Next Steps: Coach Instructions

Fall Leagues 2023 Season:

April 3, 2023

Selected Pathfinders, returning and new, are contacted.

May 1, 2023

Soft deadline to register your team and confirm current coach licensure is up-to-date in the Pit Zone.

June 1, 2023

Deadline for providing names, fulfillment form (sizes of scholarship recipients) and the signed Student-Athlete Commitment Form in order to receive bikes, gear, and scholarship funds by the start of the season. This also includes the student-athlete being registered in the Pit Zone.

Meet this deadline to increase the likelihood of receiving your student-athlete’s items in time for the start of practice season. Team registration and up-to-date Coach licensure is also required.

June 30, 2023

Final deadline for providing names of scholarship recipients.

The scholarship will be forfeited if all requirements are not met by this date.

Have questions before you begin? Check out our Pathfinder Scholarship Program FAQs for Coaches page.

TREK:

  1. Please fill out the Pathfinders Scholarship Fulfillment Form. Download, fill out and then upload via the Pathfinders Upload Portal. Please complete the name, age, and the short, jersey, shoe, glove, and helmet size for each of your riders. The Trek Sizing Guide may be useful to refer to.
  2. Also please identify the bike shop, and the contact information for the person at the shop your team will be working with. In the coming weeks, you will receive a shipment of kits for your team. The bikes will ship to your designated retailer. Please identify the retailer you’ll be working with as well on the Pathfinders Scholarship Fulfillment Form and the upload via the Pathfinders Upload Portal.
  3. Have all student-athletes and their parents/guardians review the Pathfinders Student-Athlete Packet which was emailed to you, the Coach, during the first week of October.
    • Have each Student-Athlete and their parents/guardians review and sign the Trek Student-Athlete Commitment Form then upload via the Pathfinders Upload Portal.
    • Each Student-Athlete will receive a fee stipend to cover their cost of participating in the 2023 NICA season. Your team will receive this stipend directly from NICA.
    • Give each Student-Athlete their participation certificate and letter from John Burke (this was emailed to you, the Coach, during the first week of April).
    • Make sure they feel great about this program and answer all their questions.

Here’s how we recommend distributing kits and scheduling the pick-up of new bikes:

  • Have an organized team event to distribute the kit to the riders before “bike day.”
  • We understand that there will be some swapping, mixing, and matching, etc.
  • Do your best to make the shipment work for your team. If you need to make returns, please contact me.
  • Make sure helmets are properly fitted and adjusted for each rider.
  • Please reference the attached list of items that each rider should receive. (NOTE: Some items may be substituted depending on availability.)
  • Have fun and take pictures!

After “kit day” comes “bike day” at the retailer you have chosen to work with.

  • The bikes will ship after the kit, so anticipation should build!
  • Contact your retailer to learn when they will have the bikes and when they’ll be built and ready for pick-up.
  • Ensure all student-athletes bring their helmets to take a test ride.
  • The retailer will receive instructions from us on how to make this a super fun and positive day for your student-athletes.
  • Take pictures!

Any questions regarding the above? Contact Mike at Trek with “Fall Pathfinders” as well as your League and Team Name in the subject header.

 

NICA:

  1. Register your team and complete your coach licensing and registration requirements - If you are new this season, please reach out to your League Director:
    • To get your team set up in NICA Pit Zone
    • To understand the requirements for your Coach License
  2. Invite your Trek/NICA Pathfinders student-athletes - Once you and your team are registered, you can start adding your student-athletes to your team. You will need contact info (name and email) for one parent to add your student-athlete(s) to your Pit Zone team dashboard. To do this:
  3. Instruct Parents to Complete Rider Registration and Stop at the payment page - Instruct your parents to register their rider, sign the waiver, and then when they land on the payment page, they can stop. The team will be paying the registration fees for each rider that qualifies.
  4. Submit Your Information To Receive Your Scholarship Funds via the Scholarship Disbursement Form - Once you have completed steps 1-3 under Trek and NICA, and have submitted your Scholarship Disbursement Information, NICA will then send you an email invitation from Bill.com to set up a Bill.com Account, if you don’t already have one.

    Upon complete set up of the Bill.com account, the funds for the scholarship(s) will be sent to you in the requested format. Please ensure that the information provided on the Scholarship Disbursement Form is accurate and complete.
    NOTE: The scholarship funds will not be sent to you to pay for your Trek/NICA Pathfinders student-athletes until:

    1. your team is registered,
    2. you have a fully licensed Head Coach/Team Director,
    3. your Pathfinder scholarship recipient(s) have been invited to the Pit Zone and they have completed registration up to the point of payment,
    4. the Trek Student-Athlete Commitment Form has been completed, signed and uploaded via the Pathfinders Upload Portal, and
    5. the Pathfinders Scholarship Fulfillment Form has been completed and uploaded via the Pathfinders Upload Portal.
  5. Pay for your Student-Athletes - Pay for the student-athletes receiving the scholarship. To do this:

  6. PPP (Pathfinder Point Person) by League
    NOTE: If no name is listed for PPP, then it is the League Director

    League Name Email Address PPP Name PPP Email Address
    Arkansas Terry Coddington terry@arkansasmtb.org    
    Delaware Maria Dziembowska maria@delawaremtb.org    
    Idaho Eddie Freyer eddie@idahomtb.org    
    Indiana John Leitzel John@indianamtb.org    
    Kentucky Denile Hill denile@kentuckymtb.org    
    Maryland Jon Posner (Co-Director) jon@marylandmtb.org    
    Maryland Fred Powell (Co-Director) fred@marylandmtb.org Debbie Cleaver dcleaver99@comcast.net
    Missouri Annie Schwartz (Co-Director) annie@missourimtb.org Angela Peterson angpete@missourimtb.org
    Missouri Chris Mileski (Co-Director) chris@missourimtb.org    
    Montana Sam Schultz sam@montanamtb.org    
    Nebraska Bree Campbell bree@nebraskamtb.org    
    Nevada North Nikki Peterson nikki@nevadamtb.org Sam Echo samuelthomasecho@gmail.com
    New Mexico Mary Grow director@newmexicomtb.org Trais Moulton tech@newmexicomtb.org
    Ohio Jen Malik jen@ohiomtb.org    
    Oregon Heather Wolfgang heather@oregonmtb.org    
    Pennsylvania Mike Kuhn mike@pamtb.org Ryan Oelkers ryan@pamtb.org
    South Carolina Curt Kurz-Edsall curt@southcarolinamtb.org    
    Tennessee Katherine Williams info@tennesseemtb.org    
    Utah Dallen Atack dallen@utahmtb.org Kristine Peterson kristine@utahmtb.org
    Virginia Andrea Dvorak andrea@virginiamtb.org    
    West Virginia Cassie Smith cassie@westvirginiamtb.org Jack Hoblitzell jdhoblitzell@gmail.com
    Wisconsin Renee Griswold renee@wisconsinmtb.org  

Still have questions? Contact Nargis at NICA with “Fall Pathfinders” as well as your League and Team Name in the subject header.