Baltimore gains new League Certified Instructors

By Sarah Ahmed - November 16, 2012

LCI Seminar Flicks on Helmet Headlamps

The League Certification Instructor (LCI) seminar was a sleeper.

And when I say this, I don’t mean we nine students were snoozing during the three days of classroom and on-the-bike drills while learning to become certified League of American Bicyclist instructors Learn about the League. I mean, the Bike Maryland-hosted workshop actually grew in popularity with the passing of the hours, and it became a surprise hit.

Each of our helmet light bulbs eventually flicked on.

The main reason: our instructor Jennifer Laurita was one of the most effective teachers my decades old, over-educated past can recall. Not only did Jenni drive down Hurricane Sandy-battered roadways for our benefit, but she kept it upbeat all weekend in the huge but chilly Baltimore City Fireman’s training facility (thanks Julie at CPAT!).

Oh yeah, and Jenni obviously knew her stuff.

Having been a cyclist for over 20 years (most as a professional racer), and coaching for 16 of those 20, I thought I knew it all. But evidently I was wrong! I was humbled when I realized just because I can ride a bike, it doesn’t mean I can effectively teach the League of American Bicyclist principles or the rules of the road or the importance of wearing a helmet to every eager cyclist that comes along.

Sure, I could beat this instructor in a sprint (which I did at one point, whether or not she would agree), and I could illegally hop over the meticulously placed cones during our controlled cornering drills. But Jenni can smoke me when it comes down to conveying to an audience the “Need to Knows”, and in entertaining fashion.

I thought we could teach our bicycle “ABC Quick Check” by droning with a bi-colored powerpoint. But instead, we learned we should engage our future audiences with creative dialogue, sing-a-longs or track-stands on the desk.

We did a bit of sitting over the weekend, but were able to spin around a few times outside on actual bikes (even at night with lights on our helmets), bringing much needed blood flow back from the bottom to the top.

By the way, we all passed.. so go to Bike Maryland and organize your commuter or youth safety workshop with “League Certified Instructors”!

Here is the list of freshly certified instructors and contacts:

Carl Peterson 
Chris Merriam
Chris Tsien
Joe Piette
Kathleen Gore
Kathy Rosen
Maria De Rijk
Marla Streb
Hamzat Sani