Interviews with NICA Student-Athletes and pieces written by student-athletes
We had the honor and privilege of having a conversation with a small group of NICA student-athletes during our 2022 National Conference in Philadelphia. Elizabeth Allen, Associate Director of Organizational Development at Valley Youth House and a Board Member of the PA League, facilitated this honest, heartfelt, and fun exchange.
Great things happen when young adults are encouraged to do their best. A group of teens in Houston, Texas, are waking up to the reality that they can make a difference in their community, one shovel at a time. Bryce Cole is what you could call a puritan in mountain biking. He is a Houston-based trail advocate and Head Coach for the West Houston Composite Team. When he’s not working with local NICA student-athletes to maintain a beautiful trail system within his community, he works his regular 9-5 job like everyone else.
We are excited to announce our new partnership with The Feed! The Feed is an online resource to get all the nutrition, performance supplements, and recovery gear you need to get more out of your training. The Feed has over 300 of your favorite brands, and you can even set up a subscription box to be sure you’re never reaching into an empty box for the fuel you need before a ride.
We are incredibly proud of all our graduating student-athletes and wish them all the best as they step into a new chapter in their lives. Thank you NICA Seniors for your dedication and commitment to your teams, leagues and the national NICA community!
This fall the Wisconsin League hosted an essay contest for their student-athletes to describe how mountain biking has made an impact on them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read on to hear how mountain biking helped Wisconsin student-athlete Kylie Krayer stay connected with friends and manage stress and anxiety.
This fall the Maryland League hosted an essay contest for their student-athletes to describe how mountain biking has made an impact on them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read on to hear how Maryland student-athlete, Oliver Slade, stayed healthy and gained fitness through mountain biking.
Molly-Mae Sims, a student-athlete with the Utah League recently wrote a feature for our partners Borah Teamwear highlighting her experiences riding, racing and having a blast as a girl in what’s traditionally been a “boy’s” sport.
As we head toward what in any other year would be spring league championships, proms, senior pranks and graduation, our hearts go out to our Class of 2020 Seniors. We are proud of what you’ve accomplished as students, athletes, role models and mentors throughout your time with NICA and are thankful that you chose to make NICA part of your middle and high school career. From across the country – here are some snapshots and spotlights on some of our awesome Class of 2020.
Last month, the Montana League kicked off their inaugural season with one of the largest inaugural race in NICA’s history. Over 150 student-athletes participated in the Cross Cut Classic, and over 30% of the student-athletes were female. So what’s Montana’s secret sauce? We chatted with Heidi and Molly from Bozeman Youth Cycling, which makes up the Bozeman NICA team to find out how they’re working to build the youth cycling community in Bozeman to get #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes.
Part of NICA’s mission is to not just get #morekidsonbikes but to build strong cycling communities and create lifelong cyclists. While NICA programs are designed for student-athletes in grades 6-12, there are many post-secondary cycling opportunities for all NICA alumni.