2020... So many people have some wild experiences and stories from this crazy year. In my mind, it has gone both extremely quickly and incredibly slowly in many ways. I will say, even though everyone has experienced hardships over the year, I'm very proud of this team for making the best of challenging circumstances. Team practices and races have been a safe place where we get to experience true kindness and respect from teenagers and their coaches. Our little team has grown to over four times the size compared to last year. We saw so many new faces and met many new families that got to experience the wonder that is NICA culture.

It was a whirlwind of excitement, and the coaching team has really done a beautiful job this season with the student athletes. We are proud to have the team with the most student athlete volunteer hours. The kids got to check out some new trail options and see some of what it takes to maintain such trails. We also got to adventure to further areas in the state, including Winona Lake and Griffin Bike Park (among others.) We saw many student athletes participate in their first ever race. Everyone who came out finished their race strong and got to enjoy new awesome trails with their peers. We camped together, played some (not so) serious bike limbo together, cut trail together, and go to know one another. Heck, we even witness a unicorn ride a mountain bike! I for one will always remember this season fondly.

As we approach 2021, I'll be the first to admit that this season went by far too quickly. I can't wait to get back to it again. We've got some major goals for next year including becoming a 501(c)(3) non profit, eliminating financial barriers for families to participate in our sport, and taking more adventures than ever before. This whole exponential growth trend can keep on coming to The Region Comp - we will always have room for one more student athlete, one more coach, and one more volunteer.

​-Coach Yella

So far, our team has hosted just a handful of practice for the season. The student athletes have shown some amazing skills both on and off the bike. I am particularly proud of the way that  they have been working together. Most of these kids would have never met had it not been for the team. That still amazes me to this day!

So what have we accomplished so far?

• Getting comfortable with moving around on our bikes.
• Climbed some really wild hills.
• Lots and lots of fun.
• Learning how to play the coolest bike games.
• Teamed up with the Lake County Parks department to maintain trails (and for that matter, we helped BUILD a brand new trail!!)
• Got to know other student athletes and coaches from all around.

What's  next? My goal is to keep reaching more families with this program and team. If we get chosen for the Outride Fund matching grant, we can take away financial barriers to 40 more kids, all while making this team better for ALL kids and coaches. We will find out by September 1st if approved. In the meantime, please get out there and share. 

Don't forget, invite your friends to practice! If they don't have appropriate gear, email your coaches. We just might be able to  help ;)

-Coach Yella

2019 was our first year as an established team. It was also the first year of programming for the Indiana League. We learned a lot about functioning as a team and loved every minute of it.

A quick recap on our team so far: 3 coaches, 3 student athletes and 6 families.

• Of our 3 student athletes, not a single one had prior mountain biking experience. By the end of the season, all 3 had practiced and raced with the Wisconsin NICA league.
• Of our 3 coaches, 2 had prior mountain biking experience. This group of volunteers were recruited and chosen because of their passion for youth development. We don't need coaches who are super fast, super skilled or have race experience. We are looking for people who care about creating a welcoming environment for all student athletes. 
• The 6 families involved in our team include the parents and siblings of our student athletes, coaches and volunteers. We were very fortunate to have great support at all of our events in 2019 and hope to continue that in 2020.

Our team raced in Wisconsin with about 900 student athletes. We came in as a small composite team and were instantly welcomed by everyone that we met. Other coaches, the Wisconsin leadership team, and other families were unbelievably hospitable to the newcomers (us) and we had a wonderful race season because of it! There is something beautiful about people who care about a cause coming together and boosting each other up. 

Meanwhile in the Indiana League, we got the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Adventure Weekend at Griffin Bike Park. This was an epic weekend of adventure, jam packed with riding, games and camaraderie. This was the first time that the Indiana Leadership Team got together to test race equipment and the event was a great success!