Archive
Did you miss our Parent Meeting on July 18, 2023?
No problem, here are the highlights...........
1. Team Snap
a. MANDATORY: Students and Coaches MUST RSVP for practices. Our team is large, and we are really tight on our rider to coach ratios, so it is imperative for planning that we know who is coming. We might even have to send students home who have not told us they are coming.
b. Parents: PLEASE do not reply whether you are coming or not coming unless it is an event you are specifically invited to (i.e., parent meeting, year-end party etc.). It actually causes us more work to sort through the names of who is coming and not coming when we have to subtract parents’ names from the counts.
c. Messages (emails), Chat and Alerts:
i. Messages – our primary communication blast sent to everyone and shows up in team snap and your email.
ii. Chat – PLEASE think about your audience when using this. You can go in and select individuals for receipt of the message. If you send to everyone, then 150 people see every message typed on that string including thank yous! It can be overwhelming to have phones going crazy with unnecessary team snap conversations.
iii. Alerts – This is used for really important communications meant for everyone to see and should only be sent out by a coach.
2. Jerseys and Spirit Wear
a. First Jersey order is in production. You should have gotten a confirmation email and delivery date from Borah. If not, follow up directly with them.
b. Second Jersey Store will close tomorrow, Wednesday at midnight.
c. Mounds View Spirit Wear is being delivered tonight and then will be available for pick up at NOW Bikes. We are reopening TG and Irondale stores because we were unable to hit the minimum order quantities on the first order.
3. Team Camp
a. August 11-13
b. Provide own transportation or create carpool groups among yourselves.
c. List of registered campers is available here.
d. Checks can go to Ben Chiri tonight or Danny McCullough.
4. Practices
a. Arrive 15 minutes early so that your student is ready to “Start Practice” at the specified start time. We will be moving up to 6:30 p.m. start times in the next few weeks due to decreasing daylight as the calendar progresses.
b. Bikes: We have talked to a few students about bike maintenance and sizing. Our team point person on this is Danny McCullough. Please contact him directly with questions. Since safety is our main concern, it’s imperative that students are on suitable, properly sized, and well-maintained bikes when we ride the trails. New bikes – discounts on Pivot, Trek, and at Erik’s. See MCA web page for details.
c. Misc. Equipment
i. Hydration – water bottle or hydration pack.
ii. Closed toe and preferably flat bottom shoes. Skateboard shoes by Nike, Vans, etc. are a great option, and Sierra, Burlington Coat Factory and Amazon often have 510 Mountain Bike shoes on sale.
iii. Helmet.
iv. Meds if needed during the ride (e.g., inhalers and epi pens).
v. Optional but recommended are bike gloves and eye protection (not necessarily sunglasses as it’s darker in the woods).
vi. If you are considering buying something new or advanced like clipless shoes, please talk to a coach first.
d. Weather/Air Quality Cancellations/Changes
i. This is always tricky – we will do our best.
ii. We CANNOT ride on muddy trails due to damage that likely would occur to the trails. So if it has rained hard, practice will likely be changed to a road or paved trail ride.
iii. If weather during practice looks to be questionable, we will start alerting you mid-day, and try to make a decision by 4:00 p.m. on whether we are cancelling or changing.
iv. It is always your choice to hold your student out if you feel the weather or air quality is not suitable. However, if we change to a road ride, we really want your student there unless the climate is a significant personal impact.
e. Races and Racing
i. Hard deadline is August 1 to register via your CCN account.
ii. Returning riders, if you register for all four (five) races, you will be charged the discounted amount of $150 versus $50/race.
iii. First time racers, if you sign up for all four (five) races, you will also get the discounted price of $150. If you decide after the first race to not continue in future races, then you will get a prorated refund. We don’t have the full details on this new policy of how to apply for a refund, but we should know by race 1.
iv. Race Day and Weekend
v. Format
vi. Race Environment
vii. Race Fun
f. Medical
i. Your Level 2 and 3 coaches have all updated their first aid training, received basic medical kits to carry on rides, and have received training on how to document medical incidents. If your student is unable to attend work or practice due to a fall at a previous team event, we need you to contact Coach Christina (Chris) Olson to document it. The MCA offers several medical benefits to you as part of riding on the team. Details of the benefits can be found on their website.
ii. This also means that we are going to be stricter and more formal on suspect concussions. If a concussion is suspected, your student’s coach will talk to you, Coach Chris Olson will be brought into the loop, and your student cannot return to practice or race until medically cleared by a doctor.
g. Groups
i. We are starting the season with 3 groups of 25-30 students each. We may move them around a bit, but the general idea is that these are suitable rider groups based on age, speed, and skills. If your student is unhappy, talk to their coach or to one of the 4 head coaches.
ii. In Mid-August, we will transition to Race Season. During transition week, kids will be assessed and then placed into PODS for the duration of the season.
h. Volunteer Opportunities
i. List of things we need help with will be coming out soon. Examples: race day including set up, tear down, transporting equipment to and from, coordinating volunteers for race day, social media content managers (updates to web page, Instagram and Facebook), photographers, etc.
ii. Coach Bob Denton is point person.