Simplified bike repair earns Farragut teen her GS Gold Award
The award presentation took place at Mead’s Quarry Park in Ijams Nature Center Monday, Aug. 15.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” Bostick said about completing the project, which she kicked off in May.
For her project, “Sustainability and Longevity of Fitness Equipment,” specifically bicycles, Bostick invented and installed a Dero FixIt bike repair station in Mead’s Quarry Park.
During the presentation, the University of Alabama freshman and her father, Kent Bostick, demonstrated how to use the station to repair a tire to family, friends, fellow scouts, county officials and primary sponsor LeMond of Knoxville, as well as Appalachian Mountain Biking Club members and local bike shop owners and employees.
“Ijams Nature Center is a great place because it is a mountain biking hub,” Bostick said. “There’re a lot of trails and a lot of younger youth programs.”
The 2022 L&M STEM Academy graduate and honors student has a close tie to the cycling community, as her father is a former Olympic cyclist.
“(Kailey) does crew (rowing), but I’m glad she did this (project) for the cycling community,” Kent Bostick said. “We all get to benefit from it.”
Kailey Bostick also was inspired to create a bike repair station near the University of Tennessee’s campus.
“They have several units like this for their students to use,” she said. “The main purpose for the project was to provide services for the community to maintain and adjust their bikes.
“A lot of people don’t know how to change a flat tire or adjust their seat,” the younger Bostick added. “I just wanted to make sure people could get out on their bikes, ride and have an area when people have access to tools.”
“It’s a fantastic project,” said former 1st District Knox County Commissioner Evelyn Gill, whose district includes the Ijams area. “I love it. I was a volunteer for the Girl Scouts, and this is a wonderful addition to Ijams.
“This is sustainability at its finest,” Gill added.
Ben Nanny of Ijams, who helped Bostick with her project, said the station’s installation “is a fantastic addition.
“This space has been all about providing something for the community,” he added. “This bike stand is just an extension of that.”
At University of Alabama, Bostick is majoring in mechanical engineering, and she is a crewmember of the UA Women’s Rowing Team.
