So what I'm asking is, does anyone have any hints for teaching newcomers and
keeping them interested.
My experience is that you need a partner to compete with. My
first-semester roommates and I all went to the MIT club meetings
together at first, and all three of us learned to ride at least a bit.
But without somebody flogging you, it's very easy to get discouraged
and give up.
The best mechanical aid to learning was to have a long railing of
suitable height to practice alongside. The Harvard Bridge (crossing
the Charles from MIT in Cambridge over to Boston) was excellent
because there's about a quarter mile of interrupted railing and also
because the pavement is marked with the distance every ten Smoots.
Ephraim