Be A Coach
Come Ride with us! You can ride 1 time using a NICA waiver to see if would be interested in joining Oakland Composite as a Coach.
Thank you for your interest in being a Licensed Volunteer or Coach for our Oakland Composite High School Mountain Bike Team. Your help is the backbone in creating a safe, positive and fun experience for our riders.
In order to ride with the Oakland Composite Mountain Bike Team you must be fully certified as a Level 1 NICA Volunteer Coach. This is necessary to ensure that all adults interacting with our young athletes are properly trained and vetted to keep our kids safe.
Below I have provided an overview of NICA’s License Program and the steps to completing the online forms and videos.
Coach License Program
The purpose of NICA Coach License Program is to provide comprehensive training to NICA coaches so that they are equipped to provide quality programming to NICA student-athletes that meet national standards and best practices and develops strong mind, body and character.
NICA license certification also aids in protecting volunteers and riders with insurance, as well as protect our youth with background checks. Obtaining a NICA license includes benefits beyond the knowledge that comes with the training and the insurance program. Thanks to our generous NICA sponsors, licensed volunteers enjoy a number of discounts and other perks. These benefits vary by license level and also by League, check them out here.
Outline of the requirements for the 3 License Levels on the NICA website.
Level 1: Volunteer - mandatory to accompany us on team rides
Level 2: Assistant Coach, or Ride Lead
Level 3: Head Coach or Director
The general link for coach NICA requirements is https://www.nationalmtb.org/coaching/.
Process:
For this 2021-2022 season, first year coaches must complete "Level 1" coach requirements.
This includes completing the following in NICA’s Pitzone Registration system.
Participation Agreement for 2022, coach license fee, background check This is easy... sign-in to PitZone, follow the prompts to register and pay the registration fees. If you haven't accessed PitZone before, let me know, and I'll set you up. If you'd like to be reimbursed for the registration fees, let me know. We have some funds set aside for that.
We highly recommend first year coaches also complete on-the-bike 101 if you want to learn more about coaching athletes.
Annually, coaches must update personal information, complete a background check, participation agreement and coaching agreement.
For 2nd year coaches, we recommend completing requirements to become a level 2 coach.
On the bike skills 101 training (one time). This is a half-day outdoor course that will teach you how to teach MTB skills. A few are coming up starting this weekend. This course only happens a few times during the Fall. If you miss it, you won't be able to coach with us this season. Register here: https://www.norcalmtb.org/upcoming-events/
First aid course (every 2 years). As mentioned in a previous email, Otis Guy teaches this to a lot of NorCal NICA coaches. Check NorCal events for upcoming classes: https://www.norcalmtb.org/upcoming-events/
CPR certification (every 2 years). Otis also teaches this, but you can get this from a variety of places like https://bayareacpr.org/. Check NorCal events for upcoming classes: https://www.norcalmtb.org/upcoming-events/
We truly appreciate your time, commitment and energy to make our High School Mountain Bike Teams a safe, positive and fun experience for our riders and volunteers
