Season Three Planning
Coach Leadership Meeting - 9/22/2022
Attendees
Bree
Halle
Cassie
Marcella
Shoop
Bryon
Billy
Jacob
Meeting Practice Location
We began by sharing positive things that we like about the current week-day practice location (Bicycle House). That was followed by sharing challenges, risks and concerns that are related to the current week-day practice location. After that we all offered a set of options, other places or other ways that we could manage our week-day practice location. Details follow and the lists are in no particular order.
The current week-day practice/meeting location...
is centrally located within Tallahassee
allows some student athletes and coaches are able to ride bikes to practice
is in close proximity to lower socioeconomic zip codes, which reduces barriers to access for some of our target, underrepresented demographics
is at Bike House, who have been a great partner and huge supporter of the team
is at Bike House, which have performed quick fixes for bike issues either before or after practice
has increased volunteerism, interest / foot traffic, and community growth at Bicycle House
has access to water and restrooms
offers bike storage, which two student athletes used to reduce transportation complexity
exposes the team to a wide range of community members, some of them in demographics that are typically marginalized and often "invisible". This creates the opportunity for coaches to model positive behaviors.
requires group rides at every practice, which encourages navigation skills, familiarity with city infrastructure, experience with various routes, and provides an opportunity to practice and model etiquette
is in a pretty sheltered area, resulting in relatively low vehicle traffic
has been consistent for two seasons, which builds familiarity and confidence
has ample parking
The current week-day practice/meeting location is challenging because...
meeting and gathering in a parking lot increases risk (asphalt, cars and bikes in the same space)
commuting to practice locations increases risk (asphalt, cars and bikes, intersections, etc)
some amount of the practice time is a group ride on asphalt, which is not our target, we want to be on trails
Bicycle House will be moving at some point in the future, but there is uncertainty around when/where they will be moving
every practice requires that we cross some intersections, for example FAMU Way traffic circle when heading west and Adams Street when heading east
since a group ride is required for every practice, all practices must conform to the 6:1 or 8:2 coach rider ratio. We've had to cancel practices due to not enough coaches.
we often organize twice for each practice, once when we meet, then again when we arrive at the practice location, resulting in less time on the bike
we need to ride for about 30 minutes to reach single track and only three trails are within a radius that we can reach
it is far enough away from the North Side that we've received feedback that this has been a barrier to access for some families on that side of town
Following are some options that were discussed
Continue to meet at Bicycle House and adjust as necessary when they move locations
Move the week-day practice/meeting location to a local park
Tom Brown Park
Governor's Park
Myers Park
Munson Hills
Alford Greenway
Miccosukee Greenway
Phipps / Forrest Meadows / Redbug area
Alternate the week-day practice between multiple locations
Practice Start Times and Durations
Challenges
Lack of light during the first half of the season
The 4:30 PM week-day start time presents a challenge for some families due to school and work conflicts
The 9:00 AM weekend trail ride start time presents a challenge for some student athletes
Ending a practice late (after 8:00 PM) would present a challenge for some families and coaches
A 2.5 hour practice when we're not doing a trail ride can feel excessively long
Options / Alternatives
Move start time to 5:00 PM and decrease duration to 1 hour for first three months, increasing to 2.5 hours as daylight increases
Move trail ride start time to 10:00 AM
Use a mix of trail ride start times, some mornings, some afternoons
Use a mix of durations throughout the season (longer days for trail rides, shorter for skills/games/free-play)
Start of Practice
Challenges
Risky / inappropriate behavior and unsupervised activities
Making jumps
Doing wheelies
Riding on unsafe infrastructure such as pallets
Undiagnosed or missing gear issues
Forgotten helmets
No water bottle
No lights
Service availability
Bathrooms
Water
Bike storage or transportation
Late arrivals or parents attempting to meet the team in route or on trail
Attendance / head count
Options / Alternatives
Sign-in sheet (instead of a coach taking attendance)
Games set up before practice starts, student athletes join in when the sign-in
Developing Leadership in Student Athletes
Ideas
Coach-in-Training (CIT) Program
An opt-in group available to any SA with at least two seasons on the team
Can instill a sense of ownership in the practice and leadership on the team
CITs will...
Lead ABCDE bike check
Demo skills during skill instruction
Setup a short course
Helps free coaches from routine tasks allowing more time for communication, planning, etc
Improve Student Athlete Retention
Ideas
Increased focus on NICA Adventure program (relationship development via games)
Coach in Training program
Consider skills development and/or games during weekend practices (especially early in the season)
Defining a Team Charter
Engage student athletes to develop charter
We are... / We are not...
Write down the ideas, distill them into a "contract" that must be signed
Helps hold student athletes accountable for their behavior
Reduces the need to explain "why" a behavior is inappropriate; can just refer to the charter
Increasing Coach Leadership
Ideas
Develop a practice plan
Encourage coaches to "level up"
Provide OTB 101 training here in Tallahassee
Provide NICA Adventure training here in Tallahassee