William James

The Broadside

Gary Zimmerman, one of the founding members of Central Oregon Community College’s Cycling Club is not going to be enrolled in classes this year. Which leaves the club up in the air.

“It’s not really happening this year due to a real lack of awareness about the club.”said Zimmerman.

“It wasn’t so much of a lack of interest, as it was a lack of action,”added mathematics professor Sean Rule, who served as an administrator and advisor to the Cycling Club. Zimmerman cautioned however that Cycling Club should not be counted out simply because he is not present.

When he made the decision not to enroll this year, Zimmerman left the operations of Cycling Club in the hands of Associated Students of Central Oregon Community College member Matt Coito, who has attempted to ramp up interest for the club by printing out fliers and distributing them around campus.

Zimmerman has contributed in his own way by auctioning off a bike created from recyclable materials to the club as well as garnering local business support for the organization in the hope that it will attract new members. He will also be available to help with promotional needs.

“There is a large majority of people in the community that are excited about COCC having a cycling club,” said Zimmerman, pointing out several sports businesses around Bend who have thrown their support behind Cycling Club, including the Bend Community Bike Shed who have provided training and bicycle repair services to Cycling Club members in the past.

“They want to see cycling grow at COCC as much as I do,” said Zimmerman.
He also pointed out that as Cycling Club is being restructured. There is a new club starting that has a more direct interest known as Cyclo-Cross focusing more on off-road cycling.

“Cycling Club was supposed to be a blanket type thing,” Zimmerman said.
Cycle-Cross is going to be part of the COCC Intramural & Club Sports program, headed by Director Bill Douglass.

In the case of positions for the new Cycle Cross club, Zimmerman said that the new club needs ‘everything, new officers to fill all the positions and new members’ and that the club needs at least three to four members to start, as is the the policy for clubs at COCC.

“Cycle Cross is a lot more spectator friendly than mountain bike racing,” says Rule.

“Whatever the club does, it needs to address what the members truly want. That’s how it’s going to become popular.”

You may contact Will James at [email protected]