Who is the Demo Team?
The MCA is dedicated to instilling confidence and readiness in volunteer coaches who work with student-athletes. Composed of seasoned volunteer coaches, the Demo Team provides new and experienced coaches with guidance, support, and training. Equipped with the latest coaching techniques tailored for middle and high school student-athletes, the Demo Team employs an interactive teach-back approach that prioritizes both safety and enjoyment in coaching.
The Demo Team…
- Formulates youth coaching strategies, aligning resources with MCA league objectives
- Designs, evaluates, and implements practical coaching curriculum
- Provides instruction at numerous locations around the state, guaranteeing access to essential resources
- Modifies and adapts curriculum in response to team needs, trends in our sport, and coach feedback
- Innovates and establishes new programs based on coach feedback
Examples of Demo Team projects:
- MBS-1, MBS-2, MBS-3 skills curriculum and training sessions
- FIRE clinics (female-led/women only)
- Trail difficulty assessment and skills requirements to ensure rider safety on trail ● Strategies for riding trails that can be used as part of team practices
- Present topics at Coach Summits
As an Instructor, what does a Demo Team member do?
As a Demo Team instructor, your role is to guide fellow coaches in effectively teaching skills to their student-athletes. Your responsibilities encompass lesson preparation and delivery, engaging with coaches, providing constructive feedback, and addressing any injuries that may occur during your sessions. Additionally, you are responsible for overseeing basic bike checks, guiding skill progression and regression, and helping coaches turn skills practice into fun activities for their athletes. Essential qualities for this role include patience with coaches of all experience levels, effective communication skills, and a robust knowledge of the riding area.
For each clinic you conduct, you are responsible for understanding how to instruct at your site, ensuring the availability of water and emergency snacks, ensuring there is an site Emergency Action Plan (EAP), arriving early to prepare the lesson area, coordinating with co-coaches, and providing post-clinic assessments and feedback to the Demo Team Coaching Director.
Are you interested in joining the Demo Team?
Becoming a part of the Demo Team involves completing a training process alongside other Demo Team members, committing to a minimum of 2 years, and demonstrating readiness to adopt MCA best practices.
What are the expectations of a Demo Team member?
- Demonstrate passion for guiding coaches on their learning journey, be a servant leader, and contributes to overall youth growth and development
- Prioritize safety on the bike
- Effectively communicate the Mission of the league and its Core Curriculum ● Demonstrate proficiency in performing and teaching the bike skills
- Commit to teaching the minimum required hours per season, contributes to annual projects, and attends Team meetings
- Engage actively and positively with the Coach community
- Demonstrate intellectual curiosity, empathy for fellow coaches and a learning mindset for continuous personal and professional development
- Actively support fellow Demo team members in reaching and mastering all competencies; collaborates on all aspects of Demo Team activities
What are the technical qualifications required to be a Demo Team member?
- Minimum MCA level 2 coach
- Desired 2+ years of mountain biking coach experience
- Additional instructor certifications from organizations such as BICP and/or PMBIA are highly advantageous but not mandatory
- Referral from your team Head Coach/Team Director, Demo Team, or MCA Staff
What is the time commitment of a Demo Team member?
Demo Team members are asked to participate in the following events:
- Nov – Feb: Annual planning process (5-10 hrs)
- Nov – Apr: Annual projects (10-30 hours)
- Mar-Apr: Pre-season in-person meeting (1-2 days)
- May – Aug: Teaching classes (min 3 3-hr classes per year, typically front-loaded into May and June)
- Race Season: Support race day events as needed
- All Year: Field and filter questions from coaches (as needed)
- Ad Hoc: Communication to ensure responses are provided to coaches in an appropriate and timely manner (as needed)
Is the Demo Team a paid job?
- No – it is a volunteer position.
Interested? Want to talk to someone?
Contact: coaching@minesotacycling.org
· Meet the Demo Team ·
Christine England
Team: 612mtb (South Minneapolis)
Certifications: MCA L3; BICP L2, Wilderness First Aid; CPR
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 5/2
Favorite Donut: Maple glazed
Brenda Roloff
Team: Mounds View-Irondale-Totino Grace MTB Team
Certifications: MCA L3, First Aid and CPR
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 4/2
Favorite Donut: Toasted Coconut
Julie (Jules) Gujer
Team: MCA GRRLS (previous St. Croix Composite Coach)
Certifications: MCA L3, BICP L1, Wilderness First Aid
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: MCA coach since 2013, Demo Team member for 9-years, GRRLS lead for 3-years, coached special Olympics Alpine skiing for 20-years, Instructed Teen Extreme driving school for 3-years.
Favorite Donut: Plain Cake Donut
Rebecca Rosemeier
Team: New Prague and MN Valley MTB Teams
Certifications: MCA L3, First Aid and CPR
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 9/3
Favorite Donut: Boston Cream…no, apple fitter….no, cinnamon twist…. Agh…
Jon Rosemeier
Team: New Prague and MN Valley MTB Teams
Certifications: MCA L3, First Aid and CPR
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 9/3
Favorite Donut: The biggest one in the box
John Makosky
Team: 612mtb (Minneapolis Southwest High School)
Certifications: BICP L1, MCA L3, Wilderness First Aid, CPR
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 4/2
Favorite Donut: Danish kringle (not actually a donut)
Derek Chinn
Team: Alexandria
Certifications: BICP L1, MCA L3 Coach
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 5 years on Demo Team
Favorite Donut: Whichever one Moe hasn’t eaten already
Jason Digman
Team: MCA Coaching Education
Certifications: RN, ACSM Personal Trainer, Youth fitness certificate
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: Coaching endurance sports since 2005, MCA intermittently since the beginning and joined demo team in 2023.
Favorite Donut: “Did you say donut?” 🙂
Mari Kivisto
Team: Cuyuna Lakes
Certifications: BICP L2, Mental Health Wilderness First Aid, MCA L3 Coach
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 8 years coaching MTB / 5 seasons on Demo Team. Recovering ball sport coach.
Favorite Donut: Whatever Moe is eating
Erik Moe
Team: Burnsville
Certifications: BICP Level 2
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 7 / 3
Favorite Donut: Apple Fritter, it’s good for a nourishing breakfast because it has “Apple” in the name.
Johanna Hislop
Team: Duluth
Certifications: MCA L3, PMBIA 1, CPR, Outdoor Emergency Care
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 8/5
Favorite Donut: Kwik Trip blueberry dunkers
Aaron Hislop
Team: Duluth
Certifications: MCA L3, PMBIA 1, CPR/CPR Instructor, Outdoor Emergency Care/OEC Instructor
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 8/5
Favorite Donut: Yes!
Mike Busch
Team: Mankato Comp / Mankato West
Certifications: MCA L3; USA Cycling: Provisional A Motoref, Road A Official; PSIA Alpine L1.
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 11 (7 as head coach) / 7
Favorite Donut: The corner(s) of a high-school graduation cake (hey, a donut is really a round mini-cake?!).
Greg Rhodes
Team: Coach Education
Certifications: PMBIA 1, MCA L3, PSIA – CC3, SB3, A1,TM1, CS2, and former National Team Member, US Ski and Snowboard Cross-country Level 200, USAC Level 3, WFR, CPR/AED, PhD in Exercise Physiology/Sports Science
Years Coaching/Years on Demo Team: 10 yrs with MN High School Leagues, 8 years on Demo Team, 25 yrs coaching endurance sports
Favorite Donut: Maple Bacon Longjohn