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Get inspired with book recommendations from NICA staff

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As the days get shorter, and the weather turns colder (in many of our leagues, at least!) we’re looking forward to cozying up on the couch next to our trail dogs with a cup of tea and a good book. For coaches who are just finishing their time with their teams, the off-season is an excellent time to reflect through reading! For our spring coaches who are starting to plan and ramp up their season, it’s the perfect moment to be inspired by a good book!

Two foundational visuals for NICA coaches

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As coaches, we know that people learn in different ways. For those visual learners among us, we want to highlight two key illustrations that have been foundational in the way we teach athlete-centered coaching at NICA.

Planning transitions for success

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Great leaders (and coaches) know that they should be thinking about their successor long before they plan to leave their role.
When the time comes to pass the torch, transitioning leadership thoughtfully can be a complex process! It can be tough for a coach who has built and grown successful teams to hand it off, and for new leadership to feel empowered and ready to jump in. There’s also a LOT that goes into coaching and planning, it can be overwhelming to think about all of the info that’s needed to pass along!

ONLINE LEADERS SUMMITS 2024

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2024 dates are now available and registration is OPEN for Leaders’ Summits through December 2024. The NICA Coach Education team will offer nine full workshops covering the four core sessions of NICA’s Leaders’ Summit.

Meet the Coach: Julie Childers

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Julie is a super-coach! Read about her role as a NICA leader and as a co-founder of Trails for Youth, an organization that provides opportunities for children to explore biking trails in and around Washington, D.C. Julie empowers riders with life lessons on and off the bike, and shares her best coaching advice at The Trailhead.

Engage your entire coaching team to get ready for the season

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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 to ensure your coaching team feels confident, connected, and prepared as a new season begins! Hosting coach-only practices and events can help everyone get on the same page, build stoke for the adults within your community, and ensure that everyone feels empowered and ready to jump into team activities.

Resource Round-up: Fall 2023

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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 be successful, competent, and confident coaches! These new resources and tips are especially relevant for our team leadership (team directors, head coaches, etc.). We hope you can share these resources with your teams so you can do less admin work and more rad coaching and riding.

Race & Event Weekends: Bringing the Fun

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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 entire NICA community – from riders to families to coaches!

Creating a Fun & Inclusive Event Weekend for your entire team

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We all have that one thoughtful, crafty, or creative friend who knows how to level-up any occasion. Maybe that person is YOU! We want to share a few team-level ideas for how to elevate your next race weekend and turn up the FUN-o-meter to eleven. And beyond!