League Director Note
Calling all hands on deck! Welcome to the 2022 Season!!
The 2022 Season kicks off with a bang this coming weekend August 27-28 at the Old Post Park in Russellville, Arkansas. Our team has been hard at work all year so far planning an amazing season, conducting Outreach events with new communities, recruiting and training coaches, leader summits, GRiT camp, GRiT Race and now we are excited to get into the heart of our season where we get to see our entire NICA family all together at one time! None of which we would be able to pull off without our amazing army of volunteers on staff, coaches and parents. So, a huge thank you to the many that are helping to contribute to all these amazing programs.
Please continue reading on about some changes you will see at our events this year. We are trying to make our events more efficient for all so you will need to read about some of these exciting changes.
Events and locations:
8/27-28 Time Trial Old Post Park, Russellville AR Race FLYER HERE
9/10-11 Race #1 Springhill Park, Barling, AR Race FLYER HERE
9/24-25 Race #2 Cedar Glades Park, Hot Springs, AR
10/15-16 Race #3 Clysta Willett Park, Mountain Home, AR
11/5-6 Race #4 Centennial Park, Fayetteville, AR (Championship)
Volunteers needed!!
Our race events would not be possible without our amazing volunteers. You can get into the action and be a part of the event by volunteering with us and get to see the athletes racing up close and personal. Course Marshalls observe and report any issues on course and still get to cheer on everyone! Learn more or sign up HERE
Important Notes regarding our upcoming events.
1. The Prelude TT: This is an individual timed event. We will be using this to help “seed” riders in their categories for call ups for Race #1. Athletes will start in 10-15 sec intervals in a race against the clock. Coaches will line up their teams in the start chute. There will be no awards at the end of the day for the TT.
2. IMPORTANT!! We will be using “NICA Bucks” at the Prelude at Old Post event only The Park does not allow money to exchange hands for food vendors. However, we will have a table setup where you can purchase tickets and then exchange them for food. Similar to how a typical Fair may work. Each ticket will equal $1.00 in monetary value. Then NICA will pay the food vendors directly for the food purchased. The NICA Buck table will be placed close to the NICA trailer in the pitzone. For an example of food menu click HERE to give you an idea of how much you may need to purchase. We will have a coffee vendor, Kona Ice, Tacos and BBQ at the venue.
3. In an effort to maximize race day efficiency and experience, there will be NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION this season at any of our events. Registration will be online, closes every Tuesday the week of the event, or Saturday from 2-4 pm only.
4. There will be no race day pre riding at races 1-4. There is a small window for pre riding at the Time Trial. Please visit the race flyer above for more details.
5. This season we will try two awards ceremonies at races 1-4. Morning waves will be around 11:30am-12:00pm. The Afternoon wave categories awards will be after the event is torn down. Upon completion of racing, everyone present is invited to help tear down the course to minimize how long it takes to get completed so we can complete the awards ceremonies.
6. Race waves will alternate between High School and Middle School. Races 1 through 4 will alternate Middle School (MS) and High School (HS) Categories. Race 1, MS races in the morning and HS in the afternoon. Race 2, we swap and HS races in the morning and MS in the afternoon. This way each of these waves gets 2 morning races and 2 afternoon races over the course of the season.
COVID 19 Protocall
Unfortunately, COVID is still a thing, we strive to provide the safest events there is, but each participant and family needs to decide for themselves how to best protect yourself and manage COVID Risk. Masks are still recommended but not required in the pitzone. If you have been exposed or have symptoms, we request that you stay home. If you have any questions, please visit the CDC website for more information HERE We will have hand washing stations available and sanitizer also.
Teen Trail Corps (TTC)
Service and Leadership is important. In the Arkansas League, we teach our student athletes that they need to advocate (Speak), Serve (maintain), Ride and Respect the trails in our communities. Each athlete can earn individual points in addition to team points by volunteering at their local trails and events. Athletes can earn TTC Hours by helping to setup and volunteer at NICA events on Saturdays. Teardown does not qualify for volunteer hours but is requested by all athletes present at the venue to help speed up the tear down process which helps expedite awards. Athletes report their volunteer hours to their coaches who report them in the pitzone.
GRiT
There will be no GRiT ride the weekend of the Old Post Time Trial, but we will resume all normal GRiT Activities at the rest of the races. The tents will still be up and be a cheering section for the girls to cheer on their teammates and friends! #moregirlsonbikes
Sincerely,
Terry and the Arkansas League