Our end of season team party was a great way to celebrate our shared successes and individual accomplishments. Thank you for sharing your time with our community this year. Once again, we thank the Sullivan and Gillmore families for going big on the celebration theme and for making the event a sweet success.
The coaches were honored to support your students. Thank you so much for the kind appreciation gifts. Coach Yun, Erik, and I will work to send out a feedback survey soon so we can all find ways to keep getting better.
Parting notes from Coach Jesse:
Planning for 2024 Season – NICL announced their 2024 tentative event dates. How many students will we support next year? Our best recruiting happens when students invite their friends and schoolmates to try it out. We heard from Liam and Jack yesterday that if you invite people they will join. In April and early May, plan to help promote the LCMTB Team as we host Try It Out rides/clinics at two local middle schools. Information will be sent out that you and your students can share. Irving Middle School is high on my list to host for a number of reasons (Student proximity to VDP, opportunity for a short course, access to Irving Rec Center). The other location is TBD. I’m willing to work with any family that wants to help us facilitate conversations at their student’s school. I just don’t have direct access. We’ll have all the details at a bike shop info night the last week of March.
Coach Recruiting and Development – We anticipate needing 3-4 Level 3 Coaches, 6-8 Level 2 Coaches, and 12-16 Level 1 Coaches next year. The BEST time to learn about coaching is before March! Don’t wait for the season to start to let us know you want to join us as a coach. It will be MUCH easier to help you now than when the season is underway. The League will host an optional (but awesome) Coach Retreat at Platte River State Park May 4-5th, so mark your calendars to attend. Access to training and a front row seat to see what NICA is building has never been easier. Great people, great riding, great training, great opportunity to be part of growing a lifelong love of cycling for more Lancaster County youth.
Offseason Riding – Parents that would like me to keep parent information flowing to you (I don’t email students) during the offseason about local rides and biking events, please contact me. I will send out notes periodically. As Jamison said yesterday, “beats riding alone!” There will be students and parents gathering for mountain bike rides as well as occasional gravel ride groups to prepare for gravel events in the spring. A few events that are starting to fill the calendar are listed below.
- 4/4 Louisville Gravel Classic (new event) – Louisville, NE
- 4/23 Flint Hills Gravel Ride – Americus, KS
- 6/22 Solstice Gravel Grinder – Beatrice NE
- 8/24 Garmin Gravel Worlds – Lincoln, NE – I would like to ride the 75 mile next year, but ONLY if we have strong leadership to run the bike wash fundraiser with Silca.
High Regards,
