About
Omaha DEVO – A Grassroots Start
We wish we could say that we thought up of this program out of the blue, but the truth of the matter is, we had some inspiration from our friends in Durango, CO. Back in 2009, our local independent theatre, Filmstreams, showed the movie Race Across the Sky, featuring a 100-mile mountain bike race in Colorado, “The Leadville 100”, in which several local athletes had participated in and finished successfully. In partnership with Activate Omaha, there was a panel discussion after the film, to discuss what we could do locally to get more kids on bikes and recreating in the outdoors. We were lucky enough to have Travis Brown, a mountain bike Olympian and one of the competitors in the film, join us for the discussion. Travis told us about a program called Durango Devo and what they were doing locally to grow youth engagement in mountain biking where he lives.
After the film and discussion, Rob Skiba, a father of a young developing junior rider, went up to Kent McNeill, a father of another young developing junior, and said, “why can’t we do that here?” to which Kent had no good answer. In fact, Kent commented that they should, and if Rob was willing, he would join him in finding a few committed adults to help them get this type of youth skills-based program off the ground. Travis Brown then connected us with the leadership of Durango DEVO, and we were off. We hoodwinked a few other good souls to join us in the inaugural season, like founding & still current Nebraska DEVO members Mike Farrell and Susan Reff, and Omaha DEVO began.
Omaha DEVO, Lincoln DEVO, and Norfolk DEVO continue to grow into what it is today: Nebraska DEVO! In 2023, we expanded our journey to achieve our own independent 501c3 Non-Profit status.
Our latest adventure is ONLY possible due to countless committed parents, selfless coaches, and giving volunteers who have made Nebraska DEVO what it is today!
