BERKELEY, Calif. (BRAIN) — The bike industry stepped up to contribute $75,000 to the National Interscholastic Cycling Association this spring, allowing NICA to bring in a matching grant from the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation. The result is a $158,000 check from the foundation.
With only five weeks to raise $75,000 and a track record of having raised only half that amount during a previous campaign with similar timelines, NICA sought increments of either $500 or $1,000 from the bike industry.
Managers of the organization said they made a point of not tapping current bike industry sponsors, including founding sponsor Specialized Bicycles and platinum-level sponsors SRAM and Trek, who have been NICA's major supporters since its founding in 2009.
"Our entire industry benefits from getting more kids on bikes," said NICA development director Suzette Ayotte. "NICA is a family affair, and there wasn't one person with whom I spoke that didn't understand that. Ninety-nine percent of those we asked replied with, 'Where do I donate?' "
The funds raised will enable NICA to continue to expand its efforts both within the existing 13 regional leagues as well as expand into new regions.
Austin McInerny, NICA's executive director, said, "It's not just about high school students training after school and racing on the weekends. It's about teenagers getting hooked on cycling and becoming lifelong customers of the bike industry. It's about their friends, in turn, getting engaged and their parents also getting involved. When a student joins a high school cycling team, the next thing you know, parents are not only buying mountain bikes and accessories for themselves and their other children, but they're buying road bikes too. This scenario is not uncommon. NICA is creating cycling families."
NICA's matching grant campaign got an immediate boost with Shimano and Pearl Izumi's opening pledge of $20,000 and midway through, an additional $5,000 shot from Diamondback. Quality Bicycle Products, a current NICA supporter, agreed to match any of its vendors' donations up to $5,000. Since NICA made its goal and thus earned the match without that contribution, QBP closed out the campaign anyway with what proved to be an added bonus.
"We can only thank those by name who opted in to provide their donor info and realize we may be omitting some companies," Ayotte said. "We've recognized these donors on our website and would also like to recognize these supporters as Booster Club members. To that end, we ask those who donated who are not listed below to let us know so that we can credit them as well."
Industry supporters:
- Shimano – Pearl Izumi
- Diamondback
- Quality Bicycle Products
- ABUS
- DNA Cycling
- BMC
- CamelBak
- Challenge Tires
- Chris King
- Clif Bar
- Continental Tires
- Fuji (ASI)
- Giant Bicycles
- Gore Apparel
- GU Energy
- Hawley
- Interbike
- Intense Cycles
- Lezyne
- Magura
- Mavic
- NiteRider
- Orange Seal
- Pure Fix Cycles
- Propel
- Ritchey
- Scott Sports
- Sock Guy
- Specialized
- Stages Cycling
- Stan's NoTubes
- Swagman
- Thomson
- Topeak
