Q & A
Q: When is camp?
A: Camp will be held June 26th-30th 2023 at Union Hill Park in Alpharetta, Ga. ; with a mandatory parent meeting on Sunday the day before camp starts at 3:00pm (time is subject to change) at Alpharetta’s City Hall. A camper MUST be able to attend all five days of our camp in order attend camp. If you cannot attend all five days please let Officer Elfreth or Clay know ASAP.
Here is the camp schedule everyday:
Session #1 8:30-9:45am
Session #2: 10:05am-11:20am
Session #3: 11:40am-12:55pm
Session #4: 2:00pm-3:15pm
session #5: 3:35pm-4:50pm
Q: What age must a camper be?
A: Campers must be at least eight years old at the start of camp, there is no upper age limit, but there is a weight limit of 220lbs and a minimum inseam of 20" while wearing sneakers.
Q: What do I bring to camp?
A: A bicycle (by the fourth day of camp at the latest), properly fitting helmet, water bottle with water.
Check out this link to find the right bike and helmet for your rider: https://icanshine.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2019/07/Selecting-the-Right-Bike-and-Helmet-2020.pdf
Q: How much does the camp cost per camper?
A: $200/ camper.
Q: What are your camp's COVID policies?
A:
1. Masks are worn at the discretion of the individual rider or volunteer.
2. We do not require COVID-19 vaccinations or testing to participate in our bike program
3. We will not have bike helmets available for riders to borrow in the event they forget to bring
their personal helmet. Riders must have a properly fitted bicycle helmet to participate at camp.
4. Before each daily 75-minute camp session, handlebars, hand grips, brake levers, training handle
grips and seats of bikes will be cleaned using disinfectant wipes/spray
5. Before each daily 75-minute camp session, everyone partaking in camp will be requested to wash
their hands (parents and caregivers will be strongly encouraged to do so as well)
6. Hosts will provide hand sanitizer at the camp check-in desk
7. We encourage only one (1) parent/guardian per rider attend camp each day to limit the number
of people in the facility
8. Anyone at camp that feels ill, has a fever, or has any other common COVID-19 symptoms will be
advised to not attend camp, in the absence of a negative COVID-19 test result
9. We will run our typical in-person Sunday Orientation and highly encourage all parents and
volunteers to attend (an electronic pre-recorded orientation option is available to people unable
to attend the in-person orientation)
10. If anyone attending bike camp tests positive for COVID-19 during the week of camp, Camp Hosts
will: 1) inform those who came in contact with the individual (while maintaining confidentiality as
required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)); and 2) determine the extent to which any
limitations/changes need to be implemented with regards to conducting the remainder of camp.
11. There will be no refunds of rider fees due to illness.
Q: How much does iCan Bike cost you (the host)?
A: What a great question! We have to write a check to the iCan Shine organization for $11,500.00 just to get them to hold our camp date and bring their fleet of special bikes and two staff members to Alpharetta. Then, as the host we are also responsible for all other costs such as providing the hotel room for the two staff members for a week (approx. $2,500.00), buying camp t-shirts (approx. $1,200.00), purchasing the trophies (approx. $700.00), Providing lunches for the volunteers, providing snacks and water for the volunteers, and also securing the space for the camp itself and paying for any and all advertising and materials costs. As you can see, the cost for camp quickly adds up!
Hypothetically, if every rider (we can only hold 40) paid the full camp price of $200.00 – that STILL does not mean that we have raised enough funds to cover our bill to iCan Shine. The actual cost per rider is actually more in the $400/rider range.
If you would like to make a donation to the Alpharetta camp to help cover these costs please click here: https://icanshine.org/make-donation/
and click the “fund a specific camp” button then fill in the Alpharetta Camp when prompted. Donations go towards helping riders attend camp who may not be able to afford it.
Q: Can I volunteer with camp?
A: absolutely! We thought you would never ask! Register to volunteer here: https://forms.gle/bGuCiEDMLKUFhfaWA
Q: If I volunteer do I have to come all 5 days?
A: Nope! Volunteer as much or as little as you want to, the application lets you specifically select the days and times you volunteer.
Q: What about scholarships?
A: Scholarships are offered, but are entirely based upon donations and are NEVER Guaranteed from year to year. If you apply for a scholarship you cannot also pay for a space in camp and wait to see if you get offered a scholarship- you must choose what is best for your situation. Scholarship riders are often the last riders to get spaces in our camp because we rely on donations to fund those spaces. Some years we have several scholarship opportunities, some years we have none.
Q: How many people are on the iCan Bike Alpharetta Staff?
A: Just two- Officer Clay and Officer Elfreth. And on top of being the only two people giving full time attention to pre-camp duties- we still have to perform our “real” fulltime jobs of being Police Officers. This may be why getting in touch with us via e-mail is much easier, email allows us to respond during “off” hours of the day- when we get off of work. Also, as police officers we work some pretty strange hours- so you may get an emailed response from us at interesting times of the day. In 2022 we started partnering with Alpharetta Recreation and Parks for the first time!
Q: How do I apply for a rider?
A: Go to the "Sign Up" page by clicking the link at the top of this page, or click this link: Our 2023 rider application is closed due to overwhelming response.
Your application is NOT complete until you have applied by using the above link AND sent payment through Alpharetta's Recreation and Parks payment portal.
Q: What are my options for payment?
A: You can pay by credit card through the City of Alpharetta's registration process by contacting Lindsey Pritchard at 678-297-6115 or by email at lpritchard@alpharetta.ga.us
You will have to make a profile on the website, then find "iCan Bike Alpharetta" by using the search bar or search for the word "bike". Once you have found it, add it to your cart and check out! You will receive a receipt in your email.
About check payments: We prefer to get a check directly from the person registering for the camp- in rare instances we will work with you and a special program (such as AADD), but please remember that we are two people doing the best we can do. Sometimes personalizing 40 invoices for a wide variety of government programs is simply more than we can handle. Also- last year we got “burned” by someone who had us help them get monies for camp through AADD then took those monies and never came to camp. This meant that we were out the money for our own camp, and another person didn’t get to learn to ride.
If you decide to pay by check please note the following:
Make checks payable to: Alpharetta Parks and Recreation
Mail them to:
Alpharetta Community Center
175 Roswell St.
Alpharetta, Ga. 30009
ATTN: iCan Bike Alpharetta
Write your rider’s name in the memo line or your registration will not be processed.
Q: When will I know that I have been accepted into camp and get my session assignment?
A: Please know that session assignments are made based on the height, weight, and inseam size of your rider. This is because we have a limited number of bicycles in our fleet. For instance, we can only have a maximum number of two riders with a 20” inseam in any one session because we only have two bicycles that can support those small riders. These circumstances mean that session assignments can be difficult to arrange, and is why we ask you to give us three preferences. We understand that session assignment is important to you, please be patient with us as we work to accommodate all campers. We work very hard to only offer you a session that is one of the three you selected on your application, we almost never offer a session time that is not one of the three choices you chose.
Q: What is your refund policy?
A: You may request a refund up until May 31st 2023 and receive a full refund. After May 31st 2023 there will be no refunds if you cannot attend camp. This is because we will have already made deposits and payments to our vendors.
Q: Must I agree to a photo release for my rider?
A: Yes. We simply cannot guarantee that your rider will not have their photo taken. If this is not in line with your desires, please do not submit an application.
If you have a question that needs answering- chances are that someone else does too! Send us an email and maybe your question will appear here.
Officers Clay and Elfreth, and Lindsey Pritchard (Recreation and Parks Supervisor)
aclay@alpharetta.ga.us
aelfreth@alpharetta.ga.us
lpritchard@alpharetta.ga.us
