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Oral history interview with Lindy La Rocque Cunningham and Alan La Rocque on December 10, 2025 conducted by Stefani Evans and Claytee D. White for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, La Rocque talks about his early life growing up in Inglewood, California. La Rocque played basketball his whole life and attended California State Polytechnic University, Pomona for computer science. He was able to get a job coaching and teaching at Western High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, which he did for nineteen years. La Rocque talks about the transformation that happened within Clark County School District during his tenure, noting the various changes in superintendents and district size. La Rocque is a passionate coach, who always focused on showing up for his athletes, and passed that legacy to his daughter, Lindy. Cunningham then begins her story, growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada and watching her father coach. She knew from a young age that she wanted to follow her father’s example and become a teacher and coach as well. Growing up watching other women play also inspired her to take the game of basketball seriously. After attending Stanford University for her undergraduate degree, and the University of Oklahoma for her master’s degree, Cunningham accepted an offer to become the Women’s Basketball Head Coach for UNLV in 2021. Cunningham has used her father’s lessons and her education to become an excellent coach for the women’s basketball team. Cunningham’s philosophy regarding coaching is simple. For a successful team, she needs to delegate and manage her team efficiently. From athletes to staff, everyone on the team is important and should know their responsibilities. Cunningham also emphasizes that she fosters an environment that is welcoming, collaborative, focused on education, and an open space for all players and staff to speak their minds. La Rocque is incredibly proud of all the work that Cunningham has done as a coach for UNLV, and even though he is retired, is always there if Cunningham needs his support. They end the interview by discussing the recruitment process to bring in out-of-state athletes, and the differences between the men and women’s teams recruitment strategies. Digital audio available; no transcript available.

Oral history interview with John Pellissier conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on February 24, 2025 for the Game On! The Oral History of Las Vegas Sports project. In this interview, Pellissier talks about growing up in Las Vegas, spending his formative years driving in the desert with his father, which grew into attending off-road races with his uncle and dirt biking with his cousins. He got involved in off-road racing as an adult, which led to him getting involved with S.N.O.R.E., where he has now spent over a decade being involved on the Board of Directors in various positions. He has been the Sergeant at Arms, Vice President, and is the current President. He speaks about the environmental impact for both racers and wildlife, and how the Bureau of Land Management has not always been supportive of desert racing. He has learned how to effectively 'lobby the hobby' and make sure that we continue to protect the environment, while still giving off-road racing a chance to thrive. He speaks about S.N.O.R.E. reaching 56 years of consistent operation as a non-profit, and how he hopes to see the group continue to grow and put on more races in the desert.

In the second interview with John Pellissier conducted by Stefani Evans and Bethany Dayton on March 24, 2025, Pellissier talks in detail about the Mint 400 race and its history and growth. The race originally ran from the Mint Hotel, into the desert, and through Moapa. After land and permit issues arose, the race was moved to be closer to the Speedrome (now Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and through Jean. While he was President of S.N.O.R.E., Pellissier and other board members did research and found that the copyright for the Mint 400, originally owned by Norm Johnson, was available, and made the decision to purchase the rights for $20,000. S.N.O.R.E. put on their first Mint 400 race in 2008, running the original track through Moapa. It was a huge success and they were able to run the race for two more years, moving to the Jean track after the first year. With the newfound success, S.N.O.R.E. was not able to keep up with what the Mint 400 now demanded, and decided to sell the copyright to Josh and Matt Martelli. He speaks about his hope for the future of the Mint 400, and says it will continue to be the biggest off-road race in North America, save the Baja 1000. Digital audio and transcript available.