Cassie Smith and Stephen C. “Doc” Worden
January 8, 2026 Morgantown, WV – Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia, Inc. (YCF) announces the establishment of the WV NICA Fund to provide athletic scholarships to student cyclists in grades 6-12. The new endowment has been created by Steve and Dana Soper and Stephen C. “Doc” and Carla Worden. The fund honors Cassie Smith, a three-time national mountain biking champ, and “Doc” Worden for their dedication to West Virginia’s youth.
WV NICA, also known as the West Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League (WVICL), has a mission to build strong minds, bodies, character, and communities in West Virginia through cycling. Founded in 2016 by Cassie Smith, the league has grown under her leadership into a statewide organization, benefiting countless kids and families. From the humble beginnings of 130 registered student-athletes in 2018 to nearly 450 in 2025, WV NICA continues to work toward the vision of empowering every youth to be part of a thriving and engaged cycling community. There are currently 20 WV NICA teams across the state.
“Being a part of WV NICA has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As an avid cyclist myself, it has been a true pleasure contributing to the growth of the sport in West Virginia. Witnessing other families, and especially the kids, discover their love for mountain biking has been an unbelievable and deeply fulfilling experience,” states Cassie Smith.
During the process of establishing the league, Cassie asked “Doc” Worden to assist her in developing an initial budget for the bid to be presented to NICA National, a requirement to become an official league. That initial yes from “Doc” led to many other volunteer positions, including league treasurer for the past nine years. By establishing an endowment fund for student-athlete scholarships, the hard work and dedication of Cassie Smith, “Doc” Worden, and the WV League staff will continue to benefit West Virginia’s youth.
“In 2017, as WV NICA was forming, I was retiring as a veterinarian. I read a book about the importance of having a mission after retirement. That mission for me was WV NICA, and I credit my excellent health to cycling and coaching,” said Stephen “Doc” Worden.
The WV NICA Fund is accepting donations through YCF, a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Gifts in the form of checks, credit cards, stocks, qualified charitable distributions from IRAs, and through bequests are welcome. All donations to the fund are invested to increase their value, with income distributed annually to meet the fund’s requirements and donor objectives. The endowment and any subsequent contributions remain intact and continue to grow in perpetuity.
Distributions from the WV NICA Fund will be made annually to support scholarships for student-athletes in grades 6–12 and will be awarded by the current WV NICA league director.
For more information or to make a gift to this fund, please visit the YCF website at www.ycfwv.org or call YCF at (304) 296-3433.
Established in 2011, YCF’s mission is to promote philanthropy and build endowment funds to benefit our communities. YCF supports people, programs, and projects in North Central West Virginia through grants and scholarships made possible with charitable donations.
About WV NICA
WV NICA is the state’s chapter of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), also known as the WV Interscholastic Cycling League (WVICL), a youth development program for students in grades 6-12. WV NICA builds character, encourages leadership, and changes lives through mountain biking. All of this while having tons of fun riding amazing trails all over West Virginia. More information is available at https://westvirginiamtb.org/nica/
