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Reminders for Coaches

As you begin your season, ensure that you and your fellow coaches have completed all NICA coach education requirements to be ready to coach and ride with your teams.

Photo by Korey Hopkins, Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League

As you head into your season, please take a moment to check your NICA Pit Zone profile and make sure your NICA coach license status is at a minimum level 1 before you begin participating in activities with your student-athletes. If you plan to lead any athletes on-trail, ensure that you are license level 2 or 3 before hitting the singletrack!

Here are several resources you can use to navigate, review, and troubleshoot your coach license requirements:

How do you know if your license requirements are fulfilled?

If you have a red exclamation mark next to your name in the Pit Zone, you are missing at least one of the requirements for level 1 certification and you cannot coach OR ride with student-athletes. 

The minimum requirements to work with NICA student-athletes can be accessed in Pit Zone and the NICA Education Center. Please ensure that you have completed all of the following items:

Pit Zone Registration
Annual registration in the NICA Pit Zone includes:

  • Signing the participation waiver electronically
  • Completing a background check 
  • Paying your annual NICA membership fee

NICA Education Center
Within Pit Zone, you can access the NICA Education Center to complete the following courses:

  • CDC Heads Up Concussion Course (required annually)
  • Athlete Abuse Prevention Training (required every 2 years)
  • NICA Philosophy, Safety, and Risk Management (required annually)
  • NICA Coach Licensing Level 1 or above (required every 2 years)

Ready to Level Up?

Level 2

If you are interested in becoming a level 2 for the first time you will need to attend an On-the-Bike Skills 101 clinic, take a first aid and CPR certification, report a minimum of 20 hours of field work, and complete the NICA Coach Licensing Level 2 Course.

Level 3

If you are interested in becoming a level 3 coach for the first time you will need to attend a NICA Leaders Summit (online or in person), take a NICA Approved First aid course or Wilderness First Aid course, report a minimum of 80 field work hours, and complete the NICA Coach Licensing Level 3 Course.

If you have any questions about coach licensing requirements, please reach out via the NICA Coach Help Desk