“We aim for full family participation in volunteering at races, striving towards a 100% involvement rate, the #BraveWay!”
— Boise Brave Board of Directors

Brave Volunteers

The Boise Brave is a volunteer-fueled team and relies on the dedicated support of volunteers for the team's season-long success at practices, bike camp, races, and more. While volunteerism often evolves over seasons, it is however a continuous expectation from your first season to your last. Please assess family commitments to ensure capacity for volunteer participation. Family members are requested to commit to and sign a Family Volunteer Pledge upon registration.

Below details volunteer needs and expectations at practices, races, bike camp and more.

We hope you join us in embracing the Boise Brave volunteer spirit!

Brave Volunteers at Races

Boise Brave attends five races each season and needs to fill roughly 500 volunteer hours each race, a combination of Boise Brave and Idaho League (IICL) volunteer needs. IICL facilitates and hosts the races and they ask that a team our size fill a minimum of 25 IICL volunteer shifts each race, in addition to our Boise Brave volunteer shifts.

Don’t miss the main event! We encourage families to avoid volunteering during their student-athlete's race, ensuring you can fully enjoy and support your child's participation. Your presence matters, and we want you to savor every moment of the main event!

Families: The volunteer need at races is substantial and because of this each family is expected to contribute six volunteer hours at each race weekend their student-athlete attends. Note that this expectation is six hours per family, not per student-athlete. Families can fulfill this expectation through a combination of volunteering for Boise Brave and/or IICL at Get Race Day Ready!, or coaching (if assigned a race role).

Student-Athletes: Student-Athletes are expected to volunteer at least one hour each race they attend, either taking down the racecourse post race, or volunteering for Boise Brave and/or IICL at Get Race Day Ready! Student-athletes have ample opportunities to volunteer at races, surpassing the one-hour minimum expectation if they desire. Their efforts play an important role in contributing to a family's overall six-hour race commitment.

Coaches: Each race the head coach assigns a handful of coaches - typically practice POD leads - as wave leads for each race. Most coaches are not assigned race-weekend coaching roles, so we count on your support by volunteering for non-coaching shifts with the team and/or Idaho League. Sign up for non-coaching volunteer roles at Get Race Day Ready!

Volunteer Leads & Committees: Roles with seasonal tasks (fundraising, merch, food prep, admin support, coach education, event planning, etc.) need volunteers. Depending on the role, support is needed for a few to several hours each race and throughout the season. While not mandatory, we appreciate those who contribute at this level. Relying on the honor system, lead time devoted to race-related roles is attributed to your family's overall volunteer commitment at races.

Brave Volunteers at Practices

Boise Brave needs about 50 coaches and six non-riding check-in volunteers three times each practice week. Coaches are asked to ride and teach for the duration of a practice, approximately two to three hours, and check-in volunteers are needed for about an hour at the start of each practice, checking in student-athletes and coaches. Coaches and check-in volunteers have various attendance frequencies – some come every practice while others occasionally.

Brave Volunteers at Bike Camp

Bike camp requires active participation from everyone attending, with coaches coaching, non-riding parents taking on the majority of non-riding volunteer shifts, and student-athletes filling in the gaps. The success of this three-day event depends entirely on collective volunteer efforts.

Brave Volunteers throughout the Season

Brave leadership and committees with seasonal tasks (fundraising, merch, food prep, admin, support, coach education, event planning, Board of Directors, etc.) need volunteers. Depending on the role, they require a commitment of a few to several hours each race and throughout the season. While not mandatory, we appreciate those who contribute at this level. If you are interested in being a Brave lead, assisting a lead, joining a committee, or learning more about seasonal volunteer opportunities check out Volunteer Opportunities, AND complete the Volunteer Interest Form to tell us how you can plug in!

FAQs

  • We are a BIG team in a BIG league!

    The Idaho League is the group that facilitates and hosts the races. They ask a team of our size to fill a minimum of 25 Idaho League volunteer positions each race.

    In addition to our Idaho League volunteer commitment, our team has over 100 non-riding volunteer jobs to fill each race, generally ranging from 2 to 4 hours shifts, and includes anything from setting up team bike racks, serving race nutrition, handing off water bottles to racers, catching racer’s bikes at the finish line, breaking down racecourses, and various other race related support jobs. The races wouldn’t be successful without our amazing volunteers!

  • Need a substitute? TeamSnap Chat is your go-to tool if something comes up and you can't make it to your volunteer position. Quickly send a message to our community and find someone eager to step in. It's all about teamwork and ensuring we keep the wheels turning smoothly.

    If you require a substitute while you are already at a race venue, do your best to find one and inform the check-in staff at either the team's pit zone tent or the NICA/Idaho League volunteer tent, whichever is applicable. Provide the check-in staff with your substitute's name and contact information.

    If you are having difficulty finding a substitute for your shift, reach out to the staff at the Boise Brave pit zone tent. We will send a call out to the team.

    Thanks for being proactive and helping maintain the awesome momentum of our mountain biking community!

  • Upon registering for the team, each family commits to a Family Volunteer Pledge, dedicating six hours per race attended by their student-athlete(s). Additionally, each student-athlete pledges at least one hour per race, contributing to the family's overall volunteer commitment. This pledge extends to bike camp, practices, special events, and other opportunities.

    We recognize that family circumstances can change over the course of a season, affecting your availability for volunteering. If you need to adjust your original pledge due to unexpected life events, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator or Board of Directors. We understand that 'life happens,' and your well-being is important to us. We encourage you to reach out to us to modify your pledge accordingly.

  • Yes and No. When it comes to determining if a child is old enough for a specific role, we acknowledge that maturity levels can vary greatly among individuals, regardless of age. As a parent, you know your child best, and we trust you to assess whether they are capable of handling a particular role or not. Ultimately, if your child is unable to fulfill their commitment, we ask that you step in and cover their shift or find a replacement.