2021

Handbook
2021 Rules & Guidelines

Photo credit: Florida Interscholastic Cycling League

BUILDING STRONG MIND • BODY • CHARACTER

THROUGH INTERSCHOLASTIC CYCLING
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Effective Date 1
Chapter Title
1. Applicability, Consequences, League Discretion and
Grievance Process 2
2. Student-Athlete Rules 6
3. Coach, Parent and Guardian Rules 19
4. Code of Conduct and Safety Standards 23
5. Participation and League Requirements 28
6. Discretionary League Guidelines and Standards 36
Appendix A — Individual Point Scale 71
Appendix B — Exceptions and Rules for Each League 74
Appendix C — Code of Conduct 125
The following League Standards and Guidance Materials are derived
from terms that previously appeared in the National NICA Rulebook.
These materials are made available to NICA Leagues who must
establish League Rules and guidance materials covering the subjects
included herein. The Required Standards must be included at a
minimum in the guidance Leagues provide to their participants.
Leagues may modify the discretionary standards to accommodate the
size, makeup, and other needs of their student population.
This edition of the NICA Handbook is made effective December 1st,
2020 (the “Effective Date”), for the Spring Season for the NICA
Leagues. All prior rules and regulations are superseded as of the
Effective Date.

Copyright © 2020
NATIONAL INTERSCHOLASTIC CYCLING ASSOCIATION
2414 6th Street, Berkeley, California 94710
Tel (510) 524-5464 • www.nationalmtb.org

All rights reserved

2020 Rules & Guidelines 1

CHAPTER 1: APPLICABILITY, CONSEQUENCES,
LEAGUE DISCRETION AND GRIEVANCE PROCESS
SECTION 1.1 APPLICABILITY OF RULES
1.1.A This Chapter 1 sets out the applicability for the Chapters
presenting the rules that apply to participants in the Leagues,
including Chapter 2 (the Student Rules) and Chapter 3 (the Coach,
Parent and Guardian Rules). Throughout the Handbook, students
registered with the Leagues are referred to alternatively as students,
student-athletes, racers, riders, or registrants.
1.1.B The Student Rules (Chapter 2) should be observed by students
at all times when cycling and will be enforced on students
participating in all manner of NICA events, including races, trainings,
camps, or any other occasion where coaches or students appear
wearing NICA apparel.
1.1.C The Leagues in collaboration with the NICA Rules Committee
will also adopt and provide to riders, coaches and family members,
other Guidance Materials including the Code of Conduct (Chapter 4),
governing the Leagues and League events. Violations of the Code of
Conduct will be considered on a case by case basis and may result in
a student’s prohibition from participating in the League.
1.1.D Rules directed to Coaches, Parents & Guardians (Chapter 3)
will be applied to all non-riders assisting or associated with a rider,
and their failure to comply with the rules will cause their rider to be
penalized as set out herein or at a League’s discretion.
1.1.E The interpretation and application of the rule will be made at
the League’s discretion by representatives of the League as provided
for in the League’s Rulebook. This discretion may not be abused or
applied unfairly, however the facts of individual cases may differ and
NICA and its Leagues acknowledge that the specific facts of
individual cases are likely to require the use of discretion. Appeals
must first be exhausted within the League through the appeal process
provided, if any, and only then will the National Rules Committee
consider the appeal of a League’s final application of the rules.

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SECTION 1.2 RULE VIOLATION CONSEQUENCE LEVELS
1.2.A Standard Consequences: Unless otherwise specified, rule
violations will result in consequences at one of the three following
levels: Yellow, Orange, Red. Leagues have the discretion to impose
additional penalties on a team wide basis as needed.
YELLOW LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

First offense: Warning.

Subsequent offenses: 5-minute penalty.

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

First Offense: 5-minute penalty.

Second offense: 10-minute penalty.
Third offense: Disqualification from a race.

RED LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

First offense: Disqualification from the race of infraction, or the next

race if the infraction occurs between races.
1.2.B Other Consequences and Applications: The standard
consequences can be applied in other situations at a league official’s
discretion. Where standard consequences may not adequately address
a specific rule violation, other consequences specific to the rule have
been included in the language of the rule itself. Leagues are
responsible for enforcing consequences and may sanction other
penalties that are not specified in the rules, but are deemed
appropriate.
1.2.C Coach, Parent or Guardian Level Consequences: League’s may
apply consequences to a student-athlete based on violations of the
rules by a coach or family member, and the League may suspend the
coach or family member(s) of a student-athlete based on violations of
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the rules by the student-athlete, the coach or the family member(s),
occurring at any time.
COACH, PARENT OR GUARDIAN LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

For all violations, team level penalties, consequences set out in the
rule, or penalties imposed upon a student athlete, if appropriate,
may be imposed at the League discretion.
1.2.D While the nature of the consequences for breaking these rules
are tied to League events, coaches and parents are encouraged to
enforce similar policies of safety, etiquette, and trail use during off-
season rides.

SECTION 1.3 LEAGUE DISCRETION; APPEALS

1.3.A The League has discretion to suspend family members of a
student-athlete based on red-level violations of the rules by that
student-athlete or that student-athlete’s family members, occurring at
any time. Such discretion must be exercised by the League Rules
Committee (LRC) and its decision provided in writing, providing the
basis for and length of such suspension. The length of suspension
may extend up to the point where the student-athlete is no longer
eligible to participate.
1.3.B LRC is responsible for the interpretation of the rules and the
resolution of any disputes regarding the application and enforcement
of the rules. Student-athletes may appeal any rule decision or penalty
assessed by an official to the LRC.
1.3.C A decision by the LRC may be appealed to the NICA Rules
Committee (NRC). Such appeals to the NRC are submitted either by
the League Director or the chairperson of the LRC.
1.3.D The League must form its own LRC. Pending the formation of
the LRC, the League Director assumes all LRC responsibilities under
these rules. LRC members are selected by the League’s board of
directors or, if a board is not yet formed, by the League Director. The
LRC shall designate a member to participate as a member of the
NRC.

2020 Rules & Guidelines 4

SECTION 1.4 GUIDANCE FOR SHARING GRIEVANCES
1.4.A NICA recognizes that student-athletes, parents, coaches and
volunteers have the right to raise grievances about any matter related
to their volunteering with the organization. A grievance could be
related to another community member, a member of the paid staff, or
the manner in which they are being treated by the team/league. The
grievance procedure is in place to ensure that all community members
are treated in a fair and equitable manner.

1.4.B If a community member has a complaint against a member of

staff, another volunteer, or the organization in general they should
first discuss the issue with their head coach or Team Director. The
volunteer may be accompanied by a colleague at this meeting.

1.4.C If the complaint is against the Head Coach, Team Director or

other leadership position, the matter should be taken to and discussed
with the League Director. If the matter cannot be resolved at this
level, the complaint should be made in writing and submitted to
NICA National Human Resources.

1.4.D At this point, the aggrieved party will be notified of the

issue/concern/complaint and NICA National will make every attempt
to have the issue resolved within fourteen days. This and all
complaints will be treated in a confidential manner.

SECTION 1.5 NICA NO RETALIATION POLICY

No individual who reports a suspected violation of any NICA policy,
rule, standard, code of conduct, regulation pursuant to law, or is in
violation of a clear mandate or public policy concerning the health,
safety, welfare, or protection of the environment to a superior,
whether or not the allegation turns out to be true, shall be subject to
any form of retaliation, including, but not necessarily limited to,
harassment, suspension, explusion, demotion, or firing.

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CHAPTER 2: STUDENT-ATHLETE RULES
RULE 2.1 HELMETS

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.1.A Student-athletes must wear approved helmets at all times, with

the exception that helmet rules are not applicable to riders warming up
on bikes that are securely mounted to stationary trainers. Under no
other circumstances may a student-athlete be on a bicycle without a
properly worn and securely fastened helmet, even when riding a very
short distance. Helmets must also be worn when walking or running
on the course with a bike due to a mechanical problem. Additionally:
1. Helmet straps must be adjusted to the extent that two fingers
can be pushed under the strap, whereas three fingers would
be difficult.
2. Helmets should not have any cracks or dents from previous
falls or mishandling.
3. Helmets should be the correct size with little to no side-to-
side or front-to-back movement.
2.1.B Approved Helmets must meet one of the following standards:
1. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
standard for bicycle helmets.
2. Snell Memorial Foundation Standard "B" or "N" series.
3. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
standard F-1447.
4. European Committee for Standardization (CE EN1078)
standard for bicycle helmets.

RULE 2.2 CONTROLLED RIDING AND WALKING THE BIKE

YELLOW LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

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2.2.A Student-athletes must practice safe riding techniques and be in
control of their bicycles at all times. Riding out of control or with
excessive speed is not tolerated. Having a reckless attitude or taking
dangerous risks is not tolerated. A dangerous risk is defined as
willingly attempting anything that is beyond one’s ability to control
the bike or puts someone else in danger.
2.2.B All racers must walk their bikes in crowded areas such as the pit
zone, spectator areas, or any other area designated as a “walk area.”
Student-athletes who demonstrate reckless behavior or create a risk of
harm to other students or spectators will be penalized.

RULE 2.3 LEGAL MOUNTAIN BIKING TRAILS ONLY &

APPLICATION OF RULES OUTSIDE OF RACE EVENTS

RED LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.3.A As representatives of NICA, the League, and our sport, student-

athletes must ride only on authorized trails. This rule applies at all
times. It is the student-athlete’s responsibility to know which trails are
legal for bikes. Building unauthorized trails or adding unauthorized
features, such as berms or jumps, is also unacceptable and carries the
same consequences.
2.3.B Students must also make themselves aware of the NICA
Athlete Code of Conduct, which applies at all times including outside
of race events. The Code of Conduct sets out safety and other
standards for respectful conduct with which student-athlete should
comply. Student-athletes should familiarize themselves with the
Code of Conduct and safety standards, available on the NICA
website under Coach Resources
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CiIF0EI2hAIBYhIxVExYBox
zvMeSPgBRZunKd7J_gaM/edit, and know that violations of these
standards could, at the discretion of the League result in
disqualification from participation or other consequences.

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RULE 2.4 POSITIVE SPORTING ATTITUDE

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

Student-athletes are expected to display an excellent sporting attitude

during all NICA and League events and should treat all other students,
coaches, spectators, and officials with respect. Fair play and respectful,
kind, supportive behavior is expected of all students, coaches, and
parents. Profanity in any situation is not acceptable.

RULE 2.5 ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR NOT TOLERATED

RED LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

No student-athlete may inappropriately or unwelcomingly touch

another person, or cause physical harm to, or engage in any behavior
that may be considered abuse, assault, or do battery to any other
student-athlete, official, spectator, or anyone connected with or
attending any NICA or League event. An assault is an unlawful
attempt, coupled with the present ability, to commit a violent injury on
the person of another. A battery is any willful and unlawful use of
force or violence upon the person of another. Unsafe racing practices
including swerving, suddenly stopping, willfully crashing into another
rider, grabbing another student, or pushing another student may be
abusive behavior, or possibly assault and battery.

RULE 2.6 LEAVE NO TRACE

YELLOW LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.6.A Student-athletes are required to practice low-impact cycling,

recognizing that there are different types of soils and trail construction.
Wet and muddy trails are more vulnerable to damage. When the trail
bed is soft, student-athletes should consider other riding options. Ride
it, don’t slide or skid. Ride through mud puddles, not around them
widening the trail. Stay on existing trails and do not create new ones.

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Don’t cut switchbacks or otherwise modify the existing trail. Be sure
to pack out at least as much as you pack in.
2.6.B Littering is not permitted at any NICA or League event.

RULE 2.7 MUSIC PLAYERS & HEADPHONES

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

Student-athletes are not allowed to race or ride with headphones or

other portable musical devices. Headphones are permitted while riding
a stationary trainer.

RULE 2.8 CELL PHONES

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

Student-athletes may not answer a cell phone or make cell phone calls
while riding a bike. Student-athletes must safely come to a complete
stop, have both feet on the ground, and be clear of traffic flow in order
to use their cell phones.

RULE 2.9 PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES: A-LIST

RED LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.9.A Student-athletes are prohibited from using performance

enhancing or otherwise illegal substances as detailed below:
1. USADA Rules: Student-athletes are subject to all U.S. Anti-
Doping Agency (USADA) rules pertaining to anti-doping.
The use of performance enhancing substances, as listed by
USADA, will result in the immediate disqualification from

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 one (1) full season or the equivalent number of races
spanning two (2) seasons. A list of banned substances is
available at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency website — click
on the Substances link at www.usada.org to find the current
Prohibited List. Although it is already included in the banned
substances identified by the USADA, for the sake of clarity,
NICA emphasizes here that any product containing THC
regardless of the means of consumption, is strictly prohibited.
2. Tobacco: Tobacco use by any means, including vaping or e-
cigs, is not permitted. Only those students who provide
evidence that they have enrolled in a stop-smoking (or
chewing) class may continue to use tobacco during
participation. Such student-athletes must provide proof to
their coach of participation and when they have completed
the class, and refrain from use in the future to avoid
consequences for violating this rule.
3. Alcohol and Drug Use: Alcohol and drug use by any means
are prohibited. At the League’s discretion, NICA
recommends the following structure of consequences to
violation of this rule.
a. First violation: The student-athlete will lose
eligibility for one (1) race. The student-athlete must
continue to attend and participate in regular practice
with his/her team in order to remain eligible for future
participation and must to attend a minimum of six (6)
educational group sessions regarding alcohol and drug
abuse.
b. Second violation: The student-athlete will lose
eligibility for an additional three (3) races. The
student-athlete must continue to attend and participate
in regular practice with his/her team in order to remain
eligible for future participation and must to attend an
additional minimum of six (6) educational group
sessions regarding alcohol and drug abuse.
c. Third and subsequent violation: The student-athlete
will lose eligibility for participation for an additional

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 six (6) races for each subsequent violation. If the
student becomes a participant in an alcohol and/or
drug treatment program on his or her own volition, the
student-athlete may be eligible for participation after a
minimum of six (6) weeks.

RULE 2.10 PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES: B-LIST

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.10.A In addition to the A-List substances in Rule 9, the following

substances are also prohibited.
1. Caffeine is an addictive substance that enhances
performance. NICA and the Leagues deem caffeinated
products as inappropriate for young student-athletes.
Caffeinated sport products such as bars, gels, and sport
drinks, are banned before or during League races, practices,
and other activities. The consumption of products containing
caffeine by student-athletes at NICA and League races and
camps is banned.
2. Creatine, Guaraná Root, and Taurine are also substances
banned from consumption at NICA and League races and
camps.
2.10.B Student-athletes need to be very careful as many energy drinks
contain these substances. Student-athletes are responsible for knowing
the ingredients of the products they consume. Pleading ignorance will
not constitute a defensible position.
RULE 2.11 SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY

RED LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.11.A NICA and the Leagues strictly prohibit sexual harassment in

any form, including verbal, physical, and visual harassment. Sexual
harassment is defined as unwanted sexual advances, or visual, verbal
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or physical conduct of a sexual nature. This definition includes many
forms of offensive behavior and includes harassment of a person of the
same sex or based on gender. Sexual harassment includes: unwanted
sexual advances or visual conduct such as leering, making sexual
gestures, displaying of sexually suggestive objects or pictures; verbal
conduct such as making or using derogatory comments, epithets, slurs
and jokes, verbal sexual advances or propositions; and physical
conduct such as touching or blocking movements.
2.11.B Any student-athlete who believes he or she has been sexually
harassed by an employee, agent, or another student should promptly
report the facts of the alleged incident(s) and the name of the
individual involved to any adult school staff member or League
representative or other party with whom they feel comfortable. That
person must report the incident to the school site administrator or, if
the administrator is the alleged harasser, to the Superintendent. The
initiation of an allegation of sexual harassment by a student-athlete
will not adversely affect matters pertaining to his or her status in any
League program or activity.
2.11.C If any student, coach, parent, volunteer, or employee feels they
have been sexually harassed at a NICA or League event, they should
report the incident immediately to their League director or NICA
director. If any student, coach, parent, volunteer, or employee feels
they have been a victim of abuse, assault, or battery at a League event,
they should report the incident immediately to their League director or
NICA director. All reports will be handled in a confidential manner.

RULE 2.12 RACING THE WRONG CATEGORY

RED LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.12.A Student-athletes are responsible for knowing, understanding,

and following the category placement rules and the placement criteria
as applied by their League. Any questions should be directed to their
League director.

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2.12.B Student-athletes who race in the wrong category shall be
disqualified from that race and in addition, at the League director’s
discretion, will be disqualified from participation in the next event.

RULE 2.13 COMPLIANCE WITH RACE GUIDELINES

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

Student-athletes must register and pay for each League race and
comply with all of the guidelines put in place by their League.

RULE 2.14 STAGING FOR RACE STARTS

YELLOW LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.14.A Racers must adhere to the following rules when lining up at the
start line for the start of a race:
1. Racers must not stage or loiter around the start line until 15
minutes before the first start time of the corresponding race
wave (e.g., all girl’s categories can begin staging at 9:45 if the
varsity girls start at 10:00 AM). Racers who line up at or near
the staging area too early may be required to return their team’s
pit area (or a time penalty of 1 minute may be applied).
2. Racers must enter the staging area at the designated entrance
for their category. Racers cutting into the side or front of the
group will be required to start in the last row.
3. If a coach assists a racer in cutting into the side or front of the
group, a team point penalty of 200 points will be applied.
Coaches are expected to support the staging rules. If a rider in
clear view of his or her coach is breaking the staging rules
without intervention, the 200 point penalty shall be applied to
that rider’s team.

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RULE 2.15 LISTEN TO PRE-RACE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Student-athletes must be present and attentive during pre-race
announcements. Student-athletes that miss the pre-race
announcements may be required to stay after the start to hear the
announcements. Student-athletes that are being disruptive and/or
talking over the announcements may be relegated to the back of the
group.

RULE 2.16 PASSING SLOWER STUDENT-ATHLETES

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.16.A When overtaking a rider on the race course, the passing rider
should do so respectfully and must:
1. Pass only when safe to do so and without rider contact;
2. Call out “On your left” or “On your right” or use other similar
language to indicate whether the pass will be on the other
rider’s left or right side.
2.16.B Passing in a manner that compromises the safety of other riders
will not be tolerated.

RULE 2.17 BIKE PUSHERS MUST YIELD

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.17.A Student-athletes must not progress on the race course

unaccompanied by a bike. In the case of an inoperable bike, student-
athletes may progress along the course with their bike to the finish line.
However, they must stay on the course, and must not obstruct the
progress of other racers.
2.17.B Racers riding bicycles have the right of way over racers
pushing bicycles. When practical, racers pushing must stay on the least

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rideable portion of the trail when being passed. Racers pushing or
carrying bicycles may overtake racers riding their bicycles provided
pushing racers do not impede the progress of the riding racers.

RULE 2.18 LAPPED STUDENT-ATHLETES MUST YIELD

Lapped racers must yield to racers overtaking them. Lapped racers
being passed must move over as quickly, efficiently, and as safely as
possible.

RULE 2.19 LEADER OWNS THE TRAIL BUT CANNOT BLOCK

In the event two racers are vying for position, the leading racer does
not have to yield to the challenging racer. However, a racer may not
bodily interfere with the intent to impede another racer’s progress.
Traditional rules of racing apply: the leading racer “owns the trail.”

RULE 2.20 CUTTING THE COURSE

RED LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.20.A Except in the case of injury, racers are not allowed to

intentionally cut the course, ride off course, or engage in any other
behavior that would indicate an intention of unfair play.
2.20.B. Notwithstanding Rule 2.20.A, in the event a rider goes off
course, whether intentionally, inadvertently, or to switch or repair a
bike, he or she is not permitted to gain advantage from leaving the
course and must make best efforts to re-enter the course at the same
location he or she went off-course. In the event a rider re-enters the
course at a different location, if the League director determines that an
advantage was gained as a result, without considering the time taken
for a bike switch or bike repair, a time penalty shall be assessed against
the rider.

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RULE 2.21 DEVIATION FROM THE COURSE

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.21.A Racers must not deviate from the edge of the trails (as defined
either by ribbons or an obvious change in surface or foliage
characteristics) by more than three (3) feet.
2.21.B When the trail is clearly on one side of a pole, tree, or other
obstacle, the racer must pass that feature on the trail side of the feature.
2.21.C A racer may not leave the prescribed course unless ordered or
permitted to do so by public authorities or a race official. In the case
of mechanical problems, racers shall walk along the course to the
finish line. In the case of medical emergencies, racers shall remain still
and wait for a course marshal or medical help.

RULE 2.22 JERSEY REQUIREMENTS

YELLOW LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.22.A Teams must have matching jerseys for their student-athletes

and all team members must race wearing their team jerseys. Teams
may use custom matching jerseys, but they may also choose some
other appropriate jersey — such as a solid color or a local shop jersey.
2.22.B Independent student-athletes must choose a distinct individual
jersey and race wearing the same jersey design throughout a season.

RULE 2.23 PRE-RIDE DURING DESIGNATED TIMES ONLY

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

Pre-rides on race day must be confined to the time designated by the

League. Pre-rides that are conducted prior to race day must comply

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with the rules and regulations regarding trail use, at the race venue.
Student-athletes who are caught in the act of pre-riding outside of the
designated time will be penalized. Students must begin their pre-ride
of the course at least 30-minutes prior to the first race-start of the day.
After the 30-minute cutoff, no more pre-riding is allowed that day.

RULE 2.24 MODIFICATION OF THE COURSE PROHIBITED

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

Intentionally adding obstacles or removing obstacles deemed by

Officials to be part of the race course is prohibited. Report hazards to
a Course Marshal or other race official.

RULE 2.25 RIDING THE COURSE BACKWARDS PROHIBITED

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

Pre-riders must ride in the designated direction of the race during the
pre-ride — no backtracking is allowed. If student-athletes must
backtrack, they must walk with their bikes.

RULE 2.26 PENALTY FOR OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

2.26.A Student-athletes must repair their own flat tires and mechanical
problems and carry their own tools, tubes, etc. If outside assistance,
parts, or tools, are provided, a 5-minute penalty will be assessed. The
student-athlete must report such an occurrence of outside assistance
before the end of the protest period that precedes the award ceremony.

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The student-athlete must report to a Scoring Official, Course Marshal,
or other Race Official.
2.26.B No penalty will be assessed for any prescription medical item
or device (e.g., inhalers, EpiPens, etc.) given to a rider along the course
or in the feed zone for safety or medical reasons.
2.26.C Student-athletes will be penalized for accepting food or drink
outside of the feed zone boundaries, as further prohibited under the
Rules for Coaches, Parents & Guardians.

RULE 2.27 SWITCHING BIKES

ORANGE LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

Student-athletes must complete the entire race on the same bicycle

upon which the race was begun. A 10-minute penalty applies for
switching bicycles in a race.

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CHAPTER 3: COACH, PARENT & GUARDIAN RULES
RULE 3.1 HELMETS
COACH, PARENT OR GUARDIAN LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

All coaches, parents, guardians, and team assistants must comply with
all helmet rules at all team practices, team events, and League races.
In the event a parent, coach or other assistant is seen riding without a
helmet, a 25-point penalty will be applied to his or her team’s score at
the race where the infraction occurred.

RULE 3.2 POSITIVE SPORTING BEHAVIOR

COACH, PARENT OR GUARDIAN LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

3.2.A It is required that all coaches, parents, and guardians

demonstrate respect for and deference to the person and the decisions
of the League officials as it relates to sporting behavior of student-
athletes, themselves, and other League officials. A failure to exhibit
respectful behavior may result in restrictions imposed on the coach,
the parent, or a student-athlete’s participation in the League. League
officials have complete and total discretion for the implementation of
the rules, especially in regard to sporting behavior.
3.2.B Coaches, parents, and guardians will also display mature and
positive behavior during every event and in all interactions at all times
with student-athletes, other parents, other coaches, and League
officials. Coaches, parents, and guardians are role models to student-
athletes, and must demonstrate a fair and calm response in the face of
protests, complaints, conflicts, or emergencies. Coaches, parents, and
guardians are expected to be focused on helping student-athletes
develop positive character traits, learn life lessons, and grow into
healthy young adults.

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RULE 3.3 RULES FOR FEEDERS

COACH, PARENT OR GUARDIAN LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

3.3.A The following rules apply to the rider and the rider’s coaches,
parents, or other volunteers who may assist in feeding the rider at the
Feed Zone:
1. Stay in the Feed Zone: Feeders may only hand riders food
and drinks in the feed zone. As set out in Student Athlete
Rule 2.27.C, riders will be penalized for accepting food or
drink outside of the feed zone boundaries.
2. Interference Prohibited: Feeding one student-athlete must not
cause other riders to slow down or veer off course or
otherwise interfere with other riders.
3. No Other Items & Cold Weather Exception: Riders may not
accept items (such as tools, gear, or parts) within the feed
zone boundaries during races. In the event of cold or
inclement weather, clothing may be handed to racers in the
feed zone only. Clothing may not be handed over anywhere
else on the race course.
4. Hand Offs: All hand-offs must be conducted hand-to-hand
only — from the hand of the feeder to the hand of the rider.
No other physical contact between riders and feeders is
allowed. It is not permitted for a feeder to place water bottles
onto the bike or hydration packs onto riders nor may items
be put into the rider’s mouth or the pockets on the rider’s
jersey.
5. No Running: Running in the feed zone is not permitted under
any circumstances. Running increases the risk of collisions
and interference with riders and other feeders.
6. Stay to the Right: Feeding racers traditionally happens on the
right side of the course. This allows those student-athletes
not wanting a stop to pass through the feed zone unimpeded.

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 After feeding a rider, the feeder must move clear of the
feeding zone to allow plenty of room for other feeders.
7. Feeder Identification: Feeders must wear a shirt, jacket, hat,
vest, jersey, or adhesive name tag that identifies the team of
the riders they are feeding.
8. Each team is allowed a limited number of feeders in the feed
zone as indicated below. The number is based on the number
of racers that are competing in the current wave.
# of Racers # of Feeders
5 or Less 2
6 - 10 3
11-20 4
21-more 5

9. No Throwing Water: Throwing water on riders in the feed

zone or the area immediately preceding the feed zone is not
permitted.

RULE 3.4 RIDING AND SUPPORT ON THE COURSE

COACH, PARENT OR GUARDIAN LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

3.4.A For purposes of safety and fairness to the participants, the

following rules must be observed by all parents, coaches and all other
persons in attendance, other than racers during their race:
1. No riding on the course.
2. No running or riding alongside the course or alongside a
student while they are racing.
3. No providing food, water, or support outside of the feed
zones.

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21
3.4.B A violation of this rule will result in an orange level penalty
against the team that the League Director determines to be the
intended beneficiary of such action.
1. First Offense: 25 point penalty deducted from team score
on race day
2. Second offense: 50 point penalty deducted from team score
on race day
3. Third offense: 100 point penalty deducted from team score
on race day

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CHAPTER 4: CODE OF CONDUCT AND SAFETY
STANDARDS

RULE 4.1 EYE PROTECTION

Eye protection is strongly recommended. Unless wet, foggy, and/or
muddy lenses impair vision, student-athletes should ride and race
with protective eyewear.
RULE 4.2 BIKE REQUIREMENTS; HANDS ON BARS
4.2.A Mountain Bikes Only: Student-athletes must compete using
mountain bikes that have 26- to 29-inch wheels with tires not narrower
than 1.75 inches. In addition:
1. Tires must have knobbies – no slick tires are permitted;
2. No road bikes or mountain bikes equipped with drop bars;
3. No cyclocross bikes.
4. If a student-athlete is unable to ride a mountain bike with 26-
to 29-inch wheels due to his or her height or other limitations,
competing on a mountain bike with smaller wheels is
permitted with League approval.
4.2.B No Single Speed Bikes: Pushing big gears has been shown to
be detrimental to the joints (specifically the knees) of young student-
athletes. Bikes must have multiple gears including at least five cogs in
the rear.
4.2.C Front and Rear Brakes: Bicycles must have fully operational
front and rear brakes. Brakes must be adjusted to provide significant
stopping power. Brake pads must not be worn below recommended
limits. It is recommended that bicycles be inspected by a mechanic
before every race.
4.2.D Hands on Bars; No Bar Ends: All riders must race with their
hands holding the bars within reach of the brake levers. For safety
reasons, no bar ends (forward pointing handle grip extensions) may be
used.

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4.2.E Handlebar End Plugs and Stem Caps Required: For safety
reasons, handlebar end plugs and stem caps are required.
RULE 4.3 REPAIR BIKES OFF THE TRAIL
In the case of a broken bicycle, or a dropped chain, or other mishap,
student-athletes must clear the way and not block the trail for other
riders.
RULE 4.4 FOOTWEAR
Student-athletes must wear appropriate footwear. Footwear must be
fully enclosed and fastened with either straps, buckles, or laces.
RULE 4.5 NUMBER PLATES
Student-athletes must affix an official League number plate to their
bikes at League races. The number plate should be attached with at
least three fasteners and must be on the bike at all times before and
after competing, including the pre-ride, and should also remain on
the bike at any time the student is riding at the event.

RULE 4.6 AVOID RIDING ALONE

Riders are encouraged to ride with at least one (1) other person
whenever possible. If riding alone, student-athletes should alert
someone to the general location of the ride, the planned route, and the
approximate length of the ride and anticipated time of return.
RULE 4.7 OBEY TRAFFIC LAWS
Student-athletes are required to obey all traffic laws. You should
always ride to the right side of the road and in bike lanes when
available; stop at all stop signs and red lights; signal your turns; use
required lights and reflectors at dusk/night; and do not ride on
sidewalks. Specific laws that pertain to bicyclists in your state can be
found at The League of American Bicyclists:
http://www.bikeleague.org.

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RULE 4.8 RESPECT DRIVERS, PEDESTRIANS & OTHER TRAIL
USERS
Be respectful and courteous by staying as far to the right as practical
and by riding single file while riding on roads and trails. Let your
fellow trail users know you’re coming. A loud and friendly greeting or
bell is considerate and works well; don’t startle others. Show your
respect when passing by, slowing to a walking pace or even stopping.
Anticipate other trail users around corners or in blind spots. Yield to
uphill traffic. Yielding means slow down, establish communication,
be prepared to stop if necessary and pass safely. You are riding slow
enough when you can say ‘hello’ and the trail user can say ‘hello’ back.

RULE 4.9 PASSING HORSEBACK RIDERS

When approaching equestrians, call out or sound a warning and stop
whether you are seen or not. Ask for instructions from the equestrian
on how to pass safely.
RULE 4.10 REPRESENT YOUR NICA LEAGUE & MOUNTAIN BIKING
Recognize that, as a NICA student-athlete, you represent NICA, your
League, school, and mountain bike racing and cycling in general.
This is true at all times, not just at races, and particularly when you
are at a bike shop, out on the trail, and regardless of whether you are
wearing your team uniform, a NICA or League jersey, or any other
cycling gear.
RULE 411 PLAN AHEAD
Know your equipment, your ability, and the area in which you are
riding, and prepare accordingly. Be self-sufficient at all times, keep
your equipment in good repair, and carry necessary gear for changes
in the weather, the onset of darkness, or other inclement conditions.
A well-executed trip is a satisfaction to you and not a burden to
others. Always wear a helmet (see Rule 2.1) and appropriate safety
gear.
RULE 4.12 RISK ACCEPTANCE
4.12.A All student-athletes who participate in any of the events
associated with NICA and the League including, without limitation,
2020 Code of Conduct and Safety Standards
25
races, training rides, clinics, camps, and practice skill sessions, do so
at their own risk. Whether or not you are registered with the League,
no liability shall be attached to NICA, the League or any of its
officials, coaches, parents, and participants with respect to any loss or
injury sustained or caused by anyone participating in these events.
4.12.B By participating in a race or camp conducted by NICA or the
League, a student-athlete, or a parent or legal guardian who permits a
minor to participate, acknowledges understanding and acceptance of
the regulations covering the event.
4.12.C If you suffer a concussion, you may not participate in team
training or league competition before providing written clearance to
return to such activities from a licensed healthcare provider.
RULE 4.13 CONCUSSION & RETURN-TO-PLAY
4.13.A NICA requires adherence to, at a minimum, the return-to-play
policies and procedures for student-athletes who have suffered
concussions advocated by the US Department of Health and Human
Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American
Academy of Pediatrics.
4.13.B Each league must also comply with its applicable state laws
and its applicable state interscholastic federation or association return-
to-play management protocols and procedures for a student-athlete
who has sustained a concussion or head injury.
4.13.C In the event there are no such applicable laws or procedures,
the League must comply with the following rules and protocols:
• Immediate removal from Activity: An athlete who is
suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury in a
league activity, or who is suffering the effects of a concussion
sustained outside of league activity, shall be immediately
removed from the activity for the remainder of the day.
• Medical Evaluation Required: After being removed from the
activity, the athlete shall not be permitted to return to the
activity until he or she is evaluated by a licensed healthcare
provider.

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 • Clearance Required: The athlete shall not be permitted to
return to the activity until he or she receives written clearance
to return to the activity from a licensed healthcare provider.
4.13.D 7 Day Minimum Graduated Observation Period: If the licensed
health care provider determines that the athlete sustained a concussion
or a head injury, the athlete shall also complete the 7-day minimum
graduated return-to-play protocol provided by the California
Interscholastic Federation (CIF) under the supervision of a licensed
health care provider. See the CIF website or download the form here:
http://static.psbin.com/e/4/ec33zijmqdi511/CIF_Concussion_Return_
to_Play_Protocol.pdf. Following a review of the state protocols for
current NICA leagues, it was determined that the 7-day minimum
waiting period adopted by the CIF was the longest mandatory period
applied to a graduated return-to-play protocol. While NICA
recognizes that every student who has suffered a concussion must
follow an individualized course of recovery overseen by a licensed
medical professional and that time alone is not a determining factor in
every recovery, studies have shown that although a majority of athletes
will become asymptomatic within a week, longer periods of recovery
of 7-10 days have demonstrated benefits in recovery of full cognitive
function in younger athletes (see citations 104–108 in the Clinical
Report — Sports-Related Concussion in Children and Adolescents in
“Pediatrics” [Volume 126, #3, September 2010] published by the
American Academy of Pediatrics).
RULE 4.14 DRONE POLICY

In an effort to maintain the safety of athletes and spectators,

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), also known as drones, may only
be flown at races with the written permission of the League
Director. Unmanned aircraft are excluded from NICA's liability
policy. Operators must carry their own liability policies.

2020 Code of Conduct and Safety Standards

27
CHAPTER 5: PARTICIPATION AND LEAGUE
REQUIREMENTS

PURPOSE AND STANDARD OF REVIEW BY NICA

All NICA Leagues must implement standards and practices consistent
with or stricter than the standards provided for below. The following
contains both administrative and record keeping standards to be
observed by all NICA leagues.

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 Inter-
League 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:
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 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:
1. Student Registration is conducted online through the NICA Pit
Zone in order to ensure the student is covered by the League’s
insurance.
2. Registration Fee (except for scholarship eligible students)
3. Signed Agreement to Participate/Release of Liability
4. Signed Medical Form
5. Signed Media Form
6. Signed Code of Conduct Form
5.2.B Student-athletes must be registered for each race they enter.

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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.
RULE 5.3 COACH REGISTRATION AND REQUIREMENTS
5.3.A All coaches must register with the League in order to be covered
by League insurance. This registration for coaches at all levels carries
a membership fee. Coaches are not fully insured until they are
registered (Level 1 license at minimum). Registration is conducted
online through the NICA Pit Zone.
5.3.B All adults participating in team rides must be at least 18 years of
age, have a NICA coach’s license and undergone an annual
background check. Adults who switch leagues will need to repeat the
background check before participation in the new league.
5.3.C Coaches have a duty of care to their student-athletes at every
event. This duty of care begins at the time designated by the team for
the students to arrive and it ends at the conclusion of the event. The
Head Coach, or someone acting as interim head coach, must remain
at the venue until the last student-athlete from his or her team has
departed, except in the case that any remaining student is in the care
of a parent or legal guardian.
5.3.D A Head Coach must attend each race. If the Head Coach cannot
attend a race, an interim Head Coach shall be appointed, and the
League Director must be notified as to who is serving as interim Head
Coach.

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RULE 5.4 TEAM DIRECTOR/HEAD COACH REQUIREMENTS
5.4.A To be eligible, all NICA Teams (that are members of a NICA
league) must have a Team Director or Head Coach who satisfies the
requirements in the schedule below. NICA takes risk management very
seriously and our license requirements also reflect our commitment to
supporting student-athletes. A NICA League is a community where the
action of one team may affect the entire league. It’s essential that all
Team Directors or Head Coaches progress along a path to learning the
best practices of coaching youth, managing rides, and building a
sustainable program. The minimal license requirement increases over
the team’s first four years and there are discount incentives for
surpassing those minimums. We strongly urge all Team Directors or
Head Coaches to obtain a Level 3 License by their team’s second
season. Grace periods and other exception may be applied based on
your league director’s discretion. The requirements for each license
level are detailed at the NICA website:

https://www.nationalmtb.org/coaches-license-program/

Minimum Requirement Requirement for Discount

First-Year Level 1 License is required Level 2 License or above
Team for the team to register as a qualifies for team
NICA team registration discount
Second- Level 2 License is required Level 3 License or above
Year Team for the team to register as a qualifies for team
NICA team registration discount
Third-Year Level 3 License is required Discount applies to third
Team for the team to register as a year team and beyond if
NICA team Team Director maintains
Level 3 License

RULE 5.5 TEAM REGISTRATION AND FEES

5.5.A All teams must register annually with the League. Teams must
not conduct any practices without registering and obtaining insurance

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through the League, and no new teams will be added to the series
scoring after the second race of the series.
5.5.B The deadline for online annual Team Registration is two (2)
weeks before the opening race. A late fee may be applied to teams that
register after the deadline.
5.5.C The deadline for teams to pay the annual team registration fee is
within ten days from the registration deadline. A late fee applies if the
fee received after the ten-day deadline.
5.5.D If a team changes from Division II to I before the first race, it
must pay the difference in fees and if a team changes from Division I
to II before the first race, it will receive a refund for the difference in
fees.
RULE 5.6 TEAM TRAINING LIMITS AND PRE-SEASON
5.6.A NICA has strict training limits for NICA League Teams and
NICA Indie Clubs. These limits protect student-athletes and create a
supportive environment, as well as reduce exposure to physical risk
and burnout. While NICA is 100% committed to supporting its
students and coaches who suffer injuries, insurance coverage applies
only to the allowable activities described below.
5.6.B League teams and clubs are limited to the number of weeks
during which they can participate in, and conduct the allowable
activities described below. Insurance coverage is not provided for any
activities outside of these time limits.
5.6.C Any coach working with student-athletes during their off-season
that is not sanctioned/insured under another non-scholastic
organization may risk the eligibility of the coach, rider, and team to
compete in NICA races.
5.6.D Each year is divided into a pre-season, a regular season, and an
off-season. Although the dates may vary, Leagues must adopt a
schedule otherwise consistent with the following:
5.6.D.1 PRESEASON
a. Start Date. Teams and clubs can commence limited preseason
team activities on the following dates:
2020 Participation and League Requirements
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 Fall Leagues April 1
Spring Leagues October 15
b. Allowable Activities. The team, club, and coaches must
be registered with NICA to participate in, and conduct
activities. Only the following pre-season activities are
permitted and must be pre-approved by the league
director:
• Bike checks, equipment inspections, and bike fit;
• Mechanical workshops;
• All-inclusive fun rides; and
• Skills clinics
c. Activities Limit. The maximum number of pre-season
activities is:
Fall Leagues 6
Spring Leagues 6
Idaho, Utah & Colorado* 8
*Due to unpredictable inclement weather conditions in mountain and high
desert regions.
5.6.D.2 REGULAR SEASON
a. Start Date. Regular training, to include up to four practices
per week, may commence on the following dates:
Utah June 1
Fall Leagues July 1
Spring Leagues December 1
Tennessee Monday of the
Week after the
Week of July 4*
b. Racing Limits. Teams and clubs may participate in races
only during the regular season.
c. End of Season. No team or club rides, or any other training
activities, may take place following the 14th consecutive day
after the final League race of the season. Special post-season

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 activities and rides after this two-week period may be
approved and allowed by the league director.
*The two-week period including the week prior to the week of July 4 and the
week of July 4 is defined as the Summer Dead Period under the Tennessee
Secondary School Athletic Association Handbook, during which no regular
season or pre-season or activities may take place and is part of the Tennessee
League’s off-season.
5.6.D.3 OFF SEASON
The off-season is defined as periods not within the applicable pre-
season and regular season periods. Organized team rides and races are
strictly prohibited during the off-season. The following activities
during the off-season will jeopardize a team or club’s eligibility:
a. A league team racing under the school name;
b. Using the school jersey at races as a team;
c. Having practices that meet on school grounds;
d. Having regular meetings at school that organize activity for
off-season training and racing;
e. Using any league team property without a letter of permission
from school administration; and
f. Using the same league team website as an outlet for
organizing off-season practices or racing.
NICA respects off-season non-league related racing activities.
However, all off-season coaching activity must be done under a
separately organized, insured, and named team. Teams found to be
racing as a high school team during the off-season will be ineligible to
compete in League races the following season.
RULE 5.7 NON-DISCRIMINATION IN PARTICIPATION STANDARDS
5.7.A NICA recognizes the value of participation in NICA and League
events for all student-athletes. NICA prohibits all forms of
discrimination, including discrimination based on a student-athlete’s
race, religion, actual or perceived sex and gender.
5.7.B TRANSGENDER STUDENT-ATHLETES
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5.7.B.1 NICA and its leagues are committed to providing all students
with the opportunity to participate in these events in a manner
consistent with their gender identity.
5.7.B.2 NICA prohibits discrimination based on a student-athlete’s
actual or perceived sex and gender. Gender includes a person’s actual
or perceived sex as well as his or her gender identity and expression.
5.7.B.3 A student-athlete wishing to compete in a category consistent
with his or her gender identity may so notify the League director.
5.7.B.4 The student-athlete’s school will be requested to determine the
student’s eligibility to participate in the category consistent with his or
her gender identity.
5.7.B.5 If the student-athlete’s school declines to make a determination
regarding such eligibility, then the League director shall confirm the
gender identity asserted by the student-athlete through documentation
from the parent, guardian, guidance counselor, or from a doctor,
psychologist, or other medical professional.
5.7.B.6 If a student-athlete has been deemed eligible to compete in a
category consistent with his or her gender identity, the eligibility is
granted for the duration of the student-athlete’s participation in the
League.
5.7.B.7 All discussions and documentation regarding a student-
athlete’s gender identity shall be kept confidential to the extent
permitted by applicable state law, unless the student-athlete and his or
her family make a specific request in writing.
RULE 5.8 DESIGNATED REPORTER
Each team must assign an individual to be the Designated Reporter for
the team, responsible for submitting all injury and incident reports
online.

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CHAPTER 6: DISCRETIONARY LEAGUE GUIDELINES
AND STANDARDS
PURPOSE AND STANDARD OF REVIEW BY NICA
1. The following are intended as guidance to be adopted or
modified at the League’s discretion.
2. NICA leagues should adopt participation standards consistent
with the following, in seeking balance NICA’s goals of
inclusion and safety. To accommodate more student-athletes
and teams, consistent with NICA’s policy to include all
students who wish to participate, Leagues may allow out-of-
region teams to participate in events, and may divide race
categories as needed to limit the field size for rider safety.
3. Adopted standards may be reviewed by NICA’s Rule
Committee to ensure that the team participation, category
placement, conference, and division structure adopted by a
League facilitates and promotes fair, safe, and challenging
competition.
SECTION 6.1 CATEGORY PLACEMENT AND LEAGUE STRUCTURE

6.1.A DEFINITION OF TERMS

Category A group of racers defined by grade-level, gender and/or ability.

Ability- A category that prioritizes athlete ability over grade-level.

based
Category

Grade Race categories based on grade-level of student athlete.

Based
Category

Conference A sub-group of teams used to breakup categories into several

fields. Grouping may be based on any factor, such as
geography, first letter of the team, etc.

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Division A sub-group of teams based on team size, used to ensure that
smaller teams compete against each other, and larger teams
compete against other.

Field The whole or portion of a single category. Multiple fields will

make up one category if the category is larger than 50 - 100
athletes or multiple conferences exist in the league.
Multiple fields are used to improve the student athlete
experience and reduce risk of injury associated with many
racers starting at the same time.

Wave A group of fields that race during the same time period, usually
limited to a total of 200 riders. Examples of waves are: Girls
Wave, Boys Wave, and Middle School Wave.

Number The reusable vinyl sign affixed to each rider’s bike that
Plate identifies the rider to Staging Officials, Course Marshals,
Scoring, and if the rider is injured Emergency Medical
Services. Number plates should be attached according to the
instructions on the back of the plate. If a league is using chip
timing, the chip is usually attached to the plate.

Number The number that identifies and defines a Field, or a single

Series Category. An example of a field is JV Boys Southern
Conference which is assigned the 300s number series.
Number Series assigned to Categories are generally
standardized across NICA and are shown in the Race Flyer.

Race Flyer Informational flyer for a particular race used as a reference for
race start times, category numbers series, and wave times.

6.1.B CATEGORY PLACEMENT STANDARDS

6.1.B.1 Categories are based on grade level, gender and/or ability. A
student-athletes prior performance may factor into placement.
Individual race results and a student’s end-of-season overall standings
dictate placement from season to season. Separate rules apply for first-
year leagues that do not have a prior season’s results. All race results
and overall season standings are available at the League website.

2020 Discretionary League Guidelines and Standards

37
6.1.B.2 To calculate the finishing percentile, for each separate race the
finishing place is divided by the total number of riders, including
DNFs, and the quotient is then multiplied by 100. Do not round off the
percentile up or down.
6.1.B.3 Students should discuss their racing categories with their
coaches well in advance of the racing season to determine if submitting
a petition might be appropriate.
6.1.B.4 Students who did not compete in the prior year and have no
results are placed into the category that corresponds to their grade level,
except that 12th graders with no prior results are placed into Junior
Varsity (JV).
6.1.B.5 Petitions for exceptions to the category placement criteria are
limited for each grade level to certain categories.
6.1.B.6 In a League that permits middle-schoolers to participate, unless
otherwise provided by state law that permits middle-schoolers to
participate in high school categories in other interscholastic sports,
middle-schoolers may not compete in or petition to upgrade into high
school categories. Leagues that currently permit middle-schoolers to
participate in high school categories are:
• Alabama Interscholastic Cycling League
• Arkansas Interscholastic Cycling League
• Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League
• Maryland Interscholastic Cycling League
• Minnesota Interscholastic Cycling League
• Montana Interscholastic Cycling League
• Nevada Interscholastic Cycling League
• New Jersey Interscholastic Cycling League
• New York Interscholastic Cycling League
• North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League
• Oregon Interscholastic Cycling League
• Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League
• Tennessee Interscholastic Cycling League
• Texas Interscholastic Cycling League
• Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League
• West Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League
• Wisconsin Interscholastic Cycling League

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SECTION 6.2 LEAGUE STRUCTURE: TIERS, FIELDS AND DIVISIONS
6.2.A LEAGUE TIERS
6.2.A.1 Depending on the number of registered athletes, a league will
be classified as either Tier 1 (smaller leagues that can accommodate all
registrants with no more than one field for each category) or Tier 2
(larger leagues that must run multiple fields for a single category). Tier
2 leagues accommodate league growth by adding fields, waves,
divisions, and/or conferences.
6.2.A.2 The League Director shall make the final determination with
regard to the league’s fields, categories, waves, divisions, and
conferences.
6.2.A.3 Tier 1 Leagues will have a single division with each category
represented with only one field as follows:

Boys Categories Girls Categories

6th Grade 6th Grade
7th Grade 7th Grade
8th Grade 8th Grade
Freshman Freshman
Sophomore Sophomore
JV JV
Varsity Varsity

Tier 2 Leagues will have multiple fields with the same grade level
categories, for example:

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Boys Categories Girls Categories
6th grade 6th Grade
7th Grade 7th Grade
8th Grade 8th Grade
Freshman, Div I or Conf West Freshman
Freshman, Div II or Conf East Sophomore
Sophomore Div I or Conf West JV
Sophomore Div II or Conf East Varsity

Boys Categories Continued

JV Div I or Conf West
JV Div II or Conf East
Varsity

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6.2.B TIER 2 LEAGUE STRUCTURING
6.2.B.1 Tier 2 League Fields
In order to control total field sizes, Tier 2 Leagues’ teams are assigned
to conferences or divisions, creating multiple fields within a category.
6.2.B.2 Tier 2 Leagues should attempt to create fields that allow riders
from teams in the same conference or division to compete against each
other. However, allocation into separate fields may be based on other
factors to achieve a more balanced and fair competition than could be
achieved from an allocation based solely according to team divisions.
6.2.B.3 Note: A single category may be split into two fields without
splitting teams into conferences. For instance, a league with Division
II Teams that are scored together may have the following fields:
Boys Categories Girls Categories
Middle School Middle School
Freshman Freshman
Sophomore Field 1 Sophomore
Sophomore Field 2 Junior Varsity
Junior Varsity Field 1 Varsity
Junior Varsity Field 2
Varsity
Whenever separate fields of the same categories are run, separate
medals must be awarded to each.
6.2.C TIER 2 LEAGUE DIVISIONS
6.2.C.1 Tier 2 leagues are divided into Division I, consisting of larger
teams, and Division II, consisting of smaller teams. Divisions are
scored independently. If a league division grows too large such that it
can no longer reasonably accommodate all the students who wish to
compete, the League may, at the League director’s discretion, divide
either the division or the League itself into separate, independently
scored geographical sub-regions.
a. Unless otherwise specified by the League, Tier 2 leagues
are divided into Division I and Division II as follows:
• Division I consists of teams with twelve or more
registered racing student-athletes.

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 • Division II consists of teams with eleven or fewer
registered racing student-athletes.
b. Teams that are short of the minimum required for Division
I by two or fewer racing student-athletes may petition for
placement in Division I. Teams that are over the minimum
required for Division I by four or fewer racing student-
athletes may petition for placement into Division II. To be
considered, such petitions must be timely submitted no later
than the 14th day prior to the first race of the season.
Untimely petitions will not be considered.
6.2.C.2 Tier 2 League Geographical Sub-regions
a. The League may, at the League director’s discretion, create
separate sub-regions that must be established based upon
specified geographical areas within the League’s defined
region.
b. The League director must maintain a written description
specifying the geographical area for each sub-region that is
made available to all League teams and riders through the
league’s website.
c. For Tier 1 leagues: teams and riders are assigned to sub-
regions as provided in subparagraph (e) below.
d. For Tier 2 leagues: the division into sub-regions must be
made according to the following, prior to team and rider
assignment under subparagraph (e) below:
• Applicable only to Division II, so that only Division II
teams and riders are to be scored separately according to
sub-region; or
• Applicable to both Division I and II teams and riders, so
that both Divisions are to be scored separately according
to sub-regions; or
• Each sub-region can be run as though it were a Tier 1
league so that teams and riders are scored solely
according to sub-region with no regard to Division and
team size.

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 e. Teams and riders are assigned to a sub-region as follows:
• For Single-School-Based Teams, the team is located in
the sub-region where the school is located;
• For County-Based Homeschool Teams, the team is
located in the sub-region where the students, or a
majority of the students primarily reside;
• For Composite Teams, the team is located in the sub-
region where the majority of its students go to school or,
if the majority of the students are homeschooled, then
where the majority of all of the students on the team
primarily reside; and
• Independent riders are located in the sub-region where
they primarily reside.
Teams and riders may petition to the League director for reassignment
to a different sub-region than the one dictated by the foregoing
guidelines.

SECTION 6.3 PLACEMENT CRITERIA FOR MULTI-YEAR

Placement criteria, excluding petitions, for multi-year leagues are as
follows:
Category

6th Grade 6th graders only*

7th Grade 7th graders only*

8th Grade 8th graders only*

Freshman 9th graders only

Sophomore 10th graders only.

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 Junior Varsity 8th*–10th graders who:
a) Placed in the top 10% for boys or top 20% for
girls in any two Freshman races in the prior year,
or
b) Placed in the top 10% for boys or top 20% for
girls in a single Freshman race and placed in the
same top percentile (10% or 20%) in the overall
Freshman season standings in the prior year, or
c) Raced JV in the prior year but did not qualify to
upgrade to Varsity.
th
11 graders.
12th graders who did not qualify to upgrade to Varsity.
Varsity 8th*–12th graders who:
a) Placed in the top 15% for boys or top 30% for
girls in any two JV races in the prior year, or
b) Placed in the top 15% for boys or top 30% for
girls in any single race and placed in the same
top percentile (15% or 30%) in the overall JV
season standings in the prior year, or
c) Raced Varsity the prior year.

• Criteria applicable to 6th–8th graders is limited to leagues that permit middle-

schoolers to participate in high school categories.

SECTION 6.4 PLACEMENT CRITERIA FOR FIRST YEAR LEAGUES

6.4.A.1 Due to the smaller field sizes and the likelihood of a greater
disparity in the student-athletes’ racing experience typically
characteristic of a league’s inaugural season, the category upgrades
identified in the chart below are intended to promote fair and
challenging competition among riders with similar abilities.

6.4.A.2 To obtain a category upgrade, a written request must be made

to, and approved by the League director. Evidence of prior experience
is required. Students who request an upgrade not set forth in the chart
below must follow the regular petition procedures.

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6.4.A.3 Placement criteria, excluding petitions, for a league’s inaugural
season are as follows:
Category
6th graders 6th graders only*
7th graders 7th graders only*
8th graders 8th graders only*
Freshman 9th graders.
6th – 8th graders with evidence of prior racing experience may
be upgraded to Freshman with league director approval.*
Sophomore 10th graders
Junior 11th graders.
Varsity 12th graders who are not upgraded to Varsity.
7th*–10th graders with evidence of prior racing experience
may be upgraded to JV with League director approval.
Varsity 12th graders with evidence of prior racing experience may be
upgraded to Varsity with League director approval.

* Criteria applicable to 6th–8th graders is limited to leagues that permit middle-

schoolers to participate in high school categories.
6.4.A.4 For all seasons after a league’s inaugural season, the Placement
Criteria for Multi-Year Leagues apply.

SECTION 6.5 PETITIONING FOR A PLACEMENT CRITERIA

EXCEPTION
6.5.A.1. In general, exceptions to the Placement Criteria are
discouraged and should be granted only under extraordinary
circumstances. Petition upgrade options are limited to the following:
• Only for leagues that allow middle-schoolers to participate in
high school categories: Middle school students may only
petition to race in the Freshman, Sophomore, or JV
categories;

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 • 9th and 10th graders may only petition to race JV or Varsity;
• 11th and 12th graders may only petition to race Varsity.
6.5.A.2. Student-athletes must compete in appropriate competitive
peer groups and to prevent strategic gamesmanship in category
placement. Petitions for an upgrade in categories should, therefore,
only be granted upon a showing that:
• The student-athlete’s performance and experience level
clearly exceeds the level of all other riders competing in the
rider’s designated category. Placement Criteria — i.e., no
other rider in the same category has a reasonable chance of
being competitive with the student seeking the upgrade; and
• The upgrade will place the student into a more appropriate
competitive peer group.
6.5.A.3. Successful petitions are subject to revocation at any time at
the League director’s sole discretion, in which event the student shall
be placed in the appropriate category according to the Placement
Criteria. Individual and team penalties may be assessed, at the League
director’s sole discretion, for any change in categories for a rider that
is subsequently revoked on grounds that the change was contrary to
NICA and League policies.
6.5.A.4. Petitions for an exception to the Placement Criteria and
request for placement in another category may be submitted to the
League director or the League’s Rules Committee or any other
individual or committee designated by the League director or the
League’s board of directors. To petition for such an exception, students
must complete and submit the petition form found at the League’s
website according to the instructions provided on the form.
6.5.A.5. The petition requires a coach’s comments and signature. If
there is no coach, the student must contact the League director and a
coach advisor will be appointed. A parent may be approved as the
advisor. The League director or the League’s Rules Committee shall
consider the petition and render a decision in a timely manner.
6.5.A.6. Petitions must be submitted with sufficient time for
consideration. Last-minute petitions cannot be rushed. Allow a
minimum of five business days from the date of submission for a
decision on the petition. Pending the outcome of the petition, the

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petitioning student must compete in the category determined by the
Placement Criteria.

SECTION 6.6 STUDENT PLACEMENT AND TEAM COMPOSITION

6.6.A.1 ONE SCHOOL, ONE TEAM: Only one team may represent a
school.
6.6.A.2 OFFICIAL SCHOOL STATUS NOT NEEDED School-based
teams are not required to be officially or otherwise formally affiliated
as a sports team with the school in which its members are enrolled.
6.6.A.3 Teams are responsible for obtaining permission from schools
related to the team’s use of school names, colors, mascots, logos, and
other identifying school-related imagery or graphics.
6.6.A 4 STUDENT-ATHLETES MUST JOIN SCHOOL TEAMS
Student-athletes who are enrolled at a school that has a club or team in
good standing with the League must join and compete as a member of
that club or team. Such student-athletes may not compete as members
of another team nor may they compete as independent riders.
6.6.A.5 INDEPENDENT RACERS
Student-athletes who do not have a club or team at the school that they
attend may compete individually as “independent” racers.
6.6.B.1. TEAM TYPES
g. Single School-Based Teams: Must be comprised of full-
time students from the same school, public or private.
h. Composite Teams: Must be comprised of full-time students
from more than one school and must include “composite” in
the team name. Homeschool students may also join
Composite Teams according to the location of the school
they would attend if not homeschooled. A Composite Team
must be approved by the League director based upon a
written proposal timely submitted to the League prior to
team registration for the season in which the Composite
Team wishes to compete. The proposal may include relevant

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 information the organizers wish the League director to
consider, but must include the following:
o The proposed geographical region for its student-
athletes;
o The names of the schools the student-athletes
attend and whether any of the student-athletes
are homeschooled; and
o The names of the team organizer and coach. No
two or more Composite Teams may overlap in
geographical region nor may they draw student-
athletes from the same schools.
c. County-Based Homeschool Teams: Homeschoolers may
organize teams of students (homeschoolers only) who live
within the same county or other geographic proximity.
Independent Study students must petition the League with
the facts and circumstances of their situation to determine
what type of team they are eligible to compete on.
Homeschooled students who would otherwise be in middle
school are scored in the same manner as Composite Teams
set forth below (see B(2) and B(3).
6.6.C. COMPOSITE TEAM LIMITATIONS
6.6.C.1 Composite Teams are intended to be temporary solutions only,
allowing student-athletes to compete as members of a team in the
League pending the establishment of Single School-Based Teams or
County-Based Homeschool Teams that they can join. In furtherance of
this policy, the following limitations apply to Composite Teams:
a. The League director shall annually review and approve each
Composite Team’s eligibility. The League shall maintain
approval forms on file for each Composite Team to include,
at a minimum, the following:
• A description of the team’s geographical region;
• A list of the names of all student-athletes indicating the
schools they attend or whether they are homeschooled;
• The name of the Composite Team; and

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 • The signature of the team organizer and the approval
signature of the League director.
b. Composite Teams must comply, subject to the League’s local
state laws, with the following scoring restrictions:
• Teams must compete in Division II but may, at the
League director’s discretion and to be determined prior
to the beginning of the season, be scored and awarded
separately from Division I and II teams.
• In leagues that include middle schools, middle school
riders’ scores are excluded from the Composite Teams’
scores — if more than one middle school rider is on the
team, they may be scored as a subdivided team in the
middle school category according to subsection (3)d
below.
• Teams are limited to a maximum of eleven registered
riders, excluding middle school riders. In addition to
serving the above-stated policy to establish school-based
teams, limiting such teams to eleven riders prevents any
competitive advantage through the formation of large
“super teams,” which NICA has determined constitutes
unfair competition. However, in certain regions and rural
areas, these policies may not be served and the team-size
limitation may contravene policies to expand League
ridership and to be inclusive to all riders. In the event the
League’s Rules Committee determines that NICA
policies are not served and are contravened by the
limitation, the League in its discretion may choose not to
apply it and must also determine whether it is appropriate
to score such larger teams in a separate category.
• A single Composite Team may be comprised of
subdivided teams according to subsection (3) below.
• Each subdivided team shall be scored independently.
c. Composite Team subdivision rules:

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 • The League director must approve the subdivided teams
that comprise a single Composite Team.
• If five or more student-athletes are from the same school,
they must be subdivided into a separate team and scored
as representatives of that school. These same-school
student-athletes may submit a joint petition, approved by
each of them, to the League director for an exception to
this rule.
• Teams of twelve or more student-athletes, excluding
any middle school riders must be subdivided into
separate, independently scoring teams of eleven or
fewer riders each. Upon subdivision, student-athletes
shall be placed on teams based on the following:
i. First — Student-athletes attending the same
school must be on the same subdivided team; and
ii. Second — Student-athletes shall be placed on
subdivided teams according to the proximity of
their homes.
• MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
In leagues that include middle schools, if more than one
middle school rider is on the team, they may be scored
as a separate team in the middle school category.
5. SUBDIVISIONS NOT ALLOWED
Teams may not be subdivided based on the experience
and ability of the student-athletes. Doing so frustrates
the policies that permit Composite Teams and creates an
unfair advantage by avoiding the geographical
limitations that apply to other teams.

6.6.D. SAME-SEX SCHOOL TEAM ASSOCIATIONS

A school-based team from a school whose attendance is made up of
students of the same sex (“all boys” or “all girls”) may petition to be
scored with a school-based team from an opposite sex school. A

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school-based team from a same-sex school may also petition to be
scored with a group of independent riders who attend the same opposite
sex school. This same-sex school association is for scoring purposes
only and does not result in a composite club. The associated teams,
regardless of the size or division of the component parts, shall compete
in the same division they would compete in were they a single school
club. The association exists on a season-by-season basis and
permission must be secured from the League Director ahead of the
season. Once the season begins, the association shall remain in place
until the season ends.
6.6.E. TEAM RECRUITING AND MID-SEASON TRANSFERS
6.6.E.1 Team efforts to recruit riders from other teams are strongly
discouraged. Such conduct is contrary to NICA policies, interferes with
team integrity for each school within the League, and undermines the
competitive camaraderie between teams.

6.6.E.2 A student-athlete who transfers teams must meet all

requirements to compete as a member of the new team.

6.6.E.3 A student-athlete who transfers teams mid-season shall retain

all points earned that season prior to the transfer to be calculated with
points earned after the transfer for determining individual standings.

6.6.E.4 The prior team shall retain all points earned by the student-
athlete before the transfer for determining team standings.

6.6.E.5 The new team shall not be credited with points earned prior to
the transfer and may, but only upon the new team’s request and at the
League director’s discretion, accumulate points scored by the student-
athlete after the transfer for determining team standings. The League
director’s discretion shall be exercised such that if the transfer has been
determined to be more likely than not the result of team recruiting, the
new team shall not accumulate points as a result of the transfer.
6.6.F HOMESCHOOL AND COMPOSITE TEAM APPROVAL

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6.6.F.1 Homeschool and Composite teams must state and gain
approval of their geographic scope. Homeschool teams are scored in
the same manner as Composite teams.

6.6.F.2 Large Homeschool and Composite teams (12+ riders) may be

divided into smaller teams. Composite teams are considered short-term
solution for student-athletes without access to school-based teams
pending the establishment of teams at their schools. Combining
existing school-based teams is not allowed, however, teams can
combine resources and training activities — but will be scored
separately, wear separate jerseys, etc. Team and club founders must
contact the League director for approval before registering.

SECTION 6.7 INTER-LEAGUE PARTICIPATION , AND OUT-OF-

REGION STUDENT PLACEMENT CRITERIA FOR MULTI-YEAR
6.7.A.1 Student-athletes and teams located outside of the League’s
region and in a state where there is no NICA league, may be allowed
to participate in League events and races.

6.7.A.2 Student-athletes and teams located in a state that has a NICA

league may only participate in another NICA league’s events and races
upon agreement between the leagues’ directors. Such agreements must
be reviewed and approved annually by the directors. In reaching such
an agreement, the league directors must consider (a) which league’s
race series is closest to the students and teams seeking to participate in
the other league, (b) policies of inclusivity for all students, and (c)
policies of league development such that all students and teams can
reasonably participate in events and races within the leagues in which
they are located. Such an inter-league agreement must include, at a
minimum, that the students and teams:
• Declare that they are committed to participating and
scoring exclusively in the other league’s race series;
• Be scored and registered in the league in which they have
declared their participation; and
• Participate in only one season, either spring or fall, per
academic year and are subject to the Team Training
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 Limits and race season limitations as applicable to the
league in which they have declared their participation.

SECTION 6.8: RACE PRODUCTION GUIDELINES

6.8.A PURPOSE AND STANDARD OF REVIEW BY NICA

The following race production, safety and scoring standards are

intended as guidance to be adopted or modified at the League’s
discretion, and may be reviewed by NICA’s Rule Committee to ensure
standards adopted facilitate and promote fair, safe, and challenging
competition.
6.8.B. CROSS-COUNTRY (XC) RACE DEFINITION
A cross-country mountain bike race is a mass start competition held on
a circuit course comprised of forest roads, forest or field trails, and
unpaved dirt or gravel roads.
6.8.C. COURSE LENGTH AND DIFFICULTY
The ideal NICA cross-country race course has a circuit short enough
to require multiple laps for a race and includes terrain that can be
completed by beginner riders. The number of laps should be
determined according to the riders’ ability to complete the race within
a specific time. The event times should be:
4. Not to exceed 45 minutes for Middle School boys and girls;
5. Not to exceed 90 minutes, Freshman and Sophomore boys and
girls, and JV girls;
6. Not to exceed 100 minutes, JV boys and Varsity girls; and
7. Not to exceed 120 minutes, Varsity boys.
6.8.D. SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR COURSES
NICA cross-country courses must be designed for maximal safety.
Course guidelines are:
a. Uphill starts or some climbing in first half-mile;
b. 33-inch wide start lanes;
c. Uphill finishes;
d. Uphill feed zones;

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 e. Inspection and addressing of:
1. off-camber turns and ruts;
2. large or loose rocks;
3. sharp turns on fast sections;
4. water crossings;
5. areas where excessive speeds can be achieved; and
6. other obvious injury vectors.
6.8.E. COURSE SIGNAGE AND MARKINGS
Arrows signs, other signs, and ribbons should mark the directions
along the entire length of the official race course. The signs and ribbons
indicate the course to follow, curves, intersections, and warn of
situations that are potentially dangerous for the racers. Signs are posted
along the course at least every kilometer to let the riders know that they
are on course.
6.8.F. STANDARD TURN AROUND LOCATIONS
Arrow signs are to be placed before each intersection to indicate an
upcoming turn, with a second arrow sign placed at the intersection.
The direction of travel through the intersection is then confirmed
by a third arrow sign located farther along the racecourse in the
new direction. Wrong way signs are used to mark all potential
wrong turns. Signs shall be placed at distances from the
intersection determined by sight lines that afford the rider the best
opportunity to see the markings at race pace while affording the
rider ample opportunity to safely complete the turn or see the
wrong way prior to inadvertently making a wrong turn.
6.8.G. RACE NOTIFICATION SIGNS
In the case of wrong turns that lead away from the course, the back of
the wrong way sign shall be used to notify riders and passersby that a
race is in progress. If the direction along a wrong way leads to the
interior of the course, a notification on the back of the sign so indicating
is optional.
6.8.H. HAZARD SIGNS
For all hazardous situations along a racecourse circuit, caution
signs or two or three arrow signs placed upside down must be
located preceding the hazard at a distance which affords the rider
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ample opportunity to react at race pace. A hazard on the circuit
may be due to an obstacle, the quality of the surface, the angle of
the track, or any other condition not specifically addressed that
presents additional risk to riders.
6.8.I. STANDARD HEIGHT OF SIGNS
Course signage should, whenever possible, be placed on the right side
of the course and raised so the bottom of the sign is 1.5 to 3 feet from
the ground.
6.8.J. DISTANCE OF SIGNS
The course may be marked every kilometer with signs indicating
distance remaining to the start/finish line.
6.8.K. USE OF RIBBON
Ribbon may also be use to mark turns, wrong ways, and other hazards.
Ribbon should always be arranged parallel to the ground.
6.8.L. LIST OF SIGNS
Directional and warning signs for mountain bike circuits are:
1. Arrows indicating course direction, turns, and hazards;
2. Caution;
3. Wrong Way ;
4. EMS Course Access Point;
5. Alternate route on course; and
6. Dismount required (off bike).

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6.8.M. PIT ZONE AND FEED ZONE
6.8.M.1 DESIGNATED PIT ZONE AREAS
Teams are randomly assigned predetermined areas in the race pit zone.
Division I pit areas are larger than Division II pit areas to accommodate
the larger teams. Large teams (30+) may request extra space ahead of
time. All team equipment, including cars and trailers, must be set up
within the assigned areas. Teams may not erect tents, tables, bike
stands, or mechanical stations outside of their areas in the pit zone.
6.8.M.2 BIKE PARKING
Coaches and student-athletes must park their bikes out of the through
ways to avoid obstructing cars, pedestrians, and other riders.
6.8.M.3 AUTOS IN THE PIT ZONE
To minimize congestion, the League reserves all rights to manage the
flow of automobile traffic in and out of the pit zone. Parents, coaches,
and student-athletes are encouraged to limit driving into the pit zone
by pooling their efforts and cooperating with other parents, coaches,
and student-athletes to transfer equipment.
Accommodations will be made for large and heavy items, though
teams are encouraged to have their pit areas set up one hour before the
start of the first race. Thank you for cooperating with the volunteer
Parking Attendants.
Recreational Vehicles (RVs) are not permitted in the pit zone. Pick up
trucks with camper shells are permitted. Gas powered generators (built
in or external) are also not permitted in the pit zone.

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6.8.M.4 FEED ZONE REQUIRED
A designated feed zone must be present and easily accessible at races.
The feed zone shall have a well-marked start and end.
6.8.M.5 LIMITED FEEDERS PER TEAM
Each team is allowed a limited number of feeders in the feed zone as
indicated below. The number is based on the number of racers that are
competing in the current wave.
# Racers # Feeders
5 or less 2
6-10 3
11-20 4
21 or more 5
6.8.M.6 NEUTRAL FEED ZONE
If conditions such as high temperatures exist, a neutral feed zone may
be provided near the halfway point of the course. The neutral feed zone
will be for all student-athletes and handouts will be provided by
designated race staff and/or volunteers only.
6.8.M.7 INSPECTION OF SUPPLIES
Under Chapter 2 setting out the Rules for Student Athletes, certain
substances are banned from consumption. To enforce this rule, race
officials may request to inspect feed zone supplies at any time.
6.9. RACE OFFICIALS
The following duties shall be performed by NICA-approved officials
who shall endeavor to uphold and enforce the NICA Rules and
Guidelines and shall do so in an impartial manner. Race Officials must
wear provided uniforms. The general conduct, safety, scoring, and
enforcement of rules is managed at races by the following officials:
6.9.A CHIEF REFEREE
6.9.A.1 Chief Referees supervise the general conduct of each race and
ensure that the event is run under the NICA Rules and Guidelines.
Chief Referees have the authority to interpret and enforce these rules
and the discretion to make rulings on any point that is not specifically

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covered herein. A decision by the Chief Referee can be appealed to
the League’s Rule Committee.

6.9.A.2 Chief Referees may neutralize, shorten, suspend, or cancel

any race if dangerous conditions exist or hazardous weather arises.

6.9.A.3 Chief Referees have the authority to penalize or recommend

suspension of any student-athlete, parent, coach, co-coach, or
volunteer who refuses to follow instructions of officials or who
commits other offenses. The Chief Referee shall consider the
observations of course marshals, taking into account their vantage
points relative to the incident and experience levels.

6.9.A.4 The Chief Referee will also handle any protests arising at the
event. The Chief Referee may call a meeting of all available League
Rule Committee members at an event to rule on any protests. If no
members are available, the Chief Referee may defer a protest ruling
until after the event and such a meeting can be convened. Such a
deferred meeting must occur within five days after the race. If a
meeting cannot be convened with five days, the Chief Referee shall
act in its place to render a timely decision.

6.9.A.5 Chief Referees may assign duties and delegate authority to

the other officials, below, for each event.

6.9.B START/FINISHLINE REFEREE

6.9.B.1 Start/Finish Line referees are responsible for managing the
start and finish of each race. Start line duties include setting up and
managing start waves, drawing start lines, keeping track of time,
ensuring proper seeding, and assisting or managing pre-race
announcements. Finish line duties include assisting the scoring crews
by resolving close finish disputes, creating an independent backup
document of finish order, sampling lap times, estimating the time of
last finisher, managing finish chutes, and enforcing cutoff times.

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6.9.B.2 Penalties, cutoff times, and last finisher time estimates must be
communicated to the Chief Referee. In the event of close finishes,
Spotters shall focus on the numbers whereas the Start/Finish Line
Referee shall focus on the order of finish as determined by the front
wheels. All penalties assessed shall be reported to the Chief Referee.

6.9.C CHIEF SCORING OFFICIAL

Chief Scoring Officials supervise the scoring crew comprised of
Number Plate Spotters and Number Plate Recorders. Chief Scoring
Officials are responsible for running the scoring program, investigating
and troubleshooting discrepancies, posting preliminary results, fielding
protests regarding preliminary results and scoring, and providing final
results for the award ceremony. They also have the authority to
interpret and enforce the rules pertaining to scoring. All penalties
assessed shall be reported to the Chief Referee.
6.9.D NUMBER PLATE SPOTTERS
Number Plate Spotters report, in a loud clear voice, race plate numbers
in order as they cross the line. Only one Number Plate Spotter will call
numbers at a time. They shall rotate every hour to ensure quality
reporting. In the event of close finishes, Spotters shall focus on the
numbers whereas the Start/Finish Line Referee shall focus on the order
of finish as determined by the front wheels.
6.9.E NUMBER PLATE RECORDER
Number Plate Recorders enter the numbers called out by the Number
Plate Spotter. Number Plate Recorders shall rotate every two hours to
ensure quality reporting.
6.9.F CHIEF COURSE MARSHAL
Chief Course Marshals manage the operations of Course Marshals,
which includes providing radios, vests, maps, whistles and flags,
conducting Course Marshal meetings, assigning locations, and taking
reports. Chief Course Marshals have the authority to interpret and
enforce these rules pertaining to infractions that occur on the race
course. All penalties assessed shall be reported to the Chief Referee.
6.9.G COURSE MARSHALS

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Course Marshals are deputized race officials whose duties are
primarily to increase safety on the course and increase
communications, and secondarily to report incidents of student-
athletes breaking these rules.
6.9.G.1Course Marshals must:
• Carry a radio, a notepad and pen, and a course map;
• Wear a designated Course Marshal Vest;
• Carry a flag and whistle; the flag can be used to direct or slow
down student-athletes; the whistle can be used to warn
students who are riding in the wrong direction; and
• Report incidents by radio to the Chief Course Marshal at the
time of the infraction. Course marshals must also report all
incidents in writing when they return from duty.
6.9.H COURSE SWEEPER
Course Sweepers communicate with the Chief Course Marshal and the
Start/Finish Line Referee. The Sweeper’s responsibilities are to be
aware of and ride behind the last rider on the race course at a distance,
and report to the Chief Course Marshal and Start/Finish Line Referee
the last rider’s location, when the last rider finishes, and when the race
course is clear. The Chief Course Marshal may also deputize the
Sweeper to relieve Course Marshals from duty, carry first aid, or act as
a rolling Course Marshal.
SECTION 6.10: RACING SAFETY STANDARDS
6.10.A PRE-RIDE PROVIDED WHEN POSSIBLE
Student-athletes will be given the opportunity to walk the course and
participate in a practice ride whenever possible.

6.10.B Pre-Ride is a regularly scheduled practice ride on the race

course that takes place on the same weekend as the race. For practice
rides on race courses at other times, the Pre-Ride Rules do not apply.
6.10.C. RACERS AND COACHES ONLY ON THE COURSE
6.10.C.1 Only student-athletes entered for competition in the event and
their team coaches may ride the designated race course at times when
no race is currently taking place. An event is taking place at all times

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after the start of a race until the time the last rider in that race finishes.
No coach is permitted to ride the course during an event.
6.10.C.2 A violation of this rule will result in a team-level penalty
against the associated team of the offender:

First Offense: 25-point penalty deducted from team score on race day.
Second offense: 50-point penalty deducted from team score on race
day.
Third offense: 100-point penalty deducted from team score on race
day.
6.10.D. NUMBER PLATES ARE MANDATORY
Once number plates are distributed, students must have them properly
affixed to their bicycles at all times they are on the course.
6.10.E. LEADER’S JERSEY
The student-athlete in each category with the most individual points
for the season will be awarded the leader’s jersey. Each points leader
is expected to wear the jersey at all League races, so long as they
remain the top points holder. In the case of a tie, both student-athletes
wear leader’s jerseys. The overall winner of the series wears the
leader’s jersey during the first race of the next season.
Only the current leader may wear the leader’s jersey. To avoid
confusion, generic and similar looking jerseys may not be worn at a
League race by competing student-athletes.
6.10.F. START LINE AND FIRST RACE CALL-UPS
6.10.F.1 Start line call-ups for top placed riders takes place at all races.
The following number of riders will be called up for each race start:
• Field size of 24 or less riders: Top 5 are called up
• Field size of 25–49 riders: Top 10 are called up
• Field size of 50-74 riders: Top 15 are called up
• Field size of 75+ riders: Top 20 are called up
6.10.F.2 Call-ups at the first race of the season shall be based upon the
overall points earned by each rider in the previous season. No

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adjustments will be made based on category changes or other
circumstances. There are no call-ups for freshman riders at the first
race.
6.10.F.3 At all subsequent races, the call-ups are based on the overall
placing in that category in the current season.
6.10.F.4 Racers must position themselves in designated start lanes
without overlapping the wheels of the rider in front of them.
6.10.G. STUDENT-ATHLETES MAY BE PULLED
Lapped racers and racers outside the time limit may be pulled from the
race at the finish line. At the League director’s or a race official’s
discretion, a racer may be pulled from a race at any location on the
course due to circumstances that make it unsafe for the racer to
proceed. Racers that are pulled out of the race must not continue and
will be placed according to their position at the time they are pulled.
6.10.H. TIME LIMITS MAY BE IMPOSED
6.10.H.1 Racers may be asked to withdraw at the finish line after time
limits have been reached. Race officials reserve the right to determine
these time limits at any time. Time limits may be imposed for reasons
that include, among others: safety, heat, cold, rain, muddy conditions,
clearing the course, and relieving course marshals. Course closures
may be announced at any time without advance notice.
If a racer makes the time cutoff but does not complete the final lap due
to a mechanical, crash, or other reason, it is considered a DNF.

6.10.H.2 Race Officials may also, when appropriate, opt to pull a racer
who appears to be overheated, hypothermic, overly exhausted, or in
any way injured, overstressed, or at risk of injury.
6.10.I. RACE COURSE BLOCKED BY VEHICLE OR
EMERGENCY
In the event a race course is blocked by a vehicle or an emergency
situation, all racers should stop in a single file row without changing
position. Racers should remain in those positions until instructed to
recommence racing.
6.10,.J RACE FINISHES

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6.10.J.1 Race Finishes: Under normal circumstances, all lap and
finish positions will be determined by electronic timing chips
(transponders).

6.10.J.2 In the event the electronic timing system fails to record a

time or lap position for any rider, a video camera may be used at the
finish line to aid the scorekeepers in determining laps completed or
the finishing order of a close race. Should video footage from an
league-designated camera be unavailable or inconclusive for any
reason, the scoring of the laps or finish will be based solely on the
scorekeepers' decision.

6.10.J.3 In the case of a visual tie or where a clear determination

cannot be made, the riders concerned will be ranked in the order of
the best lap time made during the race.

6.10.K RACE FINISHES CHAMPIONSHIPS

6.10.K.1 Overall Individual Series Champion: The overall series
champion in each field will be decided based on the total of series
points accumulated (best 4 of 5 results and inclusive of bonus points
for completing all races).

6.10.K.2 In the event of a tie for the championship, the winner will
be determined based on the number of wins.

6.10.K.3. Should a tie remain, finishes of second, third, etc, will be

tallied until the tie is broken.

6.10.K.4. If a tie remains, the best finish in the last race will
determine the champion.

SECTION 6.11: TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL SCORING

6.11.A. INDIVIDUAL SERIES SCORING
Student-athletes compete against other racers in the same category.
Individual scoring is not divided into Divisions I and II, unless they are

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racing in separate categories, e.g., Freshman Boys Division I and
Freshman Boys Division II are scored separately.
6.11.B. OVERALL INDIVIDUAL SERIES SCORING
6.11.B.1 Overall Series scoring for individuals is based on the best 4
of 5 in a five-race series or the best 3 of 4 in a four-race series. In other
words, the lowest score is dropped.
6.11.B.2 A missed race would be the lowest score dropped. In the case
of a race cancellation in a five-race series, the lowest score is still
dropped (best 3 of 4). If there are fewer than four races in the series, no
score will be dropped.
6.11.C. POINT SYSTEM
6.11.C.1 Points are awarded to all finishers. There is a 40-point bonus
for JV racers and a 75-point bonus for Varsity racers. Racers that do
not finish a race (DNF) will not be awarded any points for that race. A
sample Individual Point Scale (See Appendix A).

6.11.C.2 In the event a student successfully petitions to change

categories, individual points earned in one category do not transfer to
another category. All points earned in the lower category are forfeited
and the upgraded rider loses standing in the lower category. A student-
athlete’s points scored toward team standings prior to the change in
categories remain unaffected. Students who successfully petition to be
placed in a lower category are, by default, ineligible to score team
points in that lower category for the duration of the season. A student
who petitions to change to a lower category may state extenuating
circumstances in the petition to be allowed to score points in the lower
category.
6.11.D. POINT BONUS AT STATE CHAMPS
6.11.D.1 At the League director’s discretion, the League may opt into
a bonus points schedule for its State Championship event by submitting
a timely petition. The petition must be timely due to the administrative
scoring adjustments NICA staff must make to accommodate the
alternative scoring.

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6.11.D.2 In the event the opt-in petition is granted, all finishers at the
State Championship are awarded Race Bonus Points as follows: 50
points for 1st place and sequentially for each place thereafter, one less
point than is awarded the immediately preceding place, through 50th
place, and one point for each finishing place thereafter (e.g., 49 points
for 2nd 48 points for 3rd, . . . 3 points for 48th, 2 points for 49th, 1 point
for 50th, and 1 point for each finisher thereafter.)
6.11.E. POINT BONUS FOR COMPLETING ALL RACES
6.11.E.1 All student-athletes who complete each and every race in a
season shall be awarded an additional 25 Season Bonus Points.

6.11.E.2 If a race is cancelled, it will not count as a season race and

Season Bonus Points shall still be awarded if all other season races are
completed. In the event a student does not complete a race due to a
mechanical, crash, illness, or other similar circumstances out of his or
her control, that is considered an incomplete and no Season Bonus
Points will be awarded.

6.11.E.3 Season Bonus Points are awarded to individuals following the

calculation of overall series points after the final race. Season Bonus
Points are not added to points scored in the final race nor are they added
into the team score.

6.11.E.4 Notwithstanding the forgoing, including rules 8.2 through this

rule 8.4, leagues may at their discretion apply alternate point bonus
systems, as long as the system is consistently applied to all league
participants.
6.11.F. TIER 1 LEAGUE SCORING MATRIX
6.11.F.1 For Tier 1 leagues, all teams are considered Division II where
scoring is based on the top four point-earners, with a maximum of three
of those point-earners scoring in either the boys or girls category.

6.11.F.2 League directors, with approval of their Rules Committee,

may make modifications to these scoring rules. Visit the TEAMS
webpage to confirm the team scoring rules of the League.

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6.11.F.3 The team’s score is the highest score possible out the
following boy-girl combinations:
BBBG
BBGG
BGGG
6.11.G. TIER 2 LEAGUE SCORING MATRIX
6.11.G.1 For Tier 2 leagues, Division I scoring is based on the top eight
point-earners, with a maximum of six of those point-earners scoring in
either the boys’ or girls’ categories.

6.11.G.2 For Tier 2 leagues, Division II scoring is based on the top four
point-earners, with a maximum of three of those point-earners scoring
in either the boys’ or girls’ categories.

6.11.G.3 League directors, with approval of their Rules Committee,

may make modifications to these scoring rules. Visit the TEAMS
webpage to confirm the team scoring rules of the League.

6.11.G.4 The team’s score is the highest score possible out the
following boy-girl combinations:
Division I Teams Division II Teams
BBBBBBGG BBBG
BBBBBGGG BBGG
BBBBGGGG BGGG
BBBGGGGG
BBGGGGGG

6.11.H. OVERALL TEAM SCORING

A team’s overall placement is based on team point totals for an entire
point series — the lowest score is not dropped.
6.11.I AWARDS AT EACH RACE
• Individual medals are awarded at least five places deep at each
race, including the State Championships, except in the case of
races with field sizes with fewer than 20 student-athletes, in
which case medals are awarded at least three places deep.

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 • Team trophies are awarded at least three places deep in each
division at each race, including the State Championships.
6.11.J. AWARDS FOR OVERALL SERIES
Individual overall series medals are awarded to finishers in the top 10%
of the total number of scoring riders for the series (rounded up) plus at
least two places deep. Team overall series trophies are awarded to at
least three places deep in each division.
6.11.K. PROLOGUE RACE SCORING
6.11.K.1 Leagues may choose to begin their season with two Prologue
Races. These races may occur on the same day in different venues, in
which event the teams will be split into two groups based on each
team’s proximity to the venue. Independent student-athletes shall
attend the Prologue Race closest to their homes.

6.11.K.2 Student-athlete will each receive a 50-point bonus for

participating in the Prologue Race. As bonus points, they will be
included in the overall individual scores for the season. Students that
must DNF or are pulled due to time constraints in the Prologue, will
still be awarded their 50-point bonuses.

6.11.K.3 There will be no team awards at the Prologue; however, there

will be individual awards given.

6.11.K.4 The Prologue is not a qualifier for the state championships,

nor does it count towards category placement the following year.
6.11.L. RACE RESULTS AND PROTEST PROCESS
6.11.L.1 PETITION FORMS – RACE DAY PROTEST
Petition forms are to be presented to the Chief Referee to raise rule
violations and scoring issues. After each race and before the final
results are posted, the Chief Referee must rule on and then submit all
petition forms to the League Director.
6.11.L.2 PRELIMINARY AND OFFICIAL RESULTS
a. Preliminary results. Preliminary race results and penalty
assessments are posted at the race venue, at or near the scoring

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 tent, as soon as possible after each event. The posting time
shall be stated on the results and penalties sheets.
b. Protest period deadline on race day. Protests to the
preliminary results and opposition to penalties must be
submitted, using the forms provided, to a race official at the
scoring tent within 15 minutes of the posting time.
c. Official results. After the timely protests and opposition to
penalties are considered, ruled upon, and approved by the
League Director or the Chief Referee, the results on race day
shall be official and posted at the scoring tent. Unless
otherwise stated in a decision or ruling, such decisions and
rulings made on race day regarding protests and penalties are
conclusive. Medals will be awarded based on the official
results on race day.
d. Deferred rulings. At the discretion of the League Director or
Chief Referee, the decision and ruling on a protest or
opposition to a penalty may be deferred until after race day.
If such a deferred decision affects the podium results for an
event, medals may be awarded at a later date following
resolution of the dispute.
6.11.L.3 EXTENDED PROTEST PERIOD (discretionary)
a. Results posted online. At the League Director’s discretion, an
extended protest period may be permitted after the results are
posted online on the League’s website, during which student-
athletes may protest the results or oppose the assessment of
penalties.
b. Extended protest period announcement. Such an extended
protest period must be announced along with the official
results on race day, or must be announced simultaneously
with the posting of the official results on the League’s
website. The online posting date of the results and the protest
submission deadline shall be indicated on the website.
c. Extended protest period deadline. In the event the
announcement does not indicate the deadline by which
protests are to be submitted, they must be submitted by no
later than 5:00 pm on the second day after the results are
posted on the website. Protests must be submitted to the

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 League director, Chief Referee, or other League official
designated by the League director to receive such protests.
6.11.L.4 PROTEST – AFTER RACE DAY
a. League officials. Protests made on race day but deferred for
later decision and protests submitted during an extended
protest period shall be heard by the League Director, or Chief
Referee, or members of the League Rules Committee, or any
one or combination thereof.
b. Additional information. League officials shall provide their
best efforts to make reasonable inquiries and provide a timely
decision and ruling. Student-athletes and coaches who are
involved on either side of the dispute may submit statements
within the applicable protest period. Submitting such
statements after the protest period is permissible only if done
at the request of League officials.
c. Hearing and vote. In the event the protest or opposition is
deemed significant by a League official, the student-athlete or
coach shall be notified and three or more League officials
shall be designated to rule on the matter by majority vote. The
designated officials may, by majority vote, choose to conduct
a telephonic hearing to occur within two weeks of the
incident. League officials shall provide notice of the date and
the specific procedures relative to the hearing to the affected
student-athletes and other individuals, as they deem
appropriate.
6.11.L.5 JUDGMENT CALLS
a. League officials must decide and rule upon protests despite
often having little direct, firsthand information available
regarding the underlying incident. This is inherent to the sport
of mountain biking due to the fact that most of the racing takes
place on the race course out of the sight of race officials.
Nevertheless, every effort is made to reach the fairest and
most informed decisions possible under the circumstances for
each and every protest that is submitted.
b. Student-athletes and their families and coaches are expected
to understand these limitations and the challenges inherent to
resolving disputes of this nature, and the difficult decisions

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 League officials are required to make. It is further expected of
students, family members, and coaches that they be willing to
accept what they may consider to be an unfair result. Unfair
results are part of every sport no matter the efforts to avoid
them and accepting them when they go the other way is
considered a sign of good sportsmanship and a strong
character trait.
Accordingly, threatening or bullying officials, other riders, spectators,
or anyone involved with the League or an event regarding protests may
result in restrictions imposed on a student-athlete’s participation in the
League.

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Appendix A – Individual Point Scale

APPENDIX A – INDIVIDUAL POINT SCALE

FROSH-SOPH &
PLACE JV VARSITY
MIDDLE SCHOOL
1 500 540 575
2 490 530 565
3 481 521 556
4 472 512 547
5 464 504 539
6 456 496 531
7 448 488 523
8 441 481 516
9 434 474 509
10 427 467 502
11 420 460 495
12 414 454 489
13 408 448 483
14 402 442 477
15 396 436 471
16 390 430 465
17 385 425 460
18 380 420 455
19 375 415 450
20 370 410 445
21 365 405 440
22 360 400 435
23 356 396 431
24 352 392 427
25 348 388 423
26 344 384 419
27 340 380 415

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Appendix A – Individual Point Scale

28 336 376 411

29 332 372 407
30 329 369 404
31 326 366 401
32 323 363 398
33 320 360 395
34 317 357 392
35 314 354 389
36 311 351 386
37 308 348 383
38 306 346 381
39 304 344 379
40 302 342 377
41 300 340 375
42 298 338 373
43 296 336 371
44 294 334 369
45 292 332 367
46 290 330 365
47 289 329 364
48 288 328 363
49 287 327 362
50 286 326 361
51 285 325 360
52 284 324 359
53 283 323 358
54 282 322 357
55 281 321 356
56 280 320 355

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Appendix B – Exceptions and Rules for Each League

APPENDIX B – EXCEPTIONS AND RULES FOR EACH LEAGUE

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Alabama

Alabama League Middle School Program

A. Middle School Racing Rules

There are three middle school categories for both the boys and girls
based on their grade — 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.
Each middle school category will have an individual race podium, but
only the 8th grade category will have series overall standings and
leaders’ jerseys.

Middle school points will not apply to team points. However, if a

middle school racer is granted an upgrade into a high school category,
then that racer’s individual points will apply to that racer’s high school
team points.

There is no moving between middle school grade categories.

Racers that finish in the top 10% of their middle school category will
be allowed to submit a petition to upgrade to Freshman. Such a petition
is not an automatic and must be supported by additional information to
justify the upgrade.

First Race staging will be done via a random draw, but subsequent
races will have call-ups as follows:
• For 6th and 7th grade categories: Results from previous
race will determine call-ups and the remaining field will
be staged via a random draw;
• For the 8th grade category: Call-ups are according to
current overall point standings.

B. Middle School Category Upgrades

At the beginning of each season all middle school athletes will be
“reset” to their respective middle school categories in the Pit Zone.
Middle school athletes will be allowed to petition for a category
upgrade (subject to the same rules and deadlines as high school
students) to race in one of the high school categories as follows:
• Any returning middle school student who upgraded and raced
in a high school category during the previous season will be

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Alabama

allowed to re-petition for an upgrade to either the Freshman

or the JV category.
• Rules for Category Placement will be used to determine a
middle school athlete’s eligibility for a JV upgrade. Students
not meeting the upgrade criteria for JV will only be allowed
to petition for an upgrade to the freshman category.

• All other middle school athletes (new racers and those that
did not upgrade and race in the previous season) must race
at least one middle school category race prior to requesting
an upgrade to the Freshman category. These students are
only allowed to request an upgrade to the Freshman
category.

Category upgrade decisions will be based on the following:

• Racers must finish in the top 15% for boys or top 20% for
girls in at least one middle school race;
• All petitions must follow the same rules and deadlines as high
school petition requests; and
• Racers with extensive outside race experience and at least five
non-NICA podium finished may also petition to upgrade to
the Freshman category.
• All petitions must be submitted through the Team Director to
the League Director. A committee will review all petitions
and either grant or deny the request based on the information
provided.
• Any middle school student racing in a high school category
will be allowed to compete for both the individual awards
(race and series) as well as contributing points to his or her
team’s total.

Homeschooled Students
The strict application of the rules regarding homeschooled student
eligibility conflicts with the provisions of the Alabama High School
Athletic Association (AHSAA). In accordance with AHSAA, the
following rules apply:

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Alabama

• A student that is legitimately enrolled in a homeschool, public

charter school, online school, or district alternative school
educational program in grades 9-12 may participate as a
member of a team for a public school that is otherwise
permitted to compete. The student must participate on the
team for the public school
a) within whose boundary the permanent residence of the
student’s parent or guardian is situated, or
b) from which the student withdrew in order to enroll in
his or her current educational program. The team’s
school must meet all legal requirements that allow its
students to participate.
• Non-traditional students must compete on the school-based
team they are zoned for if such a team exists. If no team
exists, then they may compete on a local composite team
subject to the standard composite team rules.

• Requests must be made by the Team Director of the school-

based team for which an exception is being requested for
approval by the league petition review committee no later
than 1 week prior to the first race of each season.

• Non-traditional students must actively participate in practices

and other team based activities and are not be allowed to be
an inactive member of the team simply for scoring purposes
at races.

• A homeschool student’s practice time must be equivalent to

but not to exceed that of a traditional student during a school
day.

• Any conflicts between the foregoing and the rules in this

Handbook are to be resolved in favor of the provisions of the
ASHAA.

Alabama limits the composite team size to 10 versus the national

recommendation of 11.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Alabama

• Composite team rule change 7.1 B (2) c. Maximum 10.

Composite teams that will be impacted and need to follow
up on subdivision rules.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Arkansas

ARKANSAS MIDDLE SCHOOL RULES

A. Middle School Racing Rules.

Each middle school category will have an individual race podium, but
only the 8th grade category will have series overall standings. Middle
school points will apply to team points for the middle school team
award.

B. Middle School Category Upgrades. Middle school athletes will not

be allowed to petition for a category upgrade to race in one of the
high school categories.

HOMESCHOOL, CHARTER SCHOOL AND ONLINE SCHOOL

STUDENT ATHLETES

A student that is legitimately enrolled in a homeschool, public charter

school, online school, or district alternative school educational
program in grades 9-12 may participate as a member of a team for a
public school that is otherwise permitted to compete. The student
must participate on the team for the public school within whose
boundary the permanent residence of the student’s parent or guardian
is situated, or from which the student withdrew in order to enroll in
his or her current educational program. The team’s school must meet
all legal requirements that allow its students to participate.

Non-traditional students must compete on the school-based team they

are zoned for if such a team exists. If no team exists, then they may
compete on a local composite team subject to the standard composite
team rules.

Requests must be made for exception by the Team Director of the

school based team for which an exception is being requested for
approval by the league petition review committee no later than 1
week prior to the first race of each season.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Arkansas

Non-traditional students must actively participate in practices and

other team based activities and are not allowed to be an inactive
member of the team simply for scoring purposes at races.

A homeschool student’s practice time must be equivalent to but not to

exceed that of a traditional student during a school day.

SPONSOR LOGOS

No sponsor logos will be allowed on custom team jerseys worn for

races. Exceptions may be made for new teams before their jerseys
arrive at the discretion of the Arkansas Rules Committee

STEWARDSHIP / TEEN TRAIL CORPS (TTC)

A. Tracking: All bike-related volunteer hours must be tracked

through the pit zone. Volunteer hours must be quantified by
¼ hour blocks. Hours must be submitted by the weekly
deadline of 11:59pm Wednesday nights, beginning 10 days
before the first race of the season. Hours can begin accruing
a week after the previous NICA season and need to be
entered in the pit zone once it opens in April. Annually,
stewardship points tracking will conclude on the Wednesday
10 days before the originally scheduled date for the AR
Finals weekend.
B. Points
a. Individual Points: Riders can earn up to 25 bonus
points toward their year-end individual score. By
doing one of two things:
i. Hours accrued in trail maintenance work
or bike-related volunteerism will award
points in the following manner. 25 points
max. Hour 1-4 = 5 points each Hours 5-9
= 1 point each. Volunteer hours may be
completed during official team practices,
at local trail club workdays, with local

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biking or bike-related races and events and

must be verified by a coach and the trail
work or event organizer.
ii. A Student Athlete can pursue the TTC
Captain award and receive 2 bonus points
for each of the Speak, Respect, and Ride
patches earned. This status must be
achieved annually in order to qualify for
bonus points in the current season.
iii. All bonus points will be applied at the end
of the season, along with the attendance
bonus, to the rider’s current race category
and will be added to any race points totals
in order to crown the end of season race
champions.
b. Team Stewardship Ranking: Team Stewardship
Points will be awarded based on the average
amount of volunteer hours per student athlete team
member. The calculation=total amount of hours the
team riders work during the course of the current
season divided by the number of riders on the roster
as of September 1 of the current year. Middle
School and High School Teams will be ranked
based on the averages.

CALL UP PROCESS
A. 100% call ups for each race, both for middle school and high
school
B. Riders must be pre-registered to get a place in the call up
C. Call Ups will be calculated as follows:
a. First race call ups - by category placement last year
b. Second race call ups - by placement in first place,
with an option to fill out a petition to “hold your
place” if you missed the first race due to
unavoidable reasons (for example, family
emergency)

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c. Third race call ups - based on the best of the first

two race finishes
d. Fourth race call ups - based on the top two finishes
for the season so far

TEAM AWARDS
A. Team awards will be awarded at each race for high school
and middle school teams. Teams that have both middle
school and high school student athletes will be separated
administratively into two teams for scoring.
B. The team award presented at each race will be a combination
of the race performance award as calculated in the scoring
system and the team stewardship award. Each team will be
ranked for each component, then the rankings will be added
and re-ranked lowest to highest to give the team award. In
the event of a tie, the team with the higher performance
award will be given the higher ranking.

COURSE LENGTH AND DIFFICULTY - MODIFY NATIONAL RULE 5.1

The race duration in the schedule below is based on total race time.
The number of laps will be determined according to the riders’ ability
to complete the race within a specific time, course length, and course
conditions on event day. Age/Category Race Duration 6th Grade 45
minutes or less 7th Grade 45 minutes or less: 8th Grade 45 minutes or
less: Freshmen 45 to 70 minutes JV2 45 to 70 minutes JV 3 60 to 80
minutes Varsity 75-90 minutes +

ABILITY BASED RACING

Middle School Categories

● Girls Level 1, grades 6-8 (1 lap)

● Girls Level 2, grades 6-8 (2 laps)
● Girls Level 3, grades 7/8 (2 laps)
● Boys Level 1, grade 6 (1 lap)
● Boys Level 1, grade 7 (1 lap)

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● Boys Level 1, grade 8 (1 lap)

● Boys Level 2, grades 6/7 (2 laps)
● Boys Level 2, grade 8 (2 laps)
● Boys Level 3, grades 7/8 (2 laps)

Middle School Placement (2020)

Level 1 ● Boys and Girls Grade 6th-8th new to racing;

● Boys and Girls Grades 6-8 who did not qualify for
Level 2 or 3.

Level 2 ● Boys grade 8 who finished any race between 10%

and 70%
● Boys grade 7 who finished any race between 10%
and 80%
● Girls grade 7 or 8 who finished any 6 or 7 grade girls
race between 10% and 65%

Level 3 ● Boys grade 7 who finished any 6th grade boys race in
the top 20% goes to Level 3.
● Boys grade 8 who finished any 7th grade boys race in
the top 30% goes to Level 3
● Girls grade 7 or 8 who finished any 6-8 grade girls
race in the top 35% goes to Level 3.

Middle School Placement (2021 and Beyond)

Level 1 Boys and Girls Grade 6th-8th new to racing; MS Level 1 boy
or girl who did not qualify for Level 2.

Level 2 MS Girl who finished any Level 1 race between 10%- 65% in
the prior year; MS Girl Level 2 who did not qualify for Level
3; 7th grade boy who finished any MS Level 1 in top 11- 65%

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in prior year; 8th grade boy who finished any Level 1 race
between 16- 70% in prior year; Returning 7th-8th grade Level
2 boys that did not qualify for Level 3.

Level 3 MS Girl who finished any Level 1 race in the top 10% in the
prior year; MS Girl who finished any Level 2 race in top 35%
in the prior year; 7th grade boy who finished any MS Level 1
race in top 10% in prior year; 8th grade boy who finished any
MS Level 1 race in top 15% in prior year; 7th-8th grade MS
Level 2 boys that finished in the top 50% of any races in the
prior year. Returning MS Girl or Boy that raced Level 3

High School Defined

“High School” applies to student-athletes in grades 9-12 in the Fall of

2020. 9th graders in a “middle school” or “junior high school”
compete in the freshman category at the high school level.

High School Categories

Freshman (for 9th graders, may include racers with limited or no

racing experience, typically complete 2 laps, point value for
individual and team scoring begins at 500 points and descends).

JV 2 (for 10th-12th grade boys beginning their racing career with

little or no racing experience and/or those who have not qualified for
and/or are not seeking higher levels of competition with heavier
workloads, typically complete 2 laps, point value for individual and
team scoring begins at 500 points and descends). There will be no
JV2 for girls in 2020.

JV 3 (for 10th-12th grade boys and girls with racing experience who
have qualified for and/or are seeking higher levels of competition
with heavier workloads, typically completes 2 laps for girls and 3 laps
for boys, point value for individual and team scoring begins at 540
points and descends, placement criteria below).

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Varsity (for 10th-12th graders with racing experience who have

qualified for and are seeking the highest levels of competition with
heaviest workloads, typically complete 3 laps for girls and 4 laps for
boys, point value for individual and team scoring begins at 570 points
and descends, placement criteria below).

High School Placement

The following are mandatory rider placements based on past

Arkansas League results. Riders may submit petitions for situations
outside of these placements.

Freshman 9th graders

JV2 10-12th grade riders new to the league; Any returning riders
who did not qualify for JV3;
There will not be JV2 for girls in 2020.

JV3 ● 10th-12th grade girls who did not qualify for

Varsity;
● 10th grade boy who finished any 2 Freshman races
in the top 50% OR any 1 Freshman race in the top
50% AND finished Freshman Overall in the top
50%;
● 11th grade boys who finished any 2 Sophomore
races in the top 50% OR any 1 Sophomore race in
the top 50% AND finished Sophomore Overall in
the top 50%;
● 10th-12th grade boys who finished any 2 JV races
in the top 50% OR any 1 JV race in the top 50%
AND finished JV Overall in the top 50% race

Varsity ● 10th-12th grade girls who finished any 2 JV races

in the top 30% OR any 1 JV race in the top 30%
AND finished JV Overall in the top 30%;
● 10th-12th grade boys who finished any 2 JV races
in the top 15% OR any 1 JV race in the top 15%

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AND finished JV Overall in the top 15%

● Returning riders who raced Varsity in the previous
season

High School Petition Path

● Girl or Boy grade 9 with proven Arkansas League Middle

School and/or outside racing results can petition to race JV2
● Girl or Boy grade 10-12 placed in JV2 can petition to race
JV3
● Girl or Boy grade 10-12 placed in JV3 can petition to race
Varsity

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MARYLAND Ability-based RACING RULES

Our racing programs will focus on fun, fitness, skills, responsible trail
etiquette and sportsmanship. OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE WILL BE
TO KEEP IT FUN. Our goal is to retain these boys and girls in our
programs, and the best way to accomplish this is by providing them
with a positive experience at practices and league events.

Middle School

There will be three middle school categories for boys and girls,
initially based on their current grade, and each grade is split into
ability levels according. The number of levels is determined by the
category size. (6, 7 and 8).

In cases where the combined field size for all middle school racers of
one wave is small, the racers may be started together. The decision
will be made by the Chief Referee and Race Director based on the
venue characteristics and the number of racers, and only if combining
the categories does not adversely affect the safety of the student-
athletes. Racers will be scored within their category, and there will
always be separate podiums by category.

Moving between middle school grade categories will be permitted

through petition process only.

All middle school categories will have an individual race podium (1st
- 5th place). Race day medals will be given to the top five finishers in
each category, and a "MD Strong" jersey will be awarded to each
winner, which may be worn at any future middle school race at the
student-athletes’ discretion.

Middle school racers will typically complete 1-2 laps of the

designated race loop, with earned lap cutoff times designed to ensure
an expected completion time of 45 minutes for the average rider. In
the instance where a high school loop is presented but deemed to be
inappropriate for middle school racers by the Race Director and Chief

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Course Marshal, middle school racers may compete on a different

loop.

There will be no tracking of series overall standings for the middle

school categories and leaders’ jerseys will not be awarded to middle
school racers.

Middle school points will not apply to high school team points.
However, if a middle school racer is granted an upgrade into the JV3
or JV2 category (see section below), then that racer’s individual
points earned from that point forward will apply to that racer’s high
school team points.

Middle school team points will be tallied at each race using the HS
points model, with team awards given to the top 3. Middle school
team points shall not be cumulative; no season overall awards will be
granted.

HS Staging
Staging for the first race of the season will be done via CPT for
returning riders and random draw for new riders, and fields split
approx. in half, and subsequent races will have call-ups for all riders
based on overall results from the previous races. For any combined
fields, call-ups will be based on the order of finish times from the
previous race across all fields.

MS Staging
Call ups based on previous race results, not overall.

Middle school club practices need not occur 3-4 times per week; 1 to
2 practices per week is acceptable and appropriate.

Strict coaching ratios must be applied when managing middle school

practices.

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Middle school student parents are strongly encouraged to obtain

NICA coach licenses (Level 1 at minimum) to assist in managing
middle school programs.

Maryland Middle School Category Upgrades

Middle school student-athletes in grades 7 and 8 will be allowed to

petition for a category upgrade (subject to the same rules and
deadlines as high school students) to race in the JV3 high school
category as follows:
1. All petitions will be granted or denied at the discretion of the
Petition Committee, based on the committee’s assessment of
a student-athlete's psychological and physiological
readiness.
2. Minimum criteria to be considered for an upgrade petition to
JV3 are:
• Finish time would put you in top 20% of JV3
racers' first lap (at one or more NICA races);
• Extensive racing experience outside of NICA
(please provide race resume, national or regional
3. All petitions must be submitted through the Team Director
or Head Coach to the League Director and are subject to the
same rules and deadlines as high school petition requests.
4. There will be no forced upgrade/category placement for
middle school student-athletes.
5. At the beginning of each season all middle school athletes
will be “reset” to the middle school category based on their
current grade in the Pit Zone.
6. Any middle school student racing in a high school category
will be allowed to compete for both the individual awards
(race and HS series), as well as contributing points to his or
her HS team's total.

Tier Categories
There are 14 ability-based categories - boys and girls: Varsity, JV1,
JV2, JV3, 6A/B, 7A/B, 8A/B

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Category Placement Rules

Category) Transition Rules (Season Ability-Based Rules (Season
Three 4→)
6 A/B A-B category determined ←-
by rider evaluation by
coaches and petition
process
7 A/B 7A -longer race (more laps) ←-
, placed in top 30% in the
overall 6th grade category
previous season;
7B - fewer laps and default
for new riders
8 A/B 8A -longer race (more ←-
laps), placed top 30% of
7th grade category previous
season
8B - fewer laps and default
for new riders
JV3 Formerly Freshman 9th & 10th graders who are
9th & 10th graders who are new; 7th – 8th graders who
new; 7th – 8th graders who successfully petition into the
successfully petition into category
the category; 9th grade 7A and 8A riders MAY
riders who did not qualify petition up to JV3 IF their lap
for JV2 times would fall within top
20% of JV3 category
JV2 Formerly Sophomore 11th – 12th grade riders who
11th – 12th grade riders are new to the league; or
who are new to the league; Raced JV2 in the prior year
or Raced JV2 in the prior but did not qualify for JV1 or
year but did not qualify for Varsity.
JV1 or Varsity; 9th grade
riders who placed in the top
30% in the overall 8th
grade season standings in
the prior year.

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JV1 Formerly JV 9th - 10th graders who:

9th - 10th graders who: Placed in the top 20% in any
Placed in the top 20% in two JV3 races in the prior
any two Freshman races in year; or placed in the top 20%
the prior year; or placed in in the overall JV3 season
the top 20% in the overall standings in the prior year; or
Freshman season standings Raced JV1 in the prior year
in the prior year; or Raced but did not qualify to upgrade
JV in the prior year but did to Varsity; or Successfully
not qualify to upgrade to petition into the category.
Varsity; or 11th – 12th graders who:
Successfully petition into Placed in the top 30% in any
the category. 11th – 12th two JV2 races in the prior
graders who: Placed in the year; or placed in the top 35%
top 30% in any two in the overall JV2 season
Sophomore races in the standings in the prior year; or
prior year; or placed in the Raced JV1 in the prior year
top 35% in the overall but did not qualify to upgrade
Sophomore season to Varsity; or Successfully
standings in the prior year; petition into the category.
or Raced JV in the prior
year but did not qualify to
upgrade to Varsity; or
Successfully petition into
the category.
Varsity 9th – 12th graders who: 9th – 12th graders who:
Placed in the top 25% in Placed in the top 25% in any
any two JV races in the two JV1 races in the prior
prior year; or placed in the year; or placed in the top 30%
top 30% in the overall JV in the overall JV1 season
season standing in the prior standing in the prior year; or
year; or Raced Varsity in Raced Varsity in the previous
the previous year; or year; or Successfully petition
Successfully petition into into the category.
the category.

COURSE LENGTH AND DIFFICULTY

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The ideal NICA cross-country racecourse has a circuit short enough

to require multiple laps for a race and includes terrain that can be
completed by beginner riders. The number of laps should be
determined according to the riders’ ability to complete the race within
a specific time. The event times should be:
45 minutes or less for Middle School boys and girls;
45 to 90 minutes, JV3 and JV2 boys and girls;
60 to 100 minutes, JV1 boys and girls;
90 to 120 minutes, Varsity boys and girls.

TEAM COMPOSITION
The following exceptions to team position apply to the MD league,
with all other rules remaining in effect:
• If five or more student-athletes are from the same school,
they must be subdivided into a separate team and scored as
representatives of that school. These same-school student-
athletes may submit a joint petition, approved by each of
them, to the League director for an exception to this rule.
Following:
o Upon creation of a new school-based team within
the geographic region of an established composite
team, students who have completed a full season on
the composite team prior to the subdivision may
submit a petition to the League Director to
“grandfather” into the composite team for one full
season
o Petitions for exceptions to this rule are approved at
the sole discretion of the league director, taking the
impact on competition and best interest of the
student into consideration.

POINT SYSTEM
Points are awarded to all finishers. There is a 40-point bonus for JV3
racers and a 75-point bonus for Varsity racers. Racers that do not
finish a race (DNF) will not be awarded any points for that race. See
Appendix A for the Individual Point Scale. In the event of a
successful petition to change categories, individual points earned in

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one category do not transfer to another category. All points earned in

the lower category remain intact for that rider. A student-athlete’s
points scored toward team standings prior to the change in categories
remain unaffected. Students who successfully petition to be placed in
a lower category are still eligible to score individual and team points
in that lower category for the duration of the season.

RACERS AND COACHES ONLY ON THE COURSE

Only student-athletes entered for competition in the event and their
team coaches may ride the designated racecourse at times when no
race is currently taking place. An event is taking place at all times
after the start of a race until the time the last rider in that race
finishes. No coach is permitted to ride the course during an event. A
violation of this rule will result in a team-level penalty against the
associated team of the offender: First Offense: 25-point penalty
deducted from team score on race day Second offense: 50-point
penalty deducted from team score on race day
Third offense: 100-point penalty deducted from team score on race
day

FEEDERS MUST USE THE ZONE

Coaches, parents, or other volunteers may only hand riders food and
drinks in the feed zone. All feeders who are not certified coaches
must be registered as volunteers at the event. Riders will be penalized
for accepting food or drink outside of the feed zone boundaries.
Riders must discard bottles in a safe manner and in the vicinity of the
zone.

YELLOW LEVEL CONSEQUENCES NO INTERFERENCE WITH OTHER

STUDENT-ATHLETES
Feeding one student-athlete must not cause other riders to slow down
or veer off course. A violation of this rule will result in a team-level
penalty against the associated team of the offender:
First Offense: 25-point penalty deducted from team score on race day
Second offense: 50-point penalty deducted from team score on race
day

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Third offense: 100-point penalty deducted from team score on race

day

FOOD AND DRINK ONLY

Student-athletes may not accept items (such as tools, gear, or parts)
within the feed zone boundaries during races, or the outside
assistance penalty will apply (Rule 4.6). If a student needs to refill a
hydration pack, they must do so without outside assistance and out of
the travel lanes of the feed zone.

CLOTHING EXCEPTION
In the event of cold or inclement weather, clothing may be handed to
or taken from racers at the start line or in the feed zone only. Clothing
may not be handed over anywhere else on the racecourse

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NEW JERESY MIDDLE SCHOOL RACING RULES

Our middle school programs will focus on fun, fitness, skills,

responsible trail etiquette and sportsmanship. OUR GUIDING
PRINCIPLE WILL BE TO KEEP IT FUN. Our goal is to retain these
boys and girls in our programs, and the best way to accomplish this is
by providing them with a positive experience at practices and league
events.

There will be three middle school categories for boys and girls, based
on their current grade (6, 7 and 8).

In cases where the combined field size for all middle school racers of
one gender is small, the racers may be started together. The decision
will be made by the Chief Referee and Race Director based on the
venue characteristics and the number of racers, and only if combining
the categories does not adversely affect the safety of the student-
athletes. Racers will be scored within their category, and there will
always be separate podiums by category.

Moving between middle school grade categories is not permitted.

All middle school categories will have an individual race podium (1st
- 5th place). Race day medals will be given to the top five finishers in
each category, and a "NJ Strong" jersey will be awarded to each
winner, which may be worn at any future middle school race at the
student-athletes’ discretion.

Middle school racers will typically complete two laps of the designated
race loop, with bonus lap cutoff times designed to ensure an expected
completion time of 45 minutes for the average rider. In the instance
where a high school loop is presented but deemed to be inappropriate
for middle school racers by the Race Director and Chief Course
Marshal, middle school racers may compete on a different loop.

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There will be no tracking of series overall standings for the middle

school categories and leaders’ jerseys will not be awarded to middle
school racers.

Middle school points will not apply to high school team points.
However, if a middle school racer is granted an upgrade into the
Freshman category (see section below), then that racer’s individual
points will apply to that racer’s high school team points.

Middle school team points will be tallied at each race using the
freshman points model, with team awards given to the top 3. Middle
school team points shall not be cumulative; no season overall awards
will be granted.

Staging for the first race of the season will be done via a random draw,
but subsequent races will have call-ups for the first 20 riders based on
the results from the previous races and the remaining field will be
staged via a random draw. For combined fields, call-ups will be based
on the order of finish times from the previous race across all fields.
Middle school club practices need not occur 3-4 times per week; 1 to
2 practices per week is acceptable and appropriate.

Strict coaching ratios must be applied when managing middle school

practices.

Middle school student parents are strongly encouraged to obtain NICA

coach licenses (Level 1 at minimum) to assist in managing middle
school programs.

New jersey Middle School Category Upgrades

Middle school student-athletes in grades 7 and 8 will be allowed to
petition for a category upgrade (subject to the same rules and deadlines
as high school students) to race in the Freshman high school category
as follows:
• All petitions will be granted or denied at the discretion of
the Petition Committee, based on the committee’s

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assessment of a student-athlete's psychological and

physiological readiness.
• Minimum criteria to be considered for an upgrade petition
to Freshman are:
• Finish time would put you in top 20% of Freshman racers'
first lap (at one or more NICA races); OR
• Extensive racing experience outside of NICA (please
provide race resume and national or regional ranking
information with your petition).
• All petitions must be submitted through the Team
Director or Head Coach to the League Director and are
subject to the same rules and deadlines as high school
petition requests.
• There will be no forced upgrade/category placement for
middle school student-athletes.
• At the beginning of each season all middle school athletes
will be “reset” to the middle school category based on
their current grade in the Pit Zone.
• Any middle school student racing in a high school
category will be allowed to compete for both the
individual awards (race and series), as well as
contributing points to his or her team’s total.

League Tiers
Not applicable in the New Jersey League

Tier Categories
There are 14 ability-based categories:

Boys Categories Girls Categories

6th Grade 6th Grade
7th Grade 7th Grade
8th Grade 8th Grade
Freshman Freshmen
Junior Varsity 3 (JV3) Junior Varsity 3 (JV3)
Junior Varsity 4 (JV4) Junior Varsity 4 (JV4)
Varsity Varsity

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Tier 2 Divisions
Not applicable in the New Jersey League

Category Placement Rules

B. Placement Criteria
Placement criteria are as follows:

Category Eligible Riders

6th Grade 6th graders only

7th Grade 7th graders only

8th Grade 8th graders only

Freshman 9th graders;

7th – 8th graders who:
Successfully petition into the category.

JV3 10th – 12th grade riders who:

Are new to the league; or
Raced Sophomore in the prior year but did not
qualify for JV or Varsity.

JV4 9th - 10th graders who:

Placed in the top 20% in any two Freshman
races in the prior year; or
Placed in the top 20% in any single Freshman
race and placed in the top 20% in the overall
Freshman season standings in the prior year; or
Raced JV in the prior year but did not qualify
to upgrade to Varsity; or
Successfully petition into the category.
11th – 12th graders who:

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Placed in the top 30% in any two Sophomore

races in the prior year; or
Placed in the top 35% in any single Sophomore
race and placed in the top 35% in the overall
Sophomore season standings in the prior year;
or
Raced JV in the prior year but did not qualify
to upgrade to Varsity; or
Successfully petition into the category.

Varsity 9th – 12th graders who:

Placed in the top 25% in any two JV races in
the prior year; or
Placed in the top 30% in any single JV4race
and placed in the top 30% in the overall JV
season standing in the prior year; or
Raced Varsity in the previous year; or
Successfully petition into the category.

COURSE LENGTH AND DIFFICULTY

The ideal NICA cross-country racecourse has a circuit short enough to
require multiple laps for a race and includes terrain that can be
completed by beginner riders. The number of laps should be
determined according to the riders’ ability to complete the race within
a specific time. The event times should be:
d. Middle school: 45 minutes or less for Middle School boys
and girls;
e. 45 to 90 minutes, Freshman and JV3 boys and girls;
f. 60 to 100 minutes, JV4 boys and girls;
g. 90 to 120 minutes, Varsity boys and girls.

TEAM COMPOSITION
The following exceptions to team position apply to the New Jersey
league, with all other rules remaining in effect:
• If five or more student-athletes are from the same school,
they must be subdivided into a separate team and scored

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as representatives of that school. These same-school

student-athletes may submit a joint petition, approved by
each of them, to the League director for an exception to
this rule. following:
1. Upon creation of a new school-based team within
the geographic region of an established
composite team, students who have completed a
full season on the composite team prior to the
subdivision may submit a petition to the League
Director to “grandfather” into the composite
team for the remainder of their time in the league.
2. Petitions for exceptions to this rule are approved
at the sole discretion of the league director,
taking the impact on competition and best
interest of the student into consideration.
3. Teams of fifteen (15) or more student-athletes,
excluding any middle school riders must be
subdivided into separate, independently scoring
teams of eleven or fewer riders each. Upon
subdivision, student-athletes shall be placed on
teams based on the following:
a. First — Student-athletes attending the
same school must be on the same
subdivided team; and
b. Second — Student-athletes shall be
placed on subdivided teams according to
the proximity of their homes.

POINT SYSTEM
Points are awarded to all finishers. There is a 40-point bonus for JV4
racers and a 75-point bonus for Varsity racers. Racers that do not finish
a race (DNF) will not be awarded any points for that race.

See Appendix A for the Individual Point Scale.

In the event of a successful petition to change categories, individual

points earned in one category do not transfer to another category. All

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Appendix B – League Exceptions New Jersey

points earned in the lower category remain intact for that rider. A
student-athlete’s points scored toward team standings prior to the
change in categories remain unaffected. Students who successfully
petition to be placed in a lower category are still eligible to score
individual and team points in that lower category for the duration of
the season.

RACERS AND COACHES ONLY ON THE COURSE

Only student-athletes entered for competition in the event and their
team coaches may ride the designated racecourse at times when no race
is currently taking place. An event is taking place at all times after the
start of a race until the time the last rider in that race finishes. No coach
is permitted to ride the course during an event.
A violation of this rule will result in a team-level penalty against the
associated team of the offender:

First Offense: 25-point penalty deducted from team score on race day
Second offense: 50-point penalty deducted from team score on race
day
Third offense: 100-point penalty deducted from team score on race
day

FEEDERS MUST USE THE ZONE

Coaches, parents, or other volunteers may only hand riders food and
drinks in the feed zone. All feeders who are not certified coaches must
be registered as volunteers at the event. Riders will be penalized for
accepting food or drink outside of the feed zone boundaries. Riders
must discard bottles in a safe manner and in the vicinity of the zone.

YELLOW LEVEL CONSEQUENCES

NO INTERFERENCE WITH OTHER STUDENT-ATHLETES

Feeding one student-athlete must not cause other riders to slow down
or veer off course.

A violation of this rule will result in a team-level penalty against the

associated team of the offender:

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First Offense: 25-point penalty deducted from team score on race day
Second offense: 50-point penalty deducted from team score on race
day
Third offense: 100-point penalty deducted from team score on race
day

FOOD AND DRINK ONLY

Student-athletes may not accept items (such as tools, gear, or parts)
within the feed zone boundaries during races, or the outside assistance
penalty will apply (Rule 4.6). If a student needs to refill a hydration
pack, they must do so without outside assistance and out of the travel
lanes of the zone.

CLOTHING EXCEPTION
In the event of cold or inclement weather, clothing may be handed to
or taken from racers in the feed zone only. Clothing may not be handed
over anywhere else on the racecourse.

New Jersey Appendix A – Individual Points Scale

MS (for team
PLACE calcs), FROSH & JV 4 VARSITY
JV3

1 500 540 575

2 490 530 565

3 481 521 556

4 472 512 547

5 464 504 539

6 456 496 531

7 448 488 523

8 441 481 516

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Appendix B – League Exceptions New Jersey

9 434 474 509

10 427 467 502

11 420 460 495

12 414 454 489

13 408 448 483

14 402 442 477

15 396 436 471

16 390 430 465

17 385 425 460

18 380 420 455

19 375 415 450

20 370 410 445

21 365 405 440

22 360 400 435

23 356 396 431

24 352 392 427

25 348 388 423

26 344 384 419

27 340 380 415

28 336 376 411

29 332 372 407

30 329 369 404

31 326 366 401

32 323 363 398

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Appendix B – League Exceptions New Jersey

33 320 360 395

34 317 357 392

35 314 354 389

36 311 351 386

37 308 348 383

38 306 346 381

39 304 344 379

40 302 342 377

41 300 340 375

42 298 338 373

43 296 336 371

44 294 334 369

45 292 332 367

46 290 330 365

47 289 329 364

48 288 328 363

49 287 327 362

50 286 326 361

51 285 325 360

52 284 324 359

53 283 323 358

54 282 322 357

55 281 321 356

56 280 320 355

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Appendix B – League Exceptions North Carolina

Middle School Categories

• MS-6 Girls
• MS-7 Girls
• MS-8 Girls
• MS-A Girls
• MS-6 Boys
• MS-7 Boys
• MS-8 Boys
• MS-7A Boys
• MS-8A Boys

Middle School Placement

MS-6 Boys and Girls All 6th Grade Boys and Girls
MS-7 Boys and Girls All 7th Grade Boys and Girls
except those who qualified for
the Boys MS-7A or Girls MS-A
category.
MS-8 Boys and Girls All 8th Grade Boys and Girls
except those who qualified for
the Boys MS-8A or Girls MS-A
category.
MS-A Girls Any 7th Grade Girl who finished
in the top 25% of the Girls MS-6
category, plus any 8th Grade Girl
who finished in the top 50% of
Girls MS-7 category.
MS-7A Boys Any 7th Grade Boy who finished
in the top 25% of the Boys MS-6
category.
MS-8A Boys Any 8th Grade Boy who finished
in the top 25% of the Boys MS-7
category, plus all boys in the
MS-7A category.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions North Carolina

High School Categories

• Freshman Girls
• JV1 Girls
• JV2 Girls
• Varsity Girls
• Freshman Boys
• JV1 Boys
• JV2 Boys
• Varsity Boys

High School Placement

Freshman Boys and Girls All 9th Grade Boys and Girl
except those who qualified for
JV or other categories.
JV1 Boys and Girls All 10th, 11th, and 12th Grade
Boys and Girls except those
who qualified for other
categories. 9th Grade Boys and
Girls who finished in the top
25% of any two MS-A races or
finished in the top 30% MS-A
categories.
JV2 Boys and Girls 10th, 11th and 12th Grade Boys
and Girls who finished in the
top 25% of any two JV1 races
or in the top 30% of the JV1
category. 10th Grade Boys and
Girls who finished in the top
25% of any two Freshman races
or the top 30% of the Freshman
category. 10th, 11th and 12th
Grade Boys and Girls who
raced in JV2 in the prior year

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Appendix B – League Exceptions North Carolina

but are not racing Varsity in the

present year.
Varsity Boys and Girls 10th, 11th and 12th Grade Boys
and Girls who finished in the
top 25% of any JV2 race or
finished in the top 30% of the
JV2 Categories. 10th, 11th and
12th Grade Boys and Girls who
finished in the top 10% of any
JV1 race of the top 15% of the
JV1 category. 10th, 11th and 12th
Grade Boys and Girls who
raced in Varsity in the prior year

Petition Paths

• 6th Grade Girls and Boys with a proven NCICL record

and/or outside results may petition to race up to MS-A Girls
or MS-7A Boys.
• 7th Grade Girls and Boys with a proven NCICL record
and/or outside results may petition to race up to MS-A Girls
or MS-8A Boys.
• 8th Grade Girls and Boys with a proven NCICL record
and/or outside results may petition to race up to MS-A Girls
or MS-8A Boys or Freshman.
• 9th Grade Girls and Boys with a proven NCICL record
and/or outside results may petition to race up to JV1 or JV2.
• 10th, 11th, and 12th Grade Girls and Boys with a proven
NCICL record and/or outside results may petition to race up
to JV2 or Varsity.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Pennsylvania

League Tiers
Not applicable in the Pennsylvania League

Tier Categories
There are 14 ability-based categories:
Boys Categories Girls Categories
6th Grade 6th Grade
7th Grade 7th Grade
8th Grade 8th Grade
Freshman Freshmen
Junior Varsity 2 (JV2) Junior Varsity 2 (JV2)
Junior Varsity 3 (JV3) Junior Varsity 3 (JV3)
Varsity Varsity

Tier 2 Divisions
Not applicable in the Pennsylvania League

Category Placement Rules

Note: upgrades are based only on points from race results and do
NOT include bonus points for race attendance, Teen Trail Corps, or
any other bonus structure.

Placement Criteria
Placement criteria are as follows:
Category Eligible Riders
6th Grade 6th graders only
7th Grade 7th graders only
8th Grade 8th graders only
Freshman 9th graders and
8th graders who:
Successfully petition into the category

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Pennsylvania

JV2 10th–12th graders.

JV3 8-10th graders who:

a) Placed in the top 10% in any two races in the
prior year;
b) Placed in the top 15% of the overall season
standings in the prior year; or
c) Successfully petitions into the category.

JV2 student-athletes who:

a) Placed in the top 25% in any two races in the
prior year;
b) Placed in the top 30% of the overall season
standings in the prior year;
c) Successfully petitions into the category.
JV 3 student-athletes who:
a) Raced in JV3 the previous year but did
automatically upgrade to Varsity; or

Varsity Freshman and JV2 student-athletes who:

a) successfully petition into the category.
JV3 student-athletes who:
a) Placed in the top 25% in any two races in the
prior year;
b) Placed in the top 30% of the overall season
standings in the prior year; or
c) Successfully petitions into the category.
Varsity student-athlete who:
● raced Varsity the previous year.

Petitioning for a placement criteria exception

Petitions for an exception to the Placement Criteria and requests for
placement into another category may be submitted to the league
director. Petition forms are available from coaches or the league
director.

Petitions require a race resume covering the past 12 months’ race

activities when requesting a move up in category.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Pennsylvania

The petition requires a coach’s comments and signature. If there is no

coach, the student must contact the league director and a coach
advisor will be appointed. (A parent may be approved as the advisor.)
Petitions must be submitted with sufficient time for consideration.
Allow a minimum of five business days from the date of submission
for a decision on the petition. No exceptions! 2017-2018 Rules &
Guidelines 17 Pending the outcome of the petition, the petitioning
student must compete in the category determined by the Placement
Criteria.

Course Length and Difficulty

The race duration in the schedule below is based on total race time.
The number of laps will be determined according to the riders’ ability
to complete the race within a specific time, course length, and course
conditions on event day.
Category Duration
6th Grade 45 minutes or less
7th Grade 45 minutes or less:
8th Grade 45 minutes or less:
Freshmen 45 to 70 minutes
JV2 45 to 70 minutes
JV 3 60 to 80 minutes
Varsity 75-100 minutes +

Individual Series Scoring

Student-athletes compete against other racers in the same category.
Individual scoring is not divided by wave or staging. See categories.

Point System
Points are awarded to all finishers. There is a 50 point bonus for
Freshman and Sophomore categories, a 90 point bonus for JV racers
and a 125 point bonus for Varsity racers. A single point is awarded to
all riders that start a race but do not complete the race.

In the event of a successful petition to change categories under Rule

3.6, individual points earned in one category do not transfer to
another category. All points earned in the lower category remain

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Pennsylvania

intact for that rider. The upgraded rider does not lose standing in the
lower category, and can earn new points in the new category. A
student-athlete’s points scored toward team standings prior to the
change in categories remain unaffected. Students who successfully
petition to be placed in a lower category are still eligible score team
points in that lower category for the duration of the season. Students
who successfully petition to a lower category are eligible to score
points in that new category standings for the duration of the season.

See Modified PENNSYLVANIA APPENDIX A below.

Point bonus for starting all races

All student-athletes who start each and every race in a season,
regardless of category, shall be awarded an additional 25 Season
Bonus Points.

If a race is cancelled, it will not count as a season race and Season

Bonus Points shall still be awarded if all other season races are
started.

Season Bonus Points are awarded to individuals following the

calculation of overall series points after the final race. Season Bonus
Points are not added to points scored in the final race nor are they
added into the team score.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA APPENDIX A

Place Middle School Freshman & JV2 JV3 Varsity

1 450 500 540 575

2 440 490 530 565

3 431 481 521 556

4 422 472 512 547

5 414 464 504 539

6 406 456 496 531

7 398 448 488 523

8 391 441 481 516

9 384 434 474 509

10 377 427 467 502

11 370 420 460 495

12 364 414 454 489

13 358 408 448 483

14 352 402 442 477

15 346 396 436 471

16 340 390 430 465

17 335 385 425 460

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Pennsylvania

18 330 380 420 455

19 325 375 415 450

20 320 370 410 445

21 315 365 405 440

22 310 360 400 435

23 306 356 396 431

24 302 352 392 427

25 298 348 388 423

26 294 344 384 419

27 290 340 380 415

28 286 336 376 411

29 282 332 372 407

30 279 329 369 404

31 276 326 366 401

32 273 323 363 398

33 270 320 360 395

34 267 317 357 392

35 264 314 354 389

36 261 311 351 386

37 258 308 348 383

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Pennsylvania

38 256 306 346 381

39 254 304 344 379

40 252 302 342 377

41 250 300 340 375

42 248 298 338 373

43 246 296 336 371

44 244 294 334 369

45 242 292 332 367

46 240 290 330 365

47 239 289 329 364

48 238 288 328 363

49 237 287 327 362

50 236 286 326 361

Awards at each race

Individual medals are awarded at least five places deep at each race,
including the State Championships, except in the case of races with
2017-2018 Rules & Guidelines 48 field sizes with fewer than 20
student-athletes, in which case medals are awarded at least three
places deep.

Team trophies are awarded at least three places deep in each division
at each race, including the State Championships.

Teen Trail Corps awards will be awarded at each event.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Pennsylvania

Teen Trail Corps (TTC)

A. Tracking
All team hours must be tracked through the League’s TTC google
spreadsheet
Trail work hours must be quantified by ¼ hour blocks
Hours must be submitted by the weekly deadline of 11:59pm
Wednesday nights, beginning 1 week before the first race of the
season. No backlogged trail hours will count toward TTC awards.
Annually, TTC points tracking will conclude on the Wednesday two
weeks before the originally scheduled date for the PA Finals
weekend.

B. Points
Individual Points
Riders can earn up to 25 bonus points toward their year end
individual score. Hours accrued in trail maintenance work will award
points in the following manner.

25 points max.
Hour 1-4 = 5 points each Hours 5-9 = 1 point each

Trail work hours must be completed during official team practices, as

described in NICA TTC rules, or local trail club work days, and
verified by a coach or the trail work organizer.

This status must be achieved annually in order to qualify for bonus

points in current season.

b. TTC Captain Bonus

Points are awarded once Speak, Respect, and Ride patches are earned
= 10 bonus points for TTC Captain status.
This status must be achieved annually in order to qualify for bonus
points in current season.

All TTC bonus points will be applied at the end of the season, along
with the attendance bonus, to the rider’s current race category and
will be added to any race points totals in order to crown the end of
season race champions.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Pennsylvania

c. Team Points
Team TTC Points and championship will be awarded based on the
average amount of TTC hours per team member.
The calculation=total amount of hours the team riders work during
the course of the current season divided by the number of riders on
the roster as of Sept 30 of the current year.

This average will be directly converted to points and multiplied by a

factor of 1000. The team points will be capped at maximum of 10,000
points for the year.

C. Awards and Recognition

TTC Individual Leaders will be recognized with leaders jerseys
presented on the podiums of the league events.

Individual Leader Jersey per Age Group (not racing category)

The leading team each week will be recognized each weekend of the
season via announcements and social media and the top overall male,
female, and team will be awarded a TTC Trophy at the year.

Race Venue Rules

No Dogs
No Open Fires
No Grills in Pitzone — No exceptions to this unless a venue has a
designated grill area. Any such area will be denoted on a venue map.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Tennessee

Middle School Experience:

Middle school participation focuses on fun while developing skills,
fitness and trail etiquette as the primary goals. Competition is a
secondary goal.

All NICA rules, as published in the current handbook apply to the

middle school races unless they are specifically addressed here.

Tennessee League Middle School Program

A. Middle School Racing Rules

1) There are three middle school categories for both the boys
and girls based on their grade — 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.
2) Each middle school category will have an individual race
podium with series overall standings and leaders’ jerseys.
3) Middle school points will not apply to team points.
However, if a middle school racer is granted an upgrade into
a high school category, then that racer’s individual points
will apply to that racer’s high school team points.
4) Petitioning to move between middle school categories is not
allowed. Petitioning to move up to a high school category is
allowed when meeting the upgrade criteria as defined
below.
5) Racers that finish in the top 10% of their middle school
category will be allowed to submit a petition to upgrade.
Such a petition is not an automatic and must be supported by
additional information to justify the upgrade.
6) First Race staging will be done via a random draw, but
subsequent races will have call-ups are according to current
overall point standings.

B. Middle School Category Upgrades

At the beginning of each season all middle school athletes will be

“reset” to their respective middle school categories in the Pit Zone.
Middle school athletes will be allowed to petition for a category
upgrade (subject to the same rules and deadlines as high school

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Tennessee

students) to race in one of the middle school or high school categories

as follows:

1) Any returning middle school student who upgraded and

raced in a high school category during the previous season
will be allowed to re-petition for an upgrade.
2) Category Placement will be used to determine a middle
school athlete’s eligibility for a high school upgrade.
Students not meeting the upgrade criteria for JV will only be
allowed to petition for an upgrade to Freshman high school
category.
3) All other middle school athletes (new racers and those that
did not upgrade and race in the previous season) must race at
least one middle school category race prior to requesting an
upgrade to the Freshman category. These students are only
allowed to request an upgrade to the Freshman category.
4) Category upgrade decisions will be based on the following:
5) Racers must finish in the top 15% for boys or top 20% for
girls in at least one middle school race;
6) All petitions must follow the same rules and deadlines as
high school petition requests; and
7) Racers with extensive outside race experience and at least
five non-NICA podium finishes may also petition to upgrade
to Freshman category.
8) All petitions must be submitted through the Team Director
to the League Director. A committee will review all petitions
and either grant or deny the request based on the information
provided.
9) Any middle school student racing in a high school category
will be allowed to compete for both the individual awards
(race and series) as well as contributing points to his or her
team’s total.

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 Appendix B – League Exceptions Texas

Category Placement for Texas League

6th Grade 6th graders only
7th Grade 7th graders only
8th Grade 8th graders only
Freshman 9th graders only
JV 2 All 10th, 11th, and 12th Grade Boys and Girls except
those who qualified for other categories
JV 1 10th grade Boys and Girls who :

a) Placed in the top 25% in any two Freshman

races in the prior year, or placed in the top
30% of the Freshman overall season
standings in the prior year

10th – 12th grade Boys and Girls who

a) Placed in the top 25% in any two JV2 races

in the prior year, or placed in the top 30% of
the JV2 overall season standings in the prior
year, or

b) Raced JV1 in the prior year but did not

qualify to upgrade to Varsity.

Varsity 10th – 12th grade Boys and Girls who:

a) Placed in the top 25% in any two JV races

in the prior year, or placed in the top 30% of
the JV overall season standings in the prior
year, or

b) Raced Varsity the prior year.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Virginia

Placement criteria, excluding petitions, are as follows:

Category
MS Girls 6-8th graders placed in A or B category
MS Boys 6-8th graders placed in A,B or C category
Freshman 9th graders only.
Sophomore 10th graders only.
JV 8th–10th graders who:
Placed in the top 10% for boys or top 20% for girls
in any two Freshman races in the prior year, or

Placed in the top 10% for boys or top 20% for girls
in a single Freshman race and placed in the same top
percentile (10% or 20%) in the overall Freshman
season standings in the prior year, or

Raced JV in the prior year but did not qualify to

upgrade to Varsity.

11th graders-12th graders who did not qualify to

upgrade to Varsity.
Varsity 8th*–11th graders who:
Placed in the top 5% for boys or top 10% for girls in
any two Sophomore races in the prior year, or

Placed in the top 5% for boys or top 10% for girls in

a single Sophomore race and placed in the same top
percentile (5% or 10%) in the overall Sophomore
season standings in the prior year.

8th–12th graders who:

Placed in the top 15% for boys or top 30% for girls
in any two JV races in the prior year, or

Placed in the top 15% for boys or top 30% for girls
in any single race and placed in the same top
percentile (15% or 30%) in the overall JV season
standings in the prior year, or
Raced Varsity the prior year.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions West Virginia

West Virginia Middle School Program

1. Middle School Racing Rules.
There are three middle school categories for both the boys and girls
based on their grade — 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.

Each middle school category will have an individual race podium.

Middle school points will not apply to team points. However, if a
middle school racer is granted an upgrade into a high school category,
then that racer’s individual points will apply to that racer’s high school
team points.

Racers that finish in the top 10% of their middle school category will
be allowed to submit a petition to upgrade to Freshman. Such a petition
does not result in automatic upgrade and instead must be supported by
additional information to justify the request to upgrade. All petitions
for upgrades are subject to League Director discretion and approval
First Race staging will be done via a random draw, but subsequent
races will have call-ups as follows:

1. 6th, 7th, and 8th grade categories: results from previous

race will determine call-ups and the remaining field will
be staged via a random draw;
2. Middle School Category Upgrades.
3. At the beginning of each season, all middle school
athletes will be “reset” to their respective middle school
categories in the Pit Zone. Middle school athletes will be
allowed to petition for a category upgrade (subject to the
same rules and deadlines as high school students) to race
in a higher race category.
4. Any returning middle school student who upgraded and
raced in a high school category during the previous
season will be allowed to re-petition for an upgrade to
either the Freshman or the JV category. All petitions for
upgrades are subject to League Director discretion and
approval.

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Wisconsin

Placement criteria, excluding petitions, are as follows:

Category
6th Grade 6th graders only
7th Grade 7th graders only
8th Grade 8th graders only
Freshman 9th graders only
JV2 10th- 12th graders
JV3 9th graders who:

Placed in the top 10% in any two Freshman races

in the prior year, or Placed in the top 15% of the
overall Freshman season standings in the prior
year, or successfully petitions into the category

JV2 student-athletes who:

Placed in the top 20% in any two races in the

prior year, or placed in the top 30% of overall
season standings in the prior year, or

JV3 student-athletes who:

Raced in JV 3 the previous year but did not

automatically upgrade to Varsity or successfully
petitions into the category

Varsity 8th*–11th graders who:

Placed in the top 5% for boys or top 10% for

girls in any two JV2 races in the prior year, or
placed in the top 5% for boys or top 10% for girls
in a single JV2 race and placed in the same top
percentile (5% or 10%) in the overall JV2 season
standings in the prior year.

8th–12th graders who:

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Appendix B – League Exceptions Wisconsin

Placed in the top 15% for boys or top 30% for

girls in any two JV1 races in the prior year, or

placed in the top 15% for boys or top 30% for

girls in any single race and placed in the same
top percentile (15% or 30%) in the overall JV1
season standings in the prior year, or raced
Varsity the previous year.

RULE 7.4 Wisconsin statute 118.133 requires school districts to permit

students enrolled in home-based private educational programs
(homeschools) to participate in interscholastic athletics in their school
district on the same basis and the to the same extent as students
enrolled in the public school district. Therefore, homeschooled
student-athletes may compete as members of the school-based teams
in their school districts that they would be allowed to join under
section 118.133 and in compliance with all team eligibility
requirements

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Appendix C – Code of Conduct

NICA Adult Code of Conduct

Welcome to the NICA community! Adults within the NICA

Community agree to follow this code of conduct to maintain a
culture of safety, responsibility and respect. You are asked to
review and agree to this adult code of conduct during the
registration process.

Maintain appropriate behavior for an adult leader associated with a

youth development organization by:
• Follow your training and NICA Policies, Rules and
Guidelines at all times.
• Follow athlete abuse prevention training, policies, rules and
guidelines and particularly:
• Never engage in behavior that could be interpreted
as “grooming behavior” (further described in
mandatory athlete abuse prevention training)
• All 1:1 interaction between a student-athlete and
coach must be observable & interruptible. That is,
they must take place someplace where another adult
can see what is happening and intervene if the
interaction looks inappropriate. For example, unless
immediate family members, NICA Coaches should
never meet 1:1 with student-athletes for bike rides
or other activities within or outside of the NICA
season.
• If deciding to use phone, social media, online or
other virtual communications, the 1:1 policy still
applies. Keep communications transparent,
accessible, professional “T.A.P.” and only within
your NICA role via your official NICA platforms.
• Sexual harassment by NICA community members will not
be tolerated. These forms of harassment include, but are not
limited to: offensive or unwelcome sexual flirtations,

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Appendix C – Code of Conduct

advances or propositions, repeated 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 will also not be tolerated.
• Discrimination by NICA community members will not be
tolerated. NICA prohibits discrimination and harassment of
any type with regard to race, color, religion, age, sex,
national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran
status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or
any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local
laws.
• Participants’ safety must be a priority at ALL times. It is
imperative that we ensure that student-athletes are behaving
in a safe, responsible and respectful manner. If you see or
hear something that in any way compromises the safety of
our community, it is your job to step in and intervene.
• Operate within your NICA training and experience while
only providing NICA-approved activities.
• Use your best judgment. If you have concerns that a task,
project or activity you are working on is dangerous, or is not
going to meet the agreed-upon objectives let the person in
charge know.
• Regardless of your specific role, you are a role model and
authority figure.
• Your primary role is to ensure the safety of participants
within each activity or event.
• Be supportive. If a fellow NICA community member is
struggling, it is expected that you support them. If you are
unable, let the person in charge know.
• Be transparent. If you have a concern, share it with the
person in charge. If the person in charge is the person with
whom you have a concern, share it with your league
director.
• Always support each individual in their leadership role.
• Work as a team. Present a unified front to the student-
athletes, their families and the broader NICA community.

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• Communicate. Be open to giving and receiving feedback.

• Address all concerns brought to your attention, including
any observed prejudice or discriminatory behavior.
• Ensure guardians know key aspects of your NICA activities
including start-times, end-times, locations and other
information
• When leading or promoting an activity or event not
associated with NICA, be sure to communicate it is not.

I understand and will follow the NICA Policy, Rules and Guidelines
as additionally described in my training, student-athlete code of
conduct, NICA handbook, NICA Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies
and NICA Guide to Electronic Communications. I also understand
that failure to do so may lead to my immediate suspension or
expulsion from national and/or state league and team activities.

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Appendix C – Code of Conduct

Student-Athlete Code of Conduct

Welcome to the NICA community! As a representative of the

community, student-athletes and parents/caregivers agree to
follow this code of conduct to maintain a culture of safety,
responsibility and respect.

Parents and guardians are asked to review and agree to the code
of conduct with their children during the registration process.

Be Safe • Always wear a helmet

• Be prepared with additional safety gear: gloves,
glasses, and extra clothes to match the weather
• Be prepared with a working bike and perform an
ABCDE bike check (Air, Brakes, Chain,
Derailleur, Everything Else)
• Ride within your limits
• Ride with someone else in isolated areas
• Never use any performance enhancing drug
described in the NICA Handbook:
https://www.nationalmtb.org/blog/wp-
content/uploads/NICA-Handbook.pdf
• Plan ahead and let your family or caregivers
know where you are going and when you plan to
return
• Avoid contact with wildlife
• Understand the dangers of the native plants and
avoid poisonous plants, stay on the trail

Be • Be prepared with the water, food, and clothing

Responsible that you need to complete the ride
• Come to practice with a clean and well-
maintained bike
• Be accountable for your actions and choices
• Never consume alcohol or use any illegal drugs

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Appendix C – Code of Conduct

• Ride only on designated and legal trails and

routes
• Follow additional rules that may be associated
with team’s school or league affiliations

Be • Respect coaches, teammates, competitors, trail

Respectful users and other community members
o Treat everyone with dignity and
respect
o Avoid language and actions that may
be perceived as bullying or harassment.
o Be inclusive and welcoming to new
athletes, coaches, competitors, and
other trail users
o Use appropriate language
• Move aside to allow others to pass you safely.
• Announce your passing, intention, and specify
the passing side.
• Do your best when racing or riding your bike.
• Ride with courtesy at races, at practice, and in
the community.
• Seek consent before touching, hugging and
otherwise embracing teammates and coaches.
• Slow down when approaching other trail users
• Provide right of way to pedestrians and
equestrians and stop and ask for passing
instructions from equestrians.
• Leave no trace or trash on the trail.
• Ride on trails when the weather and surface
conditions will not cause damage.
• Perform trail maintenance on trails only with full
permission and permits from the land
owner/manager.

I acknowledge I will review this code of conduct with my Student-

Athlete and they will follow the NICA Rules and Guidelines as
additionally described in the NICA handbook. I also understand that

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Appendix C – Code of Conduct

failure to do so may lead to his or her suspension or expulsion from

national and/or state league activities.

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