This July, August and September we held Coach Retreat weekends in Bear Valley, Downieville, and South Lake Tahoe, respectively, training 45 coaches to teach the NICA On the Bike Skills 101 curriculum, but more importantly we got these great people together in informal environments, away from the responsibilities of their teams to talk, ride some great trails, cook, and eat together. There is one more Coach Retreat before the season begins: October 6-7 in Mendocino. My goal with these retreats is to stoke the coaches. All season long we give of ourselves, devote ourselves to our teams, and while we get thanks, it requires a lot from us. I want coaches to be proud, feel fulfilled, have fun, and I want other, potential coaches to see what we do and want to be a part of it. I’ve enjoyed putting these on, and I think we’ll do them again in 2019.
After October’s Coach Retreat we’ll have our first Coach Summit in Folsom in November, and then again in January in Salinas. I taught the new NICA On the Bike Skills 201 course for the first time at the Tahoe Retreat, and will be teaching it at both of the Coach Summits. The 201 course builds upon the 101 course, it contains a lot of the progressive skills that I get asked about, when teaching 101. Taking 201 will arguably make you a better coach. It’s not a requirement, but it does fulfill the requirements for Continuing Education Units, or CEUs. I will also be available to do the 101 and 201 trainings on an as-needed basis around northern California. Contact me if you have a need for one, and can gather five or more coaches to attend! I’m happy to visit, teach, and learn a bit about your teams. Contact me at coachmorgan@norcalmtb.org
Lastly, communication among coaches is key, and one way we can keep in touch is the The NorCal Coach Resource Group on Facebook. Join us!