Brendan Cotter
Being born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, I used to walk through Dundas Square on my way to elementary school everyday. In an attempt to get away from the crowd and humidity my siblings and I would always flock to my Grandparents in North Bay for the summer. Because of the annual summer take-over by her grandchildren my Grandma was lucky enough to keep up with technology, to the point where today the text “God Bless” comes with a praying emoji. The main thing this has taught me was that getting seniors comfortable with electronic devices cannot be done in a single visit. It requires months to years of having access to someone with the expertise to walk them through any technological situation, whether over the phone or in person, until their comfort and confidence grows. It is for these reasons I see the value in a program that will walk seniors through technological issues and even give them the resources to get online.
While not much of a cyclist as a child, my adult life has gotten me to appreciate cycling to the point where it and basketball are my main forms of physical activity. I got into biking initially in an attempt to get out of traffic and shorten my commute during grad school. I kept this going when I started working in North Bay after university. Living in the area also got me really into mountain biking. In reality I have mainly been a commuter cyclist and recreational mountain biker. While I have often thought of getting on my bike and going for hour long rides, I have mainly just stuck to my usual 45 minute route or commute. This ride will challenge me to get on my bike and go for those multi hour rides on the road that I have always talked myself out of.