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Grit with GRIT: An unwavering vision for #moregirlsonbikes in Tennessee

Tennessee’s Beth Pride Ford shares her experience with growing a GRiT program from the ground up, and the challenges and joy that can crop up along the way.

Photo by Garrett Dunnam

This guest post was authored by Beth Pride Ford, Tennessee Interscholastic Cycling Association’s GRiT Coordinator. Beth’s tenacity, passion, and unwillingness to give up has resulted in dozens of new opportunities for girls and women to engage in mountain biking, and to find a home in the NICA community…and she’s only getting started!


To be honest, I was fairly discouraged after our first GRiT season in Tennessee. Only a handful of girls came to the GRiT tent and participated in activities together. I was frustrated and struggling to get the GRiT “more girls on bikes” message across to coaches and families. There was pushback about having a girls-only program. 

I began to question myself. What value is GRiT creating? What if GRiT isn’t successful? How can I create an engaging program that empowers girls in mountain biking?

But I don’t give up easily! Good things take time to grow. I have hope, a vision, and I believe in possibility. I also have a GRiT tent and ideas to go with it! I keep asking myself, can GRiT become a Field of Dreams? If I build it, will they come?

So, I launched into my second year with great enthusiasm and a plan for getting moms involved in biking. I also created a Saturday Sisters pre-ride at races. Slowly, I noticed more girls participating in GRiT tent activities and a few moms offered to help me. The MOBS (Moms on Bikes) clinics became a hit. As the season progressed, the girls-only pre-ride gained popularity and I became more hopeful about growing our GRiT community!

But I don’t give up easily! Good things take time to grow. I have hope, a vision, and I believe in possibility. I also have a GRiT tent and ideas to go with it! I keep asking myself, can GRiT become a Field of Dreams? If I build it, will they come?
Beth Pride Ford – TN Interscholastic Cycling Association GRiT Coordinator

Looking back over five years of GRiT in Tennessee, our last two seasons have been amazing. I am inspired as I watch girls grow stronger and more self-assured. They are learning from challenges and transforming themselves with new beliefs and capabilities. It’s exciting to see our GRiT coaches and moms empower themselves too. 

Personally, becoming a GRiT Coordinator has truly changed my life! Like the girls and women who inspire me, I am stretching myself to embrace new challenges that bring me joy and allow me to grow and transform myself. One of the greatest rewards has been growing belief in my ability to create a successful program that brings joy to others. 

I am grateful for this journey and these opportunities. GRiT has become our Field of Dreams after all.

#moregirlsonbikes


Access NICA’s GRiT Resources for coaches by logging into Pit Zone and clicking the “Courses, Resources, & Benefits” button. Once you’re in the NICA Education Center, look for the GRiT Resource link on the right side of your dashboard. 

About the author

Beth Pride Ford started mountain biking in Florida (really!) while attending college in the mid-80s. After college, she took a 20-year hiatus from biking until she started riding again with her son and supporting his participation in the NICA Tennessee Interscholastic Cycling League (TICL) as a licensed coach and Coach Supporter for the league. Beth Pride is also the NICA GRiT (Girls Riding Together) Coordinator for TICL and continues work to develop programming and events focused on getting more girls, moms, and female coaches involved in mountain biking and creating an empowering cycling community together. Besides mentoring kids of all ages to have fun and stay safe while riding bikes, her main goals are to inspire girls and women and their families to become involved with the sport of mountain biking as a lifelong activity filled with opportunities for challenge, learning, and joy. Read Beth’s other NICA feature, Rosa’s Story, over at the NICA Stories blog.

Bio photo by Kyle Dortch