As the first recipient of the Matthew Christian Youth Award, Andi Nielsen was unanimously selected by Guelph Cycle Club youth coaches for her positive attitude and team-first mindset<\/p>\n
When it comes to cycling and helping others, 11-year-old Andrea (Andi) Nielsen has a love for both.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Helping to foster strong bonds within her own community at the Guelph Cycling Club, (GCC) Andi was recently recognized as the first recipient of the Matthew Christian Youth Award for\u00a0for her ability to uplift others and lead by example.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen my mom and dad told me that I won the award, I was surprised but really excited too,\u201d Andi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis award is special because it\u2019s in memory of someone who\u2019s really enthusiastic, really kind and really excited. I never met him, but I know about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The special honour was created in memory of long-time GCC member, Matthew Christian, a volunteer and ride leader whose camaraderie, teamwork and positive spirit touched so many members of the club, according to club treasurer, Meg Thorburn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew Christian passed away Oct. 19, 2024, from multiple blood clots. He was 52.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks to the generosity of the Christian family, this award will be given annually to a youth cyclist who exemplifies those same values,\u201d Thornburn said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are proud to present the inaugural award to Andi Nielsen, who was unanimously selected by the youth coaches for her positive attitude and team-first mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andi began cycling at a young age.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI love cycling because you are outside in nature. I like it because you can go with friends and family and it\u2019s fun,\u201d Andi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now, I really like being part of the club and going on rides. You see other cyclists outside and on the trails.\u201d<\/p>\n
GCC provides\u00a0a fun and safe environment with weekly group rides for cyclists of varying abilities. The\u00a0club\u00a0also hosts\u00a0special events throughout the year such as large ride events, socials and participation in races.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s always been a big part of our family life,\u201d said Andi\u2019s father, Paul Nielsen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife and I always cycled even before we had kids. We wanted something that we could do as a family, not only when the kids were younger, but through the ages. It\u2019s just something we can always do as a family.\u201d<\/p>\n
This summer, Andi and her family cycled the Guelph to Goderich Trail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all biked 132 km. So, that\u2019s getting us excited as well, knowing that we can do trips. But mostly it\u2019s about doing it together,\u201d Paul said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the cycling community is also so supportive. It\u2019s a great group\u00a0of people. Andi\u2019s first year, in 2023, we did the Epic which is a six hour race. She was the first and youngest\u00a0to do it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe following year, more kids took part. Andi\u00a0was willing and courageous to do something like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although Paul did not personally know Matthew Christian,\u00a0he is proud that his daughter will help in keeping his\u00a0memory live on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAndi is always welcoming and kind to everyone, so much so that I feel that I can learn a lot from that. And that\u2019s everywhere\u00a0we go on a bike. I see her\u00a0interact\u00a0with the coaches and others. She is always giving a high five or props at the end. She\u2019s always so positive,\u201d Paul said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am proud, absolutely. I like that others see that kindness as well. It\u2019s validating as a parent to see this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Andi is excited to start Grade 6 at John McCrae Public School in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She encourages everyone to get on their bikes and experience all of the physical and mental health benefits, the joy of exploration, and the opportunities for connection.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I was the first one to get this award. It was nice that so many people voted for me. It\u2019s really special,\u201d Andi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think maybe I got this award because I am positive and I\u2019m always excited to try new things. Instead of saying, \u201cI don\u2019t want to do this, I say, Ok, let\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the first recipient of the Matthew Christian Youth Award, Andi Nielsen was unanimously selected by Guelph Cycle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":93487,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":["post-93486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}