Coaches

Maurice Henriques - Founder & Director of Sports Programs

Admirably referred to as “Coach Mo”, Maurice Henriques founded REAL Training to develop athletes on and off the track, field, court, and classroom. When he first founded the club, Coach Mo was working as a Juvenile Intensive Probation Officer for Boulder County. He held this position for 18 years before taking these same philosophies to his work within Boulder Valley School District as a Truancy Advocate. Receiving many accolades over the years for his coaching and work with at-risk youth, he believes that working with kids is his calling. He strongly believes that if kids have at least one good role model in their life, they can work through adversity in their own life.

In 2020, Coach Mo was recognized by the Positive Coaching Alliance as a national coach of the year out of 800 nominees. Maurice has served as an assistant and head coach for various track programs in Colorado, including Northridge, Denver North (1999 – 2001), Fairview (2003 – 2007), and presently, Niwot High School (2010 – ). He has coached countless individual state champions in track events of all distances and multiple field events, as well as collected multiple team state championships. Most recently, he has brought five team state championships to the Niwot Cougars, and top-5 finishes every other year of his decade plus at Niwot. In addition to track & field, Coach Mo was a defensive back coach and defensive coordinator at Ranum, Denver North, Fairview, Northglenn, and Thornton high schools. He was a defensive back and four-year letter winner at the University of Colorado from 1992 – 1996. He also ran high school track & field in Texas, and he will never let you forget it.

Wally Clay - Co-Director of Sprints

Wally "Coach Clay" Clay has been an integral part of the REAL Training Colorado family since relocating from Michigan in 2017. Bringing a unique combination of elite athletic experience, educational leadership, and proven coaching success, Coach Clay is passionate about helping athletes reach their full potential both on and off the track.

Professionally, Coach Clay served as a Paraeducator and Engagement Specialist at Nevin Platt Middle School in Boulder, Colorado, where he works closely with students to foster academic achievement, personal growth, and positive engagement. His commitment to youth development extends beyond athletics, having also served as a Community Liaison at Justice High School, where he supported and mentored at-risk students, helping them navigate challenges and achieve success in the classroom and in life.

As an athlete, Coach Clay competed collegiately at Northwood University, where he specialized in sprint events. During his track and field career, he earned All-Conference honors and established himself as one of the top sprinters in program history. He finished 3rd in the GLIAC Division II Conference in the 200-meter dash and remains ranked 4th all-time in the 200 meters and 8th all-time in the 400 meters at Northwood University. He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Entertainment Sports Promotion Management (ESPM), combining his passion for athletics with a strong foundation in sports leadership and development. 

Since joining the Colorado track and field community, Coach Clay has built an impressive coaching résumé. He began his Colorado coaching career at Niwot High School, serving on the Track & Field coaching staff from 2017 to 2019, where he worked primarily with sprinters. During his time at Niwot, both the boys' and girls' teams captured Colorado State Championships in 2019, contributing to one of the most successful periods in program history.

Coach Clay then joined the coaching staff at Erie High School, where he spent five years helping establish the Tigers as one of Colorado's premier track and field programs. During his tenure, he played a key role in developing numerous state champions, state medalists, school record holders, and championship relay teams.

Today, Coach Clay serves as the Head Track & Field Coach at Horizon High School, where he leads the program with a vision centered on excellence, accountability, athlete development, and team culture. As a head coach, he is committed to building a championship-caliber environment that develops not only elite competitors, but also outstanding young men and women prepared for success beyond athletics.

In addition to his work in education and athletics, Coach Clay works in Marketing for Advanced Physical Therapy, where he helps build community partnerships, promote health and wellness initiatives, and strengthen connections between athletes, families, and performance professionals. His experience in marketing, education, and coaching allows him to bring a well-rounded perspective to athlete development and community engagement.

Coach Clay is also a USATF Level 1 Certified Coach, demonstrating his commitment to ongoing professional development and evidence-based coaching methods.

What truly sets Coach Clay apart is his philosophy toward coaching and mentorship. He believes that success is built upon strong relationships, trust, loyalty, accountability, and a collective commitment to excellence.

"As an athlete, I was blessed to have coaches and mentors who showed me the importance of putting your best foot forward and giving yourself every opportunity to achieve your goals. As a coach, I want every athlete I work with to become not only the best athlete they can be, but also the best student and, most importantly, the best version of themselves."

Coach Clay emphasizes that great programs are built through meaningful relationships and a shared determination to work together toward common goals. His approach focuses on developing complete individuals, helping athletes cultivate confidence, leadership, discipline, and character that extend far beyond competition. 

His personal coaching philosophy can be summed up in one statement:

"Bring your best self at every moment."

Coach Clay believes that while there are many things in life and sports that we cannot control, we always control our attitude, effort, and commitment to growth. By consistently striving to be our best selves regardless of circumstances, athletes place themselves in the strongest position to achieve success both on the track and throughout life.

Through his dedication to education, mentorship, athletic development, and personal growth, Coach Clay continues to make a lasting impact on athletes across Colorado and remains committed to helping the next generation reach their highest potential.

Zach Whimbush - Co-Director of Sprints

Coach Zack Whimbush is an experienced educator and coach with more than 20 years of teaching experience and over 15 years of coaching track & field athletes at the youth, high school, and club levels. He currently serves as the Sprints & Hurdles Coach at Ralston Valley High School and has previously led successful programs as Head Coach at Denver South and Northridge High Schools.

Coach Whimbush earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and holds Colorado teaching licenses in Administration, Physical Education and Special Education. As a former collegiate track athlete and football player, he brings firsthand experience in athlete development and high-performance training.

Throughout his career, Coach Whimbush has helped athletes earn collegiate opportunities, win state championships, and compete on national stages. Most recently, he coached 2026 Colorado 5A 200-meter State Champion Phoenix Tomsick.

Coach Whimbush is proud to be part of the REAL Training family and values the positive culture that sets the program apart. He believes REAL Training not only prepares athletes to compete at a high level on the track, but also teaches the discipline, accountability, confidence, and character needed for success in life.

Known for developing speed, technique, confidence, and mental toughness, Coach Whimbush is passionate about helping athletes reach their full potential both on and off the track.

“Develop great athletes. Build great people.”

Kris Christensen - Distance - Loveland, Johnstown, Ft Collins

Bio to come…

Edmond Underwood - Sprints

Coach Underwood is the assistant sprints coach at Erie High school. A USATF certified track coach, he has coached recreational, as well as club and high school teams. He is a multi-disciplinary coach with 11 years experience coaching track and field, and 19 years coaching various sports, and as coached multiple Colorado state finalists, champions, as well as coached an outdoor and indoor national champion, a USATF top 25 athlete and USATF outdoor qualifier.

A former masters runner, Coach Underwood coaches track and field because of his love of track and field. “I enjoy being around the sport, the athletes, and the coaches. We are a fraternity that I am truly grateful to be a part of. I love watching all the athletes compete whether they are athletes I am coaching, competitors, or un-associated. I have a passion to learn and to grow as a coach. I spend many hours honing my craft as a coach, learning from my peers, and sharing my knowledge with others. I have an infectious joy for track and field that I impart onto our athletes.”

Quinn Pack - Jumps, Sprints, Hurdles, Throws - Director of Masters Events

Coach Quinn Pack has been coaching youth, high school and masters track and field since 2012. An 8x masters track all-American that still competes in the 400mh, decathlon, jumps and relays, he loves the sport of track and field from many angles. Coach Pack is proficient in coaching sprints, hurdles, jumps and even throws. He is also a prolific track and field sports photographer who has shot for USATF, National Masters News and other track and field media outlets. 

Cassidy Cheesman - Horizontal Jumps - Director of IT

Cassidy Cheesman is a REAL Training 2020 Alumni hailing from Centaurus High School where she earned her first team all conference and all state titles. She took her collegiate career to Cornell University, where she was the captain of the squad her senior year. While at Cornell, Cassidy received a grant to travel to Japan and study track and field culture. There, she coached track and field at Yasuda Girls’ School, and trained with the Hiroshima University track and field team. After graduating Cum Laude in Information Science, Cassidy now works in artificial intelligence.

She specializes in triple jump, with an emphasis on building team culture that pushes responsibility, education, achievement, and leadership. Her favorite part of coaching is getting to see athletes achieving the goals they have worked towards for months.

Justin Daerr - Distance

Coach Justin Daerr has been helping athletes in endurance sports since 2002, with an emphasis on triathlon, swimming, cycling and distance running. Justin began racing triathlons recreationally while in college and eventually progressed into the professional ranks, where he spent 15 years racing from 2006-2020. Justin owns a coaching and consulting company, named All of It, based in Boulder, Colorado and began coaching with REAL Training in the Spring of 2025. 

Justin believes that sport can help develop lifelong skills for youth athletes by fostering a sense of confidence and agency that carries into all facets of their lives.