Plum High School buys bikes for physical education classes, cycling club
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Plum High School students have new bicycles to ride in physical education classes that will also be used for a new cycling club.
The district recently bought 38 Giant Talon 2 mountain bikes from The Bike Lab, a bicycle shop in Plum. The total cost was $20,345, money for which was included in the district’s budget, assistant Principal Adam Szarmach said.
Jim Yurek, owner of The Bike Lab, said he became a vendor through Costars, the state’s cooperative buying program, in order to sell the bikes to the school district “at a significant discount.”
The bikes Plum bought include four sizes, from extra-small through large.
“I wanted to do this for the kids,” said Yurek, a coach with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association and an assistant director and head coach with the Pittsburgh East Composite Mountain Bike Team.
Szarmach said administrators want to provide more lifetime fitness opportunities for students.
“With cycling becoming more popular, competitive and accessible throughout the area, we wanted to provide our students the opportunity to learn while also engaging in activities they could enjoy later in life,” he said.
All high school students will have a chance to use the bikes, Szarmach said. Students in ninth and 10th grades will use them through the physical education curriculum.
A course is being developed on campus. Szarmach said school officials hope to have equipment in the future for students to use the bikes in the building during winter months.
The district will provide helmets, 38 of which were purchased from The Bike Lab for $1,900.
“Throughout the school year, students will have different opportunities to utilize the bikes,” Szarmach said. “We are exploring other opportunities to engage in extracurricular competitions against other schools, as well.”
He said teachers have designed a cycling unit for students, which they want to introduce as early as possible.
“The goal is to create a lifetime fitness activity that our students enjoy and continue throughout their adulthood,” he said. “The district is also in the process of starting a cycling club for our students. This will allow any students who want to be more involved with cycling the opportunity.
“It is the hope that some students will also continue to engage in cycling outside of school and continue to challenge themselves through cycling if they desire to do so.”
Szarmach said the school will work with The Bike Lab to maintain the equipment. Members of the cycling club will learn how to maintain the bikes under the guidance of The Bike Lab and teachers.