Friday, September 5, 2008

Catherine Loses the Training Wheels

Catherine Loses the Training Wheels
Catherine , originally uploaded by Martinator.

Last Saturday I took Catherine, (6 and a half), to the local park (Dacey Field) where there is a large, gently sloping parking lot. My friend Mike suggested that I lower her seat so she can sit with both feet flat on the ground, and remove the pedals.

Earlier this summer I tried to teach her to ride without training wheels with little success.

Removing the pedals was something new to try. I took her to the top of the parking lot and told her to see how far she could go without touching her feet to the ground. On her third trip down the parking lot she went the entire distance. I'm guessing a 100 yards or so. When I caught up with her she said "Let's put the pedals back on!" So I did.

She did great! She had a little trouble starting on a level area and she also tried to start going up hill (which was met with much frustration).

She has steadily improved this week to the point where she is confident starting from a level position, pedaling uphill, and even braking appropriately.

With each new ride I have been raising her seat a half inch at a time until it is at a proper position for her height. She hasn't noticed so far :-)

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is exactly how it is supposed to work. Nice job. Sounds like you are both having a ball!

Congratulations!

Has she asked you to race yet?