Welcome to the 2022 DustSlinger Youth Cycling Club. DustSlinger's mission is to create lifelong cyclists by providing youth with access to a safe, fun, and educational cycling team experience. Dustslinger is open to kids grades 6-12 residing in San Diego North County. The club provides the opportunity for kids to learn, grow and have fun on the bike, promoting healthy habits, physical and competitive challenges, and social interactions that will carry on through all areas of their lives. Born of the NICA North San Diego County Composite Team, Dustslinger teams participate in the SoCal League and other series and formats such as Team Big Bear, Quick n Dirty, BWR, etc.
History: We have seen tremendous interest and growth in youth mountain biking operating two NICA teams in the last few years. While initially focused on NICA, the teams were forced to look outside of our normal race schedule during the pandemic. Initial disappointment with the cancelation of the 2021 NICA season quickly turned to excitement and fun around other racing opportunities and formats. Our athletes came together to participate as both individuals and as a team in several race series including Quick n’ Dirty, Team Big Bear and various national races. Aligning athletes with specific schools was not necessary, or as much fun, for these new competitive opportunities and with that DustSlinger Youth MTB Club was founded. DustSlinger allowed our athletes to compete as a team regardless of which school they attended, and they would ultimately go on to win the Western States Junior Racing League title! There are several plans in the works for DustSlinger and we are excited to continue building on the success of the club in 2022. Here is how the teams will be structured.
DustSling Youth MTB Club: All current NICA teams for the San Diego North County Inland Area will be joined and coached under the DustSlinger Youth MTB Club. All club members are required to participate in and register with the NICA league. Club members will additionally have the option to participate in non-NICA race series and formats. New for 2022, DustSlinger Club will run optional separate kits for Non-NICA races where team participation is allowed. The club is also planning to participate in other race formats such as Enduro and Gravel and is seeking additional coaches to establish and run those programs. DustSlinger coaches and volunteers are required to complete NICA background checks and training certifications.
NICA Teams: NICA's goal is to create an environment that grows interscholastic mountain biking throughout the country. Part of this goal is to create teams at the individual school level when there are enough student athletes from that school to support a team. DustSlinger will continue to support that goal and as new school teams emerge they may or may not choose to participate independently of DustSlinger.
Currently, here are the 2022 NICA teams that are part of the DustSlinger Club:
North County Composite - NCC serves as the “catch all'' for athletes whose school does not have a team. NCC has continued to grow and additional school teams are expected to split out of this team in the future. Therefore, it is important we continue to see new coaches and parent volunteers take on positions of responsibility on this team. NCC has already produced several independent school teams throughout the county and needs new volunteers to continue to do so.
Mission Hills High School - DustSlinger coaches serve as head coach and team director for the MHHS team. The team continues to grow as word of the team has spread through the school and incoming freshmen, who have already been involved in the Double Peak MTB program, join. MHHS team parents have done an excellent job of stepping up and taking on both planning and coaching roles giving us a good foundation for the 2022 season however more coaches are welcome.
Volunteering: We are looking for as much parent and family involvement as possible. There are several ways to get involved, both on and off the bike, such as race day pit setup/strike, rider support and nutrition, team communications, sponsorship, pictures, uniforms and spirit items, etc. Please take a moment to review the volunteer positions and descriptions document and indicate your area of interest. Fall is a crucial time for volunteers to complete training and certifications to be able to fully participate in the 2022 season.
To ensure the safety and fun experience for all athletes we will be following NICA guidelines regarding coach qualifications. The target ratio of 1 Coach per 5 Riders needs to be hit in order to conduct practice. While not all parents will need to ride at every practice, we can ensure flexibility if more parents are qualified to ride. All parent coaches must at least complete the Level 1 qualifications to ride with the team.
ALL team members are required to have at least one adult fill a club volunteering role and/or register as a "coach", and be prepared to ride with their child at practices. This is needed because there are kids of varied ability on the team. In the NICA vocabulary, a coach is a registered adult. In order to register, you would pay a $25 fee, pass a background check with another similar fee, and complete a series of online training classes. These cover topics including concussions in sports and risk management. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions on this.
Practices:
Midweek practices will be held at Lake Hodges and weekends will vary at fun locations around the county such as San Elijo, Del Mar Mesa, PQ and Daley Ranch for Saturdays. We would also like to do a few “epic” rides throughout the season such as Noble Canyon.
Races: The NICA season consists of 5 races and a 6th state championship race for high schoolers who qualify. The NICA Race Schedule can be found here.
Optional Series:
Quick n Dirty consists of several race series. Though no team structure has been announced at this time DustSlinger plans to participate in the Winter and Summer Series. QnD schedules can be found here.
Team Big Bear Western States Jr Racing League offers both XC and Enduro race formats. With the majority of races hosted at Vail Lake this is a great opportunity for additional race experience and fun. WSJRL schedule can be found here.
For More information, please contact: dustslingermtb@gmail.com
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