The NICA Coach Licensing Program was introduced to ensure that all student-athletes have adult leaders familiar with the best coaching practices. Licensed coaches have been trained in topics that include risk management, team management, ride management, and youth sports psychology. All Licensed Coaches are covered by comprehensive liability insurance provided by the League for the duration of the season. In order to work with student-athletes and ride with the team, all adults must be licensed coaches (for the safety of our student-athletes and to be covered by insurance).
The Coaches Facebook group will be archived on August 15th and replaced with a new Basecamp for coaches! We are excited to offer this new and improved opportunity for coaches to build community, share successes, ask questions and access resources. Find details on accessing Basecamp here. Full details coming directly to your email inbox in season 11!
Basecamp will include the following camps:
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)
[Coming Soon] Category Table for Season (Season 11)
[Coming Soon] Category Placement Table for Season 11
[Coming December 1, 2026] Category Petition Form (2027)
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.
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
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.
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.
Our Coaches Camps [coming in season 11] on Basecamp offer a space to build community, ask questions and share successes!
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.
Coach Communication Calendar (All Coaches)
Team Leadership Calendar (Head Coaches and Team Directors Only)