Welcome, Coaches!
Happy March, Driftless MTB Coaches! Are you ready to ride dirt!?! Once all this mud dries up…singletrack season will be here before you know it! This is our first official coach correspondence for the beginning of the season, and it has a ton of info; we know it is a lot, but hopefully it is helpful to have everything in one place. We’ve highlighted the items that require action at the bottom of this news update. Take a look and let us know what questions you have!
First and foremost, we are STOKED to invite you to join us as a coach for the 2023 season with Driftless MTB/Waunakee MTB! Shortly after you receive this email, you’ll receive another email from NICA's Pit Zone that invites you to begin the 2023 coach registration process. This process is simple and includes the following steps:
Coach registration fee ($25)
Background check fee ($11 if renewing from a previous year)
Signing of liability waiver/code of conduct, etc.
Ability to jump back into your NICA coach education to ensure you are licensed for 2023
*Please note that registration for student-athletes opens one month from today, April 1.
We encourage you to take advantage of this early springtime season to get signed up. It is incredibly helpful to us at a team level to have coaches registered early in the season! PLUS…it means you have earlier access to all those rad NICA coach benefits/discounts, too…
We have a LOT of news to share with you all for 2023. We will be hosting a pre-season virtual coach meeting in late March/early April to share all the good stuff (date and invite forthcoming), but for now, here’s an overview of where we’re headed this season as a team, cooperative Driftless group, and as a league - get excited!!!
DRIFTLESS NEWS:
We will continue to fundraise/operate within our cooperative Driftless MTB structure for 2023. We are excited to have this collaboration to continue to share resources, coaches, and expertise across Middleton, Waunakee, and Mount Horeb.
Middleton has an amazing new leadership team, with Christa Sime taking on the role of Team Director and Alex Kovell and Ian Gallo tag-teaming the role of head coach for our Middleton-Cross Plains athletes. We are so grateful for their expertise and time, they have already done amazing things to support all of our work and get the season rolling behind the scenes! Mount Horeb will continue under the leadership of Dirk Horne in the role of team director and head coach, and Waunakee will continue to be led by head coach Brad Kerl and team director Em Meier.
We are ramping up our volunteer engagement opportunities this year. We heard SO many awesome ideas from families last year, and we have a lot planned for this year! We need your help, time, and talents to make it happen. Check out volunteer roles/opportunities here, and please submit the volunteer interest form so we can reach out. We are especially looking for folks who are excited to assist with Adventure, GRiT, and Teen Trail Corps initiatives!
We’re looking for coaches! Some of you have mentioned that fellow parents or friends have expressed an interest in volunteering or joining us as a coach - please share this link/info and send us their email and contact information as soon as possible so we can reach out!
We're also looking for any returning coaches that may be interested in "leveling up" to Level 2 or 3 and taking on the role of ride leader! The more coaches we have at Level 2 and above, the more small groups we can have to address all of our riders' needs and goals. You don't have to be a pro-level rider to take on these roles. If you are interested in leveling up, reach out to Em or Brad right away and we will help you out!
We will be hosting a girls/women "Try-it-Out" event with Madison West on May 20 (rain date of June 3) at Blackhawk - we need volunteers! Male and female coaches are welcome!
LEAGUE-LEVEL NEWS:
There is a ton of exciting news from the WI League this year. From expanded adventure, teen trail corps, and racing opportunities, to more coach training than ever, there is a LOT to go through. For the sake of this email, we’re going to highlight the most timely, coach-specific league level news. We encourage you to visit the Wisconsin league website to check out more info, including race schedules, etc.!
As coaches, we would like for you to be aware of scholarship opportunities that are available. Keep these in mind as you share info about our program with others:
Coach scholarships: if you would like to apply for assistance for any aspect of coach training, please fill out this form. This is an anonymous form for us; we do not see any of this info. If you are unable to receive league assistance, please reach out to us and we will help. Athlete scholarships are also available from the league; use this same form to apply/share.
The Trek Pathfinders scholarship aims to bring greater diversity, equity, and inclusion to youth mountain biking by providing people of color with the bikes, gear, and resources they need to overcome historical barriers to the sport. Applications are due on March 15 so please hustle to apply/share this info!
League loaner bikes are available for both coaches and student-athletes. Fill out this form to apply.
COACH TRAINING:
If you only read one part of this email, let it be this section! Coach training is VITAL during the pre-season. Right now is the best time to start thinking about coach training. We are here to help connect you with the training opportunities you need to get licensed at any level, and to ensure you’re ready to go at the beginning of our season!
Pit Zone/NICA Education Center: This is the best place to start reviewing your coach training. Once you’ve registered for the season in Pit Zone, navigate to your coach profile and review what coach education you need to complete before the season begins. All Level 1 training (and significant portions of Level 2 & 3) can be done online, using NICA’s Education Center. Access the Coach Education center by clicking the white “Courses, Resources, & Benefits” button on your Pit Zone dashboard.
First Aid Training: There are 30+ First Aid/CPR classes that are hosted by the Wisconsin league, beginning in March and extending through June. Once we get into the summer months, the schedules become very tight and adding additional classes will be tough, if not impossible to find. If you plan to be a Level 2 or 3 coach, it is VITAL that you get your first aid/CPR done early. The hybrid courses offered through the league take about 4-5 hours online and 5 hours in person. These courses meet both Level 2 & Level 3 coaching requirements. Registration is done through AdventureMed, the provider of these courses. Click here to see dates/sign up. Remember that scholarships are available (see above)
On-the-Bike 101 & 201: On-the-Bike skills 101 and 201 dates/registration are now available! OTB 101 is required for Level 2 and above - even if you aren’t planning on being a level 2 coach, we’d recommend this training as it is SUPER informative regarding how to coach fundamental MTB skills. OTB 201 is not required for any coach license level, but demonstrates how to teach more advanced skills. An additional bonus this year is that Em is trained to teach the 101 course, so if interest is there, we can create opportunities specific to our team(s).
Coach Retreat: The WI League is hosting an amazing in-person coach retreat at Trek Headquarters in Waterloo. Registration opened February 15. Capacity is limited; the Retreat is open to Level 2 or 3 coaches (or coaches rising to those ranks this season). There are opportunities for OTB training and first aid during this weekend as well! Full details can be found here. Again, scholarships are available. This is an awesome opportunity to connect with other WI coaches, and to receive in-person training/education from league and national staff. If you are interested in attending, please let us know ASAP.
Coach Help Desk: NICA has a new resource for coach education questions. If you need help with any aspect of becoming a NICA coach, click here and submit a coach help desk ticket. These questions are routed directly to NICA staff members who can help with your questions, usually within 2 business days. Bookmark this page!
OK, that is a TON OF INFO. Thanks for reading - we promise that not all of our communications will be this long…it’s the beginning of the season, so there’s a lot of exciting stuff to share.
In summary, here’s what you need to know/do right away:
Find the Pit Zone coach invite in your email (check spam if you don’t see it right away!) and sign up!
Check your coach profile in Pit Zone to see what training/education needs to be done.
Review the coach training opportunities above, and sign up for any that you are interested in.
Share your ideas, jump in as a volunteer. If any of the volunteer roles above look intriguing, let us know!
Help us recruit other amazing coaches like yourself!
Read/review the news above and ask questions! Email Em or Brad at waunakee@driftlessmtb.org and coachbrad@driftlessmtb.org
Lastly, thank you - we are truly looking forward to another great season (even better than last year!) with all of you by our sides as coaches, getting kids stoked about being on bikes, being outside, making friends, and challenging themselves. It’s going to be a wonderful year.
Save the following info; more calendar updates coming soon!
IMPORTANT SEASON DATES:
April 1: Pit Zone registration opens for student athletes
June: Various dates – Coach-only “get to know the trail” rides with local Madison-area NICA coaches. No registration required, ALL coaches are invited! BYOB/snacks. Rides take place on Thursday June 15 6-8pm at Seminole and Blackhawk, Thursday June 29 6-8pm at Quarry Ridge and Cross Plains, Sunday July 16 9am-11am at Blue Mound State Park, and Sunday, July 30 9am-11am at CamRock. These are not official NICA events; they are coach-only trail rides to help coaches get to know each other/each trail system before bringing student-athletes to these venues! And they’re an excuse to get out and RIDE!
July 1: Season begins (first practice date is TBD, likely falling after July 4 holiday weekend)
Sept-Oct: Race season! See league schedule here. Team schedule will be announced soon.
Check the WI League website for a variety of other dates for Adventure, Teen Trail Corps, clinics, and more.
*More dates will be added as the preseason unfolds!
PS: If you are not joining us as a coach this year, we will be sad to see you go, but we hope you’ll continue to join us for other volunteer opportunities or as a cheerleader for youth MTB in our area! If you are opting out this year, please let us know by sending us a note. You may simply delete/ignore your Pit Zone invite.
