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Gilmer Cartecay Youth Mountain Bike Team coach Larry Alonso was selected as one of National Interscholastic Cycling Association’s Coach of the Year recipients. Above, Alonso has some encouraging words for a rider at the start of a race.
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) recently announced its national award winners, and Larry Alonso, head coach of the Gilmer Cartecay Composite Youth Mountain Bike Team, was named one of three SRAM NICA Coach of the Year recipients.
The SRAM Coach of the Year Award acknowledges a head coach whose qualities as a leader and motivator embodies NICA’s mission to provide student-athletes with the coaching and camaraderie to help them achieve both competitive and noncompetitive goals in a safe and enjoyable manner.
The Georgia League said of Alonso, “Larry coaches the Gilmer Cartecay Youth Mountain Bike team and creates an atmosphere of acceptance for each student-athlete, building their self-esteem and confidence by helping them to become great riders and believing in them.”
ICA was established in 2009, and currently over 18,000 student-athletes and 8,000 licensed coaches participate across the nation. The Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League, in which the Gilmer Cartecay team competes, is one of NICA’s 25 leagues in 24 states.
“It is hard to imagine a better youth development organization than NICA,” Alonso stated. “With their unwavering commitment to youth development, inclusivity and health promotion through a form of exercise that one can engage in all their lives, NICA has a formula that is making a population-level impact for good.”
lonso added, “None of this would be possible without the fantastic volunteer coaches, parents and team members that are dedicated to making the Gilmer Cartecay Team possible.”
This marks the second time Alonso has been recognized with a national award. Earlier this year, he received the Positive Coaching Alliance’s Double Goal National Coaching Award.
Learn more about the NICA at nationalmtb.org, the Georgia League at Georgiamtb.org and Team Cartecay at Teamcartecay.com.
(Submitted by Gilmer Cartecay Youth Mountain Bike Team)