Coaching
Coaching a VTYC team is a wonderful way to help promote cycling and healthy lifestyles in your community. Coaches are parents, teachers, college students, and other community members who seek to empower youth through riding bikes.
How to Start a Vermont Youth Cycling Team
Step 1
Check and see if a team already exists in your area! If so, consider reaching out to the coach and join forces!
To start a new team email vtyouthcycling@gmail.com. We’ll help you get your team listed on BikeReg.
Step 2
Recruit additional coaches! We suggest a 1:6 coach to rider ratio. We expect there to be at least two coaches, or one coach and one volunteer (registered as a coach with VTYC), at each practice.
All assistant coaches need to register for VTYC via BikeReg, beginning April 1. Coach registration is free. All coaches must undergo a background check which VTYC will conduct and pay for, complete a FREE online SafeSport training and submit your certificate to VTYC.
Step 3
Recruit riders and advertise your team. Download, print and share advertising materials to help get the word out!
Consider hosting an information session in your community. Contact vtyouthcycling@gmail.com for support!
Coaches have complete autonomy to run practices how they see fit. You determine how many, how often, where you ride, and for how long. We're here to support you with league registration, practice ideas, structured group rides, team kit orders, and of course, races.
HOW TO GET THE WORD OUT
Host an information night at your local bike shop, town recreation department or school. Invite VTYC to attend and we’ll do our best to make it!
Create a social media account
Contact teachers, parents, and other riders in your community who can help spread the word…and might even want to help coach your team!
COACHING RESPONSIBILITIES
All riders are encouraged, but not required, to become members of Vermont Youth Cycling. That said, in order to practice with your team, all riders MUST sign a VTYC waiver. Coaches are responsible for ensuring that all riders who are not yet VTYC members have signed a waiver (online) prior to practicing. Paper waivers are available for download HERE.
Teams that choose to work with a school for practices, meetings, training, etc, must communicate with school administration to be sure they’re adhering to school rules for student activities.
Coaches must agree to our concussion policy. You can access the concussion policy and agreement form here.
Coaches are responsible for communicating incidents to VTYC. You can access the incident report form here.
Please contact vtyouthcycling@gmail.com with any questions.
COACH REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED
Please go to the registration page & click on your affiliated team’s name. Once on the BikeReg.com site, there will be an option to select Coach Registration. A coach is defined as a person who has registered with us on BikeReg AND gone through the necessary steps to have a background check on file. If you have not completed the background check process you are not considered an official VTYC coach.