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.
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.
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!
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.
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).
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.
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.
With the official launch of NICA’s Girls Riding Together (GRiT) program – we wanted to catch up with one of our student-athletes who has been involved with GRiT program activities in her local league! Meet Louisa – a 6th grader with the Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League.
NICA GRiT is a national program that aims to increase female participation in the sport of mountain biking by 10% over the next five years with a focus on recruitment and retention of girls and female coaches in NICA leagues. By providing skills development, promoting positive physical health, confidence and self-esteem and providing coach training, NICA’s goal is to provide a fun, safe and competitive environment for young women to excel.
As we celebrate ALL our parents this spring – we wanted to give a special shout out to the parents of NICA student-athletes who also volunteer as coaches! Meet Paula, aka “Team Mom” or “Momma Bear.” Paula’s 13-year old son found a passion for mountain biking last year when he joined the Phoenix Trailblazers with the North Carolina League. We caught up with Paula to find out how her son’s passion helped her find her own passion for mountain biking and how she went from sitting in the parking lot during practice to being a NICA Coach!