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Local youth coaches get a chance to learn from the best

Hundreds of CCSD employers learned from the Vegas Golden Knights, the Las Vegas Aces and the Desert Dogs at Monday's clinic.

KTNV

Aces teach local coaches new drills for student-athletes

By: Alex Eschelman

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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Coaches of the Vegas Golden Knights and Las Vegas Aces passed their championship-level talent onto the next generation at Rancho High School on Monday.

"It means a lot that they would take time out of their schedule to be with us and help us," Finlay Middle School teacher and coach DC McDonald said.

WATCH| Alex Eschelman talks to Aces assistant coach on instilling confidence in players

Local youth coaches get a chance to learn from the best

Hundreds of local Clark County School District coaches and teachers learned new drills that they can take to their schools and programs.

One physical education teacher told me that for some students, P.E. is the only place they learn how to play sports.

"A lot of our kids enjoy sports, but don’t have the opportunity outside of playing at recess, so if we can help them learn new skills they can build on them as they grow," Robert Taylor Elementary School teacher Olivia Tomlinson said.

Whether it is how to shoot or how to pass, some coaches say it all comes down to the basic fundamentals no matter the sport or the level.

"The fundamentals are the foundation, and if there are no cracks in the foundation you can build vertically," Aces assistant coach Ty Ellis said.

The educators also learned how to instill self-confidence in their students.

"It’s my job to strip away to power of failure," Ellis said. "I tell people all the time — failure and success are fraternal twins, they’re born on the same day, they need each other, that’s the biggest advice I would give these educators is encourage it, we want it, this is the time where failure is necessary."

The next clinic is this fall and one Golden Knights legend says it is the least they could do for local teachers.

"Teaching my kids just their homework is enough for me," Deryk Engelland said. "These guys do it everyday all year long, so my respect to the hard work they do for our community and our kids."

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