The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is an American

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization that promotes youth

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

programs in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. NICA provides governance, leadership, and program support to regional interscholastic mountain biking organizations.NICA Makes Mountain Biking The Newest High School Sport
Katie Arnold, Outside Magazine (blog), Oct.18, 2012. NICA's mission is to build "strong minds, bodies, character, and communities through cycling, where every youth is empowered to be part of a thriving and engaged cycling community."
Michael Roberts, Outside Magazine (print and online editions), Sep.12, 2013.

History

Foundation (1998–2008)

In 1998, Matt Fritzinger wanted to start a road biking team at Berkeley High School. On his first practice, 4 kids showed up but they were all riding mountain bikes. Because of this, Matt decided that they would become a mountain bike team, becoming one of the first High School Mountain Bike teams in the country (Payson High School, in Utah, created an official team in 1996, led by John Meredith). In 2001, Matt would create the first league, Norcal, who hosted the first high school mountain biking races. Some of the early schools to join include,

Casa Grande High School Casa Grande High School is a public high school in Petaluma, California. Casa Grande is one of six high schools in the Petaluma City Schools District. History At the end of the 1960s, prior to the construction of Casa Grande High, the Petalum ...

(2001),

Nevada Union High School Nevada Union High School (NU) is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of California's capital, Sacramento. Situated between Nevada City and Grass Valley, the school serves those two incorporated cities and a large surrounding communit ...

(2001),

Salinas High School Salinas High School is a public 9–12 high school in Salinas, California, United States. It is the first of five primary high schools of the Salinas Union High School District. The school was moved to its current central Salinas location in 19 ...

(2001), and Drake High School (2002). In 2003, Matt Fritzinger stopped coaching the Berkeley team to focus on building the NorCal League, letting the future executive director of NICA, Austin Mclnerny, take over. Over the next 6 years, the Norcal league would continue to grow, eventually leading to the creation of the Second League, SoCal. With the increasing size of the league, it was decided that a management organization of the leagues must be established.

Explanation (2009–2016)

The formation of NICA was announced in 2009 by Matt Fritzinger, modeling after the successful regional executions of NorCal and SoCal.High school MTB racing goes national in US
Sue George, Cyclingnews.com , Sept 30, 2009

Leagues

There are 31 leagues across the United States, in 30 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Southern Nevada, Northern Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Races

Most NICA leagues have 4 to 5 races per season in either fall or spring depending on local climate. The results of the top eight riders in each team are combined into the team's full score. In some states, teams are split into divisions; division 1 and division 2 based on the size of the school, with larger teams in division 1. For division two teams, only the top four racers’ points are counted. There must be at least one girl and one boy for each 4 racers. The scores are cumulative between races and the top teams move forwards into the championships.

References

{{Reflist Non-profit organizations based in California Cycling organizations in the United States