Title: Don’t Stop Believing

Introduction

Topic:  League Director Transition

-Notice to staff/TD/HC

-Notice to league

Topic: Season 10 Update

• Conferences - committee work still going, brief board in September
  • Western venues: Pleasant Ridge and Tryon International
• Elementary pilot program - slower than we thought, one team in pilot fall 2025
• Core competencies - trail blazer program, think passport across all program areas
• Team expansion

Topic: Important Dates 

• Coach Training
• First coaches call Tuesday 19 August
• Registration: 2 Sep (Coach and Team) 1 Oct (SA)
  • New Handbook in September
  • 2026 CPT on the website
• Preseason (15 Oct)
  • League Summit 18-19 Oct - registration opening this month
  • GRiT (25 Oct)
  • Event 1 (1 Nov) - Lake Norman
  • Regionals (8-9 Nov) - registration opens 25 August
  • Event 2 (22 Nov) - Old Fort

Closing (All)

Dad joke

Let's talk about Season 10! Get a preview of what's going on with the upcoming NC NICA season. 

• Conferences 
• Elementary pilot program 
• Core competencies Team expansion 

Important Dates 

Registration: 2 Sep (Coach and Team) 1 Oct (SA) 

Preseason (15 Oct) 

League Summit 18-19 Oct 

GRiT (26 Oct) 

Event 1 (1 Nov) - TBD 

Regionals (8-9 Nov) 

Event 2 (22 Nov) - Old Fort 

*Note - you will hear me talk about the "628" problem - it is actually the 693 puzzle - If every league was the size of Utah, there would be 693,000 NICA student-athletes. In other words, how to we solve the 693 puzzle? This is a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) that was a prominent part of what John Burke, Trek CEO, talked about in his discussions with us at the NICA Leadership Conference in Waterloo, WI in June.

This month we're handing the mic to the student-athletes at the NC GRiT podcast! Check out their latest episode:

Episode 2 of the GRiT Podcast reveals the dates for the upcoming NCICL season with league director Brian Russell. Along with this we shared a recap of the past events that happened over the last few weeks. All in all the highlight of this episode is special guests Siana Rehman and Salma Elwafi who each got to talk about their Senior Ambassador projects which are outreach and the mentor program. Listen in to hear more details!!

You can subscribe to the NC GRiT Podcast wherever you get your podcasts or check them out at https://ncgritpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Music I Use: https://www.bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
Artist: Lunar Years
License code: VHQCDLXXL5JC2U5X

Title: Shall We Play A Game?

Introduction (Shawn) 

Quick numbers update: 235 coaches, 321 riders just one month in (171 HS, 150 MS)

Topic: GRiT Preseason Event Reflections (Brian)

Topic: Team Preseason Activities and Early season practices (Shawn)

• Appropriate progressions and taking care of new/inexperienced riders

Topic: Preseason Update (Shawn and Brian)

• NICA Regionals (9-11 Nov). 
  • Race registration closed
  • Ride and general admission registration open until 8 Nov
  • Town Hall Wed 6 Nov at 8pmEST via Zoom
  • NC bringing a TTC activation: Lonnie Preslar and Claudia Baum being recognized as top hour earners for 9th grade in the entire region!

• 16 Nov (Adventure focus): new location - Wilkesboro Cub Creek

-Adventure sponsor shout out: Fidlock (Brian), Adventure passports

• 7 Dec (TTC focus) - NCCAR location 

• Coach retreat still working dates/locations
• Rescheduled Coach clinic in January

Topic: Season Update (Brian)

• Hope to publish by 1 December
• We have dates and locations now, trying to get a western venue in

Topic: Hurricane Helene Relief campaign

Closing (All)

Dad joke

Title: Helene's Aftermath: Leveling Up Our Support

Introduction (Shawn) 

Topic: Reflections on Helene (Shawn and Brian)

Topic: SA registration opens 1 Oct

Topic: Coach shoutouts (first coaches to register for the 2025 season)

Topic: 5th Grade Pilot Program

• 5 October: last day to opt in for the 5th grade pilot program
• 8 October: NICA hosted training session for participating teams (all team coaches invited)
• See the Resources and Links section  for more information on the 5th Grade Pilot program
• Second opt in  “deadline” (1 Nov) for the program and second training date (5 Nov)

Topic: Preseason Update

-Coach retreat (26-27 Oct) Camp Grier in Old Fort. Registration opens soon.

• Preseason event dates (registration will be open 1 Oct): 
  • 2 Nov (GRiT)  (no cost) Harris Lake
  • 16 Nov (Adventure) - Old Fort ($20) Likely find new location
  • 7 Dec (Adventure) - Lake Norman ($20) New location: NCCAR
• NICA Regionals (9-11 Nov). 
  • Race registration open to all 7 Oct
  • Must be registered in PitZone (SA and coach) in order to attend
  • NC bringing a TTC activation

• Working to get event dates and locations published in October November - on hold firming up with venues after storm

Closing (All)

Dad joke

Introduction (Shawn) 
Topic: Coach and Team Registration opens 3 Sep 
Coach registration Opens in PitZone on Tuesday, 3 September 2024 Cost: $25 Closes: end of season (tentative end of May) League Scholarships are available for coach registration fees. Please don’t let financial difficulty limit a willing and available adult to help us get more kids on bikes. See the league website Ride Help page for details or the scholarship link in the Resources and Links section. 

Team registration Opens in PitZone on Tuesday, 3 September 2024 Cost: $20* All teams must submit a Team Proposal and will not be sanctioned in PitZone for team activities until the proposal is approved by the League Director. [New] New teams will receive a $200 payment from the league to help offset start up costs from the team. Contact Brian Russell or Shawn Moore if you’re starting a new team this season for details. Closes: 30 November 2024 [late registration open until 31 December for $120] 

First coach call of the season to discuss: Tuesday, 17 Sep 8pm Topic: 5th Grade Pilot Program The league will participate in a NICA pilot program for 5th graders this season. The NICA 5th Grade Inclusion Manual gives a great overview of the program. Teams must opt-in if they want to participate! NICA will host an information session for interested TDs/HCs on Tuesday, 24 September (time TBD). Teams that want to participate will need to indicate that on an interest form that will be distributed after the meeting. Teams will need to opt-in no later than 5 October to participate in the program 24 September 2024 (time TBD) 5th Grade Pilot Program Interest meeting 25 September to 5 October: Team interest survey 5 October: last day to opt in for the 5th grade pilot program 8 October: NICA hosted training session for participating teams (all team coaches invited) See the Resources and Links section for more information on the 5th Grade Pilot program 

Topic: Date Reminders 
Last call for currently scheduled coach training WFA/CPR and WFA/CPR/101101 12-13 Oct 24 RDU 

Coach retreat (26-27 Oct) Camp Grier in Old Fort. Registration opens soon. -

Pathfinder scholarship applications close 13 Sep 

Preseason event dates (registration will be open 1 Oct): 
2 Nov (GRiT) (no cost) 
16 Nov (Adventure) - Old Fort ($20) 
7 Dec (Adventure) - Lake Norman ($20) 
NICA Regionals (9-11 Nov). Registration open now 

Working to get event dates and locations published in October 

Closing (All) Dad joke

Shawn and Brian talk about the NICA National Conference held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the pending handbook changes, reminders about the upcoming WFA/CPR and OTBS 101 courses beginning in August and a sneak preview of next season's theme AND Coach Retreat (last weekend in October at Old Fort, NC)!

Gear up for the latest NICA podcast episode! We're diving deep into event recaps, exciting previews of upcoming races (Season Showdown & Whitewater Windup), key end-of-season dates, and a glimpse into what's in store for 2024.

Tune in for the details on:

* **Event Recaps:** Danville Dash, Mayhem at Mayodan, TTC workdays, and the 5 String Stampede cancellation.
* **Season Showdown Preview:** Get the lowdown on the theme, course inspection, Strider Bike Rodeo, fundraising updates, Senior Night format changes, new features, and important dates.
* **Whitewater Windup Preview:** Discover the theme, dates, activities, and awards for this exciting event.
* **Upcoming:** Stay informed about the end-of-season survey, crucial dates, coach training, pre-season events, and NICA Eastern Regionals.

Don't miss this episode packed with the latest NICA news and updates!

#NICA #mountainbiking #youthcycling #SeasonShowdown #WhitewaterWindup #podcast

Introduction (Shawn) - almost halfway through the season of adventure!

Topic: Event Reviews (Brian and Shawn)

-Salisbury Scramble

-TTC work

-reversed start/finish

-live results

-event recap on YouTube

-Danville Dash - brand new

-Adventure course

-race course - positive reviews

-KOM/QOM segment

-event recap coming

Topic: Mayhem at Mayodan Preview (Brian and Shawn) 

-Theme: Out of This World

-Saturday

-Trail work opportunity: (3) sessions PZ registration required 

-course inspection - group riding reminder

-Staff Pie Smash - fundraiser reminder (ends 28 May)

-Sunday

-course preview is available on YouTube channel

-warm up “area” - in the field

-Dates: 12 April (category petitions), 14 April registration deadline, 17 Apr Town Hall

Topic: Rules (Shawn and Brian)

-Handbook reminder: we all agree to abide by the rules when we sign up and in essence serve as a NICA ambassador - wherever we are

-Two recent issues: course crossing and ear buds. This is all safety based - situational awareness.

-Swiss Cheese model of human error

-we need your help: dogs

Topic: 5 String Stampede (Fletcher) 4-5 May  Preview (Brian and Shawn)

-Theme: Wild West

-Context and background story: western venue - yay! Western venue - challenges!

-Course preview released this weekend

-Senior night and celebration

Topic: Upcoming (Shawn and Brian)

1. Season Showdown (Mayodan) 18-19 May
   1. Qualifying: top 30 in each category OR top 20 placement in at least 2 races
   2. Still working schedule and guidance for non-racers 
2. Whitewater Windup (Whitewater Center) 1-2 June
   1. Venue survey this Saturday 13 April to finalize plan
   2. Basic format: riding/games on Saturday (orienteering), some activity Sunday morning, season awards and fundraiser prizes early afternoon to let folks get on the road

Closing (All)

Dad joke

Introduction (Shawn)

Topic: Crankin at the Creek Review (Brian and Shawn) 

-Theme: Beach Bash

-Saturday

-Adventure Course

-TTC tent (rock crawler)

-pre-ride new race course (thanks Cape Fear SORBA)

-Sunday

-Adventure course stayed open (warm up lap)

-live results

-Podium socks (thanks to Ridge Supply)

Topic: Spring Giveaway campaign teaser (Brian)

-Campaign launch date: Friday, March 1st

Hybrid: online and paper tickets, multiple prizes from league sponsors

Campaign end date: midnight Tuesday, May 28th

Giveaway date: Sunday, June 2nd

Topic: Salisbury Scramble Preview (Brian and Shawn)  

-Theme: Adventure is Out There

-Context: venue is tight (parking, infield, race course crossings)

-Saturday

-Trail work opportunity: (2) sessions 1:15pm and 3:45 pm. PZ registration required 

-Rock crawler: passport activity 22 (2 hours work) and 25 (pick up trash)

-course inspection - stick to groups (1 lap and multi lap)

-Tire clinics - passport opportunity! Skinny Wheels bike shop and Black Ox (prize pack in the spring fundraiser) for tubeless set up clinic

-Movie Night (Up) - 7-9pm PZ registration required. Special VIP section for the team that earns the most fundraising by midnight on 10 March

-Sunday

-schedule changes published by Wed

-course preview is available on YouTube channel

-course crossing guidance

-pick up your trash!

Topic: Date Reminders (Shawn and Brian)

Highlights

1. Salisbury Scramble
   1. Category petitions: 8 Mar
   2. Event registration: 10 Mar 
   3. Town Hall: 13 Mar
2. Trail Week coming! 18-24 March. Contact Leonard for info

Closing (All)

Dad joke