Zack Rundell: How Mountain Biking Saved My Life
Zack Rundell, a NICA alumni and State Champion, from the Pennsylvania League, credits mountain biking with saving his life.
Summer 2019 Trek Service Course
This summer Trek Bikes is offering their Trek Certified Assembly Technician 101 course for NICA student-athletes and coaches. The course is designed to educate student-athletes to perform bicycle maintenance on their own. Skills learned through this course will empower student-athletes to gain confidence with equipment operations and save time and money by completing maintenance themselves.
Beaumont High School Team Honored for Trail Advocacy
Beaumont High School Mountain Bike Team with the SoCal League was honored at the 2019 California Trails and Greenways Conference with a Merit Award for their trail advocacy and stewardship efforts at their local Bogart Park. The team has been working since 2015 to make Bogart Park a better place for all its users.
Equity in the Athletic Community
NICA is committed committed to fair treatment, equal access, opportunity, advancement and elimination of barriers to encourage participation for all. We are fortunate to have two members on our Board of Directors who are also extremely dedicated to improving equity in the athletic community. Susan Helm-Murtagh is NICA’s Board Chairperson and Julia German is a Board Member and Chairperson for the Rules Committee. Susan and Julia are also are two driving forces behind The Athletes’ Coalition (TAC), which is a non-profit that was developed in response to the pay game and other issues surround equity in the ultra-running community.
NICA Girls with GRiT
In celebration of Women’s History Month – we’re highlighting some of the visionary females across NICA who are making positive impacts on our mountain biking family!
Spoke’n Revolutions in North Carolina
In North Carolina’s Triangle region, Kevin Hicks is on a mission to get #morekidsonbikes. Kevin volunteers his time as Communications Director for the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League and also runs his own nonprofit, TriangleBikeWorks, which focuses on youth leadership. Their flagship program, Spoke’n Revolutions Youth Cycling provides cycling adventures for youth of color that promote teamwork, strengthens communication, deepens interpersonal responsibility and compassion, and heightens sensitivity to the natural environment.
West Virginia League Partners with State Agencies to Develop Mountain Biking Trails in Local Parks
North Bend State Park is a popular recreation destination near Cairo, West Virginia, sitting on over 2,400 acres on the North Fork of the Hughes River. North Bend State Park is also home to one of the West Virginia League’s Races. The park wasn’t always the perfect location for a NICA race, but thanks to a collaboration between the West Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League (WVICL) and the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (WVDNR) there are new NICA-approved trails for everyone to use at North Bend State Park (NBSP).
Reflections on an Inaugural NICA Season
It’s no easy task to find a NICA league and successfully complete an inaugural race season. We are thrilled to have seen three new leagues successfully launch this fall. We caught up with our no longer rookie league directors of West Virginia, Maryland, and Oregon to find out their take on their inaugural seasons!
Elite Development Programs Provide Opportunities for NICA Student-Athletes
We all love mountain biking, and for some of our student-athletes, one of the best parts of mountain biking is the thrill of competition at the highest level combined with the camaraderie of being part of a successful team. NICA is changing the shape of youth cycling across the United States, and elite development programs like the Bear Development Team are working with NICA student-athletes to help them compete at the elite level both nationally and internationally.
More than Racing – Pennsylvania Adventure Weekend
Several of our leagues are piloting “adventure” programs this fall. Our emerging adventure programs seek to allow youth to experience the benefits of mountain biking, camaraderie, community, and the outdoors. NICA adventure programs reinforce our core values; they enable youth to build health and strength, learn new skills, and be part of a team through outdoor experiences.