NICA Spring Season

Niskayuna-Mohawk Mountain Goats

By Bob Frank

 In June, the New York Interscholastic Cycling League championship race was held at Windham Mountain. It was the final event of the five-race series that’s comprised of junior and senior high school student athletes, grades 6-12 (ages 12-19). Three Capital Region teams participated: Niskayuna-Mohawk Composite, R-Cubed NICA, and Grey Ghost Composite.

The Niskayuna-Mohawk Composite “Mountain Goats” team was crowned the NY league champions after sweeping all five races. The varsity team was led by a combination of upper and lower classman. Sophomore Jacob Gilson won the overall league title, while seniors Trevor Dzikowicz (third place), Melinda Wetzel (fifth), and Nick Farina (ninth) made significant contributions. The team had plenty of depth with Maya Healey winning the JV state title and Olivia Guzzo winning the sophomore division.

Our area has two additional NICA mountain bike teams. R-Cubed NICA, similar to the Mountain Goats is a composite team comprised of kids throughout the Capital Region, and Grey Ghost Composite is made up of kids primarily from the Glens Falls and Saratoga Springs area. For 2021, R-Cubed placed fourth in the league and Grey Ghost 11th. Both teams have very solid programs and are loaded with young talent. Although all three teams compete against one another, many of the kids share friendships and often ride and practice together.

The team, comprised of kids throughout the Capital Region, was one of the originals when the league was formed in 2013 (originally HRRT). Since the inception they’ve never finished below third place and have won the state title four times. This success can be attributed to strong leadership and a core group of dedicated parents, athletes and sponsors. Also, paramount is the strong commitment to recruiting and supporting female athletes. In the past, the boys drove most of the team’s success, while only a few girls participated. Today, we’re thrilled to have 14 girls on the team, several of which are on the podium at every race. Along with the boys, the underclasswomen led by Maya Healey, Olivia Guzzo, Addison Rizzi, Jordan Frank, Lilly O’Donnell and Madeline Hanna are poised to lead the team in the future. No doubt we’ll need them to compete against rapidly growing and competitive teams, with paid coaches and sponsors, coming out of Long Island and New York City – we’re ready for them.   

The League – NICA was formed in California in 2009. It acts as a youth development organization that promotes mountain bike racing for grades 6-12. From its inception they’ve promoted five core values: Fun, Inclusivity, Equity, Respect and Community.

The league gives kids an opportunity to participate in an activity that offers life lessons and personal growth outside of the “mainstream” sports affiliated with high school athletics. Another major goal is to create lifelong cyclists. Today NICA has 800 participating teams and leagues in 29 states. Most leagues have a four- or five-race schedule, held in the spring or fall depending on the regional climate. In New York, the races are held in the spring. In 2021, in addition to Windham Mountain, the races were held at Cathedral Pines Park on Long Island, Lippman Park in the Catskills, Oneonta High School, and a new great trails system in Norwich.

All the race venues have unique characteristics that challenge the racers. A big advantage of the league is their professional style venues and races. Quality race promotion, timing, course preparation and risk management guarantee every participant is given a fun and fast environment. These standards result in a very high caliber race atmosphere and experience for the kids. This undoubtedly is one of the reasons for the rapid league expansion in the US.

With this expansion there has been success, and the league is giving a well-needed boost to the USA Cycling organization. Earlier this year, the two groups announced a mutual commitment “to getting more kids on bikes, promote youth riding, advance cycling opportunities at the interscholastic level, and build stronger and more passionate communities through cycling.” No doubt NICA is making cycling more accessible to kids and helping produce top athletes. In fact, there are six alumni competing in the Tokyo Olympics in mountain biking, road and track events. They are headlined by 2019 World Mountain Bike Champion Kate Courtney and Haley Batten who raced in the Northern California and Utah leagues. Sepp Kuss, another NICA alumnus from Colorado, riding for world tour team Jumbo-Visma Cycling just became the first American to win a Tour de France stage in ten years! 

I wouldn’t be surprised if a future Olympic or Tour de France champion comes out of the NICA NY League. We have many kids that have incredible skills and a high level of enthusiasm. This June, through a fundraising effort, we sent our top two athletes – Erin Smith and Jacob Gilson – to the US Mountain Bike National Championships held in Winter Park, Colo. 

Erin Smith just finished her freshman year racing for R-Cubed NICA, another Capital Region team. She started racing in sixth grade and upon having immediate success, moved up to varsity in seventh grade, and has since dominated every race – against much older athletes. Erin is a fierce but friendly competitor and an amazing athlete who has a bright future in cycling. She took 15th place at the US Nationals. We can’t wait to see her competing this fall in cyclocross.

Jacob Gilson also started racing in sixth grade. He is a dedicated athlete with a great attitude and contagious smile. In 2019 he won the eighth-grade league title. In 2020 our season was canceled due to Covid, but he continued to mature, train hard for the 2021 season, and won the varsity league title as a sophomore. He was also a top finisher at the US Nationals. In addition to mountain biking, he races road and cyclocross. The future for both these student-athletes is very bright.

The top league athletes often compete in road and cyclocross racing as well. We are also fortunate to have the Capital Bike Racing Club that offers additional racing opportunities, funding, and coaching to our athletes.

While NICA encourages racing and it’s a major part of the league, racing is not mandatory. In fact, when I asked the graduating seniors what they’ll miss most about the league, the common theme was the community and friendships they have made. Nick Farina, who started racing in junior high reiterated this point, “At the start lines racers talk like they are best friends, even knowing in seconds they’ll be competing with each other over the next hour plus.”

There were also a few lessons learned through racing and Trevor Dzikowicz captured this best. He’s grown up on the team, started mountain biking when he was 10, and racing in sixth grade. Trevor mentioned that NICA helped him push through barriers, “You can go through hardships and breakdowns, and question why you should keep going, but knowing that good may come from pushing through to the end is better than quitting.” Trevor is an incredible athlete who would commonly participate in a full track meet or a triathlon the day before a race and then crush it the next day! 

Likewise, Melinda Wetzel, also learned how to overcome obstacles, “Racing taught me to not be scared! Falling, getting last, feeling sick, they’re all part of biking!” She continued, “The pressure I imagined on me wasn’t actually on me,” and “Just have fun and be an amazing teammate.” These three seniors are special people and will be sorely missed. 

Conducting a 2021 NICA spring season during a pandemic was a phenomenon. Much credit goes to NY league director Jason Cairo and his team, including Andrew Rizzi (Niskayuna-Mohawk head coach), for overcoming obstacles to make it safe for the student-athletes and spectators.

If you’re interested in joining the fun, learning more, starting a team or participating on a team, here are some resources. The three Capital Region teams: Niskayuna-Mohawk Composite “Mountain Goats,” R-Cubed NICA, and Grey Ghost Composite all have a presence on social media. NICA NY: newyorkmtb.org. National Interscholastic Cycling Association: nationalmtb.org. 

Bob Frank (jfrank10@nycap.rr.com) lives in Niskayuna, he is an assistant coach for the Mountain Goats. He enjoys many outdoor activities and is a “lifetime cyclist.”