Four years on the trail

Volunteer boards are where good intentions go to die slow deaths in subcommittees. Ours didn't. Four years ago I joined the board of the Mountain Bikers of the Central Okanagan. This past fall I stepped down after three as President. I want to write down what we built, what I learned and what's worth saying before the details fade.

I've volunteered through most of my career. When the pandemic moved me to Kelowna in 2020 I learned my new home one trail at a time. By the time the MTBCO board came calling I was ready to put my hand up. New place, new people, new challenge and a way to give back to a community whose work I was using every weekend.

I don't have a glut of time. I never have. But the volunteer work I've taken on has paid me back more than it cost, in ways paid work rarely does. I rode these trails long before I joined the board, and I'll ride them long after I leave it. When you live somewhere this lucky, the people who maintain what you love deserve some help.

The first job was structural. I came in as a director, not President, and spent the first year shipping the basics. MTBCO was being run on goodwill, and goodwill doesn't scale. Every retiring director took institutional knowledge with them. Every new project started from scratch.

MTBCO was being run on goodwill, and goodwill doesn't scale.

So I built the things that didn't exist yet. A new brand identity, logo, colors and guidelines. A new website. Real communication tools. Project management. A financial picture you could actually read. Basic systems and processes. Even the org's first corporate credit card. The point wasn't to make volunteers feel like employees. It was to make their hours count more.

With the foundation in place we amalgamated Lake Country and West Kelowna into MTBCO, so the whole regional network had one steward instead of three. Then we did the trail work that needed doing.

The Gillard network finally got the climb trail it was missing and was brought up to RSTBC standards. West Kelowna saw its post-fire network rebuilt with new features added. Lake Country got a real bike park with the District's backing. Kelowna got its first paved pump track.

None of these are mine. They are the work of trail crews, municipal partners and dozens of volunteers I had the privilege to support. But they happened on this watch, and I'm proud of every one of them.

For a city of Kelowna's size, not having a paved pump track was quietly embarrassing. Getting one built required real persistence with the City. A long string of meetings, plans, lobbying, budget conversations. We got there. It's been packed every day since it opened, and every time I pass it puts a smile on my face.

The City has noticed too. The word is more are on the way.

The other half of the work was relationships. We invested in our municipal partners and they noticed. The support coming back from Kelowna, West Kelowna and Lake Country today is at a level the organization had never seen.

We rebranded the org. We grew Cranksgiving into a regional fixture. Our sponsors stayed, and stayed loud.

A few things became true about volunteer work over four years that I didn't appreciate going in.

Volunteer time is the scarcest resource on Earth. Treat it like a finite budget. Build the systems that make every hour count for two. Don't waste any of it on theatre.

Trail work is downstream of relationships. Almost everything we built was unlocked by trust with a municipal partner or a landowner. The trail map is a relationship map.

The trail map is a relationship map.

The work is mostly invisible. Riders see new trails appear and assume they've always been a phone call away. They aren't. The interesting season is the four years before.

I'm stepping back with a board I trust completely. I have full confidence the new board will take what we built and push it further than I could have. The other directors are sharp, dedicated and underrepresented in any story written about this organization. They are the reason it works.

One more thing worth saying. This is one of a small number of places on earth where you can ride 50km of singletrack, swim a lake and have dinner at a world-class winery in the same day.

Mountain biking isn't a hobby here. It's part of how the region works. Stewarding that piece, even briefly, has been one of the more meaningful things I've done.

See you on the trails.

---

The note I sent the community

Dear MTBCO Community,

Writing this message comes with a mix of emotions, but primarily, it comes with a deep sense of pride. After four incredible years serving on the board, the last three of which I have had the distinct honour of serving as your President, the time has come for me to step down and pass the torch.

Reflecting on these past few years, I am astounded by what we have accomplished together. Our goal was to build a foundation that lasts. We transformed MTBCO into a refined, modern board, utilizing new tools to maximize our volunteer hours and building a scalable structure for future directors.

Because of that strong foundation, we were able to hit some incredible milestones together:

• Regional Growth: We successfully amalgamated Lake Country and West Kelowna into MTBCO, unifying and scaling our efforts across the entire region.
• Lake Country Bike Park: With amazing support from the District of Lake Country, we helped launch a fantastic new bike park for the community and continue to expand the trail network in the region.
• West Kelowna Resilience: We've seen an outpouring of support to continue building and rehabilitating the network post-fire, alongside the introduction of exciting new trail features.
• Gillard Network Evolution: We tackled the massive, multi-year Gillard project, which included the new climb trail and finally bringing the network up to RSTBC standards.
• Kelowna Infrastructure: We saw the completion of Kelowna's first paved pump track, a huge thank you to the City of Kelowna for making this happen.
• Cranksgiving Success: Our marquee event has grown into a massive success, bringing in riders from all over the region. It is an awesome celebration of our community, and I look forward to seeing it run for years to come.
• Strengthened Relationships: Our relationships with local municipalities are stronger than ever, and they are noticing our work and providing more support than ever before.
• A New Identity: We launched a full rebrand to lock in our future vision (and released some pretty cool new merch along the way).
• Sponsor and Partner Support: We have secured continued, unwavering support from our sponsors and partners. A massive shoutout to them; we truly couldn't do this without you.

...and so much more.

We often say we live in a special place, but it bears repeating: this is one of the few regions in the world where you can ride epic singletrack, play on the water, and dine at a world-class vineyard all in a single day. Mountain biking isn't just a pastime here; it is a massive economic driver for the Okanagan. It has been a privilege to help steward a sport that contributes so heavily to the vibrancy of our local economy and the lifestyle that makes our home unique.

Leaving a role like this is never easy, but it is made infinitely easier knowing who is taking the lead. I am thrilled to announce that Aimee King will be stepping in as your new President. I have full confidence in Aimee's vision and leadership. She possesses the drive and the dedication to take the foundation we've built and lead MTBCO into a bright future.

To my fellow board members, volunteers, and the entire riding community: thank you. Thank you for your trust, your sweat equity on trail days, and your support over the last four years.

I look forward to seeing Aimee and the new directors take this organization to new heights.

See you on the trails.

Sincerely,

David Gluzman Outgoing President, MTBCO