\u201cThat\u2019s when I could tell he fell in love with it,\u201d Williams said, describing how a group of older team members took her grandson under their wing. \u201cIt was just that magic of kids embracing each other and (saying), \u2018Hey, come play with me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Five](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Podium_courtesy-Mississippi-NICA.jpg\")
Williams and Mississippi NICA have championed the Girls Riding Together program, a national initiative to increase female participation in mountain biking. Program leaders say the sport helps girls build confidence that translates to other parts of their lives. Photo courtesy Mississippi NICA<\/p>\n
Williams has spent the past six years spreading that magic to other parts of the state. In 2023, she helped form the Mississippi league of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association<\/a>, a nonprofit organization working to promote mountain biking among children and teens. The league has grown exponentially since its founding, ballooning from three to 10 teams in the span of three years and attracting student riders from neighboring states.<\/p>\n To Williams, the league\u2019s popularity is a testament to its culture of inclusivity and a collective buy-in from athletes and parents. It also reflects young people\u2019s desire to find community and spend more time outdoors.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you get these kids out there in the woods with peers that they can ride with, they (will) ride for hours,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThey\u2019ve gotten to the point where they are bored with their phones and their video games, so (the) passion for me is just knowing that we have a sport and an organization where our kids can get out there and be kids again.\u201d<\/p>\n A Family Affair<\/p>\n Williams was drawn to NICA in large part because of its multigenerational approach to mountain biking. Local leagues are open to students in grades five through 12, and parents are encouraged to ride with their kids and complete the necessary online training to become team coaches.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to watch the parents become active,\u201d Williams said, noting that roughly 75% of the league\u2019s current coaches have family members on teams. \u201cIt really does get the entire family involved.\u201d<\/p>\n This emphasis on family is especially apparent during race weekends, when teams gather at mountain biking courses across the state for two days of friendly competition and intraleague bonding. Parent volunteers arrive early on Saturdays to help set up the course, and teams spend much of that first day doing practice laps and familiarizing themselves with the terrain.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do the two-day event for risk-management purposes,\u201d Williams explained. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a ton of technical (terrain) like you would find in a traditional mountain bike state, but we have enough that it is better for our student athletes to go out and see the course ahead of time.\u201d<\/p>\n The rest of Saturday has an almost festive feel, featuring non-biking activities like chin-up contests and scavenger hunts that encourage mixing between teams. Families can buy snacks from food trucks parked around the course, and some even bring picnics from home.<\/p>\n By the time races begin on Sunday morning, parents and athletes from different teams have had numerous opportunities to mingle and form connections\u2014a process that Williams says increases camaraderie and sportsmanship during competition.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things that we pride ourselves on is that you\u2019ll get out there (on race day), and your student athletes and your parents are cheering on everybody,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to see any major rivalries.\u201d<\/p>\n Growing Inclusively<\/p>\n Williams had no idea that she would one day co-found a league of more than 130 student athletes when she began coaching the Mississippi Blues seven years ago. Since becoming affiliated with NICA, however, she and other league leaders have strived to further the nonprofit\u2019s mission of inclusion and equity in their home state.<\/p>\n![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Race_courtesy-Mississippi-NICA.jpg\")
Mississippi NICA holds regular races at mountain biking courses around the state, including the Clear Creek Recreational Area near Oxford, Mississippi, pictured above. Race weekends offer opportunities for student athletes to mix and form relationships with riders from other teams. Photo courtesy Mississippi NICA<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Michelle-Williams-Supervise_courtesy-Mississippi-NICA.jpg\")
Williams was drawn to NICA in large part because of its emphasis on inclusion and parental participation. She attributes her league\u2019s growing popularity to kids\u2019 desire for community and spending more time outdoors. Photo courtesy Mississippi NICA<\/p>\n