August 2023 Arkansas NICA Newsletter

Wow!   Just like that the pre-season events flew by and here we are on the doorstep of what promises to be another amazing Arkansas NICA Season.  We hope you have had an awesome summer!  Our staff has been working hard to plan all of the fall events and I am amazed at how they continue to make things bigger and better each season.

So many of our amazing volunteer coaches have been hard at work all over the state since practices began on July 1st.   And here we are, with just a few weeks left before the first competitive event of the season.  Read further to learn more about the upcoming events and other important information.

This past weekend we travelled to a new venue in Harrison Arkansas for the GRiT Clinic and Practice Race.   Over 170 male and female athletes took part in clinics aimed to help prepare them for their very first competitive event and give them a preview of the course they will be competing on for the Time Trial.   This is a new course, and we are proud to have a new team coming from Harrison and we welcome them to the league.

One of our Core Values is “Community” and we have seen how the power of NICA changes communities one by one.   With that in mind, we are proud to showcase what we have been working on with Harrison to bring NICA to their community. AR NICA’s decision to host a race in Harrison was not made lightly and is a culmination of over 2 years of discussions with City officials, community members, sponsors, donors, the AR NICA leadership team, DEI experts from the U of A, and most importantly our NICA families.

Personally, I had concerns with putting on an event in Harrison early on due to the prior history of the community. However, as members of our leadership team and I visited Harrison over the last 2 years, working towards getting #morekidsonbikes by helping develop a trail system and starting a NICA team there, we have been able to bring our NICA values to the community as a “tool of change”. We cannot allow history to repeat itself and this is our way of taking a stand and showing that love and a bicycle is stronger than hate one pedal stroke at a time.

We felt it was important to be transparent with you, our NICA Families, Coaches and Athletes in the lead up to the event and are excited to take folks to a new community, new trail and provide a great experience for all of our families.  I feel like we are ONE big family and the Harrison community is excited to host us soon!

Ride safe and happy,

Terry and the Arkansas NICA Team.

Time to Sign Up for the Time Trial!

The Time Trial.    Also known as the “Race of Truth” as it’s called in some circles of cycling.   It’s our first competitive event and also very important for several reasons. Being the first competitive event it’s somewhat of an “introduction” to racing.  Athletes will arrive and warm up with their teams.  Each team has a designated time slot that their athletes will be in staging and ready to race.   Athletes will take off individually in a race against the clock and complete 1 lap of the course.  Why is this event so important?

1. It’s fun and helps introduce athletes to their first competition.
2. They arrive and warmup as a team and create their team’s race weekend culture together.
3. The athlete’s times are used to make sure they are placed in the proper competitive categories (jv/varsity etc)
4. The times are also used to create a “call up” for Race 1 in order of finish from the Time Trial.  This is important for Safety Reasons and helps reduce crashes in the starting lanes early in the season.
5. Click HERE for the details on the Race Flyer
6. Don’t miss registration.  Online registration closes Tuesday Night at 11:59pm.. We hope you will join us!

Race Staff Volunteers Needed

Arkansas NICA is planning ahead for 2024 and looking for more Race Staff Volunteers!   Enjoy being part of a cohesive team that likes to have fun. Below is a list of some of the jobs that you may be interested in.

List of positions:

• Timing and Scoring
• Registration
• General Operations
• Course Setting
• Photo/Video
• Audio/Visual Specialist
• Chief Hydration Specialist 🙂
• Loadmaster
• Vehicle Storage Manager (Parking)
• Awards Coordinator

Email Glenn@arkansasmtb.org if you are interested in joining

GRIT Pre- Rides on Race Weekends!

We will continue to have GRiT Pre-Rides on race weekends every Saturday of the Race beginning at 1 pm at the race venue.   This is highly popular coach led pre-ride. This is primarily a female only ride, however male coaches are allowed to attend and ride in a support role.

Upcoming Arkansas NICA Events

We are excited about the upcoming race season and have prepared a new racecourse at each venue to challenge and improve the athlete’s experience!

Note:  The Coaching OTB 101 are the last of the season.  It’s not too late to become a coach   We can teach anyone to coach!  learn more at our Coach Licensing page

• August 19th            Coaching OTB 101 Conway
• August 19th            Coaching OTB 101 Springdale
• August 26-27th       Prelude Time TrialHarrison AR
• September 9-10th   Race 1 Springhill Park, Barling AR
• September 23-24th Race 2 – Clysta Willlet Park, Mountain Home
• October 7-8th –       Race 3 Cedar Glades Park, Hot Springs
• October 28-29th     Race 4  Centennial Park, Fayetteville

Teen Trail Corp Service Opportunities

Arkansas NICA is committed to building leadership through serving our community.   We require each athlete to complete 10 hours of community trail service each year.   This is a crucial part of youth development and leadership development in teaching our student athletes how to advocate, and maintain the trails we have the privilege of riding on.  Learn more about Teen Trail Corp HERE

We are committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Did you know?   Our Leadership Team was awarded a grant through TruIdeals in partnership with the University of Arkansas and has been working through DEI Training to ensure we are providing the best experiences for all of our NICA Families.

Announcing new partnership!

We are excited to partner with some new sponsors for the 2023 Season in addition to all of our legacy sponsors that have supported us through thick and thin!

VITTORIA TIRES is onboard to provide world-class tires as significant price reductions to help keep our athletes rolling.  Please contact your team’s coach to learn more about how to take advantage of savings with Vittoria Tires!

HONEY STINGER is sponsoring our FeedZone for the 2023 Season!   We are excited to share these tasty products with our student athletes soon to keep them rolling and full of energy on race weekends!

PHAT TIRE Bike shop is one of our Legacy Partners.  Here since the beginning of Arkansas NICA.  NOW is the time to get your bike in for a race tune service to ensure you are ready to go for the Time Trial.  Don’t Delay.