Coed Youth Sports Team for 6th to 12th Grade Students in Tredyffrin Easttown School District
Overview
The Tredyffrin/Easttown Mountain bike team is a coed youth sports team for 6th through 12th grade students. We are based out of the Tredyffrin Easttown School District area but also accept students from the Upper Merion and Springford School Districts on our Composite team. Our all-volunteer coaching staff promotes respectful youth development, bike handling & maintenance skills, all with a focus on bike safety.
All student athletes are invited to compete in 5 statewide and regional races and another adventure weekend put on by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League (PICL). Our team goals directly align with the goal of our governing body (NICA) by striving to support every student-athlete in the development of strong body, strong mind and strong character through their efforts on the bike. In doing so, we hope to promote the sport of mountain biking and the benefits of mountain biking as a healthy, low impact, outdoor recreational lifestyle for all our riders. Our races are the stage we use to showcase our hard work and dedication to this lifelong sport. Our riders may compete to the best of their abilities while maintaining proper sportsmanship.
Do you want to learn more and see what this looks like in action? Check out our Season in Review Videos on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@temtb-club/videos
There are no tryouts for the bike team, and everyone who wants to take part will find a warm welcome on the team, no matter their experience or fitness level. Our coaches and team members work together to help everyone improve in fitness and skill, and to gain confidence as riders. Our coaches want this to be fun; racing is not required, the real goal is to promote a life-long activity for everyone.
See Our Team in Action
Parents and Others Ride Along
Parent involvement is essential for the success of our team. All bike ride practices require a low student to coach (parent) ratio to be successful. An ideal practice has 2 coaches to 8 students. This allows a group of 50 kids to break up into 6-7 groups based on their fitness levels. New riders can ride within their comfort and fitness level while faster riders can push themselves harder. All groups get a workout that allows them to advance their fitness. Without coaches to ride with all the fitness level groups, some athletes will not get to work out to their full potential.
NICA encourages coaches (parents and other adults) to train and ride alongside the student-athletes. For those of you on the brink of sending kids away to college and adult life, this is a special time to share. Side by side parent and student athletic development is a unique experience to mountain bike teams and lifestyle-changing opportunity.
We encourage every parent, regardless of experience level, to take full advantage of this opportunity. Our Skills Training Sessions are for the entire team, this means when we are teaching specific mountain bike skills, we encourage parents with bikes to participate and learn the lesson alongside the students. This process will help us ensure more parents will be able to get involved as we grow.
If you are not a rider, there are many roles to support a cycling team and your contributions are highly valued and needed. Parents' help is critical in team travel and organization at each venue. Races have feed zones where athletes receive water and nutrition from a limited number of parents.
Coaching
Much like our student athletes, our coaches have various levels of experience. All coaches, regardless of experience, must gain accreditation from the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) in accordance with their requirements, and are recognized locally by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League (PICL). Training requirements increase with each coaching level.
All team volunteers are required to obtain a NICA Certification License at one of three levels:
Level 3 Certification: Takes a leadership role within the team. Equivalent competencies as head coach.
Level 2 Certification: Assists level 3 coaches with advanced tasks such as leading rides.
Level 1 Certification: Assists all coaches as directed by the head coach.
Learn which license level works best for your needs or click through to discover resources to help organize and run your team.
NICA Mission
Founded in 2009, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes across the United States. NICA provides leadership, services and governance for local leagues to produce quality mountain bike events, and supports every student-athlete in the development of strong body, strong mind and strong character through their efforts on the bike.
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League (PICL)
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League (PICL) is a non-profit 501(c)3 NICA Project League. The league was announced at Interbike 2015 with the goal to provide fun, safe, and competitive mountain biking opportunities for middle (grades 6-8) & high school students in the Commonwealth. The league will also provide structured training programs for prospective coaches, riders, and school officials.
