Chase Pami is succeeding in native Las Vegas as coach, mentor and entrepreneur

Post collegiately, Pami was a household name on the Senior level, placing five times at the U.S. Open, four times at the World Team Trials and securing a fourth-place finish at the Olympic Trials.

He always knew he had a knack for leadership, however. Combine that with his natural entrepreneurial spirit, and it is no wonder that young wrestlers throughout the Las Vegas area, and now expanding into the Reno area, are thriving at Pami’s Gold Rush Wrestling Academy.

“I always thought I would be in coaching, mentorship, or leadership somehow,” Pami said. “I had an opportunity to be a business owner, and I get to fulfill both things I love.”

After officially retiring from competition in 2019, Pami’s five-year stint coaching at the University of Penn under Roger Reina was instrumental. He was not only able to gain valuable coaching experience but learned a lot about the business side, which served him well when he got the idea to start his own club in his native Las Vegas area.

“I ultimately knew I did not want to coach long-term at the collegiate level,” Pami reflected. “I wanted to go back to Vegas and coach club. High school is the age group I enjoy most. I can Influence kids most when they are just coming out of puberty and are finding themselves and learning about the world. They are still moldable from a coaching and life perspective.”

In the midst of the COVID pandemic in 2020, Pami was fortunate to receive an invitation from a Vegas area firefighter who was looking for someone to take over a wrestling club he had started. Sixty kids needed a coach. The timing was perfect.

“I didn’t have boots on the ground in Vegas yet, so it wouldn’t have happened as fast with me doing it by myself. Half those kids stayed, so we started with 80-to-90 kids right out of the gate once we marketed and launched.

“I threw the money into savings, lived frugally at my best friend’s house, and eight months later we got a building, and it took off from there. Now five years in, we just expanded and built a 4,000-square foot facility in Reno.”

Finding a well-rounded coaching staff can be difficult when starting a club, Pami offered, but equipping yourself with the proper personnel is essential for longevity.

“If you want to be in this game a long time, it is very hard to do. It is rigorous. If you are not willing to invest in good help, you will burn out.

“You may not be making Silicon Valley money, but if you would tell people 20 years ago you could make two-thousand dollars a month coaching club wrestling, people wouldn’t have believed you. Now those opportunities are there.”

From a leadership standpoint, Pami has implemented some unique teaching exercises for his high-school aged clients. These, he feels, separate Gold Rush from any other wrestling club.

“We are very intentional about teaching them skills and how to be self-sufficient. I am an anomaly from Nevada. I was very self-sufficient. I built my own training camps and went to the gym by myself while having to go find partners on my own.

“The kids have everything given to them now, and sometimes they take it for granted. We debrief every Monday with the high school kids and reflect on the week before. We do 15-minute sessions of positive reinforcement, put them in real life scenarios, and go through books together as a leadership team.”

Pami prides himself on being a coach and leader that communicates transparently with his subjects. He even welcomes feedback from the athletes on his own performance as a coach.

“I try to be open with the kids about the things I struggle with as a coach,” he said. “I invite the high school kids to tell me what they like or dislike about my coaching.”

Pami and his staff are moving in the right direction, evidently, as he has witnessed an uptick of college-ready Nevadans emerging from Gold Rush.

“Here we are five years later, and we put four kids in Division I programs this year alone. We had 15 commit to college this year alone. That has never been done in Nevada.

“I can’t guarantee success; it is not a magic wand. I promise you’ll get full effort from our coaches and our staff, though.”

For coaches or parents nationwide considering launching a wrestling club of their own, Pami provided two more crucial pieces of advice.

“Know what values you’re going to stand on and not bend or break on no matter what,” he insisted. “I was good at this but could have been even better. Don’t come off those values. If someone is not the right fit but they’re a great athlete, don’t bend. Stick with what is best for the long game of the club and its culture.

“Think down the road. Don’t try to save everybody. Not all cancers are deadly, but know which ones are. Don’t waste too much time on it.”

Lastly, and he credited Cyler Sanderson for this tip, “What works in one place might not work in another. Know your area. That is just business 101. Know your clients. Know what they want and what is important to them. Don’t jam a square peg into a round hole.

“Whether you are just going to start organically and hit the ground running as you go, or try to do this full-time, know your area, your clients, and their values.”