Adirondack Sports May 2023

MOUNTAIN BIKING
MAY 2023 9
◀ ERIN SMITH AT FIRST 2023 NICA RACE IN THORNWOOD.
NICA Spring Season
Athlete Spotlight: Erin Smith
By Bob Frank
▲ ERIN SMITH AT A 2022 NICA RACE.
SHE HAS WON OVER 20 VARSITY RACES.
Although it had rained heavily the night before
and the trails were a challenging, muddy
mess, you would have never known that by
the excitement and smiles on the faces of the 200+
participants and dozens of coaches at the kickoff
race of the spring National Interscholastic Cycling
Association NY League mountain bike race season.
This is the 10th season for the NY League which
is comprised of about 25 teams from across the state.
While the league has enjoyed steady growth over the
years, the makeup of the teams has changed recently.
The number of junior high school participants has
skyrocketed, especially in the Capital Region, due primarily
from the launching of the “Flow Riders” and
“Saratoga Shredders” kids’ mountain bike programs,
which between them have over 400 local riders! The
overall competitiveness of the league has increased as
well, driven in large part from the growth and depth of
female student-athletes. Roughly 30% of the league is
girls and there are special programs, such as the Girls
Riding Together (GRiT) program which helps them
be successful.
GRiT NY strives to continue NICA’s core values
of friendship, joy and adventure to create a program
that is not only fun but creates experiences for girls
to embark on adventures on and off the trails. Their
mantra is to value inclusivity and truly believe if you
want to bike, no matter the skill level or experience,
EVERY GIRL is welcome and supported! They believe
that biking and GRiT is an invitation that unites anyone
who just likes to bike and where friendship, joy
and adventure can start and flourish.
While the number of girls is on the rise it is no surprise
that several teams are in fact led by their female
student athletes. This is important because the league
is unique in that although the boys and girls compete
separately, the points awarded to the top place finishers,
boys and girls, are the same. Therefore, the winner
of the highly coveted overall team competition is
determined by adding the points together of the top
male and female participants for each team.
One such athlete that has been a force for her
team and has dominated the league for the last several
years is Erin Smith. She is a junior at Scotia-Glenville
High School and races for R-Cubed, which is one of the
local composite mountain bike teams made up of student
athletes from several area schools. Erin started mountain
biking like many other kids by tagging along with her dad
on rides. In sixth grade she did her first race and by seventh
grade she moved up quickly to varsity. She is currently the
four-time NY defending state champ. In the last five years,
Erin has won over 20 varsity races and by the time she graduates
next year she will mostly likely have accumulated
more points for her team than any other student athlete in
the 10-year history of the NY league.
Erin’s success comes from having a high level of passion
for the sport and a lot of year-round hard work and
training. She also competes for her school’s cross-country
running team in the fall and Nordic skiing team in the
winter. This last year, she placed tenth in Section 2 Nordic
skiing championships and competed at NYS championships
at Bristol Mountain.
As Erin has progressed so has her training. She now
has a coach and follows a more regimented routine which
tracks heart rate zones and perceived exertion, while also
being mindful of rest and nutrition. After high school, she
hopes to compete at the collegiate level as well.
Erin sees a difference between competing for her high
school teams versus competing in the NICA mountain bike
league. While she likes the competitiveness amongst the
high school teams, she also appreciates and enjoys the culture
and overall community of the mountain bike league.
The coaches, parents and participants are often supportive
of one another, despite racing against each other. This
makes for a unique and satisfying experience. Erin also
has become a role model for many of the younger kids.
It never ceases to amaze me how a subtle gesture or word
of encouragement can have a profound impact on young
athletes. NICA is fortunate to have some amazing past and
current athletes who continue to give back to the sport by
being excellent role models.
The NICA GRiT program has also done a lot to promote
mountain biking for girls in the state. It increases
their awareness of NICA programs by offering girls-only
social and riding opportunities for girls, moms, friends,
siblings and female coaches. GRiT day rides, local businesses
partnerships, camps, and student-athlete ambassador
programs are just a few ways they promote the sport.
GRiT NY strives to continue NICA’s core values of friendship,
joy and adventure. The goal is a program that is fun
and creates experiences for girls to embark on adventures
on and off the trails.
Today NICA has over 25,000 participants and leagues
in 31 states. Most states have a four- or five-race schedule,
held in the spring or fall depending on the regional climate.
In New York, the races are held in the spring. NICA
is guided by values of fun, inclusivity, equity, respect, and
community. Every youth is empowered to be part of a
thriving and engaged cycling community. The goal is to
build “strong minds, bodies, character, and communities
through cycling.”
If you are interested in joining a local team, you are
in luck, there are five of them: Niskayuna-Mohawk
Composite “Mountain Goats,” R-Cubed NICA, Grey
Ghost Composite, Saratoga Shredders NICA Team, and
Rensselaer RedHawks.
Here’s the spring race schedule: 4/23, Cobweb Shredder
XC at EF Academy in Thornwood; 5/7, Mountain Hugger
XC at Walnut Mountain in Liberty; 5/21, The Farm at Tilden
Hill Farm in Vernon; 6/4, Hyde Bay XC at Glimmerglass
State Park, Cooperstown; and 6/11, Land of Lakes XC
Championship in Old Forge.
The area teams have a long history of being very competitive
in the league. The Niskayuna-Mohawk Composite
“Mountain Goats” are the defending state league champions
and won the first race of the 2023 season. If you’re interested
in learning more about the league, starting a team or
participating on a team, here are the primary contacts. In
addition, all the teams have a presence on social media.
NICA: nationalmtb.org. NICA NY: newyorkmtb.org.
Bob Frank (jfrank10@nycap.rr.com) lives in Niskayuna
and is a “lifetime cyclist.” He’s an assistant coach for
the Niskayuna and Mohawk teams and enjoys many
outdoor activities.