Lady Brave GRiT - Girls Riding Together!
Join fellow Lady Brave student-athletes and coaches in our GRiT program to empower female student athletes, grow as riders and leaders, make new friends, and most importantly, have fun! We're dedicated to providing fair treatment, equal access, and eliminating barriers for all athletes.
In student athlete participation, nationally girls make up only 24%. In Idaho, thanks to efforts by the Idaho League (IICL) and local teams, our rate is 29.9%.
The Boise Brave is making a concentrated effort to increase the number of girls and female coaches by focusing on creating a more welcoming environment for girls to join through girls-only events, rides and socializing opportunities. The Boise Brave has the highest number of female coaches (35%) in the Idaho League, and one of the highest percentage of female student-athletes (25%) in the program.
We regularly have girls-only rides at practices and races, and host special events, such as our team’s Lady Brave GRiT Bike Maintenance 101 event for student-athletes, coaches & moms, where we learn the basic “ABCDs" of bike maintenance and how to properly clean and maintain a mountain bike.
Additionally, the Idaho League offers GRiT summer bikepacking trips. If you aren't familiar with what bikepacking is, it's essentially backpacking except your bike carries the load instead of your shoulders! Learn more about the IICL GRiT summer bikepacking trip below:
When: July 11-13, 2024
Where: Warm Lake to McCall
What: 69 miles over 3 days of riding; 5,973' of climbing, 6,277' of decent
Registration: Opens this April 1st in the NICA Pit Zone!
Be a GRiT Ambassador or Ambassador Mentor!
Each season IICL offers GRiT Ambassador and Mentor leadership positions, and we encourage our female student-athletes looking to take on a leadership role to apply. GRiT Ambassadors and Ambassador Mentors help raise awareness of the effort to get more girls on bikes and serve as state and team advocates. They are a voice for what our female student athletes want out of our GRiT program and what they need to create an empowering, inclusive, and positive culture for females in our league and team.
As a student-athlete you can play a key role in recruiting and retaining more girls in our NICA programs on the state and team level by supporting GRiT events and initiatives. You’ll have the opportunity to help shape and mold our GRiT program, bring your ideas to life, and offer insight. You don’t need to be the fastest, strongest, or most outgoing student athlete to be a great member of our GRiT team. You simply need a love of mountain biking and a desire to share that passion with others through building a community which empowers all who need it and supports our mission to get (and keep) more girls on bikes!
As a GRiT Ambassador, you play an important role for your team!
Identify potential team members in your school and community and encourage them to try it out.
Make an effort to greet, talk to and include all new team members.
Assist your coaches in teaching skills to your female teammates as requested.
Look for those teammates who may be struggling and encourage them in those areas where they may need help. Are they struggling in their riding? Help them improve! Are they struggling with social aspects of the team? Be the first person there to include them and make them feel that they are a valuable member of your team!
Be a cheerleader! Be that girl at the start and finish line who is cheering on each and every person on the course, not just your circle of friends. That quiet girl at the back of the pack who doesn’t say much? Cheer for her just as much as you cheer for the girl who crosses the finish line first!
Help communicate team and league GRiT events to the rest of the girls on your team via word of mouth, text, email, group chat, social media, etc.
Assist your GRiT Coach and/or GRiT Mentor planning and leading GRiT team rides and social events.
Assist in planning and carrying out GRiT events on race weekends.
SMILE! You may not feel like smiling at the time, but smiling makes everyone feel better. Yourself included!
As a GRiT Ambassador Mentor you’re taking it to the next level! Requirements & Expectations:
Be in 10th 11th, or 12th grade in the fall
Must be a registered IICL female student athlete
Preferably have served at least one year as an IICL GRiT Ambassador, but not required.
Attend our monthly GRiT Ambassador Zoom calls (in season, usually April/May through October).
Make an effort to attend in-person GRiT events including preseason socials/rides, league and team events, and race weekends.
Make an effort to spend some time in the GRiT tent on race weekends to help create a fun and welcoming culture there and meet your fellow GRiT Ambassadors.
Check your emails on a regular basis to maintain consistent communication with regards to your role as a GRiT Ambassador.
Pick a GRiT Mentor project in an area you’re interested in playing a larger role that’s inspired by NICA’s core values of fun, inclusivity, equity, respect, and community.
Here are a few ideas:
Plan, organize, and help lead a team GRiT activity (with the help of your Head Coach, Team Director, or GRiT Coach) such as a social ride, non-riding social, bike maintenance clinic.
Pick a topic you have an interest in and talk about it on one of our monthly GRiT Zoom calls.
Lead an activity in the GRiT booth on race weekends (craft, scavenger hunt or other fun game, how to fix a flat or lube your chain, etc.).
Form a pre-ride committee with a couple other GRiT Ambassadors to choose all of our pre-ride themes.
Form a committee with 2-3 other ambassadors to plan a student-athlete year-end party at Bogus Basin.
Start a bike-related podcast.
Are you an aspiring graphic designer or artist? Help design some cool GRiT merch.
Help plan a NICA recruitment event at your school
Help plan a fundraiser for your team, local trail advocacy group, or other non-profit.
These are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing. If you have a special interest or talent that you feel you can apply to GRiT in some way, we want to hear about it and support you!
Becoming a GRiT Mentor is completely optional. It’s a great option for girls who want to be more involved in the GRiT program and gain valuable experience through completing a service project. If you don’t have the time or desire to complete a GRiT Mentor project, you can apply to be a GRiT Ambassador.
Benefits:
GRiT jersey
GRiT Ambassador hoodie
GRiT socks
Race entry fees paid
Continue to refine your leadership, time management, and communication skills
Great experience to list on job and college applications
Make new friends!
Apply by April 15th pre-season by reaching out to our team director, Carolyn Park at carolyn@boisemtb.org or the Idaho League Grit Coordinator, Jill Bradley at jill@idahomtb.org.