Kingdom Trails Competes for Grant

Details: Created on Thursday, 04 April 2013 14:25; Written by Brian Stone

BURKE - Kingdom Trails is currently competing in a Facebook contest that could mean over $30,000 in grant money to develop their trails. Bell Bike Helmets is offering $100,000 to be split across three projects in three different trail types; pump tracks, downhill trail, and flow trail.

Kingdom Trails hoping to win the flow trail category and use the funding to finish developing their beginner level trail. Competing against three other bike parks in the flow category Kingdom Trails sees this grant as a chance to develop the Burke Bike Park even further and keep up with the currents trends as well as give new riders the opportunity to try out the trails. "We've always been trying to get a trail built specifically for beginners, youth riders, anyone new to the world of biking," said Trail Manager CJ Scott. Scott sees this grant as a chance to speed up the current project and develop the nonprofit trail system even further. "Coming up with the funding to make the trails happen can be daunting, it's not cheap it takes time, money, and skill," added Scott.

Voting for the contest is done entirely on Bell Bikes' Facebook Page, where people are able view short videos of each project and decided who to vote for. Kingdom Trails is currently leading the flow trail category but just barley. Carrol Trail in Lake Tahoe California has 29% of the votes; just behind NEK trail system at 30%.

Further expansion of Kingdom Trails could also be beneficial for other businesses in the east Burke area. East Burke Sports, located just across the street for Kingdom Trails, sees the beginner trails as an opportunity for them as well, hoping for an increase in rentals. "All our rental bikes go up to the bike park and any given week we have about 70 bikes go out," said John Unsworth, an employee of East Burke Sports, "the grant will keep us busy, that’s for sure."

Voting for the contest closes on April 12th.