2019 has been a great year for the Alliance, and one of the highlights has been the strong youth participation in the maintenance of trails. Student-athletes from the North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League (NCICL), along with their families and coaches, have been out in force!
William Lenoir Middle School Team
Currently there are several school and composite teams in Northwest NC from Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Watauga, and Wilkes Counties. Earlier in the year, workdays at Kerr Scott, Lake Hickory, Zack’s Fork, and Lake James all had large turnouts and some had more than fifty total volunteers! “We had some massive trail days,” Alliance President, Jack Brown said. “The kids are definitely making a difference.”
NCICL’s parent organization, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), promotes the stewardship of trails through a program called Teen Trail Corps. The program, “designed to provide exposure and be a gateway for NICA student-athletes into the world of advocacy,” outlines activities that allow a student-athlete to earn five badges. “Doing trail work has made me love and respect the trails that I helped maintain. I have also learned that people get paid to build trail and that would be a great job!” said Owen Moore, of the William Lenoir Middle School team.
Golden Moore, Alliance board member and coach of the Caldwell-based teams, believes the program provides an important bridge to the future of trails. “The Serve and Speak badges both have activities directly related to what we do with the Alliance,” she said.
The Alliance is proud to partner with all of the teams in our region, and help all NICA student-athletes progress toward completing their badges through the trail planning we do and events we host. For more information about these opportunities, see our calendar at ridenwnctrails.com, or email us at info@rideNWNCtrails.com. Additionally, NICA athletes can become youth members of the Alliance and SORBA under a family membership, or individually for a reduced rate through IMBA Local.
Team Media Pages:
Burke (Burke Bearcats Composite)
Caldwell (Caldwell Black Bears Composite, William Lenoir MS, Hibriten HS)
Watauga (High Country Composite, Watauga Middle, Watauga HS)
Catawba (Catawba Composite)
Wilkes (Wilco Wolves Composite)
