity, providing children and youth with new opportunities, building relevant new skills and promoting involvement with the community. The bike shop will be one of several new programs offered by the Boys and Girls Club. Others include Power Up, a homework, learning and computer research program; Creation Nation, which encourages children and youth to express themselves through arts, crafts and music; and Cool Moves, a recreation program that offers various sports and recreational programs to promote healthy living. Krentz says the idea appealed to Hope North and Mission Possible because they are always looking for positive activities for youth that aren't sports-related. 'Not everybody's an athlete,' he says. _ Ian Graham, Thompson Citizen
