2026 Coach Retreat Recap
The 2026 coach retreat was a great weekend of coach training and community building.
Mike Higgins
Coach Trainer
Favorite Ride Snack: Oreos
OTB 101
1 post
The 2026 coach retreat was a great weekend of coach training and community building.
Set up: While in a circle, have student athletes think of an adjective that describes an aspect of their personality. The adjective must begin with the same letter as the first letter of their first name.
Game play: The first person says their adjective and name. Then, the second participant repeats the first person’s adjective and name and then adds their own and so on around the circle. Challenge players to recount the entire list after everyone has had a turn!
Reflection: What surprised you about a teammate?
Fruit variation: Instead of an adjective, ask players to choose a fruit or vegetable that starts with the same letter as the first letter of their first name.
Favorite Ride Snack: Oreos
My ideal ride: Anywhere with friends!
Favorite Ride Snack: Honey Stinger Waffles
Favorite Trail: Forest City in St. James, MO because it has something for everyone!
My ideal ride: The “ideal mountain bike ride” is a tough one to describe, because so many types of rides can be ideal on any given day. A fun ride with lots of friends on a new trail with plenty of photo ops – ideal. Turning fast laps at the dirt crits while hanging on for dear life, wondering if you can get enough oxygen in to hold the pace – ideal. Going out by yourself on a long ride and riding at just the right pace to find the flow of the trail, taking in every aspect of the ride and the nature around you – ideal. Bottom line, just ride, and make that ride the ideal ride for that day. Mountain bikes, road bikes, gravel bikes, beach cruisers…it doesn’t matter as long as you get to ride. To quote my buddy and fellow NICA coach Jason Hurt, “Better on a bike!”
Favorite Ride Snack: Mini Belgian Waffles from Walmart bakery or Nature’s Bakery double chocolate brownie bars
Favorite Trail: Greensfelder County Park for the variety of terrain
My ideal ride: A long adventurous gravel ride with singletrack, pavement, gravel, dirt, technical descents and lots of sketchy corners
Favorite Ride Snack: Rice crispy treats
Favorite Trail: Anywhere in the Ozark and Appalachian Mountains
My ideal ride: I’m all smiles on a breezy fall day with the trees in full color, love a moderately technical climb that keeps me both focused on what’s in front and allows me to check out of the daily grind. Top it off with a nice long section of flowing descent through the pine trees. Add in my family and friends and that wraps up a perfect ride!
Favorite Ride Snack: Skratch energy chews and bars
Favorite Trail: Double Zombie trail (MO), Berryman trail (MO), and Devil’s Den (AR)
My ideal ride: It’s a cool autumn morning at a campground, wake up and make coffee & pancakes. All my bike gear is ready to go the night before. Christine and I hop on our tandem mountain bike and head out into the woods with lots of friends. We ride all day, stopping at a great cafe for a late morning coffee and donut, and stumble upon a small town square filled with food trucks for lunch. We finish out the afternoon with amazing trails that ride like being on a rollercoaster and roll back into camp for a BBQ dinner that a friend has prepared. We sit around the campfire and tell inflated stories about the features we rode during the day.
Favorite Ride Snack: Peanut butter energy bars
Favorite Trail: Beulah trail at Greensfelder County Park
My ideal ride: During a crisp autumn morning when colors are changing and vibrant and of course with all the friends. It’s the friends, the ideal ride is always with friends!
Favorite Ride Snack: PayDay, the peanut caramel bar
Favorite Trail: This is a hard one as all the local trails have their own personality. My favorite right now is Indian Camp Creek. My default is Bluffview/Zombie because it’s close, but I love them all! My favs in NWA are the Blowing Springs Loop, Tristan’s, Angus Chute, Hobbs & Devil’s Den. There a just too many 🙂
My ideal ride: No drop racing with friends: we all race to the top of hills, then regroup before the downs. Then repeat. Fast, yet casual!
Favorite Ride Snack: Chocolate Gu
Favorite Trail: Zombie trail in Glencoe, MO
My ideal ride: Anything that is overcast and 68 degrees so that I don’t have to remember sunscreen.
Favorite Ride Snack: Peanut M&Ms
Favorite Trail: The Middle Fork of the Ozark Trail. It always kicks my butt!
My ideal ride: Is one free of data and time constraints! Give me red rocks, mountain vistas, and towering aspens or cedars and you’ll give me heaven on earth. I’m happy with gentle rollers, long climbs, and fast, technical downhill, but flowy is my favorite. Add my fellow MTB loving friends and you’ll have the perfect day!
Favorite Ride Snack: Apple Cinnamon Go-go Squeeze
Favorite Trail: Chuck wagon, mezcal, aerie loop in Sedona, AZ
My ideal ride: Technical Climbing leading to stunning vistas, beautiful forests, and fun downhills; then repeat on the tandem mountain bike
Favorite Ride Snack: Bonk breaker chews or peanut butter on raisin bread
Favorite Trail: Local: Greensfelder Park, Pacific, MO; Away: Versailles State Park, IN
My ideal ride: Riding with my girl when it’s sunny and 75. We don’t have a care in the world, and there are no chores waiting on us at home. We play leap frog back and forth until our bellies grumble and we stop to munch on our favorite ride snacks. It’s always better when our NICA family is there!
Favorite Ride Snack: Bacon, fruit snacks, and apple sauce pouches
Favorite Trail: Indian Camp Creek Park
My ideal ride: Starts as early as possible to fit in as much riding as I can. I dressed exactly right for the weather and remembered all my pre-ride bike maintenance the night before. After some climbs and a ridgeline ride, I circle back to my house to pick up my daughter to finish the ride on the bike path.
Favorite Ride Snack: Is coffee a snack?
Favorite Trail: Tsali Recreation Trail in the Smoky Mountains
My ideal ride: Somewhere that challenges me mentally and technically. With 70 degree weather and a breeze!
Favorite Ride Snack: Starburst jellybeans and nerds
Favorite Trail: Lost Valley trail
Favorite Ride Snack: Buc ee’s Beaver Nuggets
My ideal ride: A long day in the mountains, preferably without cell phone service! It starts with a long gradual doubletrack climb with a few friends to chat with followed by a bit of tech climbing and then a long rocky descent and high-fives at the bottom!
Favorite Ride Snack: Leftover pancakes
Favorite Trail: Pilot Mountain in Pisgah National Forest (NC) or Matson Hill Park (MO)
My ideal ride: Is a long day in the mountains spent riding with my family or good friends. The ride would include a majestic switchback climb through Aspen and pine trees until we summit along a picturesque ridgeline with sweeping vistas. Of course the ride wouldn’t be complete without a fast and flowy singletrack descent back into town and celebrating with multiple high 5s and endless smiles!
Favorite Ride Snack: GoGo Squeez Apple/Strawberry Applesauce
Favorite Trail: So hard to choose just one! My favorites would include: Dead Horse Point in Moab, UT; the Brush Creek Trails in Crested Butte, CO; or just about any trail in North Vancouver, BC!