Message from the President of the OFTR

As many of you know, the OFTR AGM was hosted on 9 March 2023 and witnessed an excellent turnout of over 100 members. Following the completion of the AGM, the OFTR Board of Directors established the executive team for the 2023 season. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and pass on a few key takeaways from my perspective as the newly elected President of the OFTR.

Firstly, I want to thank the previous board for their stellar work in 2022. If you were at the AGM, the now past president Kellee Irwin highlighted some of the OFTR accomplishments from 2022. Suffice it to say that 2022 was a great year and 2023 will continue to build on the momentum established by the previous board, executive team, staff and volunteers at the OFTR. 

Secondly, I want to congratulate the Vice President Joel Castonguay, Secretary Carolyn Richards, and Treasurer David Bowden as we announce the new executive team here at the OFTR for 2023. This is a strong team of individuals that are already working closely together to identify the way forward for 2023. 

Lastly, I would like to introduce myself to the membership. As some of you may know, my name is Robert (Rob) Girouard. I am an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces and avid dirt bike rider and racer. I am a husband and father who wants nothing more than to secure our sport’s future so many more generations can enjoy the trails, adventure, and other challenges this amazing sport provides. I am here because I simply want to give back and support this community I cherish . I believe we are all in this together and that as individual clubs we can achieve good things but as a unified provincial body we can exert influence at all levels of government and advocate on behalf of all riders in Ontario. Every member that joins the OFTR brings another voice in support of riders in Ontario and I ask that we never lose sight of this.

Things are not perfect; we must be ready to admit that, and I readily do. The OFTR supported by the clubs and greater membership can, and will, continue to improve on the services and support we provide riders in Ontario. The absolute number one priority must continue to be trails and supporting the membership. There are multiple mechanisms and tools we will use to achieve that, but we cannot lose sight of that number one priority. Whatever we are working on, wherever we are placing our efforts and resources, it should be, must be, in support of motorcycle trail riders in Ontario. 

I am committed to establishing even more open lines of communication to the membership and clubs. I will be at multiple events and active as a rider in the community while taking your concerns as my own and working with the OFTR Board of Directors to address them. I will speak to the clubs regularly through formal and informal means keeping my finger on the pulse while realizing that the different clubs may have very different concerns and support requirements. The OFTR is here to enable and support riders in Ontario, and we will continue to invest in the issues that have the biggest impact on all OFTR clubs and members. I will be accountable and realize that trust is the currency we use within this community. In volunteer organizations like ours, trust is the result of accountability, transparency, and credibility and ultimately what is required to be effective. The membership needs to trust the clubs that represent them, and the clubs need to listen to and trust each other and also trust the OFTR. If we can achieve and maintain that goal, the future of motorcycle trail riding in Ontario is a bright one.  

That’s it for now. We are already hard at work on your behalf and things will not slow down. You are well represented by board members from numerous clubs around the province, and we intend to get even more club representation at the OFTR level so be on the lookout for new initiatives and chances for aspiring volunteers. I can’t wait to see you all on the trails. Get those studded tires off, put some fresh oil in and get your riding gear ready; the wait is almost over.

By: Rob Girouard

SheRIDES

By: Megan Sharpless

If you’ve been anywhere around the dirt biking community, I’m sure you’ve figured out that this sport is very male dominated. I’ve really loved this sport for my whole life and would love to see the female presence in it grow. This is my main motive behind starting SheRIDES; an organization dedicated to helping women enter the sport of dirt biking and providing a community within it. 

It can be intimidating to start anything new, let alone to be one of the only women in the environment. On top of this, dirt biking can have a lot of barriers to entry: buying a bike, gear, knowing what to buy, knowing how to do maintenance, having a place to practice, the list goes on. But none of these factors are a reason to fully deter anyone from trying it, and I am hoping to use SheRIDES to help women overcome these barriers. This is all very new and there’s lots of work to be done, but our first initiative is Women’s Ride Day. The day aims to give women the opportunity to learn to dirt bike or improve their skills while diminishing some of these deterrents. Those who don’t have their own gear and bike will be able to rent thanks to Trail Tours Dirt-bike School, and we have created an all-woman environment thanks to many amazing women who have volunteered to instruct, most of which race Women’s Pro in Ontario. The day also features a “Learn to Race” course to help women transition from trail riding to racing, helping them feel more confident when they’re on the start line for the first time.

I’ve already seen such incredible interest from women excited to learn to ride or learn to race and all spots sold out within 24 hours of opening registration. To know that there are so many women who are interested in this sort of thing is so great to see and inspires hope. If even one person comes to Women’s Ride Day and likes it, and continues riding or starts racing, would be just amazing and mean so much.

Despite being small, the female community in this sport is so wonderful with such a sense of support and comradery. I’ve met such wonderful people through it, who I admire both on and off the track, and I am eager to see it grow. 

As I said, SheRIDES is just starting out. I have lots more planned and can’t wait to meet everyone attending Women’s Ride Day. If you’d like to stay up to date on what SheRIDES is doing, I recommend following our Instagram page @sherides.organization.

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