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.
Vanessa Hauswald signed on as the very first League Director for NICA and has been the Director for The NorCal League for over 10 years now. She has seen NICA grow to 31 leagues and has been an incredible influencer in NICA’s growth and success. She is an inspiring leader, empowering organizer, and courageous cancer survivor. Her infectious optimism and joy for “just riding around on dirt” will inspire you.
Meg Fisher won Paralympic gold, silver and Bronze medals in the Rio 2016 and London 2012 games and ten world championships and is a NICA Coach for the Montana League. Meg’s road to success has not been easy. At 19 years old she was involved in a tragic car accident that nearly killed her. She survived a coma and lost the lower portion of her left leg. Meg worked hard to heal and move beyond her new physical limitations. Today, she is dedicated to helping erase limits, change lives, and demonstrate the capacity of the human body and spirit.
Shimano Live Host and Pro CX Racer Andrew Juiliano speaks with NICA President Steve Matous about getting more kids on bikes even during this exceptional time. While the huge race campouts, where thousands of student athletes and their families gather for weekends of two wheeled fun, garner much of the attention, NICA is about more than just race days. From adventure rides to trail work weekends, the organization aims to use cycling to build character and community while fostering lifelong friendships and a love for an active lifestyle.
In honor of Father’s Day this month – we caught up with Texas’s new League Director, Adam Finck. This father of two has been involved with the Texas League since it was launched in 2012, first as a head coach for the Lubbock Bombers and now as the new Texas League Director.
When the recent COVID-19 restrictions put a sudden halt to NICA’s spring 2020 in-person activities, that didn’t deter Bella Hyser with the Alabama League from continuing to ride and connect with her fellow student-athletes while still staying safe.
As part of our 2019 Share the Ride Campaign – Western Spirit Cycling Adventures donated a trip to one lucky NICA Sustainer! NICA Sustainers are individuals who have committed to helping us get #morekidsonbikes and are impacting the future of cycling through continued annual giving.
NICA unites diverse people, families and communities through cycling by creating fun and welcoming experiences. Community is one of NICA’s Values and central to our mission to build strong minds, bodies, character and communities through cycling. Recently, we caught up with Carmen Luna, the Team Director for the SoCal League’s Eastlake High School and South Bay Composite teams to learn about the mountain biking community she’s been building in southern California.
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.
NICA GRiT (Girls Riding Together) is a national initiative to increase our overall female participation in NICA programs to 33% by 2023. Across participating leagues, GRiT Coordinators are hosting rides, camps, socializing opportunities and developing ambassador programs all aimed at increasing the number of girls and female coaches in NICA programs.