Our Junior Development Process

The Junior Development Process (JDP) is an evolving development pathway for Mountainbike Tauranga junior riders.

The aim is to support riders with relevant platforms to boost their love and development within Mountain Biking. The process encourages and guides riders through their school years. There are even options for assistance moving on from school into the world.

Since 2016 when the first piece of the puzzle was put in place, the JDP has grown to accommodate the needs of our young riders. It is designed so riders and their families can be as involved in the process as much they desire. The JDP focuses on four key areas. Each area is focused on at different ages and stages of a child’s development.

The four key areas include Skill Learning, Social Development, Physical Development and Mental Development. These four areas are developed across a range of platforms. These platforms include the Junior Academy, Youth Academy, Academy Camps, ImPASS, Tauranga Development Squad and Fulltime Training Program. Every single one of these platforms have lessons that can be applied to enhance life outside of Mountain Biking.

Junior Academy

The Junior Academy is our Primary School program during term 1 & 4.

The Junior Academy is built to encourage new riders into the sport of Mountain biking. Starting as young as year 3, the Junior Academy provides a fun environment for social interaction, physical development and skill learning with a safe and supportive culture.

Riders are supervised by a knowledgeable, experienced & responsible team of older riders during sessions as they explore the park, build their skills, create friendships and more!

The sessions are structured so riders have freedom to be themselves and explore their limits while still playing, learning and having fun with our support. Sessions include adventure riding, riding challenges, skills sessions, bike games, teamwork activities, informal races and the most common request… Jumps!

Session Specific info

Where: Summerhill MTB Park

Who – Club Riders Year 3 to 6.

Time of year – Term 1 and 4.

Time of week – Monday evenings.

Time of Day – 4:45pm to 5:45pm.

Grading? There is no grading for the Junior Academy.

The first session of term 4 will be on the 12th of October.

Registering

All Junior Academy riders must be a Member of Mountainbike Tauranga to register.

Registrations can be found on this page. Check back between the 12th of September and 12th October to register.

Cost: $80 per term

Open evenings

We will be having an open evening to try out the Junior Academy on Monday 14th September at Summerhill between 4:45 and 5:45.

For more information Contact: [email protected]

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Youth Academy Intermediate & High School

The Youth Academy plays a central role in the Junior Development Process. There is a huge demand for quality skills coaching and the Youth Academy targets exactly that. With over 100 different riders last summer we have yet again rebuilt the structure to meet the demand. The Youth Academy is a massive opportunity for Skill Learning for rider’s year 7 to 13. Riders are placed into groups no larger than nine, these groups consist of other kids with similar ability to your child. All session plans are designed by Tristan Haycock MTB, each group is assigned a coach for the term so the riders can develop a trusting relationship with their coach.

Throughout the progression of different groups, riders learn a range of different skills encouraging safe, efficient and even competitive riding skills. It is up to the individual what they choose to do with these skills. To deal with large numbers of new riders over the last few seasons we have setup free open days to try out the Youth Academy, and this gives the coaches an opportunity to grade riders to find the group of best fit.

Session Specific info

Where: Oropi MTB Park.

Who: Club riders Year 7 to 13.

Time of year: Term 1 and 4.

Time of week: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings.

Time of day: Sessions last 1 hour and start at 4:30pm, 5:30pm, 6:30pm .

Registering

All Youth Academy riders must be a Member of Mountainbike Tauranga to register.

Registrations can be found on this page. Check back between the 12th of September and 12th October to register.

Cost: $120 per term

New riders to the Academy are expected to attend an open evening to gain grading for correct group placement.

Open Evenings

We have a few options of open evenings for term 4 this year.

4:30 to 5:30pm Oropi MTB Park Thursday 10th September

4:30 to 5:30pm Oropi MTB Park Wednesday 16th September

4:30 to 5:30pm Oropi MTB Park Tuesday 22nd September

Contact: [email protected]

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The camps aim to develop well rounded riders. After completing the four camp progressions riders can walk away with a mechanical understanding of bikes and components, teamwork skills, leadership courage, communication skills, a unique creative perception, in depth knowledge of the sport and more. Riders are taught by a mixture of presentations, theory work, team discussions and practical activities specific to each groups’ stage of development.We have developed many techniques over the years to engage riders and we utilise this knowledge when teaching content to riders.

Where: Around Tauranga.

Who: Academy club riders Year 7 to 13.Time of year: Scattered throughout the year.Duration: 3-day camps.

We are tweaking the Academy Camps. Check back soon!

ImPASS Program

The ImPASS Program is strictly for riders attending high school. For a rider whose only physical activity is riding bikes it can be limiting the diversity of their Physical Development. Balance and diversity are required for healthy Physical Development and the ImPASS program aims to help this area. Improving Power, Agility, Strength & Speed (ImPASS) both on and off the bike is a fun way to achieve this goal in a group environment. While the Youth Academy allows for social interaction over summer, ImPASS does so over the other seasons.

The ImPASS program gives riders’ the ability to further develop over winter with a a focus that isn’t skill based. Riders can join the mailing list to hear about all the training opportunities ImPASS can offer. Riders can then purchase an ‘ImPASS pass’ which allows them to attend sessions. Sessions do not have a set timetable and change each week. Some sessions are on bike, some are on foot. Riders are emailed each week and choose which sessions they want to attend.

Where: Tauranga area.

Who: Academy club riders Year 9 to 13.

Time of year: Term 2 and 3.

Time of week: Varies.

Time of Day: Varies.

Cost: $60 for ten sessions.

Grading? No.

Tauranga Development Squad

As riders move towards the end of high school some decide to race in the many disciplines Mountain Biking has to offer. This can be hugely challenging financially and logistically. The Tauranga Development Squad aims to reduce financial and logistical stress in the short term supporting those riders wishing to pursue Cross Country and Enduro racing. Additionally, the team encourage Social Development of the competitive riders. This helps riders to build networks for their future which can lead to international opportunities after they leave school and enter the elite racing world. This is a unique opportunity to Mountainbike Tauranga riders which no other club offers in New Zealand. Tauranga Development riders are always representing the club as an ambassador to their peers and younger riders.

Who: A rider must be a club members between year 10 and year 12 to apply.

Time of year: All year.

Selection Required: Yes.

Cost: $0

Apply to: [email protected]

For more information check out the Tauranga Development Website

Individual Support

There are multiple options for individual support. All of which are able to customised to the demands of each individual.

Packages

Holistic Rider Support

The Holistic Rider Support package allows for the coach to work closely with the rider to support their journey. This gives the athlete access to the coaches’ support on specifics such as goal setting, attaining sponsorship, race targeting, bike/life balance, identifying strengths and weaknesses, sustainable participation in cycling, growing a leadership mindset, awareness of self and rider specific demands.

Cost: $100 per month ($25startup fee)

Structured Training Program

A focused approach to training with specific goals, dynamic coaching support and guidance. The athlete will get out as much as they put into their training and the coach/athlete relationship. The coach encourages the athlete to revise their current thought processes and help rebuild their approach to the sport.

Cost: $100 per month ($25startup fee)

Gold Package

The most popular package is the Gold Package. This package is a combination of the a the Holistic Rider Support and Structured Training Packages. And allows for maximum support of each riders journey. There is also a number of perks which allow for discounts on other programs such as camps and ImPASS sessions.

Cost: $140 per month ($25startup fee)

One off Sessions

Skills session

Under 18 1:1 sessions are delivered using a method which makes the rider think, engage and lead the learning. This method allows for a deeper understanding of the processes required to perform a skill. Whether the rider is wanting to learn the basics like gear shifting, bike setup, braking through to kids who are looking for a skills advantage for riding with their family and friends or even competitive kids who are looking for the skill advantage on their competition.

Cost: $60 per hour