Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / #367: Payton Taylor-Gill Athletics | From Illinois State Thrower to Serving Coaches Nationwide

Transcript

#367: Payton Taylor-Gill Athletics | From Illinois State Thrower to Serving Coaches Nationwide · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

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You're listening to the Gil Athletics Connections podcast
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with host Mike Cunningham. Track and field world UNL tuned
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in to a humble servant, Mike Cunningham, for another
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extraordinary message for Gil Athletics Connections.
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All right, welcome back here to the Gil Athletics Connections
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podcast. So humble to be your host.
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Mike Cunningham, national business development manager for
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Gil, probably better known as the the podcast guy.
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And of course, even the even the Twitter guy.
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Look at that. We had Twitter pop up right
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there behind me. If you're watching over on
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YouTube. Hey listener, this is your first
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time listening. First of all, thank you for
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being here. I really do appreciate that
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maybe you're friends with today's guest.
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Maybe that's why it's your first time here.
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I hope it's not your last time here.
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And for you guys and gals who are repeat listeners, man, thank
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you so much. You're our bread and butter and
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just so grateful for your continued loyalty, your
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continued listens here for these amazing guests.
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Today is going to be a little different.
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I like to do this from time to time.
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We have on some of the most amazing men and women who choose
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to be track and field coaches around the country, sometimes
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around the world. I love them, love their journey,
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love what they've been teaching us about today's NCAA
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recruiting, academic standards, etcetera.
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It's been a lot of fun. But I also like to show off I've
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got the greatest. I've always told you I've got
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the greatest job in the world, right?
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Well, the reason I have the greatest job in the world is
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because I have the greatest teammates in the world.
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And I like to showcase our teammates for a couple of
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reasons. One, I like to brag on them.
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They're really a bunch of great group of just servant leaders
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out there working with our dealers and working with our
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coaches on a daily basis. Love their just heart for our
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sport and our coaches out there. And also I'd like for you guys
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just to get to know him. You know, you, you probably have
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called in or you worked with a dealer and you probably worked
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with some of them and don't even know who they are, what they've
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been through their journey in this great sport.
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And so I like to to showcase that.
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So without further ado, help me welcome.
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He is on our East Coast. He runs our East Coast sales
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operations and sales and things like that.
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He's our throws expert. We'll figure out did he even
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ever throw? I bet, I bet you he did, right?
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We'll talk about that. And he's our NCAA Division Two
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liaison, helping us run that great stage, indoor and outdoor,
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outdoor national championships Help me welcome from Gil
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Athletics the wise and wonderful Mr. Peyton Taylor.
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Peyton, what's up, man? Welcome to the show.
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What's up? Thanks for having me on, Mike.
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Is it weird, you know, you are literally 100 feet away from me.
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Is it weird to be on a Zoom call with just me?
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You know, we're not in a meeting with a bunch of other people.
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It's just me and you and it's. A little weird that I'm not just
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in your office, kind of, but. But we used to do that because
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my office used to be just the studio and I had a separate
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office. But you know, your, your boss,
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Tim kicked me out. He just so rude.
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He wanted his own office. What the, I mean, why?
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Come on. And so I decided to to convert
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the studio into the office. Still have the studio, though,
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man, I, I, you know, it's a little, little warm sometimes.
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Thanks, man. What about the studio?
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Yeah. Yeah.
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Oh, you were. Oh yeah, I was talking about
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that. Oh, I thought, that's
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embarrassing. You too, I guess so.
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I heard that. I guess, Sir, that's on record
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now. Peyton, how long how long have
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you been here with us now? I I keep saying a year and a
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half, but. I'm not sure it's a year and a
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half, almost a year and a half, like a year and four or five
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months. OK.
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We're going to call that a year and a half when I'm not sure
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when you're listening to this, but when we record this, it is
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the middle of April. So probably when you're
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listening to this, it's probably actually starting in the summer.
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So he's going to be a full year and a half with us.
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First of all, thanks for being here.
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Not not just here for the show, man.
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I'm just so grateful. I say it's been like I feel like
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more than a year and a half because I've done so much with
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you with D twos and just training and things like that.
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You're a great addition to the team and I'm just pumped that
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you're part of our team, my man. Thanks.
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It's been, it's been awesome. I feel like the last year and a
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half, it's just kind of flown by.
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It's been crazy. Like I feel like I've done so
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much too. Yeah, I tell you what, you know,
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I'm an old man. I've been here 20 years.
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I've been 20 of year Guild lifetimes.
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I've done it right. We in fact, I was just talking
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to our our big boss Steve about this.
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We are doing a better job of when we get guys like you have
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just so much talent, so much passion of getting you involved
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much quicker then we used to. You know, I you know, when I
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started back in O6 brother, they they barely let me touch a
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computer. They were like, man, Mike, you
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might screw some things up. You need to learn first.
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We kind of just proverbular 3 you in the deep end and said,
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Hey, man, you need to figure this out here, Go call these
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people and ask questions and hey, go, go talk to this guy and
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ask him this question, this gal about this.
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And you know, it takes a special person to do that and you have
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just done it with a plum. My friend.
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You've you've definitely set the bar high for the next people
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that come in. Appreciate it.
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Awesome man. Well, Peyton, I do like to share
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with our listeners more about our people.
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You know, again, we can build stuff, and that's awesome.
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We build great pole vault poles, pole vault pits, hurdles, all
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that kind of things. I'm sorry your thrower shop puts
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discuses, javelins, cages and all that kind of stuff, and
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that's awesome. But it's a human being that
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makes and welds and creates and designs and sells and services
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that equipment. And so I like to kind of peel
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behind the curtain and show off our people.
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So let's get to know you a little bit better, my friend.
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Assuming well, see, my, my general line is assuming you
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were an athlete, but I know you were an athlete.
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Let's talk about you, my friend. Where in the world does track
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and field start for you? So for me, track was really
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never a main spot in my mind growing up.
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Like we were always a baseball family.
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Like I grew up I was in sure I was going to do track in high
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school, like I was always baseball.
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So then junior high, I started in 6th grade.
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And so my dad, he won state when he was a junior high in Illinois
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in the hurdles. So I was like, oh, I'll go do
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hurdles and see if I can win state like him.
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Best event ever. Yeah, yeah.
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So that's where I started with hurdles.
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Nice. I knew I liked you.
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Yep, Yep. So started there and then I was
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like a bigger kid. So I picked up the shop at one
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time and I actually threw it decent for, you know, a 6th
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grader just because I was bigger than everyone.
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I I was one of those kids that grew faster than everyone.
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And then eventually everyone caught up in the hype.
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But yeah, so started in 6th grade with that and kind of just
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fell in love with it and did hurdles, high jump and shot in
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disc. So that's where it started with
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me. Did that 6th grade, 7th grade.
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In 8th grade I might have. I think my last hurdle race was
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as a 7th grader. Yeah, Did you?
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When? How was it decided?
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OK, let's stop doing the hurdles.
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Was it because other people was like, OK, you know, people who
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were born to be heard, those are starting to surpass you a little
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bit too much here? Or was it like, hey man, you're
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actually doing pretty good at this shot, but thing, let's just
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focus over there. I think it was a little bit of
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both. My throws coach, he never liked
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that I was doing other events. OK.
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But never always like you're going to get hurt, but one of
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those. But it was a little bit of both.
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I my main goal was to make it to state as in hurdles, other guys,
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that's all I wanted to do. And I mean, I made it in 6th
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grade, shot on this no problem for 7th grade.
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And then my 7th grade year is when I made the state in hurdles
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for the first time. And then, yeah, I went on, was
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all nervous, third off the race, all you know, great, then hit a
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hurdle and then I faceplained. Oh, no, wait, that's what
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happened to you. Oh, that makes sense now.
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OK. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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You got it. But I'm I'm pretty sure that was
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my last hurdle race ever, I think.
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What a way to go out. I think, at least in my memory,
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that's not my last one. That's all you remember because
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you Facebook did. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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So wait a minute, You're a baseball family.
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Track is in the spring. I'm always amazed and it's very
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rare when a baseball player plays track.
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What happened to baseball? So.
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Salt Bork passed a rule. I think my 8th grade year or my
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freshman year they passed a rule allowing dual sports.
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So I did baseball and I threw. Oh, so you were doing both?
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Yeah, yeah. Like the whole time in like in
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high school, I was like, oh, I'm going to go to college for
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either football or baseball. Like I was never in mind to like
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it was like never even thought about.
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Like I knew I could. But like at the time I was like,
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I didn't have any interest in that.
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And so I did baseball and track in the spring, which honestly it
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was. It was a lot on the body just,
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you know, with. And then along with that, we had
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football in the mornings and then throws coach made me throw
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sometimes at like 6:30 in the morning, which was like brutal
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right before school on like cold spring days in Illinois.
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Then sit there all day and then go baseball for a little bit and
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then do track again that night. Yeah, it was long, long days,
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but it was definitely worth it. Did you?
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Do all three sports all four years.
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Yeah. So besides my senior year,
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because COVID, you know, I don't know.
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You're 20 grad. I forget how young you are.
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OK, as you're doing all three sports, It's interesting that
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you, you know, spoiler alert, my guy Peyton throws in college.
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But it's interesting that you said that was like, you know,
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maybe I could throw in college, but you know what?
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I'm baseball or football here. How did that change?
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Like something had to have changed there.
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I would say just as I got older, throughout high school, I wasn't
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getting recruited to play baseball or football like I was,
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but not by anyone that I would would have thought about going
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to. But then that's how I kind of
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like Mark started to, you know, stick out because track's a
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little different where you can throw something far.
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That's how you get recruit and it's a little bit harder, I feel
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like for smaller schools for, you know, baseball or football
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or basketball. So that that's kind of how I
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stuck the track there. I I, I agree.
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You know, I coached college for 10 years and I always said, you
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know, like in my events, Sprint jumps and hurdles, if a kid runs
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10 flat in high school in the hundred, well, that's the same
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100 in in college. Like it's easy comparison.
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I don't care if they're 6 foot two or five foot two.
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If they run the marks, I need them to go or jump the marks.
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I'm good. Hurdles a little different,
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right, Because they go from 39 to 42 and obviously in the
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throws, you know, they go up as well.
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But I have a basis like every high schooler that I've ever
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recruited that threw 60 foot in the in the shot put ended up
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going at least 55 feet in the college or what?
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You know, there's a comparison football in baseball, brother.
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It's like you could, you know, bat 600 in high school and it's
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like, well, yeah. But is he from No Town USA,
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where the pitcher is Mike Cunningham's?
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Of course, he's thrilled. You know, it's like this guy
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can't hit a college pitcher so much harder.
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I think our football, baseball, basketball, I think those guys,
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it's much it's it's got to be much tougher.
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What kind of athlete were you? And what I mean by that is I
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don't care about your PRS. I never, you know, you know, I,
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in fact, I don't know your PRS. I've never asked.
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I don't really care because that doesn't mean you're going to
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become a better or not so good coach, sales professional,
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etcetera. What I mean when I say what kind
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of athlete were you? Because we know, you know,
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spoiler you, you're in the business of track and field.
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So track becomes something for you.
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It's a passion. Were you the kind of kid and it
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maybe and it doesn't have to necessarily be with your track
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coach could be with baseball or football.
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Like were you in coach's office? Like not in a challenging way,
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but like an inquisitive way of like, hey, so why did we why did
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we throw on Monday and then only lift it on Tuesday?
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Or, you know, why did you have us do gassers at the end of
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baseball when we only run 60? You know, like inquisitive, like
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almost coaching. Mike yeah.
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I wouldn't say I was always in the coach's office, but I did a
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lot of research on like, what my coach was having me do and like,
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if it was, you know, beneficial or not, or I was always doing
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research on things I could add, you know, to get that 1% better.
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Like I was always trying to find more and more.
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Just the little things that just add up to get better.
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I I forget we usually, not usually, but you know, it's not
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irregular that I'll have, you know, a guy my age, 50 years old
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or whatever, a gal my age and we didn't have YouTube and the
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Internet. You grew up you that that's just
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a part of your gross you had access to like, hey, why did we
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throw the 20 pounder today? And you know, things like that,
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Yeah. I lived on YouTube.
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Is that right? Oh yeah, like whenever I started
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something new, I would like YouTube that, YouTube this and
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just try to find extra ways on YouTube.
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Not just track like football and baseball.
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Any any sport I ever picked up, like even like side sports like
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ping pong or pool, I was always looking up on YouTube how to get
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better. Is that right?
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Yeah, yeah. In math and English as well,
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yeah. Not.
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OK, that's fair, that's fair, that's fair.
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OK, just checking. Just just wanted to see where.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm with it. I just want to see where it was
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and what about this, because you know, I'm going to say what kind
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of kid where you're in high school, You're still so young.
13:23
You're you know, you're a kid to me paid.
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I'm that old. But you know, a lot of us old
13:29
people will shake our our fist at the sky.
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Be like these young kids. They don't know who the top shot
13:35
putters in the world or what, you know what it even takes to
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go to college. Were you like a track nerd?
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And maybe it's not track. Maybe you're going to tell me
13:42
it's baseball, football. But like you knew you knew who
13:46
Ryan Krauser was going through high school.
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You knew such and such university always had the
13:52
national champion discus throw where it's such a do you know
13:55
any of that or were you just like, man, I just, I pick up the
13:57
shot and I throw it. Honestly, at the time I was just
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picking up the shots room like I didn't really like more of.
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I was a nerd for football stuff just because it's always on TV.
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Yeah, Yeah. And a little bit basketball, But
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for track and field, I kind of just showed up and did the work.
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I was really nerding out on that too much.
14:16
Yeah. I have a lot of grace for
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16/17/18 year old kids. Well, I think I would love for
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you to tell me like, oh man, you know, I knew Ryan Krauser's
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birthday and Social Security number.
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I guess I would like that. But I also have a lot of grace
14:29
that you were 17 freaking years old trying to figure out how to
14:33
pass math class, how to figure out baseball and track practice
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on the same day, Proms coming up.
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I've got to pick a school. I mean, there you have so many
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things. Whatever your favorite TV show.
14:43
I mean, there's just so many things.
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It's like, brother, we can't all be nerds, especially as a 17
14:48
year old, for crying out loud. Now as a 20 something year old,
14:51
as a sales professional, I have a little bit of expectations,
14:53
like we need to be a little bit nerd of like the process and how
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we serve our cut, you know, But it's like, man, it's a 17 year
14:58
old kid. It's like you're a kid.
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You have all grace for me of like, you know, coach told me to
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do this and I I just did it. I got that makes a lot of sense.
15:06
OK, so you're graduating in 20. So fall of 19, it's senior year,
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you're playing football, you're excited for baseball and track
15:17
season and then COVID hits. Talk to me about, tell us about
15:23
what were you thinking about college and did COVID change any
15:27
of that? And what, what, what did you end
15:29
up doing? Yes.
15:31
So it was actually, I want to say I had one meet that indoor
15:36
year, but it was a week after my basketball season ended just
15:40
about. So there wasn't much practice.
15:42
It was more of, you know, through like 3 or 4 times and
15:45
then went in the meet and the meet was actually at Illinois
15:48
State. I was going to meet.
15:50
So at that time I wasn't sure where I was going to end up
15:53
going and. Still not sure what sport?
15:58
Yeah. At the same time I was talking
16:00
to coaches for football, just a little bit smaller schools, but
16:05
that's where I was leaning towards.
16:07
And then everything shut down and then I was like, and I
16:12
started to think a little bit. And at that time, I already went
16:18
on my visit at Illinois State, I want to say during basketball
16:23
season for. Track.
16:24
Yes, yes, Sir. And at that time I was like, I,
16:28
I loved Illinois State. It was close and they had a
16:33
pretty solid AG program. So that's what I was going into
16:36
was AG. And so that was like the number
16:39
one school in my mind there. So at the time I was like, oh,
16:43
I'll try to, you know, do football there.
16:45
And that didn't end up working out.
16:47
So once COVID hit, you know, reality hit me.
16:50
So I was like, you know, I need I need to do track.
16:54
That's like my one opportunity. So I'm going to take it.
16:56
So that's how I ended up getting into.
16:58
I don't want to say it for that. Yeah.
17:00
Is that right? How does you know?
17:02
It's interesting? COVID.
17:06
Yeah. What?
17:07
What? What year were you born?
17:09
2001. When's your birthday?
17:12
It doesn't matter. You wouldn't remember it next
17:14
time I ask you your Social Security number?
17:15
No, So in 2001, 911 happened. And that's something that a
17:19
person of my age, we know, like I'm sure I could go ask your
17:22
parents where were you? And we know it's one of the
17:26
major things that happened. COVID is another one of those
17:29
where we all remember when it all shut down, whatever we were
17:32
doing, whether we were working in athletics, etcetera.
17:35
And I remember for me, you know, this would have been since I was
17:40
15 years on the job, we were at the NCAA Division one
17:42
championship in New Mexico. But I'm working like I'm, you
17:45
know, we're getting the equipment set up, we're getting
17:47
ready for the meet to start our social is that night, etcetera,
17:49
etcetera. And I remember what we had to go
17:51
through as a company inside of track and field and sports and
17:54
as a, you know, 45 or whatever age I was at that time.
17:58
What does a 1718 year old kid think It's senior year that is,
18:03
I was, I was the half at best an athlete that you were painting
18:06
and I was excited about my senior year.
18:09
What What happens when Coach tells you put the shot down,
18:13
brother, and I don't know when you're going to pick it back up?
18:16
Yeah. So at the time it was like
18:19
started out with school being closed for a few weeks or
18:22
whatever it was. We all had.
18:23
All the time. Yeah, I was at the time, I was
18:26
honestly like, obviously like, oh, awesome, school's out.
18:29
We don't have to go to school. I'm like, so I was actually kind
18:32
of partially excited. I'm like, Oh, no school, I can
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stay at home. And so that started to happen.
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Then we're like, oh, you can't go to practice now.
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And I'm like, that's annoying. But honestly, I didn't mind it
18:46
at all just because so my brother, he's he also throws,
18:50
he's still in college right now. And at the time he was a
18:53
freshman and I was a senior. So I was looking forward to, you
18:58
know, having a throwing season with him in high school.
19:00
I thought that would have been pretty.
19:01
Cool. But that would have been
19:03
awesome. But that's why it wasn't that
19:07
bad being at home, just because we had everything we needed to
19:11
train and pro like we threw at home, we lifted at home like we
19:15
got everything done at home. Is that right?
19:17
Yeah. So we got to do that every
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single day. Under any kind of guidance,
19:21
meaning like did coach say hey, this week do that or were you
19:24
guys YouTube in it and just screwing around?
19:26
You know what I mean? Screwing around not in a
19:28
negative way, but like, you know, not structured like a
19:30
coach would. Everything that me and him did,
19:34
I just programmed myself because at the time that I was doing, I
19:37
had all these books, you know, all the YouTube videos, like I
19:41
put in a lot of thought of like training and everything like
19:45
that. So I made everything for us and
19:47
it was kind of he just followed what I did.
19:49
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I would hope so.
19:50
Yeah. Your Big Brother, Exactly.
19:53
You said before the stoppage of the world you'd visited Illinois
19:57
State. I've had a couple of parents
20:00
that have talked to me and I never thought about this,
20:02
parents that had seniors so same year as you that couldn't take
20:06
visits or didn't take, you know, only took one and didn't take
20:09
the other four or whatnot. And so they did a lot of, and
20:13
even through the next year when things were still a lot shut
20:15
down for visits, they did a lot of Zoom visits for school.
20:20
And now two or three. I had a really long
20:23
conversation. I won't mention the family
20:24
because it's not my business to put.
20:26
T out there, but a highly respected thrower.
20:29
I mean, what power for? I mean, she's really good and I
20:31
was thinking about transferring. I was like, man, it's great
20:33
school, what's going on, blah, blah, blah, Love the coach.
20:35
I mean all this kind of stuff. And it was like, you know, she
20:37
did her visit on Zoom and that's not a connection.
20:41
Then they got there and was like, oh, that's really isn't
20:42
what I wanted and you know, I was like, man, that really
20:44
stinks. Did you feel you can kind of
20:47
look back now? You got 2020 hindsight here.
20:51
Do you feel like you missed out on whether it's college visits
20:54
or man, I know, I know I did a lot of studying and me and
20:57
brother, you know, practice stuff, but I, I still didn't
21:00
have a coach and I get to go throw.
21:01
There's competition, things like that.
21:03
Do you feel a little robbed or a little bit like you know, So
21:05
what happened? I mean, kind of now it's like
21:09
what? Whatever, you know, even like
21:11
right after it, I wasn't, you know, upset about it because
21:15
what am I going to do about it? You know, but obviously once the
21:22
the season actually got decided to, you know, we're not doing
21:25
it, that's when I was like, because at the time they were
21:28
like, we're we'll just push everything back into summer, I
21:30
think is what they were talking about.
21:33
So I was like, oh, I'll just keep training, keep training.
21:35
And and then eventually like, yeah, we're not doing it.
21:38
So part of me then was like, you know, a little heartbroken just
21:40
because there goes, you know, all for nothing, kind of, but
21:44
not really just because, you know, transferred into college.
21:47
But at the time, yeah, a little bummed out, but you know, had to
21:51
move on and haven't really thought about it since, really.
21:55
Sorry to bring up bad, haven't really thought about it until
21:58
now. Mike, thanks a lot.
21:59
Yeah, appreciate that. OK, so you you decide you're
22:03
going to Illinois State, you're going to throw no more.
22:05
I mean, gosh, you've been doing every sport in the world.
22:08
You're going to focus on track and field and you as that age,
22:12
as a 1718 year old kid, you went in as at you were going to
22:16
because you live on a farm. Your family owns farms.
22:18
Your your now wife, they own farms, live on farms.
22:20
That you're a farm family is who you are.
22:23
So you were going to go study agriculture.
22:25
You're going to go be a farm guy.
22:26
Yeah. Yep, I majored in AG business
22:29
so. AG business so talk to me about
22:32
college how did throwing go did you still try to walk You know I
22:36
know a lot of people love football and they.
22:40
I would say my freshman year I, I was a little bit still
22:44
attached to like other sports, like, you know, just because I
22:46
was used to doing everything. But track took up a lot of time.
22:51
And then I feel like once I got into the groove, it wasn't until
22:56
my freshman outdoor year is when I like really fell in love with
23:01
like track. Like I really got, you know, I
23:05
was like, oh, I'll walk in just all focus just on track.
23:10
And then I kind of started to enjoy the process of everything
23:15
just so much more and, you know, stopped focusing on others
23:21
sports and like, oh, what if I did this, you know, but really
23:25
my freshman year outdoors when I really like things clicked and I
23:29
was like, oh, I'm a lock in and do this and, you know, ride this
23:34
thing out and see what it takes me.
23:36
Well, how was your transit? I'm always amazed.
23:39
You know, 12 lbs to 16 lbs is a that's 100 lbs, brother.
23:43
And 1.6 to 2K, not only the weight, but it gets bigger, you
23:46
know, How did you handle that transition?
23:49
Yeah, So it was, it was rough. I was, I would say I was a
23:53
smaller, smaller thrower for shot and disc for sure.
23:57
Like just over 6 foot, just a skinnier kid.
24:01
So obviously I had a bulk up a lot in college, so that was like
24:05
my main focus is getting stronger that freshman year and
24:08
getting bigger and used to the heavier implements.
24:12
But once you get used to it, it's really not that bad.
24:16
Just the discus was fine like that.
24:19
You know, that's not that bad of a transition just because it's a
24:22
discus. It's not that heavy.
24:23
But the 12 to 16 LB kind of kicked my butt.
24:27
Definitely, definitely during that summer after COVID, you
24:32
know you that kicked my butt big time.
24:34
Like I was heavy. It's a different event, little
24:38
boy. I know it's.
24:41
It's amazing to me what you mentioned that you you fell in
24:45
love with the sport. Like, OK, this this freshman
24:48
year, you know, you yeah, I'm gonna say you quit, let quit
24:51
letting football and basketball and baseball be a distraction.
24:54
And you kind of like this is almost like when you the buy in
24:56
here. Like, OK, I'm bought in.
24:58
I'm a track kid. I'm a thrower and you mentioned
25:01
the process. What does that mean to you?
25:03
You fell in love with the sport and then you mentioned process
25:06
right after that. I just felt like for my freshman
25:11
year, just seeing for me and my teammates around me, like all of
25:16
our weight room number just go up.
25:17
That was like awesome. Like I enjoyed the weight room a
25:20
lot in college and just the process of just getting stronger
25:25
and then understanding things better like this, the whole
25:28
throw in general and just shot disc and then, you know, started
25:33
to get into hammer a little bit. Picked up that and just enjoying
25:37
the process of getting better with the team around me.
25:40
That's what I enjoyed. This makes sense.
25:44
What I know of you, you like to see growth, you like to see
25:47
things keep stacking on it. How did you?
25:50
I'm assuming because I think it probably happens to 99% of the
25:53
throwers, The first time in competition you throw the 16 LB
25:58
or the 2K discus, that mark is less than what your PR was in
26:03
the 12 LB or 1.6. I'm assuming that's the same for
26:07
you. And I do know some freaks that
26:11
the first time they throw the 16 it was more than their high
26:13
school PR, which is crazy. How did that like it?
26:17
It it should as a coach, we look at and go, well, how do you
26:20
can't even compare, man? It's four more pounds in the
26:22
shot. Like they're they're different
26:23
numbers, They're different events essentially, right?
26:25
Don't worry that it's 1010 feet less or whatever.
26:28
But I also understand an 18 year old kid who wants to be good.
26:31
How did you, do you remember that first time you threw the
26:34
shot and it was four or five whatever feet under the high
26:37
school PR and how did you react to that?
26:38
Yeah, definitely for shot put. I don't really remember discus
26:42
that much. I feel like discus was almost
26:46
close to the scene just mentally.
26:48
But shot put was definitely, you know, that big difference, just
26:52
the big gap in between, you know, the 16 and 12 LB.
26:56
So the distances were, you know, Major, I would say first I
27:02
honestly didn't think about it that much because you know, the
27:06
£12, I'm like, yeah, that's high school.
27:08
I'm I've moved on now so I never really looked back at high
27:12
school marks. Yeah, at all.
27:14
I mean, it's a pretty mature response.
27:17
I, I, I'm willing to bet you not every one of your team mates had
27:21
that same reaction. I mean, it's a, you know, you,
27:24
you're part of getting to college to throw and be in track
27:28
and field at any event is being competitive.
27:30
And so as competitive people, when you see like, man, I threw
27:33
55 and now I'm throwing 50. Like I've been, oh, and by the
27:36
way, been busting my hump all fall.
27:40
Wait a minute. What do you mean I'm throwing 3
27:42
feet, 4 feet worse. And it's like, yeah, again,
27:44
different events. So I like that maturity.
27:46
And I could see, you know, again, I know you.
27:48
So I could see that that maturity talk.
27:50
Talk to us about your relationship with the.
27:52
I think you had more than one throws coach during your time
27:54
there. How old was?
27:55
Yeah, so starting off, I had, you know, Jeffrey Robbles, he
28:00
was great. He taught me, taught me
28:02
everything, really to get into things.
28:04
And then I had him for a year, so I had three total coaches.
28:08
And then I had a man of Youngblood for a year.
28:11
She was awesome. And then my last wait, I had
28:18
three coaches, but I had Turk, so Mike Turk for my last year.
28:21
Yeah, nice. And he really helped me.
28:26
I would say a lot because I I had an injury right before my
28:32
last year. I tore a ligament in my wrist.
28:34
So I had surgery and so that recovery process Turk was with
28:40
me through all that and he really helped me, you know, get
28:44
back mentally and obviously physically just to get back on
28:49
the throwing. And my biggest problem, I feel
28:52
like during that time was I wanted to push things so like
28:56
fast, so hard. And, you know, Turk kind of had
29:00
to hold me back a little bit. And, you know, we had a lot of
29:03
talks throughout that time just to, you know, calm down.
29:06
And it actually ended up paying off and he got me back.
29:11
And I feel like he had one of the most influences on like my
29:14
future from. There.
29:16
Yeah, I've known Mike for a long time.
29:18
He used to be the head coach at Western Michigan when I was at
29:21
Ball State University and he had a really great hammer thrower.
29:24
Dale Calper went on to coach a lot of great college throwers
29:29
and we had a really good hammer thrower, Zack Ball.
29:31
And so those two literally 1-2 in the Mac Conference and then
29:34
would go on and get 4th and 5th or whatever nationals.
29:37
And so it was just a battle every time.
29:39
And Mike just did an amazing job.
29:40
We just loved, I loved Hammer's my favorite event, man, outside
29:43
of hurdles, it's my favorite throwing event.
29:45
I just love it's, it's a cool event.
29:47
Did you get to do much Hammer or no?
29:50
So once I got wrist surgery, I picked it up.
29:54
Well, not picked it up. I threw it a little bit with
29:56
Rebels and Youngblood, but it wasn't like serious.
29:59
I got the time. I don't remember what my PR was,
30:02
but I started picking it up with Turk.
30:04
Like actually, you know, he was having to train it.
30:07
In the first meet of that year with Turk, I had a 8M PR and
30:11
Hammer, which was hilarious of the time.
30:13
We were like, what the heck? But I started throwing it then
30:16
and then once I, you know, ease my way not away from hammer, but
30:19
I've also was doing shot and disc a little bit more than
30:22
hammer. You you would have been a good
30:23
hammer thrower. Yeah, I just never really got
30:27
into it. Yeah, yeah.
30:29
It's one of those things since we don't do it in high school,
30:30
you got to you got to kind of do it right at the out the bat in
30:33
the in the freshman year and then grow into it as the years
30:37
come along. It's tough to, you know, not
30:39
start taking this here till senior year.
30:40
And it's like, man, you know, that's three, four years we
30:43
ain't got we don't get those bad guys.
30:45
So that can be tough. All right, Senior year, last
30:48
year at Illinois State, you're getting this AG degree, AG
30:52
business. You got to be thinking about,
30:54
oh, I got to go do something. I'm going to go back to the
30:56
farm. I'm going to run my own
30:58
business. What in the world does Peyton
31:01
do? So I had to take some summer
31:05
classes to finish my degree. I got to take two classes.
31:11
So that summer I was taking summer classes.
31:13
And then my dad works at the Salt Fork High School, like
31:17
maintenance and stuff like that outside.
31:19
And so that summer I worked with him all summer.
31:22
Like basically what I did was just mow, mow the school and
31:25
then I helped him put up some basketball hoops in the gym,
31:28
just, you know, stuff like that. So worked with him throughout
31:32
that whole summer doing stuff to the school, you know, just
31:35
summer projects all, all summer and did that while I was
31:40
finishing up school. And after, at that time as well,
31:43
I was looking for, you know, jobs.
31:45
I I had no idea what I really wanted to do really.
31:50
Like I knew I'm like, yeah, I want to work an AG, like just
31:54
some sort of AG, like I wanted to get into some sort of AG
31:59
sales. Role and no, no, no coaching at
32:02
all. Coaching isn't in your.
32:05
Well, I mean, I, I have my brother, which I basically have,
32:09
you know, leave like throughout his high school, I was writing
32:12
his programs and everything like that.
32:14
So he was like my athlete, I guess you would say.
32:19
I don't know, but I, I enjoy coaching him more than anything,
32:24
obviously. But sorry, where was I?
32:29
Oh, so I was asking where coaching was because you're
32:31
talking about like, I definitely want to be an AG, AG sales,
32:33
something like that. Yeah, yeah.
32:35
So I wanted to be an AG sales and at the time Garrett was
32:41
still at home during the summer and he was training and I was,
32:44
you know, trying to train with him when I could or you know,
32:47
work out with him mainly. I didn't really throw much after
32:51
obviously, but I still lived with him and helped him out.
32:55
But I saw this job. I don't know how I saw.
32:58
I was just looking up like I looked up like sales or
33:01
something online. One random night I was like Gil
33:04
Athletics and I knew of Tim, you know, being AISUI knew Tim and
33:10
I, I had a someone at Illinois State was talking about Tim one
33:16
random day. I was like, yeah, he's here.
33:19
We got to shop it from Tim. He works at Gil Athletics, and
33:22
at the time I'm like, yeah, athletics.
33:24
Like I didn't really realize what Gil Athletics was.
33:28
Like. I see Gil everywhere.
33:30
And I'm like growing up, I'm like, oh, Gil, you know, just
33:33
what people use. And I was like, and then I saw
33:37
the sales Rep, Gil Athletics, and I was like, oh, that this
33:41
just makes sense. Like just getting out of track
33:45
and I don't know what I want to do.
33:48
I'm like, I'm going to apply and then now I'm here so.
33:53
Yeah, it it doesn't surprise me. I'm more surprised when an
33:58
athlete says, Oh yeah, I know Gil, they're in Champaign like
34:01
because it's like, well, why would you know, we're not a
34:02
physical store, so it's not like they go here right now.
34:06
Certainly they may jump on a guilt pit or throw a guilt
34:09
discus or something like that. So, but to much like we have
34:14
plenty of coaches on the show that don't realize even through
34:19
college that they can become a coach.
34:22
Like it's right in front of them.
34:23
I mean, there's somebody in front of you who's getting paid
34:25
and they don't even realize until at some point they go, oh,
34:27
wait a minute, my coach is getting paid and they seem to
34:29
have a maybe that's what I should be in a career.
34:31
So it's no different to me that someone sees Gil in front of
34:34
them on all their shots, all their discuses and doesn't even
34:36
think like, oh, there's a there's a company.
34:38
They probably have to have sales people and other activities.
34:41
Maybe I should look into it. So it doesn't surprise me at
34:43
all. Even someone who grew up at
34:44
stone's throw away from again, why would you ever have come
34:49
here? Like we don't have a physical
34:51
store. So it makes makes a lot of
34:52
sense. So you see that position and
34:55
decide to apply for it and go through the interview process.
34:59
How was be be real with me? How was the interview process?
35:01
I'm I'm not sure if I was involved or if I was on the
35:04
road. I don't.
35:04
Know so actually during that process I applied and it was
35:09
during harvest season. You guys, of course.
35:14
Yeah, yeah. So I was actually in the tractor
35:17
when Tim called me. Well, I'll get to that Anyway,
35:20
so the interview process came in like I drove all the way here,
35:23
put up my GPS. So I'm like, I've never been
35:25
back in this part of Champagne. Ever.
35:27
When you when you put in your GPS, was it Apple Maps or or
35:29
Google Maps? Apple Maps.
35:31
I'm shocked you got here. OK, keep going.
35:33
That's a little inside joke there, but he knows actually.
35:35
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, exactly. Something tries.
35:37
You didn't end up in Indiana. Yeah, anyway, got here and I was
35:43
like, this place was in the back of like nowhere.
35:46
I'm like this place but like pulling up and like this place
35:48
looks sweet. Like this is awesome.
35:52
And I walked in and, you know, got the interview and then did
35:56
the factory tour and like showroom tour and everything.
35:58
I'm like, Oh my goodness, this place is like so much more than
36:04
what people realize or like just by looking at the building
36:07
itself. I mean, this place is awesome.
36:10
And I think the factory tour and showroom tour and everything
36:14
like that really showed me a lot and made me like want to work
36:21
here just at that time. I'm like this place like they
36:24
can do all this. They do all this and cover, you
36:27
know, so many different schools and facilities.
36:30
I'm like, this is awesome. So that kind of intriguing me.
36:35
And then after the interview process, I went back to Harvest
36:40
because I had a ticket half day off.
36:42
Sorry, dad on, you know, harvest and I came back and, you know,
36:48
he was asking me how everything went.
36:50
I'm like, yeah, I think it it went good.
36:51
He was like, I think I should get the job, but we'll see.
36:55
And then I don't know how many days went by or whatever, but we
37:00
were, I was in the tractor and Tim called me.
37:03
I was like, oh, and it was probably so loud on that phone
37:06
for Tim, but yeah. And he called me.
37:11
He's like, oh, Congrats, blah, blah, blah, blah.
37:12
And then I got the job and I you're so in tractors, I don't
37:17
know if you know, it's like, you know the two ways in tractors.
37:19
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like CBS?
37:21
Yeah, basically I got I got on a 2IN like dad and he's like
37:24
what's up son or whatever. And he was like, I was like I
37:28
got the job and you know, he was ecstatic.
37:32
And so that that was pretty cool.
37:33
I'll never forget that. That moment that was that was
37:36
awesome. That's, you know, I don't get to
37:38
see that side. And you have again, been here 20
37:41
years, you do a lot of things and I've been able to be
37:44
involved in a lot of hiring process, hiring decisions and
37:47
stuff. And so I don't ever get to see
37:48
this, that that means a lot, that it meant a lot to you that
37:51
you were excited. That's why it should be.
37:53
You mentioned baseball earlier and when we're recording this,
37:57
we have just offered a former baseball coach of yours, Jeff
38:01
Desmond, the position. He's accepted it to work on our
38:05
soccer and field sports division and, and I had lunch with him
38:08
today. I don't, I forgot to tell you
38:09
this, by the way, because he's going to start in July, but
38:14
we're going to do some things. He's going to come to some
38:16
trainings and things like that. And you know, he is so like,
38:20
it's been cool. You know, I'd let his hiring
38:22
process with his interviews and stuff like he's so excited.
38:24
Like, I mean, he's just like, like he doesn't start for three
38:27
months and and I'm already holding, you know me, I'm
38:31
holding them back. Like I'm like, relax, brother.
38:34
There's you're trying to become 100% prepared for day one.
38:37
No one sorry, even with all these things we're going to be
38:40
able to do before your actual day one.
38:41
And he's a very prepared guy. You know him fairly well and and
38:46
stay. I told him you'll appreciate
38:47
this. I was like, I was like, Jeff,
38:49
you obviously have a very prepared like you like to be
38:51
prepared. I go, you're going to need to be
38:53
comfortable with being unprepared.
38:55
Like there's going to be things that we just until the customer
38:57
calls and tells you XY and Z and then you got to go figure it
39:01
out. There is no prepared for the
39:04
millions of different XYZS that that happened out there.
39:07
But but he's so excited. So I love hearing that you, you
39:10
know, not only were you excited, you got on the the two way and
39:12
was like dad, I got the the job and he was excited.
39:16
Yeah, because this it was my first job.
39:18
Yeah. So, and like at the time we were
39:21
like, not worried, but obviously I, I'm that type of person.
39:24
Like why don't I have a job yet? You know what I mean?
39:26
Yeah, yeah. I know that from you.
39:27
Yeah. Yeah, Dad's like, calm down,
39:29
it'll be fine. Dad's an old fella like me.
39:31
He's like, relax. Yeah, yeah.
39:34
You're freaking 2122. Chill out.
39:36
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But yet he's like.
39:39
But you need to get a job, brother.
39:40
Actually, he's like, you know, it's OK if you don't.
39:42
I got harvest season here. We're we're OK.
39:44
I need you right? He he said as long as it's
39:46
after. That's right, That's right.
39:48
So what were you? You know, I always tell people,
39:52
yes, I do believe because I've been on both sides that there
39:55
are some components to coaching that that lie themselves to
40:03
selling, especially the way we sell.
40:05
We know this because on day one we talked about this.
40:09
We sell differently than others out there.
40:12
Now, you're not coming from the coaching side, but you know
40:16
coaches, you know the sport, you've been involved in it.
40:18
You've seen different, as you've seen officials, different
40:21
aspects of the sport. You had to have because you went
40:23
through the interview process, you read the job description,
40:26
you asked a lot of questions, we answered and things like that.
40:29
You had some assumption of what the job was and then you get
40:33
here and you find out what the job is.
40:34
You know, we try to describe it as well as we can, but until you
40:36
sit in the seat, I I just don't know how we we truly convey it,
40:40
right? What did you, what surprised you
40:42
the most? Either you you thought you
40:43
thought you were going to be able to do this and actually you
40:45
don't or you didn't realize like, oh man, I didn't realize I
40:48
get to do this. Anything that surprised you?
40:51
I mean. That's a good question.
40:55
I feel like, you know, the job description covers a lot, but
41:02
you know, day-to-day stuff. I feel like every day there
41:06
could be something new pop up or like something, you know, a new
41:09
question. We're like, I have to go learn
41:11
something else. Just there's a lot within, you
41:13
know, athletics that we do here. I just, I mean, not a lot
41:21
surprised me. I would say just the, you know,
41:26
amount of people we work with, you know, dealers, you know,
41:29
coaches, just, you know, the constant amount of people that,
41:33
you know, we reach out to reach out to us.
41:36
I feel like that kind of surprised me.
41:38
You know, just keep them up with everyone.
41:41
But honestly, not nothing crazy surprising.
41:45
That makes a lot of sense because even though as heavily
41:48
involved in track and field as you were college athlete, that's
41:51
a big, big time position. You're helping out your little
41:54
brother. So you understand coaching, you
41:55
knew your coaches, things like that.
41:57
You still are in a very myopic small part of it.
42:01
You're in a niche of a niche of a niche, and until you start
42:04
working for a track and field manufacturer, and it's
42:06
especially the world's largest track and field manufacturer,
42:10
you didn't even think like, Oh yeah, of course an official
42:13
would call because they're looking for a 2K gauge versus A
42:17
1.6. And I got to go figure that out.
42:20
Or of course, actually a mob would call me and say, hey, I'm
42:23
buying my son a discus for Christmas.
42:26
Which one do you recommend? You're like, Oh my God, it's a
42:29
mob, not a coach that you talk to that person differently than
42:31
a coach. And those are just throws
42:32
examples because Peyton, you oversee our east side.
42:35
So you actually oversee our dealer network from Maine all
42:39
the way down to Florida and go West to about the Kentucky,
42:43
Tennessee area. That's a, that's a large part.
42:45
That's a lot of great track and field going on on that East
42:48
Coast, a lot of amazing dealers that do.
42:52
I mean, you know, we don't get to do what we do without our
42:54
dealers. And you know, thousands and
42:56
thousands and thousands of track and field coaches.
42:58
You are dealing with a distance coach Colin, asking about a
43:02
cross country kit flags and things like that all the way up
43:06
to, of course, those throwers to a a Sprint coach asking about
43:12
what's the difference between an F-10 and an F8 starting block.
43:15
And you're like, I never even use starting blocks.
43:17
Like what in the world hurdles, of course, which you can now
43:19
tell them, you know, well, I'm actually a former hurdler.
43:21
So you can you actually have that cred there?
43:24
And how has that been? Is that been a little
43:26
overwhelming at, at sometimes where it's like, man, I did not
43:30
realize I'd have to think about steeplechase and cages and pits
43:33
and crossbar. I mean it just goes on and on
43:35
and on. Yeah, yeah, not really so much
43:39
anymore just because, you know, I know that's expected, but like
43:44
the first few months, obviously learning, you know, everything,
43:47
drinking out of a fire hose, there's just so much.
43:50
So maybe a little bit then, but honestly it was enjoyable just,
43:55
you know, being so like busy just learning everything.
43:59
Like, you know, I was right out of right out of college.
44:03
I'm used to doing, you know, so much.
44:06
So it's nice, you know, just being like always doing
44:09
something. That's what I I think I enjoy
44:11
but I forgot what the question. Was though what surprised you or
44:16
what about so one of the cool thing we get to do, you know
44:19
it's really quite amazing. We get to do a lot of cool
44:21
things. I always tell people I have the
44:22
greatest job in the world. Not only do I get to work with
44:24
guilt athletics and people like you, Peyton, but I get to do
44:27
this. I get to do the podcast, I get
44:28
to talk to the coaches every day, 8 hours plus a day.
44:31
It's there's a lot worse jobs out there, brother.
44:34
I, I got the, the king of the king jobs here.
44:36
But one of the cool things that you get to do that we get to do
44:40
is the NCAA championship. So we're the NCAA equipment
44:43
sponsors. So at every D1D2D3 indoor and
44:47
Outdoor championships, we provide all the equipment, pole
44:51
vault, throws, hurdles, blocks, you name it, we we manufacture
44:55
it and support it. And you, Peyton, are our
44:57
liaison, our lead for the NCAA Division 2 Championships.
45:01
And at the time of recording this, you've done three of
45:03
those. You did last year's indoor, last
45:05
year's outdoor and this year's indoor.
45:07
How has that experience been for you?
45:09
Leading? I mean, you are the man for
45:11
division two for us. Yeah.
45:13
So that is one thing that kind of surprised me.
45:17
Like I, you know, at the time, I know I knew that we did NCAA
45:21
meets, but just seeing like everything that goes into
45:27
actually, you know, the championship meets, like there
45:30
is so much like moving pieces that puts everything together
45:34
just to because you only see the three days outdoor, two days
45:38
indoor, you don't see, you know, the months leading up to it, all
45:41
the preparation. If if the indoor championships
45:43
are the first week ish second weekend of March, when do you
45:47
guys actually start meeting on a weekly basis?
45:52
I want to say it's a couple weeks after outdoor.
45:55
Like, you know, it's, I mean the week after outdoor, that's when
46:00
we start. It's basically, you know, just
46:03
making sure everything everyone's on the same page,
46:04
everything's lined up. You know what we?
46:06
Post mortem from later. Yeah.
46:10
How how was that? Is anything of that surprised
46:12
you? Like, you know, again, you don't
46:14
know what you don't know. So you started having meetings.
46:17
You pretty much probably right when you started working here in
46:20
preparation for 2025. Yeah, 2025 is indoor and like,
46:25
oh cool. We we take the equipment there.
46:26
That seems when you just say it that way, it seems it's easy.
46:29
OK, whatever, but then you get into logistics that you help run
46:33
the social pack, you pick everything.
46:36
Oh, by the way, bringing the equipment back home or selling
46:39
it, I'm going to use to the other coach.
46:41
How did that? You know, it's one thing to I'm
46:43
going to say air quotes here. Be prepared doing those
46:45
meetings, you're in those meetings, you're contributing
46:47
and listening and learning. But then you actually get there.
46:51
Where were we for our first one? Was it Virginia?
46:53
No, so I got lucky. I was over in Indiana, so just
46:56
an hour. Indiana.
46:58
Less than an hour and a half from home, so yeah.
47:00
That's right. Super easy, correct.
47:02
That's one of our easier ones, absolutely.
47:04
But then you, you, I mean, it's a you're 910 days you're doing
47:08
this thing. How was it when you're actually
47:10
in the muck? Like, OK, we're undoing trucks
47:13
and putting stuff out there and. I I just remember, you know,
47:17
showing up and, you know, having to, you know, get the truck
47:21
drivers to, you know, unload at a certain spot a certain time
47:24
and, you know, manage all that. I'm like, wow, this is I got for
47:27
something like this is kind of cool, like doing all this, but
47:30
at the time it's kind of overwhelming just for that first
47:33
one. You're like, don't want to, you
47:35
know, mess anything up or, you know, if anything is missing,
47:39
like don't want to go missing all that.
47:43
So unload it was fine just and then I feel like setting
47:48
everything up when fine, but I've never seen the pole vault
47:53
standards get set up before. Oh, right.
47:56
That's my first time seeing that.
47:57
I'm like, this is, you know, this is great.
47:59
That's my first time actually touching one of those things.
48:01
Yeah, this is crazy. But it was, it was cool to see
48:06
and, you know, fun to be a part of.
48:09
How is it, you know, I've been to all of the championships, D1
48:14
and D2D3, they're all amazing. Like I literally if you don't
48:18
tell me, besides seeing the name of the schools, if you don't
48:20
tell me it's D1D2 or D3, I really don't know because the
48:23
performances at all of them are just unbelievable.
48:26
D2 is special, man. I mean it's amazing and I hate
48:29
to say especially in the throws because all the events are
48:30
amazing, but man, the throwers AD 2, they get it on brother.
48:34
They're awesome. They're awesome.
48:35
And honestly, that was my first time going to NCAA meet, but
48:41
like watching just division two because ISU went to Grand Valley
48:47
State, their big indoor meet and that's like huge.
48:50
And we, I knew of Grand Valley State, but all these other
48:54
schools that I've never, you know, heard of or seen, I'm
48:57
like, this is awesome and all the performances are just as
49:01
crazy. And I I enjoyed watching my
49:03
first it was at Indiana, so I enjoyed watching indoor shot and
49:08
and wait 2 but more of shot that was awesome to watch.
49:11
And you know, all the D2 coaches are are awesome to be around at
49:16
the social just a good time and good people.
49:20
Yeah. What?
49:22
How have you seen? I mean, you've done now I'm
49:25
gonna call it 3 championships, indoor, outdoor, indoor.
49:28
How have you seen? Have you been able to see?
49:31
Let me ask it this way. Have you been able to see input
49:33
that you cuz you're there. You, you look at that meet
49:36
differently from your experience of being a thrower, being a
49:41
Division One thrower. And then as you continue to
49:43
learn processes as a manufacturer, you learn like,
49:46
oh, maybe we could do this. Have you been able to see input
49:49
that you've been able to give to help us improve our service at
49:53
NCAA or is it still a little bit too young for you at this point?
49:57
That makes sense. Kinda, yeah.
50:00
I'm a little confused on the question.
50:02
You everything. So providing equipment for the
50:06
NCAA championships is not as simple as its basic rattle like,
50:10
oh, we just put a pole vault pit down and we just put down
50:13
hurdles etcetera. There's graphic in for the
50:16
hurdles that we work for the equipment that we work with
50:18
NCAA, there's staging, there's in some form or fashion, there's
50:23
quantities. There is ease of like do we put
50:27
the hurdles on hurdle carts? So even though it's indoors,
50:30
they're just going to be the same play like, but that helps
50:31
move them out of the way for the 60 whatever, etcetera, etcetera.
50:35
What crossbars we bring. There's a there's a lot of
50:37
decisions. We rely on guys like you are
50:40
leads, you know, Tim overseeing Division One, you and division
50:43
two and Rob over in Division Three.
50:45
You know, you know, I've told you this 100 times.
50:47
We don't pay you for your good looks.
50:49
We we pay you for your intelligence and your opinions
50:51
like that that that's why we want you.
50:53
We want you to govern your experience and want to leverage
50:56
that. Have you been able to have any
50:58
kind of input on how we do, whether it's division?
51:00
Usually if it's for division two, it's for everybody.
51:02
Like you know, it's rare that we do something for one but not the
51:06
other. Have you been able to see how?
51:10
I don't know. I don't know.
51:11
I mean I'm not in those meetings anymore, but you've been able to
51:13
have any input but you've only done 3 which is.
51:16
You know, so I feel like I'm still kind of new to no like
51:19
major input, obviously, but it. Doesn't have to be major, by the
51:22
way. Yeah, yeah.
51:23
Just little things, you know, how many of certain equipment,
51:27
like how much, how much, how much do we need to bring like
51:30
little input like that? Yeah, it's like after having
51:34
little input because everything's kind of running
51:37
smoothly as I got there. So I kind of got, I got lucky.
51:42
But one thing I would say I was going, I forgot where I was
51:48
going with that. Oh, having a great site, site
51:54
leads like with the size, like any estate.
51:57
Yeah, like then. And then obviously having Walt
52:00
with me, he's been great to work with.
52:02
So he's easy to work with and. I'm looking at, I have, you
52:07
know, our working genius map right here.
52:09
And so I'm trying to think of like, you know, for your, your
52:11
so your geniuses are in wonderment and tenacity.
52:14
You, you're one of those right? You're, you know, you're like,
52:17
man, I got a lot of big questions, but I also just, I
52:19
want to check it off the list here.
52:21
That's a, that's a unique thing. And by the way, if you're
52:22
listening and you know, you just heard me say working genius list
52:25
and map and stuff like that. Great author and kind of work.
52:31
I don't know what I would call him but he really cares about
52:33
how you work and your happiness. His name's Patrick Lincione, you
52:37
might have heard his work. An ideal team player, humble,
52:39
hungry, smart, 5 dysfunctions of a team, etc.
52:42
He came up with an assessment called The Working Genius and we
52:44
use that with our team here to help find out what they are
52:47
naturally gifted at what they'd love to do, what they would do
52:50
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
52:52
That what a good timing that was right there.
52:53
If you're watching on YouTube and what are their frustrations?
52:56
You know, God makes us some strengths and weaknesses where
52:58
you know, we're not even the Catholics have weaknesses,
53:00
right. They can do a lot of events that
53:02
weaknesses. And so then we try to help put
53:04
our people into those geniuses so they can do more of that and
53:07
they'll be more enjoyable at work.
53:09
They'll have a better time and we'll all get better.
53:11
And Peyton's is wonderment. So be quite like, why do we do
53:15
that? Have we ever thought what about
53:16
doing that? Did we try that?
53:17
And then tenacity And that is the, like I said, checking out
53:21
the box. OK, we delivered the equipment.
53:22
OK, we the social is set for this time period.
53:25
You know, those kind of things until I'm always for you, cuz
53:29
mine Peyton were wonderment and invention.
53:32
So we're we're we're havesies. Tenacity was last for me, by the
53:36
way, as you probably know from working with me.
53:38
So I'm always trying to make sure that like I'm blessing
53:41
that. And so you have those questions
53:44
now you're not the guy. You don't have invention as your
53:46
second one. And I don't think Oh yeah,
53:48
inventions your frustration. That's interesting.
53:51
So you're not the kind of guy who is going to ask that big
53:54
question wonderment and then give like 3 examples of how it
53:56
might be fixed. That's that's me.
53:58
I'm going to give you the three, you know that we tried this, we
54:00
tried that, we tried that. So I want to make sure that
54:03
we're utilizing or leveraging your wonderment of like, you
54:05
know, you're looking at things different.
54:07
Hey, I wonder why, why did we bring 60 hurdles and not 70?
54:11
Because then that might have solved this issue.
54:13
You know, I want to make sure that you are asking those
54:17
questions out loud, not just keeping them up here.
54:18
Don't do us any good if you keep them up there.
54:21
Yeah, I definitely have. But I feel like for my first
54:25
couple, it was more, you know, just go there and get stuff
54:29
done. Make sure.
54:31
Makes a lot of sense and you know, we have been doing this
54:33
for a few years before you. So we have nailed down a lot of
54:36
things. But you know us, we're always,
54:38
you know, we pushed on though we always want to get better,
54:41
create new ways, new process and new things.
54:42
So I want to make sure. We're always leveraging.
54:45
There's been a been a few things that I've probably asked Walt
54:48
that we've done and changed. Just can't think of them.
54:51
Yeah. You've mentioned Walt twice now.
54:53
We have to give a shout. We always think this the Gill
54:55
shout out podcast man Walt Zener, he's in our R&D areas and
54:58
Iowa State grad. He loves his cyclones and just
55:01
one of the coolest. I mean you, you would have to
55:03
agree with me, one of the coolest dudes like you.
55:05
You got like we have great people, but man, I love going to
55:08
D twos with Walt. Waltz and baller.
55:11
He's a he well of the actual. Is he 646465?
55:16
He's he's tall Joker. He saw he's he saw the
55:20
basketball. I play basketball.
55:21
He's solid. I know, I know, love that dude.
55:24
So I always want to give a shout out to the people that are any,
55:27
you know, he's doing a lot of work, man.
55:29
God bless that dudes always I was working.
55:32
That's all nice and good and we love serving the NCAA in the
55:35
championships. Proud to be the NCAA equipment
55:37
sponsor as well as NFHS and things.
55:40
I just say state meet this year, which is going to be fun.
55:42
Our teammate Max is leading that up for us.
55:45
But you know, you are a sales professional.
55:48
Your job is to sell stuff. And you know, we always say your
55:50
job is to get Gil on every track in the country, my friend.
55:53
And maybe we'll give you a little bit of a pass and we'll
55:55
say get Gil on every track on the east side of the state.
55:58
I guess I can't bark at you too much for California or Texas.
56:01
I'll get on the Rob for that one.
56:03
And by the way, we mentioned several of our team mates, Tim
56:04
Glover, he's been on the podcast before, go check him out.
56:07
Rob Mathias, our West Coast guy, he's been on the podcast, go
56:10
check him out. So you know, I'm just collecting
56:13
all the team mates we're going to, we're going to have them all
56:14
together here. So do you remember because
56:18
you've had some good ones, my friend.
56:20
And I know it's hard to sometimes to remember them
56:22
because as soon as you get 1, you have to move on to the next
56:24
one. Do you remember either your very
56:26
first sale, but there's to a dealer or not, or because that's
56:30
pretty, you know, you might have sold a baton the very, you know,
56:32
right off the bat, Or do you remember your first or or
56:37
project that stands out? You've you've, you've helped
56:40
some dealers, you've helped some schools with some really cool
56:43
projects, my friend. Oh, man, that is, it's tough
56:49
because you know, you're just like you said, you just move on
56:52
to the next. But I would say I remember my
56:56
first sale pretty clearly. Yeah, it was just a high jump
57:00
hit and it forgot where. But I just remember that process
57:06
for the first time and that's when I'm like, I was like, wow,
57:12
I didn't realize so many people are interested in pits cuz I
57:15
never growing up as software, we had one pit, right?
57:21
And like throughout it all, and actually that's another big
57:25
thing that I remember I sold Salt Fork a new high jump hit.
57:28
Oh, did you really? That, that's probably the
57:31
coolest thing that's cool me that I've done.
57:34
Sure. Yeah.
57:36
That's your kids, your your teammates, teammates, brothers
57:39
of your teammates, your coaches. Yeah.
57:41
I didn't know that that's. So cool.
57:43
So that that happened, I say a couple months ago.
57:47
That's cool. And then another thing with back
57:49
to Salt Fork. So I sold my dad some basketball
57:53
hoops. I know it's not Gil, but some
57:55
some rims to go on. So they're.
57:58
That's cool. So soft forks wrapped in some
58:00
Porter Porter rims now. He's mentioning basketball and
58:03
you know, obviously if you're listening to this, you
58:05
understand Gil track and field, but the entire company much
58:09
bigger, you know, baseball items, soccer items, basketball,
58:13
volleyball facility. I, I mean, it's, I mean, it's
58:17
amazing. Gil's a big part of that, of
58:18
course, and that's what Peyton here overseas for our East
58:22
Coast. But yeah, we, we, man, I don't
58:24
care if we selling rims. I want to sell it all, baby.
58:26
I think I love what our people in the back make for us.
58:29
And so I'm, I'm always proud to sell.
58:31
I don't as long as it has comes from us, man, you know, the
58:34
great people behind it. That's what I care about.
58:36
So that's really cool. That's cool.
58:37
You got to sell a high jump pit to your alma mater.
58:40
My high school I think is still on the same high jump pit that I
58:43
had back and it wasn't good when I was back there.
58:46
We did sell a bunch of them. We used to sell this stuff
58:51
plates to their they did a big weight with big football school
58:54
and I remember seeing a bunch of power Max.
58:56
Oh, cool. Yeah, through through PSN.
58:58
So then I was like, oh, that's that's kind of cool, man.
59:00
I I really appreciate that. I think we still have the pacer
59:03
pits. Oh no, that's.
59:06
I remember jumping on black pacer bits.
59:09
Oh bro, we I've been here 20 years and we changed all pacer
59:13
to Gill on the pits before me. I guess one of Steve's big
59:16
things. So that's got to be a 23 ish
59:19
plus year bit. What's cool about it is that it
59:22
was still going though I need to replace it but 20 plus years.
59:25
I don't know. I think so.
59:27
We had two separate pits, one actual Black Gill, one that's
59:30
been there for forever, and then one black Pacer, one which, you
59:35
know, they just kind of. Bring literally like indoor.
59:38
Practice. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
59:39
So that was awesome this year. That's so cool.
59:41
Love that in your role in, in our in as sailed, not just
59:46
necessarily East Coast Division two and stuff like that.
59:48
You mentioned how many people? There's a lot of people.
59:51
I mean, you've you've taken phone calls from every state in
59:54
this country and maybe even some international calls.
59:57
Man, that's quite amazing. But we get to, we're so blessed.
1:00:01
We get to talk to some really cool people, including up to
1:00:05
Olympians. Man.
1:00:07
In fact, I just had yesterday a great conversation with one of
1:00:09
my dear friends that I met through Gil and now consider him
1:00:13
a deer. I mean, like, friend, friend,
1:00:14
friend. John Godina, I assume.
1:00:17
Yeah. OK, you better as my throws guy.
1:00:19
Better know who. John Godina, have you had an
1:00:21
experience to talk to somebody that like, holy cow, I cannot
1:00:24
believe I get to talk to and work with so and so?
1:00:28
Yeah, so actually Joe and Ashley Kovacs, that was one of those.
1:00:34
My favorite people. Yeah, so with throwbacks, got to
1:00:39
get to know Joe a little bit and work with him.
1:00:42
And growing up, you know, I always looked up to Joe.
1:00:47
I just throw, always watch his videos and anything that him or
1:00:50
Ashley posted. So working with those two have
1:00:53
been great. And I thought that was a pretty,
1:00:57
pretty cool. 100% I still so John calls me yesterday, Jeff
1:01:02
Hartwig calls me today and I still and next I consider these
1:01:05
like they're no longer, you know, John Godino, The Olympian
1:01:08
and Jeff Hartwig The Olympian. Now they're they're John and
1:01:10
Jeff to me. And I still have to pinch myself
1:01:13
of like, bro, they call me like they're interested in in me like
1:01:18
that. You know, they're talking asking
1:01:19
how my family like it just is pretty cool.
1:01:22
And you know Ashley and Joe, who I've known forever to my
1:01:26
favorite people in the entire world.
1:01:27
Ashley, did you see, you know, you're, you're you're a young
1:01:30
and you're on social media. Did you see Ashley just inducted
1:01:33
into the her school's Hall of Fame and and named the Ashley.
1:01:36
That's so cool, man. Oh my gosh.
1:01:39
I need to shame on me. I need to get Ashley on the
1:01:42
podcast. Yeah, she's she's a hell of a
1:01:44
coach. Obviously he's coached at some
1:01:46
many great places and has some great mentors herself.
1:01:49
I I need to get her on the on the show.
1:01:50
She's amazing human being. I've enjoyed working with her
1:01:53
and I'm so happy with what they're doing with throwbacks
1:01:55
and and everything. So that's been cool, huh?
1:01:57
That's I'm happy for you, man. That's cool.
1:02:00
You, you deserve to meet cool people because you're a cool
1:02:02
person. So I like when we can make that
1:02:04
kind of stuff happen. That's cool.
1:02:06
That's cool. Peyton, I'll ask you one more
1:02:10
question and then, and I alluded to this in the pre interview.
1:02:14
I've got a little bit of a surprise for you.
1:02:18
My question before we get there is what is as you look towards
1:02:23
the future and you get to define that 30 by the way, hold on.
1:02:27
We got I I got to publicly state this, my guy Peyton just got
1:02:31
married like weeks ago. His beautiful new bride.
1:02:34
She herself was a heck of an athlete, a multi, a combined
1:02:37
event, beautiful young lady who is fit into the family.
1:02:42
I say the Gill family when we do our Christmas and stuff, we
1:02:44
enjoy having her and I just got a public and say congratulations
1:02:47
brother, proud of you. Thanks.
1:02:48
Mike. Really, you know, I've told you
1:02:50
this in person, so happy for you and bless you and you know, want
1:02:54
to just be a role model and help her in any way in marriage.
1:02:57
You know, it's it's important part.
1:02:58
So I love that. OK, now back to our program.
1:03:02
As you look towards the future and you get to define that three
1:03:05
months, one year, five year, I don't know, doesn't you get to
1:03:08
define this, your show, what's got you excited man, around
1:03:12
track and field? And I know your marriage excites
1:03:14
you and things like that, and it should, but what's got you
1:03:16
excited about Gil? Track and field, anything like
1:03:18
that? Yeah.
1:03:19
So next big thing for me with Gil that I'm excited for
1:03:26
Division Two outdoors. Yeah, Where are we going,
1:03:29
Emporia? Emporia, KS.
1:03:31
So have you ever been? I've I have never been, but I've
1:03:34
heard only good things. Yeah, it's a great place.
1:03:37
So I was super excited for another another outdoor D2 last
1:03:41
year was Pueblo. That was.
1:03:42
Awesome. That was cool, Yeah.
1:03:44
Awesome. Yeah, So excited to get out
1:03:46
there to Kansas and yeah, a good meet that's.
1:03:50
Awesome. Are you flying or driving out
1:03:51
there? I'm flying.
1:03:53
Why we are? Driving now I see, I think we
1:03:54
drive. It goes back and forth.
1:03:56
I know from different reasons, but you're driving.
1:03:58
That yeah, we were gonna, we were gonna fly out, but the
1:04:01
timing of it just kind of we're like, let's just drive.
1:04:05
So I think it's 7 1/2. So we're just gonna.
1:04:07
Yeah, drive. It's you have your destiny in
1:04:09
your hand. If you drive.
1:04:11
I've got to fly because I'm coming from, I might be coming
1:04:14
from, am I coming from the Under Armour Championships for that?
1:04:17
I don't know. I'm that's about that seven week
1:04:19
block where I'm out of out of the office pretty much the own
1:04:21
time. What else?
1:04:22
Anything else got you excited my friend?
1:04:27
Another I mean so much just meeting with dealers is always
1:04:33
exciting. Coming up.
1:04:40
Oh excited, you know, just this isn't guilt related, but kind of
1:04:44
it is I guess. But the track and field, Just
1:04:47
watching my brother finish outdoor season this year.
1:04:50
Hopefully he'll be at regionals. He's a OK good.
1:04:54
So we got a little bit of time as well, so.
1:04:56
Yeah. So hopefully he'll he'll be at
1:04:58
regionals in Arkansas and I'll go down the routine check, check
1:05:01
it out. Hopefully.
1:05:02
Cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:05:04
Tell him he needs to make sure that happens.
1:05:05
That yeah, last year he was on the, he was right there.
1:05:08
And then, you know, the last couple weeks, you know, he just
1:05:10
kept getting passed. But right now he's sitting out
1:05:13
like 18th in the West, maybe. Is he really?
1:05:16
I think so too bro. It's so hard.
1:05:18
I it's that that 48th kid that makes I'm like, dude, you're a
1:05:21
stud. It's amazing.
1:05:22
And the 49th, the first personality, you're a stud.
1:05:24
Like it's these coaches are coaching their tails off and it
1:05:28
shows in the marks, man. You could be in a pretty good
1:05:32
shot putter back in the day and made of regionals.
1:05:34
Now you got to be a really good shot putter just to make
1:05:37
regionals. I mean, it's just Oh yeah, it's
1:05:39
just crazy. OK.
1:05:41
Are you ready for surprise, Surprise.
1:05:44
I don't like surprises. You have any idea at all what
1:05:49
we're about to move into? Oh, I have no idea.
1:05:52
I'd love that. So Peyton, we all love you and
1:05:56
are so proud to call you teammate.
1:05:58
And we have the greatest teammates in the world.
1:06:01
And so when we scheduled this, I reached out to our teammates and
1:06:06
said, hey, let's have a little fun.
1:06:09
What question would you ask Peyton?
1:06:13
I've got a list of questions and the way I'm going to ask them.
1:06:16
I'm going to ask you the questions and then I'm going to
1:06:20
have you answer, obviously, but then you're going to guess who
1:06:22
you think asked that question. That's going to be hard.
1:06:25
I'll narrow it down a little bit here for you.
1:06:28
It's your direct team. So Rob, Max, Adam, Tim, and then
1:06:33
also Dio. Dio wanted to get in this little
1:06:38
party. So that's your that's your
1:06:39
options. Are you ready for the first one?
1:06:43
Oh, I'm ready. All right, if you could go back
1:06:45
and coach your younger self, would you double down on the
1:06:47
glide or fully commit to the rotation earlier?
1:06:51
And how much farther do you think that would have taken you?
1:06:55
They're not all as analytical as this by.
1:06:57
The way this is Rob question. Wow, nice.
1:07:02
Nailed it. Nailed.
1:07:04
It Oh yeah. Oh yeah.
1:07:05
So. What would you do to your
1:07:06
younger self? Double down the glide or double
1:07:07
down the rotation. I glided up to my junior year,
1:07:13
so I probably would have gone into rotation a little bit
1:07:17
sooner just because that's what I did in college.
1:07:20
Probably, yeah, probably started practicing rotation a little bit
1:07:23
sooner. I did AI LED AQ and a in Texas
1:07:28
with a Boo scheck Snyder. Do you know Boo scheck Snyder
1:07:30
that name one of the more known as a jumps.
1:07:33
I I could be OK that a throws guy.
1:07:35
Was cool. Last was LSU.
1:07:38
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you know, he he coaches
1:07:41
everything. I mean, he's just a genius.
1:07:43
And I remember a throws coach asking, hey, how early would you
1:07:46
introduce the rotation to a a shot putter?
1:07:49
And he said immediately he goes if you're going to he goes,
1:07:52
don't they. They are two different almost
1:07:55
like the 12 and 16. They're two different events.
1:07:57
Don't do glide and then go into like if you think they're going
1:07:59
to be rotation started from day one.
1:08:01
And I was like, interesting. I like that, OK.
1:08:06
And each person could have asked more than one question, so I'm
1:08:10
going to ask, you know, I'm OK. So you still got to guess
1:08:13
growing up, and I love this question here, growing up with a
1:08:15
brother, because we talked about Garrett a little bit here.
1:08:19
And Garrett, I know you're listening, brother.
1:08:20
Just know that we're all rooting for you.
1:08:21
We love you, man. We love you because Peyton's
1:08:23
your brother. Just so you know, you know, he
1:08:25
has the older brother here. But Garrett, you know we're
1:08:27
rooting for you, my friend. Growing up with a brother, who
1:08:30
was your confident? Who was your confidant?
1:08:33
Sorry, competition. And occasionally the guy
1:08:36
standing between you and seconds at the dinner table.
1:08:40
What was harder, sharing secrets with him or sharing the podium?
1:08:44
And be honest, who won more backyard throwing contest You.
1:08:50
Know that question was ACT probably towards the end of
1:08:54
that. What was harder, sharing secrets
1:08:58
with Garrett or Sharon the podium And be honest, who won
1:09:00
more backyard throwing contest? Sharon the podium I guess, but.
1:09:09
Cuz you're competitive with them.
1:09:10
Like, yeah, my brother, but I want to beat my brother.
1:09:12
I mean, it goes more than just track and field with me and him
1:09:17
are like, we can be playing video games like we like.
1:09:21
We still play video games today against each other and it gets
1:09:25
pretty, pretty dicey. Like we'll be just yelling at
1:09:29
each other. The mom and dad have to separate
1:09:31
you 2A. Lot, yeah, definitely growing
1:09:35
up, yeah. Like there is.
1:09:37
I mean, it was all for good. Like there's sometimes that we
1:09:41
might have gone overboard a little bit so.
1:09:44
Brothers, but yeah, yeah. For throwing competitions
1:09:47
outside, I would say. I mean, at the time I was older,
1:09:54
so yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I took more.
1:09:56
But if we did it, you know, now obviously he's much better than
1:10:01
me. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:10:02
What, what video games are you guys going at it with each
1:10:05
other? What's the game of the the
1:10:08
season so? Back in college, it was always
1:10:13
Fortnite against each other, just one V1 and then Call of
1:10:17
Duty 1V1 or now we're, you know, we moved on to Madden.
1:10:22
I was. About to say no Madden or
1:10:23
anything, yeah. Yeah, Madden or we play R
1:10:27
Raiders, but we're on a team like it's usually when we're
1:10:30
arguing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:10:32
We're on the team, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and then I, I usually
1:10:35
blame him for about every mistake I I do just because he's
1:10:39
my brother and I can do that. Little brother, Exactly.
1:10:42
Yeah, yeah. Who Who asked that question, you
1:10:45
think? That's man see do you wouldn't
1:10:51
know? I don't know if he knows I have
1:10:52
a younger. Brother, well, you're really
1:10:53
analyzing this one. That's good.
1:10:55
I know secrets or man, I want to say no.
1:11:03
Sounds a little bit of a joke. A little.
1:11:06
Bit of a joke, but your question, that was Rob and the
1:11:08
continuation question. OK, OK.
1:11:11
Since you nailed Rob in the very first one, I was like, well, I'm
1:11:13
kind of. I could see where you wouldn't
1:11:15
want to. I would have.
1:11:16
Next. Yeah, yeah.
1:11:17
If that was my first question, I would have said Rob.
1:11:19
Right, right, right. Right.
1:11:20
Yeah, yeah, Yeah, I agree. That's why I was like it.
1:11:22
I mean, I don't know. OK, Yeah.
1:11:23
Next question. What was your first impression
1:11:26
of your college teammate? Now work teammate.
1:11:28
Max I'm. Guessing Max.
1:11:31
Actually he added on here we did not talk about in college Max
1:11:35
was so Max in charge of our central or whatnot.
1:11:39
You would, you know, you'll call it Illinois Midwest area and
1:11:41
it's a pole vaulter. So Mr. Thrower over here, Mr.
1:11:44
Pole Vaulter, not a lot of what? What was your first impression
1:11:49
of Max I? Don't remember the first time we
1:11:53
actually talked because my group I hung out with the throws group
1:12:00
my freshman year we hung out with the pole vaulters, but he
1:12:04
wasn't there quite as much, I guess because it was a older,
1:12:09
older group. But you know, I thought he was a
1:12:12
cool dude, but I I know his you don't have a.
1:12:16
Friend, look man, you can be real here.
1:12:18
I mean, I just, I didn't really know him that great in college.
1:12:22
I just never hung out with him, but I actually got to know him a
1:12:26
little bit more once he left because he was dating Ella,
1:12:31
which was his friends with Gracie.
1:12:34
So that's he was around there and we kind of talked a little
1:12:37
bit. What do you think of him now as
1:12:39
a teammate? You've been teammates for a
1:12:41
while together now. What do you think of old Max on
1:12:43
team? He's he's awesome.
1:12:45
He's funny. You know, I'm we're close with
1:12:49
golf. I think we talk a lot about
1:12:52
golf. Don't get, I don't want to get
1:12:54
into guys. These guys.
1:12:55
It's if we weren't a track company, God bless, these guys
1:12:58
would be a golf company. Trust me.
1:12:59
Oh, my gosh. Yeah.
1:13:01
We can look into it. Yeah, I'm good.
1:13:03
I told my watch. I told my wife the other day
1:13:06
what you said when I told you. Oh, yeah.
1:13:08
You know, that's what it's going to be her old lady sport.
1:13:10
And you're like, oh, and you can't.
1:13:11
I was like, Nope. And you're like, yeah, but you
1:13:12
can. I was like, Nope.
1:13:13
Yeah. I told her I was like, yeah,
1:13:14
man. Do you think it's OK?
1:13:18
OK, love it. We love Max and we're hoping to
1:13:20
have Max on the podcast one day too because the Max.
1:13:23
I know you're listening to this. So hint, hint, hint.
1:13:25
We'd like to have you on the show as well.
1:13:26
OK, next question. You got to guess who asked it.
1:13:28
If your team, this is, I love this one.
1:13:31
If your team were to describe you in 2 words, what would you
1:13:35
hope they would be? This is a really good question.
1:13:41
I like this a lot actually. On 2 words.
1:13:44
If your team were to describe you in 2 words, what would you
1:13:48
hope they would be so not what you think they would be.
1:13:52
What would you hope they would be They.
1:13:54
Hope they would be. That's more than one word I want
1:14:05
to say. I'm just going to say it kind
1:14:07
and hard working. Those are my.
1:14:09
I put hard working into one. I'm from Alabama, I'd probably
1:14:13
make that one word until Microsoft Word told me I was
1:14:17
doing it wrong. I'd probably just say it kind
1:14:20
and hard working. Why do you hope those two words?
1:14:22
First of all, I think you are one of the most kindest people I
1:14:24
know, so that makes a lot of sense.
1:14:26
Why did you pick those two words?
1:14:29
I think just because I don't growing up, I always, my thing
1:14:35
was I had to be the hardest working person and just my
1:14:39
parents and still that into me as a young age.
1:14:42
Like if you're not being a hard worker, then what do you not?
1:14:46
Yeah, yeah. Just like if you're going to do
1:14:48
something, go all out on something.
1:14:49
That's how my mind is wired. So that's kind of where I stand
1:14:53
on that and just being kind. I don't want people to think I'm
1:14:56
not going. I don't know.
1:14:57
I like being nice to people like, you know, making people
1:14:59
happy and. Smiley and stuff like that.
1:15:01
Well, I, I think that's, that's right.
1:15:03
Who, who, Who asked that? I don't want to say Tim, but I
1:15:11
haven't said Tim. Now you want to guess again.
1:15:14
Adam. Adam, nice I.
1:15:18
Wonder what Tim's question is going to be?
1:15:20
If you had next question, if you had a this is funny one, I like
1:15:24
this. This is what I was going for.
1:15:26
This is great. If you had a magic button on
1:15:28
your desk to bring you anything, what would it summon?
1:15:33
Oh no, that's awesome. I could name a few things.
1:15:41
OK, multiple buttons. What would OK, I would go with
1:15:44
coffee. What's your coffee?
1:15:47
Just black black hot coffee. Great black.
1:15:49
That's your that's what you're drinking every morning when I
1:15:50
see. OK, yes Sir, with my my 2
1:15:53
containers of coffee I walk in with.
1:15:55
Yeah, 2. Sometimes 3.
1:15:56
Sure, sure, sure. Coffee.
1:15:59
A Diet Coke. That would be mine, the Diet
1:16:01
Coke. Yeah, Diet Coke.
1:16:03
And then I got to throw in tacos.
1:16:08
Oh tell me about your Taco order.
1:16:10
You soft sell, hard sell. Beef or I am so basic.
1:16:14
So today for lunch I had two tacos.
1:16:16
You. Said you're so basic.
1:16:18
OK. All right.
1:16:18
I am OK. Tacos, chicken or beef and then
1:16:23
cheese on top. That's it.
1:16:24
No sour cream, no guac. Usually no.
1:16:29
I love the block. That's why I'm kind of basic.
1:16:31
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And did you say soft shell or
1:16:33
hard shell soft? Yeah, I think so too.
1:16:35
Who's who's still eating hard shell tacos?
1:16:38
I mean, I would eat them. I remember birthday parties
1:16:40
growing up, they had an option of always soft or hard and I
1:16:44
would just mix them up, mix between the two of them.
1:16:47
But I would I feel like hard shells just gets messy.
1:16:50
Does Taco Bell still, they used to you get a hard shell, but
1:16:54
they would wrap it with a, you know, they kind of make it stick
1:16:56
together like refried beans. And so Even so, you know, when
1:16:59
the hard shell broke it, it was OK because you had the soft
1:17:01
shell on the outside. What did they still do that?
1:17:03
No, but they do have a cheesy gordita crunch.
1:17:07
You ever hear of that hard shell wrapped in soft shell?
1:17:11
Is it a soft shell or is it that thick bread?
1:17:14
Thick. Yeah, I don't, I have had that.
1:17:16
I'm not a not a fan. I've had it a few times and
1:17:19
yeah, I do like it. Yeah, I'm OK.
1:17:21
I, you know, where I go to get my tattoos done is I have to get
1:17:26
lunch on the way home. There's a Taco Bell and I went
1:17:28
there a couple times. I never feel good going to Taco
1:17:30
Bell. Like I get excited, like I
1:17:32
haven't been at Taco Bell forever.
1:17:33
And then when I eat, I'm like, this wasn't.
1:17:35
I haven't gotten in so long but in college I got a decent
1:17:38
amount. Same with McDonald's, every time
1:17:39
I eat McDonald's, but I love the fries.
1:17:42
But man, I just don't feel good. Like not only physically but
1:17:44
mentally I just don't like oh, why did I do that?
1:17:47
I've been going to the Popeyes on the way back and getting the
1:17:51
sandwich with the fries. The fries are amazing.
1:17:53
Chicken sandwich is really good. What was that?
1:17:56
If you had a magic but did you guess who was that?
1:17:59
Dio. Nope. 10 Nope.
1:18:03
Oh my gosh, who am I missing here?
1:18:05
Wait, I guess they can ask them. Remember, they can ask
1:18:06
multiples. Max, Max Schweitzer.
1:18:11
Very good. All right, next question.
1:18:13
We still got a couple. We got about 3, I think 3 or 4.
1:18:17
And we are. Yeah, We're good on time.
1:18:18
So good. You're captive audience.
1:18:20
We've lost everybody. It's just me and you and Max and
1:18:22
Dio and those guys and your mom and Garrett listening at this
1:18:25
point. So you can just be completely
1:18:27
honest and open here. Next question, if you could read
1:18:29
anyone's mind at the office, whose mind would you read?
1:18:33
That's scary man. I sometimes don't want to read
1:18:37
my own mind. Who would you pick in the
1:18:40
office? You know Mike, I feel like it
1:18:43
would be fun to read your mind something.
1:18:44
Yeah, OK. Well, I was going to obligatory
1:18:47
ask and why? Why Sir?
1:18:48
Why would you want to read the ramblings that are up here, Sir?
1:18:52
I don't know, I feel like you're always walking around and
1:18:56
talking, you know, saying good morning to everyone and I just,
1:19:00
you got to be thinking of something.
1:19:01
I was like when you see someone after they say good morning, I
1:19:03
just, I just would love to in a meetings when you're sitting in
1:19:06
the corner, I just feel I just would love to read your mind.
1:19:12
I'll give you a little inside, pulled the curtain behind.
1:19:15
When I go around and say good morning to everybody, it's a
1:19:18
little bit of my something I started a little while ago, a
1:19:23
little bit of my faith of it's, it's like a little prayer for
1:19:28
each of you. You know, like it's important to
1:19:30
me, you know, when I come around to you guys, you know, we do a
1:19:32
little fist bump and it seems so, but not, you know, it's
1:19:35
almost like handshake or whatever, just it's very small,
1:19:36
something special. We don't do the and all that
1:19:38
kind of stuff, but it's a little bit of my touch of like, man, I
1:19:41
love you. I'm so glad I get to call you
1:19:43
teammates. You know that that's that's
1:19:46
what's kind of what's going on my mind.
1:19:48
But for funny. Purposes.
1:19:49
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I would love to read Dio's
1:19:52
mind. Oh bro, half a minute right?
1:19:55
I mean, come on, that dude is. Hilarious.
1:19:57
Yeah. Yeah.
1:19:58
That dude's awesome. That would be hilarious.
1:20:01
I love that. Who asked that question?
1:20:05
Dio it. Was Dio?
1:20:07
Yeah, that is a that's a deal question you're reading is
1:20:10
you're already in there. Next question.
1:20:13
What? This is such a fun question.
1:20:15
What keeps you smiling every time you walk in the building?
1:20:18
You are an easy to smile dude. Man, I love it.
1:20:21
That's a deal question too, I feel like.
1:20:22
It is a deal man. You are on a roll brother.
1:20:26
I don't know, Just everyone here is great and it's really, it's
1:20:34
hard to be in a bad mood here when everyone else is not in a
1:20:37
bad mood. Like everyone's happy and joyful
1:20:39
and fun to be around and nice and kind.
1:20:44
It's just a fun place to be. Yeah.
1:20:46
It is hard, you know, it is hard to have a bad day here.
1:20:49
Now we're humans, We, we have our our bad days.
1:20:51
But brother. Yeah.
1:20:53
It's it's hard. All right.
1:20:55
Very good. Who who asked that question?
1:20:57
Sorry. Dio.
1:20:58
What's DIO? Well, it only leaves one person.
1:21:04
Timothy. And he asked several questions.
1:21:06
Oh goodness. Now his first one, I think we've
1:21:09
already covered. I'm sure you have a few on.
1:21:12
OK, He's saying to me, I'm sure you have a few on college
1:21:14
choices and throw in AYSISU. But we talked about that.
1:21:17
He's right. We had a few questions on that.
1:21:19
So we'll start with this question.
1:21:20
If you could go back to high school, what's one thing you
1:21:23
would tell yourself to do differently or to look out for?
1:21:26
Some of that Rob question of, you know, the rotation versus
1:21:29
the glide. But like but but now this is
1:21:33
opened up past sports. Now this could be what classes
1:21:35
to take, whether to date Gracie or not.
1:21:37
You know, what would you go back and tell yourself to do
1:21:39
differently or to look out for? I would say going into college,
1:21:46
I'm going into college. What I would tell myself a
1:21:48
little differently is to I'm not, yeah, kind of get out of my
1:21:54
bubble a little bit more, but, you know, talk to more people
1:21:57
and just try to learn a little little bit more of, you know, I
1:22:01
worked hard, hard in school, but more than that.
1:22:05
But connect with people, make more connections, I would say
1:22:07
yeah. I could see that I and you know,
1:22:09
I won't take full credit, but you needed me in your ear back
1:22:11
then. Yeah, definitely.
1:22:14
Yeah. I love that.
1:22:14
That's good. Appreciate that.
1:22:16
OK, these are the last two. These are good ones here.
1:22:19
It's a good way to end the the question period in the the
1:22:22
interview here, Tim says what part of your, I told you guys
1:22:25
it's nothing but golf with these guys.
1:22:27
What part of your golf game would you like to improve the
1:22:30
most? All of it.
1:22:35
But right now, my irons maybe, yeah.
1:22:42
So is that your short game? Is that what we would call that?
1:22:45
Yeah, like I want to improve my 5 through pitching wedge.
1:22:52
OK, so short game. Yeah to my chipping is doing
1:22:56
good right now. I just chipped in twice last
1:22:58
week. Nice.
1:22:59
It's what just saying. Yeah, and putting solid, but if
1:23:04
I could improve my irons and some wedges just I can't control
1:23:09
my distances. So if I could like I hit it
1:23:12
straight but it's either over or short.
1:23:16
Sure, sure. Yeah, yeah.
1:23:17
Yeah, so if I could control my distances, I would be happy.
1:23:20
OK, what? What are how do you guys?
1:23:22
This is my question. Tim's like, I know there's a
1:23:25
handicap, but you have to do something to get that
1:23:27
handicapped. Are you guys that far or are you
1:23:29
still just like, Oh yeah, on average I shoot?
1:23:32
I am not not. That far.
1:23:34
So you're not doing that. So what do you on average shoot
1:23:36
for 18 then? Like maybe?
1:23:37
That's the pins. Are you?
1:23:43
Are you? You're not over 100, are you?
1:23:45
No, OK, well, that's what I thought I could be.
1:23:47
I could be if I. Correct.
1:23:49
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But on on a good a good round
1:23:52
for you would be. Nine, if I could break 90, yeah,
1:23:57
that would be a good. Round that's dude I'm still
1:23:59
trying to break 90 on 9. So that's cool.
1:24:01
I mean, I really got into it once college got over, I just
1:24:04
picked it up and I was horrible. I was shooting my one 20s so and
1:24:08
then the driving range is right down the street so I didn't.
1:24:11
Watch. Go practice.
1:24:13
I, I think I've told you this before.
1:24:15
You know, one of my favorite authors, podcasters is Malcolm
1:24:19
Gladwell. Does that name ring a bell?
1:24:20
He, he wrote the outliers, David, you know the rule of
1:24:26
10,000 hour? Yeah, He's the one who came up
1:24:28
with that and he did on one of his podcast, he got the US golf
1:24:33
associations. Like to get your handicap you
1:24:36
have to like log, you know, and all this kind of stuff on
1:24:39
certain courses and all that kind of stuff.
1:24:40
So he got the the data from all that.
1:24:44
So he wouldn't tell us any names, but the names were on
1:24:46
there and he cross referenced these people who some were
1:24:50
playing. I mean, you guys play a lot and
1:24:53
these people would shame you how much they're playing and got all
1:24:58
the CEOs of publicly traded companies cuz all it's USGA,
1:25:02
it's the everybody, right? And the more times ACEO golfed,
1:25:09
the worse the stock did in the stock market.
1:25:14
Really. It was, it's almost a direct
1:25:18
inverse proportion there that if ACEO was golfing more, they're
1:25:22
they were, they're not running the company very well.
1:25:25
They think they are right Because we talk about golfing,
1:25:26
you know, it's a business sport and you go on the you talk
1:25:28
business on the links and all that kind of stuff.
1:25:32
I think it's detriment. I don't know, maybe, maybe,
1:25:34
maybe. Things I can see it takes a lot
1:25:36
of time, so it depends on how they what they're doing.
1:25:40
Yeah, yeah, I got nothing. Nothing at all.
1:25:45
I don't even like going to putt putt.
1:25:46
OK, last question, my friend from our good sales manager, Tim
1:25:50
Glover. How would make sure I'm asking
1:25:52
this right? Rate yourself on one to 10 on
1:25:57
how good you are at axe throwing.
1:26:01
I know there's inside jokes there.
1:26:02
I'm not going to ask for them. That's crazy.
1:26:04
We have an axe bar. If you've never been to an axe
1:26:06
bar, you're not missing anything by the way.
1:26:07
But I know these guys love it. What would you rate yourself
1:26:09
One. At 10A5.
1:26:12
Rick Moore, Paul. Sergeant love them.
1:26:15
Tim and I got not whooped. Maybe we got pretty.
1:26:19
We got we got it's it's on me. I couldn't get the axe to stick
1:26:25
in the wood. I get it.
1:26:27
So now every time they see me, they bring up Axe.
1:26:30
Axe, is that right? That's what everybody's.
1:26:32
Yeah, so next time they come to Champagne.
1:26:34
I will be ready. You're are you practicing?
1:26:37
I haven't practiced, but when you know.
1:26:39
That they come up, you're going to start.
1:26:41
Practicing for the next like I will practice, I'll go on
1:26:44
YouTube and search. I will be ready, I promise you
1:26:48
that. Let me tell you what Paul and
1:26:50
Rick are not going to do. They're not going on YouTube to
1:26:52
figure out how to do better. You're going to have the upper
1:26:54
hand on this one. Oh yeah, I'm ready.
1:26:56
I love it, Peyton. This was easier than you
1:27:00
thought, wasn't it? Oh yeah.
1:27:01
Yeah, it was. Awesome, dude.
1:27:03
Again, just so, so, so proud to call you teammate, man, You make
1:27:07
us better. I'm excited.
1:27:09
You know, again, I've been here 20 years.
1:27:11
I can sort of remember what I was doing a year and a half in.
1:27:14
You are doing so much more than I was at a year and a half in.
1:27:19
We, we rely on you. We ask you to do big things.
1:27:23
We ask you to participate in a lot of very important
1:27:26
conversations and I think that is just a testament to your
1:27:30
intelligence, to your people that helped you grow up, your
1:27:32
mom, your dad, your brother and coaches along the way.
1:27:35
And just so grateful to call your team.
1:27:37
And I'm just so thankful that you would trust me to sit down
1:27:40
with us here on the show and share your journey with our
1:27:43
listeners. And just just grateful and
1:27:44
looking forward to the future, man.
1:27:46
I love, love, love doing this this profession with you, my
1:27:49
friend. Thanks, Mike.
1:27:50
I appreciate it. This was pretty fun.
1:27:53
Awesome, man. Perfect.
1:27:54
I love that. Make sure you spread the word
1:27:55
when I asked the other teammates to be on the show.
1:27:57
So hey, man, it's not as bad as you think.
1:27:59
It's not. Yeah, we're not.
1:28:00
I always tell people I don't. I'm never gonna lose a customer
1:28:03
over these interviews, right? I'm not gonna lose a teammate
1:28:05
over these things either, brother.
1:28:06
I just wanna know more about you.
1:28:08
And I'm just so grateful for you guys and gals being here.
1:28:10
I hope you enjoyed this. You know, it's real people that
1:28:14
are behind these phones and these emails working with our
1:28:17
amazing dealer network out there, helping manufacture the
1:28:21
greatest track and field equipment in the world.
1:28:23
And I'm just always so giddy to be able to share with you their
1:28:27
stories, their journeys. We've had like Tim Glover, who
1:28:30
was a two time national champion javelin thrower.
1:28:33
He's here as our sales manager. He's been on the show.
1:28:36
Rob Mathias, who overseas our West Side great 815 hundred
1:28:40
meter runner back in the day. His children run, both running
1:28:43
in college now. So proud of his kids and what
1:28:45
they're doing. He's been on the podcast.
1:28:47
And then we've got a couple others that are coming up soon.
1:28:50
Hopefully they'll get their invites here.
1:28:52
So I like them to get a little experience, not right off the
1:28:54
bat. So took a year and a half for
1:28:55
Peyton to get on here. So we'll get the other guys on
1:28:58
here soon, but thank you so much again for being here.
1:29:01
I hope you are enjoying what we are doing here on the Guild
1:29:03
podcast. Make sure to share with a
1:29:05
friend, a Co worker. Maybe there's a you know, this
1:29:07
is episode 300 and something right?
1:29:09
So that means there's 300 and something back.
1:29:12
Log here. Go back and check out the
1:29:13
library. Amazing men and women who
1:29:15
thankfully choose to be track and field coaches.
1:29:18
Thanks a lot. Join us next week.
1:29:19
We'll do it all over again. See you guys.
1:29:25
Those who appreciate the coach, the ones that point people most
1:29:28
every season needs a voice of reason speaking the growth.
1:29:31
You got to prep before you carry the load.
1:29:33
Ice coffee to the soul. For those of us who stay on the
1:29:35
go proper handoff to stay in the zone which you packing for the
1:29:39
road. There's more than one way to go
1:29:41
taking those SPA on your toe. It ain't practice if your
1:29:43
purpose ain't Claire. It can't happen until you listen
1:29:46
with both ears. You can't mentor without a
1:29:48
mentor of years of experience. You can reinvent those years.
1:29:52
Every plan's got to stand and deliver to in the all right
1:29:55
sacrifice. Can you give up you?
1:29:57
It's a choice and a fight not to win all those.
1:29:59
It's not a ploy boy device. Y'all can make more moves.
1:30:02
It's not about how to it's all about why you don't know till
1:30:05
you know who you are inside 6,000,000 Waste of time, choose
1:30:08
none. So y'all of course finish line
1:30:10
the work ain't done so we learn from the experts but y'all got
1:30:13
to put in the leg work guilt. Athletics is the network.
1:30:16
It's all about connections put together for the profession To
1:30:20
every track coach could be blessing.