2022 Season Planning

Hello and thank you for visiting the SoMont MTB website.

As we are early in the year, planning activities have not yet started. We expect to start season planning in March.

In the meantime, here's what you need to know.

New/interested student athletes and families

• We are expecting another year of growth. While registration isn't open yet (and won't until April) please use the "2022 Season Interest Form" to get your name on file. We'll use this list to communicate our initial pre-season events which start in April.
• If you have friends who are interested in joining, please also have them sign up as soon as possible
• Pre-season runs from April 1 through June 30. During this time we will hold a number of 1-2 hour Try It Rides as well as other promotional events.
• Official registration will open in April and run through May. Registration will be closed on or before the first week of June. Once registration opens, we ask you sign up ASAP, including the payment of PICL/NICA and SoMont team fees.
• Our official season runs from July through October (4 months). The core of our practice season is in July and August. New student athletes are required to attend practices these months.
• Event season starts in mid August until the end of October. Official events are generally every other weekend from late summer to fall. Practice will continue during this time.
• Practices are typically Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm to 8pm and Saturdays from 9am to 11am

New/interested coaches

• If you are interested in learning more about coaching, please contact so we can talk. We are always looking for new adults to help us with the team. Please email us at sendit@indiemtb.org
• Coach roles vary -- Ride Support, Ride Leader and Instructor. There is no minimum commitment. All we ask is to make a comments to the head coach and do your best to stick with it. If once a week is all you can do, we can make that work.
• Some 2021 coach fees were reimbursed. We are hoping our 2022 budget allows for that again this year.

To learn more about what it means to be a mountain bike coach, visit this blog entry.

Hope to meet you all soon!

Friends of Cresheim Trail Recognize SoMont/Philly Wiss Trail Work

On July 31, 2021 Independence Youth Cycling’s chapter teams, SoMont and Philly Wiss, participated in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic League’s Teen Trail Corp Day at Cresheim Trail in NW Philadelphia.

23 student athletes, 10 coaches and many parents & siblings participated in the event, which was hosted by the Friends of Cresheim Trail.

The collective group performed a total of 66 hours of volunteer time.

The teams met at the outdoor classroom area on Cresheim Road and formed groups. The groups trimmed/resurfaced the single-track loop toward Germantown Avenue, trimmed the trail out to Allens Lane and  cleared the sidewalk along Cresheim Valley Dr/Emlen Street. Previously un-walkable due to overgrowth, the entire sidewalk along Cresheim Valley Drive/Emlen St was made walkable again as a result of the workday.

Teen Trail Corp is a program from the National Interscholastic Cycling League (NICA) and its state chapter the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Cycling League (PICL). Teen Trail Corps is a program that provides NICA student-athletes the opportunity to serve and give their time towards bike related advocacy activities. The program is designed to provide exposure and be a gateway for NICA student-athletes into the world of advocacy.

On September 3rd, Friends of Cresheim Trail Executive Director Susan Dannenberg presented the team with a Certificate of Acknowledgement and letter, and thanked team for their very important work in maintaining the trail network.

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September 3, 2021

Dear SoMont Youth MTB Team:

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Cresheim Trail, I would like to personally thank you for your significant contribution to the August Workday on the Cresheim Trail. We are delighted that your group chose the Cresheim Trail as the beneficiary of your efforts. It is only through the hard work of volunteers like yourselves that we can maintain this special trail.

Please let your parents know that we appreciate their time. Guiding a group this large is not possible without adult participation.

During the workday over thirty SoMont Youth MTB Team members and their parents performed over 66 hours of clean up. Volunteers cleared vines from two segments of the Cresheim Trail and cleared the slate sidewalk on Emlen Street between Cresheim Road and Allens Lane. This was a major undertaking and will benefit all who use the Cresheim Trail or walk along Cresheim Valley Drive to say nothing of the aesthetic improvement! Cresheim Valley Drive is one of the Fairmount Park Drives and serves as a beautiful gateway. Your work on clearing and repairing the historic slate sidewalk makes this parkway truly worthy of the name.

Great work everyone. The Friends of the Cresheim Trail greatly appreciates your dedication to community service!

Sincerely,

Susan Dannenberg, Board Chair

Friends of the Cresheim Trail

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Supporters Store and SoMont Gear Bag

 The SoMont Supporter Store and Gear Bag orders close soon! Get your merch and gear now while the order window is open! Order window closes August 15th.

Supporter Store - https://artisticscreendesigns.tuosystems.com/stores/somont2021

Gear Bag  - https://www.cat5gear.ca/cyclist-case/

When ordering you the gear back you will need to enter “somont” (all lower case, no spaces) in the coupon code section.  You may see a higher price at first, however once you enter your address and coupon code, the price should update to the price stated above.

Season 6 Episode 1 Coming Soon!

Last night we held a virtual meeting for all return riders and families. Our special guest was Derek Dureka, Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation Director. Derek gave us an update on Twining Valley Park!

The agenda included the pre-season timeline, registration deadline/cap, practice season approach - starting July 13, team composition (this year, next year), official event schedule and sponsorship/fundraising.

You can view the slides from the presentation here.

What it means to be a SoMont/NICA youth mountain bike coach

Interested in being a youth mountain bike coach? 

Well, that question is usually answered by asking another question! "What does it mean to BE a mountain bike coach?"

Here's the way we look at it. There are 3 basic "coaching" roles -- Ride Supporter, Ride Leader & Skills Instructor.

Participation as a coach starts at the Ride Support level. This role supports other senior coaches and consists of keeping kids in order at the beginning and end of practice, as well as managing during instruction sessions. During trail rides, Ride Supporters ride in with the pack to keep the group controlled and/or sweep the group. Ride Support requires a NICA Level 1 Certification. You do NOT need mountain biking experience to be a Level 1 coach. We’ll help you learn what you need to be successful!

Ride Leader is next. Ride Leader role is responsible for leading a successful group of athletes and coaches during a ride. There's a group ride protocol we follow, which is geared toward safety. This coach role requires a Level 2 NICA coach certification, mostly for knowledge on how to teach basic skills (NICA "OTB 101"), First Aid certification,  and NICA Risk Management.

Skills Instructor comes next. This is a senior coach who is comfortable getting up in front of the student athletes to do skills instruction. We have a really great skills development program provided to us by National Interscholastic Cycling Association and the  Pennsylvania Interscholastic Mountain Biking league. The Skills Instructor role requires a NICA Level 2 or 3 certification

Above that we have different senior level roles that make the organization run. 

The other part of leading a team is finding a spot where we can make you as a person, shine. We do our best to find roles where people can bring their individual strengths to the table. CFO types help with finances more than instruction. Comms people help with social media and email newsletters vs hammering with the fast kids. You get the idea.

Interested in learning more about coaching! Contact us today! We need YOU to make our program a success! E-mail us for more info at info@somontcycling.org

Gearing up for the 2021 season!

Hello and thank you for visiting the SoMont website.

Despite all the challenges we faced, we had a successful 2020 season. We were 45 student athletes and 25 coaches strong. We competed in a number of state time-trail events and even hosted our first ever SoMont produced event -- the Blue Comet Motorcycle Club Short Track race.

As we look forward into 2021, I want to share with you our general timeline.

January thru March - this is our official OFF season. The coaching staff meets monthly to reflect and plan for the season ahead.

April thru June - PRE season. We typically have a number of small off-the-bike pre-season events in April and May. Be on the lookout for promotional events at local bike shops and other locations. Every May we have our annual MTBBQ. We have a limited number of official pre-season rides (new and return athletes) in May and June.

July thru August - Practice and Training season. We start practice usually the first full week after July 4. Practice schedule is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

September thru October - Race and event season. We typically participate in 5-6 statewide race event and any number of adventure/camping/social events.

If you are interested in learning more about joining the team, please contact us at info@somontcycling.org

Youth Sports in 2019 vs 2020

Just about on e year ago Coach John and a few local coaches did a talk at the Philly Bike Expo. 

Since that time, a lot about youth sports has changed. Cycling in particular has seen growth. 

This presentation, with video, tells a really interesting story about the health of cycling in 2019.