Beginning on Wednesday June 19, league directors, coach developers, and guild members from leagues across the country converged on Fayetteville, AR for the bi-annual NICA national conference. Attendees were treated to world class keynote speakers, interactive workshops, early morning group rides (to beat the heat!), and many opportunities to collaborate and network with folks across leagues and roles within NICA.

Just like in years past, NICA invited relevant and inspirational speakers to present keynotes.

Thursday kicked off the sessions with best-selling author and coaching podcaster John O’Sullivan, who spoke of the need for youth sports to be accessible to all kids with the intent of creating lifelong athletes. His personal anecdote about the importance of mountain biking in his life left few dry eyes in the audience. 

On Friday, conference goers were treated to a motivating presentation from inclusivity guru Marley Blonsky of All Bodies on Bikes, followed by Danny Twilley of the Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Collaborative at West Virginia University. Marley challenged her audience to take inclusivity to a level many had not thought about before. Danny shared an emotional moment with the audience after speaking to the power of believing in a cause and persevering through adversity to truly achieve a goal. Marley and Danny helped inspire everyone in attendance to reach for NICA’s audacious goal of 100,000 student-athletes by 2033.

Saturday of the conference gave attendees and staff the chance to explore the trails and sights of Fayetteville. From the farmers market and TC Headquarters to Woka trails and Bentonville museums, there were many choices to decide from and people took full advantage of the beautiful weather. The conference ended with a dinner and recognition ceremony, and NICA staff encouraging all leagues to go back to their home states with all the new information and stoke that was shared through the experience. We can’t wait to get back together in 2026!

This content was authored by NICA’s coach education team. NICA’s comprehensive coach education program provides new and existing coaches with the high-quality training and resources they need to be confident, competent, and empowered leaders on their youth mountain bike teams. NICA coaches not only create amazing experiences for student-athletes, they create a foundation for building healthy mountain bike communities. NICA coaches change lives! 

COACH EDUCATION  |  PIT ZONE LOGIN  |  COACH REQUIREMENTS  |  COACH HELP DESK