Kimberly’s Story
Phinneus McKenna has been a shining light of positivity on the North Tahoe Mountain Bike Team. Despite his limitations, he has found friendship, fun, and connection through the sport of mountain biking.
Phinneus McKenna has been a shining light of positivity on the North Tahoe Mountain Bike Team. Despite his limitations, he has found friendship, fun, and connection through the sport of mountain biking.
Phinneus McKenna has been a shining light of positivity on the North Tahoe Mountain Bike Team. Despite his limitations, he has found friendship, fun, and connection through the sport of mountain biking.
NICA teams are spread across the country, forming even in urban areas not well known for their access to trails. Urban teams face different challenges than those with ready access to trail systems, but the students who live there deserve the same opportunity to get outside and experience the joys of cycling. For Coach Marc and Coach Carolyn, launching the UrbanPromise Wilmington Trailblazers team was a way to welcome inner-city students into the outdoors, teach them valuable life skills, and provide a safe space for learning and development.
“I’ll be the best sweep you’ve ever had.” Two years ago, that was Ambra Baldwin Hart’s motto. She’d just signed up as a Level 1 coach for the Mount Horeb Mountain Biking team to support her 6th grade son who’d joined. She didn’t have much confidence as a coach or a rider, but was encouraged to try anyway by the team’s female coaches.
Student-athletes pick up the bike for many different reasons. They want to challenge themselves, to be a part of their community, or to connect with their families. No matter why they join, with no bench, and no tryouts, every NICA athlete gets to ride.
When Gabby Huffman’s parents started the San Domenico Mountain Bike Team, she knew she wanted to spend her high school years racing with the NorCal NICA league. And, after being named the Team Captain her senior year and graduating, she knew she wasn’t ready to leave NICA behind.
NICA programs bring JOY and change lives across our nationwide mountain biking community. This holiday season as we invite you to Share the Ride, Change a Life, take a moment to hear from our coaches and student-athletes how NICA programs have changed their lives and brought them joy. Meet NICA Student-Athletes Elizabeth Leitzel, Peyton Wilson, and Beck Earnest-McClelland as they share their experiences of Joy and how NICA has changed their own lives!
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.
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.
After graduating from Murrieta Valley High School in 2014, Bryce Longacre reached out to SoCal League Director Matt Gunnell to see how he could continue to be involved with NICA. Matt quickly brought Bryce onto his team and during his training, RaceRite owner and Chief of Scoring for the Colorado League, Mark Bockmann quickly realized Bryce’s talent and hired him to support his growing business.