Latest / The Platform: a Michigan High School Powerlifting Association Podcast / Eric Jennings: Building Champions, Coaching Through Failure & Growing the Sport |The Platform Ep. 24

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Eric Jennings: Building Champions, Coaching Through Failure & Growing the Sport |The Platform Ep. 24 · The Platform: a Michigan High School Powerlifting Association Podcast

• Chris Whittaker: Welcome to the platform where the stories weigh a ton. This is where some of the MHS PLA's best tell real stories about what it takes to build themselves and their athletes programs underneath the bar. I'm your co-host Chris Whitaker, and we're glad you're here. Before we get in started with this week's episode, if you're enjoying the show, make sure you subscribe, follow, and leave us a review wherever you listen. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and wherever else you get your podcast. That support helps us continue to grow the show. Bring you the conversations that you want to hear right here to the platform. And if you want to support the association or rep the show, head over to the MHSPLA Fourth Wall Shop at MHSPLA-shop.fourthwall.com and grab your official MHSPLA and the podcast merch. If you have feedback or a guest suggestion or a topic that you want us to cover, send us an email at info at mhspla.com. Today we're sitting down with a man who's been a part of the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association for more than two decades, longtime Lake Orion coach and MHS PLA board member, Coach Eric Jennings. He'll be joining Coach Gillam and myself, along with another MHS PLA board member who knows Coach Jennings better than most, one of his former lifters, Coach Brian Litt. Coach Jennings helped build Lake Orion from a powerlifting program with eight kids into a perennial contender, including Three straight boys varsity state championships from 2008 through 2010. But this conversation goes way beyond championships. We talk about the mentors who shaped him, the lifters who became the glue of his program and the growth of girls' powerlifting, how the MHS PLA has evolved, and what he looks for when teaching the squat and how he structures training. And what more than two decades of hosting meets has taught him about leadership and delegation. And maybe most importantly, We get into failure and how Coach Jennings help learn to help athletes stop being afraid of the weight and trust the work that they put in. And understand that sometimes failing is exactly what has to happen before you can succeed. There's a lot of history in this one, a lot of coaching, and more than a few good stories. So step up. Lock in. The bar's loaded for Coach Eric Jennings in episode number twenty four. Hit the intro music. Ladies and gentlemen, the bar is loaded. We're back for another episode of the platform, your Michigan High School Powerlifting Association podcast. I'm your co-host, as always, Coach Chris Whitaker, Dexter High School, Iron Dread Strength and Conditioning, Iron Dread Powerlifting. I have with me three other individuals today. First is our Executive director of the MHSPLA and full time co-host of the platform podcast, Coach Chris Gillum. Coach Gillum, good to see you again. Chris Gilliam: Good to see all of you. Chris Whittaker: And we have with us Coach Brian Litton, who's also a member of the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association board out of DeWajak High School. he is on here with us. Eric: Thank Chris Whittaker: good to see you, Coach Litton. And we have our guest. A man that around the circles of the Michigan High School Power Lifting Association needs no introduction. But he's gonna get one. And he's gonna Chris Gilliam: . Chris Whittaker: get one Eric: Thank Chris Whittaker: from his former lifter, Coach Brian Litton. Brian Litten: This is an honor right here to introduce this. So our guest today is the widely respected throughout the state in powerlifting and football and everything. he is the man, the myth, the legend, as Chris Whitaker said, that can solve every mathematician problem there possibly is. and he's the one who originally was he was before the spreadsheets. He knew it all. He can handle those numbers like crazy. he has won the varsity state championship in the men division for 2008. 2009, 2010, and 209. I may have been a part of a couple of those teams, so shout out to that. He is also a member of the MHS PLA board of directors. He currently serves as the treasurer. His school has been the varsity state meet for several times. Ladies and gentlemen, my mentor, my former defensive line and powerlifting coach, Eric Jennings out of Lake Orion High School. Eric: Hello everybody. Chris Whittaker: Eric Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Chris Whittaker: Jennings man, that would have been a great time, Gillum, for me to Chris Gilliam: Yeah, there we go. Lots of applause, lots of applause. Chris Whittaker: Yeah, the A E, welcome to the show. we did we got the you're the first person we've got to use the sound effector board for. Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: I feel honored now. Chris Whittaker: So we're here. we're gonna talk with Coach Jennings. again we we all love him and this'll be a good one learning more about him. So I got the first question, Coach, and the first one is give us some background information on yourself. where are you from? Are you married? Do you have any children? Eric: I am not married, have no children except for all the kids at Lake Orion that I've coached. They're all my kids, but I'm an Oxford graduate. Then I went to the University of South Florida and then I moved back and started coaching for the actually what I call my enemy because Oxford and Lake Orion are rivals. And in 1998, I started coaching at Lake Orion because Oxford didn't want me. I've been there since 1998 coaching multiple sports and announcing. Chris Whittaker: Lake Orion Dragons and Coach Jennings. what are your hobbies besides powerlifting? Eric: Well, it's, it's, it or not, coaching is my, it's my hobby, but it's also my passion because I, just, it's, I never thought I would ever be a coach and anything after I got out high school and I was going to college and a friend of mine, his dad got me into coaching and I got hooked and the Kids that I coach over the last 30 years, it's more than a hobby, but that's what I do all my spare time with. I really don't do anything else but work and probably in that building in Lake Oregon, seven days a week most weeks, doing something. I know it sounds crazy, but it is true. Coach Littany Chris Gilliam: He Eric: will testify to that. Brian Litten: I was gonna say yes, that's true. So Chris Whittaker: I I know when we've had our meetings very many times, he's not at his house, he's at the at the school. but that Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Chris Whittaker: is not coaching is not your primary profession, is it? Eric: No, I actually work construction. I work for the Southeastern Michigan, largest heavy highway contractor. Dan's excavating. I've been there for just about as long as I've been coaching. I've been there since 1997. And I was going to work there six months and I've been there 30 years. It's a crazy thing. Chris Whittaker: the h highway construction. what what's your responsibilities there? What do what do you do? Eric: I work in the estimating division. we estimate any size job from a $20,000 job up to $400 million jobs we estimate. so I have, at this time of year, especially since the state flower, the orange barrel is getting back out on the road, no one likes me right Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: now. Brian Litten: Mm. Chris Whittaker: For sure. Chris Gilliam: I like that flower. Chris Whittaker: For sure. Chris Gilliam: Okay. So we know you like to coach a lot of sports. I know you coach baseball and obviously powerlifting. How did you get involved in powerlifting? Like, was that something you did in high school or what? Eric: yeah, well, we started another, another, gentleman that was at Lake Oregon. Now he's actually the principal at, Lapeer high school. But, I actually was coaching defensive line with him on the varsity level and we got started just with powerlifting. And I mean, we started out with eight kids the first year we did it and I got hooked into it just because it was something completely different than I've never done before. And then also now you're starting to coach girls at the same time. So it was a completely different dynamic and I got hooked on it right away. Cause it was, I didn't need the supreme athlete. Anyone can power lift. As long as they're not afraid to pick up or try to pick up a bar, we can teach them. And that is what intrigued me about the sport. Cause I could coach. a lot of different kids that I normally wouldn't see on the football field or the baseball field. And that's the uniqueness that I love about it. Brian Litten: Alrighty, can you tell us about your journey with the MHS PLA? How long have you been a board member? but yeah, well how about that one first and we'll go from there. Eric: I actually can't tell you how long I've been an official board member. sort of, it sort of slipped in because the gentleman I've talked to, Jason Larson was on the board and then he left Lake Orient to take a principal job in St. Clair Shores. And so he wasn't going to be involved and I just sort of inherited it. And Brian Litten: Mm-hmm. Eric: that had to be, shoot, that'd be around 2002 maybe. Brian Litten: No Eric: So I've been on the board for a long time, about 15 years, I would think. I've been around 2002, 2003, somewhere in there. I inherited it from Jason. And yeah, it was funny. It wasn't even a vote. was sort of, I just picked it up and left off where he took, when he had it. And we went from there. Brian Litten: Hm. Chris Gilliam: Hey, Eric newsflash. That's like 20 some years. Eric: I know, can't, I'm a math major Chris Whittaker: Ha ha ha. Eric: and I can't count, remember that. I'm trying not to think it's that long. I'm trying to scale back some years on, know. Chris Gilliam: Yeah, for sure. Brian Litten: If it makes you feel any better, I was one of your first freshmen to do it. So, you know, me and Zotos, so Eric: Yeah, I know. Yeah, matter of I just saw a warty. Brian Litten: all right, what do you like most about being on the board of directors? Eric: That what is what's intrigued me and what I really like about it is trying to advance the sport. because it's an ever evolving sport. We're trying to, to make it more efficient. We're trying to, it's a, it's a very, as we all know, it's a very subjective sport at times when you're judging it, when you're looking at it. So we're trying to make it a less subjective. And that intrigues me and try to make it fair for everybody. And it's, you just, it's. And because it's almost like I feel like it's in the infancy of it. And to be part of that as it's growing, it's different than coach. And I mean, I love coaching football, I love coaching baseball, but it's, you're not having any paradigm of evolving of the sport where you right now I do with power lifting. It's my part of it is I know that I had helped this sport myself doing certain things. And that is, that's, really love that. And I know I've made an impression. So, that's, mean, like I said, football and baseball, I coach and I love coaching it, but I'm not going to be on and making changes in the world of high school football or high school baseball like I can in powerlifting and to try to evolve the sport. Brian Litten: Well, speaking of changes, what changes have you seen since you first started and what more changes would you like to see take place? Eric: Well, as Coach Gillum will also remember, when I first started, there was still an equipped division. There was raw and equipped. And so there was those changes. We've now gone to two classes of girls instead of just varsity women. Now it's varsity and JV women. I think that was a huge change for us. the changing how we do the state meets now, I think has been a has been a bonus for us doing the JV one weekend, the varsity on another weekend, instead of trying to do it in two days all at one time, we all done those before. And those though, that's harder than doing it this way. That's obvious. in the future, I think it's more streamlining everything. So there's less gray area. That's the hard thing about the sports because it is subjective. and you trying to get less gray area so everyone is on the same playing field and understands the playing field the same. And I think we actually do a pretty good job overall of trying to do that with our rules, incorporating maybe some rules out of other organizations to see what works best. And it's always going to be an evolution. I think we are... I'm looking forward to seeing how we're going to change it to, I don't want to say modernize it, but it's just making it cleaner and more efficient and less gray area out there every week. Chris Whittaker: Well, the less gray area we have, the easier it is for people to follow the rules. Right and not leaving it up to interpretation. Right? Like that you know, I'm not a math guy, you are, but that's the way math is. Math has rules. Right? Eric: Yeah, exactly. For the most part it does, yeah. We try to bend them, but it doesn't work. Chris Gilliam: Thank Chris Whittaker: Just like Star Wars needs to have rules, right, Brian? Like once you go once you go into those other movies where they start breaking all the rules of the force, that's just No. No. He's shaking his head. For the listeners at home, Coach Linton is shaking Eric: Hahaha Chris Gilliam: Don't go off on a tangent right here. Chris Whittaker: his head. No, there's no rules. You Brian Litten: Nope, nope, nope, nope nope, nope, nope. Chris Whittaker: need to have the rules. All right. So I think I got the next one here. Coach, we all have mentors, right? And who are some of your mentors that you have just in life and since you started here in the association? Eric: when I first started in the association, I'll start with that one. I was greener and green and I, there were a couple of people that helped me explain a lot of things about the association. One was Todd Miller. Todd, for some reason, I don't know why to this day, he took a liking to me and anytime I had a question, I could ask him and he, he was definitely one. that I looked up to also Sheila, Sheila Kloss, she, she helped me a lot also just in the managing of things like managing a meat, things like that, understanding that like the first time I ran a meat, I shadowed for two years to try to figure out how to do it the right way. But she guided me a lot in that. So Sheila and Danny were very important and Todd, they were my biggest mentors in this getting me going. in life, probably my biggest, this is, it's going to be a weird thing because everyone thinks I'm this, this gruff coach and my, my biggest mentor is my band and choir teacher from high school. He, I he's, lives in Ludington. He's 84 years old and I do not make a life decision without talking to him to this day. He got me out of some bad situations when I was in high school. I was going down a bad path. And my stepfather and I didn't get along. My mom was working two jobs. She's doing the best she can. And I was just following a bad path. And he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me to get into a good place. So I still, to this day, if I make it a life decision, I talk to him first, then just run it by him and see what he thinks. He's probably the most important man in my life. Chris Gilliam: What's his name? Give him a shout out. Eric: His name is Lewis Wilson. was caught in Oxford for 30 plus years. His band and choir teacher and then became a counselor. And then, one of the things he does, how he interacts with kids and I sort of, that's what I got a lot of the interaction with kids from him is when we would, in the summer, he would take kids canoeing. And his, actually his license plate used to say, WCCCY, Wilson's crew can canoe, can you? And he would take three or four kids and we, and he'd go down either canoe in the Pine River, the El Saba River. And then now the first Friday of every, first Friday of August of every year, there was a reunion. There's been 35 reunions and kids come from, from the seventies, the eighties, the nineties, the twos all the way up. and go canoeing on that Friday. I mean, he'll have 60, 65, 70 people up there canoeing on that day. That's how big of an impact he had. And how I interact with kids is a lot because of him, because of that. I needed that man and like I said, I would not be here the way I am right now with him. Chris Gilliam: That's awesome. Chris Whittaker: That's a we we all got the those people, man, that changes and and I'm sure and Brian can probably attest to this that you've done that for many of your athletes too. Chris Gilliam: for sure. Eric: I try. I try to be there for him. Chris Gilliam: Well, speaking of your lifters, you've had some great lifters at Lake Orion over the years. which ones made the most impact on your program and your opinion. And don't give me the, I don't pick favorites saying it's not necessarily a favorite, Eric: Not yet. Chris Gilliam: but who made the most impact? Eric: It's funny, it's... Like I'll use like the I'll start off with the girls because as we all of us that have started out with this trying to get the girls program going was tough because you had to get through the stereotypes that I'm not going to become this if I if I'm a girl and I lift and that and then you have to get through that stereotype and Maddie Ostentosky is probably one of the ones she was a lifter she was a good lifter. Brian Litten: Mm-hmm. Eric: But she sort of started it that any female can lift. it was, she was not, once they saw that she was lifting and it wasn't wholesale changes and becoming this muscular thing, but she was becoming very lean and very strong. That's when we started getting the girls. So she is. Probably the number one reason that we've had a pretty solid girls program and that goes way back when we first started. And it's funny, it's different. As we go in years, it's different kids. like you said, sometimes they're not state champions. Sometimes they have a hard time meddling, but it's the way they lift. And they get in that weight room every day. well, I will use an example that Brian brought up. mean, Zach Zotos was not, if you would have saw him in high school at first, you would thought, okay, this kid is a soft kid. And I think powerlifting changed him, but also other kids saw that, that, okay, it changed him. It changed his attitude. changed his self esteem. And he brought a lot of kids along. So those are the kind of kids, I I'll take my state champions, don't mean, give me a Kobe Manzo, give me Tony Thompson, of you, give me Trent Melkins, they were great. And they are great and they are leaders also. But I think, and I could list 30 of those kind of kids that I was hoping they would finish in seventh place in a meet, but they were the glue Chris Gilliam: anything. Eric: to the program. And they kept the group, the... the program growing to where right now I don't have room for middle schoolers. Because we just don't have room in our weight room, know, because I have the world's largest weight room. But I can't, Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: I don't have any seventh or eighth graders because I don't have room. And, but that's a testament to those other lifters that I call the glue that this, they're my... They're hoping I mean they're hoping to medal and they're hoping to win but they're gonna give me a fifth or sixth place or an eighth place and score me some points and I've won state titles by one point. That's a tenth place finish That wins Brian Litten: Mm-hmm. Eric: me one and I'll take We did a spreadsheet years ago Jason Larson and I about what the state champions and this is where We sort of focused our group and that's why we got those kind of kids. State champions are great. Give you 12 points. You win it with fourth, fifth, and sixth places. They eat up points. They eat up points. You give me some fourth, fifth, and sixth across the board, I will win regionals and I will win a state title. It's hard to get sixth first places. But I can find fourth, fifth, and sixth place. And eat a point. Chris Gilliam: Good, thanks. Brian Litten: Alrighty, the growth of this sport has been tremendous over the years as a whole. What sticks out as the most of mo what sticks out to you most about the growth in it of it, especially in the MHS PLA? Eric: You're breaking up on me, so repeat that please. Yeah. Brian Litten: I'm sorry. the growth of the sport has been tremendous over the year. What sticks out is the most sticks out to you most about the growth of the sport? Eric: The girls division. The girls division. never when when I first started when we just had women's and the explosion of numbers. That's the that's probably the biggest thing. The biggest change is the sheer numbers of girls that left that change is humongous. And I mean so much so that we had to change how we do state meets and had to do it. two classes instead of one and they forced us to change a lot because the numbers. That's probably the biggest change. The biggest change and also the probably other thing and this is going way back. I think it was for the best that we went completely raw instead of raw and equipped. That was the other thing that I think made the sport grow because now it levels the playing field for the most part. And those are the two biggest changes that I think has helped our sport grow and continue to help it grow. Chris Gilliam: Agree. Chris Whittaker: So coach, what would you say is the hardest thing to coach or teach in the sport of powerlifting from a technique perspective? Eric: Ooh. Boy, that's a good question. Cause there's there's I got some things in squad I it's I think it's very difficult to teach, and some things in bench that are just is trying to get them to do it. It's probably for me, this is is for me, is Teaching teaching squat so they don't arch their back. They all these guys, when they go down, they want to arch their back. And it it it puts them in a bad spot. We we all know that. But they don't want to, they don't think they're flexible enough to actually squat properly. So they they try to lower their shoulders to get down lower, and it's that's not what you have to do. But it's the teaching of that sometimes. I that's where I that's where I wish we had it in our in our weight room a Smith machine 'cause that you can teach the basics of that on a Smith machine where it's up in that that kind of up that more vertical movement. but the only way since we don't have one is I when I have one that a kid that's ca causing a lot of trouble with that is I have to show on video. I just have to video it and get them to believe this is actually what they're doing. And try to correct that with and man and it's a simple some most times it's a simple question. I tell to look at a spot up on the ceiling. Now now they're they have to, but they it's it t that's probably the hardest thing to get consistently correct for me as a coach. Bench it's it's they they it's it they don't they don't want to keep their feet on the floor. Chris Gilliam: Fuck. Eric: They wanna just flail all over the place because that's what they do when they're on their own and they're and it's and I it's but that's just that's just harping on them and pr and and getting to be disciplined. So for me, it's i it's in the squat, teaching that teaching proper squat. That's the it's it's difficult. And in it for and we all know it's the Probably the toughest move it's 'cause there's so there's so much movement with so much weight. It's it's tough. Chris Whittaker: Yeah, it's the probably the most complex of our of our three disciplines Eric: Yeah. Chris Whittaker: in in powerlifting for sure. Eric: And we all know that if we run meets we are we d we have that nice sigh of relief once squat's done. Chris Gilliam: That's true. Yeah. Eric: It's like, okay, now we can go. Chris Gilliam: So I wanna talk to you about training concepts a little bit, Eric. are Eric: Okay. boy. Chris Gilliam: you a three day or four day split person when it comes to powerlifting? Eric: If I have my druthers, it's four. I like four. Depending, it's it's sometimes hard with the student schedules. But if I have if it's a perfect role for me, I like four. I like I like doing two upper, two lower, having a day off in between, all that. Don't they have a day of rest in there? I s I pr if that's a perfect role for me, is is that. When we were when and Brian will attest to this, when we would when we were we did a lot of our lifting when he was lifting, and even further on, our boys lifted before school. So we mean we were in there at five thirty in the morning. And it was great because okay, we had Monday morning, Tuesday morning, Thursday morning, Friday morning. Except the only time that changed was a meet week. if we were at a meet, we didn't lift on Fridays. But they it that worked out The the put it this way, the years I won state titles, that's what we did. We were four f four t four times a week and it it was it was the best in my opinion. Chris Gilliam: Gotcha. So what type of sets and reps do you prefer to use on the squat bunch and deadlift? Are are they similar? Do you vary it up? Explain to us like Eric: We we try to vary it a little bit. Well if we're if we're lucky enough to have time depending on when the meets are. That's that's the big key. I mean, if you're if we all know we d we don't want to lift even we don't even like to do lift two weekends in a row, let alone three. we like to have a week or two off in between every meet, just so now you can t you can get off the the max down and work yourself back up. for me it's it seems like if we have the the the flexibility is we will start out light with multiple reps, go heavy and then back it down just before the meet. Just and that seems to me, at least with my kids, it seems to work the best. So they get their heaviness, but they'll now be just before the meet, we'll back it down a little bit and then they're gonna be doing multiple reps, so they're working on technique. More than mass. Chris Gilliam: Okay. Awesome. Eric: And we I mean we and we will we're always at le I mean most everything is at least three sets, sometimes four, sometimes five sets. we very rarely go under three sets just because you I'm my believer that your body needs that repetition. It's gotta be rote memory for your body. And to me, doing one set of three or two sets of five doesn't do it for your body. Your body needs more of that. It needs the regimentation. So I would rather do f I would rather do three sets of five than two sets of eight. To me a three sets of five is better because it works the body in muscle memory. Chris Gilliam: Okay, awesome. Brian Litten: Okay. you've hosted the state meet several times at Orion. who are some of the people who have helped make this happen over the years? Eric: good lord. Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Eric: I cannot run my meet. Okay, now Brian will attest to this. When I first started running meets, I did everything myself. I didn't trust a soul. I am I was so I was a by the time we got to the Saturdays on a meet, I was a lunatic. Because but I was trying to do everything. And I had a coach, Kelly Day, and if you all come to my meets, you know Kelly. She's she's my she runs my floor, she runs my table help. She, and I am not lying when I say this, she literally threw me against a wall, physically threw me against a wall, and said, Give me assignments now. You're not doing this anymore. And I went, Yes, ma'am. So I delegate as the hardest thing for me to do, but I cannot. If she's decided and she doesn't coach powerlifting anymore because the the job at the school doesn't allow it, but she still comes back and runs her meet. Her husband does my mic, he's the he's our he's on the mic. And I can't run a meet without her. If she's not there, I'll cancel the meet. I I Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Eric: can't do it. I've I rely on her too much. now. She and that's she it's her fault. But Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: I'll I also found out the meat runs better when I have her around. Cause I I don't have to worry about table help. I don't even I don't have to worry about judges. I don't I don't set the judges. She does. She sets the judges. She knows who's the head judges. She knows. I I I'll get the judges for her and then I don't I don't even know what platforms they're going on. She sets that all up. I I'm off off doing other things. So like I said, I can't run a meet without her. That she's probably these she's my number one. And if she ever says no more, I'll probably say no more unless I Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: can really find someone who and the the other person that unfortunately is no longer with this that I relied on a ton was Brian's mother. No, she took care of things I don't want to take care of, like my hospitality room. I don't have time for that. So shran that for years for me. All I I I let her go and all she did was bring me receipts, and I was the happiest guy in the world. And they were great. And she did that for me for years. And I wish I had her back. Unfortunately, that's not gonna happen, Brian Litten: Little while. Yeah. Eric: but I I have to find another one like that. And that and if we all know that we're running meats, you don't want to deal with that. We got too much other worry and registration and this and this and this to worry about okay, do we got ice and do we have enough food? And no, no, we don't have time for that. But when his mom was doing that for me, I didn't even look in the hospitality room. It was I was taken care of. So as you can see, I need women in my life. That run my needs. Chris Gilliam: Yeah, we all do. Yeah. Eric: 'Cause yeah, 'cause I'm a boy and sometimes I don't make the best decisions. Chris Whittaker: Although all your people every year at the state meet are always super super nice to me and they do a excellent job. So Eric: I'm I'm blessed. that and our school board president, Danielle Bursett. She mean I'm lucky. I get I get at least three of my school board members every year, sometimes four. And my superintendent comes every year to the meet. She doesn't work it, but she comes and checks in on it. And for what we call a club sport, they with I mean, I've already got emails from the the superintendent wins next year's meet. She wants to put it on her calendar. So Chris Gilliam: Yeah, I talked to her this past year. She was a nice nice lady. she came into the Eric: Yeah, she Heidi's awesome. Chris Gilliam: coach's room. We were talking. I had no idea who she was. We were just talking about stuff. So yeah. Eric: Yeah, no, I I'm lucky with between Danielle and Heidi and and a couple others on the board. they because I can talk to other places, they they can't get their administration to even show up. And Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: my and my and my principal, I mean he checks in. Dan com he he's like, okay, do you need anything? Da da da da da. so I'm I'm very lucky with that. I'm luckier than most places. about but they take the attitude they want to s show the school off. And it it's I mean, people that are coming from a small school, they walk into ours and they're just they're like they their eyes go like this. And I tell them the school, we're thir this is a this building's 30 years old. And they're they're but they're shocked still. But our administration and our school board, they want to show the school off. It's and the p and So it's helped me tremendously when I host a meet. I can f if I need something, usually I get it because it it I give them reason. Hey, you know my facility one year the upper bleachers weren't working. We couldn't get them out. I'm like, that's not good. I need those upper bleachers. All of a sudden someone's coming in overnight to fix them on a Friday for Friday's for Saturdays meet. No I'm like I said, I'm very, very blessed with that. Chris Gilliam: That's great. Chris Whittaker: Yeah. Eric: The only one that grumbles is our A D. Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Eric: Cause he he says, I make him stay there all day. Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: Well well and and we're about the only sport that does not use GoFan at Lake Orion. But I don't wanna use that because that we're just not our our people are not the our schools and our families and our powerlifting families are not used to doing cashless. So he's gotta make cash boxes for me for powerlifting. So that he always grumbles about that. The the best Chris Gilliam: Sure. Eric: thing we ever did was he he used to hate it when we were charging two dollars for kids and everything like that instead of so he had to have all kinds of singles. Chris Gilliam: Yeah, it's a little easier now. Eric: Yeah, it's a little easier now. Chris Whittaker: Have they are we still on the campaign for get Coach Jennings a Lake Orion school email? Did they they still haven't given you a district email yet? Eric: We're trying. No, I've only been there twenty-eight years. And I st I and I keep telling them I want one for one reason, transparency. So everything I do athletically for the school, anything I do for the sch it's on that email so they can look at it at any time. Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: And I s and it's it's I can't get them yet to do it. It's and it's not. administration in the building. It's our emails also are in our because Oakland schools. They say because I'm technically not a school employee, I can't have a school email. I am an independent contractor. I am not a school employee. Chris Gilliam: That's silly. Eric: I know. Chris Whittaker: Start the start the social media trend. Get coach E an email. Eric: Yeah, it would be it would be so nice. It would it's because again, it's it's for transparency. They can see every email. I I just that's because I'm very, very cognizant of that. That needs to be done. Every you gotta be able to see what I'm doing because I'm in like running a meet. I mean, there's there's lots of money involved in that. And they gotta be able to see, okay, this receipt and this receipt and I'm doing this and I'm buying this and and I'm doing it by email a lot. We all do it Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: and here it is. Now you can see it. I'm not trying to I'm not trying to be funny with the money. Chris Whittaker: Yeah. Yeah, I Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Chris Whittaker: don't blame ya. anything you miss about the old days of the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association, like in the nineties and two thousands? Eric: Well not a lot, I'd be honest. Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Eric: The one the be c just no i because it was completely different. I mean, like when we were before We went to the the the the the scoring programs we were doing everything on paper. You were hoping that you had a certain schools there because you knew you had help. Like if I was at a meet, let's say or like w if I was going to Whitmore Lake when Lemons was there, I knew I was working scoring room with his wife and we could run it the scoring room with our eyes closed. I don't I missed that that little camaraderie with that 'cause you knew that you had certain people that you could work with really well doing that thankless stuff that had to be done. But There's not a after that there's not the only other thing I miss about the in the earlier days is we don't now we don't go s to some schools that we used to go to back then. Like we don't go to Montrose anymore. We don't go to Shepherd. Shepherd was a Brian Litten: That's true. Eric: gr they ran a great meet all the time. It was a nice, nice meet, but they don't do it at that. I missed that part of it. You go into some different schools, but the I think now it's much more efficient. mean and when we were doing it on paper, after you're done lifting, you had to wait over an hour before you did awards. Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: Not not three minutes an hour. And so that I don't I don't miss that, but I I miss not going to certain schools, like I guess I got Shepherd, Montrose. I don't miss Vassar. Brian Litten: come on, I loved Vassals. Ugh. Eric: I liked it I don't like the the ten hour meet because they Brian Litten: Yeah. Eric: that of course was back then when they allowed walk ins. Brian Litten: Yeah. Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: So we had a f we had five hundred lifters on eight platforms because a Brian Litten: Yeah. That was it. Eric: hundred and thirty lifter a hundred and seventy lifters came in at the at the walk in. I don't miss that those days. Brian Litten: And then if I remember correctly at that one too, we had a massive snowstorm as we left. I was driving in Eric: Yes. Brian Litten: a little forward focus. man. No fun. Yeah. Eric: yes, yeah, it was yeah. And they did they expected the lifters to pick up the gym for them. Brian Litten: But the bulk one. Eric: That was their tradition. Chris Gilliam: Yeah. You remember how they used to put like those gymnastic mats under their platforms too? It's like what the hell are you doing? Brian Litten: Yeah. Eric: Yes, yeah, yeah, I know. Chris Gilliam: It's not even a stable floor. I was like I prayed my Brian Litten: No. Eric: No, not at all. Yeah. Chris Whittaker: Yeah. So you were standing on a mat squat. Chris Gilliam: kids didn't get on those platforms. Yeah. And I was at Birch Run and we're Eric: Yeah. yeah, it was yeah, it was like Chris Whittaker: Wow. Chris Gilliam: like right next to Vassar. They're th I usually treated that meat as like if kids hadn't you know qualified yet, they hadn't done a meet yet, like that I would take But I rarely took my whole team because it was too often long. It took forever. Eric: No. Yeah, no, yeah, yeah. I yeah. Because it not well some of us still might be lifting there 'cause it took so long. Chris Gilliam: Yeah. And for for Eric: yeah. Chris Gilliam: Bent it was a money grab, I think, more than anything. Eric: yeah. Yeah yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. But that's that's about all I miss. I I I prefer what we do now. Trust me. Chris Gilliam: Sure. All right. we know that powerlifting is a sport that's, you know, part of it is failing. do you have a favorite failure or setback in your life that you feel it you learn from it and it put you in a better position to be successful down the road? Eric: I remember a couple of meets before I won my state titles, when I won in three years in a row, eight, nine, and ten. We were we were battling earlier for like in seven and six. We were close. We had a group good group of kids. And I take the blame for those two years not for us not being better and maybe maybe winning four or five in a row because I wasn't coaching them right. I learned a lot those years coaching them to push themselves, but also having to explain failure in the right way. When they tried and they missed, but they tried. And that's all you ask out of them. They did they give your best. And some of them have emotional crashes, we know. And I was not good at fixing that yet. I think I'm pretty good at it now. But it took a couple of years to figure out how to do it, because you have to do it differently with all kinds of kids, obviously. But that was probably the the biggest thing I learned from failure. Because I coach sports that are failure based. Baseball is a failure sports based. I mean, you you you fail seven out of ten times, you're still an all-star. I mean, in powerlifting, we fail seven out of ten times. We're not we're not scored. So, but it's same thing with football. If we I mean, if we fumble seven out of ten plays, we're gonna lose a game. There's no doubt about that. It's but it's it's the managing of the kids that I think. It took a while to figure out how to do that. Between that and also getting them to not be afraid to fail. That hey put yeah. You need I I remember one kid and he struggled forever. Devin Sevenhoski was a great lifter for us, but he always he was just missing qualifying all the time. And he had to and he was Devin was probably a six, three, two hundred and twenty pound kid. And he had to he had to pull a deadlift of four thirty-five to qualify for the state meet. He had never he had never qualified. He didn't qualify as a freshman, not as a s sophomore, not as a junior. This is senior year. And yeah, he was he had never even come close to four thirty five, but he had to lift it. And I I talked to him, I Hey That's just a piece of metal. Let's go. I didn't tell him that that you never done it before. I all I did was and he s went down there and snatched and pulled that thing right up. Got it, and it was and it was easy. And but it took me a lot of years to figure out how to to f trigger a kid like that and get Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: him to not be afraid to make that failure one more time. That's that's as All of us that coach it, that's sometimes a harder thing to get across to the kids is it's all right to fail. You can't because if I can't I can't succeed if I don't fail sometimes. I mean it's there's no there's no a hundred percent success rate ever. Ever. Unless we are lifting on air. So we're going to fail. So let's let's not be afraid to and sometimes you're amazed what happens when you're not afraid. Chris Gilliam: Yeah, I mean the the Yeah, the Eric: But it took a while to learn how to teach that to kids, that's for sure. Chris Gilliam: road to success is paved with failure and mistakes. I mean, that's the truth. Eric: Yep, absolutely. Yep. it's just like I do this sometimes. The kid gets stuck, he's he's trying to get to a a two hundred bench or two five and he's he's stuck at one ninety five. I end up putting a towel over his head so he can't see the bar. Chris Gilliam: Ha ha ha Eric: And and then I'll let him and I'll and I'll put like 185 on it and he benches it. And then I tell him, I put I put the towel on there, I say we're going to 190, and I throw 205 on it. And he lifts it. And then I take a towel off. I said, okay, there's your 205. And they're amazed. So, but again, you got to work around the mental part of failure. And yeah, yeah. That's that would that took a while for me to learn that in this sport. I knew it from baseball, but it's different in this sport than baseball. Every sport's unique about their what the success and failure are. Chris Gilliam: All right. Great. Brian? Brian Litten: All right. I can recall this, so this is kinda funny. but do you recall the first time that you hosted the state meet? And what do you recall most about that meet? Eric: Crying a lot. Chris Gilliam: No. Eric: it was chaos. It was w well and also we had another event at the school at the same time, which didn't help. But we it was and w that was when we were doing girls on Friday and boys on Saturday. So we were doing two days. And if you everyone that's been to our school, sometimes park if we're hosting another event because that school doesn't sleep. It g parking gets a little dicey, but it was so packed We were there's a there's a Lutheran church out on twenty four, the the highway that goes past the school, and we had to park people there and bust them from the from King of Kings to the school. And it's it's probably a mile away because we had so many people there for the girls that night and the boys the next day. I was not prepared for that. That first one it was mass chaos. And we and the hard thing back then too is you I couldn't even let anyone in the building until school let out. So it and I and if you if you want to take your life in your hand, come and come to our school when buff the when the the school leaves at 235. it you are taking your life in your hands at times. And I had to wait for all those people to so other people could it was fat it was a it was There was a lot going on that weekend. I didn't even go home that night. Because I because I, in my idiocy, I hand wrote every lifter card. So I we had the girls. I hadn't started on the boys yet. So we ran the girls meet, and you're getting done at 11 o'clock. I don't have a lifter card done for the boys. So here I am sitting at the school. handwriting every lifter card for the Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Eric: JV in the morning and the and the varsity in the afternoon. How dull how how I got to l do another meet I don't know. But we got through it, that's for sure. Huh? Chris Gilliam: No no wonder you were stressed out, Eric. My lord. Who wouldn't be stressed out doing that? Eric: I I it Chris Gilliam: What year was that, Eric? Eric: God I have to go back and look. Brian Litten: It was it was either twelve or thirteen. Something like that. Yeah. Yeah, 'cause I was still in college, yeah. Yeah. Eric: I wanna say twelve. Yeah. Yeah, I wanna say twelve. Yeah, Chris Gilliam: Two thousand twelve. I know you guys posted in two thousand twelve. Eric: it it's been because I've but that was that was the first state meet. And and I'm I like I tell this to a lot of people that know me in other sports. I am not very picky and I'm not very about a lot of things. I'm not a very anal retentive person like this has got to be right except for my powerlifting meets Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Eric: they have to run well i i d and it could be and it's probably because i've we've all been at ones that are just disasters and how it just and I refuse to let that happen at my place and I so I sometimes that's why for a long time I did everything myself and I it Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Eric: but that's why When I get done with that that meet, even even last year doing the state meet, I'm I am mentally and physically whipped. Just because I want to make sure everything is right. And because you we all know all of a sudden you think you get everything smooth, and here comes something out of left field that's screwing things up, whether it's a a flaw in the a bug in the program or your Wi-Fi changes or you gotta an issue in the in the stands or something like that. Something always happens. And I so that's probably I'm not I tell people I'm not very proud about a lot of things in my life, but I am proud of my sta of my power lifting needs. And they will run well. Or I won't run anymore. Chris Gilliam: Right. Chris Whittaker: Well, and they do run well and w we always have fun. That's why we keep going back year after year to Lake Orion as an association. Eric: We're just well, we're all gluttons for punishment. Chris Whittaker: So something Chris Gilliam: Well you got some good restaurant choices for after the meat too. Eric: yeah, yep. yeah. Yep. Chris Whittaker: What was that pizza place we went to this year? We're gonna shout them out. Eric: That's sick pizza down to that's sick pizza, yeah. Chris Whittaker: Sick pizza. Loved it. Eric: Sick Pizza, yeah. They also have the he's that's Scott Taylor, who's a s a school board member, he owns it. Chris Gilliam: Okay. Eric: So he has that one, and then he has just in a s that's well that's actually s they don't call it sick pizza. Sick pizza's in Oxford. That's his he has a just a pizza place in Oxford. That's called Sick House, I think it is called, or something like that. But it's because that's 'cause it's actually I'm going there tomorrow night. At Lake Orion, we are installing a athletic hall of fame. We've done we don't have it. So I'm on the board that since I've been there for 30 years. And we're gonna have the meeting in the at the upstairs in that restaurant. Chris Gilliam: Okay. Eric: Yeah, so yeah, Scott's gonna have everything for us. We're gonna have our first nominating class of of athletes and everything like that. So it ought to be interesting. Chris Gilliam: That's cool. Eric: My first one is Brian Litten: Absolutely, yes. Eric: actually the first one I'm nominating is a girl. So A track athlete who went played ran track at Missouri. Ashley Patton was probably the best athlete pound for pound our school's ever seen. Chris Gilliam: All right. You wanna start the speed round there, Chris? Chris Whittaker: something else that we hope Eric: here we go. Now okay. Chris Whittaker: we hope he can run efficiently here and that is the speed set questions brought to you by sick pizza lake orient michigan Brian Litten: Yeah. Chris Whittaker: tell that's gonna be one free pie for giving this Eric: I'll tell I'll tell t I'll tell Scott that. Chris Whittaker: what's your favorite lift? Squat, bench press, or deadlift? Eric: Deadlift. I think it's the best lift overall, period. Chris Gilliam: do you prefer low bar or high bar squat? Eric: Hi Barth. Brian Litten: Sumo or conventional deadlift. Eric: If I can get kids a sumo, I think it's better. But every kid's different. Chris Whittaker: Are you a one rep max guy or a multi-rep PR guy? Eric: I like multi-rep in preparation for meats just because of the muscle memory. So I we do a lot of three three rep max on when we're when we're testing, we're t learning. I think it's better, it gives I think it gives the kids a better idea that okay, I know I can do it for three, so I should be able to do it for one, and I can probably bump it up a little bit more on one in a meat. Chris Gilliam: Right. best accessory exercise for the squad. This is the Eric: Hmm. Chris Gilliam: one you said is the struggle teaching kids to squat. Eric: Yeah, I g like I said, I It for me for me and my my all of my coaches will have something different. See for me for the squat just to to teach everything is actually doing it on air with a mirror or film and just watching the technique and you could then you can work on little things and not worry about equipment and I mean if they need something, I put a piece of PVC pipe on their on their shoulder just so they can f have that. But to me Teaching that they have to see it more than feel it right now, because they won't believe what they feel. They'll trust their eyes, which they should be the opposite. They Chris Gilliam: Hm. Eric: should trust their what they feel and not what they see, but they're kids. So for me, it's it's basically doing reps on air and seeing it either on film or in a mirror. Brian Litten: Okay, what about for the bench press, the best accessory exercise for that? Eric: Ой. I'm not a bench guy. I'm not it's the I think it's it's for me it's the Yeah. Like I said, I to me, like I said, we I know at Lake Orion, if we if I had a bench only meet, we would lose. Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Chris Whittaker: Ha ha ha. Eric: Not I'll I will deadlift and s I will deadlift with anybody. We'll I'll lift a corner our kids will lift a corner of a building up and deadlift. God. This is where I let say that's where this is where I let Trent and Coach bench. I get away from it. I just Chris Gilliam: Yeah, Brian, do you remember some accessories that he would have had you guys do back in the day? Brian Litten: back in the day would have been any tricep work. when I worked when Eric: Yeah. Brian Litten: when it was Jimmy and I we did a lot of my gosh, now I'm losing my mind. but the board bench. We would get the board out and do some yeah, board press. Yeah. Or board press too. Yeah. Yeah. Chris Gilliam: About dresses. Eric: the tricep depth. Tricep, yeah. When we do that. We do a lot of tricep depth. Yeah. And that that's actually a good one. as long as for me, the they have to do that with enough weight. Not not really overload it, but if they try to do it just then and then it's getting by and it's it's that one's a it's a great lift. And we do it, like I said, we will do it a lot, but they have to have a good amount of weight on the bar in my opinion to make that really work the muscles right and the technique correctly with tricep step. Chris Gilliam: All right. Chris Whittaker: And your best accessory exercise for the deadlift. Eric: It's it's sorta funny. With I have found, and it's I don't know if you want to even call it accessory. I getting some kids for me to really deadlift well with proper technique, I start them with a different lift. I actually and it's it sounds backwards, but it's worked for me with some kids, is you start them with Romanians. Start with Romanians, which and then because it's not that's not as flexible as a movement as you are with a deadlift, a true deadlift. But if they can do that movement even with very little weight, once they get into a proper deadlift position, it seems they do it much easier. So I work backwards if I'm working with a kid. Again, it's not really an accessory lift, it's more It's actually one lift working others. It's it's almost like to me, it's like when you're teaching the cleans. You start out the bottom, work up. I'm working I'm working a different I'm working from the bottom, but with not as much flex in the legs, obviously with a Romanian. And then well now we're gonna get down either in a convention or a sumo and get at it. And it seemed for me at least with my kids that I've worked with, it works better. And it's like I said, it sounds Chris Gilliam: Yeah, makes sense. Eric: backwards and it's for some it would be backwards, but It seem it's worked for me. Chris Gilliam: I think the Romanian deadlift kind of focuses on the lockout phase of a deadlift. Eric: Yeah. Chris Gilliam: Essentially, so I I think that's a great accessory. I I use it a lot as well, so I think that's great. Eric: Yeah, I mean it's it's to me, like I said, I I'm a deadlift guy. I to me, deadlift is the best lift for athletes. Because it's it's it's a power lift. It's all power and it engages hips, butt, thighs, it engages everything. Core, it engages everything. To me, it's the best lift. Chris Gilliam: All right. So we're get we're at at the end here. We're just to see if anybody has any last questions. one I wanna bring up, you talked about some people earlier. A lot of familiar faces. We've been at Lake Orient for a lot of state meets over the years, even though your first one was two thousand twelve, you know, it's been our recurring place. Everybody wants Eric: Yep. Chris Gilliam: it by demand. Who are some of your assistant coaches that have really impacted your powerlifting program? may I believe some of them were even lifters for you previously. Okay. So you wanna give Eric: yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. Well, like Chris Gilliam: name some of those? Eric: yeah, I'm not I'll start out well, obviously, I mean, we'll start with Jason Larson. He's he and I sort of started it. And he was I mean, he he was like I said, he was a teacher, English teacher at the school and then he became a principal, played football at Escana at Escanaba and then northern Michigan. But he got me involved in it and we sort of started like the first meet we ever ran. He he he handled everything until meat day and then I took over for meat day. So he was handling some of the the the outside stuff. Then Jim Caritas. Jimmy was a football player for us. He played at Northern. I think he still has a division two record for tackles in the game. but he probably probably has the most single individual helped our program because of his knowledge because he mean he was a he was a strength and conditioning coach at different colleges around the nation after he left northern after he graduated and he Brian Litten: We Eric: completely redid our he got our weight room completely redone. If you Brian Litten: Mm-hmm. Eric: saw pictures of our weight room before that it looks now you would you would laugh because it was god awful. And he was Brian Litten: Yeah. Eric: the the impetus of getting all the rogue racks I mean The all the different programs in Lake Orion, all the different sports and like our swim our liquid lightning swim team and everything, they all contributed money for the racks. Powerlifting paid for everything else, all the dumbbells, all the weights, all the boxes, all the bands. And we still pay for all of that. But he was the one that got it started. And so he he's he's probably the the bit the biggest guy. Coach Litton right here is another one because he was with me for years. so he he I had and he he's another one of my glue guys. I mean, I could have him do anything for me. Kelly Day, who's our girls' coach for a long time, and she still helps out. And I got Trenton now, who is a I mean, he's still he still holds state records in two forty f two forty two, even though he's skinny now. Chris Gilliam: Yeah, it's hard to imagine him weighing two forty two. Eric: Yeah, yeah, it's hard to believe he had you know he was waiting, yeah. But now and he's like for me now he's taking over the day to day of powerlifting at Lake Orient. I'm still taking care of you almost call me the Jerry Jones of it now, if you want to, but because I I was told I had to start backing away a little bit of of certain things. So I still run the meets. I mean That that will never change. I won't I won't hand that off, but he runs it but he he does the day to day and he's very very important to me. because he he is a product of our just like Brian, j he's a product of our program over the years. So he he knows what it takes to compete and to win at at a high level. And So that those those kind of people they they they run it for me. I'm getting too old. Chris Gilliam: Mine, you wanna take the next one? Brian Litten: well, I mean are we looking at okay. In your opinion, who is the best male and female lifter ever at Lake Orient High School and why? Eric: The best male I think still is Trenton. I think he was the best lifter that we've had that could score, could could win at any time. He's so I mean we have I've had some really, really, really good ones. Really good ones. but he w he was he was probably my the best single male that I've had. Girls. Probably the best one we ever had was Shelby Mishach. Shelby was it was in two forty two plus and She could lift. She's she was a softball player and a and a power lifter. Her dad was our our equipment guy for the football program for years. Her mom is a campus monitor, still here. but Shelby was probably the best female lifter we we've ever had. And I've had I've had some really good ones, Maddie Ostentowski. I had Karen and I'm going blank on their last name, Karen and and Julia. Those they were cross country runners and they were like in they they would lift in one five and one and one hundred fourteen depending on the time of the year, and they were phenomenal lifters. But Shelby was probably the best w I've ever had. Chris Gilliam: All right, take us home, Chris. Chris Whittaker: All right. So I think we've we've covered a bunch of different topics here with U E and a good get a good rounded view of you and your program and what you do. and really I think this episode shows why we all love you as a member of our board. and now our whole listening audience gets to to know Coach Jennings a little bit more. do you have any sort of public facing social media or does your program have any sort of public facing social media that if people want Eric: I mean I it I we I used to be really heavy into like he man we I have a a Lake Orient powerlifting Twitter account. I have a a Facebook account. I do a lot of it off my own personal one now. I just find it easier than and and I link I like like I said, if I as soon as I post something on my personal Facebook, it goes right to Instagram. So that's where now that's where the kids get it all. And but yeah, I'm out there and anyone can follow me. I don't care. It's because I I'm I try to put out positive things. I try to show off my kids. I try to show off the school. Sometimes I try to be in smart and intelligent and put a a thought provoking question out there. because I because I really love following other coaches and I don't care what the sport is and how they coach. And how they interact with kids and how they interact. And I just find that fascinating. I one of my favorite things to do is I go watch like our basketball coaches coach. Cause they may be trying to say something that I'm trying to say in powerlifting or in football or in baseball, but they're giving me a different word to say it. And I learn. And so the I'm constantly learning. And I try anytime I learn something like that, I try to put it out there. on social media be so that kids can see it because that's the way they see it. We they they're not gonna they're not doing it any other way. I mean if they if the kids see me take a picture right now they're asking me, are you are you gonna put that on IG so I know they know I was gonna it's gonna probably end up on Instagram. And which which it I never thought I would be that way. But you have to now you have to do that to engage your kids. So you can So I don't I don't try to do any kind of ghost accounts or anything like that. My accounts are out there. You can find me. It's easy. I learned that the first time I did a Twitter account. I because our our former athletic director had me do a Twitter account that just to keep an eye on kids. And literally I set my account up and 10 seconds later I had a kid following me already. It took 10 seconds, one of my Chris Whittaker: Yeah. Eric: players. I'm like, okay, I gotta figure this out now. So You can find me on Instagram, you can find me on Facebook, you can find me on Twitter. Chris Gilliam: Do you know what what the tags are for you? Eric: let's see. I will tell you. But 'cause I'm Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Eric: old, I don't remember off the top of my head, but I can tell you real fast. Instagram is L O H S Coach E. That's Instagram. Twitter is think it's the same thing. But I literally I know it's sad that I don't know it off the top of my head, but I used to have a Chris Whittaker: D. Eric: I used to I'm bringing it up right Chris Whittaker: Coach E's Eric: now. Chris Whittaker: Koch E's got some pictures of his dog on his Instagram page. I'm a subscriber. Eric: yeah, there you yeah, yeah. Now yeah. Chris Whittaker: I'm a follower. I'm a follower of Koach E on in Instagram. Eric: Now yeah, so like for my Twitter is at L O Coche. Chris Whittaker: So there you go. Eric: And Facebook Is I just have it under Eric Jennings there on and Facebook. You can find it. It's there. I like I said, Chris Gilliam: Mm. Eric: you're gonna yeah, y'all see me cooking food, you're gonna see me my dogs, and you're gonna you'll see my kids. All my all Chris Gilliam: That's awesome. Eric: all my all my football players, my baseball players, my power lifters. That's that's what you'll see on it. There's not it's not real exciting. Chris Gilliam: Well, we appreciate you being on with us tonight, Eric. I know you had a busy Eric: I enjoyed it very much. Chris Gilliam: day and looking forward to working alongside you for hopefully many more years to come. So appreciate ya. Eric: Yep, we got another year coming up. Yep. Got another Brian Litten: Yeah. Eric: year coming up. Now we all can get a little rest before that season starts again. Chris Gilliam: Yeah. Chris Whittaker: Ha ha. Eric: all except for all of us that coach football. We don't get rest. Chris Gilliam: Right. Chris Whittaker: No. No, not at all. Eric: Yeah, we we have the last day of school the ninth of June and our first campus the tenth of June. Brian Litten: Nice. Man. Chris Whittaker: We're the same way. We're the same way. We'll start we start camping Eric: Yeah. Yeah. Chris Whittaker: before school gets out. Eric: We did that a couple of years and I wish we would do it again because now you don't lose any kids. We used to do it after school, like the the last week and a half of school. It was great. Chris Whittaker: Mm-hmm. Eric: But no, so yeah, we'll be the tenth of we'll be eight o'clock in the morning out on the field. Chris Gilliam: Mm-hmm. Chris Whittaker: And so it begins another trip around the athletic sun for Koji. Eric: Exactly. We've earned another an another trip around. Chris Whittaker: Yeah. Brian, any last things for Koch E? Brian Litten: OG, it's just been an honor to get to know you a little bit more here and then trust me, as one of your former players, you've made a big impact on my life. So I appreciate you. Eric: And you didn't tell any secrets about me, I appreciate it. Chris Gilliam: Ha ha ha. Eric: You know something. Chris Whittaker: Wait, we haven't stopped recording yet. I mean we you know Eric: Ha ha ha. Brian Litten: No, that's for that's for another time. Eric: Yeah. That yeah. That would be entertaining. Chris Whittaker: Another episode Koji Ko G underground. Brian Litten: Yeah. Eric: Yeah. Chris Whittaker: Well, until that episode, this has been the platform where the stories weigh a ton. Well, that does it for our conversation with Coach Eric Jennings of Lake Orion High School here on the platform where the stories weigh a ton. Big thanks to Coach Jennings for giving us a look inside more than two decades of coaching, competing, building programs, running meets, and helping grow the Michigan High School Powerlifting Association. And thank you to Coach Brian Linton for joining Coach Gillam and myself and giving us the perspective of somebody who went from being one of Coach Jennings' athletes to coaching and serving alongside him. There were a lot of lessons in this one, but one of the biggest might be the simplest. Don't be afraid to fail. Whether it's an athlete starting at a Wii, they've never lifted, a coach building a program from eight kids, or somebody trying to run a state meet and realizing they can't do everything themselves. You learn to adjust, you surround yourself with good people and you keep moving forward. If you got something out of this episode, make sure you are subscribed, you leave us a review, you share the episode with another coach, lifter, athlete, or parent. needs to hear it And while you're supporting the show, head over to the MHSPLA Fourth Wall Shop at MHSPLA-shop.fourthwall.com and pick out your official MHSPLA and the platform podcast gear. As always, if you have a guest or want to hear or you want to hear from or a question you want answered or a topic you want us to tackle, send it to info at mhspla dot com. Thanks again to Coach Jennings, Linton, and Coach Gillam. Until next time. I'm Chris Whitaker. This has been the platform with the stories way a ton.