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AUGUST 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 35 share ideas and meet new people rather than sit next to their buddies in a classroom setting. "Sometimes it can get a little stagnant because you're with the same people all the time," said Lanae Falls, a Level 3 coach from Junction City, Ore. "It was really nice to be with different people and people I didn't know and conversing with them and learning how they do things." USA Hockey has also worked with coach developers to make its clinics more engag- ing, so it's not, as Moore put it, "death by PowerPoint." Virtual clinics tend to be more engaging and interactive, with presenters able to see who's paying attention and who may be drifting off into an online slumber. "We've learned some tricks how to get that out of them as well," Moore said. "The facil- itators or instructors are getting really good at creating that engagement. You call out on people and when you call out on people, there are 49 other coaches so you say, 'Boy, I've got to pay attention. I might get my name called.'" One of the most popular features of the virtual clinics is the breakout rooms, where coaches are divided up into small groups and given a project, such as creating a practice plan. Then they all return to the main session and presenters ask each group to explain what they did. "The breakout rooms have g one great because with a class of 50 that's 10 breakout rooms and you have five coaches in a room who are collaborating and talking hockey with people from all over the country," Moore said. "One coach told me, 'I went to breakout and it was five guys from all over the country. We shared emails and phone numbers so we could connect with each other down the road.' You never hear that." Going virtual also cut down on the cost of conducting clinics, and allowed organizers to pull in guest speakers without going through the logistical hassles of booking travel. "I can pick up the phone and call [USA Hockey youth hockey director] Kenny Rausch in Colorado and ask him to present on the ADM. He doesn't have to drive anywhere, all he has to do is jump on his computer and talk for an hour," Moore said. As of early July, USA Hockey has conducted 15 virtual clinics for more than 750 coaches with another 1,500 coaches registered for future clinics. Still, that doesn't mean that in-person clin- ics are going the way of the wooden stick any- time soon. There are still benefits to bringing coaches together, whether it's for an on-ice component or being able to demonstrate a specific skill in person. Regardless of whether coaching clinics return to a classroom setting or continue to be held online, the ability for USA Hockey to change on the fly and adapt to unforeseen challenges is going to make coaches better prepared, which will ultimately benefit play- ers of all ages. "Interesting enough, the Covid pandemic and our response to it is probably going to benefit coaching education in ways we just couldn't even anticipate," Doungchak said. "That's pretty awesome." P PHOTOS BY USA HOCKEY MAGAZINE While the virtual coaching clinics have been very popular, in-person coaching clinics will return once it is deemed safe for coaches to return to a classroom setting. A coach, left, shows off his team's practice plan after returning from a breakout room during a virtual coaching clinic.