All posts by Griff Wigley

CROCT skills park update, fall 2021

CROCT teamed up with the City of Northfield Public Works Department to upgrade the Sechler Skills Park this year.  Props to Streets & Parks Supervisor Dennis Clark for the ongoing support!

City crews and CROCT volunteers expanded the jump line, including a much bigger launch mound; moved a big boulder to the middle of park; and reinstalled the kiosk.

 

CROCT skills park update, fall 2018: teeters and skinnies and jumps, oh my!

Our Sechler Skills Park got an overdue update this fall.

Michael Knoll, owner of Michael’s Cycles in Prior Lake and Chaska and Behind Bars in NE Mpls, donated several wood features that they’d been using for skills clinics, most notably, a teeter totter and an up-and-down skinny plank. The obstacles were built by one of their long-time customers, Greg Henningsen.

We revamped 7 of the 8 table top jumps and added a new one with help from the staff at the City of Northfield’s Streets & Parks Department.

Featured riders in the photos above: Devin Lee and family.

As of October, 2018, the list of skills park features  includes:

  • 3 berms (1 large wood berm, 2 dirt berms)
  • 8 tabletop jumps (7 beginner-level, 1 intermediate-level)
  • 2 wood drops (1 beginner-level, 1 intermediate-level)
  • 2 large log piles
  • 1 line of 8 small rollers
  • 1 log skinny/logover obstacle, configured for several levels of difficulty
  • 2 railroad ties configured for uphill steps
  • 1 large boulder
  • Two permanent skinnies (intermediate-expert)
  • 1 teeter totter
  • 1 up-and-down skinny plank
  • Miscellaneous movable wood skinnies

The skills park has its own page here on the CROCT website, listed under the Trails dropdown menu.

CROCT’s Sechler Skills Park continued to evolve in 2017

With help from volunteer trail workers, support from the staff at the City of Northfield’s Streets & Parks Department, and power from our lovable Ford tractor (still on loan from CROCT member Bill Nelson,) our Sechler Skills Park grew quite a bit last year. It now has its own page here on the CROCT website, listed under the Trails dropdown menu. Scenes from the 2017 season:

The list of features (photo album below) will grow again in 2018 but currently includes:

  • 3 berms (1 large wood berm, 2 dirt berms)
  • 7 tabletop jumps (6 beginner-level, 1 intermediate-level)
  • 2 wood drops (1 beginner-level, 1 intermediate-level)
  • 2 large log piles
  • 1 line of 8 small rollers
  • 1 log skinny/logover obstacle, configured for several levels of difficulty
  • 2 railroad ties configured for uphill steps
  • 1 large boulder
  • Several skinnies (intermediate-expert) with changing configurations

NCS & CROCT team up to offer youth summer mountain bike camps for 2017

For the 3rd consecutive summer, CROCT is collaborating with Northfield Public Schools Community Services (NCS) to offer mountain biking experiences for area youth.

In 2015, we hosted weekly Monday night group rides, plus an overnight trip to the Cuyuna Lakes MTB Trail System:

In 2016 we added mini-clinics at the start of the weekly Monday night group rides:

For 2017, we’re hosting three Youth Mountain Bike Camps (3-hour clinics each day for a week).

Description: Learn the basics of mountain biking from the IMBA certified mountain bike instructors at Cannon River Offroad Cycling & Trails (CROCT). The camp will consist of lessons on the operation of the bike (brakes, shifting), basic body position, skills (cornering, climbing, descents, ratcheting, front and rear wheel lifts), and terrain challenges (logovers, skinnies, switchbacks, bermed & flat corners). A variety of group games, some bike maintenance tips, and open riding in the Sechler skills park will be included.

The camps run Mon-Thur, either 9-noon or 1-4, with a rain make-up day on Fridays. If the Sechler trail is closed due to flooding, other city or school district parks in Northfield or Dundas will be used.

A mountain bike safety check is required a week or more prior to a camp, performed at no-charge by Downtown Bikes in Northfield. (A limited number of mountain bikes will be available to rent for the week.) Participants must wear a helmet, and carry their own water (bottle cage or pack) and a snack.

Location: Sechler Park MTB Trail, Northfield

Cost: $160/pair; $90/single, registration required

Dates: 

June 12-16: 9 am-noon, ages 9-13 – Lead instructor: – Griff Wigley
July 24-28: 1-4 pm, ages 14-18 – Lead instructor: Ted Siefkes
July 31-Aug 3: 1-4 pm, ages 9-13 – Canceled

Online registration opens on Friday, April 14 at the NCS website.

Here’s a draft PDF of the page describing the camps. It will appear in the summer 2017 NCS brochure that will be sent to all households in the school district:

thumbnail of CROCT – NCS summer youth mtb camps 2017

 

 

Josh & Jayden Seifert lead the upgrade to CROCT’s Sechler skills park

CROCT member Josh Seifert has redesigned and led a major redevelopment of the skills area in Sechler Park this fall, adding 3 table top jumps, a large wooden berm dubbed Bermzilla, a stockade berm, and several rollers:

Sechler skills park redesign sketch - Josh Seifert Josh Seifert CROCT volunteers - Sechler skills park

His son Jayden has been working at his side much of the time:

Jayden Seifert Jayden Seifert Josh & Jayden Seifert

Josh & Jayden Seifert Josh & Jayden Seifert Josh & Jayden Seifert

As we were about to reopen the park, major flooding of the Cannon River in late September did some damage:

flood-damaged Sechler skills park flood-damaged Sechler skills park flood-damaged Sechler skills park

While waiting for the water to recede, Josh and Jayden spent Saturday Oct 3 at the Lebanon Hills MTB park in Eagan for Dakota County’s Wild Mountain Festival and IMBA’s Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day.

Dakota County's Wild Mountain Festival at Lebanon Hills MTB Park

Like last year, Jayden won the race for his age group. Like other parents, his dad had to race on Jayden’s bike:

Jayden Seifert Jayden Seifert

Jayden Seifert Josh Seifert

Josh and a small team of volunteers did the repairs to the Sechler skills park yesterday:

repairs to Sechler skills park repairs to Sechler skills park

repaired Sechler skills park repaired Sechler skills park

We hope to open later this week, as soon as the dirt hardens.