Nearly everything you need to know about Wild Ones 2021

Hale MTB 2021 presentation

This is the presentation from our open house.

Hale summer camp

Registration is open with limited spots available.

Hale on Wheels

Program registration opens Feb with rides starting in April.

Wild Ones registration

Registration is open for riders, coaches, and volunteers.

NEHSCA registration

Registration is open through 31Mar2021.

A team jersey is required to race.

Team jerseys must be purchased with registration before 31Jan2021.

NEHSCA coach registration

Registration is open.

Upcoming open houses

GR+ program Tue19Jan7-8p with Stowe Mountain Bike Academy

XC+ program Wed20Jan 7-8p with Cycling Formula

Landry’s 20% off bike tune-up

It’s a great time to get your bike ride-ready.

Deal is valid through 31Jan2021.

Opening our doors to 2021

We are opening our doors for 2021 to introduce the MTB programs at Hale and Wild Ones racing teams, as well as the new advanced cross-country and gravity programs.

Here’s our upcoming schedule of virtual open houses:

  1. Hale MTB Open House – Tue12Jan 7-8p
  2. Advanced gravity program with Stowe Mountain Bike Academy – Tue19Jan 7-8p
  3. Advanced cross-country program with Cycling Formula – Wed20Jan 7-8p

There’s much to look forward to in 2021. Feel free to forward to friends who may be interested in mountain biking this year.

Sending it in to 2021

Finished 2020 in style with a gravity team session at NEMBA Vietnam with Kyle, Trevor, Sam D, and Sebastian leading the line.

While 2020 didn’t go exactly to plan we did manage to get back out on the trails with fall club rides and intro rides for new members. A big thanks to the coaches Leslie, Rob, Sean, Ulrik, and Christian, who got us back riding safely. We made the early decision to follow rather than lead through COVID that meant closing down the clubs participation in spring XC and summer gravity races. @andrew_gogolin and Sam V still managed to get between the tape and brought home hardware, @andrew_gogolin finishing 3rd overall in the 15-18 amateur category Eastern States Cup , and Sam V coming second in his first NEHSCA XC race . We had eight coaches complete our coach the coaches program so we will be more dialed in when practices start again. We also strengthened our partnerships for 2021 with Hale , Thunder Mountain Bike Park , Ellis Insurance , Ascend Sportswear , and Fluidride, with two new partnerships to be announced before the end of the year.

We will be opening registration for our club, XC, and gravity programs in early January as well as having a virtual open house to go through the programs we are building in 2021.

We are way more ready for sending it in to 2021 than we were for what became 2020.

Be well and keep pedaling.

Nearly everything you need to know about Wild Ones 2020

First things first – thank you to our riders, parents, and coaches for making 2019 so much fun on the trails. In fact, we enjoyed our riding so much we made a short movie capturing the highlights of our year in the saddle.

Key Dates

Here are the key dates as we look forward to the beginning of our 2020 season.

  • NEHSCA registration opens 15Nov19-31Jan20.
    • Note that the BikeReg page will not be available until Fri15Nov.
  • Wild Ones membership fee and rider questionnaire due 31Jan20
  • Wild Ones open house Thu13Feb
  • All coaches/volunteers meeting Thu27Feb
  • First club ride Sun08Mar
  • First NEHSCA race Sat09May

Spring Schedule

Practices

  • Weekend club rides through March
  • Team practice: Tue/Thu evenings April-Jun (5:30-7:30)
    • Team practices are for riders who have committed to racing.
  • Club practice: Thu evenings April-Jun (5:30-7:30)
    • Club practices are for riders who have elected not to race.

NEHSCA Races

  • 09May Schofield Farm
  • 16May Treasure Valley
  • 30May 508 International
  • 06Jun Stratham
  • 13Jun Wompatuck
  • 20Jun Greenfield

NEHSCA Registration

  • Register early as membership is being capped to 40 riders
    • Rider membership is being capped this year to ensure the club grows in a manageable way, we can maintain a healthy rider coach ratio (2:1), and we can all fit on the trails without becoming a trail bike plague.
  • Kit ordering by 31Jan20
    • You need to place your kit order by this date to ensure it will arrive before the first race of the season. You only need to order a kit if this is the first time you are registering or you want to freshen up your cycling closet.
  • Race Series
    • Junior series = 5, 6, 7, 8 grades with an overall Junior race series champion at the end of the season.
    • Senior series = HS2, HS1, JV, Varsity. Riders will be placed in to categories based on ability.
    • Riders who are consistently on the podium with time between the nearest rider will be asked to race up a level. Also, riders looking to reach for the next level can ask their coach if they can move up a level.
    • Categories to be confirmed by the coaches.
  • Bike discount programs
    • NEHSCA sponsored bike discount programs are available with Niner, Specialized, and Trek. These discounts are typically 25% off MSRP. More details available from your coach.

What’s New with the Club

Our mission is to help kids have fun on bikes and we believe more kids will have fun on bikes if we recognize the different goals of each rider. One change we are making in 2020 is to invest in the riders who are committed to racing while continuing to develop kids who just want to get out on the trails. This is reflected in the practice schedule. Team practices are for kids committed to racing and will be on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with options for high school rides on Monday’s and recovery rides (post race) on Sunday’s. Club rides are for kids who are not racing and will be on Thursday evenings. Riders will declare their interests when they fill out the rider questionnaire.

Another change that happened this year is the development of a gravity team. The goal of this team is to race downhill or enduro at the Eastern States Cup from May-October. This team is for technically advanced riders who have raced downhill before or have significant downhill riding experience. It is expected that the gravity team racers will also race NEHSCA cross-country. It’s all about having fun on bikes.

A Race Worth Riding

I was fortunate enough this weekend to be part of the team that headed out for the first downhill race of the Eastern States Cup series at Thunder Mountain. Inspired and led by Noah who is a three year veteran, Henry and Sam signed up for their first races in the Cliff Kids U12 (race for free!) and U15 categories. Downhill racing involves taking a chair lift to the top of the mountain and descending a steep and technical course. How steep? With an average gradient over 20%, once you’re descending there is often no out – in places it’s simply too steep and rocky to stand with a bike – as I found out on multiple occasions. Noah clocked over 30 mph at the bottom of his run with the pros coming down at over 40 mph. A cool and unique experience is that you are racing the course with the pros, the spotters whistles go as you clear sections just like you hear on TV, photographers clicking away as you navigate features, crowds at the bottom cheering you on as you clear the final jump. It was super fun. Massive respect for the technical skills and courage of Noah placing 10th, Henry placing 13th, and Sam who did not start his race but completed three pre-rides, burning all his matches before the race and learning how to dial it in for next time.

Henry hitting the last jump at Thunder Mountain

I also signed up for my first Enduro race. This involved six timed downhill courses that you have to get to riding your bike rather than taking a chair lift. There’s no time limit between stages and the race covered 26 km with 1200 m climbing in about 3 hours of cycling.

I was punching above my weight on the downhill courses – mostly black diamonds where I’m much more at home on blue/greens. I survived the first stage which involved a start off a steep rock roll in front of thirty-some pumped up mountain bikers waiting in line. There is no starter – you simply line up on the trail and when you get to the front – three deep breaths – trust the bike – go! Stage 1 had a lot of granular mud that covers your tires – feels great upright but one small change in your center of gravity and you’re on the deck. Many damp roots going across the trail and down the mountain made for some interesting body language on and off the bike. I came through stages 2 and 3 fairly clean, ran out of gas on stage 4 unable to synchronize brain, body, gears, and seat post on an up/down course. Sam joined me on stage 5, and after some intense carbo-loading, this made for the most fun stage. Stage 6 was the most technical and just before the start the heavens opened turning the course in to a rocky mud slide. I’d committed to finishing the race even if I had to crawl on my hands and knees – which wasn’t far from what my technique was now looking like. Fortunately it was raining so hard the photographers had taken cover.

Sam bringing me home on stage 5

How did I do? I came absolutely dead last of the 223 competitors who finished – and by a handsome margin. On the up side I was way ahead of the 21 riders who did not finish. I won my race which was to get across the finish line. I’m still buzzing. And I was reminded that finding the heart to overcome your minds obstacles gives you the courage and confidence to face whatever is next – this week’s NEHSCA race, first Enduro, next week’s school test, going to college, a tough day at work,…

See you at the races.

Noah and Sam at the foot of the Thunder Mountain chair lift.

We are off to the races

The 2019 NEHSCA spring season is up and running. Follow our riders and team as race results are posted each week. We’ve also updated our summer racing schedule where we will be racing downhill and enduro at the Eastern State Cup.

All you need to know about race day

  1. Race Day Registration:
    • There are no registrations once online closes at 11:59pm the Thursday before each race. Absolutely no late registrations.
  2. Race Day Number Pick up
    • Number plates should be picked up at the registration table on Saturday morning by the head coach or an assigned representative. Plates will not be given to individual athletes or parents. Each team will have a white envelope with its name on it containing the team plates.
      • Plates in the folder are for everyone that registered for the 1st race. If they are not registered for the first race, they will not have a plate.
      • Names are noted on the back of each plate.
      • Each plate has a digital timing chip assigned to a specifc racer.
      • At subsequent races a white envelope with the team name on it will be available at the registration table with the plates for kids that are racing for the first time.
      • Kids will use the same plate for the whole season
      • Lost plates can be replaced at the registration table. Simply have the parent request a new plate at the registration table. The cost is $15/plate.
    • Personalized Plates
      • All racers that registered for the league before 2/1/19 will receive a personalized plate with their name on it. Anyone registered on 2/1/19 or after will receive a generic plate with just a number.
      • If an athlete changed categories after their initial league registration – they will not be able to use their personalized plate and will be assigned a new plate that matched their category.
      • Unusable personalized plates will be provided as souveniers only.
      • A PDF of all number plate colors by category and number range is available on the website
      • Please instruct athletes and parent to store the plates in a safe place between races. Do not leave them on the bike when transporting the bike on a car rack. It will rip off.
  3. Free League t-shirts
    • Free league T-shirts are given to any athlete or coach who registered before 2/2/19
    • They will be organized in individual boxes, by team at the registration tent
    • You may pick up your team t-shirts at registration at the first race
    • Inside each box will be a list sorted by last name showing who gets a t-shirt and the size they listed when registering for the league.
    • All t-shirts will be individually poly bagged with a sticker on the bag showing the size.
    • We will have a very limited number of the free t-shirts for purchase at the registration tent. Additional NEHSCA merchandise for purchase at the registration tent will be 2019 series: t-shirt, hats, socks, water bottles, cow bells, stickers, and magnets. See all of the 2019 merchandise in this PDF.
  4. Rules Committee:
    • Each race there will be three coaches and two alternates designated as the Rules Committee for each race. Alternates will be used when a conflict of interest is determined to exist.
    • Rule Committee for each race will be announces on the Tuesday coaches call and at the race day coaches meeting.
    • When an issue arises – Athlete/Parent to approach Coach – try to solve
    • If Coach cannot resolve then the Coach will present to rules committee
    • Rules committee will investigate and make any judgement and issue any penalty.They present any penalty to the coaches and athletes involved.If rules committee cannot resolve then they will present to League Director for final resolution
  5. Upgrade/Downgrade Policy:
    • Category changes only after an athlete’s first race in the series
    • No series points are taken with the athlete when they upgrade/downgrade
    • Athletes who registered for a category above current grade category may downgrade
    • A new number plate will be available at registration for any racer who changes category and the next race they attend.
    • See full upgrade/downgrade policy on the website.
    • No cost is associated with plates for changes in category.
  6. New race schedule: Download a PDF of the complete race schedule

7:00am Pre-Ride Opens
7:30am Coaches Meeting
7:40am No Pre-Ride Start After This Time
7:45am 6th Grade Staging
8:00am 6th Grade Start
8:15am 5th Grade Staging
8:30am 5th Grade Start
8:45am 7th Grade Staging
9:00am 7th Grade Start
9:45am 8th Grade Staging
10:00am 8th Grade Start
10:55am Pre-ride Opens (Pending Last Rider In 8th Grade Category)
11:20am No Pre-ride Start After This Time
11:15am Middle School Awards
11:30am 9th Grade Staging
11:45am 9th Grade Start
12:30pm 10th Grade Staging
12:45pm 10th Grade Start
1:35pm Varsity Staging
1:45pm Varsity Start
1:46pm JV Staging
1:55pm JV Start
3:15 High School Awards

  1. New Pre-ride Policy:
    • Early pre-ride is available between 7am and 7:40am
    • Late morning pre-ride is available starting at approximately 10:55am. Final start time is determined by the race director based on the last rider in the 8th grade category.
    • If participants in the late morning pre-ride attempt to pass 8th grade sweeper they will by DQ’d from the race.
    • Any unsportsmanlike conduct in presence of sweepers or final athletes in the 8th grade race – will result in DQ from race
    • Any interruption of the 8th grade race will not be tolerated and will result in DQ
    • If the late morning results in repeated disruption of the race, the league reserve the right to cancel the late morning pre-ride for the remainder of the season.
  2. Coaches Pre-Race meeting:
    • 7:45 am ALL RACES
    • ALL teams must be represented –teams not present or that did not notify race director will incur team points penalty of -200 points.
  1. Rescheduling of races:
  2. New Awards Schedule/Policy:
    • See race day schedule above for time of middle school and high school awards.
    • Any athlete that misses a podium will be allowed to pick-up that medal up following the awards ceremony of the next race.They are not to try to pickup their missed medal at any other time.

RULES VIOLATIONS

  1. C-Level Rules Violations:  ie. Reckless riding on course, riding thru team tent area, staging infractions, not in uniform
    • First offense:    Warning
    • Subsequent Offenses:    5-minute time penalty
  2. B – Level Rules Violations: ie riding without helmet, unsportsmanlike conduct, wearing of headphones or using a cellphones while riding.  Pre-riding course outside of designated pre-ride times, making any changes to the race course, parents attempting to provide support during race.
    • First offense: 5-minute penalty
    • Second offense:  10-minute penalty
    • Third offense:  Disqualification from a race
  3. A- Level Violations:  ie. Riding or building illegal trails, Any bullying or abusive behavior, sexual harassment, Course Cutting
    • First offense:  Disqualification from race, or the next race if the violation occurs between races.
  4. Code of Conduct Policy see below
  5. Anti-bullying Policy see below
  6. Race Rules coming soon

Agenda and policies to be emailed to HEAD COACHES
Policies emailed to all registered athletes.


Policies for Reference:
http://nehsca.com/about/helmet-policy/
http://nehsca.com/about/behavior-policy/
http://nehsca.com/about/headphone-policy/
http://nehsca.com/nehsca-code-of-conduct/ (NEW)
http://nehsca.com/anti-bullying-policy/ (NEW)
http://nehsca.com/about/bar-end-policy/
http://nehsca.com/about/category-upgrade-or-downgrade-policy/
http://nehsca.com/about/refund-weather-policy/

Additional Resources:
http://nehsca.com/races/number-plates/
http://nehsca.com/races/staging/
http://nehsca.com/races/membership-id/
http://nehsca.com/races/scoring/
http://nehsca.com/pdf/points_chart_2019.pdf