Student-Athletes

Code Of Conduct

As members of our community, student-athletes and parents/guardians agree to uphold this Code of Conduct during all NICA activities and in all interactions with fellow NICA community members. This commitment also extends to online spaces, including social media and electronic communications. Parents and guardians please review the following expectations with your NICA student-athlete.

Be Safe

Be prepared with safety gear: always wear a helmet when your leg is over the bike
Only ride a safe and functional mountain bike (use the ABCDE bike check to confirm this before each ride (Air, Brakes, Chain, Derailleur, Everything Else)
Ride within your ability
Plan ahead, ride with a friend, and let your family or guardians know where you are going and when you plan to return
Stay on the trail or in designated activity areas and be aware of hazardous animals and plants
Obey traffic laws

Be Responsible

Be prepared with the water, food, tools, spare parts, and clothing that you need to complete the ride
Support your teammates, help them have a safe and successful ride
Come to practice with a clean and well-maintained bike
Be accountable for your actions and choices
Never consume prohibited substances (alcohol, illegal drugs, or performance enhancing substances)
Ride only on designated legal trails and routes
Know and follow additional rules that may be associated with your team, school or league

Be Respectful

Respect coaches, teammates, competitors, trail users and other community members
- Be kind and treat everyone with dignity
- Avoid language and actions that may be perceived as bullying, harassment, or discrimination
- Be inclusive and welcoming to new athletes, coaches, competitors, and other trail users
- Sexual harassment by NICA community members is not tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to: offensive or unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances or propositions, verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic or degrading comments about an individual and/or their appearance, the display of sexually suggestive objects or pictures, and any offensive or abusive physical contact
- Seek consent before touching, hugging and otherwise embracing teammates and coaches
Always treat other trail users with courtesy
- Slow down when approaching other trail users
- Provide right of way to pedestrians and equestrians. Stop and ask for passing instructions from equestrians
- Announce your passing intention, specify the passing side, and wait for confirmation from the other trail user
- Move aside to allow others to pass you safely
Respect the environment and trails
- Only ride on open trails
- Ride when conditions will ensure no damage to the trail
- Perform trail maintenance only with full permission and permits from the land owner/manager
- Do not litter and pick up trash before leaving practice areas, venues and campgrounds

Student-Athlete Eligibility

This section from the 2025 NICA Handbook is provided here for your convenience. For full details and additional information, please refer to the official handbook.

RULE 5.1 STUDENT-ATHLETE ELIGIBILITY

5.1.A Each league’s race series must be open to all students who attend public or private school, or who are homeschooled for high school (grades 9–12) and may be open to middle school (grades 6-8), within the league’s region. League Directors are not required to allow InterLeague Participation or Out-of-Region student participation, however if they elect to do so, the standards for such participation must be consistently and fairly applied to all athletes that seeking such participation.

5.1.B Proof of school attendance may be requested for a student-athlete at any time. This proof may be in the form of a school ID, a report card, or some other form of proof.

5.1.B.1 STUDENT AGE AND GRADE
To be eligible to compete in either a spring or fall school-year season, a student-athlete must:

a. For leagues that include middle schools, be enrolled in middle school (grades 6-8), or the homeschool equivalent, and be no younger than 10 and no older than 15 years of age at any time during the entire school year;

b. Be in high school (grades 9-12), or the homeschool equivalent, and be no younger than 13 and no older than 19 years of age at any time during the entire school year; and

c. Not have a high school diploma, general education diploma (GED), or otherwise be graduated from high school.

Student-athletes who have skipped or been held back:

d. A single grade are placed into categories according to their grade levels; or

e. More than one grade must consult with the League director regarding placement into the appropriate categories.

5.1.B.2 PLACEMENT FOR HOMESCHOOLED STUDENTS
Homeschooled student-athletes shall be placed in categories that correspond to the grade level they would otherwise be enrolled in for public middle school (where applicable) or public high school based on their ages. The League director must consider such age-based placement in the event homeschooled student-athletes seek alternative placement under the Category Placement Standards adopted by the League.

5.1.B.3 COLLEGE CLASS ENROLLMENT
Student-athletes enrolled or otherwise taking classes in a college remain eligible to compete so long as they are enrolled or taking classes at the college as middle or high school students and not as college students.

RULE 5.2 STUDENT-ATHLETE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

5.2.A Student-athletes must register with the League.

Leagues must communicate the registration process and requirements to participants in advance of the start of the season. Student-athletes must sign and submit the following registration forms and complete the following requirements:

Student Registration is conducted online through the NICA Pit Zone in order to ensure the student is covered by the League’s insurance.
Registration Fee (except for scholarship eligible students)
Signed Agreement to Participate/Release of Liability
Signed Medical Form
Signed Media Form
Signed Code of Conduct Form

5.2.B Student-athletes must be registered for each race they enter.

5.2.C Only student-athletes officially registered with the League may practice or compete on the designated race course.

5.2.D The Code of Conduct form must be agreed to and signed by the student-athletes regardless of their age, along with their guardian if the student is a minor. All other forms must be signed by a legal guardian unless the student-athlete is at least eighteen (18) years old or older.

The forms will contain language indicating that parents or legal guardians who permit a minor to participate in League races or camps, acknowledge, understand and accept the rules and regulations covering the event and agree to the terms of the League’s Release form which shall be binding even when no proper entry form for a student has been signed and submitted.