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Why I am a RiderCoach

by Katt
(Broken Arrow, OK)

Hello! My name is Katt Smith. And this is the reason why I am a RiderCoach for OREP.

Taking the first step to ride on the street wasn’t a great one for me. I had finally gotten my nerve up to go & take a rider course. It was an awful experience. Something that I wouldn’t want anyone else to have to go thru.

I had told everyone that I was taking this course and I would show up Monday morning on my bike. Well, that didn’t happen. The course I took was lead by coaches that didn’t have the passion in riding. I wrecked on one of the exercises. I felt scared, embarrassed, & I was hurt. I was left there laying on the ground with a running bike on me and no one seemed to care. I got the bike turned off and wiggled my way out from under it. I picked the bike up and pushed it to where the trailer was parked & sat down looking at my knee that was bleeding and watching the rest of the class continue on. Finally after they completed the exercise, one of the coaches came over to check on me. But by that time it was to late. I felt awful. Hell, if the coaches didn’t have enough belief in me then why should I? After all, they were the “experts”. I walked off the range crying, not so much from pain, but from feeling ashamed & like a failure. I had to go back and tell everyone why i wasn’t on my bike. It took me a few years before i got the guts to try again. Yes, another riding course. But this time it was an AWESOME experience.

I wrecked again on the same exercises as before. I had already made my mind up that I was done. That’s when one of the coaches was pulling the bike off of me getting me up, making sure that I was alright. The whole class had stopped while the coaches talked to me and explained to me what I had done wrong. And before I knew it, I was back on the bike. I finished the course and I have been unstoppable from that point forward.

What was different this time? The coaches!! They had a real passion for riding & they passed it on to each one of us.

I went back telling every one about OREP. How their program was great & how AWESOME the coaches were.

A few years later my husband & myself became RiderCoaches. I wanted to share my love and passion for riding with others. I didn’t want anyone to go thru what I went thru the 1st time.

Comments for Why I am a RiderCoach

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Dec 29, 2010

Thank you!
by: Renee

Although my first course wasn't as bad as yours, I did have a similar experience. I aced the written test but failed the driving test - looking back, I was just awful and felt like everyone else was doing far better than I was (they were). I needed more time to figure out the clutch and the mechanics as I was over 50 and had never been on a bike in my life and the class just kept going and I ended up in tears falling further and further behind. I am dyslexic and couldn't see the patterns so asked to see the chart they were on because I knew that would help me but was told there wasn't time. I went home disheartened and thinking I wouldn't try again but then I found a 1976 Honda XL175 and started riding it in the parking lot and practicing and practicing and practicing. I retook the course 6 months later with different coaches and, wow, what a difference the different coaches made! There were riders who were just as confused and unconfident as I had been at the first course by they were given the time and attention they needed. The coaches were encouraging and positive - it was so different than my first experience.

I am happy for you that you are now a rider coach! I still have far too much to learn to attempt that but I've kept it in the back of my mind because I learned first-hand the difference a good coach makes! We live in Tahlequah so perhaps we will meet on the road sometime; we certainly have great motorcycle roads in this part of the country!

Renee

Nov 03, 2010

Thank you!
by: gypsabelle

I took the MSC back in May with an all-female group of riders. We had three coaches who were passionate, compassionate, and really wanted us to have a great experience. Every day, I started with nervous excitement and finished with a smile on my face. The group of ladies bonded with each other and the coaches. It was such a positive experience, even if that figure 8 kicked my a**. I am so grateful to my coaches. Thank you for giving new riders the experience you should have had yourself!

Nov 01, 2010

Thank You
by: Anonymous

I too had a coach who was passionate, and I successfully passed the course! Kudos to you and your husband for becoming coaches!!

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