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A space for NICA coaches to gather and gain knowledge, share stories, and hear the latest NICA coach news.

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Engage your entire coaching team to get ready for the season

As coaches, we dedicate a lot of our time to preseason events that are focused on student-athletes. Don’t forget that coaches are a key part of our team communities, and that more than 90 percent of an athlete’s time is spent with coaches in team-level practices and events. It’s important […]

Be a catalyst for expanding bike infrastructure

Teen Trail Corps work can take on many forms. It doesn’t always have to include dirt, trails and tools. Teen Trail Corps work is also sharing our voices. To increase trail access across the country, we must also increase our advocacy efforts. PeopleForBikes, a NICA community partner, has launched the […]

Resource Round-up: Fall 2023

As we welcome our spring leagues back to their preseason, we wanted to do a little resource round-up to highlight our newest templates, tricks, tips, and links for our amazing coaches. Our goal in the NICA coach education department is to help our volunteer coaches with everything they need to […]

Something True/Something False

This simple get-to-know-you game is great for the beginning of the season. It encourages sharing while allowing athletes to choose the facts (and falsehoods) that they disclose about themselves, depending on their own comfort levels.

Race & Event Weekends: Bringing the Fun

Get ready for the races! This month we’re covering everything you need to know to create a great event experience for your NICA team. As our spring leagues start planning for their upcoming season, and our fall leagues begin racing, we’re sharing ways to create amazing race-weekend experiences for your […]

Pre-Race Practice Activities

Mountain bike racing is awesome! And there are a lot of elements that may feel complicated if athletes don’t get your help navigating them in a manageable way. To help athletes feel ready – mentally, emotionally and physically – coaches can (need) help them prepare by including practice activities that […]

Process goals to set athletes up for success

We’ve all probably set a big goal without really thinking it through. Here’s how it plays out… “I’m gonna ride 8,000 miles this year. Let’s go!” Then, life gets busy. It’s June and you’ve only ridden 1,000 miles. “Geez… maybe I’m not very good at this goal thing. I just […]

It’s not surprising, Temps are rising! Are you prepared?

With the start of the fall racing season comes rising temperatures, leading us all to look for ways to stay cool and safe out on the trails. Higher temps introduce a range of factors teams and coaches must consider, from hydration and preventing heat-related injury to heat acclimation.

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