We couldn’t be more excited to be one year away from the very first races of the Ohio Interscholastic Cycling League, what we’ve taken to called OMBL or Ohio Mountain Bike League for short. OMBL has been a dream for years and it’s finally coming to life!
Our successful bid to join the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) was formulated by a small but passionate group of volunteers. Many of you probably assisted with raising the initial $5,000 for the bid. All in, it was a big team effort. But we got it done. And then we waited. And waited.
Of course, we were accepted. But then the hard work of making a real league began. Kinda the ‘making of the sausage’ stage of building a league that isn’t real pretty when we’re all trying to figure it out as we go along. Thankfully we have the steady hands of our supporters at NICA guiding us along the way. But there’s a problem.
Come to find out, there’s a LOT to building a league from the ground up. Like… a LOT. No. Really. A LOT. And that’s a really good thing because at the heart of what we do is the safety, security and overall experience of our kids. That’s a responsibility that both NICA and OMBL take very seriously. So there’s a lot to properly recruiting, training & certifying the coaches who interact directly with our kids. There’s a lot that goes into selecting the best race venues where riders of all levels can experience a race day that otherwise would be reserved for pro riders. We like that there’s a lot.
Sorting through it all is the problem. And we’re spending a lot of time sorting through all the information that’s out there. We can only imagine how hard it must be when you’re first trying to get information about the league and see how you might want to be involved. That’s where our refreshed site comes in.
We’ve rebuilt our website based on a simple idea: give people the information they need to get started. Maybe you’re interested in coaching. Maybe that’s a bit more of a commitment than you’re ready to take on and Volunteering on race day would be a better fit. Maybe you’d like to volunteer but you’re not sure when or how or what you’d be most useful for.
The site has been built around 4 basic ‘Pathways’ of engagement with the Ohio Mountain Bike League. These pathways are designed to get you started toward being a Rider, a Coach, a Volunteer or a Sponsor. If you’re not sure if any of these positions are right for you, feel free to check them out at your own pace. Each pathway gives you a starting point, takes you through some initial information to learn the basics and gives you an opportunity to connect with the person on our management team who can be your guide to getting all your questions answered.
The information you need to get started, in a format that you can absorb, without opening up the full encyclopedia of forming a middle/high school mountain bike league: that’s our goal, at least for now. We’re already planning how the site will evolve into the team and rider portal that we’ll need as we get closer to launching our first season. But that will come.
For now, we look forward to being your guide as you explore each of the pathways of getting the most out of your time with the Ohio Mountain Bike League.
We’ll see you on the trails.
