Student experiences of an adventure therapy mountain bike program during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT A mountain bike program was designed and adapted for the school setting with middle school-aged students during 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Two mountain bike groups were offered to facilitate training and development of mountain bike knowledge and skills: one group with integrated Adventure Therapy components to facilitate a therapeutic process and the other group without a therapeutic debriefing process. Forty-one students participated in the program after being randomly assigned to one of two groups. An exploratory qualitative analysis revealed that the pandemic negatively impacted participants’ wellbeing and academics, leading to increased isolation and decreased motivation, while the mountain bike program increased their focus, competency, physical and mental wellbeing, and connection to the environment. It appears the mountain bike program served as a protective factor for participants. Implications for professionals and researchers are discussed.