New sports, no matter how cool or trendy, always face an uphill battle getting established at the high school level. But if the passion and the level of participation remain high, a sport can eventually make its mark.

Lacrosse is a prime example. And so too is mountain biking.

Mountain bike racing has gaining traction throughout the Northeast since the popularity of fat-tire rigs skyrocketed in the 1980s and ’90s. But there were few school-based programs.

That is changing.

This spring, two decades after mountain bike racing became an Olympic sport during the centennial Games in Atlanta, the New England High School Cycling Associationis launching.

With teams in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, the association gives more than 150 racers on 15 teams an opportunity to saddle up on the starting line.

“The best part of any racing for me is being able to last the entire race physically and mentally,’’ said Nick Hardy, a 16-year-old Georgetown resident who rides for the Haverhill-based Veloraptors team. “You have to be in it to win it. No other sport that they have at school interests me very much, so I was very exited to see that this league was going to happen.

“I love the challenge of getting through a technical section or going down a fast and flowy downhill,’’ he said. “I also love that while I’m having fun mountain biking, I’m training and becoming fitter.’’

Teams can be loosely affiliated with their local schools or communities, but neither the teams nor the league fall under the auspices of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Given the sport’s challenges and rewards, it’s ideal for teenagers, said Parker Heath of Lynn, a longtime mountain biker who coaches his son Jackson’s St. John’s Prep team.

“Mountain bike racing should succeed as an interscholastic sport for a variety of reasons,’’ said Heath. “With the exception of cross-country running, most interscholastic sports tend to reside in very controlled environments with a lot of boundaries.

“I think it’s important to allow high school kids, in particular, to have a chance, a place, and a way to be out of control,’’ he said. “Mountain bike racing, both while training and during actual races, allows or demands that limits are challenged, pushed, and understood, not just in a physical sense, but in a mental and emotional sense as well.’’

Michael McLaughlin of Westerly, R.I., a middle school math teacher and coach of the Burlingame Badgers, echoed Heath’s assessment.

“Mountain bike racing appeals to a different type of kid,’’ said McLaughlin, a board member of the fledgling association. “I’m not saying that soccer kids won’t like mountain biking. They will. It is just a very different sport.’’

The new league provides opportunities for students regardless of ability level, said Kathy Robbins of South Kingston, R.I., a league director and coach of the Big River Big Ringers.

“We have kids from fifth to 12th grade,’’ she said. “We have kids who have been racing for years, and kids who have never been on a bike. That is what is so great about cycling. It is a sport for all, a lifelong sport.’’

Teams can have both boys and girls. Girls’ results are weighted more, encouraging teams to recruit females.

“It would have been great to have had this league when I started racing cyclocross,’’ said Anne Savage, 15, of Westborough, referring to a two-wheeled cousin of mountain biking involving many laps of a short, varied course. “I hope this will bring more kids, especially girls, into a sport I really like.’’

The current league schedule includes races April 30 at Burlingame State Park, Charlestown, R.I.; May 14 at Wompatuck State Park, Hingham; May 27 at Willowdale State Forest, Ipswich; and May 28 at Highland Mountain Bike Park, Northfield, N.H.

The league adheres to Eastern Fat Tire Associationracing rules, which put a premium on self-sufficiency: Racers are not allowed any outside help on bike repair.

“What I love so much about mountain biking is the friends you make,’’ said Will Stuart, 18, of Marblehead, who races for St. John’s Prep. “We all share a common interest, and we’re all passionate about the sport.’’

And that passion seems to be growing, said Heath, the St. John’s Prep coach..

“I’m seeing a resurgence in mountain biking,’’ said Heath. “From long-travel enduro bikes to fat bikes, from cross-country racers to downhill bikes, the activity itself covers a lot of ground. The terrain is a great equalizer; we all have to deal with the same stuff out there.’’

At the end of the day, mountain bike racing offers the same benefits as other sports, said Todd Savage, coach of Team SuAsCo Mountain Lions of Maynard/Westborough.

“Racing shouldn’t be about winning or beating the other person,’’ said Savage. “It’s more about goal-setting and . . . a measurable way to improve yourself.

“Winning feels great, but you can ‘win’ in mountain biking just by doing something you couldn’t do before or riding something faster than before. [It’s] a race against yourself, motivated by the others around you.’’

If you have an idea for the Globe’s “On the Move’’ column, contact correspondent Brion O’Connor at brionoc@verizon.net.