Meet David Haines

Name: David Haines
Pronouns: He/him
League: Kentucky (KICL)
Team: Hardin-Elizabethtown Stampede
Roles: Head Coach, Hardin-Elizabethtown Stampede, KICL Coach Developer/Coach Supporter, KICL Board Member
Number of years as a coach: 6 years 
Number of years riding: 30+ years

Why did you become a NICA coach? 

Getting into NICA has been a long-term goal of mine.  I am a life-long cyclist and I remember hearing about the NorCal High School League when it first started.  As an avid mountain biker, all I could think was “what an awesome idea!”.  Years went by as I moved around in the military, the thought stuck in my head about getting kids into the sport.  I actually swung through the NICA tent at Sea Otter one year around 2013 I think, to ask questions. In 2017, I was having a conversation with a friend from the Utah League, she hooked me up with some people, and helped Denile Hill and Steve Beckett with the Kentucky league application!

What keeps you coaching with NICA?

My team and the great people in my league keep me coaching.  Like any organization there was some  storming as we were forming, but a great team has formed with both the league and my team  and I look forward to every moment with them.  I love that I am accountable to be the best I can be to my athletes, fellow coaches. and families; and thankful for their grace and forgiveness when I am not at my best.  

What’s the best part about coaching with NICA?

I will always be a work in progress, what I have experienced and learned as a coach has made me more thoughtful, more reflective, more grateful, and hungry to learn more on how I can be a better coach.  I do my best to challenge my team to be the best they can be on their NICA journeys and the best and most effective way I can pass that message is for me to do the same on my coach journey.  I started this journey thinking I knew a lot about riding and competition but like John Wooden says, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” 

What’s your favorite NICA game?

Foot down, our team calls it Circle of Death!!! – so simple, so fun

What’s your favorite NICA moment?

The point when an athlete, coach, or family “gets it”.  It is observable.  In the athlete and the coaches, they get that first big “aha!” moment –  confidence and enjoyment grows.  For families it is when they understand that this experience is for them too – to get connected with an incredible  community.

What’s your best coaching pro-tip?

Keep your athletes, coaches, and yourself in touch with the joy of riding the bike with other awesome people. Simple and fun, the memories will come from that. Make sure you are creating a team and environment that builds connections, not only within your team, but also the larger cycling community, and your city or town – for the good of the athletes and the sport.

What’s one piece of advice that you have for NICA student athletes?

Work hard to learn how to focus on the present and what you can personally control. You can control how you show up, how you treat the people around you,; the effort you put in, your attitude, and how you think about things. Everything else is beyond your control.

And remember to enjoy the process: “the journey is better than the inn.”

Keep your athletes, coaches,  and yourself in touch with the joy of riding the bike with other awesome people. Simple and fun, the memories will come from that.  Make sure you are creating a team and environment that builds connections, not only within your team, but also the larger cycling community, and your city or town – for the good of the athletes and the sport.

Thanks to David for sharing his story as our MEET THE COACH feature!

If you’re a coach in Kentucky, and you see David around, be sure to say “hi” and connect.

Throughout the year, we’ll interview outstanding coaches and teams from our NICA community. Know someone who should be highlighted? Share with us!