The Importance of Motorcycle Coaches & Training
Motorcycle coaching is about so much more than speed. It’s about safety, confidence, mentorship, and keeping riders in the sport for life. In this episode, host Heather Wilson Schiltz sits down with Lindsey Scheltema, Executive Director of the United States Motorcycle Coaching Association (USMCA), to talk about how her career has come “full circle” from racing and live event operations to leading a national organization focused on professional standards for coaching motorcyclists.
Lindsey shares how USMCA was born out of a surprising gap discovered during an effort to bring back high school motocross, what the certification process includes, and why coaching is becoming a key part of sustaining motorcycling across disciplines — from motocross to adventure riding to track days.
They also discuss what truly makes a coach impactful and how USMCA’s next chapter is expanding through coach calls, an in-person summit, and its acquisition by the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC).
🎧 What You’ll Hear:
• Why AIMExpo was a networking goldmine—and how relationships drive business in motorsports
• Lindsey’s “full circle” journey from racer to Arenacross/Supercross operations to connector and leader at USMCA
• The surprising moment that sparked USMCA’s creation
• What USMCA certification includes: background screening, CPR/first aid, concussion/heat/cardiac training, reference checks, and more
• How coaching supports lifelong riding across multiple disciplines and at every experience level
• The role of follow-up and mentorship in building rider confidence and long-term success
• Online coaching growth: why it helps, and why it can’t fully replace in-person instruction
• The biggest misconception Lindsey wants to clear up: great rider ≠ great coach
• What’s next for USMCA: coach calls, an in-person Coach Summit, and expanded opportunities through MIC
🌐 Get info about USMCA and becoming a coach: USMCA.org
🌐 Find a coach: MotorcycleCoaching.org
🔔 Subscribe for more stories and strategies from inside the motorsports world
“You obviously know this, but some of my listeners may not — that I’m a USMCA-certified coach. But for those that aren’t familiar, what does that certification process look like for coaches?”
-Heather Wilson Schiltz, Momentum: A Motorsports Podcast Host
“We’re the national organization that sets the professional standard for motorcycle coaching across all disciplines of riding. Our overall goal was to set a standard of motorcycle coaching. And I think we’re doing a really good job at it.
But in a nutshell, all certified coaches are over 18. They pass a national level background screening. They’re CPR and first aid trained, and then they go through training to help manage and detect concussions, heat illness and cardiac issues.
They go through core content that we have set up, and a lot of them are just hypothetical questions. We really wanna make sure that you understand the ins and outs of the business side of things, because there’s a lot more that goes into coaching than just being a good rider. A lot of it is your business ethics and how you handle tough parents and hard conversations. So we wanna make sure that coaches are prepared for that. And then, the last thing we do is a reference check.”
-Lindsey Scheltema, USMCA Executive Director
