What is Caldwell Youth Mountain Biking?
Caldwell Youth Mountain Biking is a group of 3 co-ed mountain bike teams that participate in the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League (NCICL).
What is the NCICL?
http://www.northcarolinamtb.org/
The North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League (NCICL) is a non-profit organization that is governed by the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). NCICL was started in 2015, and the League’s first official season was 2016-2017. During the League’s first season, we had over 300 registered student athletes across the state and over 30 official teams. The NCICL mission is to enable every North Carolina teen to develop a strong mind, a strong body and strong character through lifelong participation in cycling.
We:
Fill a niche for students whose needs may not met by traditional interscholastic sports
Get kids outside
Welcome and support diversity in ability, ethnicity, gender, orientation, and skill level
Promote trail maintenance efforts and environmental awareness
Improve focus and academic performance in our student-athletes
Promote health & fitness in teens & their families
Promote mountain biking as a lifelong activity
What is NICA?
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is a character building organization focused on:
Inclusivity
Equity
Strong Body
Strong Mind
Strong Character
NICA has been around since 2009, when it was originally established in northern California. NICA’s sole purpose is to develop mountain biking as an interscholastic club sport for high school and middle school students in every state. As of this year, there are 25 leagues in 24 different states, with more than 15,000 student-athletes.
Who is eligible to join?
The Hibriten High School team serves all students in Caldwell County who live in the Hibriten High School district. The William Lenoir Middle School team serves all students in Caldwell County who are eligible to participate in the Hibriten District athletics program at William Lenoir Middle School. The Caldwell County Composite team serves all middle school and high school students in Caldwell County who are not eligible to join the HHS High School team or the WLMS Middle School team. Middle school and high school students are eligible to participate whether or not they attend public school.
When does the season start?
Preseason events will be held from mid-October to mid-November. These events include: skills clinics, group rides, trail maintenance days, and mechanic workshops. Our regular season weekly practice schedule will begin mid- to late January depending on weather.
What equipment is needed for the season?
A mountain bike and helmet. The mountain bike needs to have knobby tires (vs slick tires like a road bike), and cannot have bar ends. Each student athlete should also carry a tube and pump in case of a flat. It is also important to have a water bottle and water bottle cage on the bike and/or hydration pack so the student athlete can stay hydrated. The NC Interscholastic Cycling League has a bike loaner program as well as other financial assistance programs for student-athletes who may need it. Finances are not a barrier for your child’s participation in our program!
What are the cost associated with the season?
NICA’s Student athlete registration fee: $33
NC Interscholastic Cycling League registration fee: $175
Team dues: $25 (all funds used to support student-athletes with food purchases for races, maintaining our loaner bike fleet, and other expenses to support student-athletes. All coaches are 100% volunteer and no team dues are paid to team staff or coaches.)
Equipment ($0-$1000+, one-time) – mostly for a bike, if you do not already have one. There are loaner bikes available in limited numbers.
If racing, the following is also required:
Race Registration fees: $20/race (5 races/season but you do not have to race in them all), plus travel costs for races (e.g. gas, lodging/camping, food)
Team Jersey: $40 estimate
Financial Assistance is available for all of these expenses if needed.
The costs may be an issue for my family, are there resources to help?
Absolutely. We (and the league) never want fees and/or the cost of equipment to be barrier to participating with the team. There is always a way for your child to participate. Just contact our Team Director, Shawn Moore (info@caldwellyouthmtb.com), to confidentially discuss how we can help your child be a part of our program.
When / where are practices?
Weekday practices are Tuesday and Thursday from 4:15 to 5:30 PM at either Zack’s Fork Mountain Bike Trail and Lake Hickory Trails. Our weekend practices are on Saturday and are held at various local trails. The basic weekly schedule is as follows:
Tuesday 4:15-5:30
Thursday 4:15-5:30
Saturday Time and Location Vary (but typically 10 am to 1 pm)
The coaching staff reserves the right to change the schedule and we will notify all parent/guardians and student-athletes through the TeamSnap app. For both weekday practices and trail rides, we ask student-athletes to mark their attendance status (yes/no) by the morning of practice in order to ensure we have enough coaches to maintain our required student-athlete to coach ratio. We ask that student-athletes arrive approximately :15 early to get ride ready.
Does my student athlete have to attend every practice?
No. We do request that every student-athlete attend at least two practices per week. We recognize student athletes may have conflicts with other sporting/personal activities, so please discuss any attendance issues with us so that we may work something out that is in the student-athlete’s best interest. The more regular a student athlete attends our practices, however, the quicker the student athlete will learn skills taught, gain confidence on the bike, obtain needed fitness for races – and also bond with other teammates.
My student athlete is new to mountain biking or does not have a lot of trail experience. Is that okay?
No problem. We have athletes ranging from those that are brand new to trail riding to those that race competitively. While we often introduce / work on skills in groups, we also break up by ability whenever necessary so that all athletes are coached to their skill level and endurance. This is particularly true on the weekend trail rides.
My child wants to ride, but does not want to race or is not sure. Can he/she still be on the team?
Yes! Everyone is welcome on the team, regardless of whether they race or not. The primary focus of the organization is youth development, not winning. While the majority of our athletes raced at least once last year, we had several who chose not to or were not able to race. Everyone is valued as a team member, whether they race or not.
My student athlete (or I) would like to try it out before committing. Is that possible?
Yes. During the preseason all you need to do is fill out the waiver for all participants (parents and athletes) and join an event. Waivers may be used for one-time participation after which formal registration is required to continue.
I am interested in coaching. Can I join the coaching staff?
Absolutely. The more coaches we have available, the more individualized attention we can provide our student athletes. Volunteering as a coach also gives you something to do while your athlete is on the trails and gives you a workout too! All coaches are required to register with the league ($25), obtain a background check (~$25) and take on-line courses in both concussion training and risk management (free).
What if I would like to coach, but do not have much experience or am not a very fast rider?
No problem. Just as we have student athletes of varying abilities and strengths, so too, do the coaches. There are also many on-line and hard copy resources we can direct you to if you want to read up on coaching mountain bike skills and/or coaching the teenage athlete.
I would like to volunteer, but am not a rider. Is there a place for me?
Of course! We have many places you can help from managing social media to developing and managing our sponsors to being the team photographer. Just let us know what you are interested in doing – or ask us what we need!
I would like to sponsor the team or an athlete in need. How do I do that?
That is great news! Just contact Shawn Moore to discuss how you would like to be involved. We gratefully accept offers to sponsor students in need of help with fees and/or equipment. We are working on various levels of team sponsorship and corresponding means of recognition.