Daily Grind Athletics, led by professional basketball player, and skills trainer Tyler Shelton, held a free basketball skills clinic this past Sunday, at the Clifton Forge Armory.
The clinic consisted of two, hour long sessions, broken down by age groups.
Session one was for younger athletes, targeted at ages 11-14, youngest being 9 years old, while session two was more advanced, targeting middle school to high school aged kids (15 – 19).
Joining Shelton, was former local athlete, and current A-league coach Shawn Helmintoller, and former division two basketball player, and high-school coach, Olivia Walker.
Walker is the daughter of former Purdue All-American point guard, Brian Walker, who was a Dapper Dan High School All-American, a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, and was a part of the 1980 Final Four.
“I know what it is like to not have access to resources like trainers, nutrition, and other key sports development resources. My goal is to give kids an outlet to develop as an athlete and as a person. Having studied Kinesiology in school and Sports Performance Specialist training through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and having played professionally in Michigan, North Carolina, Las Vegas, and most recently Karystos, Greece I want to share what I’ve learned with the youth of the area”, said Shelton on what it was like growing up in a smaller community.
The skills training sessions are aimed to fill a void for our local athletes without having to leave town.
This is the main reason why Helmintoller decided to partner with Shelton, and Daily Grind Athletics.
Helmintoller, who also goes by Shawn Spinner, emphasized the importance of giving back to the community and the benefits that these sessions could have on local athletes.
Helmintoller, who also provides play-by-play radio broadcasting for Alleghany High School Basketball games, is one of the younger current youth coaches, and is determined to be a difference maker as well as being a positive role model in the area, specifically focused around youth athletic development.
Working with Helmintoller, Daily Grind Athletics, is looking to partner with all local sports teams in order for all athletes to have the opportunity to participate and improve their skills.
There is another free session this Sunday, January 30th, from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Session one, starts at 1:00pm and session two begins at at 2:00pm.
“This was a really nice gesture to the community, especially for the kids considering they have had limited access to these types of activities over the past two years because of COVID”, said Chris Knighton, who is a parent of two of the participants at the clinic .
Knighton, encourages parents to bring their children out to the next event so that they can improve their skills and better their game.
The training sessions were followed by a Free Basketball Open Gym (ages 15 and up), but must RSVP for scheduling, ensuring everyone gets to play, and overall organization.
For more information on individual and group private sessions, or a personalized training plan contact Tyler Shelton at (702) 720-2285 or dailygrindathletics@gmail.com.
Be sure to also follow them on Instagram @dailygrindathletics and Facebook @dailygrindathletics to stay up to date on future events.
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