Coaches
Coaches – The heart of the league
Skilled and dedicated NICA coaches are the most important aspect of the Texas Interscholastic School Mountain Bike League. A NICA coach puts the safety and overall well-being of their student-athletes as the first priority. NICA coaches are role models and teachers who are open to learning the best practices of youth mountain bike coaching and actively working to hone their leadership skills.
The path to becoming a Texas NICA coach generally begins with volunteering for your local team, or attending a Leaders’ Summit.
Training Weekends & CertificationS
The League recognizes coaches as the most essential component of successful mountain bike teams and we have many resources that can help you get prepared and organize your team.
In-person training weekends
In-person On-the-Bike (OTB) and first aid training are essential for equipping coaches with hands-on skills to confidently lead, support, and ensure the safety of their student-athletes on the trails.
First Aid
NICA first aid standards are specific to each coaching level. Level 1 coaches are not required to have first aid or CPR training.
Recommended Hybrid Courses
AdventureMed – Contact nigel@adventuremed.com and sharon@barclayfamily.org for more details.
Expedition School – Course Schedule
Any formal wilderness first aid (WFA) class that includes in-person sills assessment can be used for the WFA requirement. REI Wilderness First Aid, TexasPremierCPR, Boy Scouts of America.
Pre-Season
Get your team ready with these handy links.
Category Placement Petition
Petitions to upgrade categories must be submitted by the Friday of the weekend prior to race weekend.
Season XV Category Placement Table
Category placements are determined based on previous performance and set criteria defined in the handbook.
Rule Exception Petition
Petitions should be filed during the pre-season.
Scholarship Form
We are committed to making our program accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation.
Recruitment and Fundraising
There are countless ways to recruit and fundraise for your Texas NICA team. Whether you’re a long-time coach, or just getting started, we’ve put together a few of our favorite ways to get #morekidsonbikes.
Our Favorite Coach Resources
We’re here to help you navigate the process of coaching a team—here are a few of our favorite resources.
- Season XV Practice Plan Template – Get your season off on the right foot with a practice planner!
- Preseason planning pro-tips for coaches – processes, tricks, and resource recommendations to prep
- Build positive team culture at the start of your season – the importance of team building and games early in the season
- Crafting your coach philosophy – encourage coaches to write a personal, athlete-centered coaching philosophy
- Emergency Action Plans: The basics – a great review of this integral risk management document
- Ensure your riders are practice ready – a template email/checklist that coaches can copy/send to their teams
- Tips for coaching early-season fundamentals – planning your first practices with foundational skills in mind
- Tips for creating ride groups – several strategies for intentional grouping of student-athletes
- Engage your coaching team – from coach practices to adult team building, building a coach community matters!
- Using process goals to set athletes up for success – how coaches can teach process-based strategies for riders
- Games library – this growing library of on- and off-the-bike games is perfect for practice planning
- Team Practice Weather Guide
Visit the Trailhead for Coach Content
A space for NICA coaches to gather and gain knowledge, share stories, and hear the latest NICA coach news.
Coach Benefits and Support
Primal Wear Partnership
Our partners at Primal offer discounted rates for NICA teams and will be happy to help walk you through the process.
“Since 2010, Primal has been a sponsor of NICA at the national and local levels, making a concerted effort to support the initiative to expand high school mountain biking across the US. We believe that the future of cycling depends on the growth of youth participation and cultivating avid riders.”
Order by November 15
TC ScreenPrinting
Our friends at TC Screenprinting have been selling incredible League merch for the past three years – now they can help YOU and your team!
They are now offering team-level online stores so you don’t have to think about collecting money or sizes.
NICA Coach Benefits (discounts!)
At NICA, we realize that volunteers who enter our Coach Licensing Program are making both a significant financial and time commitment.
In appreciation for all that you do, and thanks to the generosity of NICA sponsors, we are able to offer numerous benefits to coaches who successfully complete the NICA Coach Licensing Program.
For coaches interested in more detailed descriptions of the listed coach benefits, please login to your Pit Zone account, click on the white Courses, Resources & Benefits button and click the Coach Benefits link.
Texas Coach Communication
League Newsletter
Important information about things like coach benefits, team sponsor deals, rule changes and race information are communicated via the Coaches eNews, an email newsletter. This newsletter is the primary and most important source of League communications. Important League updates, race schedules, rule updates and clarifications, standings, etc. will all be communicated in the newsletter first.
TeamSnap
The league will use TeamSnap app to facilitate faster communications with teams and coaches via a mobile app. As a member of the League, all teams have access to a team dashboard and the highest level of subscription benefits available. The Texas League is pleased to be able to provide this benefit to all teams. If you have questions about your teams app, please contact us at info@texasmtb.org.
Race Day Communications
Official race day communications will be on hand-held radios. All teams should have at least one Rocky Talkie radio to receive real-time updates from race officials. While we do our best to provide updates on TeamSnap and through PA announcements, those methods are not always available. Our partners at Talkie offer a 25% discount for all teams. Contact JJ for the discount code.
If your team has a financial hardship and cannot purchase a radio, contact the league director at jj@texasmtb.org.
Team Radio Channels
The league has pre-assigned radio channels to teams across the Texas league in an effort to reduce as much cross-communication. The listed channels are by no means a requirement. They are a recommendation to avoid having 3 teams sharing a single channel. Please reach out to us at info@texasmtb.org if your team feels an alternative channel may work better for you.