Handbook
Team Mission:
The team’s mission is to provide athletes with coaching, support, and camaraderie to help them achieve both competitive and noncompetitive mountain bike goals in a safe and fun way.
Club Goals:
Establish a Corridor-area mountain bike team, based in Iowa City, that helps student-athletes have fun, learn skills, and ride bikes. Plus we want to provide an opportunity for members to race in the Iowa Scholastic Mountain Bike League.
Team Service:
The ICMBC is led by volunteers and is free for members, so we encourage all members to assist with team operations and logistics. To encourage an equitable distribution of the work, team membership shall include at least two hours of team service. Team service may include: trail maintenance, race set-up, race tear-down, participating in fundraising activities, etc. Other acceptable team service activities may be determined by consulting the coaches.
Attendance Policy:
We recognize that families are busy. Unlike many sports, we offer practices only 1-2 days per week because, as cyclists, it is better to have longer focused rides with plenty of rest between. This schedule is convenient for many families. Athletes are not required to attend a minimum number of practices; however, coaches strongly encourage athletes to attend all practices in order to make the most progress throughout the season. Athletes are similarly not required to attend all races, though coaches will strongly encourage them to participate because all athletes score points for their team, and the more athletes we have, the more points we score. More important than race points, athletes often depend on each other throughout the season. Attendance is a very important part of building a strong and successful community.
“Intuition” Policy:
Iowa City Mountain Bike Club coaches and athletes will never forcefully encourage any rider to attempt a bike maneuver that is beyond one's ability to safely complete. As coaches we will strive to teach new and sometimes challenging skills that, once mastered, will make athletes faster, safer, and more confident. However, it is ultimately the athlete who must individually deem these maneuvers to be overly risky for their personal abilities. Coaches, parents, and athletes, will respect the intuition of others by not asking someone to ride beyond their ability.
Family Volunteer Policy:
Parent/guardian volunteers are a key part of any youth club because it is the most effective way to keep costs low for the athletes and families. Plus it’s a great way to build relationships with one another. The Iowa City Mountain Bike Club does not require parents to volunteer, but it is highly encouraged. The more people that help with the team’s work, the more efficient it is for the entire team. There are many opportunities to help the team: pre-race setup, post-race teardown, snack suppliers, ride assistants, bike mechanics, travel coordination, fundraising activities, photography, social media, etc. Please talk with one of the coaches about any questions that arise.
Substance Use Policy:
Athletes are subject to all U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) rules pertaining to anti-doping. We want all athletes to be competitive through skill, training, and nutrition - not through the use of illegal substances.
Team information:
The Iowa City Mountain Bike Team is a mixed-gender team for youths in grades 3rd-12th. The season typically goes from April-June. Practices will be held at the Woodpecker Single Track Trails (719 Camp Cardinal Blvd, Coralville), the Coralville Creekside Flow Trails (3550 340th St SE, Coralville), and the Sugar Bottom Trails (2192 Mehaffey Bridge Rd NE, Solon).
