September 3, 2024 • 49 mins
This is my family's first year as part of NICA. (For those that don't know, NICA--aka the National Interscholastic Cycling Association--is an organization that gets middle school and high school kids together in a team environment to ride and race mountain bikes). My husband and I are coaching, and our 6th grade son is a student athlete.
In just a few months of being on a team (go Boise Brave!), we caught the NICA bug. It's a fantastic organization that promotes fun, inclusivity, equity, respect, and community!
So obviously, I was very excited to sit down with Amanda Carey for this interview. Amanda is the President of NICA (and a fellow Idahoan), a former professional mountain bike racer, and a woman who is making a difference in the lives of kids and in our community.
Even if you don't have teenage kids, you'll want to listen to this episode to find out why NICA matters for the bike community and how you can get involved.
Show Notes: femmecyclist.com/amanda-carey-interview/
NICA homepage: nationalmtb.org
👉Instagram: @femme_cyclist
👉Website: https://femmecyclist.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kristen (00:00):
Hey y'all, it has been a while.
That's because I took thesummer off to spend some time
with my family and to ride bikes.
Obviously, and in addition tosome fun bike trips, we did like
going to Park City, we alsostarted this summer doing NICA.
Now, for those of you whoaren't familiar, nica is the
National Interscholactic CyclingAssociation and it is a
(00:23):
fantastic organization thatbrings high school and middle
school kids together in a teamenvironment to ride and race
mountain bikes.
Both my husband and I are brandnew level one coaches and our
son is a sixth grade studentathlete, so this is all brand
new to us.
But just in a few short monthsof being a part of a team Go
(00:46):
Boise Brave we have caught theNICA bug.
It is such a fantasticorganization and for that reason
, I was really, really excitedto get to sit down for this
interview with Amanda Carey.
Amanda is the president of NICA, a former professional mountain
bike racer and a woman who ismaking a difference in the lives
(01:10):
of kids and in our community.
Even if you don't have teenageage kids, or even any kids at
all, you will want to listen tothis interview to find out why
NICA matters for the bikecommunity and how you can get
involved, should you choose todo so, and I would highly
recommend it.
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Amanda, thank you so much forbeing here today.
To get started, can you tell usjust a little bit about
yourself and your backgroundwith biking and what you're up
to right now?
Amanda (02:15):
Sure, and thanks for having me.
I'm really really excited to behere.
My name is Amanda Carey.
I'm the president of NICA,which is the National
Interstitial Cycling Association, and I've been president here
for the last couple of yearsgosh, almost three but I've been
on the NICA staff since 2017.
And I actually started with theorganization as a volunteer
back in 2015.
(02:35):
But you know, my biking story, Ithink, might mirror a lot of
women's biking stories, as wedidn't grow up doing it as kids.
I mean, I had a pink coffeelike the rest of them and rode
around the neighborhood a bunchand had a lot of freedom.
But I was a ball sport kid, soI played basketball and softball
and I was into horses.
I was really into horses, butit was funny.
When I went to college, I hadexpected to play basketball.
(02:57):
Now, don't be impressed, Iwasn't very good.
It was a D3 team and it waskind of one of those walk-on
situations and I played gosh noteven a semester and realized it
was just not.
It was not only not a good fit,it kind of sent me on this
trajectory of looking not onlyfor new sports but new
adventures.
I ended up going to college inColorado, so, growing up in
Massachusetts, went out West anddiscovered snowboarding, but
(03:20):
just discovered a whole newworld of outside uh, of outside
sports, right.
And so, um, I didn't really getinto mountain biking until I
bought one as a commuter.
Believe it or not, I lived offcampus my senior year, but one
of those, uh, little GThardtails maybe it was a $300
bike at the time, but it lookedfancy to me, uh and and rode
(03:41):
that a bunch, you know, justaround school and hanging out
with friends.
But it wasn't until I moved toJackson Hole because I had this
grand plan between college andwhat I thought was going to be
grad school, which would just bea ski bum for a year, and also
again realized not a good fitwhen I realized I did not want
to pursue any more school atthat time and I mean, no one
(04:02):
intended I just I neededsomething to do in the summer.
So I just kind of startedriding that bike with some
friends on trails and it justkind of grew from there and I it
grew because I think of thecommunity I think I've said this
before, I've told my story Um,just the people that were in the
mountain biking, they were intocycling at the time they were
just such a good community andthat I think you know will come
(04:22):
full circle when we tell thestory about NICA.
But that's really for me whatcycling became all about.
And um, I also quickly realizedI had some ability and I got a
little obsessed really into it.
Um, with not only new places toride but just new challenges,
and that led to a whole uhseries of events that um allowed
me to turn pro um in 2008.
(04:43):
So again, don't be impressedthe pro back at the time.
I think a lot of women willunderstand this.
A pro is essentially just acategory that you're racing in.
But I did join the Kenda teamin 2008 and left a career in
nonprofit.
That was.
The other big shift for me is Ihad had a series of nonprofit
jobs in Jackson with some greatmentorship, like lots of great
(05:03):
leadership that I got to workunder, learned a lot, learned a
lot of you know trial by fireand I I just had another switch.
There was like, well, mayberiding pro full time is a thing
to do, but also I discoveredthat I wanted to change career
at the same time.
So when I became pro and wasracing a whole bunch.
(05:27):
I started a master's degree insports psychology thinking that
that was not thinking, but stillto this day was really where my
interest was going to lie inthe future, because I had left
nonprofit feeling kind of alittle bit burnt out and I think
a lot of us that have worked innonprofit for a long time knows
that energy in nonprofit canreally ebb and flow right.
There's huge peaks and valleysbecause the work is really
(05:50):
important, but it's also reallyhard and I was really fortunate
to be able to ride in a lot ofplaces.
I focused on ultra enduranceracing, so I was doing 100
milers and things like the BreckEpic and Transylvania Epic and
just fell in love with the sporteven more.
But again, it was just, it wasall about community for me.
It was all the people that Imet, all the opportunities, all
(06:12):
these you know great randomrural communities that I got to
go to and ride my bike.
You know every single step ofthe way.
It was just like, well, this isabout, you know, seeing big
parts of the country but alsojust seeing and meeting a lot of
fantastic folks.
And so, even though I retiredfrom racing oh gosh, it was I
feel old now, maybe nine yearsago, 10 years ago haven't done a
(06:34):
bike race since then.
Still, some of the best friendsand best friendships I've ever
had have come out of those yearsof being a cyclist.
Yeah, so twisty, turny journey,but I don't think probably
inconsistent with a lot of, youknow, ways that women have found
their way into the sport.
Kristen (06:49):
Yeah, and so now you're the president of NICA.
I mean, obviously we know whatthat is, but for folks listening
who don't know what it is, canyou tell us about it?
Amanda (06:57):
Yeah, I can.
It's funny, I always think ofmountain biking as a niche sport
and the more I'm out there inthe world, I realize that it is,
and that's part of the goalwith NICA.
For sure is to get it out thereon blast.
But no, nica is the NationalInterstitial Cycling Association
.
We were founded in 2009.
We're a mission-based nonprofitand we believe in strong bodies
(07:18):
, minds, characters andcommunity.
And our core values are fun,inclusivity, equity, respect and
community.
And, like I've mentioned before, I've been a part of many
nonprofits before and I've neverbeen part of one that has so
much strength and conviction andattachment to its core values.
So we do mountain bikingstructured team-based mountain
(07:40):
biking for 6th to 12th gradeacross the United States.
So we have 32 leagues in 30statesth grade across the United
States.
So we have 32 leagues in 30states right now across the
United States.
Someday probably international,that's a to be determined thing
.
And again, the focus and theemphasis on Nike programming is
really on that team-based sportright.
So we have about 26,000 kids inthe program right now
(08:02):
nationally and about 14,000coaches.
So if you do that quick math, itis about a two to one.
So what we what I often sayabout NICA is that, yeah, we're
here for the kids and we do itto build community, and we by
far identified more as a youthdevelopment organization before
a sports organization, but weinclude adults in a really,
(08:24):
really special way as well, and,I think, families right.
So I think what that isprobably one of the most unknown
things and undersold partsabout NICA is that the way that
we include the entire cyclingcommunity and that that real
invitation and dependence uponparents and adult volunteers, I
think is really what makes thewhole thing special.
So, again, we've been aroundsince 2009 and you know we have
(08:46):
a goal of and it's a big, it's abig audacious goal, but a goal
of having a hundred thousandpeople in the program, uh, in
the next 10 years.
Kristen (08:55):
Yeah, I love how you mentioned family, because I'm
this is our, our family's firstyear doing like, uh, my son is
in sixth grade.
Sixth grade with my husband andI are level one coaches and it
really has been such a coolthing because it's not like
dropping him off at soccerpractice, like the whole family
goes to practice.
The whole family goes to theserace weekends where we camp with
(09:16):
like the other families, and Ithink it's unique in that way
that it's like really specialthat it gets to be an entire
family sport as opposed to justlike a youth sport.
And I also have somegirlfriends who do not have
children who have decided tobecome coaches and I think that
that's like really special forthem to get to be part of that
family environment as well.
So, yeah, for folks listening,it's like just like a really,
(09:39):
really amazing, amazingorganization yeah, and it's
funny too, because I'm in thesame boat.
Amanda (09:45):
I don't have kids of my own.
It's just my husband and I andtwo dogs, and we, um, you know,
part of my NICA story is westarted, we founded the local
team here in Teton Valley, idaho, uh, in 2015.
And, uh, it consumed our livesfor the next, you know, eight
years being head coaches andteam directors.
Um, just being part of acommunity, especially having
(10:06):
left, you know, a pro career,being a little soured on the
mountain bike industry, just ingeneral, entering into NICA was
just this not only breath offresh air, it was more of this
realization of gosh.
This is how it should be.
This really is how the sportshould be right.
It's welcoming, supportive, andnot only supportive and
welcoming to kids but to entirefamilies.
(10:27):
And then that is the model atNICA.
We are a completelyvolunteer-led and run
organization and we have lots ofpaid staff, of course, to run
the programs.
But we could not be herewithout coaches like you and
your husband and anyone withoutgetting involved.
And it's funny, most coaches Italk to they, you know, they end
up entering into NICA thinkingthey're doing it for the kids
(10:48):
and then they come out somewhatmaybe surprised and a little bit
self-conscious about the factthat they get out of it more
than they think the kids dobelieve it or not, which is just
such a wonderful thing aboutthe whole.
You know the whole program, theway it's set up and the entire
community behind it.
Kristen (11:05):
On our team.
We live in this area wherethere's a lot of mountain biking
, and so we just have naturallylike recruit a lot of families,
because it's what everybody does.
But I'm curious what NICA doesfor recruiting outside of areas
like ours or families like ours,that mountain bike.
How do you reach kids thatmaybe haven't had a mountain
bike background and experience?
Amanda (11:26):
Yeah, it's hard, right it's.
It certainly isn't easy, causewe were talking before about
mountain biking being a nichesport.
Nica is a little bit of a of aniche community and programming
in and of itself and I think youknow, over the over the course
of history, we've really justrelied on a lot of word of mouth
.
I mean, obviously we do thetraditional marketing and
outreach and and all of ourlocal teams and leagues do do
(11:47):
outreach and, um, you know, wecall them dirt tours, right,
really go around and travel thestate and and try and drum up
interest in the, in the sports.
But really and I'm sure we'llget into this in a second what,
what we do need for mountainbiking, and especially with
women.
It's just that intentionalinvitation, right, and the idea
that if we treat everyoneequally, they will find us on
their own, absolutely discountswhere they're coming from and
(12:10):
most folks, right, I think whatwe found is we're doing a good
job of finding those mountainbike families or mountain bike
adjacent families, right, say,you're a kid and you have that
crazy uncle that rode you know,rode bikes and just happened to
take you in the woods a fewtimes, or you just have one or
two steps removed from someonewho knew about mountain biking.
(12:30):
Uh, we're almost fullysaturated with with those folks,
right?
And I think that for for thefuture of mountain biking, for
the future of Nike in general,that focus is on new riders in
new families.
Um, and it has to be repeatedintentional invitation, but
invitation with support, and Ithink that's really different.
I'm just saying, hey, thisprogram's here for you If you
want it.
It's a, not only here's thisprogram, here's the, the
(12:54):
intentional invitation to theteam meeting, here's the
equipment, here's you know, andand I and I don't actually think
it's negative at all to saysome handholding, because
mountain biking is a, it's a,it's an intimidating sport in
the sense where you need to knowwhere to ride, you need to know
what equipment is.
And I think approaching folkswith that invitation but with
support, it's not just a hey,come ride with us, it's a.
(13:16):
I'm going to meet you here at Xtime and I'm going to have this
bike for you and I'm going toset you up for some success and
then some follow-up.
I really do think that that'skey to not only growing mountain
biking in general, but to thesport that we love, if we're
going to grow and progress andhave more places to ride, and
our mission really is to getmore kids on bikes.
(13:37):
Is more kids on bikes for liferight?
It's getting that happy,healthy outlet of doing
something off screens is reallywhat we're going for and, gosh,
it's almost like Nike is toogood to keep secret.
But we also know that there'ssome pretty significant barriers
to entry if you aren't alreadya mountain biking family or even
just a cycling family ingeneral.
(13:57):
So I think, again, it's thatintentional invitation and I
think our teams are doing mostof that work.
I mean, again, from thenational perspective, we're
doing a lot of marketing and alot of outreach and you know we
have all the supportingmaterials and things.
But it really does come down tothat one coach or that one
student athlete you know sayingto their friend or their
neighbor I'm doing this coolthing, come join me, you're
(14:20):
welcome and we'll help you.
I think there's a bigdifference there.
Kristen (14:23):
Are there any good examples of teams that you've
seen do that?
I don't know.
Are there any teams that Idon't know have, like loner
bikes or anything like that?
Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Amanda (14:30):
I wouldn't single out just a single team, but most of
our leagues at this point haveliterally those things try it
out bikes, where we have atrailer of bikes and we do try
it out events.
So we'll go to communities,some that are near trails, some
that aren't.
I mean, we'll use grass fieldsoften and play games and do
things like that.
So, yeah, it's absolutelyintentional recruiting.
And then most of our leagueshave loaner bike fleets, right,
(14:52):
so if kids don't have bikes,that they can sign up for them
and use them for the season.
We have got plenty ofscholarship programs.
But, yeah, it's thatintentional outreach.
But, honestly, the bestrecruiting we see done is by the
student athletes themselves.
It really is, it's the familiesand the student athletes, and
(15:13):
especially with girls, right, ifthey invite their friends, if
they just say, hey, I'm doingthis cool thing, you should come
join.
That's really what we need moreof and I think our student
athletes are really good atdoing that.
Kristen (15:22):
Yeah, so you mentioned the girls.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthe GRIT program?
Amanda (15:26):
Oh, of course, I could talk for hours about this.
So exciting, yeah.
So so GRIT is NICA's specificinitiative to recruit and retain
more female riders and coachesin our program, so it stands for
Girls Riding Together, and westarted it.
It was in 2018, where we were,you know, taking that first hard
look at ourselves and ourdemographic in the, in the
(15:48):
mirror, and I don't think weliked what we saw.
I still don't like what we see,but I see progress, which is
the most important thing,because at the time, our girls
participation numbers was onlyabout 16, 17% of the
organization.
And it was really low.
And you look at mountain bikingin general, at that time it was
just a click higher right,probably high twenties, and it
was really low.
And you look at mountain bikingin general, at that time it was
just a click higher right,probably high 20s.
(16:08):
And it's hard to get goodnumbers and so the numbers I
gave are our numbers and we keeppretty good stats, but at that
time you know that's not an okaynumber.
We're 50% at least of thepopulation number.
You know, looking at that lowpercentage of girls
participation is not somethingthat we were comfortable with.
We just knew that we needed todo something different.
(16:29):
Right?
You can do the same.
It's the definition of insanity, right?
Doing the same old thing andhoping that more girls will join
in, just because, if we'redoing the same old thing just
wasn't going to work.
And so we started thisinitiative specifically with a
pretty wide range of ideas andjust started trying things.
I mean, I would put a pin inthat one for a second and just
say, if anyone's approaching,whether it's, you know, trying
(16:53):
to increase girls participation,underserved communities, dei in
general you just have to startright, you just have to have a
commitment towards this issomething that we need to fix
and the exact how I don't know.
We're going to keep trying, andso we took a little bit of that
approach in the beginning andhas now morphed into a very
highly structured, you know,well marketed and understood
(17:15):
program.
But really at the time it was,and still is, focused on
specific invitation, and I thinkthat's really, when we talk
about recruitment, what we weretalking about before with those
new families.
Grit's the same way.
It's saying hey, we not onlyhave a space for you, we are
intentionally creating a program, a space, an event, a logo, a
(17:36):
sticker, whatever it is to saywe not only want you here, we
want you here, we're going tohelp you be here, we're going to
help you be more comfortablehere is when you look around and
it's 16 or 17%, especially ifyou're a 12 year old or a 13
year old, that you look aroundand you're like, well, this
isn't fun, I mean, maybe forsome girls.
I think absolutely that theco-ed nature of the sport works
(17:57):
just fine and it is a co-edsport in general.
But I think when you lookaround and you don't have
coaches that look like you ingeneral, but I think when you
look around you don't havecoaches that look like you, you
don't have coaches whounderstand what you're going
through, especially as a youngfemale athlete, there's just a
big disconnect.
And I think what we also knowand this is just from research
and data that girls are moresensitive to poor coaching than
boys are, believe it or not,especially at that age.
(18:19):
We know that having greatmentors and having great coaches
which again is a hallmark ofthe NICA coach programs, you
know only as a level one,there's, there's a lot of
education that goes along withit, because we know that quality
coaching is pretty much thenumber one reason, besides fun,
that kids stay in sport.
So, with attention to all ofthose things, the grit program
(18:40):
has now morphed into thiswonderful program that just has
so, just so much stoke behind it, I think from the entire
organization.
We talk about male allyship alot, but it's morphed into, you
know, we have team events andthese team events can look
anything like, you know, thegirls sleepover, or the girls
specific nutrition seminar, ormaybe just at one team practice
(19:01):
the girls go off and ridetogether and the boys go off.
And again, it's not often andwe don't do it constantly, but
it's just making sure that atthe team level and at the league
level when I say league it'sjust events too so at our races,
that we have specific areas forgirls to just be with girls,
and it's not required, but itjust creates that separate
intentional space for them toconnect with one another.
(19:23):
And what we've seen is that ourpercentages are skyrocketing.
I mean, we started at that 16,17%, we're now up to 24%, almost
25% girls and almost 26% femalecoaches, and our female coach
rate was almost at the samenumber that our girls
participants was.
So we were making a lot ofprogress.
And it's funny because itdoesn't seem like it's rocket
(19:46):
science, but at the initialstart of the program we and you
know, once in a while we stillget that pushback of you know,
why do the girls get somethingspecial and the boys don't?
You're like, well, gosh, wheredo?
Where do I start with thatno-transcript, trying to explain
(20:21):
to folks that you know, doing aspecific initiative or specific
invitation for one groupdoesn't mean that the other
group's going to get any lessright.
It's that old saying of it'snot just we have one pie and
everyone gets a sliver of thepie.
It's like just make more pie.
That's really what we're tryingto do, right, and everyone gets
more pie, and I think over timeit's become just one of the
(20:43):
most amazing programs that wehave.
So at um, at most of our racesnow, you'll see a grit pre-ride.
That's specific just for thegirls, and so for those aren't
familiar with cross countryriding, it's important to
pre-ride the course.
So the day before the race, orsometimes the morning of,
there's an opportunity foreveryone to get on the course
with their coaches and look atit and you know ride hard
sections and things.
But most of our leagues nowtake about an hour and in Idaho
(21:07):
does this and they close thecourse to everyone but the girl.
So it's just the girls get togo out on the course together
with their coaches.
Um, and it's just turned intothis wonderful supportive
community and you'll see boys atthe grit tent supporting.
I mean it's.
It really has turned into againthis, this, this intentional
invitation, has turned into whatwe hoped it would turn into all
(21:28):
the time, which is the mainpieces of retention right.
So the, the spirit behind greatis not just once we get you,
you know, in and join, joiningand enjoying the program, it's
once you're there you're havinga great time.
And once you start having agreat time and you feel you know
, supported by coaches, and youhave folks that understand you
and you feel supported by theboys and the men and everyone,
(21:49):
it's just, it's a win-win foreverybody.
And we've seen grit spill overback into the entire community,
meaning it's not just for girlsanymore, it really is just for
everybody and for everyone to bethat cheerleader behind.
Everyone is welcome and shouldfeel welcome.
And yeah, it's been.
It's a huge success and I thinkwe'll not only continue.
I think it's going to continueto bump those numbers up,
(22:11):
because a number of our leaguesare already over 30% girls,
which is pretty exciting.
Kristen (22:15):
I think those pre rides on before the races, the grit
rides, are just so fun and atleast in the Idaho League we
have a theme and like the girlswill dress up and we, the
coaches, dress up, and it's justlike a really, really fun
bonding experience before therace.
And I think it also helpsencourage some of the girls who
maybe not would not have wantedto go to the races, to go to the
(22:35):
races just to do that, and thenonce they're there, they feel
more confident and ready to race.
Amanda (22:40):
So yeah, absolutely.
It's all about community, right.
I mean, I think it's you findyour place, and it's not just
unique to mountain biking, butwhen you find your community,
there's nothing that you won'tdo, right To be a part of that
community.
And I think, especially withgirls, giving them that little
bit of boost in their confidenceis it's just inherent in
mountain biking, right, as theylearn that they can do things.
(23:02):
And this is just isn't girls,this is good for everybody.
Yeah, it's just so exciting tosee when you have a girl who's
like I don't know if I want torace, I don't want to do it, but
you know my friend is doing it,so I'm going to go give it a
try.
It's again just setting them upfor the opportunity to learn
about how hard they can go, orthat they can do hard things or
(23:24):
they can challenge themselves.
I think is one of the biggestbenefits of just, you know, nica
, mountain biking and grit ingeneral.
Kristen (23:29):
A hundred percent.
So NICA has the word cycling init.
So I'm curious why?
Why is the emphasis on mountainbiking as opposed to, maybe,
road biking?
And also why cross country asopposed to I don't know downhill
racing?
Amanda (23:46):
Sure, great question One I've asked myself often and I
get asked often, so it makestotal sense.
Yeah, so I think you know it'sfunny.
I I know from conversationsabout back in the early days why
we call it cycling.
I think, generally speaking,taking a big step back.
Nica's goal is cyclists forlife, right?
If we and we know this, in theend of season surveys that we do
(24:07):
for our seniors that leave, 97%of kids say that they're going
to continue to ride their bikewhen they leave.
For me, that's the mostimportant statistic that we have
in all of NICA is that if wecan instill in you a love for
cycling, a love for the outdoors, a connection to the sport that
you can go and it's going tohelp you with your physical
health and your mental health, Imean that really, there really
(24:28):
is the goal of the organization.
So, having said that, cyclingit's a pretty broad umbrella,
right, and I think peopleunderstand cycling a little bit
more than they understandmountain biking.
But, to be clear, we are amountain biking organization and
we are specificallycross-country mountain bike
racing, and I say racing meaningthat is the format that our
events take, right, and most ofour kids will try a race here
(24:49):
and there.
Some are very serious, somedon't race at all.
We think about maybe it dependson the league what 65, 70% of
the kids in NICA race and somedon't.
So when we say racing, itreally is just that format of
cross-country mountain biking.
Really it's just that format ofof cross country mountain
biking.
Um, and I think you know what wefound is the goal really of
(25:09):
NICA programs is to not only getcyclists for life but to keep
kids in sport and to keep them,you know, engaged in a sport
that they find fun and excitingand challenging.
Um, but most importantly, it'sa team-based sport.
And so what we found,especially in that sixth or 12th
grade age, you know, if youhave kids, um, they want to do
what their friends are doing,right?
(25:30):
And and I think what's reallydifferent about NICA and the
founding premise behind it, wasthat any kid can pick up and go
to a race with their dad ortheir mom or their uncle or
whoever, right, and but you're akid at an adult event and this
just doesn't feel quite the same.
So what I think NICA has donevery intentionally is created a
youth specific space with youthspecific focuses and structures
(25:53):
that are going to keep kidsexcited and keep them in sport,
right?
So I think that, again, when youthink about middle school and
high school, they just want todo what their friends are doing.
You know, I hear this all thetime.
And the girls leave for thevolleyball team.
Do you like volleyball?
Oh no, that's what my friendsare doing, right, and I and I, I
totally understand it, right.
So I think that that is thepremise behind um.
You know, the structure of ofNike right now is that it's
(26:14):
cross country mountain biking,is the is the one that is most
set up for team-based mountainbiking, and then also, um well,
I don't want to say, the safestbut it is the easiest to
administer, if that makes anysense.
And administer in the sensewhere, you know, teaching a
beginner how to downhill is verydifferent than teaching a
(26:35):
beginner just to ride a greencross country trail.
And so, in terms of inclusivity, the team format, the
inclusivity of our coaches, samething, because I think the
higher you go in the skillset,like for the Enduro and the
downhill especially, you need ahigher level of skill for
coaching Um.
Just for the all of thosereasons together, we've chosen
to stick to cross country racing, um and the cross country
(26:56):
riding um.
You know, never going to saynever that we would do anything
else, but I think, for you know,for all those reasons, even
though it is the cyclingassociation, we're focused on
that cross country because itreally is the most inclusive
format that we can find.
Kristen (27:09):
Yeah, I love what you mentioned about the team format
too, because you know we, unlikeyou, growing up, we decided not
to encourage our son to do bothsports like.
He did try baseball and soccerand stuff.
But we always like, encouragethese lifetime sports.
But the challenge with lifetimesports is they aren't usually
team sports and so this has beenreally special and good for him
(27:32):
because he sees his friendslike on the football team and
the basketball team and now hesays well, I'm on the mountain
bike team and that part of it isreally important.
I think when you were firstintroducing yourself, you said
when you left racing you hadkind of soured on the whole
mountain bike scene.
How do you see mountain bikingtoday?
What do you maybe not like init and what do you see NICA
(27:55):
creating in the future?
What would that look like?
Amanda (27:57):
Oh gosh, that's a great question, I think.
Well, specifically, I thinkit's important to recognize that
mountain biking is the bestit's ever been.
I mean, it's where, what?
I'm not even a 40 year oldsport, so I think access to
trails, the equipment, I meaneverything, the, the clothing,
the, everything.
I mean we it's as it's as goodas it's gonna well not get,
(28:20):
hopefully.
I mean, I actually sometimes Iwish the bike industry would
stop tinkering with things andgiving us more things to buy,
but I do think it's important torecognize that.
You know, right out of the gate, right now, it is the best it's
ever been.
However, we can do better andwe're going to have to do better
.
And I say do better meaning, youknow, going back to what we
were talking about before withthe inclusivity, I think if we
(28:42):
are going to keep growing ourtrail access, to keep growing,
um, the demand for communitytrails, we need to be part of
and be more inclusive to a widermountain biking community.
And I say mountain biking meansjust trail users in general,
right?
So my previous position, um,before I came to Nike, I was the
executive director of an Inbachapter over here mountain bike
(29:04):
the Tetons and got really in mynonprofit career prior to that,
had been in a couple bikepedestrian advocacy
organizations, so I reallyunderstood it and I think again,
having been out of advocacy fora little bit, it still is.
I think the most importantthing that we need to do moving
forward is just to be moreinclusive.
And so it's like, well, whatdoes inclusive mean?
What does that really mean?
(29:30):
Is it's making sure that, evenwithin our own little group,
that we aren't eating each otheralive.
If that makes any sense, I thinkmountain bikers' ability to
fight with other mountain bikersjust makes no sense to me,
right?
So you've got the issues of,you know, e-bikes or not.
I mean, we have to sort thee-bike thing out too.
I think that that's going to bein the rear view mirror,
hopefully sometime soon, um, butI do think that oftentimes the
mountain bike community doesn'tdo itself justice because they
(29:51):
don't actually advocate for eachother, right?
So there's, there's a startfrom that, but I do think the
most important thing is, um,inviting new folks to the sport.
Like and and it's.
You know, it can be as simple,as you know, when you see
someone at a trailhead, sayhello, not give them the stink
eye.
Kristen (30:06):
You know what I mean.
Amanda (30:07):
Like there's and there's a little bit of attitude.
I think in some communitiesthat's better than others.
But I think, just in general,not pulling the ladder up behind
us right, like we don't wantany more riders, we don't want
our trails more crowded we haveto think about it in the
opposite ways.
It you have, we have to thinkabout it in the opposite ways.
More ridership means morebusiness.
More business means morepressure on local land managers
(30:27):
to build more trails.
Right, and I think the, the,the fractioning and the mountain
bike community, I think, is alittle bit in the rear view
mirror now too, but that's goingto be the most important thing
is being a unified voice, forhere's what we want in the
future and I do think maiga hasa huge part of that.
And, um, you know, from myexperience of being in advocacy
for so long I don't want to saythat I got soured on it, but I
(30:49):
did realize like, oh gosh, thisfeels like in a lot of ways,
pushing a boulder uphill, causeit is.
I mean, sometimes it takes sixto eight, 10 years to get trail
development plans from, you know, conception all the way up to
building.
But I also think that NICA inthe next generation of cyclists
and, more specifically, the nextgeneration of advocates that we
are trying to develop.
(31:09):
That's going to be the impacton the mountain bike community
for the for the better, I think,in the future.
I mean, I always I've told thisstory before, but I always know
when I see a NICA kid on thetrail, within 10 seconds of of,
you know, interacting with a kid, cause most of the time they're
going to smile, they're goingto look me in the eye, they're
going to pull over, they'regoing to have great trail
(31:29):
etiquette and even if you knowthey're teenagers and they make
a mistake and they, you know,don't see you, they're going to
be gracious, they're going to bekind, they're going to know to
get out of the way.
And and I think that that isreally what is going to change
mountain biking for the, and Ireally do think that the, that
attitude of the more the merrierum, is really one that our
(31:52):
student athletes embrace andthey're just out having fun and
enjoying the trails and I thinkthat's contagious to the coaches
and then that's contagious tothe um, the entire community.
But I also think that's makinga mark on on the positive nature
that we can have on all trailsand all communities, just in
general too.
So I don't mean to overplay it,but I really do think that NICA
(32:14):
is changing the sport and theculture of the sport for the
better, because, again, they'regoing to graduate and they all
have it.
At this point we've graduatedover 90,000 kids from the
program and they take their NICAexperience into the mountain
biking community and you'll evenhear some of the Olympians and
top riders in the cross countryscene right now.
They were NICA riders and theyare really drawing on like we
(32:36):
all should be, those greatexperiences and the connections
and the relationships they hadas kids on these NICA teams to
say, well, this is how it shouldbe moving forward.
Right, it should be fun, youshould be out riding with your
friends and it can't be allserious all the time.
And so that is my greatest hopeis that what NICA is doing for
youth, for mountain biking, willactually, if we continue to be
(33:00):
successful which I think we will, as we grow more, that's going
to have an undeniable impact onwhat the future of mountain
biking should look like.
It needs to look like so thatwe can grow, and I think you
know, without NICA, we'd be in avery, very different spot right
now, I think, with cycling inthe United States, and it's
funny because we have no elitedevelopment goals whatsoever.
(33:20):
We're about inclusivity, we'reabout getting kids outside and
learning a, you know, a healthysport.
That's good for their you know,physical and mental well-being.
But it's also having this justamazing positive impact, I think
, on the landscape of cycling ingeneral, and that's just a
really positive after effect offocusing on the right things in
our programs.
Kristen (33:39):
One thing I really like about NICA too is that you have
these different age groups andyou see a lot of that.
You know the high schoolstudents like mentoring the
middle school students and thesemiddle schoolers really looking
up to them, and I thinkeventually those middle
schoolers grow up, may becomethe mentors, and I think that
that is probably conditioningthem well to later in life be
willing to turn around and reachup and pull people up with them
(34:02):
.
So I think that that has animpact on the culture too.
Amanda (34:05):
Yeah, absolutely agree.
And that's, I mean, that's whatbeing human's all about right Is
is, you know, one of the thenumber one things of of how
people stay healthy and wellthrough old age is relationships
, is connection, that's it.
It's having the connection anddoing things for others right.
And I think that there is thatservice ethic all amongst NICA,
(34:26):
where it's everything down to.
You know, we don't do podiumsat races until everyone helps
tear down all of the course tape, all of the everything right.
And then we have our Teen TrailGirl program, obviously, which
is encouraging teams and studentathletes to do trail work right
as a service project and tocount those hours.
So there really is that ethicof service, I think, ingrained
(34:47):
in everything that we do, fromour coach education to the way
we ask our student athletes toshow up and how we ask our
parents to participate.
It really is all aboutcommunity and I think that
hopefully, one of the bestthings that our kiddos are going
to take out of our program intotheir adult lives is its
service right.
Service of a mission, serviceof others can have great rewards
(35:08):
for yourself.
Kristen (35:08):
Yeah, For folks listening that would like to get
involved.
How can they get?
Amanda (35:13):
involved.
Oh gosh, so many ways.
Um, number one I'd encourageyou to.
If you don't think you're goingto be a good coach, go give it
a shot.
Um, I, like I said, we haveabout 14,000 volunteer coaches
and if you have the time, um,even if you don't have kids,
you're someone like me aboutthree.
And if you have the time, evenif you don't have kids, you're
someone like me about 25% of ourcoaches are not parents.
Go give it a try.
(35:34):
It is so rewarding and mostteams will work with you on the
schedule that you have.
You can't make two or threepractices a week or all the
races.
Just showing up is an amazinggift.
I mean, I always describecoaching as a gift of service
and so I would say, give that ashot.
But if that's not within yourmeans or your schedule, your
time, you can always donate.
I mean we subsidize theseprograms pretty dramatically.
(35:57):
I mean more than 50% of ouroverhead in our budget is
fundraised because we understandthat mountain biking is not a
cheap sport, right?
We have access, we have bikes,we have equipment.
Mount biking is not a cheapsport, right, we have access, we
have bikes, we have equipment.
So we do a lot of fundraisingto keep the you know the cost of
registration and the cost of ofessentially doing business and
insuring and putting on allthese events low.
(36:17):
So that is as attainable aspossible.
So you can always donate.
Those go to can go toscholarships as well.
You can always volunteer at arate too.
Most NICA races take anywherebetween 70 and 120 volunteer
positions to put on a race, andthis is everything from
registration to coursemarshalling to helping in the in
(36:38):
the start shoot.
I mean, there's so manyopportunities and as a parent
especially, you can scheduleyour um, your volunteer hours so
that you can still watch yourkid race and and work around
that too.
So, um, and and I think youknow, just generally speaking,
I'll get the word out about NICAin general.
If you know about us, if youare familiar with our programs
(36:58):
and what we do, you know ourfocus on character development
and youth development I think isrelatively unknown outside of
folks in NICA.
And I think for us to not onlygrow as a sport but to grow in a
way that we we know that we canpotentially have an impact on
youth sports in the UnitedStates for the better, I think.
Just telling the NICA story toothers who don't understand it
(37:21):
is.
It would be a huge, huge winfor anyone who can.
I mean word of mouth is is veryimpactful in what we do.
So if you want to help tellpeople about NICA, if you've
been in NICA, tell, share folks.
You know with folks what yourexperience was because you know
we I don't think enough folkswho aren't a part of NICA
understand is that we we're verydifferent.
(37:44):
Youth sport and when you look atyouth sports in the United
States I don't mean to make ablanket, you know judgment of
all of them, but generallyspeaking, the older you get, the
better you have to be at yoursport to get a chance to play
Right.
So when you think about goingup to JV or varsity or not
making the team and taking a bigstep back, which I love to do,
often it's like well, why are wedoing this?
What is the point of sport?
(38:05):
What is the point of youthsport?
And it's not winning right,it's and we we do a lot of focus
, obviously, like any good coachwill do is you know where
you're trying to focus on beingyour best, not the best and
unfortunately, youth sportstoday.
You have to be better at yoursport to get the right to be on
the team, and that's justfundamentally, and I know it's a
(38:26):
structure of like you can onlyhave 10 people on a basketball
team.
The football team is as big.
But we're missing a huge, hugeopportunity to have an impact on
kids that they just should havethe right to play because they
want to, and at any level theywant to.
Right, and I think NICA is fullystructured in that way.
Right, you don't have to raceIf you don't want to, you can
just ride on the team and go topractice, um, and you can
(38:49):
participate at the level thatyou want to.
And we have some of the mostserious hard charging training.
I mean, you've seen him inIdaho crazy, those varsity
fields are so fast and they takeit so seriously.
But yet we also have the sixthand seventh grade, or maybe just
the junior in high school islike I want to casually
participate.
That's cool with me.
We have figured out how to takethose same, those two kids and
(39:12):
put them on the same team andgive them the same amount of
value, same amount of experienceof hey, if you just want to be
out here riding, awesome, youare just as important as the one
who's going to hit it hard.
You know, train five days aweek and whatever that looks
like, and that's just that'sreally uncommon and hard to do
in most esports.
Yeah, and I really do think thatthat's what sets NICA apart is
the inclusion of families, the.
(39:34):
You know, come as you are,we're going to include you, no
matter if you're fast or you'reslow, or you want to be serious
or not.
We're going to put you on theteam where we're going to value
you just as much as everyoneelse, and I think that that's
that's really the message.
I think that if, when I'mtrying to tell the story outside
of, you know the mountain bikecommunity beyond, folks who know
nika, that's what I'm trying toget across.
Like, hey, what is the goalhere of what we're trying to do?
(39:56):
And I think what we're tryingto do again, our sport affords
us the ability to do that, justin the way that it's structured.
Um, but I think a lot of sportscould learn from from what
we're doing and and be more inprogramming.
Kristen (40:08):
Because that's really what it is all about.
Yeah, there was one boy thisweekend at the race we were at
and he was in last place.
He had the biggest smile on hisface and it actually started to
make me tear up Because I waslike nobody sits on the bench,
everybody who wants to be heregets to be here, and they're
really not treated anydifferently, like everybody'm.
Amanda (40:29):
Just, I think that all the kids, and it's through the
whole organization, they're alllike very inclusive and kind to
one another and that's not amemory I have from my childhood,
so it's really neat to see thembe so kind and inclusive to one
another yeah, and that cultureis, um, it's contagious and it's
also self-sustaining right inthe sense where everyone cheers
(40:50):
on everyone else, every parentcheers every kid that crosses
the finish line.
And you are right, there is nobench, there are no tryouts.
If you want to be on the team,you're on the team, like, yeah,
that's it, and it really doesn'tmatter how you know, how fast
or slow you are.
It's that that value is in theeffort, and I think that that's
really what is most valuableabout NICA and just the NICA
(41:12):
communities.
You're going to get so muchsupport, no matter you know what
you're racing and how you'reracing, or even if you're not
racing at all, yeah, and I thinkyou know Idaho does this and
most of our leagues do this.
Now to the.
We call it the party lap, whereunderstand right, and we
understand that, uh, racing canbe intimidating.
It's challenging right, andteaching kids that they can do
(41:33):
hard things um, takes a lot ofdifferent levels of, of giving
them the ability to, you know,self-select and include
themselves.
And so, uh, when we started theparty lap concept a few years
ago I think it was, maybe it wasthe Utah league, I forget which
league actually started it, butthe party lap or the single lap
or the participation lap is youjust get to show up.
You don't want to race, youjust show up and you ride a lap
(41:55):
on the course.
You can ride with your coaches.
We've seen some kids withdisabilities have great time in
the in the party lap as well too, but most of the time what we
see is the kiddos join the partylap and the next time they race
, yeah, right.
So it's giving them littleincremental steps of support,
right, it's.
It's that invitation withsupport is always, I think, the
most successful combination.
(42:16):
And we look at anything in ourprogramming.
It's like this is here for you,not going to push you, but I'm
going to support you every stepof the way.
And I think, again, I I'mbiased.
I think mountain biking is thebest sport in the world.
I don't think I need to findanother one.
But again, I couldn't think ofa better sport and a better way
to teach kids that, um, they cando hard things, that they can
overcome challenges, that everyyou know the metaphors.
(42:37):
Every pedal strokes, a new one.
If you're thinking about thelast one, you're not thinking
about moving forward, and it'sjust, um, it's, it's a sport
that affords us so manyopportunities to teach those
life lessons.
Um, and really it's a sportthat affords us so many
opportunities to teach thoselife lessons and really, at the
end of the day, if they'rehaving fun and they're enjoying
it, no matter where they land onthe podium or if they don't
race at all, that's just a winfor everybody.
(42:58):
Yeah.
Kristen (43:00):
What have I not asked you that you would like folks to
know?
Amanda (43:05):
Oh gosh, what I want folks to know.
Oh gosh, what I want folks toknow.
I think you know, for as muchas I've talked about racing,
everyone needs to understandthat NICA is so much more than
racing.
Right, I think that we haveother programs as well.
So we have an adventure programwhich gives, gives kids the
opportunity to, you know, haveexperiences off the race course,
(43:26):
so long adventure rides or, youknow, team building, scavenger
hunts, things like that.
We actually have adventureevents now that aren't focused
on competition at all, so that'sa big part of it.
We already talked about theGRIT program.
Now we have the Teen TrailcoreProgram, which is service and
stewardship and giving kids theopportunity to do trail work and
(43:47):
partner with local trailsorganizations.
I think last year and again Iwould probably undersell in
these hours because most folksdon't report their hours we did
over 50,000 hours of trail workand so really, the Nike is more
than just racing and I wouldencourage folks that you know,
think that you know we're justthe JV varsity, you know, fast
kids on the weekend, just come,come, look and see what we're
(44:09):
all about.
We're not only very inclusive,but I think specifically to the
coaches, cause I know I'mtalking to mostly adults right
now.
Um, if you don't think you cancoach, you probably can't be a
good coach.
Uh, because you know, when wethink about, when I think about
how to recruit a good coach, um,I'm not looking for someone
who's the best or fastest orraddest mountain biker right,
having skills helps.
But we're really looking at,we're looking for coaches based
(44:33):
on who they are, not what theydo, right.
So if you're kind and you'rewelcoming and you're patient and
you're fun and you like kidsand you're going to show up for
them and you're going to listenand you're going to help them
through their hard days, we canteach you how to mountain bike,
and we've taught plenty ofadults how to mountain bike too.
And I think the most importantthing for folks I think to
realize about NICA that theymight think it's one thing, but
(44:58):
it's grown and changed andmorphed over time into this just
wonderful accepting communitythat I think a lot of adults
should join in on as well.
So that's maybe the one partingthing is that we are a lot more
than racing.
I do think we are contributingto a change in the landscape of
just cycling in general in theUnited States and we need more
help to do that.
And, again, that's not our goal.
(45:19):
We're here for kids, we're herefor character development and
youth development, but I thinkthe outcome of doing those
things right and focusing on allthose things, we've just
created an organization and aprogram that we hope more people
will join in on.
Kristen (45:32):
Yes, I have three final questions for you.
The first one is what bike orbikes do you ride?
Amanda (45:38):
Oh gosh, how much time do you have?
Let's see, I, um, I if folkswho know me, I know that I'm a
pretty diehard mountain biker,right, but I do own a gravel
bike.
So I just got a new TrekCheckpoint this year.
I also have a Yeti that's setup with a 160, 140 coil shock.
(46:01):
That's my big bike.
I also have a new Trek Gen 6,which is actually I'm riding
that more now than the Yeti Ihave a fat bike.
I have an e-commuter bike, whichI love riding around town.
I live about two miles fromeverything.
So, um, it's a, it's an allcity little.
Um, I call it the Mary Poppinsbike Cause it's got a big old
(46:22):
basket on the front and a hugeone on the rear, so I can do all
my grocery shopping and youknow trips to restaurants on
that thing.
And I think that's it for now.
I think I'm down to like fiveor six bikes, um, and then you
know my husband, and then I'vegot a husband who's probably got
double that, and then he's alsointo motorsports too.
So that's a pretty big garagewith all of the all the
(46:43):
equipment that we have but youknow.
I'm not the first person to saythis.
And plus one, one right, it'sthe amount of bikes that you
have.
Plus one is always that nextthing.
Kristen (46:51):
That's the correct answer.
Amanda (46:52):
Looking for that next thing now.
Kristen (46:54):
Yeah, Second question is what is your?
Amanda (47:00):
favorite place you've ever ridden your bike?
Oh gosh.
So we took a trip to NewZealand a few years ago, south
Island.
So if I had to pick a region, Iwould definitely say New
Zealand.
But if there was a place,finale, liguria, in Italy, we
went there a couple of years agoto ride.
My husband and I love to dolike one big international trip
a year to ride and Finale was, Ithink, as good as it gets.
(47:25):
I could probably ride thereforever and be happy.
Partially the food too, but itwas pretty amazing community
over there.
Kristen (47:31):
And final question is what do you love most?
Amanda (47:35):
about riding your bike the most.
This is hard, I just I think thepeace it gives me.
I am a diehard mountain bikerand I think being a leader of a
very large organization or itwas very time consuming, but
what hasn't changed for me overtime since I found mountain
biking in my early 20s all theway up to now, like mid 40s?
(47:55):
The bike is the place I go tofind peace, right, and peace is
whatever I need on that day,which is distance from a problem
or a really hard workout, or Ijust need to be out in the fresh
air, or I want to be around abunch of kids that just make me
believe in the world.
You know a lot better, I think.
No matter, no matter what I geton a mountain bike and I just I
find the peace that I'm lookingfor that day, which is just a,
(48:18):
an unending gift, right, if youhave, if you have a trail and
you have a bike and you've gotthe energy for it.
I always come back from a ridefeeling better and more at peace
, and that's just the best thingin the world.
Kristen (48:31):
If you want to learn more about NICA or you want to
get involved, head tonationalmtborg to learn more.
And I'd also love to ask you afavor If you enjoyed this
episode, can you please go aheadand share it?
You can do that by sharing iton your Instagram stories or
(48:51):
just letting a friend know aboutit.
The more that you help us getthe word out, the more women we
reach, the better quality ofguests we get on the show.
So it's a team effort and Ireally, really appreciate you.
Until next time, happy writing.
Hey y'all, it has been a while.
That's because I took thesummer off to spend some time
with my family and to ride bikes.
Obviously, and in addition tosome fun bike trips, we did like
going to Park City, we alsostarted this summer doing NICA.
Now, for those of you whoaren't familiar, nica is the
National Interscholactic CyclingAssociation and it is a
(00:23):
fantastic organization thatbrings high school and middle
school kids together in a teamenvironment to ride and race
mountain bikes.
Both my husband and I are brandnew level one coaches and our
son is a sixth grade studentathlete, so this is all brand
new to us.
But just in a few short monthsof being a part of a team Go
(00:46):
Boise Brave we have caught theNICA bug.
It is such a fantasticorganization and for that reason
, I was really, really excitedto get to sit down for this
interview with Amanda Carey.
Amanda is the president of NICA, a former professional mountain
bike racer and a woman who ismaking a difference in the lives
(01:10):
of kids and in our community.
Even if you don't have teenageage kids, or even any kids at
all, you will want to listen tothis interview to find out why
NICA matters for the bikecommunity and how you can get
involved, should you choose todo so, and I would highly
recommend it.
Real quick, before we jump intotoday's episode, I want to tell
(01:33):
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Head to femcyclistcom to getstarted today.
Amanda, thank you so much forbeing here today.
To get started, can you tell usjust a little bit about
yourself and your backgroundwith biking and what you're up
to right now?
Amanda (02:15):
Sure, and thanks for having me.
I'm really really excited to behere.
My name is Amanda Carey.
I'm the president of NICA,which is the National
Interstitial Cycling Association, and I've been president here
for the last couple of yearsgosh, almost three but I've been
on the NICA staff since 2017.
And I actually started with theorganization as a volunteer
back in 2015.
(02:35):
But you know, my biking story, Ithink, might mirror a lot of
women's biking stories, as wedidn't grow up doing it as kids.
I mean, I had a pink coffeelike the rest of them and rode
around the neighborhood a bunchand had a lot of freedom.
But I was a ball sport kid, soI played basketball and softball
and I was into horses.
I was really into horses, butit was funny.
When I went to college, I hadexpected to play basketball.
(02:57):
Now, don't be impressed, Iwasn't very good.
It was a D3 team and it waskind of one of those walk-on
situations and I played gosh noteven a semester and realized it
was just not.
It was not only not a good fit,it kind of sent me on this
trajectory of looking not onlyfor new sports but new
adventures.
I ended up going to college inColorado, so, growing up in
Massachusetts, went out West anddiscovered snowboarding, but
(03:20):
just discovered a whole newworld of outside uh, of outside
sports, right.
And so, um, I didn't really getinto mountain biking until I
bought one as a commuter.
Believe it or not, I lived offcampus my senior year, but one
of those, uh, little GThardtails maybe it was a $300
bike at the time, but it lookedfancy to me, uh and and rode
(03:41):
that a bunch, you know, justaround school and hanging out
with friends.
But it wasn't until I moved toJackson Hole because I had this
grand plan between college andwhat I thought was going to be
grad school, which would just bea ski bum for a year, and also
again realized not a good fitwhen I realized I did not want
to pursue any more school atthat time and I mean, no one
(04:02):
intended I just I neededsomething to do in the summer.
So I just kind of startedriding that bike with some
friends on trails and it justkind of grew from there and I it
grew because I think of thecommunity I think I've said this
before, I've told my story Um,just the people that were in the
mountain biking, they were intocycling at the time they were
just such a good community andthat I think you know will come
(04:22):
full circle when we tell thestory about NICA.
But that's really for me whatcycling became all about.
And um, I also quickly realizedI had some ability and I got a
little obsessed really into it.
Um, with not only new places toride but just new challenges,
and that led to a whole uhseries of events that um allowed
me to turn pro um in 2008.
(04:43):
So again, don't be impressedthe pro back at the time.
I think a lot of women willunderstand this.
A pro is essentially just acategory that you're racing in.
But I did join the Kenda teamin 2008 and left a career in
nonprofit.
That was.
The other big shift for me is Ihad had a series of nonprofit
jobs in Jackson with some greatmentorship, like lots of great
(05:03):
leadership that I got to workunder, learned a lot, learned a
lot of you know trial by fireand I I just had another switch.
There was like, well, mayberiding pro full time is a thing
to do, but also I discoveredthat I wanted to change career
at the same time.
So when I became pro and wasracing a whole bunch.
(05:27):
I started a master's degree insports psychology thinking that
that was not thinking, but stillto this day was really where my
interest was going to lie inthe future, because I had left
nonprofit feeling kind of alittle bit burnt out and I think
a lot of us that have worked innonprofit for a long time knows
that energy in nonprofit canreally ebb and flow right.
There's huge peaks and valleysbecause the work is really
(05:50):
important, but it's also reallyhard and I was really fortunate
to be able to ride in a lot ofplaces.
I focused on ultra enduranceracing, so I was doing 100
milers and things like the BreckEpic and Transylvania Epic and
just fell in love with the sporteven more.
But again, it was just, it wasall about community for me.
It was all the people that Imet, all the opportunities, all
(06:12):
these you know great randomrural communities that I got to
go to and ride my bike.
You know every single step ofthe way.
It was just like, well, this isabout, you know, seeing big
parts of the country but alsojust seeing and meeting a lot of
fantastic folks.
And so, even though I retiredfrom racing oh gosh, it was I
feel old now, maybe nine yearsago, 10 years ago haven't done a
(06:34):
bike race since then.
Still, some of the best friendsand best friendships I've ever
had have come out of those yearsof being a cyclist.
Yeah, so twisty, turny journey,but I don't think probably
inconsistent with a lot of, youknow, ways that women have found
their way into the sport.
Kristen (06:49):
Yeah, and so now you're the president of NICA.
I mean, obviously we know whatthat is, but for folks listening
who don't know what it is, canyou tell us about it?
Amanda (06:57):
Yeah, I can.
It's funny, I always think ofmountain biking as a niche sport
and the more I'm out there inthe world, I realize that it is,
and that's part of the goalwith NICA.
For sure is to get it out thereon blast.
But no, nica is the NationalInterstitial Cycling Association
.
We were founded in 2009.
We're a mission-based nonprofitand we believe in strong bodies
(07:18):
, minds, characters andcommunity.
And our core values are fun,inclusivity, equity, respect and
community.
And, like I've mentioned before, I've been a part of many
nonprofits before and I've neverbeen part of one that has so
much strength and conviction andattachment to its core values.
So we do mountain bikingstructured team-based mountain
(07:40):
biking for 6th to 12th gradeacross the United States.
So we have 32 leagues in 30statesth grade across the United
States.
So we have 32 leagues in 30states right now across the
United States.
Someday probably international,that's a to be determined thing
.
And again, the focus and theemphasis on Nike programming is
really on that team-based sportright.
So we have about 26,000 kids inthe program right now
(08:02):
nationally and about 14,000coaches.
So if you do that quick math, itis about a two to one.
So what we what I often sayabout NICA is that, yeah, we're
here for the kids and we do itto build community, and we by
far identified more as a youthdevelopment organization before
a sports organization, but weinclude adults in a really,
(08:24):
really special way as well, and,I think, families right.
So I think what that isprobably one of the most unknown
things and undersold partsabout NICA is that the way that
we include the entire cyclingcommunity and that that real
invitation and dependence uponparents and adult volunteers, I
think is really what makes thewhole thing special.
So, again, we've been aroundsince 2009 and you know we have
(08:46):
a goal of and it's a big, it's abig audacious goal, but a goal
of having a hundred thousandpeople in the program, uh, in
the next 10 years.
Kristen (08:55):
Yeah, I love how you mentioned family, because I'm
this is our, our family's firstyear doing like, uh, my son is
in sixth grade.
Sixth grade with my husband andI are level one coaches and it
really has been such a coolthing because it's not like
dropping him off at soccerpractice, like the whole family
goes to practice.
The whole family goes to theserace weekends where we camp with
(09:16):
like the other families, and Ithink it's unique in that way
that it's like really specialthat it gets to be an entire
family sport as opposed to justlike a youth sport.
And I also have somegirlfriends who do not have
children who have decided tobecome coaches and I think that
that's like really special forthem to get to be part of that
family environment as well.
So, yeah, for folks listening,it's like just like a really,
(09:39):
really amazing, amazingorganization yeah, and it's
funny too, because I'm in thesame boat.
Amanda (09:45):
I don't have kids of my own.
It's just my husband and I andtwo dogs, and we, um, you know,
part of my NICA story is westarted, we founded the local
team here in Teton Valley, idaho, uh, in 2015.
And, uh, it consumed our livesfor the next, you know, eight
years being head coaches andteam directors.
Um, just being part of acommunity, especially having
(10:06):
left, you know, a pro career,being a little soured on the
mountain bike industry, just ingeneral, entering into NICA was
just this not only breath offresh air, it was more of this
realization of gosh.
This is how it should be.
This really is how the sportshould be right.
It's welcoming, supportive, andnot only supportive and
welcoming to kids but to entirefamilies.
(10:27):
And then that is the model atNICA.
We are a completelyvolunteer-led and run
organization and we have lots ofpaid staff, of course, to run
the programs.
But we could not be herewithout coaches like you and
your husband and anyone withoutgetting involved.
And it's funny, most coaches Italk to they, you know, they end
up entering into NICA thinkingthey're doing it for the kids
(10:48):
and then they come out somewhatmaybe surprised and a little bit
self-conscious about the factthat they get out of it more
than they think the kids dobelieve it or not, which is just
such a wonderful thing aboutthe whole.
You know the whole program, theway it's set up and the entire
community behind it.
Kristen (11:05):
On our team.
We live in this area wherethere's a lot of mountain biking
, and so we just have naturallylike recruit a lot of families,
because it's what everybody does.
But I'm curious what NICA doesfor recruiting outside of areas
like ours or families like ours,that mountain bike.
How do you reach kids thatmaybe haven't had a mountain
bike background and experience?
Amanda (11:26):
Yeah, it's hard, right it's.
It certainly isn't easy, causewe were talking before about
mountain biking being a nichesport.
Nica is a little bit of a of aniche community and programming
in and of itself and I think youknow, over the over the course
of history, we've really justrelied on a lot of word of mouth
.
I mean, obviously we do thetraditional marketing and
outreach and and all of ourlocal teams and leagues do do
(11:47):
outreach and, um, you know, wecall them dirt tours, right,
really go around and travel thestate and and try and drum up
interest in the, in the sports.
But really and I'm sure we'llget into this in a second what,
what we do need for mountainbiking, and especially with
women.
It's just that intentionalinvitation, right, and the idea
that if we treat everyoneequally, they will find us on
their own, absolutely discountswhere they're coming from and
(12:10):
most folks, right, I think whatwe found is we're doing a good
job of finding those mountainbike families or mountain bike
adjacent families, right, say,you're a kid and you have that
crazy uncle that rode you know,rode bikes and just happened to
take you in the woods a fewtimes, or you just have one or
two steps removed from someonewho knew about mountain biking.
(12:30):
Uh, we're almost fullysaturated with with those folks,
right?
And I think that for for thefuture of mountain biking, for
the future of Nike in general,that focus is on new riders in
new families.
Um, and it has to be repeatedintentional invitation, but
invitation with support, and Ithink that's really different.
I'm just saying, hey, thisprogram's here for you If you
want it.
It's a, not only here's thisprogram, here's the, the
(12:54):
intentional invitation to theteam meeting, here's the
equipment, here's you know, andand I and I don't actually think
it's negative at all to saysome handholding, because
mountain biking is a, it's a,it's an intimidating sport in
the sense where you need to knowwhere to ride, you need to know
what equipment is.
And I think approaching folkswith that invitation but with
support, it's not just a hey,come ride with us, it's a.
(13:16):
I'm going to meet you here at Xtime and I'm going to have this
bike for you and I'm going toset you up for some success and
then some follow-up.
I really do think that that'skey to not only growing mountain
biking in general, but to thesport that we love, if we're
going to grow and progress andhave more places to ride, and
our mission really is to getmore kids on bikes.
(13:37):
Is more kids on bikes for liferight?
It's getting that happy,healthy outlet of doing
something off screens is reallywhat we're going for and, gosh,
it's almost like Nike is toogood to keep secret.
But we also know that there'ssome pretty significant barriers
to entry if you aren't alreadya mountain biking family or even
just a cycling family ingeneral.
(13:57):
So I think, again, it's thatintentional invitation and I
think our teams are doing mostof that work.
I mean, again, from thenational perspective, we're
doing a lot of marketing and alot of outreach and you know we
have all the supportingmaterials and things.
But it really does come down tothat one coach or that one
student athlete you know sayingto their friend or their
neighbor I'm doing this coolthing, come join me, you're
(14:20):
welcome and we'll help you.
I think there's a bigdifference there.
Kristen (14:23):
Are there any good examples of teams that you've
seen do that?
I don't know.
Are there any teams that Idon't know have, like loner
bikes or anything like that?
Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Amanda (14:30):
I wouldn't single out just a single team, but most of
our leagues at this point haveliterally those things try it
out bikes, where we have atrailer of bikes and we do try
it out events.
So we'll go to communities,some that are near trails, some
that aren't.
I mean, we'll use grass fieldsoften and play games and do
things like that.
So, yeah, it's absolutelyintentional recruiting.
And then most of our leagueshave loaner bike fleets, right,
(14:52):
so if kids don't have bikes,that they can sign up for them
and use them for the season.
We have got plenty ofscholarship programs.
But, yeah, it's thatintentional outreach.
But, honestly, the bestrecruiting we see done is by the
student athletes themselves.
It really is, it's the familiesand the student athletes, and
(15:13):
especially with girls, right, ifthey invite their friends, if
they just say, hey, I'm doingthis cool thing, you should come
join.
That's really what we need moreof and I think our student
athletes are really good atdoing that.
Kristen (15:22):
Yeah, so you mentioned the girls.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthe GRIT program?
Amanda (15:26):
Oh, of course, I could talk for hours about this.
So exciting, yeah.
So so GRIT is NICA's specificinitiative to recruit and retain
more female riders and coachesin our program, so it stands for
Girls Riding Together, and westarted it.
It was in 2018, where we were,you know, taking that first hard
look at ourselves and ourdemographic in the, in the
(15:48):
mirror, and I don't think weliked what we saw.
I still don't like what we see,but I see progress, which is
the most important thing,because at the time, our girls
participation numbers was onlyabout 16, 17% of the
organization.
And it was really low.
And you look at mountain bikingin general, at that time it was
just a click higher right,probably high twenties, and it
was really low.
And you look at mountain bikingin general, at that time it was
just a click higher right,probably high 20s.
(16:08):
And it's hard to get goodnumbers and so the numbers I
gave are our numbers and we keeppretty good stats, but at that
time you know that's not an okaynumber.
We're 50% at least of thepopulation number.
You know, looking at that lowpercentage of girls
participation is not somethingthat we were comfortable with.
We just knew that we needed todo something different.
(16:29):
Right?
You can do the same.
It's the definition of insanity, right?
Doing the same old thing andhoping that more girls will join
in, just because, if we'redoing the same old thing just
wasn't going to work.
And so we started thisinitiative specifically with a
pretty wide range of ideas andjust started trying things.
I mean, I would put a pin inthat one for a second and just
say, if anyone's approaching,whether it's, you know, trying
(16:53):
to increase girls participation,underserved communities, dei in
general you just have to startright, you just have to have a
commitment towards this issomething that we need to fix
and the exact how I don't know.
We're going to keep trying, andso we took a little bit of that
approach in the beginning andhas now morphed into a very
highly structured, you know,well marketed and understood
(17:15):
program.
But really at the time it was,and still is, focused on
specific invitation, and I thinkthat's really, when we talk
about recruitment, what we weretalking about before with those
new families.
Grit's the same way.
It's saying hey, we not onlyhave a space for you, we are
intentionally creating a program, a space, an event, a logo, a
(17:36):
sticker, whatever it is to saywe not only want you here, we
want you here, we're going tohelp you be here, we're going to
help you be more comfortablehere is when you look around and
it's 16 or 17%, especially ifyou're a 12 year old or a 13
year old, that you look aroundand you're like, well, this
isn't fun, I mean, maybe forsome girls.
I think absolutely that theco-ed nature of the sport works
(17:57):
just fine and it is a co-edsport in general.
But I think when you lookaround and you don't have
coaches that look like you ingeneral, but I think when you
look around you don't havecoaches that look like you, you
don't have coaches whounderstand what you're going
through, especially as a youngfemale athlete, there's just a
big disconnect.
And I think what we also knowand this is just from research
and data that girls are moresensitive to poor coaching than
boys are, believe it or not,especially at that age.
(18:19):
We know that having greatmentors and having great coaches
which again is a hallmark ofthe NICA coach programs, you
know only as a level one,there's, there's a lot of
education that goes along withit, because we know that quality
coaching is pretty much thenumber one reason, besides fun,
that kids stay in sport.
So, with attention to all ofthose things, the grit program
(18:40):
has now morphed into thiswonderful program that just has
so, just so much stoke behind it, I think from the entire
organization.
We talk about male allyship alot, but it's morphed into, you
know, we have team events andthese team events can look
anything like, you know, thegirls sleepover, or the girls
specific nutrition seminar, ormaybe just at one team practice
(19:01):
the girls go off and ridetogether and the boys go off.
And again, it's not often andwe don't do it constantly, but
it's just making sure that atthe team level and at the league
level when I say league it'sjust events too so at our races,
that we have specific areas forgirls to just be with girls,
and it's not required, but itjust creates that separate
intentional space for them toconnect with one another.
(19:23):
And what we've seen is that ourpercentages are skyrocketing.
I mean, we started at that 16,17%, we're now up to 24%, almost
25% girls and almost 26% femalecoaches, and our female coach
rate was almost at the samenumber that our girls
participants was.
So we were making a lot ofprogress.
And it's funny because itdoesn't seem like it's rocket
(19:46):
science, but at the initialstart of the program we and you
know, once in a while we stillget that pushback of you know,
why do the girls get somethingspecial and the boys don't?
You're like, well, gosh, wheredo?
Where do I start with thatno-transcript, trying to explain
(20:21):
to folks that you know, doing aspecific initiative or specific
invitation for one groupdoesn't mean that the other
group's going to get any lessright.
It's that old saying of it'snot just we have one pie and
everyone gets a sliver of thepie.
It's like just make more pie.
That's really what we're tryingto do, right, and everyone gets
more pie, and I think over timeit's become just one of the
(20:43):
most amazing programs that wehave.
So at um, at most of our racesnow, you'll see a grit pre-ride.
That's specific just for thegirls, and so for those aren't
familiar with cross countryriding, it's important to
pre-ride the course.
So the day before the race, orsometimes the morning of,
there's an opportunity foreveryone to get on the course
with their coaches and look atit and you know ride hard
sections and things.
But most of our leagues nowtake about an hour and in Idaho
(21:07):
does this and they close thecourse to everyone but the girl.
So it's just the girls get togo out on the course together
with their coaches.
Um, and it's just turned intothis wonderful supportive
community and you'll see boys atthe grit tent supporting.
I mean it's.
It really has turned into againthis, this, this intentional
invitation, has turned into whatwe hoped it would turn into all
(21:28):
the time, which is the mainpieces of retention right.
So the, the spirit behind greatis not just once we get you,
you know, in and join, joiningand enjoying the program, it's
once you're there you're havinga great time.
And once you start having agreat time and you feel you know
, supported by coaches, and youhave folks that understand you
and you feel supported by theboys and the men and everyone,
(21:49):
it's just, it's a win-win foreverybody.
And we've seen grit spill overback into the entire community,
meaning it's not just for girlsanymore, it really is just for
everybody and for everyone to bethat cheerleader behind.
Everyone is welcome and shouldfeel welcome.
And yeah, it's been.
It's a huge success and I thinkwe'll not only continue.
I think it's going to continueto bump those numbers up,
(22:11):
because a number of our leaguesare already over 30% girls,
which is pretty exciting.
Kristen (22:15):
I think those pre rides on before the races, the grit
rides, are just so fun and atleast in the Idaho League we
have a theme and like the girlswill dress up and we, the
coaches, dress up, and it's justlike a really, really fun
bonding experience before therace.
And I think it also helpsencourage some of the girls who
maybe not would not have wantedto go to the races, to go to the
(22:35):
races just to do that, and thenonce they're there, they feel
more confident and ready to race.
Amanda (22:40):
So yeah, absolutely.
It's all about community, right.
I mean, I think it's you findyour place, and it's not just
unique to mountain biking, butwhen you find your community,
there's nothing that you won'tdo, right To be a part of that
community.
And I think, especially withgirls, giving them that little
bit of boost in their confidenceis it's just inherent in
mountain biking, right, as theylearn that they can do things.
(23:02):
And this is just isn't girls,this is good for everybody.
Yeah, it's just so exciting tosee when you have a girl who's
like I don't know if I want torace, I don't want to do it, but
you know my friend is doing it,so I'm going to go give it a
try.
It's again just setting them upfor the opportunity to learn
about how hard they can go, orthat they can do hard things or
(23:24):
they can challenge themselves.
I think is one of the biggestbenefits of just, you know, nica
, mountain biking and grit ingeneral.
Kristen (23:29):
A hundred percent.
So NICA has the word cycling init.
So I'm curious why?
Why is the emphasis on mountainbiking as opposed to, maybe,
road biking?
And also why cross country asopposed to I don't know downhill
racing?
Amanda (23:46):
Sure, great question One I've asked myself often and I
get asked often, so it makestotal sense.
Yeah, so I think you know it'sfunny.
I I know from conversationsabout back in the early days why
we call it cycling.
I think, generally speaking,taking a big step back.
Nica's goal is cyclists forlife, right?
If we and we know this, in theend of season surveys that we do
(24:07):
for our seniors that leave, 97%of kids say that they're going
to continue to ride their bikewhen they leave.
For me, that's the mostimportant statistic that we have
in all of NICA is that if wecan instill in you a love for
cycling, a love for the outdoors, a connection to the sport that
you can go and it's going tohelp you with your physical
health and your mental health, Imean that really, there really
(24:28):
is the goal of the organization.
So, having said that, cyclingit's a pretty broad umbrella,
right, and I think peopleunderstand cycling a little bit
more than they understandmountain biking.
But, to be clear, we are amountain biking organization and
we are specificallycross-country mountain bike
racing, and I say racing meaningthat is the format that our
events take, right, and most ofour kids will try a race here
(24:49):
and there.
Some are very serious, somedon't race at all.
We think about maybe it dependson the league what 65, 70% of
the kids in NICA race and somedon't.
So when we say racing, itreally is just that format of
cross-country mountain biking.
Really it's just that format ofof cross country mountain
biking.
Um, and I think you know what wefound is the goal really of
(25:09):
NICA programs is to not only getcyclists for life but to keep
kids in sport and to keep them,you know, engaged in a sport
that they find fun and excitingand challenging.
Um, but most importantly, it'sa team-based sport.
And so what we found,especially in that sixth or 12th
grade age, you know, if youhave kids, um, they want to do
what their friends are doing,right?
(25:30):
And and I think what's reallydifferent about NICA and the
founding premise behind it, wasthat any kid can pick up and go
to a race with their dad ortheir mom or their uncle or
whoever, right, and but you're akid at an adult event and this
just doesn't feel quite the same.
So what I think NICA has donevery intentionally is created a
youth specific space with youthspecific focuses and structures
(25:53):
that are going to keep kidsexcited and keep them in sport,
right?
So I think that, again, when youthink about middle school and
high school, they just want todo what their friends are doing.
You know, I hear this all thetime.
And the girls leave for thevolleyball team.
Do you like volleyball?
Oh no, that's what my friendsare doing, right, and I and I, I
totally understand it, right.
So I think that that is thepremise behind um.
You know, the structure of ofNike right now is that it's
(26:14):
cross country mountain biking,is the is the one that is most
set up for team-based mountainbiking, and then also, um well,
I don't want to say, the safestbut it is the easiest to
administer, if that makes anysense.
And administer in the sensewhere, you know, teaching a
beginner how to downhill is verydifferent than teaching a
(26:35):
beginner just to ride a greencross country trail.
And so, in terms of inclusivity, the team format, the
inclusivity of our coaches, samething, because I think the
higher you go in the skillset,like for the Enduro and the
downhill especially, you need ahigher level of skill for
coaching Um.
Just for the all of thosereasons together, we've chosen
to stick to cross country racing, um and the cross country
(26:56):
riding um.
You know, never going to saynever that we would do anything
else, but I think, for you know,for all those reasons, even
though it is the cyclingassociation, we're focused on
that cross country because itreally is the most inclusive
format that we can find.
Kristen (27:09):
Yeah, I love what you mentioned about the team format
too, because you know we, unlikeyou, growing up, we decided not
to encourage our son to do bothsports like.
He did try baseball and soccerand stuff.
But we always like, encouragethese lifetime sports.
But the challenge with lifetimesports is they aren't usually
team sports and so this has beenreally special and good for him
(27:32):
because he sees his friendslike on the football team and
the basketball team and now hesays well, I'm on the mountain
bike team and that part of it isreally important.
I think when you were firstintroducing yourself, you said
when you left racing you hadkind of soured on the whole
mountain bike scene.
How do you see mountain bikingtoday?
What do you maybe not like init and what do you see NICA
(27:55):
creating in the future?
What would that look like?
Amanda (27:57):
Oh gosh, that's a great question, I think.
Well, specifically, I thinkit's important to recognize that
mountain biking is the bestit's ever been.
I mean, it's where, what?
I'm not even a 40 year oldsport, so I think access to
trails, the equipment, I meaneverything, the, the clothing,
the, everything.
I mean we it's as it's as goodas it's gonna well not get,
(28:20):
hopefully.
I mean, I actually sometimes Iwish the bike industry would
stop tinkering with things andgiving us more things to buy,
but I do think it's important torecognize that.
You know, right out of the gate, right now, it is the best it's
ever been.
However, we can do better andwe're going to have to do better
.
And I say do better meaning, youknow, going back to what we
were talking about before withthe inclusivity, I think if we
(28:42):
are going to keep growing ourtrail access, to keep growing,
um, the demand for communitytrails, we need to be part of
and be more inclusive to a widermountain biking community.
And I say mountain biking meansjust trail users in general,
right?
So my previous position, um,before I came to Nike, I was the
executive director of an Inbachapter over here mountain bike
(29:04):
the Tetons and got really in mynonprofit career prior to that,
had been in a couple bikepedestrian advocacy
organizations, so I reallyunderstood it and I think again,
having been out of advocacy fora little bit, it still is.
I think the most importantthing that we need to do moving
forward is just to be moreinclusive.
And so it's like, well, whatdoes inclusive mean?
What does that really mean?
(29:30):
Is it's making sure that, evenwithin our own little group,
that we aren't eating each otheralive.
If that makes any sense, I thinkmountain bikers' ability to
fight with other mountain bikersjust makes no sense to me,
right?
So you've got the issues of,you know, e-bikes or not.
I mean, we have to sort thee-bike thing out too.
I think that that's going to bein the rear view mirror,
hopefully sometime soon, um, butI do think that oftentimes the
mountain bike community doesn'tdo itself justice because they
(29:51):
don't actually advocate for eachother, right?
So there's, there's a startfrom that, but I do think the
most important thing is, um,inviting new folks to the sport.
Like and and it's.
You know, it can be as simple,as you know, when you see
someone at a trailhead, sayhello, not give them the stink
eye.
Kristen (30:06):
You know what I mean.
Amanda (30:07):
Like there's and there's a little bit of attitude.
I think in some communitiesthat's better than others.
But I think, just in general,not pulling the ladder up behind
us right, like we don't wantany more riders, we don't want
our trails more crowded we haveto think about it in the
opposite ways.
It you have, we have to thinkabout it in the opposite ways.
More ridership means morebusiness.
More business means morepressure on local land managers
(30:27):
to build more trails.
Right, and I think the, the,the fractioning and the mountain
bike community, I think, is alittle bit in the rear view
mirror now too, but that's goingto be the most important thing
is being a unified voice, forhere's what we want in the
future and I do think maiga hasa huge part of that.
And, um, you know, from myexperience of being in advocacy
for so long I don't want to saythat I got soured on it, but I
(30:49):
did realize like, oh gosh, thisfeels like in a lot of ways,
pushing a boulder uphill, causeit is.
I mean, sometimes it takes sixto eight, 10 years to get trail
development plans from, you know, conception all the way up to
building.
But I also think that NICA inthe next generation of cyclists
and, more specifically, the nextgeneration of advocates that we
are trying to develop.
(31:09):
That's going to be the impacton the mountain bike community
for the for the better, I think,in the future.
I mean, I always I've told thisstory before, but I always know
when I see a NICA kid on thetrail, within 10 seconds of of,
you know, interacting with a kid, cause most of the time they're
going to smile, they're goingto look me in the eye, they're
going to pull over, they'regoing to have great trail
(31:29):
etiquette and even if you knowthey're teenagers and they make
a mistake and they, you know,don't see you, they're going to
be gracious, they're going to bekind, they're going to know to
get out of the way.
And and I think that that isreally what is going to change
mountain biking for the, and Ireally do think that the, that
attitude of the more the merrierum, is really one that our
(31:52):
student athletes embrace andthey're just out having fun and
enjoying the trails and I thinkthat's contagious to the coaches
and then that's contagious tothe um, the entire community.
But I also think that's makinga mark on on the positive nature
that we can have on all trailsand all communities, just in
general too.
So I don't mean to overplay it,but I really do think that NICA
(32:14):
is changing the sport and theculture of the sport for the
better, because, again, they'regoing to graduate and they all
have it.
At this point we've graduatedover 90,000 kids from the
program and they take their NICAexperience into the mountain
biking community and you'll evenhear some of the Olympians and
top riders in the cross countryscene right now.
They were NICA riders and theyare really drawing on like we
(32:36):
all should be, those greatexperiences and the connections
and the relationships they hadas kids on these NICA teams to
say, well, this is how it shouldbe moving forward.
Right, it should be fun, youshould be out riding with your
friends and it can't be allserious all the time.
And so that is my greatest hopeis that what NICA is doing for
youth, for mountain biking, willactually, if we continue to be
(33:00):
successful which I think we will, as we grow more, that's going
to have an undeniable impact onwhat the future of mountain
biking should look like.
It needs to look like so thatwe can grow, and I think you
know, without NICA, we'd be in avery, very different spot right
now, I think, with cycling inthe United States, and it's
funny because we have no elitedevelopment goals whatsoever.
(33:20):
We're about inclusivity, we'reabout getting kids outside and
learning a, you know, a healthysport.
That's good for their you know,physical and mental well-being.
But it's also having this justamazing positive impact, I think
, on the landscape of cycling ingeneral, and that's just a
really positive after effect offocusing on the right things in
our programs.
Kristen (33:39):
One thing I really like about NICA too is that you have
these different age groups andyou see a lot of that.
You know the high schoolstudents like mentoring the
middle school students and thesemiddle schoolers really looking
up to them, and I thinkeventually those middle
schoolers grow up, may becomethe mentors, and I think that
that is probably conditioningthem well to later in life be
willing to turn around and reachup and pull people up with them
(34:02):
.
So I think that that has animpact on the culture too.
Amanda (34:05):
Yeah, absolutely agree.
And that's, I mean, that's whatbeing human's all about right Is
is, you know, one of the thenumber one things of of how
people stay healthy and wellthrough old age is relationships
, is connection, that's it.
It's having the connection anddoing things for others right.
And I think that there is thatservice ethic all amongst NICA,
(34:26):
where it's everything down to.
You know, we don't do podiumsat races until everyone helps
tear down all of the course tape, all of the everything right.
And then we have our Teen TrailGirl program, obviously, which
is encouraging teams and studentathletes to do trail work right
as a service project and tocount those hours.
So there really is that ethicof service, I think, ingrained
(34:47):
in everything that we do, fromour coach education to the way
we ask our student athletes toshow up and how we ask our
parents to participate.
It really is all aboutcommunity and I think that
hopefully, one of the bestthings that our kiddos are going
to take out of our program intotheir adult lives is its
service right.
Service of a mission, serviceof others can have great rewards
(35:08):
for yourself.
Kristen (35:08):
Yeah, For folks listening that would like to get
involved.
How can they get?
Amanda (35:13):
involved.
Oh gosh, so many ways.
Um, number one I'd encourageyou to.
If you don't think you're goingto be a good coach, go give it
a shot.
Um, I, like I said, we haveabout 14,000 volunteer coaches
and if you have the time, um,even if you don't have kids,
you're someone like me aboutthree.
And if you have the time, evenif you don't have kids, you're
someone like me about 25% of ourcoaches are not parents.
Go give it a try.
(35:34):
It is so rewarding and mostteams will work with you on the
schedule that you have.
You can't make two or threepractices a week or all the
races.
Just showing up is an amazinggift.
I mean, I always describecoaching as a gift of service
and so I would say, give that ashot.
But if that's not within yourmeans or your schedule, your
time, you can always donate.
I mean we subsidize theseprograms pretty dramatically.
(35:57):
I mean more than 50% of ouroverhead in our budget is
fundraised because we understandthat mountain biking is not a
cheap sport, right?
We have access, we have bikes,we have equipment.
Mount biking is not a cheapsport, right, we have access, we
have bikes, we have equipment.
So we do a lot of fundraisingto keep the you know the cost of
registration and the cost of ofessentially doing business and
insuring and putting on allthese events low.
(36:17):
So that is as attainable aspossible.
So you can always donate.
Those go to can go toscholarships as well.
You can always volunteer at arate too.
Most NICA races take anywherebetween 70 and 120 volunteer
positions to put on a race, andthis is everything from
registration to coursemarshalling to helping in the in
(36:38):
the start shoot.
I mean, there's so manyopportunities and as a parent
especially, you can scheduleyour um, your volunteer hours so
that you can still watch yourkid race and and work around
that too.
So, um, and and I think youknow, just generally speaking,
I'll get the word out about NICAin general.
If you know about us, if youare familiar with our programs
(36:58):
and what we do, you know ourfocus on character development
and youth development I think isrelatively unknown outside of
folks in NICA.
And I think for us to not onlygrow as a sport but to grow in a
way that we we know that we canpotentially have an impact on
youth sports in the UnitedStates for the better, I think.
Just telling the NICA story toothers who don't understand it
(37:21):
is.
It would be a huge, huge winfor anyone who can.
I mean word of mouth is is veryimpactful in what we do.
So if you want to help tellpeople about NICA, if you've
been in NICA, tell, share folks.
You know with folks what yourexperience was because you know
we I don't think enough folkswho aren't a part of NICA
understand is that we we're verydifferent.
(37:44):
Youth sport and when you look atyouth sports in the United
States I don't mean to make ablanket, you know judgment of
all of them, but generallyspeaking, the older you get, the
better you have to be at yoursport to get a chance to play
Right.
So when you think about goingup to JV or varsity or not
making the team and taking a bigstep back, which I love to do,
often it's like well, why are wedoing this?
What is the point of sport?
(38:05):
What is the point of youthsport?
And it's not winning right,it's and we we do a lot of focus
, obviously, like any good coachwill do is you know where
you're trying to focus on beingyour best, not the best and
unfortunately, youth sportstoday.
You have to be better at yoursport to get the right to be on
the team, and that's justfundamentally, and I know it's a
(38:26):
structure of like you can onlyhave 10 people on a basketball
team.
The football team is as big.
But we're missing a huge, hugeopportunity to have an impact on
kids that they just should havethe right to play because they
want to, and at any level theywant to.
Right, and I think NICA is fullystructured in that way.
Right, you don't have to raceIf you don't want to, you can
just ride on the team and go topractice, um, and you can
(38:49):
participate at the level thatyou want to.
And we have some of the mostserious hard charging training.
I mean, you've seen him inIdaho crazy, those varsity
fields are so fast and they takeit so seriously.
But yet we also have the sixthand seventh grade, or maybe just
the junior in high school islike I want to casually
participate.
That's cool with me.
We have figured out how to takethose same, those two kids and
(39:12):
put them on the same team andgive them the same amount of
value, same amount of experienceof hey, if you just want to be
out here riding, awesome, youare just as important as the one
who's going to hit it hard.
You know, train five days aweek and whatever that looks
like, and that's just that'sreally uncommon and hard to do
in most esports.
Yeah, and I really do think thatthat's what sets NICA apart is
the inclusion of families, the.
(39:34):
You know, come as you are,we're going to include you, no
matter if you're fast or you'reslow, or you want to be serious
or not.
We're going to put you on theteam where we're going to value
you just as much as everyoneelse, and I think that that's
that's really the message.
I think that if, when I'mtrying to tell the story outside
of, you know the mountain bikecommunity beyond, folks who know
nika, that's what I'm trying toget across.
Like, hey, what is the goalhere of what we're trying to do?
(39:56):
And I think what we're tryingto do again, our sport affords
us the ability to do that, justin the way that it's structured.
Um, but I think a lot of sportscould learn from from what
we're doing and and be more inprogramming.
Kristen (40:08):
Because that's really what it is all about.
Yeah, there was one boy thisweekend at the race we were at
and he was in last place.
He had the biggest smile on hisface and it actually started to
make me tear up Because I waslike nobody sits on the bench,
everybody who wants to be heregets to be here, and they're
really not treated anydifferently, like everybody'm.
Amanda (40:29):
Just, I think that all the kids, and it's through the
whole organization, they're alllike very inclusive and kind to
one another and that's not amemory I have from my childhood,
so it's really neat to see thembe so kind and inclusive to one
another yeah, and that cultureis, um, it's contagious and it's
also self-sustaining right inthe sense where everyone cheers
(40:50):
on everyone else, every parentcheers every kid that crosses
the finish line.
And you are right, there is nobench, there are no tryouts.
If you want to be on the team,you're on the team, like, yeah,
that's it, and it really doesn'tmatter how you know, how fast
or slow you are.
It's that that value is in theeffort, and I think that that's
really what is most valuableabout NICA and just the NICA
(41:12):
communities.
You're going to get so muchsupport, no matter you know what
you're racing and how you'reracing, or even if you're not
racing at all, yeah, and I thinkyou know Idaho does this and
most of our leagues do this.
Now to the.
We call it the party lap, whereunderstand right, and we
understand that, uh, racing canbe intimidating.
It's challenging right, andteaching kids that they can do
(41:33):
hard things um, takes a lot ofdifferent levels of, of giving
them the ability to, you know,self-select and include
themselves.
And so, uh, when we started theparty lap concept a few years
ago I think it was, maybe it wasthe Utah league, I forget which
league actually started it, butthe party lap or the single lap
or the participation lap is youjust get to show up.
You don't want to race, youjust show up and you ride a lap
(41:55):
on the course.
You can ride with your coaches.
We've seen some kids withdisabilities have great time in
the in the party lap as well too, but most of the time what we
see is the kiddos join the partylap and the next time they race
, yeah, right.
So it's giving them littleincremental steps of support,
right, it's.
It's that invitation withsupport is always, I think, the
most successful combination.
(42:16):
And we look at anything in ourprogramming.
It's like this is here for you,not going to push you, but I'm
going to support you every stepof the way.
And I think, again, I I'mbiased.
I think mountain biking is thebest sport in the world.
I don't think I need to findanother one.
But again, I couldn't think ofa better sport and a better way
to teach kids that, um, they cando hard things, that they can
overcome challenges, that everyyou know the metaphors.
(42:37):
Every pedal strokes, a new one.
If you're thinking about thelast one, you're not thinking
about moving forward, and it'sjust, um, it's, it's a sport
that affords us so manyopportunities to teach those
life lessons.
Um, and really it's a sportthat affords us so many
opportunities to teach thoselife lessons and really, at the
end of the day, if they'rehaving fun and they're enjoying
it, no matter where they land onthe podium or if they don't
race at all, that's just a winfor everybody.
(42:58):
Yeah.
Kristen (43:00):
What have I not asked you that you would like folks to
know?
Amanda (43:05):
Oh gosh, what I want folks to know.
Oh gosh, what I want folks toknow.
I think you know, for as muchas I've talked about racing,
everyone needs to understandthat NICA is so much more than
racing.
Right, I think that we haveother programs as well.
So we have an adventure programwhich gives, gives kids the
opportunity to, you know, haveexperiences off the race course,
(43:26):
so long adventure rides or, youknow, team building, scavenger
hunts, things like that.
We actually have adventureevents now that aren't focused
on competition at all, so that'sa big part of it.
We already talked about theGRIT program.
Now we have the Teen TrailcoreProgram, which is service and
stewardship and giving kids theopportunity to do trail work and
(43:47):
partner with local trailsorganizations.
I think last year and again Iwould probably undersell in
these hours because most folksdon't report their hours we did
over 50,000 hours of trail workand so really, the Nike is more
than just racing and I wouldencourage folks that you know,
think that you know we're justthe JV varsity, you know, fast
kids on the weekend, just come,come, look and see what we're
(44:09):
all about.
We're not only very inclusive,but I think specifically to the
coaches, cause I know I'mtalking to mostly adults right
now.
Um, if you don't think you cancoach, you probably can't be a
good coach.
Uh, because you know, when wethink about, when I think about
how to recruit a good coach, um,I'm not looking for someone
who's the best or fastest orraddest mountain biker right,
having skills helps.
But we're really looking at,we're looking for coaches based
(44:33):
on who they are, not what theydo, right.
So if you're kind and you'rewelcoming and you're patient and
you're fun and you like kidsand you're going to show up for
them and you're going to listenand you're going to help them
through their hard days, we canteach you how to mountain bike,
and we've taught plenty ofadults how to mountain bike too.
And I think the most importantthing for folks I think to
realize about NICA that theymight think it's one thing, but
(44:58):
it's grown and changed andmorphed over time into this just
wonderful accepting communitythat I think a lot of adults
should join in on as well.
So that's maybe the one partingthing is that we are a lot more
than racing.
I do think we are contributingto a change in the landscape of
just cycling in general in theUnited States and we need more
help to do that.
And, again, that's not our goal.
(45:19):
We're here for kids, we're herefor character development and
youth development, but I thinkthe outcome of doing those
things right and focusing on allthose things, we've just
created an organization and aprogram that we hope more people
will join in on.
Kristen (45:32):
Yes, I have three final questions for you.
The first one is what bike orbikes do you ride?
Amanda (45:38):
Oh gosh, how much time do you have?
Let's see, I, um, I if folkswho know me, I know that I'm a
pretty diehard mountain biker,right, but I do own a gravel
bike.
So I just got a new TrekCheckpoint this year.
I also have a Yeti that's setup with a 160, 140 coil shock.
(46:01):
That's my big bike.
I also have a new Trek Gen 6,which is actually I'm riding
that more now than the Yeti Ihave a fat bike.
I have an e-commuter bike, whichI love riding around town.
I live about two miles fromeverything.
So, um, it's a, it's an allcity little.
Um, I call it the Mary Poppinsbike Cause it's got a big old
(46:22):
basket on the front and a hugeone on the rear, so I can do all
my grocery shopping and youknow trips to restaurants on
that thing.
And I think that's it for now.
I think I'm down to like fiveor six bikes, um, and then you
know my husband, and then I'vegot a husband who's probably got
double that, and then he's alsointo motorsports too.
So that's a pretty big garagewith all of the all the
(46:43):
equipment that we have but youknow.
I'm not the first person to saythis.
And plus one, one right, it'sthe amount of bikes that you
have.
Plus one is always that nextthing.
Kristen (46:51):
That's the correct answer.
Amanda (46:52):
Looking for that next thing now.
Kristen (46:54):
Yeah, Second question is what is your?
Amanda (47:00):
favorite place you've ever ridden your bike?
Oh gosh.
So we took a trip to NewZealand a few years ago, south
Island.
So if I had to pick a region, Iwould definitely say New
Zealand.
But if there was a place,finale, liguria, in Italy, we
went there a couple of years agoto ride.
My husband and I love to dolike one big international trip
a year to ride and Finale was, Ithink, as good as it gets.
(47:25):
I could probably ride thereforever and be happy.
Partially the food too, but itwas pretty amazing community
over there.
Kristen (47:31):
And final question is what do you love most?
Amanda (47:35):
about riding your bike the most.
This is hard, I just I think thepeace it gives me.
I am a diehard mountain bikerand I think being a leader of a
very large organization or itwas very time consuming, but
what hasn't changed for me overtime since I found mountain
biking in my early 20s all theway up to now, like mid 40s?
(47:55):
The bike is the place I go tofind peace, right, and peace is
whatever I need on that day,which is distance from a problem
or a really hard workout, or Ijust need to be out in the fresh
air, or I want to be around abunch of kids that just make me
believe in the world.
You know a lot better, I think.
No matter, no matter what I geton a mountain bike and I just I
find the peace that I'm lookingfor that day, which is just a,
(48:18):
an unending gift, right, if youhave, if you have a trail and
you have a bike and you've gotthe energy for it.
I always come back from a ridefeeling better and more at peace
, and that's just the best thingin the world.
Kristen (48:31):
If you want to learn more about NICA or you want to
get involved, head tonationalmtborg to learn more.
And I'd also love to ask you afavor If you enjoyed this
episode, can you please go aheadand share it?
You can do that by sharing iton your Instagram stories or
(48:51):
just letting a friend know aboutit.
The more that you help us getthe word out, the more women we
reach, the better quality ofguests we get on the show.
So it's a team effort and Ireally, really appreciate you.
Until next time, happy writing.
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Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.