Independence Youth Cycling closed out the 2025 season with our annual End-of-Season Banquet — a night built around appreciation, recognition, and sharing important news about the future of our community. With riders, families, coaches, volunteers, sponsors, and partners gathered together, we reflected on our first ten years and outlined the direction of the next ten.
Opening the Evening
As guests arrived, they checked in, received raffle tickets, and were encouraged to place them early. The food line opened at 5:15 PM, and announcements began shortly after.
We started by outlining the run of show for the evening: opening remarks, acknowledgements, awards, raffles throughout the night, senior recognitions, and a major announcement connected to Pennypack Park.
A reminder was shared about the table flyer — highlighting IYC’s vision, mission, programs, and volunteer opportunities, along with a QR code for anyone interested in helping build the next chapter of the organization.
Check out the Volunteer Interest form here!
Ten Years of Independence Youth Cycling (aka SoMont 2016-2020)
This banquet marked our 10-year anniversary. Before moving into recognitions and awards, we paused to acknowledge how far the organization has come:
- Hundreds of roster riders over the last decade
- Multiple teams serving neighborhoods across the region
- Growth in programming, partnerships, and trail stewardship
- A consistently strong community of families, coaches, and volunteers
We also reinforced the message that IYC’s strength comes from shared commitment — from every coach, parent, partner, rider, sponsor, and volunteer who helps sustain our mission.
A Major Announcement: $600,000 Awarded for Pennypack Park
One of the most important moments of the night was the announcement regarding Pennypack Park — a place central to the IYC community.
Earlier this fall, Independence Youth Cycling was asked to participate in a pitch meeting with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Philadelphia Department of Streets, and the Fairmount Park Conservancy as they presented a grant proposal to the William Penn Foundation. The purpose of the proposal was to secure funding for new stewardship positions in Pennypack Park.
At that meeting, IYC was asked to explain why improved park conditions matter for youth cycling. Our comments focused on:
- The role Pennypack plays in serving riders from across the city
- How cycling experiences can be transformative for young people
- The importance of safe, consistent trail conditions
- Our community’s long-standing history of stewardship in the park
As shared in a letter from Sarah Clark Stuart, Director of Trails and Transportation for the City of Philadelphia:
“The focus was almost exclusively on IYC’s mission to serve youth in and around Pennypack Park — how transformative the cycling team experience is for young people, and how essential the condition of the park is to making those experiences possible. The passion and dedication of the IYC community made a strong impression on everyone present.”
She went on to share the outcome:
“The City’s proposal was successful. The William Penn Foundation awarded $600,000 to help seed a six-person trail maintenance crew and add two positions to PPR’s stewardship team.”
This is a significant investment in the long-term care of Pennypack Park and the surrounding park system — and represents real progress toward improving the spaces our riders rely on.
Coach Commitment (CoCo) Awards
Following the announcement, we moved into our annual CoCo Awards, recognizing members of the IYC community whose leadership and service made a difference this season.
2025 honorees included:
John Altemus, Joe Peters, Ken Rose, Jason & Allison Schadel, Brian & Jill Vanderpool, Ken Rose, Tom Magge, Matt Houser, Jason Davis, Mel Caruso, Glynis Raisch and Dave Berson.
These individuals supported IYC in roles ranging from coaching to operations to team leadership, each contributing in meaningful ways to the success of the season.
Student Athlete Acknowledgements
We also recognized the accomplishments of our student athletes across all teams. Their growth, resilience, teamwork, and commitment defined the 2025 season.
Senior Recognitions
This year, we honored eight graduating seniors:
Cole, Lilly, Anna, Hannah, Andrew, Chase, Jake, and Torin
Each senior received a gift and a personal acknowledgement of their contributions to the team and community. Their leadership and presence helped shape the culture of IYC, and we look forward to seeing where they go next.
Thank You to Our Sponsors & Partners
We ended the night with a final round of thanks:
- Coaches, parents, ride leaders, and volunteers who make the organization possible
- Sponsors who help sustain and grow our programs, financial partners including Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative
Their investment directly supports IYC’s ability to serve youth and expand programming.
Looking Ahead
Between our ten-year milestone and the $600,000 Pennypack Park announcement, this banquet represented more than the end of a season — it marked the beginning of a new phase of growth, stewardship, and community impact.
As we move forward, our goals remain rooted in the same mission outlined on every banquet table:
to inspire youth to become their best selves through cycling, community, and opportunity.
Here’s to the next ten years.
1-2-3… We Are IYC!
