The essential nature of free play and bikes
Incorporating free play in your practices & activities reinforces NICA’s core values of fun & inclusivity. Plus…who doesn’t love a little laughter and joy while riding bikes?!
Research has found that these types of free play experiences foster social skills, and inherently demand some form of inclusion. They promote lifelong, intrinsic motivation for sport participation.
As NICA coaches it’s incredibly important for us to integrate moments of free play into our practices. Free play reinforces our core values of fun and inclusivity.
Here are some key tips for cultivating free play at practice:
- Allow student-athletes to create
- Provide simple perimeters like boundaries and time limits
- Say very little, try not to interject
Adventure Training
The Texas Adventure program focuses on fun and inclusivity! Our goal is to ensure that each team has at least one coach trained in NICA adventure games to help keep the season fun and engaging for students of all skill levels.
Reach out to our adventure coordinator if you would like to schedule an Adventure training day!
Beyond Racing
The Teen Trail Corps Program teaches student-athletes to give back to their sport by helping to maintain trails and develop relationships with land owners. Athletes can earn badges for stewarding or advocating for mountain biking in different ways.
NICA Adventure programming helps students discover the joy of biking and outdoor adventures. We use games and experiential education to help students challenge themselves at their own pace and develop a lifelong love of cycling.
Girls Riding Together, a.k.a GRiT Texas is an outreach program focused on recruiting, developing, and retaining female athletes, coaches, ride leaders, and volunteers. GRiT Texas is part of the NICA National GRiT outreach program.