BERKELEY, Calif. - The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) is pleased to announce a new scholarship created by professional cyclist and NICA NorCal Alumna Kate Courtney. The Sparkle On Scholarship presented by Kate Courtney in partnership with Scott, Syncros, SRAM, and RockShox will recognize student-athletes who have demonstrated academic and athletic excellence during their time with NICA and plan to attend college and continue mountain bike racing.
"I know from experience that the transition to college as a student-athlete is often difficult and wanted to create this scholarship as a way to help with the challenges of balancing college studies and racing," shares Kate Courtney. Recipients of this award will receive both financial support and mentorship to aid in their continued pursuit of academic and athletic excellence beyond NICA. "To me," Kate continues, "excellence is not defined by race results or GPA, but in the attitude and effort with which individuals pursue greatness. I am excited to help support the next generation of NICA student-athletes as they continue to work hard and believe in their dreams."
The Sparkle On Scholarship will be awarded to four seniors from NICA leagues and consist of a monetary award of $10,000 each and mentorship in the form of quarterly calls with Kate during their first year of college and career mentoring through SRAM. Those recipients without a bike sponsor and committing to race on Scott for the year will also receive a Scott mountain bike.
Steve Matous, President of NICA, says, "having Kate establish this scholarship for NICA student-athletes is a testimony to her generous spirit and dedication to supporting the next generation of cyclists. The combination of academic excellence and the physical and emotional demands of racing help to build character traits that will serve these students and their communities throughout their adult lives."
"We're very excited to help support young talents on their journey as racers. Professional racing is part of our heritage here at SCOTT and Syncros, and it's in the DNA of all our products. We believe that bringing more people, and especially young people, a program such as NICA is ideal and worth supporting. With one of our most iconic athletes, Kate Courtney, opening doors and paving the way for NICA talents, we couldn't be happier to help see this scholarship come to life and to help support the future generation of racers," adds Jochen Haar, Head of Bike Marketing, SCOTT Sports.
"As a founding partner and a platinum-level sponsor of NICA, we were thrilled to jump on board with Kate through the Sparkle On Scholarship," says Sander Rigney, VP of RockShox. "Investing in the long term development of riders and athletes alike matters to us. We're honored to be included in this scholarship."
"It's our responsibility to invest in future lifetime cyclists. Providing new opportunities, mentorship, and financial assistance aligns closely with SRAM and RockShox company goals so we're super happy to support this scholarship," shares David Zimberoff, VP of Marketing at SRAM.
The Sparkle On Scholarship presented by Kate Courtney in partnership with Scott, Syncros, SRAM, and RockShox is open to NICA student-athletes graduating high school who will attend college for the 2021-22 academic year and who are seeking to balance mountain bike racing with college studies. More information will be available March 1st.
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About the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA)
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association's (NICA) mission is to build strong minds, bodies, character, and communities through cycling. Founded in 2009 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, NICA develops interscholastic and community-based cycling programs for student-athletes and coaches across the United States. NICA provides leadership services and governance for local leagues to produce quality mountain bike events. NICA has served almost 64,000 student-athletes since 2009. Currently, NICA has 29 state and regional leagues and over 13,000 registered volunteer coaches who are working annually with over 23,000 student-athletes from over 1,100 high school and middle school teams in the USA.
NICA exists by virtue of generous sponsors, donors, and partners. For more information on NICA visit www.nationalmtb.org, follow @nationalMTB on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, or call (510) 524-5464.
