About NSICL

The Nevada South Interscholastic Cycling League was founded in 2021 as a non-profit (501(c)3) Project League of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). We facilitate the development of high school and middle school teams/clubs for grades 6-12 and provide the education, training, licensing and insurance for coaches and volunteers. We also produce high-quality mountain bike events and races that emphasize the value of participation, camaraderie, positive sporting behavior and well-being over competition.

Our Mission

Provide high quality, safe and fun mountain bike programs for Nevada's youth, exposing students to the opportunity to build strong body, mind, and character through an equal and inclusive scholastic-based program.

Our Vision

To improve the lives of Southern Nevada's youth and communities through cycling.

About NICA

Click here to learn more about NICA.

Who

Administrators, teachers, parents, students and/or community members can start a NICA cycling club or team at their local high school or community. While it is not necessary that the person who initiates the club be a school “insider” (teacher or administrator), this can be very useful. A teacher, administrator or school volunteer within the school possesses certain advantages, such as knowledge of the school community, bureaucratic systems and channels, and how to access potential teen cyclists. Extensive cycling experience is not necessary. One should simply have the desire to introduce kids to the sport of mountain biking. Once you have decided to create a team, the League can help educate you and provide you with all the tools necessary to be an excellent coach.

What

Most mountain bike teams start small and grow quickly; it’s a tremendous challenge but highly rewarding!  A Southern Nevada League mountain bike team can be any size, as long as correct coach-to-student-athlete ratios are abided by. Teams are broken into Division 1 and Division 2 categories based on their team size (and not their school size). Please see the rulebook (PDF) for more info on Division specifics.

Where

Neighboring states may participate if a League does not currently exist in that region. Click HERE to see where the latest Southern Nevada teams are located.

When

The Nevada South Interscholastic Cycling League operates a Spring sport based event series schedule:

October– December: Registration for teams happens in October. At this time anyone who intends to coach a team should register with the League so that they are covered under our insurance. League teams are limited to the number of weeks they can have pre-season practice. In addition, teams are not insured outside of these limits.

October 15 – December 1: Pre-season activities can commence limited activities on October 15th.   Allowable pre-season activities are bike checks, fun rides, mechanical workshops or skills clinics. Between October 15 - December 1, teams are allowed to have up to 6 scheduled pre-season activities.  These activities must be approved by the League director and comply with NICA training limits.

December 1- May 16:  Regular season training practice (3-4 times a week) can commence on December 1. All team rides or other training activities must end within 14 days of the final League race. A more detailed description can be found in the rulebook (PDF).

How

Visit our Coaching/About Coaching tab and click on “New Coach/Team Starter” guides and education resources. These guides and resources will give you a step by step approach to starting your new team. Additionally, contact information for advice and mentoring is contained within these guides.

Various teams have had success with many different recruiting techniques. Hosting a Bike Club table at Club Rush (or whatever your high school Club recruitment day is called) is a great way to garner initial interest. Meeting with the Athletic Director in order to educate he/she about your new club is another idea. Email the Nevada South League at info@nevadasouthmtb.org and ask if there are current teams or clubs that you can connect with in your area. Put an article in the school newspaper, get parents to talk to other parents, send an email to your school's Boosters Club. There are lots of ways to get kids interested in cycling!

Yes. Do not run a program without adequate insurance coverage! NICA provides comprehensive liability insurance to all teams and coaches who officially register with the Nevada South League.

What if I can’t afford to pay the fees upfront?

• Payment can be made using PayPal credit with zero interest for 6 months.  To take advantage of this payment option follow these steps:
  • Register in the Pit Zone and select “Pay by Check” as your payment option and make note of the total amount due and ‘Order ID #’.
  • Obtain approval through PayPal  credit
  • Login to your PayPal account choose the option to ‘Send’ payment using your credit line to the NSICL with the following contact information:
    • Name: Nevada South Interscholastic Cycling League
    • email: dennis@nevadasouthmtb.org
    • Address: 5949 Casa Coronado Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89131
    • Be sure to add your ‘Order ID #’ from the Pit Zone in the notes section of your PayPal transaction
  • PayPal will send a check to the NSICL for the registration fees at which time your status will be changed from ‘Pending’ to ‘Paid’.

Is there financial assistance available?

• Yes, student-athletes and coaches may apply for financial assistance through the league. The application will be reviewed after September 1st. Details are available through your Team Director.
• Financial assistance will be awarded in two phases.
  • Applications will be reviewed bi-weekly to cover full or partial Membership Fees or Coach License Fees.
  • A second application will need to be submitted and reviewed between January 1st through January 31st to cover full or partial Event fees (Race or Adventure).
• Financial assistance will be evaluated on student-athlete financial need, community volunteer commitments and available funds.
• We will highly encourage all applicants to commit to partial payment and 100% scholarships will be limited to extenuating circumstances.

To fill out the financial assistance questionnaire, please click HERE.