At OPD5, Aaron Walker spends his workday as a Control Center Operator. But in other circles of the community, he is known by another important title: Coach Walker.
For the past five seasons, Walker has served as assistant coach for the Moapa Valley High School Wrestling program. In that role, he has helped lead the Pirates to a state team championship in 2025, as well as guided a number of young athletes to become individual state champions in their weight classes.
The team recently finished the 2026 season at 4th place in the State with three individual wrestlers winning state championships in their class.
While Walker admits that coaching demands a significant time commitment, he is quick to emphasize that there are feel-good benefits that come in working with local youngsters.
“The good thing is that you’re able to establish these lifelong relationships that go far past the wrestling mat and well beyond their high school graduation,” Walker said. “It is great to be able to check in with them from time to time and follow their successes throughout their lives.”
In fact, Walker said that it is a priority for the whole MVHS coaching staff to focus their young athletes on the long game. “We always make it clear to the kids that they are a lot more than just wrestling,” Walker said. “The sport is just something that they do. Whether they win or lose doesn’t define them. They are defined by much higher things than that.”
Skills, strengths and habits that are learned in the sport can be carried with the team members and applied to all their pursuits outside of the gym, Walker added. “We always talk about three traits: discipline, effort and attitude,” he said. “Those are things that are developed in the sport that the kids can carry with them for the rest of their lives and apply to their future careers, family relationships and in their communities. Those things are what shape their character.”
OPD5 CEO/General Manager MeLisa Garcia said that she was proud of Walker’s efforts as well as many other OPD5 staffers that get involved in serving their communities.
“Aaron is just one of many great examples of our OPD5 team quietly making a difference out there,” Garcia said. “That service mentality really hits at the heart of OPD5. We aren’t just some faceless utility. We are your neighbors, your friends and your family. We love our communities and we have a stake in what happens here. That is the way it should be.”