iCanBike Camp at MSU teaches individuals with special needs to ride two-wheel bicycles
Contact: Camille Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥斞侵奚墒悠碘檚 Department of Kinesiology is hosting its third annual iCanBike Camp May 16-20 in the Sanderson Center. The program is offered in partnership with the non-profit charity iCan Shine and teaches participants with special needs how to independently ride a two-wheel bicycle.
iCan Shine is a national organization that works with local organizations to host camps in individual communities. Staff members travel the country conducting the camps and have an average success rate of 80%. Participants attend one 75-minute session each day for five consecutive days.
Associate Professor of Kinesiology Gregg Twietmeyer said the benefits are two-fold:
鈥攑articipants can learn the joys of riding a bike, which can lead to increased self-esteem, self-confidence, physical fitness and peer inclusion; and
鈥擬SU students, who volunteer as spotters for the riders, get to see firsthand the important role of physical activity and play in human well-being and culture.
鈥淥ur goal is to help as many riders and their families as possible in 2022, especially after a two-year COVID hiatus. This is the only camp in Mississippi and one of only a handful across the entire American South,鈥 Twietmeyer said. 鈥淭he more kids we enroll, the more kids we can help discover the joys of riding a bike.鈥
To be eligible to register for the camp, participants must be at least eight years old and have a diagnosed disability. They must have a minimum inseam of 20 inches, weigh less than 220 pounds and be able to walk without assistive devices. Teens and adults may participate as well.
The registration fee is $100 and some scholarships are available for those in need. Riders who attend Starkville Oktibbeha County School District can attend the camp for free thanks to a partnership between SOCSD and the university.
For more information on registration or volunteering, visit . For more details on registering via the partnership with SOCSD, contact Julie Jones, The SOCSD Director of Student Support Services at jujones@starkville.k12.ms.us or 662-615-0059.
For more on the camp or to inquire about a scholarship, contact Gregg Twietmeyer at g.twietmeyer@msstate.edu or 662-268-7533.
Individuals interested in helping to defray the costs through financial donations or sponsorships may contact Trish Cunetto, director of development for the MSU College of Education, at tcunetto@colled.msstate.edu or 662-325-6762.
Established in 1903, MSU鈥檚 College of Education is home to six academic departments, one research unit and numerous service units. For more about the college, visit .
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