Starting a Team FAQ
Most mountain bike teams start small and grow quickly; it’s a tremendous challenge but highly rewarding!
Who Can Start a Team?
Administrators, teachers, parents, students, and/or community members can start a cycling club at their local high school. While it is not necessary that the person who initiates the club be a school “insider” (teacher or administrator), this can be very useful. A teacher, administrator or school volunteer within the school possesses certain advantages, such as knowledge of the school community, bureaucratic systems and channels, and how to access potential teen cyclists. Extensive cycling experience is not necessary. One should simply have the desire to introduce kids to the sport of mountain biking. Once you have decided to create a team, the Wisconsin League can help educate you and provide all the tools necessary to be an excellent coach.
Click here to view the Team Starter Kit.
NICA Coaches License Program
For more information about the WI League licensed coach program, please click here. New teams do not need licensed coaches, but the head coach does need to take steps towards obtaining one. Please contact Renee Griswold at renee@wisconsinmtb.org if you have more questions.
How Big Does a Team Need to Be?
A Wisconsin League mountain bike team can be any size, but the amount of racers a given team can bring to a race may be capped. Teams are broken into Division 1 and Division 2 categories based on their team size – not their school size. This is only done after a certain amount of teams are in the Wisconsin League. Please see the NICA Handbook (PDF) for more info on Division specifics.
When Can We Start a Team?
At this time anyone who intends to coach a team should register with the Wisconsin League so that they are covered under our insurance. Wisconsin League teams are limited to the number of weeks that they can have pre-season practices. In addition, teams are not insured outside of these limits. Allowable pre-season activities are bike checks, fun rides, mechanical workshops, or skills clinics. All team riders or other training activities must end within two weeks of the final League race. A more detailed description can be found in the NICA Handbook (PDF).
Where do the Races Happen?
The Wisconsin League currently spans the entire state. See if there are any teams in your are, if you do not see a team in your area, contact Renee Griswold renee@wisconsinmtb.org.