Latest / The Platform: a Michigan High School Powerlifting Association Podcast / Garrett Skurnit, Elk Rapids Powerlifting | The Platform Episode 1
Transcript
- Chris Whittaker: Hi, this is Chris Whitaker, the Strength and Conditioning Coach and Powerlifting Coach at Dexter High School here in Dexter, Michigan. And I want to welcome you to our first episode of The Platform, a Michigan High School Powerlifting Association podcast. This idea for this podcast came about from Coach Chris Gillum, our director of the MHSPLA, and myself going back and forth talking about ways that we can kind of spotlight and highlight all the great people things, teams, everything surrounding our Michigan High School Powerlifting Association, all the good things we got going on. want to spotlight all those things ⁓ put all those things out there and let people know what's going on here in our association because we believe very strongly in this association and what it does for kids. So if you want to keep up with us here, you can subscribe to this podcast on whatever platform you're currently listening to it on ⁓ or And here we are, ourfirst episode of the platform, right? Your Michigan High School Powerlifting Association podcast, where the stories a ton. ⁓ I'm a cohost for this show. ⁓ name is Chris Whitaker. I'm on the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association board. ⁓ my left on the screen in the middle is Mr. Chris Gillum, our of the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association. Chris, say hello to the people. If you prefer YouTube, Spotify, Apple podcasts, it will be on all the major platforms for podcasting. There also will be a link on our website soon that will take you directly to listen to the platform. Without any further ado, I give you episode one of the platform, our interview with the Elk Rapids girls. Our 2020. Chris Gilliam: Hello everyone. Chris Whittaker: And we have our guest with us today. He is the coach of our 2025-2026 girls state championship team from Elk Rapids, Michigan, Mr. Garrett Skernet. Welcome Garrett. Garrett Skurnit: Thank you for having me. Chris Whittaker: And we're glad to have you. We're gonna be talking with you about your program and what you've done, a little bit of stuff about you. You've been coaching up there at Elk Rapids, which I'm from New York, so help me. Elk Rapids at the bottom of the UP. 2025-2026 state champions head coach, Mr. Skurk. Great episode with Garrett. Hope to have him back again soon. Talk more programming. He shares a lot of what's going on in their program. I hope you enjoy episode one of the platform. Garrett Skurnit: No, so are you familiar with Traverse City? Chris Whittaker: Traverse City, been there, nice place Garrett Skurnit: Okay, sweet. We are like 20 minutes northeast of Trevor City. Chris Whittaker: Okay, closer to the bridge. Garrett Skurnit: Yep, yep, little closer. Chris Whittaker: ⁓ been up there. So you run both a high school and middle school program there, trying to develop your athletes long term. ⁓ You've hosted a meet or you're going to host a meet you have hosted a meet there at Elk rapid. Garrett Skurnit: We did. We hosted our first regional last year. Chris Whittaker: First regional was last year and we're gonna keep this going. You've got an impressive lifting career yourself with a 1,637 pound total. Welcome to the show. Garrett Skurnit: appreciate the shout out on the stats, thank you. Chris Whittaker: But hey, whatever I can find on the internet here, sometimes sometimes we sometimes we make sure that Garrett Skurnit: Yeah. No, but everything sounded accurate. Chris Gilliam: Yeah, for sure. No, we appreciate you being here, Garrett. and you know, as Chris said, not everybody maybe as familiar with where Elk Rapids is located, but, ⁓ you guys took your team down to Oxford, ⁓ at the end of February and your JV women won the state championship. How exciting was that? Garrett Skurnit: ⁓ it was phenomenal. You know, it's something and I think any coach that, or most coaches that have been in that position know that feeling I'm talking about where you can sense something special is coming and you're just hoping and wishing, please no injuries, no bad grades. Like you guys keep doing your thing, showing up and working. Something amazing is going to happen. That's what I told the kids all year long. And you could see, you could see the trajectory as the years were going on. You know, when I first started, when I took over the team in 2017, I had 13 kids between seventh and 12th grade, 13 kids. There is no, there is no aspirations for state championships with 13 kids. Not even, not even a regional placing with 13 kids. You know, and I'm talking across all four divisions. So in the beginning, it was, it was more about the individual successes, you know, and it was so easy to, to dial in the technique and the progression of each kid. And then as the years went on, you know, 13 kids turns into 15, then 15 turns into 23, then 23 turns into 28. Next thing you know, we had the start of this season. I had 70 kids signed up before our first team get together. And what made this really special for me. I looked at I looked at the top three finishers at JV States this year in the women's division. Elk Rapids number one based on 2024 data 350 kids in high school 350. That was what was enrolled number two cross legs 750 and number three Davison 1600. So what's really special to me is this little hole in the wall of Northern Michigan that most people south of us don't know where it is on a map. We've got the kids to buy in, commit themselves, and I think we've established something really special because it's not like we just have all these kids to pull from in a massive school and we just cherry pick the ones that are already good at lifting and throw them out on the platform. All these kids have taken time to develop themselves and could not be more proud of Chris Gilliam: Yeah, that's awesome. That is definitely. Well, you answered like, you know, how long you've been doing this at Elk Rabbits. Give us some background on yourself. Like you, you've competed, so give us some information. Chris Whittaker: Yeah, that's what it's all about. That's what it's all about is Garrett Skurnit: Yeah, so... Yeah, so for me, know, I, home life was really tough for me growing up. ⁓ And, you know, to make a long story short, I didn't have a lot of confidence in myself. Okay. When you don't feel confident at home, you don't feel confident at school and you don't feel confident in other sports. so, you know, sports like football, basketball, In my head, I was really interested and I wanted to play these sports and I would show up and sign up, but then I would never go to practice. I would never go to tryouts because in my head I was like, well, I'm not going to be any good. I'm going to get ridiculed. I'm going to get made fun of. I'm just not going to go. ⁓ Lo and behold, my life started changing the summer between my junior and senior year. And I started developing confidence in myself because of some, ⁓ some of the, some events that took place in that timeframe allowed me to kind of leave a really toxic environment. And so my senior year, decided to play football and, ⁓ you know, it was a, it was a wonderful experience for me. ⁓ because we finished the regular season undefeated. ⁓ we had beat Traverse City St. Francis for the first time in school history. ⁓ and it was just a really magical season. And if you've never been a part of, of success like that, it's hard to describe and not just success, but the team element, because in order to have that kind of success in a team sport, the team needs to be really close together. And so once the season was over, I was devastated. because I had just found something that I loved. And at five foot nine, 170 pounds, that's what I was when I graduated, with one year of football experience, sorry guys, I'm not playing college football. Like it's just not happening, you know? And so I sit there and I go, well, what am I gonna do now? And what came with football was weightlifting. And I fell in love with lifting. You know, and all your teammates, you know, they got the pre workouts, they got the creatines, they got the proteins, you know, and you're like, you're sitting there going, ⁓ well, I'm going to start doing that stuff. You know, I want to be big. I want to be muscular. And so after football season ended, that's what I did. I kept lifting and my original goal. It wasn't about strength. It was about, ⁓ it was about looks. wanted to be bigger. Well, the principal of the high school. And you guys may be familiar with him. His name was Mike Travis and he was a power lifter himself. And the year after I graduated, he started the Elk Rapids power lifting program. So this would have ended 2011, the fall of 2011. And all the kids in the school knew Mike Travis was a beast. I mean, he was just a hulking man. had all kinds of power lifting trophies in his office. And there was a lot of excitement around the program. Well, he kind of mentored me in the weight room. And I would join him in the weight room. And this was even after I graduated. And one day I was like, Hey Mike, what do I have to do to get a key to the weight room? And he said, well, Garrett, he's like, I can't, I can't just give you a key. Like you have to help out in some way, you know? And he's like, how about this? What do you say you become an assistant coach for the power lifting team? And I was like, okay, that sounds easy enough. And again, in my mind, I just want that key. I want that weight room access. So I ended up helping him for about three seasons. I think I started as an assistant 2014. And then I remember we were on a bus back from a meet. ⁓ and he said, Hey, Garrett, he's like, you know, my kids are coming through high school. I want to watch their sporting events. I don't think I'm going to have a lot of time to dedicate to the power lifting program anymore. Would you want to take over? And I was just, I was thrilled and I was honored and I was also scared to death. because it's one thing to feel comfortable with the sport, but it's another thing to say, can I lead the youth in this sport? Can I actually be a good coach? But I said, yes. And so again, that first year, we had 13 kids between seventh and 12th grade. And over, as the years went on, two things improved, one, my knowledge of powerlifting and two, how to be a coach. I mean, you should have seen me talking to the kids before practice. I was stuttering. didn't know what point I was trying to make. I was losing my train of thought. And ⁓ it was kind of funny looking back on, but as the years go on, you refine your skills and... And I guess my message to any new coach out there or anyone that's thinking about doing it is don't give up. Believe in yourself and believe in the kids and have that consistency. If you do those two things, everything else is going to fall into place. ⁓ sorry, I hope I'm not getting off topic here, but, in the beginning for me, because I didn't know necessarily how to be the coach I am today, or I maybe didn't have all of the powerlifting knowledge I have today, one thing became a to me and that was, I want to be for these kids, the person that I needed at their age. I'm going to show them that I care. And so we introduced little things at the beginning of practice, like we call them life lessons. And it's usually something not related to lifting at all. And my thought behind that was, You know, maybe something like, like maintaining a good credit score or the difference between medium rare and medium well and well done. Maybe these things are really obvious to some kids. And maybe some of these kids don't get to learn that at home. You don't know. You don't know what everyone's going through. And so I just tried to throw in those little tidbits every day before practice. And ⁓ the goal was, listen guys, I just want you to know I'm here for you. And I want this to be a place where you learn, where you grow, and you leave here more prepared for life than when you came in. Like honestly, and even today, it's not even about powerlifting. It is, but the powerlifting is more of vehicle for them to be successful in life. So anyway, as the years went on, I remember we were down at Granville for a regional. This was when Connor, who's the Davenport University head coach. was with Connor was still with Granville. And I remember they go and in second place and we're talking to JV girls, they go Elk Rapids. And I'm like, huh? I lost it because for the first three, four or five years team awards again, weren't on my radar. Cause when I started, we didn't have the numbers. We had good lifters. We just didn't have the numbers to be competitive. And so my mind, I was still thinking about those early days. And so when the team awards rolled around, I remember I held that plaque like it was like it was a golden goose, you know? And I was just, I was just so thrilled. Like it's like, Whoa, okay, this is happening. And then the second place plaque started turning into first place plaques. And then all of sudden the varsity girls are starting to earn awards. And then the JV boys are starting to earn awards. Chris Gilliam: you Garrett Skurnit: And you could just feel it was like an avalanche coming down a mountain. And I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it right now because the JV boys are following in the footsteps of the JV girls. Last year, the JV girls finished two points out of third place at states. So I was like, oh, we're close. JV boys this year, they finished sixth place out of 60 some schools. So it's like, oh man, you guys. And then all these kids that are JV right now. These guys are gonna be juniors and seniors soon. And I'm just so excited for these kids that are determined, that have been disciplined, that are sticking with it. I'm so excited for them to continue to see what their hard work yields. Anyway, guys, sorry, I hope I don't get too off topic there, but anyway. Chris Gilliam: No, you didn't. mean, honestly, you answered questions that we were going to ask anyway. So no, it's awesome. I love your passion and I can relate to where you're at because I went through a similar experience when I was at Birch Run and ⁓ yeah, I can totally relate. that's awesome. Garrett Skurnit: Thank you, Chris. Chris Whittaker: It's just building it from the ground up. And I believe that some of the best coaches are the ones that take the attitude that you're taking about it. Right. It's our sport, whatever it is, ⁓ is the means at which we reach and help develop kids into quality humans. It takes a village to raise kids in this world. Right. And I think Educators, we play a part in that as coaches, we play a part in that. ⁓ and some of the most successful ones that I've read about or known, ⁓ usually their priority is develop the kid as a person. And usually that translates over into some good success in whatever endeavor it is. So that's awesome. Garrett Skurnit: there's no doubt about it. And that's what I tried to remind the kids, you know, I had a new kid this year, it was his first year lifting. And, you know, once we once we knew who all was going to states, he's like, Coach, what do I have to do get to states? I'm like, buddy, and I think he's a freshman. Like, listen, man, this is your first year powerlifting. I'm like, I don't want you to worry about getting to states. I want you to focus on you. Keep doing what we're asking you to do and everything else will come. You stay consistent, you stay disciplined, you keep putting in the effort. The podium, the medals, the states, all of that falls into place. And I think sometimes the kids in their mind, and you guys get it, we've all been there at some point in our lives, we want it now. ⁓ ironically though, the journey ends up being the most fun part. So that's what I try to tell you guys. Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Yeah. The sport of power lifting, there's no shortcuts. There's not. So just get it comes over time and those that do it, they get to experience obviously various levels of success, but they get to experience that. Did you have a question you wanted to ask Chris or. Garrett Skurnit: No there is not. No there is not. Chris Whittaker: Yeah. Well, a lot of our, teams that are involved in our association, we're all kind of in different spots, right? ⁓ Is powerlifting considered a varsity sport at Elk Rapids High School? Garrett Skurnit: Yes, it is. And, ⁓ before, prior to Mike Travis, ⁓ who is now the superintendent and Munising schools. again, he's the one, he was the principal at all. Gravits high school. started the powerlifting program before his departure. He met with the board to get it and stated as a varsity sport. So, ⁓ really thankful for him. He kind of had the foresight of, Hey, let me get this out of the way for when Garrett comes in. Chris Whittaker: So then, yeah, that's a huge. Chris Gilliam: That's all. Garrett Skurnit: So very appreciative for him on that front. Chris Gilliam: That's great. We're finding that's more and more common, more more common with schools getting it as a letter sport and stuff. Sorry if I cut you off, Chris Whittaker: What? Mic down. No, I was just saying that, being from New York, learning who's who around here. I think Mike is a guy that we might need to track down, Chris, for an episode and talk to him. ⁓ Chris Gilliam: Sounds good. Yeah, that was... Garrett Skurnit: ⁓ yeah, he's a, he guys, just want to tell you he's a wealth of knowledge, well spoken, and he's got a lot of passion for the sport. So yeah, if you need a guest, he'd be a good one. Chris Gilliam: ⁓ sounds good. Well, you, you, mentioned some stuff earlier, you know, the ups and downs of the sport and, know, even within your own program. So we know power lifting is a sport that you experienced failures. Right. It could be an attempt for a PR or a state record attempt. ⁓ the difference between winning and losing as an individual and as a team, you kind of address those things yourself. What's your favorite failure? a setback that ultimately set you up for later success. Garrett Skurnit: Ahem. Are we talking are we talking just in powerlifting or life in general? Chris Gilliam: No, anything. If you want to use power lift on that's fine, but anything. Garrett Skurnit: ⁓ man, this is a good one! Chris Gilliam: Is there one you can thank up for one of your lifters? Garrett Skurnit: This is a good one. yeah, and Chris, again, just to clarify, the original question was about my personal failure, right? Yeah. Okay. Okay. You know, ⁓ I remember Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Garrett Skurnit: And I don't know necessarily if I want to... See, the way I like to look at things, it's you win or lose, or not win or lose, but win or learn, right? So I'll tell you, one of my favorite learning experiences, so it could be considered a failure, something I failed at when I was younger, but one of my favorite learning experiences was ⁓ how to properly process my emotions. And I remember being in my early 20s, Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Garrett Skurnit: And as I told you, I had a pretty tough upbringing. And because of that tough upbringing, I had a lot of unresolved trauma that I had never dealt with and I had never processed. And I would find myself, I would get irritated very easily. Friends, family, girlfriends, ⁓ aggression, anger, frustration, all of these emotions, I was very quick to. and it wasn't healthy. luckily I was able to take that as a learning experience. Because obviously when you have that kind of, ⁓ when you have those attributes, you find very quickly you're not a very ⁓ pleasant person to be around. And so I look at that as a great learning experience because now, And again, this was in my early twenties. Now that I'm in my thirties, I find stuff that it's a really beautiful thing because there's things that happen in my life now that would have absolutely bothered me 10 years ago that no longer bother me. And not just that, but I think with that, it makes it easier to communicate to the youth because you can kind of see similar things with, with the kids that you coach. and how they're processing their emotions or how they're not processing their emotions. And then you can kind of help them say, hey, this is the healthy way to deal with this, not this way. And so I like to use that. I like to use my own, my own experience as a teaching tool, as I think we all do when it comes to, when it comes to coaching, ⁓ because you just hit the nail on the head with failed lifts, you know, a lot of times, and we see it all the time. meets, right? Kids will fail lift. They usually start crying or you see the belt or you see the belt get thrown. They storm off. And, ⁓ you know, I think it's okay. Okay. It's okay to be emotional, emotional, but it's how are we going to channel that emotion? Let's not do it with anger. Let's not do it with, ⁓ with aggression. Let's not do it with beating yourself up either. Again, it's win or learn. And it's like, Hey, Chris Gilliam: get emotional. Garrett Skurnit: I'm actually thankful for this failure because it teaches me that I have to do X, Y, and Z to get to success, which I didn't know that before. You know what I mean? Chris Gilliam: Yep. Yeah. I think it's a process of how you respond to something rather than react. And unfortunately, emotions cause you to react all too quickly a lot of times. So I appreciate you sharing that with us, Garrett. Thank you. Garrett Skurnit: Yes. Yeah, it's a little vulnerable because no one likes to admit that they used to be a reactive person. But I think also part of being a good leader is having humility to recognize your own faults. And so it's one of those things where if anything that I've gone through or experienced, if it can help someone see success quicker or avoid mistakes that I made. I want to be as transparent as possible. Chris Gilliam: For sure. Well, thank you very much, Chris. Garrett Skurnit: Of course. Chris Whittaker: Cause it's the real, it's the real life stories that you can go back to, then use to teach the lesson, whether it's about something with us that we've been through personally, another kid, right? I, you know, I tell kids all the time, you know, stories about this event that happened like, and I think that's what adds validity to what you're trying to say. So when you're trying to teach lessons in any aspect, you know, being able to tell those real things that come from you. ⁓ I think they land better than just the generic lesson. Garrett Skurnit: Absolutely. Chris Gilliam: For sure. Chris Whittaker: So we're getting, we're getting a little, a little close on time. This is a part here. We're going to jump into some speed set questions. These are just five things really quick off the top of your head answers, not big detail things with them. Cause again, speed set got to be back underneath the bar in 45 seconds. All right. ⁓ Which do you prefer squat bench or deadlift as your favorite lift? Garrett Skurnit: Deadlift. Chris Whittaker: Low bar, high bar squat. Garrett Skurnit: Low bar. Chris Whittaker: Sumo or conventional. Garrett Skurnit: Conventional, ⁓ depending on limb length. Chris Whittaker: Max out or Rep PR. Garrett Skurnit: Max out. Chris Gilliam: Thanks. Chris Whittaker: One rep max. Your best accessory exercises. Okay, your best accessory exercise for the squat. Garrett Skurnit: squat, Bulgarian split squats, belt squat, ⁓ front squats. Chris Whittaker: Best accessory for the bench press. Garrett Skurnit: And sorry, I do consider front squat an accessory. ⁓ Bench press, dead stop skull pressures, ⁓ barbell rows. A lot of people don't understand the significance of a strong upper back and keeping you in position. Barbell rows and then ⁓ pause pin press just off the chest. Chris Whittaker: developing the triceps and lats. Last one, best accessory exercise for the deadlift. Garrett Skurnit: ⁓ Rack pulls and 45 degree back extensions. Chris Whittaker: That's our speed set segments. Real quick right there. Garrett Skurnit: Now this is all confidential. I can't have the other teams knowing about this. Chris Gilliam: Sneakers out, Chris Whittaker: The millions of listeners of this podcast now know your secrets. All over the world, worldwide audience for... Garrett Skurnit: Yeah. This is so cool. I'm so glad you guys are doing this. This is awesome. Chris Gilliam: Yeah, we're, I'm glad that you did this. one last question for me, what's the hardest thing to coach or teach in the sport of power lifting in your opinion? Garrett Skurnit: You know, I think it's easy to automatically think of like the technical aspect of powerlifting, know, like ⁓ teaching proper form on squat or teaching proper deadlift set up or teaching, you know, proper deadlift. Like there's things that are difficult in teaching those, but I think the hardest thing is is getting the kids to buy into just being patient. That's the hardest thing to teach is patience. And again, I go back to that kid I just talked about a little bit ago that said, coach, how do I make it to states? And it's his first year lifting. And it's like the answers, I've already given you the answer. You just need to be patient and kids don't wanna hear that. But it's like, if you can get them to understand how valuable that patience is, ⁓ we lost Chris. If you can get them to understand that and then like they just need to hold off and believe in that patience long enough until they start seeing those successes that they wanted. But as soon as they start seeing them, then they're hooked. Then they know, okay, yep, I just have to stay consistent, stay patient and everything else will fall into place. But I think teaching patience is probably the most difficult thing because it kind of sounds like a cliche, especially to the kids. Like, yeah, right coach. Chris Gilliam: Nah, he's good. Garrett Skurnit: I need to have great genetics. I need to be able to lift X, Y, Z right when I come in here or I'm not gonna be successful. No, that's not true. I've had girls come in weighing 110 pounds and then their next year when they weigh 115, they freak out and they're like, coach, I need to get back to 114. The girls are so much stronger in 123. Yeah, and you will be too if you add on another eight pounds. And you know what, that same person That same person that told me that she now weighs around 135 first year on varsity made it to States this year and she's as strong as ever. So, you know, it's just it's just getting them to buy in and the proof's in the pudding. They just have to stick it out. If any lifter is watching this right now, if you just stick it out, you don't even need to have all the all the answers when it comes to programming and technique. But if you stay consistent. everything else will fall into place. Chris Gilliam: Great advice. Thank you. Garrett Skurnit: course. Chris Whittaker: Consistency. I mean, that's just that's just anything right keep working. Yeah, sorry. Garrett Skurnit: Yeah. And also before we, before we end too, I don't know if we're getting close, but I just want to also say over the years I've had, I've had amazing, amazing assistant coaches ⁓ that without their help, we wouldn't be where we are today. And I just want to make sure that they get the credit that they deserve. And one of them, he was with, he's in his third year with us now. His name's Bruce Addison. We actually made him our JV head coach this year and split the team into two sessions, two lifting sessions. And ⁓ he was phenomenal. So anyway, my assistant coaches and Bruce, his first year as JV head coach, you guys were awesome. Chris Whittaker: Now it's Bruce your guy that has the epic custom Elk Rapids Chuck Taylors. Chris Gilliam: Good. Garrett Skurnit: Yes he is. Yes he is. Chris Whittaker: My guy, I never caught his name. We talk at every meet I see him, but he's got a pair of custom Chuck T's that are that Elk Rapids, orange and black. Garrett Skurnit: Hehehehehe You can always count on Bruce to have some good footwear and he's hooked me up a few times too actually. Chris Whittaker: Yeah. Well, shout out, shout out to Bruce. Maybe we'll get him, ⁓ get him on here too. So we're, getting close to the end here. ⁓ Garrett, I mean, you, you, shout it out, your assistant coaches, anything else that we haven't discussed, ⁓ that you'd like to bring up. Garrett Skurnit: You know, not necessarily one, I think, and you guys know, too. I think if anyone was questioning where the sport stands, I just have to say it's growing. It's obviously growing. look at we had Davenport University just started their program two, three years ago. Defiance College out of Ohio just started one. And again, they're not just starting programs. They're offering athletic scholarships for these programs. I don't know if you guys have seen yet, Northwood University just hired a head coach. They're going to be getting power lifters. So it's it's like guys and especially our lifters, our coaches, like there's a lot of great opportunity here for our kids to be able to get continued education while still doing a sport that they love. And it's just so cool that us involved in the MHS PLA, we can kind of lay a foundation for those kids to get to that next level. ⁓ And I'm just really grateful for, for everyone, you know, you too, ⁓ all the coaches, all the schools, administrators, everyone that's given powerlifting a chance to succeed. It's turning into something awesome. And I think if we keep that momentum going, who knows, maybe, maybe one day it's, it's not just like, ⁓ is powerlifting a club sport? it an official sport? Like there won't be a question. So I'm excited about the future. Chris Gilliam: Same. Chris Whittaker: Absolutely. And that's part of what doing this is, is to help bring connections between the coaches and our lifters from all over the state and help grow it even more. Help continue to make this MHSPLA the best it can be. ⁓ So Garrett, again, we thank you for your time. ⁓ Do you have any social media if people want to follow you or follow your program? Garrett Skurnit: Yeah, yeah. So our team has a Facebook page Elk Rapids Powerlifting. ⁓ The icon it's got our orange elk head and Elk Rapids Powerlifting in the photo. ⁓ My personal Facebook is Garrett Skernet and then ⁓ Instagram at powerlifting underscore Garrett. ⁓ Coaches lifters, please if you need any advice. ⁓ And you want to reach out, I'm happy to talk to anyone. Just shoot me a message and I'll help in any way I can. And to me, I made a joke earlier about everyone knows my secret. To me, I don't want there to be any secrets in how we got successful or why we're successful. Because at the end of the day, what did we talk about earlier? It's for the kids. And so it's like, if I can give some information that's going to help the kids, that means the world to me. Chris Gilliam: Yeah, in our sports, the kids help each other and meets. mean, there's, they cheer for each other because that's what makes our sport unique because at the end of the day, if they're better than you, they're just better than you and you can't hate on it. You just got to keep working and grinding. Hopefully you get better. That's right. Thanks again, Garrett, for being with us. We appreciate it. Congratulations. Garrett Skurnit: more motivation. Chris Gilliam: And what hopefully is the first of many state championships to come for you guys. I'm excited to watch your program continue to grow and rise and congratulations once again on the state title for the JV women this year. Garrett Skurnit: Thank you, Chris. And thank you, Chris. Thanks to both of you for having me. Great questions today. Really appreciate it. And our program really appreciates it. And ⁓ we're really thankful for the MHS PLA and all their work and effort that goes into each season. So thank you guys. Chris Gilliam: Thank you.