Skip to content

Lacombe college students peddle their own bike camp

Lacombe sisters developed camp after summer jobs were cancelled due to pandemic
21830971_web1_bikecamp
Barbara and Bethany Kiers have started Pedal to the Metal Day Camp in Lacombe to get kids out biking. (Todd Colin Vaughan/Black Press Media)

College students Barbara and Bethany Kiers were in a bit of a pickle after their regular summer jobs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Luckily for the two Lacombe residents, a little ingenuity and entrepreneurship has led them to developing Pedal to the Metal Day Camp — a initiative for kids that is starting to gain traction with local parents.

“It is for kids who want to go out biking, and we thought it would be good to have a day camp that is still under the COVID-19 regulations. Kids can still get outside, have fun and do it in a safe way,” Barbara said.

After returning home from school in Walla Walla, Wash., due to the pandemic, Bethany and Barbara began thinking about what it was like to be a kid in the summer, and realized the opportunity existed for this camp.

“We needed a job and no one is really hiring, so we thought ‘Why don’t we just make up our own idea?’ Barbara said.

The response has been overwhelming and the sisters are excited to get going with a camp that kids can enjoy, while also maintaining social distancing — a key point for the Kiers being able to insure their activities.

“Unlike a sports camp, where everyone is touching the same ball, everyone can bring their own bike and keep separate, while still in a group. Insurance was excited to insure us,” Barbara said.

Fortunately for the Kiers, biking was already one of their passions and it could even lead to more camps down the road.

“It is definitely something to look into for upcoming summers. It is neat to reach out to the community and get to know people,” Barbara said.

”We are super excited for it and really looking forward to it.”

More information on the day camp can be found at lacombebikecamp.ca.



todd.vaughan@lacombeexpress.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter