Let’s go on an adventure

906 Adventure Team gears up for new headquarters in Mar quette

By Alex Lehto-Clark

The 906 Adventure Team has big plans in store for their recently purchased parcel right on Lakeshore Boulevard. The organization is officially taking the next step: creating a gathering space for the biking community, a learning area for visitors and residents alike, and a permanent place to grow.

Marquette resident and 906 Adventure Team founder Todd Poquette said he started the team as a way to give back to his community while filling a need for more kid-focused bike training.

“As I got deeper into biking, I quickly realized that there were a bunch of, we’ll say, teams locally, and they were all adult focused and team-focused. If you were a weekend warrior or a regular adult or a kid, there was no group for that,” Poquette said.

Amy Maus, a board member and parent of a child who participated on the team, now volunteers her time with the organization supervising group rides and helping kids learn to bike. She said that the organization has given her so much more than merely a chance to give back: she got to watch her daughter grow.

“In addition to the bike club making her a stronger rider, it also made her a stronger individual,” Maus said. “She developed more confidence in herself in general. And I think that’s partly because of doing hard things on a bike.”

And now, the plans for their purchased property are taking shape. A development in East Marquette, right on the water and in a centrally located area that will make it easier for families to hop on their bikes and head out on all the trails Marquette has to offer.

“We are very well aware that if you’re a mom or a dad living in east Marquette and you have a couple of young kids, if you want to take a ride and show ’em the trails, it’s a whole hour and a half just to get ready. You’re bringing the trailhead to the residents. It’s exciting,” Poquette said.

Both Poquette and Maus testified to how the Team’s challenges fostered resilience in their kids. Poquette’s 12-year-old son, Cable, has been a part of the 906 Adventure Team since its inception. To him, biking has been an essential part of his entire life.

“My first bike was a strider,” Cable explained, a sort of pedal-less bike that teaches kids how to balance at a very young age. “I rode it through the house.”

Maus said her daughter was apprehensive at first about the bike club. “She would have all of this anxiety, but she’d get out there and ride. She’d tell me about the ride after, and she’d tell me she was right near the front, and she’d say ‘I had so much fun, Mom’,” Maus added.

Like many Marquette families, biking is something that brings both Maus’s and Poquette’s family together, spending time outdoors doing something they love.

“When we started running the adult events, we made a very strong position. This is not an elite activity. This is for everybody. I don’t care if you ride your bike once a winter, once a summer, or once a year, I think that type of messaging makes them feel welcome,” Poquette said.

The Adventure Team is also responsible for many bike races that have put Marquette County on the map, including the Marji Gesick and the Polar Roll. But Poquette and Maus both said these races are just another way to get people out on their bikes.

“We don’t do the mass start, my family and I. The plan is to go out and have a fun time,” Maus said.

Revenues from these races fund the 906 Adventure Team programming as well as local trails, and now, this new development.

“The exciting part will be that big greenspace. They want to see something that’s going to fit in with the city of Marquette and what we do is a natural fit. It was very clear from the residents’ feedback that they don’t want a hotel”, Poquette said.

The access to a physical space will also help them teach biking skills in a safer, more controlled environment.

“You’ll see a space that offers progressive difficulties. There will be basic elements of the park,” Poquette said. “Ideally, we’ll be able to also work in skill building activities and classes. Without a property and a basecamp, it’s hard to do that. We’ve spent eight years living in trailers.”

The most important factor, Poquette stressed, is making this a community-based project. Community, he said, is one of the most significant elements of why he started the 906 Adventure Team in the first place ––as a way to give back and as a way to lay down roots. After years of being out of town working in operations for Cisco

Corporate, Poquette left that job and started a new career at Border Grill, a regional chain that originated in Marquette County.

“We lived here in Marquette County, but I was never home,” Poquette said. “It just made more sense to me to find something local to pour into. When I left Cisco and worked for Border Grill, I was at home more. The dynamics of life changed,” Poquette said.

Maus said her role as a volunteer has built up her self-confidence, and her mountain biking ability.

“Initially, the thought of volunteering was stressful. It turned out to be the highlight of that summer. This is what we’re teaching kids. This is how we deal with stress,” Maus said. Maus and Poquette stressed the importance of this new development to the organization’s future. Currently, the 906 Adventure team does not have an office. Maus said that the significant expansion plans for the future will require space.

“I think it will make it more official,” Maus said, “it’ll also help us with our volunteer capacity.”

Currently, there are a handful of “Adventure teams” throughout the midwest, including in lower Michigan and Wisconsin. These organizations use the Adventure Team’s training and structure, and all of their volunteers are trained either online or in person by the 906 Adventure Team.

“We hold a leadership summit here to train coaches, but what happened was that we really didn’t have the facility to support that.” Maus said.

“The boring part is, everyone will be working at that office,” Poquette said. “With this new place, we will be available to make the trails more accessible. What we do, aside from getting kids out into the woods, is we’re removing barriers and making these activities more accessible by being resources to people.”

Poquette said having people available in a physical office is a win-win, for community members and visitors alike, regardless of age.

“Normally the biggest obstacle for people who want to do something new is knowing where to start,” he said. “So we’re going to be able to be there and to address those questions,” Poquette explained.

As for the Adventure team, the Poquettes and Maus are eager to see more participants. Anyone aged 5 to 17 is welcome to join the organization. Anyone can show up and be part of the group, regardless of membership status. The team is open to all, boys and girls. Last year, 45 percent of 906 Adventure Team leaders were women. Poquette noted that’s above the national average in similar groups.

Cable said that the other kids are the reason he really enjoys the 906 Adventure Team.

“My favorite part is getting to see my friends, going out in the woods and adventuring. I think I get a sense of leadership out of being in an adventure bike club. I just get better at being social,” Cable said.

As for the new development, Poquette said it will be at least a year before any construction commences.

”I would say by the end of this year we will have the plan in place and then I would expect to have construction begin in the spring of 2024,” he said.

For Maus, the idea of the organization’s new location is more than a big step, it’s part of what kept her grounded during the tough years of the pandemic.

“While things were really stress- ful at work, I just imagined this green space, with all of these bikes and kids and parents,” she said. “It turned out to be the greatest bright spot in my world.”

Those interested in the development and the organization’s plans can follow the 906 Adventure team on facebook or check out their website, 906adventureteam.com for updates and more information.

Alex Lehto-Clark is a poet and essayist who lives in Ishpeming, Michigan. He has called Upper Peninsula home for twelve years and graduated from Northern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in English.