Always In Motion
The COACHING PAthway
There are essentially two (2) streams for coaches to begin their coach education: The community initiation stream is called the “Let’s Ride! while the competitive stream is called “Ready to Race”.
Let’s Ride! Community Initiation
Let’s Ride! Community Initiation (CI) is the NCCP context for coaches who will primarily work with novice, pre-competitive cyclists at the community level, including participants in the Active Start, FUNdamentals and early Learn to Train stages of athlete development. The program is simple, based on a number of pre-designed lesson plans, and adaptable to the varying skill and ability levels of participants. The focus of the program is on having participants develop skills which are basic to MTB, BMX, and Road, in a controlled, off-road, off-trail setting such as a sport field or parking lot.
CI training has several courses ranging from online to in-person in order to obtain certification and typically have to be completed in the following order.
$15 1hr Online Course – participants can visit Cycling Canada’s education platform create their own account and begin their coaching journey with this 1 hour eLearning course discussing the foundations of cycling.
$75 4hr Scheduled Online or In-Person Course – Visit Coaches Ontario to view schedule of upcoming courses. Your Participation in this course is mandatory for continuation within the Community Coaching stream.
FREE 1hr Online Course – Visit the Locker after creating your own Locker ID, you can select this course from the eLearning portal to be taken at your leisure. This assigned NCCP number will follow you throughout the rest of your coaching journey.
Scheduled Online Course – Keep an eye on our “Upcoming Courses” tab for a list of any Practice Planning courses. This online course must be completed prior to participating in the in-person Basic Cycling Skills coaching course.
In-Person (on bike) Course – Keep an eye on our “Upcoming Courses” tab for a list of any of our upcoming Basic Cycling Skills courses. This in-person course is the final step in your Community Initiation coaching stream.
For course description and details on the certification process please visit the Cycling Canada coaching education information page.
For a list of upcoming courses being offered in Ontario please visit our events calendar.
Ready to Race! Introduction to Competition
Ready to Race! Introduction to Competition (R2R) is the context for coaches who will primarily work with new competitive cyclists at the community and club level. These athletes will likely be in the Learn to Train to Train to Train stages of LTAD, although the context could apply to any new racer of any age. These athletes have basic but developed cycling skills and the desire to begin competing within a structured training and competition program.
The Introduction to Competition coaching stream has several courses ranging from online to in-person and even on-bike in order to obtain certification and typically have to be completed in the following order:
$15 1hr Online Course – participants can visit Cycling Canada’s education platform and create their own account and begin their coaching journey with this 1 hour eLearning course discussing the foundations of cycling.
2a) NCCP Make Ethical Decisions: $75 4hr Scheduled Online or In-Person Course – Visit Coaches Ontario to view schedule of upcoming courses. Your Participation in this course is mandatory for continuation within the Community Coaching stream.
FREE 1hr Online Course – Visit the Locker after creating your own Locker ID, you can select this course from the eLearning portal to be taken at your leisure. This assigned NCCP number will follow you throughout the rest of your coaching journey.
In-Person (on bike) Course – Keep an eye on our “Upcoming Courses” tab for a list of any of our upcoming Basic Cycling Skills courses. This in-person course is the final step in your Community Initiation coaching stream.
Scheduled Online Course – Keep an eye on our “Upcoming Courses” tab for a list of any of our upcoming Skills and Tactics Theory courses. This online course must be completed prior to participating in the in-person Skills and Tactics coaching course.
In-Person (on bike) discipline-specific course – Keep an eye on our “Upcoming Courses” tab for a list of any of our upcoming Skills and Tactics courses. Available in various disciplines such as Road, Track, MTB and BMX.
$20 1hr Online Course – Visit the Locker where you can select this course from the eLearning portal to be taken at your leisure.
Online or In-Person Course – This intensive course can be delivered in an in-person classroom setting or online virtually and is comprised of over 12 hours of learning. Topics include creating yearly training plans, mental health and discussions surrounding the coaches role within the competition setting. During this course, participants will be given the opportunity and resources to complete their Coaching Portfolio.
$150 Document Submission/Evaluation – Your completion of the above courses will have given you the resources and information necessary to complete your Introduction to Competition coaching portfolio. This $150 fee covers the cost of evaluation, feedback as well as subsequent discipline-specific test entry fees as prescribed by Cycling Canada. If you are interested in submitting your coaching portfolio for evaluation, please email Jen Milligan.
For course description and details on the certification process please visit the Cycling Canada coaching education information page.
For a list of upcoming courses being offered in Ontario please visit our events calendar.
Responsible Coaching Movement
The Responsible Coaching Movement applies to all OC coaches and clubs working with youth and other members considered part of the vulnerable sector (e.g. persons with disabilities). Non-compliance could result in non-affiliation or removal of coaching certification from UCI Licence.
- All OC and Team Ontario programming
- Affiliated team and club program
- Independend Coaches
Adoption Deadline
Adoption of the Responsible Coaching Movement and OC related policies [i.e. Screening] are effective immediately. However, coaches and clubs will have until the renewal of the membership/affiliation to complete and or implement the requirements.
The pledge requires the implementation of three key items:
There will always be two screened and NCCP trained or certified coaches with an athlete, especially a minor athlete, when in a potentially vulnerable situation. This means that any one-on-one interaction between a coach and an athlete must take place within earshot and view of a second coach, with the exception of medical emergencies. One of the coaches must also be of the same gender as the athlete. Should there be a circumstance where a second screened and NCCP trained or certified coach is not available, a screened volunteer, parent, or adult can be recruited.
The background screening process involves using a number of different tools to ensure coaches and volunteers meet the necessary security requirements to coach or work with athletes. These tools may include a screening disclosure form, criminal record checks, vulnerable sector verification, interviews, and reference checks.
The OC Screening Policy identifies three (3) levels of risk to the association and its participants with the screening requirements varying by level. Below is a summary of the different levels of risk and associated screening requirements. Please review the OC Screening Policy for full details.
Level 1 – Low Risk – Individuals involved in low risk assignments who are not in a supervisory role, not directing others, not involved with financial/cash management, and/or do not have access to minors or people with a disability.
Examples: Parents, youth, or volunteers who are helping out on a non-regular informal basis
Level 2 – Medium Risk – Individuals involved in medium risk assignments who may be in a supervisory role, may direct others, may be involved with financial/cash management, and/or who may have limited access to minors or people with a disability.
Examples: Assistant coaches or volunteer head coaches of a club, Athlete support personnel, Coaches who are typically under the supervision of another coach.
Level 3 – High Risk – Individuals involved in high risk assignments who occupy positions of trust and/or authority, have a supervisory role, direct others, are involved with financial/cash management, and who have access to minors or people with a disability.
Examples: Full time coaches, Coaches who travel with athletes, Coaches who could be alone with athletes.
Increasing coaches’ ethical conduct and ethical behaviour toward athletes requires that coaches be trained to understand what it means to act ethically. This training includes the Make Ethical Decisions (MED) module within the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), as well as training in abuse and harassment prevention, such as Respect in Sport.
NCCP Make Ethical Decision (MED) is available:
- In-class option [check CAO calendar for upcoming courses]
- Online live delivery [check CAO calendar for upcoming courses]
- Online Evaluation without taking training [only 2 attempts to pass or training will be required]
Low Risk
- Complete Screening Disclosure Forum & Acknowledgement of Understanding of OC policies and procedures HERE
- Complete an required orientation/training as determined by Ontario Cycling
- Additional requirements (i.e. Driver’s Abstract) may be required depending on the position
Medium Risk
- Complete a CRC [Criminal Record Check] or E-PIC [Enhanced Police Information Check]
- If you do not have a current CRC/E-PIC (within past 3 years) you can get an E-PIC completed online at https://www.backcheck.net/oca/ [note: OC will have access to the results of this request]
- Complete Screening Disclosure Forum & Acknowledgement of Understanding of OC policies and procedures HERE
- Complete an required orientation/training as determined by Ontario Cycling
- Additional requirements (i.e. Driver’s Abstract) may be required depending on the position
High Risk
- Complete a VSS [Vulnerable Sector Screening] & a CRC [Criminal Record Check] OR an E-PIC [Enhanced Police Information Check]
- If you do not have a current CRC/VSS or E-PIC (within past 3 years) you can get an E-PIC completed online at https://www.backcheck.net/oca/ [note: OC will have access to the results of this request]
- Complete Screening Disclosure Forum & Acknowledgement of Understanding of OC policies and procedures HERE
- Complete an required orientation/training as determined by Ontario Cycling
- Additional requirements (i.e. Driver’s Abstract) may be required depending on the position
Photographer Acknowledgement
The photographs and images used on the official website of Ontario Cycling are courtesy of:
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