Week 2: Planning ahead
Hello Driftless families! Here are our updates for WEEK 2 of our season. Hope everyone has enjoyed a lovely and relaxing weekend! This week we have some updates on parking logistics for one of our practice venues, a save-the-date for a team GEAR SWAP/SALE, and a few upcoming items that may need your attention (race category petitions, upcoming league events, etc.)
Lastly, this is a final reminder to Waunakee families that you must complete all district Infinite Campus registration by the end of the day TODAY. You still have some time to submit a physical card, but IC reg closes after midnight tonight and will not reopen. Please see emails from Em for instructions and please email the activities office DIRECTLY with your questions…Em and Brad will likely not be able to assist with questions specific to district paperwork. Thanks!
Practice at Park Elementary School
Next week (July 25) we will host our first practice at Park Elementary school in Cross Plains (Middleton/Waunakee teams) - this will be a semi-regular practice site for our teams, but the parking/logistics will be challenging this year due to several factors:
The MCPASD has asked us NOT to use the school drop off loop OR parking lots due to conflict with other families picking up their students for after-school/summer programs. Please do not park or drop off students in the parking lot for the school.
Additionally, the school has asked that riders WALK bikes if they are traveling across the parking lot/drop-off loop areas (no riding) due to vehicle traffic in those areas.
Park St. will be under construction for a good part of the summer; parking will not be allowed on the street.
Please see our map for a visual, plus recommended areas to park. We suggest parking along Center St. and Water St. The Lake Ridge Bank across the street may also have limited parking available, but please be respectful of the employees and only use that space if absolutely necessary. If you live in Cross Plains, please consider having your athlete ride to practice to relieve congestion in the drop-off areas 🙂
2023 parking map for Park Elementary School in Cross Plains, WI
Gear swap and sale!
Our team is 100 families strong and we’ve got a LOT of great gear among our community! Some of it may be outgrown, no longer used (but still with plenty of life!) or just simply needs a new home! We are hosting a GEAR SALE/SWAP NEXT Thursday, July 27!
The gear sale/swap will function like an open-house “garage sale” during our practice on July 27th. Please follow the instructions below to participate:
Bring gently used outdoor/bike-related gear to the Blackhawk EAST Chalet between 5:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. Please pre-labeled all items with your asking price.
When you arrive, we will provide you with an envelope. Write your NAME and PAYMENT PREFERENCE on the envelope (if using Venmo or PayPal, include your EMAIL or VENMO handle)
Place your item(s) all together somewhere in the Chalet with your envelope next to it (so folks can tell it is associated with your gear)
Shop around! We will keep the “garage sale” open during practice, and will end practice ~20 minutes early so riders can come look for items, too (or check sizes, etc.)
If you would like to purchase an item, you can either find the seller and pay them directly, OR put your payment in the envelope (or use PAYPAL/VENMO info provided on the envelope)
Sellers must retrieve their envelopes/unsold gear at the end of the sale (NO LATER than 8:15 p.m.) …items MUST be retrieved, or they will be donated!
We do not require that sellers stay with their items during the sale, though you are welcome to hang out! If you can’t stay (i.e. you’re a coach and you will be out riding!), simply leave your items in a clearly-marked area with your envelope, and our volunteers will take care of the rest.
Appropriate items to bring to the sale include:
Lightly used cycling kit
Lightly used accessories: gloves, arm warmers, etc.
Used equipment: saddle bags, parts, backpacks/hip bags, etc.
Used (and decent condition) bikes
Any other outdoor-gear related items that may appeal to our community
Inappropriate items to bring:
Super-used clothes/accessories (especially chamois…yuck!)
Helmets (sorry, not safe to pass along a used helmet!)
Random bike parts that are unlikely to fit modern bikes
Your old 26er you want to get rid of (i.e. an old bike not appropriate/safe for NICA)
Remember: if you are looking for gear and you can’t find used gear here or elsewhere, this is your reminder that NICA student-athletes and coaches receive many discounts and benefits from local retailers and online bike shops/brands! Check them all out here.
We will send another reminder in our update next week!
Race Categories
For those who are considering or plan to race, your race “category” can be found in PitZone (Rider Profile → Rider Information → Category). For anyone wishing to race a category other than the one assigned by default, your Team Director will need to submit a petition for the category change. The hard deadline for the petition to be submitted is August 1. But since the petition needs to be submitted by team leadership, please get in touch with us by July 28 at the absolute latest so we have time to review, ask questions, and submit in plenty of time.
Ultimately, the petition will be reviewed by the Wisconsin League, and may or may not be approved based on the circumstances and reasons provided for the request. For those who are new to racing, to give you a general guideline, Middle School racers typically race 1 lap (or 5-ish miles). High School Freshmen and JV2 riders race 2 laps (or 10ish miles); JV3 race 3, and Varsity typically ride 4 laps. The final distance will vary slightly by course, and the distance for each is designed such that each category should not exceed “x” minutes on the course (depending on race category). With the exception of the HSO category (explained below), the category an athlete is in at the start of the race season will remain the same throughout the race season. Please note there are 2 new race categories this year:
MS2 is a Middle School 2-lap race category for those middle school athletes who have the skill, experience, endurance and speed to finish the 1-lap race exponentially faster than the majority of their peers. Anyone not already in this category who desires to be in this category must have significant experience and the necessary skills to compete at this level safely. Your Head Coach will need to approve this petition prior to being submitted.
HSO is the High School Open category. This is a 1-lap race. This category is open for athletes who are new to biking/racing, and/or may not feel or be ready for a 2-lap race. This is also an option for athletes who may be returning after an injury and need to ease back into racing. Athletes are welcome to petition into this category, but move up later in the season if so desired.
You can always find more detailed information about racing and what to expect at our Racing FAQs page. We will host a pre-race info meeting in August before our first official league race, so don’t worry if you feel like you’ve still got questions! The biggest priority right now is placing those category petition requests (if it applies to you), as described above.
League events
In addition to our team events, the WI league hosts a bunch of awesome ride opportunities for our athletes throughout the year. These events are a great way to get to know other riders/families in the state - our Wisconsin league is one big community, and there’s a good chance if you run into someone on the trails anywhere in the midwest, they’re also a part of NICA! Check out the following events and ask your team director or coach for more info:
AUG. 5: Ride & Dine Fundraiser - An awesome casual fundraiser AND opportunity to ride on the private trail system at Englewood farms. More info. Note: if you are interested in putting together a full “table” for the event, please post on the Friends of Driftless MTB facebook page to see if others would like to join!
AUG. 12: CamRock Adventure Ride - Register in Pit Zone in order to save your spot for a day of riding one of southern WI’s best trail systems with athletes from around the state! More info.
SEP. 4: CAMBA Adventure Ride - The day after our opening race in Cable, WI. If you are interested in attending, please let your head coach or team director know right away. If athletes would like to ride as a team, we will need to know how many coaches will be in attendance to be certain we have the correct athlete:coach ratios. Pre-registration is not required for this adventure ride, but in order to have somewhat accurate counts of attendees, please fill out this form.
One final event to share: this is not NICA-related but it is an awesome place to ride and a great opportunity to develop skills: Check out this camp at near Manitowish Waters! WinMan Jr. MTB camp - Aug. 21-23.
