Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / #91: Gill1918 Presents "A Thanksgiving Gathering of Gratitude” Powered by Coach O

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#91: Gill1918 Presents "A Thanksgiving Gathering of Gratitude” Powered by Coach O · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

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Welcome to the Gill 1918 Project, a podcast series by
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coaches for coaches, powered by Gill Athletics.
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Think of it as the Ted Talks of track and field coaching.
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Short, insightful, and packed with valuable strategies to help
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you grow as a coach. This episode is part of the
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Youth and Beginner Series, brought to you by Coach O.
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In this series, we focus on topics relating to coaching
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youth athletes, coaching beginner athletes of any age,
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and supporting brand new coaches as they find their way.
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With that in mind, let's grow. Hello everyone, My name is
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Sydney Walker and I'm with The Collaborative LLC, which is
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focused on connecting seasoned veterans in the sports and
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entertainment industry with aspiring journalists and PR
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professionals via virtual and in person fireside chats.
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This Thanksgiving, I want to express gratitude for my
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parents, John and Donna Walker. They've always supported me and
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everything I've done from travel, sports when I was
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younger to now my professional endeavors as an adult.
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They're always super supportive and I love them very much.
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I couldn't be where I am without them.
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So again, happy Thanksgiving everyone.
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I hope everyone enjoys a safe and relaxing holiday.
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Hey everybody, Mike Kenny, I'm here with Gil Athletics and this
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Thanksgiving I want to say thank you to all the coaches out
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there, of course, all the track and field coaches on all levels,
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middle school, high school, college, professional and
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everything in between. What you do, the impact, the
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positive impact that you make on young people today is absolutely
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immeasurable. And for that I am eternally,
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eternally grateful. And so are they, by the way.
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So appreciate everything you do for our young people in this
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amazing sport. Thank you all for being back and
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field coaches, happy Thanksgiving.
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Hi, this is Yolanda Freeman of Coach O Event Management.
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As a meet director, officials coordinator, and admin
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assistant. This Thanksgiving I want to say
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thank you God for allowing me to attend an AAU convention where
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the course of my life was changed.
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Meeting Coach O and allowing him to help me realize my potential
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in the track and field industry. I was able to retire early from
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the state of Ohio and start living my best life.
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I pray that everyone has a happy Thanksgiving and remember that
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the next person you meet could change the course of your life,
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so be kind. Hi, my name is Coach Jamal.
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I am a speed and performance coach at PAP Sports.
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This Thanksgiving, I just wanted to say thank you to Coach Mike
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and my grandma. For Coach Mike, I just wanted to
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say thank you for impacting my life in ways you probably don't
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even realize. Giving me a chance at PAP Sports
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to work with you in Greenville. It's been nothing but a
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blessing, you know, having all these athletes come and go and,
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you know, learning the insurance and outs of speed and
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performance, even to the degree that I didn't even think I knew.
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So my grandma, I just want to say thank you so much and that I
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love you for always being there for me, always being a shoulder
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to lean on and always be in my rock for holding it down
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whenever I needed something or needed anything, even if it was
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just a ear to listen to. I just wanted to say at the end
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of happy Thanksgiving to everybody, hope you guys are
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having a great day and bye bye. Hi, I'm Shannon Robbery, three
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time Olympian and bronze medalist in track and field and
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this Thanksgiving I want to give extra love and gratitude to my
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husband. Taylor Swift put it perfectly.
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I've always wanted a best friend who I also think is hot and I
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found that in you. Pablo, I love you and happy
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Thanksgiving and happy Thanksgiving to everybody tuning
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in. Hi, I'm David Boyd of the
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Columbus Sports Council. This Thanksgiving, I want to say
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thank you to the man himself, Coach O Coach O has touched so
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many people's lives, so many athletes over the years.
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We were special to have had him in the early 80s at Columbus
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High School. He touched so many kids lives
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there. But for me, I appreciate and I'm
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so thankful and so blessed for the friendship we've had over
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all these years. I always look forward, Coach,
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that when we get together, share words of wisdom and just those
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moments that become memories. Thank you coach.
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I can't thank you enough for what all you've done for me and
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done for so many other people. I really hope you have a great
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Thanksgiving and know how much you're appreciated and know how
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much the Blue Devil family loves you and we always love to see
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you. Thanks Coach again, happy
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Thanksgiving to the man. Hi, I'm Katie Follett of
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Elevated Performance. And this Thanksgiving I want to
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say thank you to coaches who have asked me really good
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questions because I think of it like the rudder of a ship.
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If you adjust it a degree or two, it really changes where you
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end up. And those good questions changed
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the trajectory of my career in running and in life.
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And one coach who did this just so, so much for me was Coach Dan
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Path. And so I especially want to give
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him a shout out and say thank you to him.
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Hi, I'm Dave Amiot, head track and field coach and Co athletic
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director at East Kentwood High School in Michigan.
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This Thanksgiving I want to express my gratitude to coach
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all for everything he has done, not just for our sport, but for
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the kids who compete in it. His dedication, his energy and
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his passion have lifted up athletes and coaches all across
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the country and has been inspiring part of the that
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community. I also want to say thank you to
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David Mitchell, an incredible ambassador who continues to pour
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into this sport and model what leadership really looks like.
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And Mike Huntingham, thank you for keeping the spotlight on so
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many of track and field's greatest stories and helping
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athletes get the recognition they deserve.
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On a personal note, I am most grateful for my wife Heather and
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my 3 kids Colton, Macy and Reese.
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They have always supported me in this sport and given me the
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freedom to extend myself to the amazing young people we coach.
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None of this work would be possible without their love and
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support. To everyone listening, I hope
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you're able to take a moment this week and think about the
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people who helped you grow, who believed in you, and who made
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you who you are today. Gratitude is powerful.
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Take a moment and send a message to the to those coaches that
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you've had and those fellow athletes that you've had over
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the years, just to say thank you for all that they've put into
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your life so that now you can put it into others.
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Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for letting me be a part of this
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project. Let's keep lifting up others the
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way someone once lifted us. Hi Shannon Grady, CEO and
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founder of the My Buy app Happy Thanksgiving.
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This Thanksgiving I'm grateful for having the pleasure of
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getting to know one of the greatest runners to come out of
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the state of New Jersey, Janet LEED Smith.
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Janet recently passed away from a years long battle with cancer.
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I was fortunate enough over the last 10 years to not only become
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a friend of Janet, but also appear Janet has touched many
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athletes in her and spent her life's passion devoted to
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helping better the sport. Janet has touched hundreds if
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not thousands of of athletes over the span of her
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professional career in bio mechanics and has done amazing
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things in the field. And I just want to express my
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gratitude for being lucky enough to have her as part part of my
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life for the past 10 years, not only as a friend but as a peer.
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We, we collaborated on many projects since we both shared
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similar passions in in helping athletes, helping coaches to to
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better our sport. So I just wanted to say thank
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you Janet. We love you.
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We miss you. You truly were an amazing an
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amazing person for our sport. This is Coach Mcginni of the
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West Georgia Jets. And I just want.
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To say that I'm thankful for my organization, I'm thankful for
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my coaching staff, my parents, athletes.
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I'm thankful for my family and I'm also.
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Thankful to Coach O for giving us the opportunity to host a
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meet and. Bring the.
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Sport of track and field to his hometown, Columbus.
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Georgia. We thank you.
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We appreciate you. Enjoy your holidays and happy
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Thanksgiving. Hi, this is Angela Gove out of
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Jacksonville, FL and a member of the Coach O staff.
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It has been an honor to be a part of this wonderful group of
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wonderful people that I get to travel around with and see the
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best of the best come together and compete this year for
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Thanksgiving. On the reflective of the year
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2025, I'm just thankful. That the.
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Lord has woke me up every day and given me a chance to be a
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better person than I was the day before.
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And my walk with the Lord has gotten stronger, My faith has
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gotten stronger. And, and the family and friends
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and loved ones that he's put in my life, they've all been a
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lesson or a blessing. And that's what I, I look at
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every day as. And I'm also a lesson or a
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blessing in the lives that he puts me in.
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So this year, I just want to say thank.
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Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful world
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of track and field and keep your head up.
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Everything is temporary. Don't let it over consume you.
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Don't let it take you down that they there are hills and valleys
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in this in this life and everything is just for a season.
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So push through it. Lean into the Lord for your
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strength and just have a wonderful, wonderful, blessed
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holiday season that's coming up. Spend as much time with family
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and friends and have so much joy and laughter.
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I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for
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allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful organization.
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Be blessed and happy Thanksgiving.
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Hello everybody. This is David Mitchell, Track
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and field Announcer and Director of Client Relations for Coach O
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here to give some thanks and some gratitude today for people
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who helped me along the way as I got to get the greatest job in
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the world that as a track and field coach.
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First, my grandfather who taught me how to play P Knuckle and
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other card games taught me multi level strategy and perseverance
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even when I wasn't playing so well.
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To my middle school track coaches who had me and the other
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team captains over my 8th grade year to actually help them set
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the lineup for our first meet. Had a large team and they wanted
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our input and let me tell you, I've been hooked on setting
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lineups and doing things like that ever since.
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It was a great experience. Maybe you could do that with
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some of your athletes. To my high school cross country
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coach who spoke life over me and said things to me like someday
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down the line when you're coaching this team, I bet you're
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going to do something like that. Or ask me, what will you do
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someday when you're coaching this team?
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And then also my high school track coach who helped me get
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started with the middle school assistant position and then went
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out and advocated for me so that I could get my first varsity
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head coach job the very next year to coach his son and
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eventually coach another of his younger sons.
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So I've been very blessed to have people pour into me in my
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walk along the way, and I am grateful for their their input
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into my life. I wouldn't be able to do things
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like I've done in my post coaching career like I have now,
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including the blessing of being part of this podcast with all of
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you. Thank you for listening in today
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for the gratitude messages that we've had.
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Thank you for listening in to the other episodes.
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You can go back and check them out.
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Any in this youth series powered by coach Oh here I'm the Guild
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1918 project and want to take a moment to wish you a very
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blessed and happy Thanksgiving each and everyone of you and we
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look forward to seeing you on future Tuesdays when we come out
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with another episode. Happy Thanksgiving.
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Hey gang, Mike Cunningham here. Thanks for joining us for this
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episode in the Youth and beginner series Powered by Coach
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O Powered by Coach O is more than a platform.
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It's a movement to benefit track and field by supporting coaches,
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athletes, parents, officials and event directors in countless
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ways. Find out more and get yourself
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plugged in to the Powered by Coach O by visiting coacho.com
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today.