Coaches

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 in your region.

CPR and First Aid Providers

AdventureMed – AdventureMed has a new, local trainer who has provided medical support at NICA races and can offer a hybridized course that consists of a learn-at-your-own-pace, online education to deliver the theory and traditional lecture-based portion of class, and then a subsequent in-person class to practice the skills. The trainer is willing to you for the cost of the course and travel expenses. For now, your team or a group of teams can set up private classes. We plan to offer scheduled courses in 2023. If you would like to set up a training, please reach out to nigel@adventuremed.com and sharon@barclayfamily.org for more details.

Expedition School – The team at the Expedition School have been long-time partners of Texas NICA and continue to offer NICA First Aid, CPR, Wilderness First Aid and more. You can attend one of their public courses or work with them to schedule a private session for the coaches on your team or in your area. Click here to find their course schedule. 

National CPR Foundation – There are many options to complete your CPR training, but the National CPR Foundation has an easy to access and inexpensive CPR course that fulfills NICA CPR requirements. 

Wilderness First Aid – Any formal wilderness first aid class that includes in-person sills assessment can be used for the wilderness first aid requirement.  Some popular courses include, REI Wilderness First Aid, TexasPremierCPR, Boy Scouts of America.

Coach Communication

Student Recruitment

There are countless ways to recruit 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.

Yard Sign Template

Get the word out about your team! Coordinate with your local trails, bike shops and schools for permission to place signs in populated areas.

Customize Your Template

Business Cards

Add your team name and team’s contact information to business cards that can be stashed in your riding pack or your car – that way you’re always ready to share with any riders you come across!

Coach Business Card Template

Team Flyer

Printed flyers are a lost art, but can be useful if placed at bike shops and restaurants. Send PDF versions to local cycling club’s via email and post to social media!

Start Advertising for your Team

Pre-Season

Get your team ready for Season XII with these handy links.

Category Placement Petition

Petitions to upgrade categories must be submitted at least two weeks before race-day.

Submit your Placement Petition

Rule Exception Petition

Petitions should be filed during the pre-season.

Fill out the Petition

2023 Category Placement Table

The category placement table indicates student-athletes’ placement for 2023.

Review the Category Placement Table

Scholarship Form

We are committed to making our races and camps accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation.

Complete the Scholarship Form

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 Mr. Communications (Mike) if your team feels an alternative channel may work better for you.