Policy

• North Carolina NICA Handbook (2026) 
• League Coaching Policy (Head Coach and Combined Practices)
• League Cold Weather Policy
• League Home Team Policy
• Participation Agreement
• Background Check Policy
• NICA Athlete Abuse Prevention (Program Overview)

Coach Guides and Help Desk

• NICA Coach Guides (helpful “how to’s”)
• NICA Coach Help Desk
• Still have questions: contact Sam Ball (Director of Team and Coach Development)

PRESEASON

• [New] Team Proposal for 2026 Season 
• [New] Preseason Activity Approval Form
• Team Training Limits and Preseason Events
• Sponsored Student Athlete Application
• [New] League Recruiting Flyer (2026 Season)
• [New] League Brochure (2025)
• [New] League Overview Presentation (2026 Season)
• Peachjar Communication “How To”
• League Overview (2025)
• Activity Ideas
• NICA Bike Check, Maintenance and Repair Standards
• Bike Safety Check Checklist
• A,B,C Quick Check

Waivers

ONE TIME Student-Athlete: Electronic

QR Code for SA (you can add your team email at the bottom)

ONE TIME Coach: Electronic

QR Code (Coach) (you can add your team email at the bottom)

Category Placement

Category Table for Season 10 (2026)

Category Placement Table for Season 10 (2026)

Category Petition Form (2026) 

PRACTICE DESIGN

• Practice and Season Planning
• Weather Forecasts
• EAP (Emergency Action Plan)
• What to Carry in Your Pack
• A,B,C Quick Check
• Stretching/Yoga
  
• Bodyweight Exercises
  
• Bike Games
• Short Course
• Relays and Mock Short Course Races
  
• Off-Bike/Indoor Games
• How to Hold a Multi-Team Practice
• Team Practice Weather Guide
• NICA Bike Check, Maintenance and Repair Standards
• Bike Safety Check Checklist

WORKING WITH STUDENT-ATHLETES

• Establishing a NICA-Centered Team Culture
  
• Working with NICA Student-Athletes
  
• Goal Setting
• Creating a Team Code of Conduct
  
• Skills Assessment
• Student-Athlete Practice Checklist (Gear)
• NICA Suspected Abuse Reporting Guidance – NICA Form to Document Suspected Student-Athlete Abuse/Neglect

SAFETY REPORTING

NICA Universal Safety Reporting Incident Form – please only use this form if the weekly email is not accessible.

NICA Safety Reporting Field Notes – for note taking in the field only. Use the online form to submit via REDCap.

TEAM

• Composite Team Expansion Playbook
• Succession Planning for Team Leadership and Head Coaches
• Succession Planning Worksheet
• Social Media Best Practices
• Team Graphics Standards – NCICL Logo (.eps) – NCICL Logo (.pdf) –  NICA Logo
• NCICL Branding Guide
• Canva Templates for Coaches and Teams 
• Team Bank Account
  
• Fundraising
• Insurance Overview and FAQ
• Sample Donation Proposal
• Shop Agreement (Sample)
• Team Tasks/Roles
• Team Budget: Small Team – Large Team
• Coach Pack List

program resources

• Girls Riding Together (GRiT) Coach Resource Folder
• Adventure Program Coach Resource Folder
• Teen Trail Corps Coach Resource Folder
• Goosechase Information PDF

Emergency Action Plan

REVIEW each EAP PRIOR to visiting with student-athletes and reach out to local coaches for more detailed information and for recommended rides routes.

A central purpose of an EAP is to ensure trails are appropriate for our student-athletes and to help teams document which portions of a practice area require Wilderness First Aid (16 hr) training and to either pursue WFA (16 hour) or avoid those areas while leading NICA activities.  

Team EAP (Link to make a copy)
Submit an EAP

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Map with EAPs

Coaches Communications

Short on time? Check out our Coaches Communication Highlights here!

Coaches Communication Newsletter: a monthly email distributed to all licensed level 1, 2 and 3 NCICL coaches by the Director of Coach and Team Development, Sam Ball.

Subscribe to the Coaches Communication Calendar to track the anticipated dates for these communications as well as our monthly GRiT, TTC and Adventure coach updates sent by each program’s coordinator.

To respect the time of our volunteers, coaches can find a concise, focused version of each monthly update in the Coaches Communication Highlights document to provide quick, easy access to the most critical information from each update.

Our Coaches Facebook group provides an additional opportunity for coaches to ask questions as well as share successes with their peers. Join the discussion here! Be sure to answer the team and coach level questions to join. If you use a different name on Facebook than that listed in Pit Zone, shoot Sam a quick email letting her know before requesting to join.

Team Leadership Monthly updates are sent directly to all designated Team Directors and Head Coaches by the League Director and include details on twice-monthly office hours for team leaders to offer additional small group, focused support to those steering the ship. Office hours will provide team leaders a regular opportunity to connect directly with the League Director and Director of Coach and Team Development. This is a dedicated space to discuss high-level team management, logistics, and the implementation of NICA standards. Tailoring these sessions to leadership roles allows us to dive deep into the specific responsibilities of running a team, providing a focused space for league and team leadership to share solutions and collaborate on best practices.

Team Leadership Calendar (Head Coaches and Team Directors Only)

CEU Opportunities

Click Here

Coach Benefits

Click Here