Frequently Asked Questions

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• Registration begins March 1st.
• Registration will close after two weeks of practice or when we meet team capacity.
• Practice begins at the end of May, after Memorial Day.
• MiSCA league races run late August through mid-October.
• We have year round social activities available.

• Kids capable of riding a bike independently (without training wheels)
• Students in pre-K (4 years old) through 12th grade
• Families who believe in our mission statement
• Adults that enjoy coaching
• Parents wanting to spend time with their child and participate in mountain biking along side them
• All levels of riders, from novice to expert, encouraged to join

• Between March 1 and close of registration click on the sign up link found on the home page
• Black Swamp Riders team members (students and coaches) register through the MiSCA league.
• The registration link on our webpage will take you to the MiSCA website where you will click their registration link.
• MiSCA's registration will be done through CCN.
• You will need to pay league fees and team fees or enter coupon codes.
• You must finish the entire checkout process (it is easy to miss).

NO - practices, races, and social events are never mandatory.

We have both racers and non-racers on the team. You have no obligation to race. We do encourage setting goals for self-improvement whether you race or not.

We have families that come to practices for the positive atmosphere and we have athletes attend that for the workouts and we have participants for a variety of reasons in between. In joining BSR, you can choose how much you want to participate.

We encourage attending the early season practices as much as possible for many reasons:

• skills are taught early and improvement happens quickly
• ability of each rider can be gauged by coaches
• kids get to know each other
• coaches get to know kids and families
• we can make sure that all riders are "trail ready" before we switch into the mid- and late-season practices that are less focused on skill building and more focused on trail rides

As the season moves from early summer to late summer and fall, often families have a decline in attendance due to back-to-school schedules or other commitments. 

Costs will vary based on participation. More details on total costs for 2026 will be available in late winter.

• Team Fee: $TBD for 2026 (required) - set by BSR - previous year $30
• League Fee: $TBD for 2026 (required) - set by MiSCA - previous year $75
• Race Fees: fee varies (optional) - set by MiSCA - previous year prices ranged from $30-$240
• Team Jersey: $TBD for 2026 (optional) - previous year $65
• Bike maintenance costs will vary

BSR has some bikes available to kids in need through our partner, The Right Direction.

Both BSR and MiSCA have the opportunity for scholarships.

Please email teamblackswampriders@gmail.com should cost be a barrier to your participation.

The MiSCA league has policies in place for coach training and background checks for adults involved with the program. BSR follows all MiSCA policies and offers a bit more personalized coach training as well.

Coaches will be one of three levels (level 1, level 2, or level 3):

• all level coaches have a background check
• level 1 coaches have basic training in trail safety and team protocols
• level 2 coaches have first-aid training + level 1
• level 3 coaches have training in teaching MTB skills + levels 1 & 2 

Only MiSCA certified coaches are allowed to participate in practice.  

We encourage all BSR parents to consider getting certified, regardless of personal skill level. It can be great family fun to learn and improve alongside your child. Or if you already have great MTB skills, it can be an amazing experience to share that with the next generation of riders.

No - we encourage all parents to either participate in practice as a certified coach or watch practice to get know our program.

All preK-5th grade riders must have an adult on site for any activity.

Any 6th-12th grade rider may participate without a parent on site provided that the student and coaches are comfortable in that situation.

Families are responsible for their own transportation.

Friday evenings are a great time to pre-ride the course. Saturday afternoons are for the preK-5th grade racers. Saturday evenings, the team enjoys a team dinner located either at the race venue or at a nearby campground. Sunday mornings are for the high school racers and Sunday afternoons are for the middle school racers.

Some families make an entire weekend of it, while others only arrive for a specific grade level race. All families are highly encourage to participate in the social aspect of the team dinners on race weekends. They tend to be a significantly positive addition to the BSR team culture.

The MiSCA rules require that the bike be designated a "mountain bike" from the manufacturer.  Additionally, the bike needs to be in safe operating condition. It must have hand brakes, bar-end covers, and working gears. It must not have a kickstand. In general, we recommend buying the best bike you can responsibly afford because a well built bike is more enjoyable, durable and serviceable.

• bike - required
• helmet - required
• water bottle or hydration pack - highly recommended
• eye protection - highly recommended
• gloves - optional

You only get one brain, don't skimp on protecting it.  The helmet should meet ANSI standard at a minimum, MIPS (or similar rotational impact system) is recommended. Beware of online sellers, many of these are fraudulently labeled as meeting the standards when they do not. Counterfeit products are also common on eBay and Amazon. Stick to local retailers or trusted online dealers/manufacturer-direct sites.

Many of our coaches are capable of advising families on repairs. However, coaches are not expected to perform bike repairs or maintenance.

We recommend having a relationship with your local shop in case significant repairs are needed.

Learning basic maintenance is highly recommended and can save a lot of money in the long run. Check out the Park Tool YouTube page for great guides on bike repairs of all kinds.

All bikes should be tuned prior to the start of the season including checking

• wheels, axels, & tires/tubes
• brakes & cables
• drive train components
• contact points (grips, pedals, saddle)
• frame & forks

Athletes will be taught to inspect their bike prior to each ride.