2020….The year of Adventure and Coach Training!

Most importantly for this year, we want teams and our student-athletes to have the option to gather, ride, and be with their friends, coaches and communities, but we must do so in a way to does not put our participants and the broader community at risk. We are fortunate that mountain biking doesn’t have a close-contact or indoor component to it that other youth sport participation requires. However, all NICA programming must still be capable of implementation with additional policies and procedures in place to maintain social distancing and safety at all practices and events.

Thank you for understanding!

How will 2020 Season be different?

Practices
* Team Directors and Head Coaches have gotten directive that student/athletes/coaches be put in pods of approximately 8-10 people. The goal is to keep these pods as consistent as possible throughout the entire season.
* Students should be “checked in” at each practice and asked the following questions, Do you have a fever or cough? Have you been exposed to anyone with the Covid Virus?
* Masks or buffs are required to be brought to each practice by both coaches and students, ready to wear when/if coaches determine.

Races
Wisconsin League Staff has decided that mass public events would put all of our constituents at risk, therefore, we have decided to cancel all 2020 races.

Team Adventure Planning
We are taking a team based approach to adventure this season. To assist teams with creating that experience we are offering support in two ways. First the Adventure in a Box: EPIC Ride program and the Coaches Adventure Training at Trek to help prep your teams to be able to execute the Adventure in a Box: EPIC Ride at the team level.

The EPIC Ride is the Experiential Personal Improvement Challenge Ride. We will be providing the framework and instruction to help coaches challenge their student athletes with stretch goals outside of racing. The Adventure in a Box aspect of the EPIC Ride will include suggested routes and activities at 4 venues in Wisconsin that teams can explore at the team level.
The Coaches Adventure Training at Trek will help prepare coaches to plan, set goals, and assist students with meeting their adventure based stretch goals this season and beyond. Consider this season as the building block for league wide adventure activities in future seasons.
We will be focusing on teaching teams and coaches how to plan and lead adventure activities as a team. These coach training’s will be available “in-person” and also through “zoom calls”.

Team Time Trials
The goal of our Time Trial Concept is to provide the best quality low risk, fun, and competitive virtual race experience for the league’s student-athletes (SA). We have the use of several private trail systems (contingent upon any future changes in local restrictions) at which we will mark a course of approximately 20 minutes in length. Each course will have an established par-time, (one for boys and one for girls). Pods (eight SA and two coaches, not Teams), sign up online for a three hour slot in which to complete a pre-ride and their competition while maintaining all of the Covid-19 precautions established at their practices. Venue staff will administer the time trail and times will be converted to handicaps to reflect the riders performance in relationship to par and posted on the League’s website. Competition will follow the normal September through October race season with signup beginning in late August. More details will follow in the coming weeks.
If you are interested in helping staff this program please email Don Edberg or phone Don at (715) 592-5095.

League Guidelines

Keep clear
If you or anyone in your home have any symptoms of Covid or any similar symptoms in the past 14 days, do not come to practice. If you develop symptoms at practice or any time, let your coach know.

Keep away
Practice physical distancing- stay 6 feet away from coaches and teammates. Give plenty of room when passing or allowing others to pass. Plan ahead for stopping areas to maintain distance.

Keep it chill
On the trail, stay within your limits. Have fun but save the gnar for another time. Get rad later.

Keep covered
If they ask, wear a mask.

Keep it to yourself
Be prepared, you will not be able to share equipment– make sure your bike is working properly, bring all the water, tools, pumps, tubes, snacks and anything else you need to be self-sufficient on the trail.

Keep it small
Ride in small groups of no more than 10 including coaches

Keep it quick
If you need to use a public restroom or other public facilities, be quick.

Keep it clean
Wash your hands, use hand sanitizer often, avoid touching your face, keep your bike and other equipment clean and sanitized

Keep riding your bikes,
Kathy Mock, Don Edberg, the entire WI League Staff