Iara's Blog

Before starting The Cycle Effect I never really kept going with anything that was hard, especially sports. I tried countless of them, each doing them for a couple months and convincing myself it was too hard or it wasn’t my “thing”. The first year I did The Cycle Effect I felt it was one of the hardest sports I’d ever tried. Every practice I was challenged more and more. One day I crashed and wanted to give up. I didn’t want to get on a bike. My parents didn’t let me quit so, as a typical eleven year old girl would, I got very mad and screamed.  After a few weeks of practice I felt like a new person and felt like I could do anything.       That’s what The Cycle Effect did for me. It helped me overcome challenges I would usually give up on. It made me feel proud because with any challenge came the rewarding feeling of accomplishment. I also feel stronger and healthier every year.  With that, there were new friendships, fun memories, and amazing guidance from coaches. There are so many things The Cycle Effect has helped me with but listing them all here would take way too long.       This spring will be the start of my 4th year with The Cycle Effect and I now practice about 5 days a week. Even though I still get the butterflies and fear on the hill, it’s mixed in with adrenaline and laughter because I think about what I thought I was able to do 4 years ago and and what I can do now. I thought practicing 2 days a week was so hard and now if I miss a day I had planned to practice, I feel I am not trying my best. The Cycle Effect has made me grow as an athlete and as a person, that’s why I am a part of it.