For our blog over the next few days, we’re asking our three summer interns to reflect on their, “Week Without Walls” experience. WWW is a time all scholars of Shortridge High School leave the school to experience different educational activities and to help the scholars learn more about their community, explore career interests, learn new skills, engage in new physical activities, and develop or refine personal goals. For WWW 2016, our staff at Nine13 organized and administered an educational bicycle tour of Indianapolis with the Physical Education teachers of Shortridge. Here is what Claire Bailey, a graduate of Indiana State University, learned from her, “Week Without Walls” experience:
Last week was exciting to be an intern for Nine13sports! I had the opportunity to ride bikes with kids in downtown Indianapolis. We rode on the Monon Trail and the Cultural Trail with students from Shortridge High School. Tom provided a guided tour which involved over ten stops at various historical places in Indianapolis. These stops included Mass Ave, Monument Circle, City Market, the Canal, and many other interesting locations. I didn’t realize that Indianapolis had such a rich culture that has been thriving and growing for the past ten years.
I had never really thought about riding bikes as a positive way to connect fitness with fun until I saw the Shortridge students. On the tour, the students were laughing and having a great time while riding a bike for 18 miles. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves while burning calories. I don’t think many of the students had ridden a bike since their elementary school days. I love that Nine13sports is bringing biking back from the past and making it the cool thing to do again. It’s important for children and adults alike to discover their favorite way to workout. Once that is accomplished, I believe that wellness levels in the Indianapolis area will increase significantly.
One of my favorite pit stops was at the City Market. I had never explored the downtown market before. However, I loved all the local food vendors on the first floor of the building. Getting a taste of the Indianapolis culture was delicious. If you ever want to try a mouthwatering smoothie, check out Twenty Two Juice. Also, having a behind-the-scenes tour of the Pacers Bikeshare garage was eye-opening. Until the tour, I didn’t understand how the Bikeshare program worked. I was shocked that many business professionals downtown utilize the bikes on their lunch breaks. This is yet another step that Indy is taking to make downtown a healthier and more environmentally friendly place.