Nancy Carter has discovered a new love in her life – not necessarily a tall, dark, and mysterious stranger, but something better.

“I love starting my day on a bike.  I love ending my day on a bike,” Carter said.  “I’ve trained my dogs to run beside my bike.  I like – I like my bike.”

Carter, who teaches Special Education at C.M. Russell High School, is the supervisor of the CMR Bike Club, which was founded one year ago by senior Matt Johnson, who shares Carter’s love of the sport.

“When you love something, you really don’t give up,” Johnson said.

Bike Club, however, is not the only club that tends to remain in the shadows.  Two other clubs, Ski Club and Longboarding/Hacky-Sac Club, are available to the student population on scheduled club days, and, like Bike Club, can offer great opportunities for kids to get some exercise while having fun with their friends.

“Kids got an opportunity to meet each other that first day and kind of see who’s a skier and who’s a snowboarder, and who does like to do those kinds of things when the snow flies,” said Spanish teacher Rhonda Moore, the supervisor of Ski Club.

These three clubs, ranging from 11 kids to a group of nearly 50, are by no means the biggest clubs at CMR.  However, for students looking to stay active after school hours, these activities may be the way to go.  All three of these clubs offer out-of-school times to meet up with fellow members and go on a ride or a trip.

While none of the clubs have had any extracurricular events yet, Ski Club is planning for a “Skizilla” trip to Showdown this winter.

Likewise, Bike Club is busy preaching bike safety to its members in order to prepare them for upcoming rides, and Longboarding/Hacky-Sac Club plans for fundraising and boarding while engaging in the second half of their title: hacky-sac circles.

“We would love to go on a ride, but have to get everybody to wear helmets,” said teacher Chris Hibbert, the supervisor to Longboarding/Hacky-Sac Club.

Each group meets on every club day, where the main occupation of their time is to plan for trips and fund raisers.  Bike Club and Ski Club also show videos of crashes and tricks found on the Internet.

For now, whether the club is based around skis or hacky-sacs, they are all focused and excited about getting outside and doing what they love.  Bike Club can be found in Room 225 with Carter, Ski Club in Room 202 with Moore, and Longboarding/Hacky-Sac Club in Room 317 with Hibbert.