MANKATO, Minn. - At Vikings Training Camp in Mankato, a $50,000 check from the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee Legacy Fund for a different type of training.
Bike training.
The grant money will go toward two large trailers, full of 60 bikes and accessories, and they're going to be put to good use in Mankato Public Schools.
“We will be doing a curriculum within our school district, in our physical education classes," said Sharon Patterson, a physical education teacher in the Mankato school district.
Patterson is teaching bike safety and the rules of the road: How to start and stop, signal, and yield.
It’s all part of the “Walk! Bike! Fun!” curriculum. Right now, it’s being taught to some 5th graders in Mankato Public Schools, but these new bikes will allow them to reach kids at all 10 elementary schools.
“I’ve got many students at my school that do not have a bicycle, so when we do a bike unit some of the kids will bring their bikes," said Patterson. "This will let everyone get to participate."
Training to last a lifetime, for years to come.
“And, it means that that equipment will be shared so that many, many, many young people in the Mankato area will be able to learn how to bike, learn how to bike safely, and get that physical exercise and have fun," said Dana Nelson, Vice President of the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee Legacy Fund.