# Just reached out with local NICA club to be a coach/ride leader



## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

The local NICA club is having their first informational meeting of the season next week and is trying to get coaches/leaders as well as kids onto the team. I offered to help on the coaching/leading side, especially as I've got some certs for skills coaching (PMBIA).

Local season starts in October for practice/rides 2x weekly, and the races are in springtime. I get the impression that they pretty much ride through the winter.

Curious why this board doesn't show in the forum list, but is findable through search.


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## watermonkey (Jun 21, 2011)

I hope you're fast, and humble. The high school kids around here are stupid fast, can ride forever, and recover almost instantly. Sure fire way to make yourself feel old, regardless of how old you are.


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## J-Flo (Apr 23, 2012)

I'm an assistant coach on a large team. We break into multiple groups at practices. Invariably, at the start of the season (in one month), I can ride with any group but the "fast" group is a challenge early in any ride, until they simmer down and I have to be careful to avoid dropping them at the end of the ride. After a month, I can't keep up with the fast kids any more and like to lead group 2. After three more months, hanging with group 2 requires an all-out effort that leaves me spent. Precious few coaches can hang with the fast kids. But frankly, the greatest reward is with the group 3-7 kids who are learning to love the bike.


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## adaycj (Sep 30, 2009)

Just a different perspective. I'm a coach. It isn't all about being able to keep up. Kids that can out ride a self proclaimed "fast" middle aged rider don't really need that much attention on most fitness building rides anyway. In addition learning to avoid positive splits can be advantageous on race day.

Make a closed social media group and let then see rides happening outside of organized ride times. Give them access to be as good as they want to be. Kids can gain so much from this sport, and most of it isn't about being an elite athlete. 

I commend you for coaching. Thanks for getting our kids off the couch and living a better quality of life through fitness, and enjoying the outdoors. It is one item of a short list of things you can't buy in life.


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## careyj1 (May 12, 2017)

It looks like high school section is back as a forum list. It disappeared for awhile. NICA and high school racing is a great program and a lot of fun coaching. Enjoy.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

careyj1 said:


> It looks like high school section is back as a forum list. It disappeared for awhile. NICA and high school racing is a great program and a lot of fun coaching. Enjoy.


I reached out to fc about that. Took awhile for him to put it back. Apparently some checkbox under the admin control panel was "unchecked" removing it from the forum list.

So far, our team has been splitting up into 3 groups, and I've been hanging out with the middle group. Mostly intermediate level middle schoolers and early HS. NC's NICA league includes middle and high school groups, and our team is a composite team for the whole county. Got some interesting kids who are showing up. One kid who's got a background in bmx and bike park riding and has some excellent technical skills, but his fitness needs work. Glad to see him as a repeat rider. Had another one last week who was reasonably fit and kept up with the group on the gravel, but it was his first trail ride so he slowed down on the singletrack, so I did a little skills work along the trail with him.

Our team apparently gets quite a few kids who don't ever really bother to race. They come so they can ride with other kids. And for some of them, this is on top of another separate after school bike club program in the city.

As others have mentioned, the fast group is no joke.


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## fleboz (Apr 22, 2015)

thats great! I know a lot of posters on here state they don't want more people getting involved in mt biking because their local trails are already too full, but boy does it warm my heart to see the kids out there. even more so when its a family ride/gathering.
I'm only a fill-in/substitute when needed, I love it.
And yes the skills and speed of the "fast group" is amazing to watch. no fear when you can just bounce back up.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I love seeing kids on the trails. See it quite a bit in some areas near where I live.

One of our kids did this race this year and placed well, racing against a bunch of adults.

https://www.blueridgeadventures.net/swank-65/course-8/#map-elevation


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## fleboz (Apr 22, 2015)

yeah youth and beginner mtb'ing is growing exponentially around here. Between local teams being formed and more access to trails that just don't crush you from the start, lots of growth happening.
Nice work coach!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

fleboz said:


> Nice work coach!


lol. I didn't do anything for this kid. Ha, I'm too new, and don't even know his name yet. Our preseason group has varied way too much for me to learn more than a couple names.


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

Do you guys have a spring NICA MTB season, Harold? Our NICA season is in the fall here in Colorado.

The org just sent out stats today as part of their fundraising for giving Tuesday. This past fall season we had 1383 riders across the state in two divisions. Our first season 9 years ago had only 194 riders. It is always fun to see the kids out on the trails and at the local races.

Good on you for volunteering.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

sgltrak said:


> Do you guys have a spring NICA MTB season, Harold? Our NICA season is in the fall here in Colorado.
> 
> The org just sent out stats today as part of their fundraising for giving Tuesday. This past fall season we had 1383 riders across the state in two divisions. Our first season 9 years ago had only 194 riders. It is always fun to see the kids out on the trails and at the local races.
> 
> Good on you for volunteering.


Yep, ours is a spring season. It "officially" starts the season next week, but races aren't until march or april or so.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk


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## k2rider1964 (Apr 29, 2010)

Good for you Harold. I have a couple friends who coached for a local composite team here in SoCal. Unfortunately, none of the kids that came out had parents that rode or had the money to buy their kids remotely decent bikes and the program folded after just two years. It might not have helped that the school is 50%+ Hispanic and most of those kids are addicted to soccer. 

If you like to see kids ride, get yourself to Whistler. I saw more kids riding and I mean legitimately *riding* and not just tooling around on a bike in ONE weekend than I have in 25+ years of combined riding everywhere else. It was amazing and inspiring to see so many young kids getting outside to ride on real trails. Those parents in BC are doing it right.


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## AF2NR (Jan 12, 2018)

I'm in the process of getting involved at my wife's school this year. They have a coach but he is looking for help, and is about to have a baby as well. I am looking forward to the journey. I have seen many of the local teams/coaches on group rides on our local trail systems and it is always encouraging to see them out working together. Good luck to all those involved!


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## fongster (Dec 5, 2011)

AF2NR said:


> I'm in the process of getting involved at my wife's school this year. They have a coach but he is looking for help, and is about to have a baby as well. I am looking forward to the journey. I have seen many of the local teams/coaches on group rides on our local trail systems and it is always encouraging to see them out working together. Good luck to all those involved!


 Having coaches that are dedicated is key to a team's success on several levels besides keeping a team's momentum going. It also shows the kids that someone cares for them and keeps coming back, it shows them what commitment is and what's like to lead. Thanks for stepping up and getting #morekidsonbikes!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

looks like I've been tapped to handle the team's social media. apparently one of the kids managed it last year and nobody was really doing anything with it this year. I guess this means I'll actually need to take pics on our rides and races (or at least make sure someone else does).


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