TN Team Starter Kit

Would you like to form a high school mountain bike team or club? Starting and managing a high school mountain bike team is no small task – but incredibly rewarding. Take it one step at a time using the following advice and documents to help ensure your effort is a success!

Getting Ready

Take a look at the materials listed to the right. We have compiled the files needed to get you started. Then, follow the simple steps below:

Step 1: Define Your Vision

There is no single model for what a Tennessee High School mountain bike team looks like. Teams range in size and complexity. Some may only have one coach and a few riders while others have up to 30 riders and multiple coaches. In addition to ranging in size, teams also have many difference structures to their organization. The key is starting small, thinking big and taking it one step at a time.

Step 2: Obtain Permission

Build up a list of students, parents and teachers (which can be especially powerful) so that the school administrators or community educators can see that there is demand and support for a mountain bike team at your school or in your community of schools.

Seek out a teacher, athletic director or community staff person who is receptive to healthy orientated initiatives. Being able to ask the right person, with a personal connection to either the people involved or the sport, can be the difference between “no” and an enthusiastic “yes” from the school administration.

Step 3: Get The Word Out And Recruit Riders

Once you’ve obtained permission from the school administration, host an information meeting at the school for students. Ask high school students who already ride, parents of interested high school students, teachers, bike shops and cycling community members to get the word out about the new team. If every student interested in cycling recruits two friends for the team, you will have a successful program in no time. The same concept applies to adults.

Great Resource: Editable Recruitment Poster (PDF)

Step 4: Have A Meeting For Riders and Parents

Invite interested students’ and parents to meet together before summer break or at the beginning of the school season; to learn about the new club.

Meeting together before the school year ends will be an inspiration for everyone. Be prepared for the first meeting and keep your goals simple. In addition to introductions, present an idea of the club’s structure and goals, including the requirements of participation. Be ready to acknowledge students’ ideas and dreams; they serve as the impetus for achieving the single most important goal: getting them out on bikes.

Be sure to convey that participating in the club will be tons of fun but that there are risks involved with the sport. Establish early on that you have high expectations from the student-athletes. Set a tone of respect, safety and good sportsmanship. Be sure to arrange a second meeting and follow up plan with the students. Collect a list of names, student e-mail addresses, parent e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

Step 5: Communicate with your League Director

Contact your League Director before your first practice to finalize your team registration and participation in the League race series. Additional action items include attending the Leaders Summit, registering your team in the Pit Zone, and understanding the rules of the TN-NICA race series. Welcome to the NICA family!

More Information and Resources

Once you have completed these initial five steps, you are well on your way to a running a successful high school mountain bike team.

• Questions? There are a number of people ready to help – check out the contact us page for assistance.
• Looking for Tennessee League logos or pictures to use? Head to the Tennessee League Media Center or the NICA Media Center.

SHS Cowboy Racing from David Estrella on Vimeo.