ECCC Alumni
You're never too old for the ECCC! Whether you're in the area and up for riding or living far from campus and just want to get in touch, your team(s) definitely wants to hear from you. Alumni are a major backbone of the conference, and provide a number of important functions, including:
Nearly 25 years of Yale Cycling jerseys.
- Guiding team leaders, either as a formal coach or a more casual wise elder, to help ensure continuity and stability as newer members graduate. Club officers can really use your experience and ideas to help them navigate old and new challenges.
- Nurturing younger riders by showing newcomers the great local routes, talking to aspiring stars about training and tactics, coaching beginning riders on skills and safety, and bringing collegiate riders into the larger community, getting them out to local group rides and being a friendly face at non-collegiate events.
- Helping out at races and other events. Whether it be course marshaling, providing host housing, or coaching in our Intro races, all of the ECCC races would love to have your assistance.
- Sponsoring teams, financially supporting the activities they participate in and the events they put on. This ranges from acts as simple as buying a jersey to help meet manufacturer minimums, to giving significant donations to support travel and other costs or even helping to enable the home race.
They may not say it or even realize it, but it means a lot to almost every younger rider to have alumni leading rides, helping out at races, or even just chiming in on the team listserv. It can also be a very rewarding experience to help guide and protect your team, so don't hesitate to make contact or get re-engaged. Here are a few resources to help you do so:
- ECCC Clubs List
Find your team's current contacts through its USAC registry, linked from this list of currently active clubs in the conference. - Season Calendar
Look for upcoming ECCC races and events in your area on the (:calendar:). - ECCC Blogosphere
Volunteer writers from across the conference keep the current with reports from the races and other year-round activities. - Officiating
Get information on becoming an official, potentially supporting your team's race as well as the larger racing community. - Coaching
Alumni are excellent candidates to take on coaching or team management roles. Learn more here about the wide variety of styles and approaches to those found in the conference, and how to get involved.