Currently, girls represent 20% of NICA’s overall national student-athlete participation. NICA GRiT (Girls Riding Together) seeks to increase that number significantly over the next five years. The GRiT Program is NICA’s effort to recruit and retain more girls and female coaches in NICA programs.
Activities are focused on increasing girls awareness of NICA programs by offering girls-only social and riding opportunities for girls, moms, friends, siblings and female coaches. GRiT Camps and GRiT student-athlete Ambassador programs are available in some leagues as well!
GRiT recognizes the need to get more girls on bikes. GRiT’s goal is to empower female student-athlete’s to make their mark, on or off the bike. All NICA leagues have an individual GRiT Coordinator to implement programming from the NICA GRiT Tool box and events at the league level.
Girls Riding Together is NICA’s initiative to increase female participation to 33% overall by 2023. With help from the Walton Family Foundation, and a number of other sponsors and NICA leagues across the country, GRiT’s mission is to provide fair treatment, equal access, opportunity, advancement and elimination of barriers to encourage participation for all.
NICA is making a concentrated effort to increase the number of girls and female coaches in NICA programs by focusing on creating a more welcoming environment for girls to join through girls-only events, rides, camps, clinics and socializing opportunities.
Why do NICA leagues need a special program to recruit more girls and females if NICA programming is inclusive and equal?
Although NICA has been successful in providing equal opportunities to all once participating in our programs, we can only be truly equal when we address many females need different things to feel welcome and invited into NICA programs.
Girls tend to thrive in NICA programs once they join. Where NICA has to improve is in our recruiting and inviting girls into our programs. NICA must focus on equity – giving girls and females the experiences and opportunities to ensure they feel welcome and invited to participate in NICA programs – if it is to increase our overall female participation.
To address the participation challenge, the GRiT Program recognizes that girls and women often join sports and activities for different reasons than boys and men, especially in a male-dominated sport like mountain biking. GRiT focuses on both recruitment and retention to ensure female riders keep riding after their first year.
Without GRiT, we are missing a significant opportunity to offer girls and women the amazing experiences and empowerment that mountain biking provides. To empower all our participants to seek inclusivity and equality
To make everyone feel welcome. To make mountain biking equally accessible to all.
If you have questions about our GRiT program, want to get involved as a coach/student/volunteer or would like to host a GRiT event in your area please reach out to the IICL GRiT Coordinator Jill Bradley (jill@idahomtb.org) .
If you would like to host a GRiT event in your community, reach out to Jill (jill@idahomtb.org). We will try to make it happen! It could be a GRIT ride, mechanical hour, social, all kinds of ideas welcome too.
What: NICA/GRiT Women’s Leadership Event
When: April 20, 6pm to 8pm
Where: Centennial High School Social Center (located in front of the gym), 12400 West McMillan, Boise, ID 83713
Details: This event is for ALL women who are interested in getting more girls on bikes! This includes all current female Idaho Interscholastic Cycling League (IICL) coaches, prospective coaches, mothers of student-athletes, and women interested in learning more about becoming involved with the Idaho NICA league. We’ll be talking about why girls need sport (and also why they leave it), what GRiT (Girls Riding Together) is and why we have it, why we need more female coaches, and tips for recruiting more female coaches and student athletes.
Cost: Free
Registration: Click HERE to register
What: GRiT Coaches Only GRiT Social Ride
When: May 11 6pm – 8pm
Where: Eagle Bike Park, Boise ID
Details: Come kick off the 2023 mountain bike season with a fun social ride just for our women coaches. This event is open to ALL women coaches! This will be an all levels, social pace ride. Pizza will be served after our ride!
Please register in advance for this ride so we can be sure to order enough pizza.
Cost: Free
Registration: Click HERE to register
What: NICA Moms Ride Too Skills Clinic
When: Saturday May 13, 10am to noon
Where: Eagle Bike Park, Eagle ID
Details: This clinic is especially for the beginner moms out there who want to learn some basic mountain bike skills so they can feel more comfortable riding with their kids. We’ll be covering topics like body position, cornering, braking, shifting, and climbing techniques. We’ll also have a short trailside “fix-it” clinic to show you how to fix a flat and repair a broken chain. Snacks will be served afterwards. You will need to bring your mountain bike, helmet, hydration (pack or 2 bottles), and riding shoes/clothes. You must sign up for this event to ensure we have enough coaches to make the clinic run smoothly.
Cost: Free
Registration: Click HERE to register
What: Women’s Only OTB 101
When: Thursday May 18, 5:30pm to 8:45pm
Where: Eagle Bike Park
Details: This On-The-Bike 101 training is for our female coaches, attended by and taught by women! If you are planning on earning your Level 2 coaching license or need Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) to maintain your Level 2 or Level 3 license, this is the place to be if you prefer to learn in the company of other women. All attendees must be a licensed Level 1 coach (or higher) to attend this event.
The NICA OTB 101 course is designed to give you confidence to teach your student athletes the necessary skills to make them safe and successful mountain bikers. You will learn 10 skills complete with demonstrations. You will have the opportunity to try the skills yourself as well as get tips on how to teach these skills to your students.
Cost: FREE
Registration: Click HERE to register
What: GRiT Social, Try It Out, and Gear Exchange
When: Saturday May 20, 10am to 1pm
Where: Eagle Bike Park, Eagle ID
Details: Time to kick off the 2023 mountain bike season with an all-girls, all-levels GRiT Social Ride! This event is for all of our girl student athletes, girls (grades 6-12) who are interested in joining a NICA team, and prospective female coaches. We’ll be breaking into groups based on riding experience and head out for a social-paced ride. Our new riders will participate in a basic skills clinic with the intent of getting out on a short trail ride. We’ll ride for an hour or so and come back for a pizza party (pizza provided by the IICL) and our bike gear exchange.
For the gear exchange, please feel free to bring any bike-related gear you’d like to sell, trade, or give away! If you do bring gear, it will be helpful to bring a blanket to set up your stuff on.
Coaches…we also need volunteers to help run this event and make it FUN! We have a different form for you to sign up HERE.What: GRiT Coaches Only Basic Bike Maintenance Class
When: Wednesday, June 7 6pm to 8pm
Where: Rolling H Cycles in Nampa, ID
Details: Please join us for a women’s-only Basic Bike Maintenance Clinic! You’ll learn the basics about keeping your bike in good working order throughout the upcoming season. We’ll cover topics like:
-Proper tire inflation
-How to clean and lube your chain
-How to fix a flat
-The importance of keeping your bike clean
-What tools you should carry with you on every ride
PLEASE NOTE! All participants in this event MUST be at least a Level 1 coach and practice-ready in Pit Zone
Cost: FREE
Registration: Click HERE to register
What: GRiT Basic Bike Maintenance Class
When: Tuesday June 20, 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Where: Fitzgerald’s Bicycles, Jackson WY (500 US Hwy 89, Jackson, WY 83001)
Details: Please join us for an all-female Basic Bike Maintenance Clinic! The mechanics at Fitzgerald’s will teach you the basics about keeping your bike in good working order throughout the upcoming season. We’ll cover topics like:
This will be a hands-on class, so space is limited to 12 attendees. Preference will be given to student athletes; if the class doesn’t fill, female coaches and/or moms of student athletes are welcome to attend.
Cost: Free
Registration: Click HERE to register
What: NICA Moms Ride Too Skills Clinic
When: Saturday June 22, 6pm to 8pm
Where: Eagle Bike Park, Eagle ID
Details: This clinic is especially for the beginner moms out there who want to learn some basic mountain bike skills so they can feel more comfortable riding with their kids. We’ll be covering topics like body position, cornering, braking, shifting, and climbing techniques. We’ll also have a short trailside “fix-it” clinic to show you how to fix a flat and repair a broken chain. Snacks will be served afterwards. You will need to bring your mountain bike, helmet, hydration (pack or 2 bottles), and riding shoes/clothes. You must sign up for this event to ensure we have enough coaches to make the clinic run smoothly.
Cost: Free
Registration: Click HERE to register
What: GRiT Basic Bike Maintenance Class
When: Thursday June 29, 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Where: Boise State University Cycle Learning Center
1607 W University Dr Suite 164, Boise, ID 83706
Details: Please join us for an all-female Basic Bike Maintenance Clinic! Cycle Learning Center manager Camille Baird will teach you the basics about keeping your bike in good working order throughout the upcoming season. We’ll cover topics like:
This will be a hands-on class, so space is limited to 12 attendees. Preference will be given to student athletes; if the class doesn’t fill, female coaches and/or moms of student athletes are welcome to attend.
Cost: FREE
Registration: Click HERE to register
What: GRiT Intro to Bikepacking Trip
When: July 13-15
Where: This trip begins at Warm Lake Lodge and ends in McCall
Details: Adventurers wanted! On this all-girls trip, we’ll teach you how to pack your bike, backcountry camping, Leave No Trace principles, trip planning, navigating, route finding, backcountry safety plus much more. Instruction will take place on-the-bike as we ride a section of the Idaho Hotsprings Bikepacking Route, enjoying the gorgeous South Fork of the Salmon River drainage. We will start at Warm Lake and finish in McCall while covering roughly 65 miles through some of the most beautiful terrain Idaho has to offer. We will ride primarily on Forest Service roads while camping at dispersed sites along the South Fork of the Salmon and Secesh rivers. Be sure to bring your climbing legs as the final segment is a 3000’+ ascent up and over Lick Creek summit before descending through the amazing Salmon River Mountains back to McCall.
Cost: $275
Registration: Student athlete registration takes place in Pit Zone starting April 1st
You can help us achieve our goal by donating to the IICL GRiT program HERE.
We greatly appreciate the support and every dollar helps.