The 2020 Southern Clinic was an awesome success. For the third annual installation, the attendance rate once again grew by roughly 20% with over 50 coaches in attendance. It was also a highly diverse crowd of retired legends, young assistants, and well-known head coaches. The event took place at the Raleigh County Convention Center in Beckley, WV on January 25th from 9:00AM to 6:00PM.
Ray Lee, the head coach who has brought Greenbrier East to their best successes in three decades, started off the itinerary of presentations. He passionately spoke about how he built not only a culture of winning but also an atmosphere in which players could grew mentally and physically. Following him up was renowned Mingo Central offensive coordinator, Joey Fields. He has multiple state titles under his belt and also called the plays that produced the most prolific receiver in state history. His talk was well-received as he covered the concepts and mentality the Miners take that has allowed them to have such incredible success in their young school history.
Tony Spadaro assumed the role of presenting on technologies coaches could really use. Most specifically, he touched on Microsoft Visio and how much time it can save while offering tons of other features. It was an excellent introduction to a new software relevant to coaches. Following him up was former Ohio State and NFL linebacker Anthony Schlegel. Coach Schlegel, who also was a strength coach for the Buckeyes, gave a riveting talk about how to find motivation, carry yourself and your program, build lasting relationships, and the overall mentality of a winner. He was also there to present his smashing innovation known as The Difference- a spring-loaded lineman training pad that offers unmatched training and safety. It is used by many NFL and collegiate programs and hopefully will expand its reach in West Virginia weightrooms.
Those in attendance were fed an allure of homemade lunches most notably the Convention Center’s well-known pizza. To try to keep up with time, the presentations were quickly resumed. George Washington’s Steve Edwards Jr. and Mingo Central’s Joey Fields were put in a Chalk War- a scenario-based whiteboard session on how they approach certain situations. After this, Virginia Tech’s Associate Athletic Director of Sports Medicine, Mike Goforth, gave a supremely informative presentation to educate and improve athletic training within the Mountain State- especially subjects such as concussions.
The afternoon was packed with highly accomplished coaches. Brent Terry, Spring Valley’s linemen coach, who has put multiple players in Power 5 schools as well as three straight title game appearances, informed the listeners on his keys to success via technique and scheme. Coach Donnie Mays of South Charleston, winner of several state titles, explained the playart behind their successful counters. Mays was joined by Point Pleasant’s David Darst and Greenbrier East’s Ray Lee, for the Coaches’ Roundtable- a segment where the audience asks questions and receive quick simple solutions by the coaches.
The final two speakers of the evening were David Darst and 2019 AAA Coach of the Year, Steve Edwards Jr., from George Washington. Both hit on the schemes and points that have brought them both bounds of success. Though the clinic ran slightly long into the evening, the vast majority of the crowd stayed to listen to these respected coaches.
All in all, the clinic was an awesome time. For the price of $40 (or $30 if prepaid), coaches listened to some of the best minds this state has to offer. There was more than enough X’s and O’s talks and an ample amount of off-the-field learning such as culture building, technologic tools, athletic training, and the unmeasurable networking made between those in attendance. We thank the coaches who took the time out of their day to continue to help grow this event. We look forward to our Northern Clinic on February 29th, 2020 at the Bridgeport Conference Center in Bridgeport, WV from 9:00AM-5:30PM. Can’t wait!
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