Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / #194: Chris Johnson-University of Arkansas

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#194: Chris Johnson-University of Arkansas · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

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  Track and field coach, the ones that point
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  people most every season. He's the voice of reason.
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  Speaking, the growth gotta prep for you carry the load.
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  Talk to the stove. For those of us, stay on the go
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  pop, the handle, staying in the zone.
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  What you packing for the role is more than one way to go taking
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  those tests. And you told it ain't practice
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  it before it became clear. You can't happen to you.
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  Listen with both ears, can't Mentor, without a mentor, kids
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  of experience, you can reinvent those kids.
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  Every plans got to stand and deliver in the price sacrifice,
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  can you give up Hugh its choice and to fight not to win or lose?
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  It's not a boy, but if I see, y'all can make more movies, not
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  about how to All about why you don't know what you're you know
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  who you are inside. Six, many ways to die.
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  She's not absorb. Your faults Finish Line.
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  The work ain't done. So we learn from the experts to.
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  Y'all got to put in the legwork Gil athletic shoes Network.
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  It's all about Connections put together for the profession to
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  every track coach could be blessed.
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  Welcome back to the Gila FedEx, connections podcast.
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  We're so glad that you could join us again.
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  We're going to do it again and again and again every Monday
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  right here. We're going to bring you some of
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  the best coaches men and women from around the country and we
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  got one today. This is going to be fascinating.
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  I'm so excited. I have been I'm not I'm not very
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  fast so maybe this is why I've struggled with this but I've
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  even been chasing this week's guest for a while.
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  Now, the real excuses is extremely busy, so I'm so pumped
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  to get him right here in the middle of track season for
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  crying out loud. So, so blessed that he would
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  say. Down and join with us.
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  Help me. Welcome from the University of
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  Arkansas. The wise, the wonderful mr.
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  Chris Johnson. Chris, how are you, sir?
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  I'm good. How about you?
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  You know, I get paid to talk to coaches every day, so, I'm doing
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  fantastic. It's hard for me to say.
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  I have a bad day to be real honest with you, right?
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  It's kinda like, got like coaching rights, a little hard
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  to complain about being coaching's like, you know, I get
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  to go outside and work with 18 to 22 year olds on a daily
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  basis. Yeah, it could be worse.
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  There's a lot of worse things worse.
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  Exactly. Exactly.
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  Well, Chris man, I'm super excited you're here.
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  Really looking forward to kind of learning your journey and
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  talking about some of the special things that are going on
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  at a special place at the University of Arkansas.
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  Absolutely. So why don't we hop into it?
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  You know, at some point in your life coaching, assuming that you
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  were an athlete back in the day coaching switched it in your
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  Mind. That if something that was done
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  to you, you know, coach would bark out orders, go run this.
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  Go throw that in some where it had to change, like, oh, wait a
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  minute. Like, I could be a coach like
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  that. Actually could be my career.
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  Weird is coaching as a career thought for you start.
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  Well, I think well, then when I went to college, I went to Lamar
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  University in Texas. Beaumont Texas.
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  I didn't start off in teaching, I think teaching and coaching us
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  anonymous. And so I got my undergraduate
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  degree in kinesiology with a minor in education and a minor
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  in business, but I started off in business.
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  So I'd often business admin and got to be about middle ways to
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  my sophomore year and obviously it wasn't that difficult at
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  least. I don't guess it was taking
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  difficult to me but it was it was not what I wanted to do,
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  just a little bit boring and kind of stale. and so I was
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  like, I think, I think I want to teach and coach in high school
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  so I've basically Changed my track and went into Kinesiology
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  and then with the with the teacher emphasis and so back,
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  then you had to major in Keynesian as a major.
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  And then you had to have a full minor in education, and I
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  already had enough hours in Business Administration to have
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  a minor in business with that. Take a few more classes to do
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  that. So, my transcript look, It's
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  like I had I think I had 144 hours something like something
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  of that magnitude you majored in college.
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  Yeah. So you know it was it was a
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  journey I guess I mean sometimes you wake up and you feel like
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  hey this is something I want to do or this is something that I
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  don't want to do. So initially it was even about
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  coaching College, it was more about teaching and coaching in
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  high school realm so that's kind of where Where I took you what
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  did it when you were doing when you went in as business?
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  What was the original idea? Was it to be a CEO to work in a
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  bank. I really didn't know, I just
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  thought that that would be a good major to have and
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  obviously, working some, some form of a company and business
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  administration and Just got mundane and little boring.
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  A little stale just wasn't really been piqued my interest.
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  Yeah, so you switch over to teaching Kinesiology.
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  The idea was to go become a high school teacher, which, you know,
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  we've had many, many High School coaches here, boy.
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  You know, it's hard for me. Sometimes on the twittersphere.
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  When people start arguing between how hard it is, to be a
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  college coach versus a high school coach.
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  Because I kind of think of them as equal because they both have
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  extreme hardness, there's difficulties What you do in
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  college versus a teacher and you know, my wife now actually is a
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  substitute teacher long-term sub she took over for teacher who
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  just had a child. So she's in, like second week of
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  like six weeks in a row of teaching if so teaching and
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  right. I love our teachers.
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  I had so much respect for them. But now with my wife, every day
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  going from 8 to 3 or whatever. Die School teachers.
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  Any teachers whole my gosh. God bless you.
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  So did you go in? Did you actually become a
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  actually I thought I taught high school for three years.
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  Is that right? What subject I thought that's
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  all PE and then I talked Health as well and then and actually I
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  did ESL as well. Is that right?
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  Yes, I don't know, Spanish but yeah, but it's English as second
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  language. So busy what you're trying to do
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  is get them to speak a second language.
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  It was so obviously so you just promoted him to speak English
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  and Some of the kids that that's cool were, their first language
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  was Spanish and some just only loose fit.
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  So, you know, and I'm also a certified and dry with it, you
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  know? So it was one of the I taught
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  driver's head as well, not in high school, but in the public
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  sector was this in. Were you teaching in the Houston
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  Beaumont area? Where we had the ball but I was
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  in The Bowman. Yeah man.
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  How was that? I mean that's you know, knowing
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  that you've had a long College career coaching track.
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  Now, looking back at those three years of teaching, High School,
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  what do you must have some pretty either fond memories or
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  fond nightmares? Well, you know, I think nothing
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  in a nightmare standpoint but in terms of the experience and
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  just, you know, obviously that was my first job a real job I
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  should say I would do first job but professional job but it was
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  an experience. I mean, I think High School is
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  is as we know it's pretty different in terms of The the
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  kids and the teachers and the mindset and you know those those
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  kids are maturing and becoming young adults and where they are
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  in life and where you trying to give them to be and being able
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  to coach more than just track of coaching football coaching
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  basketball and track. Obviously, what's quite the
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  experience, it was fun, but when you really get down to it, My ex
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  was that especially when it comes to track because that's
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  what I was most passionate about.
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  The kids were it was two or three kids are really into
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  track. The other was there just for
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  like after-school program. So you know they're paying just
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  wanted to be in a sport so they could come pick them up later if
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  you will, you know. So that's kind of difficult and
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  that's kind of not what you want to do.
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  If you really into coaching, I don't want a babysitter.
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  I don't want a babysitter koslow.
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  I won't actually together into what they're doing.
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  Let's get after it, let's get better.
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  So, how was he? Coached many sports, but you
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  coach track and field specifically.
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  During this time as a high school teacher, what was your
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  typically, when we come out of college and we're coaching for
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  the first time we coach, how we work on how we were coached, you
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  know, we don't have a lot of coaching education at the point.
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  When I have a lot of mentorship at that point, knowing that we
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  don't talk about X's and O's. What was your style?
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  Of coaching and I don't mean like I was a speed guy versus a
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  long, two short guy, what was your philosophy of like hey
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  here's how we're going to get it done.
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  Here's also maybe your philosophy of how you did get
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  better as a coach. Did you talk to other people?
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  What was your kind of thought there?
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  Well, I did a lot of reading, I'm, I read a lot of, okay, when
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  I say, I read a lot, I read a lot of track things.
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  As appetizer track been written coaching, and I wouldn't say
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  coaching just coaching techniques coaching education
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  and I still do to this point, you know, I think that a lot of
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  coaches, if you will just kind of do what, they've always done
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  my majors and Kinesiology. So I do have a background in,
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  oh, right? Really understanding how the
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  Body Works, different Energy Systems, those sorts of things
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  and then my own mind and how it works.
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  And and what should be done versus what it was, how I was
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  coached and And so I always had a kind of a free thought pattern
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  and obviously, my brother's is Billy Johnson.
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  At that point in time, when I was coaching high school, he was
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  a ga at Arkansas. Hmm.
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  So we would always banter back and forth about different
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  training and workouts and that sort of thing.
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  So, both from a philosophy standpoint kind of came back
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  from my Kinesiology background. Then my own readings and I guess
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  left my own devices and then the bantering back and forth in
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  terms of me and Ben, just talking shop, just talking
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  track, he brought up buggy and I didn't want to.
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  I didn't want to talk too much about him, outside of the
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  influence. He may have on your coach, a
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  because Boogie needs his own episode, so we don't need to.
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  You don't get to piggyback on this episode because I know he's
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  listening right now. I know you are but what is he is
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  he older or younger than you. He's a year younger than me,
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  okay? Calendar year but probably a
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  year and a half. Okay so there's not like an
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  extended like oh he had five years of experience before like
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  you guys kind of we're growing together then if you're only a
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  year apart it going together as your coaching.
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  Yes yes. And you mentioned Kinesiology
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  and you said obviously because I have Kinesiology understand the
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  body and things like that and I think that's right in regards to
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  most people who studied Kinesiology and did well in
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  their studies, but I don't know that there's an automatic bridge
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  between. Here's what I learned in
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  kinesiology and here's what I do on the track.
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  You were you are you were you able to early is in this High
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  School time where you able to take the things that you learned
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  Kinesiology wise in the textbooks and transform it to
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  workouts? Or was there a transition of
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  that? Well, I'm gonna take this,
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  always a transition of that and as you get older as you grow as
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  your coach more. Yes.
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  But obviously, I had, I don't like to do anything without
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  being well-researched at least two.
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  To, in my opinion and I'm saying, obviously, it's high
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  school so it's not College, it's not professional track and
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  field, but I think it's important to kind of at least
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  have an understanding of what you try to do.
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  Are you trying to accomplish it, obviously, very raw coaching at
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  that time. So a little of the influence
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  that had from from Lamar and my coaches at Lamar was there and
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  it was a parent but I didn't feel like it was bad, what we
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  were doing, but I thought, Thought it was always something
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  more to do something different to do not necessarily.
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  What was wrong with with coaches doing?
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  But that just had my own thoughts in my own, you know,
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  thinking of how we did this, how we train, and how I felt.
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  And what would I try to really get from my student athletes at
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  that time and you're doing this in beautiful Beaumont?
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  I actually have been to Beaumont because I did a home visit with
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  Ivory Williams back in the day. And still, to this day, I'm
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  gonna cash that had to be That's getting close to 20 years ago.
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  Now, that's how old I am, right? Still one of the best visits I
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  ever had because Mom fed me and it was some of the best food.
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  Okay? So, you're in your first few
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  years of coaching your coaching High School, you're starting to
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  feel the My words, I don't want to put words in your mouth, The
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  Angst of like, man, yeah, there's some people who are just
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  here to be on the team, and that's there's a place for those
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  kids in high school in track and field in general.
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  But you're kind of, and you're seeing your brother.
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  He's at, you said, he's a G8 Arkansas.
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  So maybe you're probably hearing stories of like, um, and these
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  guys don't do anything else. But what we do here on the track
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  and they're here early and they stay late and whatnot.
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  And so maybe you're feeling, I'm use the word angst of like,
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  well, maybe I need to explore college.
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  Is that where we went next? Did you go?
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  Not necessarily so. So my path is, I guess a little
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  different. I think coaching really found me
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  necessarily see coaching my goal, was to go to Arkansas.
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  I came here as I was just a ga but not to necessarily coach.
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  Coaching was the cherry on top? I want to get my degree and then
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  go back to the high school sector and become a vessel to
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  come ad. Oh really?
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  Yes. So No, initially, that wasn't my
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  thought process. My thought process was, I want
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  to get, I got my degree, my masters in sports management and
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  I would eventually go back to, I would still go back and high
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  school coach, and eventually become an add, you know, I'm so
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  glad the in, we're gonna continue to learn the path of
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  where you got to today, but I really encourage when the track
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  coaches and people getting into the sport talk about
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  Administration like I encourage track people, To become a DS and
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  assistant it. He's an associate at ease
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  because we need more track people in the positions that are
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  making decisions about our Sports.
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  I love that. There was like that, you know,
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  maybe I'll be in ad because you could have had a huge impact in
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  our sport so far but you could have had a just as huge impact
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  as an athletic director, who loved to track and feel and that
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  would have been amazing to see. Yeah, absolutely absolutely.
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  So what was it like you? It sounds like you're kind of
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  following your brother. He was a G8 Arkansas and now you
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  become a G8 Arkansas. Was there ever comparison like
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  Ma'am. But he did this.
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  I can't believe you don't do this or anything like that.
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  Actually. No.
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  And so, even when I came to Arkansas, so it wasn't like I
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  was necessarily coming to be a ga for Trey.
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  It was basically, I was coming to get an education and not
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  agreeing reached out to me and said, hey, you know, I know you
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  come in and I had met him previously, would you mind come
• 16:23
  and help out? And I wasn't getting the program
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  and Understanding what what Lance and Coach green had going
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  on, obviously, and just the interest of being able to
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  continue to coach. Yeah, I took that opportunity.
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  What, you know, Lonnie and he's a gill connections, Alum and,
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  you know, maybe one of my top five favorite people in this
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  entire world and I think a lot of people would Echo that
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  because I don't know how you could ever not like Lonnie Green
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  to be real Frank with you. Did you know what you were
• 16:57
  getting meaning going to work with a Lonnie Green?
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  I mean, I can only imagine, and you may tell me the opposite,
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  you may be the one person who doesn't like Lonnie.
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  Now, I don't know. Yeah, I doubt that.
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  Yeah. But, you know, I can only
• 17:08
  imagine working Where the Lonnie Green and this early in your
• 17:12
  coaching career. Like just I just feel like waves
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  of immense value being given to you by watching and see and
• 17:20
  asking questions and learning from someone like a lot of
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  green. Well, yeah, I mean, I think
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  absolutely the biggest thing was opportunity, obviously learning
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  severe Dynamic coach but even then, even then if you know
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  anything about the Johnsons, we have our own.
• 17:39
  Wavelength I own thought process.
• 17:42
  So with the with one thing about Coach green and Lance is that
• 17:49
  they give you a ton of money, even the reason why I left his
• 17:53
  estate to come back to Arkansas. Obviously, I think we could do
• 17:57
  bigger and better things. I want to win, I want to win at
• 17:59
  the highest level, but it's really about autonomy and be
• 18:04
  able to free thinking and being able to Suggest not necessarily
• 18:09
  change what they do, but make suggestions and and be heard, I
• 18:13
  guess if you will, because the thought process is a thought
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  process and being able to even just discuss it and maybe
• 18:22
  Implement some things that that you're thinking, that could help
• 18:24
  the program and help that student athlete was very
• 18:27
  Paramount. And what we were trying to at
• 18:31
  least what I was trying to do knowing that it may be hard for
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  you to express this because you only know You mentioned the free
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  thinking like the you have your own form, your own form of
• 18:41
  thinking, your own way of doing and thinking about the events
• 18:45
  and the events. So knowing that that's all, you
• 18:46
  know. So you don't necessarily know
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  how I thought as a coach and how Lance maybe coaches, you know,
• 18:52
  things like that. Explain that to me, what is it?
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  What does that mean that you have your own free thinking?
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  I just think. And I'm not saying one is right
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  away, right? I just think a lot of coaches a
• 19:06
  systematic. Coaching.
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  I'm not saying that's right, wrong or indifferent.
• 19:11
  So, they have a system and I think everyone had even myself
• 19:14
  party as a system in the way I think, but to be able to deviate
• 19:21
  and to make changes based off of the student athletes and their
• 19:24
  strengths and weaknesses. Well, that's coach, that's
• 19:28
  teaching. Okay, that's not saying that my
• 19:32
  workouts and my plan is the end all, be all We have to be able
• 19:37
  to make adjustments and based on the student at least strengths
• 19:40
  and weaknesses, or whatever the case, maybe even just their
• 19:44
  emotional state, whatever that may be at the time, whatever
• 19:48
  presents itself, what's in front of you, then you'll be able to
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  reach that lie. Then you be able to, you know,
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  abstract their greatness. So, what I'm hearing you say in,
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  tell me if I'm capturing this correctly, I'm here and you're
• 20:03
  talking about true. Individuality With the athletes
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  who their training age when they come in, even mentioned, like
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  their emotional state for the day.
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  Like, you know, I used to say, you know, sometimes kids come in
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  and they bombed a test. They missed their parents
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  boyfriend, broke up with them, they're probably not going to
• 20:21
  hit the workout as prescribed so you may have to back off and
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  then they may come the next week and mom sent him a hundred
• 20:28
  dollars for the weekend. They're going home next week,
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  the ace the test. They actually might be able to
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  do 110% of the prescribed work. Is that what you're talking
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  about, Valerie? Yes, yes.
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  And I think it's obviously, you have a group of you have a plan
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  and everything, but, you know, I'm not necessarily going to
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  follow the plan, unless it's trending.
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  The way I want to trim. I was we can stop, you know, you
• 20:54
  if you if you're traveling down the highway and you get to a
• 20:58
  point in time when they've had an accident or whatever.
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  Now you have to deviate from the plan, that's a really good
• 21:03
  example. Not now you have to see There's
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  an alternate route, obviously the goal is to say, but the way
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  you get to the goal, may be a little different, okay?
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  Depending on that student experience because obviously,
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  you have a background, they also have it back.
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  And so that's really different. And I know the thought process
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  behind it, it's, I want to get to know the kid.
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  I want to get to know their personality, what's their
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  quirks, which the Kings, you know, and then obviously the and
• 21:41
  B have an understanding of that. But I had them to get to
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  understand me that we don't do certain things a certain way and
• 21:50
  accountability is going to be there.
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  But in that might be fun sometimes and it might be, you
• 21:58
  know, considered torture in another time.
• 22:01
  I don't think I've ever used the torture.
• 22:03
  We're here before it's gone like that and remember yeah you know
• 22:07
  I do so knowing that we're getting borderline and X's and
• 22:11
  O's and I do not like going there because would be a
• 22:13
  disservice that yeah. I'm the one talking about X's
• 22:15
  and O's but I'm curious because something I struggled with when
• 22:19
  I was coaching because because I'm I don't want to say on the
• 22:23
  same wavelength as you but I did believe in the, I didn't do a
• 22:27
  very good job of a kid came in one year, training age, versus a
• 22:30
  kid who came in six years training aid.
• 22:31
  I didn't, I was like warm ups, the same for everybody.
• 22:34
  Let's roll, you know, but I did like I was really big on during
• 22:37
  warm-ups like paying attention, like, who normally was in the
• 22:41
  first row and now they're in the sixth Row for the day and you
• 22:43
  know, how was your day, things like that.
• 22:45
  And so if the workout was just making up a workout 5 by 150,
• 22:49
  that may be too much, I don't know whatever, maybe they only
• 22:52
  did. Three or four, you know, if
• 22:53
  they, if I heard their footsteps, you know, the
• 22:55
  frequency getting slower, their times were slower and be like,
• 22:58
  hey, well, you know, these are suppose to be at 100%.
• 23:00
  So we're not going to do the fifth one, some of my athletes.
• 23:04
  When I would do that with some were very happy, they got off of
• 23:07
  one rep, right? But the real ones like they felt
• 23:10
  like they did something wrong with they were being punished.
• 23:12
  When in fact, it was like, no, no, we're just trying to keep
• 23:14
  the body rolling. We're at the speeds that we need
• 23:17
  to be rolling at. So I had to convince them like
• 23:19
  no, no, you did nothing wrong, it's just not the day to do
• 23:22
  five. It's To do for the opposite was
• 23:25
  also true. So let's say that same probably
• 23:27
  terrible, workout 5 by 150. If they were killing it because
• 23:31
  emotionally they were extremely high.
• 23:33
  They nailed the fifth one is like me.
• 23:34
  I think they can get a 6-1 to me.
• 23:36
  It was a reward, like, oh, you're humming along so good.
• 23:39
  We can actually get another rep in and so again, some of them,
• 23:42
  they thought they were being punished because they get to,
• 23:44
  they had to do another one and then others, it was like, like
• 23:49
  the kid to convince the why, like why are we?
• 23:51
  I thought you said it was five my We doing 60, you know, there
• 23:53
  was just more like I had to explain it to him and I
• 23:55
  struggled with that, right? If that's similar to what you're
• 23:58
  talking about. How do you I guess I'm use the
• 24:01
  word motivate. But how do you communicate with
• 24:03
  the athlete on both those kind of scenarios?
• 24:05
  I hey you're not being punished because I'm taking off a wrap.
• 24:07
  And by the way, you're not being punished because I'm adding a
• 24:09
  rep. It's actually it's good for you
• 24:12
  because we're going to operate at the level that I need us to
• 24:15
  operate at. Well, I think that obviously you
• 24:19
  get to know them as people you get to understand what their
• 24:21
  motivations are. Tsar and then I work backwards
• 24:25
  from there. So I would tell them out all of
• 24:28
  them are treated Fair but not necessary.
• 24:33
  I mean so I'm going to treat you fair face off of your skill set
• 24:37
  and what you're able to do. What you're not a, you know, I'm
• 24:41
  saying, like, I've learned I've talked to Coach mad at me and
• 24:45
  Coach Mac. God, Rest his soul and extensive
• 24:47
  conversation just about coaching and philosophy.
• 24:50
  I've been, I've been able to watch deep blue to his
• 24:53
  practices. And how he motivates and I think
• 24:57
  he's probably one of the best if not the best motivator of
• 25:00
  athletes and I watched him do it, work out with his jerkers
• 25:03
  and they would do 6 times, 55 minutes, not just talking trying
• 25:08
  to discharge a motivation. So he wouldn't he wouldn't you
• 25:12
  would let them run their first one, you tell her, I want
• 25:14
  everything. And when I had to be sent, if
• 25:17
  they fell off more than two-tenths of a second that he
• 25:20
  would stop it, right? And then he would make the ones
• 25:24
  that fell off. Sit at the finish line.
• 25:27
  And watch the other ones continue to train and get he's
• 25:31
  constantly talking to them. Well, you know but he's getting
• 25:36
  better. He's going to live better you
• 25:37
  because he can't. He's doing more than you about.
• 25:40
  So it's a, it's a motivation, you know?
• 25:43
  I'm saying, it's like he's doing what it takes to get better.
• 25:47
  He can you've done three, he's done five or six or whatever,
• 25:51
  the case may be. Now how are you going to combat
• 25:54
  them? So the next time, You got your
• 25:58
  going to work much harder because you don't want to feel
• 26:01
  the competitive nature. You don't want to feel like
• 26:04
  somebody's doing more and getting better.
• 26:06
  Why are you just sitting on your hands?
• 26:08
  Okay, typically that that plays out in and their goals are
• 26:13
  reaching their goals of taking their goal.
• 26:16
  And I always tell the kids that winning is a is not necessarily
• 26:22
  cross the line first. Winning is been able to achieve.
• 26:28
  At maximal level. This is just you know, someday
• 26:30
  this conference kids his kids and qualify for Nationals.
• 26:34
  And then there's kids, it made me, come all Americans and top
• 26:37
  three Podium finishes. Again national champions So
• 26:42
  where you at? And sometimes you got to be
• 26:44
  realistic. I'm never going to tell you what
• 26:46
  you can't do, but God has blessed everyone, a little
• 26:49
  differently with the level of talent so you got to appreciate
• 26:55
  You know, running a PR and that should be celebrated and you got
• 26:58
  to appreciate making a finals of the SEC, you have to appreciate
• 27:05
  being a Podium finish. That might not necessarily be
• 27:07
  what you want, but that's that's pretty, that's pretty tough and
• 27:12
  then it go to Nationals and being a top aide and possibly
• 27:15
  win Nationals. Those those are those are
• 27:18
  definitely winning moments based off of where you came from.
• 27:23
  So that's that I think that's inherently the difference and
• 27:28
  give them to understand. You know what, you know this
• 27:31
  kids in high school, number one or whatever, K to be, how's the
• 27:35
  different ejected to do certain things?
• 27:37
  Not that you can't do, but you can't do what they do and they
• 27:42
  already better. Do the same things they do.
• 27:44
  How are you going to equal to and or ahead of them?
• 27:49
  So, there's got to be a little more, and more necessarily
• 27:52
  necessarily me, running the other things, password
• 27:56
  nutrition, you know, sleep all the different things has just
• 28:01
  attract aspect of things how you going to make yourself better,
• 28:04
  how you going to close the gap if you will?
• 28:08
  Well, I love I love what you said there, that PR should be
• 28:11
  celebrated, you know, I'm a, he can be a huge PR guy, no matter
• 28:14
  what. I don't care if you're a
• 28:16
  six-minute mile and you run 550 because eventually one day, Day,
• 28:20
  first of all, that's the best you've ever done.
• 28:21
  I mean, that's, that's amazing. Like that literally the best you
• 28:23
  have ever done in that events. That's that should be
• 28:25
  celebrated. But we also forget that one day,
• 28:28
  you're going to set your last PR and you're not going to know for
• 28:31
  quite a while. That that was your last one, you
• 28:34
  know, it's going to be years later.
• 28:35
  You retire. And finally, like, oh man, I
• 28:37
  can't believe you know, three years past was the fastest I
• 28:40
  ever ran XYZ event. So, celebrate pure, I love that.
• 28:43
  You said that cause I agree with that 100%.
• 28:45
  I think we should do more celebration of PR.
• 28:48
  Sometimes we do. Give enough credit to and think.
• 28:50
  Okay, well there's more in the tank and that may be true and I
• 28:53
  hope that's true. Yeah.
• 28:54
  On that day. That is the best, the fastest,
• 28:57
  the farthest you have ever done that event.
• 29:00
  Yeah. And I think it's important.
• 29:02
  I think it's something that you aspire to do and then for me, I
• 29:07
  don't, I mean obviously we all celebrate, your brother should
• 29:11
  be ours, but I'm looking for a level of consistency.
• 29:14
  I couldn't sister city, brace be ours and personal best, so let's
• 29:19
  Focus on. Even when I recruit a high
• 29:21
  school kid or a dream house kid, or maybe a transfer kid, I'm not
• 29:26
  letting it get PR. I'm looking, I will our average
• 29:29
  their top five times. Hmm.
• 29:31
  That's that's what might use every day.
• 29:34
  That's what you are. Yeah.
• 29:35
  Don't, don't do that for my times.
• 29:38
  You read me, whatever below average is below.
• 29:42
  That is where I would be on my new friend that Yan.
• 29:46
  Obviously, that's you to do that.
• 29:49
  Better. Yeah but here's where you are
• 29:51
  every day and let's just build upon, let's build apartment.
• 29:54
  Yeah. So you're an obvious learner.
• 29:57
  You talk about reading. And always kind of thinking
• 30:00
  using your Kinesiology background music.
• 30:03
  People, like Lonnie and your brother to bounce ideas and
• 30:06
  thoughts off of what did you take away from your time?
• 30:09
  As the ga at Arkansas? Was there any something that?
• 30:13
  You know what? I didn't expect.
• 30:14
  I was going to learn this, and I'm not talking about like
• 30:16
  Energy System or a workout, it could be Be winning culture or
• 30:20
  it could be anything related to a very successful track program
• 30:24
  that you were immersed in during your graduate time.
• 30:27
  What did you take away? That you look back now and like,
• 30:30
  oh man, you know what, I wouldn't be where I am today, if
• 30:32
  I didn't have this during that time I think that everything
• 30:35
  that you do every time you go to a different place in Life or
• 30:39
  you're a different place in your own life.
• 30:42
  You take away something coming to Arkansas and be able to be
• 30:45
  around some of the greatest coaches, in my opinion of all
• 30:49
  time on both sides of the track on the women's side and on the
• 30:52
  men's side and being able to experience the success of
• 30:55
  winning. And the way they took I mean you
• 30:57
  you got to think. When I was here, I mean, you've
• 31:01
  got coach Mac, you've got you got those Foods on the men's
• 31:06
  side of me, you got Lance Brockman and then you turn
• 31:10
  around. You got Tyler, you got line
• 31:14
  agreed. You got Brian Compton.
• 31:16
  And everybody's so different and their personalities and the way
• 31:22
  they coach. But all very very effective,
• 31:24
  right, okay. And then able just to talk to
• 31:27
  them and bounce ideas. Off of them, I think is, as
• 31:30
  coach has the ability to talk to them and communicate with them
• 31:36
  and ask him why they do certain things.
• 31:39
  Not necessarily the workout. But why they do certain things
• 31:43
  and what are they looking for and so forth and so on, I think
• 31:48
  I got that ability to be able to watch and communicate those
• 31:53
  things but more importantly be able to be able to just learn
• 31:59
  sit back and learn and how many how many people my age, get that
• 32:05
  type of experience with those time with those level of
• 32:08
  coaches? Yeah, that's on.
• 32:09
  What are you mentioned? You started rattling off those
• 32:11
  names. Yeah.
• 32:13
  And knowing the age and Stage that you're at compared to
• 32:16
  today, like I kind of like try to put myself in your shoes like
• 32:19
  oh you know, there's coach Mac. There's Lance Compton me just
• 32:24
  Lonnie, I mean, really amazing. Dick Booth coaches, was there
• 32:29
  any intimidation II would have been like, oh my God, what am I
• 32:33
  doing? I'm the if there's seven coaches
• 32:35
  here. I'm number 10 for crying out
• 32:37
  loud. These Mount rushmore's.
• 32:39
  What was your level of like? Dense as a coach with those
• 32:45
  really amazing people. I mean those are all Hall of
• 32:46
  Famers you just mentioned. I mean obviously have a great
• 32:49
  deal of respect for all of them but never intimidated and they
• 32:55
  weren't intimidated at all right.
• 32:59
  And I think it would be very helpful.
• 33:00
  I think that when you put yourself around greatness and
• 33:07
  you have an understanding of The opportunity, if you will around
• 33:13
  those people do their humans and they've started somewhere, and
• 33:17
  if they see that you're interested in, you really
• 33:20
  working hard at your craft, then I think they will be more, you
• 33:25
  know, there'll be more able to help you and get you to
• 33:31
  understand that. After that, it's more.
• 33:33
  Like how can I help you versus, you know, you know, go away.
• 33:37
  Whatever the case may be? But if they if they don't see
• 33:41
  that you're really interested and passionate about certain
• 33:43
  things, they don't. And then obviously been able to
• 33:47
  navigate the waters or how to go buy certain things.
• 33:49
  If I ever had a question then, I could either talk to my brother
• 33:54
  and be able to converge and how do you go about this?
• 33:58
  And so navigating wasn't really an issue being around on wasn't
• 34:03
  different issue and then when you're coaching High School, you
• 34:07
  got to be able to to to To adjust to deal with different
• 34:11
  personalities. Not just seeing their coaching
• 34:13
  around the just in teaching and deal with different students
• 34:19
  doing different teachers and administrators.
• 34:21
  So you kind of learn here's where I met.
• 34:25
  Here's where I want to go and what's going to be the best path
• 34:28
  to get there? Yeah.
• 34:30
  Well put as you were answering that I actually kind of slap
• 34:33
  myself on the wrist. I asked a very poor question
• 34:35
  there because I ask that as if there was a competition between
• 34:38
  you guys is if You know, coach Mac was like, well, I'm the
• 34:41
  number one coach and do the dick.
• 34:42
  You're number two, and, you know, Lancer, you know, which is
• 34:45
  not the case for many reasons. One, you're all the same school
• 34:47
  for 12. I'm not sure any any coach worth
• 34:51
  their salt thinks like that. I know Mouse Holloway does not
• 34:54
  go. Well, I'm the number one,
• 34:54
  Sprint's coach and Chris is number two, you know, that's
• 34:57
  just not what it's about who you are and where you are right
• 34:59
  there at your place. So apologize, bad bad,
• 35:04
  interviewer here on me apart, literally, when I asked that was
• 35:05
  like, hmm, that's not what I, that's not how I wanted you to
• 35:08
  come across. So So we'll put on how you're
• 35:11
  looking more about it. Take a look at it and see how
• 35:21
  you fit into a system or whatever it is.
• 35:35
  It's going to be something positive or something.
• 35:38
  Yeah, great point. So you said You went into
• 35:40
  Arkansas in your graduate program still thinking because
• 35:44
  you went and sports management thinking like I'm my go back and
• 35:46
  become an add, did your time at Arkansas.
• 35:49
  Change the goal as you were nearing graduation like oh no
• 35:52
  I'm a I'm a college track coach. Now this is my path forward.
• 35:55
  I was there still thoughts of going maybe Administration High
• 35:58
  School. I would say I did the first year
• 36:01
  the thoughts were pretty to say but going in going at the end of
• 36:07
  the second year of my graduate degree.
• 36:10
  I was, it was something that that I wanted to do something
• 36:14
  that obviously you said, is it even possible, you know, to be
• 36:19
  able to get a job and, and to pursue your dream of coaching in
• 36:24
  college that necessary wasn't a dream initially.
• 36:27
  So I just think that sometimes Unless you suppose a certain
• 36:34
  things, then you won't dream it. You got to be able to see.
• 36:37
  You got to be able to be involved in something to be able
• 36:41
  to say, okay, you know what? This is possible.
• 36:45
  This is this kid happy. And hey, it doesn't hurt to to
• 36:51
  go after and he had a heck of an education to have a fallback.
• 36:56
  Like if you have a didn't work, it's like well I still got
• 36:58
  experience and knowledge to go be a high school teacher and
• 37:00
  athletic director saying about heck of a plan B.
• 37:04
  Yeah and I was certified teacher so I don't think the issue of
• 37:10
  getting a job was going to be an issue but doing what I Actually
• 37:13
  wanted to do now. Did I load it?
• 37:15
  I want to do something different.
• 37:18
  I think, you know, obviously there's a bit of, you know,
• 37:21
  stressed there. If you will, if you want to call
• 37:23
  it that or because you just, you just don't know, you know,
• 37:27
  getting a college job being a ga, it's not the easiest thing
• 37:32
  to do. So, how did you do it?
• 37:34
  What came next? After you get, you get a, go to
• 37:36
  graduate degree and then you do well, I mean, I got to graduate
• 37:40
  degree and I guess I finished it in May.
• 37:43
  If you will, and then absolutely track season was still going on.
• 37:49
  And we happen to do pretty well as a team, and we were in
• 37:54
  Sacramento. What year was this?
• 37:56
  This was 0 for actually 2004 that, right?
• 38:00
  Yeah, Chris I think, Hmm. I think of you as it just
• 38:05
  because of your experience that I know of, at least my age,
• 38:09
  you're younger than I was at Mississippi State during this
• 38:11
  time, because as soon as you said Sacramento, I remembered
• 38:13
  this and 04:05 timeframe. Yeah yeah.
• 38:16
  Wow. Okay.
• 38:17
  Sorry, I just hit me that you were a ga during this time.
• 38:20
  Unbelievable. Wow.
• 38:21
  Yeah. Okay.
• 38:21
  Sorry. Yeah.
• 38:23
  So you know did the the process comes in that you know I
• 38:28
  interview for I'm a coach on a post really reduce me to a few
• 38:35
  coaches you programs that we're looking for that post positions
• 38:39
  and you know been able to talk to them on the phone.
• 38:43
  Person was, what was humbly, I guess if you will and just
• 38:49
  absolutely going to take a chance on you because you're not
• 38:51
  necessarily proving as a coach yet.
• 38:54
  Obviously you've been around a winning program, you understand
• 38:57
  a winning culture but actually doing it on your own and have
• 39:00
  your own group and that sort of thing, there's, I guess, being a
• 39:04
  head coach at, you know, they're apprehensive about what can you
• 39:08
  really do? You've never recruited on your
• 39:10
  own. You haven't had your own group.
• 39:14
  So what's going to make them hire you?
• 39:17
  And I think it was based off the relationship that I had with
• 39:20
  other coaches who could speak on my behalf, you know.
• 39:23
  And, you know, after they initially, they like you or not,
• 39:27
  whatever the case may be, then they would call check with your
• 39:30
  references and then people that's been around.
• 39:33
  So those those, I think it's vitally important, if people
• 39:36
  going to be able to speak positively about your behalf,
• 39:41
  And on your resume was for reference, it's a lance harder,
• 39:44
  a Lonnie Green, a coach Matt, I mean that's gonna be hard.
• 39:47
  Yeah, I mean, it's really hard to overcome.
• 39:50
  You got to get you and get your foot in the door, but you still
• 39:59
  doing the job for you. You gotta do it.
• 40:01
  Yeah. So where'd you go?
• 40:04
  So I ended up I interviewed for a few jobs and obviously they
• 40:08
  feel too but ended up interviewing with best.
• 40:12
  It state so and just how things happen.
• 40:19
  She lost his prints coach. I think he went to Jeff McCauley
• 40:22
  went to South Carolina and then she was living for express coach
• 40:29
  and we had a we're all it was all women's program here at
• 40:33
  Arkansas at that point time before the program combined, it
• 40:37
  was all his program at Pitt State.
• 40:40
  So, I think that was, that was a.
• 40:43
  That was a fit if you will. Okay.
• 40:45
  Yeah, we may best had a few conversations and we clicked and
• 40:51
  she took the Chance on So Penn State was still separate when
• 40:55
  you went up there. Yes, okay, so a couple questions
• 40:59
  one. What was it?
• 41:01
  Like, this seems like the first time I'm gonna call you a
• 41:04
  southern boy. I know you're from Texas.
• 41:05
  I know you're from South anywhere, but Texas boy goes to
• 41:08
  Pennsylvania. How did that work out?
• 41:10
  For you. How's the it was obviously
• 41:13
  overall great experience. But initially getting there, I
• 41:17
  mean it's kind of its kind of tricky because you know, being
• 41:20
  in the South you whole life, obviously been in Texas for the
• 41:25
  majority of my life at that time and David coming to Arkansas,
• 41:28
  which is still the South right, if you will.
• 41:32
  I mean, it's the Midwest. But no, no, no.
• 41:35
  I will do some fears and now, Midwest Center in Illinois.
• 41:38
  I won't allow you to call Arkansas.
• 41:40
  Well, I mean geographically speaking, it's in the midwest,
• 41:44
  but obviously we consider yourself so a little colder but
• 41:51
  I would say similar different, but still warmer on the warmer
• 41:55
  side of town, but going to pitch state was definitely different
• 41:59
  environment. Obviously it was In the middle
• 42:04
  of nowhere, if you will, but very close to everything, you
• 42:08
  know. So, you know, you three hours
• 42:11
  from. It's very three hours from
• 42:13
  Philly. Three hours of Cleveland, be
• 42:15
  three hours of Jersey. You three and a half hours to
• 42:18
  New York City, three hours to DC.
• 42:21
  I mean, you you're close to everything on that East Coast on
• 42:25
  and Eastern Corridor. So very different, but still a
• 42:31
  rural feel as a team A state college, did you have to, you
• 42:35
  know, because when you're in Beaumont and you're in
• 42:38
  Fayetteville and even though at Fayetteville you have one of the
• 42:41
  nicest indoor facilities around, but you can be outside every day
• 42:45
  if you want to. Like, there's very few like,
• 42:48
  hey, it's 30 degrees boys and girls were going to.
• 42:50
  We are going inside. You could if you wanted to be
• 42:53
  outside for training 365, so almost for your entire career up
• 42:56
  to this point, you haven't had to worry about whether and, you
• 43:00
  know, big regards, there's no 6 foot of snow and things like
• 43:02
  that. You go to In state where there
• 43:04
  there is and can be 6. Foot of snow, did you have to
• 43:06
  train change your your training philosophy?
• 43:11
  Like, did you have to start slower?
• 43:14
  You know, start later, anything like that because of the
• 43:18
  weather, as you go through your career, obviously, the first
• 43:20
  year, you're still trying to kind of figure out, what's it
• 43:22
  mean, in January, when it's negative 20?
• 43:23
  You know what I gotta do not necessarily because obviously, I
• 43:27
  mean, it was somewhat similar to the same in terms of facility.
• 43:31
  Yeah, you got a great facility, right?
• 43:33
  So that he's got a dictate what you doing, training and what
• 43:38
  you, what you, what you have the ability to do so, the training
• 43:42
  necessarily didn't change because we had outdoor facility
• 43:46
  and indoor facility much like Arkansas, you know, so one can
• 43:51
  argue that yummy in terms of training, the track is track.
• 43:55
  So it was a very nice track. A state much similar to the one
• 43:59
  in Arkansas, maybe not as fast, but You can train, you can try
• 44:05
  again, right? And it was at all, check
• 44:09
  facility at Penn State for the most part.
• 44:11
  So you never were inhibited by different teams coming in and
• 44:16
  taking over and so forth and so on.
• 44:19
  So the training was the same, obviously you got to navigate
• 44:24
  whether you Outdoors indoors, but in terms of what you doing
• 44:27
  training wise, it's different now that being able to be
• 44:31
  outdoors longer a Target, I saw it is more head and it's an
• 44:35
  advantage not necessarily because the facilities are
• 44:40
  really good. It's just that it just track
• 44:43
  just feels better. I thought.
• 44:45
  Amen, you know, it just so psychologically when you're
• 44:50
  indoors or just seems like you you can find if you were but the
• 44:55
  ability to trade the ability to to do what you need to do and
• 45:01
  have access to the facilities to do.
• 45:04
  I'd say we'll be able to determine the outcome and so we
• 45:07
  didn't have any setbacks in terms of training.
• 45:10
  Obviously, you get Outdoors maybe in the 4 by 1 and been
• 45:13
  able to do handoffs. That's what the thing was was a
• 45:17
  little difficult. But other than that, you know,
• 45:21
  it wasn't an issue at this point, as you're starting the
• 45:26
  next stage of your career going to Penn State, are you, do you
• 45:31
  consider yourself a spritz her? His coach a speed coach meaning,
• 45:36
  Sprint's hurdles in the long and triple.
• 45:38
  What are you coaching? Are you doing any high?
• 45:40
  Jump, pole, vaulting, coaching field events coaching, what are
• 45:43
  you doing? Like, what are you at this point
• 45:45
  in your career? Well, I'm a coach, and I always
• 45:48
  been. So, you know, when that, when I
• 45:51
  got to, when I got to Penn State, I coached all the way up
• 45:56
  to 800. Okay?
• 45:58
  So from the hundred all the way to 800 Hurdles of course and
• 46:04
  long jump, triple jump and high jump, you know.
• 46:09
  So we did have a jumps Coast but we work together but most of the
• 46:14
  time I did a lot of it. You know, I'm not saying that
• 46:17
  I'm an expert and all of it, but I'm able to coach it all and and
• 46:24
  I think that's it, makes you work, makes you actually study,
• 46:28
  and they should communicate with other coaches.
• 46:32
  It is that respected to get area to find out what they do and how
• 46:36
  to get better. Really it pushes you and expand
• 46:40
  your knowledge base and then you learn in coaching the motel,
• 46:45
  learn those similarities and certain events.
• 46:48
  And I wanted it is going to help the next one and that sort of
• 46:51
  thing. You know, I'm reminded early in
• 46:54
  our podcasting career here at the Gill connections.
• 46:56
  We had the great Brooks Johnson on the podcast and still one of
• 47:00
  my personal. Lee favorite ones because at the
• 47:03
  you know, his thought philosophy not coaching philosophy.
• 47:06
  His thought philosophy actually helped me as a as a person as a
• 47:09
  person here at Gillis Lennox is a honestly as a husband and my
• 47:11
  household, but I distinctly remember him talking about
• 47:16
  coaches, that, you know, the best coaches aren't Sprint,
• 47:19
  coaches, or throws coaches or distance coaches their coaches,
• 47:23
  and that was the first words out of your mouth is like, I'm a
• 47:25
  coach like I'm not a spring coach, I'm not a hurdle, come
• 47:27
  on, I'm a coach, a lot of it having to do with exactly what
• 47:31
  you said. As well.
• 47:32
  When you talk about the multis of the similarities between
• 47:34
  events, so you can get more done.
• 47:37
  Do you think, do you think being able to coach multiple events
• 47:42
  and even the multi-event, the combined event gives you an
• 47:45
  advantage. And over someone who says, I'm,
• 47:48
  you know what? I'm going to be the best,
• 47:50
  Sprint's hurdles coach in the world.
• 47:51
  So I'm going to dive deep. Like, that's all I'm going to do
• 47:53
  long, jump, you stay over there. I'm going to focus on the 122
• 47:56
  and the long of the triple so that I can get have all the
• 47:59
  knowledge. What advantages or
• 48:01
  disadvantages? Age, do you think you have as
• 48:02
  being someone who can be as comfortable on the long jumper?
• 48:05
  High jump apron? As you are in the 100 hurdles?
• 48:08
  Well, I'm thinking you, when you say that, you just got to do one
• 48:13
  thing. Then you have a singular Focus.
• 48:15
  So it creates you have a lack of creativity because there's only
• 48:21
  so much you can do based off of training and based off of just
• 48:27
  two or three events. Okay?
• 48:28
  So you create, you cut your creativity in my You may learn,
• 48:35
  you know, whatever it is to learn in the spreads but then it
• 48:42
  becomes boring. Becomes, it becomes still, at
• 48:45
  least me, but when you coached multiple events and different
• 48:49
  things your creativity, you know, you have to be creative
• 48:54
  and that man, make you and what you're doing and it's a force
• 48:56
  mechanic, it's not something that.
• 48:59
  I mean, if you do something repetitiously I don't care what
• 49:02
  it is. It could be making coffee.
• 49:04
  It's almost like you're out of power, okay?
• 49:07
  You're not. It doesn't require a thought
• 49:10
  process, you know, how to do this, you know, how to do that.
• 49:13
  You develop your dip, your different techniques for doing
• 49:16
  that. So you do much of the same thing
• 49:19
  over and over again. Maybe little tweaks here and
• 49:21
  there, I think learning is lifelong learner.
• 49:24
  Okay, I learned that from one of my professors and in pedagogy,
• 49:28
  if you will, that's what it was. That was For the classes.
• 49:32
  So you know you got to be able to continue to learn and you got
• 49:38
  to have something that's going to Help you do that force you to
• 49:42
  do that. Drive you to do that.
• 49:44
  If you just get into a place where you stack it, if you will.
• 49:49
  Then that's that's where you are.
• 49:50
  That doesn't mean that you're not good at it.
• 49:52
  It's just means that they you do it without having a thought
• 49:57
  process. Okay?
• 49:58
  Preparation always. Always think for me, I got to be
• 50:04
  Two or three steps ahead of the athlete.
• 50:06
  And we know I need to, you know, they've done their research,
• 50:10
  they understand a lot more than we did at the point.
• 50:14
  I'm at least that's how I feel when we were Collegiate
• 50:17
  athletes. So you got to be prepared, you
• 50:19
  know, you got to be able to answer them, you know, you got a
• 50:22
  bid to explain to them. Why you doing certain things?
• 50:24
  So if you're not ahead of it, you can't do it.
• 50:27
  So I take been able to coach a multitude of events, not
• 50:31
  necessarily being the expert or anything.
• 50:34
  Okay, I don't think I'm okay. I can get better even at this
• 50:38
  point. Now, in everything that I do,
• 50:40
  and I'll, I'll talk to coaches. I'll talk to coaches that trust
• 50:45
  that maybe coach different things than I do, and really get
• 50:49
  that philosophy. What are they doing?
• 50:53
  Why, what's the favor work out? Why you do that?
• 50:56
  And what time of year, you do that?
• 50:58
  And how did you get to that point?
• 51:01
  I think the how And the wise more importantly, here's what I
• 51:05
  do is just take this work out and implement it.
• 51:09
  I just think that's not necessarily the best thing to
• 51:13
  do. So that's kind of my thought
• 51:16
  process and my train of thought as a tasty.
• 51:20
  You mentioned the athletes today are better educated than maybe
• 51:24
  where they were when we were athletes back in the day.
• 51:26
  And yeah, I just put myself together as athletes with you by
• 51:29
  the way. I just a couple them together
• 51:30
  until it's just you know, it's just I'm just assuming that's
• 51:32
  what it was. Because there's so much more
• 51:35
  access now, right? They have YouTube social media,
• 51:38
  Etc. And I don't want to assume just
• 51:41
  because of, you know, the athletes that you helped produce
• 51:45
  at Penn State and what you're producing out Arkansas that you
• 51:48
  don't have this issue. So, I'm just going to ask it to
• 51:50
  and you tell me whether you do or don't have this issue.
• 51:52
  How do you when a kid comes to you?
• 51:55
  And says, hey, I saw this guy on YouTube or I saw this workout.
• 52:00
  I maybe you have this. I saw the Mercy of Texas, do
• 52:04
  this workout coach? Can we do that?
• 52:06
  Or why aren't we doing that? How do you handle those kind of
• 52:09
  inquiries of something that maybe is against your philosophy
• 52:12
  of coaching, or maybe even better, said, your plan for that
• 52:15
  athlete for the season? Well, it's been good.
• 52:19
  Okay, I understand that. This is what they do with Texas,
• 52:22
  if that works for them at Texas. But here's why we do what we
• 52:27
  doing here. And I'm not here to say what
• 52:29
  they do, a Texas or anywhere else has wrong.
• 52:34
  Is this their philosophy based off the things that they
• 52:37
  prepared to do and here's our philosophy in the and more
• 52:41
  important here is why, but I got to get you to buy into what I'm
• 52:47
  trying to do, okay? I think that's a numerous things
• 52:52
  that you could say, but obviously they might be, just
• 52:57
  curious at might just want to get better, and they see these
• 52:59
  kids have been successful and they want to be successful idea.
• 53:03
  And they, and a lot of times athletes had a perception.
• 53:07
  This workout is that magic? Work out what they do over
• 53:11
  there. It's why the kids are running
• 53:12
  that fast, all right? And I having an understanding of
• 53:15
  of that code should have background and had kids what
• 53:20
  they've done and what they've been through, and there's more
• 53:23
  than one way to be successful. So you got to get the kids to,
• 53:27
  hey, I understand this what they're doing.
• 53:30
  And it may be a better way of doing things or maybe not.
• 53:36
  But here's where you're at, let's get to this.
• 53:41
  Hey, you got to kind of give him.
• 53:42
  Give them yours. I play too.
• 53:45
  It's not dead. Just because in doing that and
• 53:49
  where was that kid at, you know in high school was that kid was
• 53:53
  that kid does curiously at College based off of you so you
• 53:57
  got to get understand it's just not a workout.
• 53:59
  It's not Is to development. Get maybe even getting to that
• 54:05
  work out. Maybe you're not even ready to
• 54:07
  do something and attitude, so get him to understand.
• 54:11
  Hey, we have a plan, here's what we do.
• 54:15
  Here's how we get better. That question was asked this
• 54:20
  past weekend. I was at a high school clinic
• 54:23
  and there was a panel and someone asked them more in the
• 54:27
  high school side about, you know, he a kid comes to see
• 54:29
  something on YouTubers, so worried about people seeing
• 54:32
  things on YouTube and Twitter and all All that kind of stuff
• 54:34
  and very similar answer there to what you gave.
• 54:38
  It was like, well hey you got to get that kid to trust your
• 54:40
  workouts, but they kind of little what I thought was a
• 54:44
  little cherry on top. That the one coach answered that
• 54:46
  question with. He said, hey those kids like
• 54:49
  that means, they care. Like, I know, it's bugging
• 54:52
  sometimes that they're bringing up this other work out and
• 54:54
  you've got a plan and, you know, things like that.
• 54:56
  But like they want to get better at their craft.
• 54:58
  So these are the kids that are probably generally more caring
• 55:01
  about themselves, getting better.
• 55:02
  So how do you That to go back into your program.
• 55:06
  I love your answers about getting by in explaining the
• 55:10
  why, but here's why we're doing this with you etcetera and to
• 55:14
  help block out the noise of a hey man, we don't know what's
• 55:16
  going on over there. In that program, I'm reminded of
• 55:18
  the great George Williams, his statement.
• 55:20
  If you're not in the Huddle, you don't know the play, I don't
• 55:21
  know what's going on at that school.
• 55:22
  I don't know what's going on with that athlete but I know
• 55:24
  what's going on with you. And that's why you and I are
• 55:27
  working together on this path for Success this season.
• 55:30
  So love that response from you. Thank you for that.
• 55:33
  So you're at Penn State, what, what changes what meaning, tell
• 55:38
  us, how long you were there? And then how do you continue to
• 55:40
  develop as a coach that kind of change?
• 55:42
  How do you continue to get rid of their Penn Station?
• 55:45
  I was there for eight years, the Penn State, obviously starting
• 55:49
  off as a women's only program and obviously, when I was there,
• 55:53
  we combine the program, they can buy the program and the best
• 55:57
  leadership. So I just think that even I
• 56:01
  think I've been fortunate with We're being in the timing of
• 56:05
  things because Beth also gave me the autonomy to do what I want
• 56:12
  to do and in terms of training, in terms of recruit, athletes
• 56:16
  that I've thought would fit best for me and the program in the
• 56:20
  needs of the program. So I just think you grow as you
• 56:26
  as you continue to coach it and you make mistakes and sometimes
• 56:32
  you understand that you made. A mistakes.
• 56:35
  I blew it, you know, I did too much.
• 56:38
  It is not enough. It Dad, I take you, you you just
• 56:43
  continue to grow but I think sometimes you got to be
• 56:45
  transparent with that as well. You like shit.
• 56:48
  Excuse my French, I blew it. I mean I lost I lost that race
• 56:54
  in the workout. Just kind of know it but it's it
• 56:58
  kind of just happens, you know, it made, you gotta go back and
• 57:02
  see where the mistake was Made and then fix it, you know?
• 57:06
  But I was fortunate enough to hair to the really good
• 57:09
  athletes, which which always leads itself to recruiting's, to
• 57:13
  me, the better athletes. So, you know, very very
• 57:18
  fortunate and then be able to just coach women only as a start
• 57:22
  and then combining the program and be able to coach men and
• 57:25
  women so forth and so on and be able to go from just recruiting
• 57:30
  women to create and women. So the learning was not too fast
• 57:36
  for me at that point in time in my career they went say young
• 57:42
  but you know, experience-wise not that have a much experience
• 57:48
  initially. So it was kind of like a
• 57:51
  building process. It wasn't that I was had to do
• 57:54
  so much at one time. I kind of grew into the role if
• 57:57
  you were to the position and I think it made me a better Coach
• 58:02
  because I didn't feel overwhelmed just with the just
• 58:06
  remember bodies and level of responsibility and
• 58:10
  time-consuming that you believe there's a difference between
• 58:16
  coaching women and men. Whether it's psychologically
• 58:21
  physiologically, Etc. What was your experience as you
• 58:25
  combined? Because at this point you've had
• 58:28
  maybe the majority of your experience coaching women only
• 58:30
  and he had high school which I'm assuming you had boys and girls
• 58:32
  there but in Judge you really been focused on the women's side
• 58:35
  and you're right. This is still early in your
• 58:36
  career here but now you have a combined program.
• 58:40
  What was that experience? Like?
• 58:42
  Well I mean I think it was a good experience because
• 58:45
  obviously not coaching the men at Arkansas, coaching High
• 58:49
  School, you still around you even when I got to Penn State,
• 58:53
  that was a men scream coach, but I was still around it.
• 58:56
  I was I'm still watching what they're doing and get an
• 59:01
  understanding of why they doing with it.
• 59:03
  Doing wasn't necessarily agree with it or not, doesn't matter.
• 59:07
  You still kind of sitting back and seeing trying to understand
• 59:13
  that philosophy. Obviously, you ask people what
• 59:15
  their philosophy is but then in turn you wash it, you to see if
• 59:19
  it actually plays out that way. So when I had the ability to
• 59:24
  take over, I was still around me.
• 59:27
  Kids still, there was certain things that in my mind I thought
• 59:31
  that they could do better. Not that they were doing a bad
• 59:34
  job, right? It's just my humble opinion, but
• 59:38
  going in a million coaches, and you kind of, kind of see the
• 59:42
  nuances of this is. Why?
• 59:45
  Because Castilian do this or so forth and so on, and then I also
• 59:49
  get them to buy it to me as a coach because yeah, why do I
• 59:54
  want to listen to? This is Cochise only coach
• 59:56
  winning, right? And obviously I day is a
• 1:00:00
  difference in my opinion and coaching Women and men just just
• 1:00:05
  based on just based off of the difference between being a man
• 1:00:09
  and a woman. Are they the rest of recovery
• 1:00:12
  level of the testosterone levels so forth and so on.
• 1:00:18
  That there is and so being able to adjust to that and then
• 1:00:23
  having almost a different train of thought.
• 1:00:27
  I would say different, but just differential between the two and
• 1:00:33
  making developing workouts and writing workouts for the
• 1:00:37
  different groups, you know, and having to to dwell into that and
• 1:00:42
  spend the time, they're obviously you want to do, what's
• 1:00:46
  right by the athlete. And put them in a pizzette the
• 1:00:49
  best position to be successful and not do too much and not
• 1:00:54
  enough and be able to differentiate the tooth.
• 1:00:58
  So you know, that requires a level of workers a level of
• 1:01:05
  reading and studying and not and also communicating with other
• 1:01:08
  coaches and how they going to balance.
• 1:01:10
  Daddy do that. You know, as you go through
• 1:01:14
  these eight years at Penn State, you know you're surrounded again
• 1:01:17
  just by amazing coaches one being your brother by the way,
• 1:01:22
  as you guys are concurrently moving through your careers and
• 1:01:25
  he's gone on to do great things as you as well.
• 1:01:28
  Now, you're at Penn State with Beth fact that for solving
• 1:01:32
  another Gil podcast Alum. You have to go listen to her.
• 1:01:34
  If you haven't out there, dear listener.
• 1:01:37
  What are you doing? If anything, at this point for
• 1:01:40
  what I'll call formal coaching, education.
• 1:01:42
  Meaning usatf coaching education, u.s. tfcc a anything
• 1:01:47
  like that world Athletics iwf that point in any formal
• 1:01:50
  coaching education? Yes, I mean, obviously coach
• 1:01:54
  Frey at South Carolina. He's it, he's had that coaching
• 1:01:57
  Clinic forever. So I would go there, listen and
• 1:02:03
  learn and obviously he's had an array of different coaches that
• 1:02:07
  I respect, you know, body courtesy of.
• 1:02:12
  So the, I mean, it's a laundry himself.
• 1:02:17
  There's a laundry list of people whose John Smith.
• 1:02:20
  He's had a laundry list of people that were fantastic
• 1:02:25
  coaches during that time, you know, I'm saying.
• 1:02:28
  So, and then u.s. tfcc a the different speakers at the
• 1:02:33
  convention and then being able to communicate with my brother
• 1:02:37
  and naughty green be able to call on those guys.
• 1:02:42
  To give to just get a sense of Here's my thought.
• 1:02:47
  Here's what I think and what do you think about is?
• 1:02:49
  What you think about that? Not necessarily looking for an
• 1:02:52
  approval? But also just looking to see if
• 1:02:54
  this is the right path. To go about doing something, but
• 1:03:00
  I was going to take that leads and consideration.
• 1:03:02
  You don't want to do something that's going to be a detriment
• 1:03:05
  to them. But you also want to be dynamic
• 1:03:08
  and get them going. And being able to just not take
• 1:03:12
  the communication with the athlete and being able to get
• 1:03:15
  them to understand. Here's what we're going to do.
• 1:03:18
  And it'll be very confident in doing that and not necessarily,
• 1:03:23
  you know, Succumbing to what they want but have an
• 1:03:27
  understanding of what they want. But here's if this is what you
• 1:03:30
  want, here's what you got to do to you.
• 1:03:32
  I think that's what you do. You, you know, you attack your
• 1:03:37
  coaching career, it's obvious by being an observer by being a
• 1:03:42
  learner, by being a question asker, you know, talking to
• 1:03:47
  others who have done it, and done it for longer, and then not
• 1:03:50
  just taking it at face value of like, oh, okay, insert that work
• 1:03:52
  out into my program and it'll I work like okay, well, how does
• 1:03:55
  that puzzle pieces? Fit into the puzzle that I'm
• 1:03:58
  working on? Chris.
• 1:03:59
  I'm curious with you on the other side.
• 1:04:03
  Do you? And how do you?
• 1:04:05
  Because I feel like it's hard to separate how you do things
• 1:04:08
  coaching for anything else in your life.
• 1:04:09
  Like you are who you are, no matter what the event is
• 1:04:12
  coaching. You personally, do you, how do
• 1:04:15
  you do the things on the personal side?
• 1:04:17
  Do you when you're talking about your family?
• 1:04:20
  Life parenting, just being a neighbor, if, you know, Living
• 1:04:24
  in neighborhoods are being a neighbor.
• 1:04:26
  How do you attack being a better person that way because you are,
• 1:04:30
  you're an amazing coach. But all my experiences with you,
• 1:04:33
  or you're an even better person, how do you work towards those
• 1:04:37
  aspects? That are kind of off the track
• 1:04:39
  if you will. Oh well, I just think that.
• 1:04:42
  I think everything is a reflection of, it's hard to be
• 1:04:45
  this type of person coaching and then just type of person that's
• 1:04:50
  related to marriage as a relay, right?
• 1:04:52
  The person has a relationship, maybe I think. all, I'm kind of
• 1:04:55
  somewhat intertwined that your personality kind Conflicts that
• 1:04:59
  I think that I've been fortunate enough to marry someone that's
• 1:05:05
  probably much different than me in some respects, but as my
• 1:05:11
  wife, she's just as a bubbly personality, a big personality.
• 1:05:16
  And I'm more of The Quiet One. Hit your the reserved.
• 1:05:21
  Yeah. And if that's such a thing
• 1:05:23
  quiet, but more reserved and her being able to Does have the
• 1:05:29
  Opposites Attract type of situation which which is a great
• 1:05:34
  fit for me, you know. And then being able to just be a
• 1:05:38
  good person. I think our grandmother raised
• 1:05:40
  us to be good. People be honest, be
• 1:05:44
  straightforward. I would say that.
• 1:05:46
  Most people say I'm very direct, so that's a lot of, not a lot of
• 1:05:51
  guesswork. This is who I am.
• 1:05:54
  I'm very confident in who I am, and I'm Unapologetic.
• 1:05:58
  Attic for who I am and I'm saying I'm not saying that I'm
• 1:06:00
  perfect. My send it.
• 1:06:01
  I'm never wrong right? But you know this is what you
• 1:06:06
  get. It's not necessarily you got to
• 1:06:08
  go and kind of seek that and then just add think you got to
• 1:06:13
  treat people the way you want to be treated.
• 1:06:15
  You're okay and let them understand it.
• 1:06:18
  Okay. Here's here's some
• 1:06:19
  non-negotiables. Here's some time that we going
• 1:06:22
  to flex on certain things, but having an understanding of that
• 1:06:27
  in, In the respect that you had to have other people.
• 1:06:31
  Obviously, you want to have for you.
• 1:06:33
  Yeah, I think you're right. You know, there is no two
• 1:06:36
  separate things. There's not Chris, the person
• 1:06:38
  and Crystal coach. It's the same person whose
• 1:06:41
  profession is coaching. So, you know, if you're a jerk
• 1:06:44
  person, you're going to be a jerk coach.
• 1:06:45
  And by the way, if you're a nice person, you're going to be a
• 1:06:47
  nice coach. There's no, there's no night and
• 1:06:49
  day here, it is who you are. As you move along in your
• 1:06:52
  career, especially for a career, like, coaching.
• 1:06:54
  That is not a 825 you clock in at 8 and you're out at 5 and
• 1:06:57
  you're done. It's, you know, it's a good for
• 1:07:00
  good and bad. It's a 24/7 career.
• 1:07:04
  Yeah. Not my, not a matter that we
• 1:07:05
  deal. I will Coach you.
• 1:07:07
  I'm like, what? It's, I can, I can change based
• 1:07:11
  off of result that I get it. I want certain things.
• 1:07:17
  So we warm up and it's everything.
• 1:07:20
  It's important to warm up, is important to cool down is
• 1:07:22
  important. The work on supporting hit the
• 1:07:24
  times and whatever we're doing. It's important.
• 1:07:28
  So, I have to if I have to become a different person at
• 1:07:32
  that point in time, then I would do that to get you to understand
• 1:07:35
  the level of importance that I want, and the consistency that I
• 1:07:39
  wanted the villages that I want, but generally I think I'm more
• 1:07:44
  laid-back, but if I have to be that to get you to understand
• 1:07:49
  what I want to get done done and will do that and I'm not afraid.
• 1:07:55
  So you spent eight years at Penn State and Had I mean, I think
• 1:08:00
  this is an official measurement a Gob ton of success.
• 1:08:03
  I mean really you know for a Big Ten, cold State Northeast
• 1:08:09
  program, you had every excuse in the world not to have sprinters
• 1:08:12
  and heard there's a jumpers, right?
• 1:08:13
  That's a, that's the warm school thing, right?
• 1:08:16
  And boy, let me tell you what lots of Records, lots of
• 1:08:18
  championships came out of your program.
• 1:08:21
  You're under a great leader. In my opinion, Beth is one of
• 1:08:25
  the top people around as far as a leadership of a program.
• 1:08:28
  She certainly Had her success that where she's been during her
• 1:08:30
  career? What was why the opportunity to
• 1:08:33
  leave while I look for a different place?
• 1:08:36
  Well, I was there. I think that sa was great.
• 1:08:38
  It was a great place to be a great.
• 1:08:40
  Start developed many friendships, lifelong
• 1:08:44
  friendships with, with different cultures in them and staff
• 1:08:48
  members, and such, and even Administration for that part.
• 1:08:52
  Being temporarily were really close.
• 1:08:56
  We spent a lot of time, just talking About life in sports and
• 1:09:01
  that sort of thing, an opportunity to meet Joe Paterno
• 1:09:04
  and being, right? And some of the football
• 1:09:07
  stabbed. So that was that.
• 1:09:09
  I think it was great. And then they have a different
• 1:09:13
  perspective living in the South whole life.
• 1:09:15
  Again, going to the Northeast, how they do business and such It
• 1:09:22
  gives you a different perspective, thanks, because
• 1:09:25
  you're exposed to different things, you expose a different
• 1:09:27
  kind of people. You're still has a different
• 1:09:29
  environment, so really it opens up your mind to let me say that
• 1:09:34
  just because you do it like, this is kinda stood right and or
• 1:09:39
  wrong for that matter. But here's the way they do
• 1:09:42
  certain things here and they you adapted, you we have an
• 1:09:45
  appreciation, but I think that in terms of program I made
• 1:09:52
  artist size is busy. It's a huge program and I just
• 1:09:59
  think from a resource standpoint have more resources to be
• 1:10:02
  successful. Now depends, they didn't have
• 1:10:04
  resources. I don't think anyone would argue
• 1:10:07
  in terms of track and field that Arkansas has more resources.
• 1:10:11
  Wish you would give you the ability to win doesn't guarantee
• 1:10:15
  any when whether it will give you the ability to win at a
• 1:10:19
  higher level and obviously We got two trophies when we were in
• 1:10:22
  state, so it wasn't like we were, we were losing the back of
• 1:10:27
  the pack, right? But I think hard to sort of give
• 1:10:31
  you an opportunity to win some championships and that's what I
• 1:10:35
  want to do. So, you come back to your, imma
• 1:10:37
  call your second home. It's not Texas.
• 1:10:39
  But Arkansas. Yes.
• 1:10:40
  Spend time there and obviously grew as a person and as a coach
• 1:10:43
  during your graduate years, there you come back, you follow,
• 1:10:47
  you know, someone who's important in your life and is
• 1:10:49
  bigger than life in my opinion. You Lonnie Green, any concerns
• 1:10:53
  of like, oh man, you know, they've they're used to Lonnie's
• 1:10:56
  personality. Well, here comes me and my
• 1:10:58
  personality. It's going to be a little
• 1:11:00
  different. Any concerns there?
• 1:11:03
  No, I mean, not at all, obviously line as he did, he did
• 1:11:07
  a fantastic job when he was here and no one will argue that.
• 1:11:12
  But a very confident in me, that's not arrogance.
• 1:11:16
  Just that understanding, but I also knew that it would be a
• 1:11:20
  challenge. Time for the Big Ten coming to
• 1:11:23
  the SEC. Obviously, spreading her legs
• 1:11:28
  and jump. It's Paramount in this league
• 1:11:30
  and you know, Arkansas also known for being more of a Sprint
• 1:11:36
  Powerhouse. And but we were Arkansas is
• 1:11:38
  known for many more distance. Huh, at that point in time.
• 1:11:41
  So why did a fantastic job brought spreading to the
• 1:11:45
  Forefront in a lot of respects but knowing knowing that the
• 1:11:49
  task is going to be great. To add on to that make it
• 1:11:53
  better. It was a challenge, and it was a
• 1:11:55
  goal of mine, to be able to prove, to, to myself more
• 1:12:00
  important and others that it could be done and it can be done
• 1:12:04
  even at a higher level and Coach green tea.
• 1:12:07
  So, we talked about several subjects but you just brought up
• 1:12:11
  the word challenge and your face changed a little bit.
• 1:12:15
  You seem to, I don't know if the word Thrive is the right word
• 1:12:18
  here or else. I'm use the word like but you
• 1:12:20
  seem to Embrace challenges. Yeah, I mean I think that You
• 1:12:27
  want to look at a challenge straight up?
• 1:12:29
  I mean we challenged our athletes all the time and a lot
• 1:12:35
  of different emotionally you know athletically educationally
• 1:12:39
  we challenged. So as a coach we should also be
• 1:12:43
  challenging not necessarily comfortable.
• 1:12:46
  My one of the mantras that we have here at Arkansas is we've
• 1:12:50
  got to get comfortable being uncomfortable, okay?
• 1:12:52
  And obviously, with a challenge, you're in a level
• 1:12:55
  uncomfortability. But once you Embrace that
• 1:12:59
  uncomfortability, it becomes company.
• 1:13:01
  So we have comfortably okay, if that's such thing and that
• 1:13:08
  challenges that a lot of People whoever those people are or
• 1:13:14
  maybe they're just a figure your imagination to drive you to do
• 1:13:18
  something that it can be done. And I can and I can do and we're
• 1:13:26
  going to work very hard to do. So if you take, you can work and
• 1:13:31
  we can find out who can work hard and do what we need to do
• 1:13:36
  to be successful and success on our as potatoes Arkansas.
• 1:13:40
  And Other programs. I'm not comparing the two.
• 1:13:43
  I'm just comparing. Right?
• 1:13:44
  Well I think we'll be successful here.
• 1:13:47
  And obviously if we're successful here and what we do
• 1:13:50
  that, I think we could be successful compared to the
• 1:13:54
  relatively to everybody else country as it pertains is free.
• 1:13:58
  Well, let's talk about coaching at Arkansas.
• 1:14:00
  What year are you going into here in 23?
• 1:14:03
  1111 at Arkansas. Yeah man does the time fly?
• 1:14:08
  Are you serious? 11 years?
• 1:14:10
  Yeah so I got him Well, I got in 2012, it's 11:00 news.
• 1:14:15
  I am actually going on 12 in my head.
• 1:14:18
  I had five or six or some Romanian time goes by fast
• 1:14:21
  cheese crisp. Okay, so talk to us about
• 1:14:23
  coaching Arkansas because I'm going to give the outside
• 1:14:26
  perspective because you're in your box, you're in the Arkansas
• 1:14:28
  box. So you don't, maybe necessarily
• 1:14:29
  always hear the outside perspective, right?
• 1:14:32
  You mentioned the resources at Arkansas puts into it.
• 1:14:35
  You mention the facilities that Arkansas has as part of those
• 1:14:38
  resources. You know, historically on both
• 1:14:43
  the men and women side, You could argue that the University
• 1:14:46
  of Arkansas. Programs are a top-five program
• 1:14:49
  in regards to people want to go there as an athlete people want
• 1:14:53
  to go there as a coach, it is one of the most desired
• 1:14:57
  sought-after programs in the country year.
• 1:15:00
  After year, not not, this isn't a flash in the pan.
• 1:15:02
  It's recent, it has been a long time before you and something
• 1:15:05
  tells me, it'll be a long time after you as well.
• 1:15:08
  So it's easy at Arkansas, Chris. So it's easy to recruit, you
• 1:15:12
  just call Upper accrued and it's an automatic, they're coming to
• 1:15:14
  Arkansas and that means you're getting the best kids and that's
• 1:15:17
  why you win true. I think that's probably the
• 1:15:22
  furthest from the truth. I don't think if you look in
• 1:15:26
  terms of recruiting and athletes that we sad versus other
• 1:15:31
  schools, I would I would say kind of the polar opposite
• 1:15:36
  because it's Arkansas so it's not necessarily Sexy for 18 year
• 1:15:43
  old kid that coming into the actually get you.
• 1:15:47
  Okay? So just thinking about when you
• 1:15:50
  think about destination spots and no one thinking about
• 1:15:54
  Arkansas mature as a destination spot, but I will say that The
• 1:16:01
  people that know, they know, I mean this is the one of the
• 1:16:05
  since in the last 10 years has been a top, five place to live
• 1:16:07
  in the US. And that's that's what I write
• 1:16:11
  as you as losing 41 top five season live in us.
• 1:16:15
  But, and I was like, that's for a lot of different reasons but
• 1:16:20
  just to just to be able to to, to understand that From a kiss
• 1:16:28
  that point, it's not a Callie, it's not a, it's not a Florida,
• 1:16:33
  it's not a Texas if you will. And and those kids are attracted
• 1:16:38
  to the big city or the beach or, you know, the West Coast
• 1:16:43
  lifestyle and son and so forth and they think at least in their
• 1:16:48
  minds that that's, that's a place to be.
• 1:16:50
  We know how social media goes and the cell ability of
• 1:16:54
  different programs, but I think it Arkansas.
• 1:16:57
  We've been able to develop our student athletes.
• 1:17:03
  I think that comes from the top down, I mean, lands and brand
• 1:17:07
  and so forth. I've been able to push Greenway
• 1:17:12
  was here. All those things were were
• 1:17:15
  vitally important. So if you go look at the all
• 1:17:18
  Americans and national champions, I would, I would
• 1:17:21
  venture to say we probably develop more athletes in terms
• 1:17:25
  of where they came out of high school.
• 1:17:27
  Cool. You need a program country terms
• 1:17:30
  of development. So we're coach the kids
• 1:17:33
  obviously. You got, you got to be able to
• 1:17:38
  identify talent and gave you got to be able to develop the talent
• 1:17:43
  and we've been fortunate enough to get the right kids for our
• 1:17:48
  program. So every kid is not necessarily
• 1:17:50
  going to be a fit for our program and that goes for every
• 1:17:53
  other program in the country of peace.
• 1:17:54
  And my pain I was in we want the best kids but I'm in high
• 1:18:00
  school. Number warranted.
• 1:18:01
  Sorry I'm in high school top 5 Seconds. so, From the outside
• 1:18:10
  looking in. Maybe they think that just
• 1:18:13
  because we host Nationals and we have great facilities and
• 1:18:17
  University of Arkansas and athletic program supports track
• 1:18:20
  and field because they really do a great job at that.
• 1:18:23
  But if until we get a kid on campus, they don't necessarily
• 1:18:28
  relax potential. They see the winning but they
• 1:18:32
  don't realize the potential, they were having to thee till
• 1:18:35
  they get here, you know I'm saying?
• 1:18:38
  And I think that's that's just something that makes Arkansas.
• 1:18:42
  So special and unique. But once we, once we get them
• 1:18:45
  here, they have a true appreciation for track and and
• 1:18:49
  appreciation that the community and the state has for track and
• 1:18:52
  field and the resources that the university and I learned
• 1:18:56
  apartment has put into trying to kill to make us and help us be
• 1:19:00
  successful. As we are, I like that you
• 1:19:03
  brought up the development piece, okay.
• 1:19:04
  That's kind of where I was going with that question because I
• 1:19:07
  love, you know, the arguments on on social media and Twitter
• 1:19:11
  where I live. You know that coaches today that
• 1:19:14
  the top coaches, the top programs are only interested in
• 1:19:17
  getting ready made product and I always push back and like you
• 1:19:21
  know, when we're talking about specifically in the SEC but just
• 1:19:24
  NCAA finals. Even, I don't know of any High
• 1:19:28
  School. Number one kid that comes in and
• 1:19:31
  is an SEC Champion based off of their High School marks only
• 1:19:34
  like the number one Sprinter guy in high school will typically be
• 1:19:38
  about 7th or 8th, maybe in SEC. Meaning, they got to get Coached
• 1:19:42
  up that you're still. The number one kid comes into
• 1:19:45
  Arkansas or who named the program, don't matter.
• 1:19:48
  They still got to get coach to be better than what they were,
• 1:19:52
  whatever their PR has, because it's in this conference and in
• 1:19:54
  this NCAA you don't just plug and play.
• 1:19:58
  You got to get better. So I like that you brought up
• 1:19:59
  the development piece. Yeah.
• 1:20:01
  And I think that all coaches in our programs, they develop.
• 1:20:06
  But I think we've had a, we've had a test ahead of us in terms
• 1:20:10
  of development. Coaching and being able to get
• 1:20:15
  everyone to click at the right time, you know?
• 1:20:17
  So women's program, we won five national championships in the
• 1:20:22
  last six, seven years, you know. So I mean with kids that I would
• 1:20:30
  say yeah but they wasn't necessarily the highest
• 1:20:35
  recruiting kids. So I guess it goes to really I
• 1:20:41
  should say. It goes back to our kids goes
• 1:20:43
  back to buy it in. We're just a navigates, we got a
• 1:20:47
  lab, get your water. I tell him I'm just a tour guide
• 1:20:50
  okay. How did the tour is going to
• 1:20:52
  pay? No, I will you let me guide you.
• 1:20:57
  Okay. To the destination.
• 1:21:00
  So those are things that are working and I think the
• 1:21:03
  leadership is very important and Coach Hart has been very
• 1:21:09
  instrumental in the autonomy of that.
• 1:21:13
  As pertains to how we operate and stroke.
• 1:21:16
  So his leadership style, it's probably a lot different than a
• 1:21:20
  lot, you know, he's more allowing you to do what's
• 1:21:26
  necessary within with within reason obviously To be able to
• 1:21:32
  get the athletes that you want. And then be able to coach of the
• 1:21:35
  way. You feel like you need coaching
• 1:21:37
  the best product out of that's what's gonna.
• 1:21:40
  So, you know, I want to talk about Lance because I love him
• 1:21:44
  and the transition before we get there, I just thought about
• 1:21:47
  this, you know, one of the other goals we have here Chris is to
• 1:21:50
  bring just immense value to people who listen, you know, and
• 1:21:53
  we've got the gamut from Club coaches High School, coaches
• 1:21:56
  college coaches, that listen here, so talking about that
• 1:21:59
  development. That we were just discussing
• 1:22:01
  their, what do you? It may be you can do it kind of
• 1:22:05
  in a number one, number two, number three and however many
• 1:22:08
  you want to attributes. You want to go there when you're
• 1:22:11
  looking for recruits, what are the attributes and their
• 1:22:15
  importance level for you? So I'm thinking, you know, maybe
• 1:22:17
  the most important, I don't know.
• 1:22:19
  I don't want to put your mouth. But, you know, maybe the most
• 1:22:20
  easy one is like, okay well, what time are they running
• 1:22:23
  today? But where do grades, where do
• 1:22:27
  training age their current training plan?
• 1:22:30
  Is that when, you know you've got, Arkansas has their
• 1:22:34
  selection, meaning, you know, out of the top, 100 kids at each
• 1:22:38
  event, a good percentage, wouldn't have some interest in
• 1:22:40
  Arkansas. So usually we have to pick.
• 1:22:42
  Okay, well, these are the only 10 I'm going to recruit and I'm
• 1:22:44
  only going to sign three. Can you get a help?
• 1:22:46
  Us is a coaches or an athlete is thinking, like I want to be
• 1:22:49
  recruited by in Arkansas. I'm fast.
• 1:22:51
  Why aren't they looking at me? And maybe it's because you have
• 1:22:54
  number two, number three, number four attributes that they don't
• 1:22:56
  have to talk to us about that. Well, I just think that in terms
• 1:23:01
  of recruiting obviously there's a lot of different ways to
• 1:23:03
  recruit a lot of different. Things to recruit by the number
• 1:23:08
  one thing, I think it's based off in need, okay?
• 1:23:12
  We don't do a lot of math, we don't mask, okay?
• 1:23:15
  And we're looking in terms of, we're recruiting to use that we
• 1:23:18
  really want and that we need to feel certain, you know, if it's
• 1:23:25
  enough within a program day and not to say that we're perfect by
• 1:23:29
  any stretch of imagination. So as a kid wants to be
• 1:23:32
  recruiting, we're not recruiter, doesn't mean necessarily we
• 1:23:34
  don't want them. Maybe we just haven't had time.
• 1:23:38
  To, you know, I mean it's a staff of three brushes step 6.
• 1:23:44
  So you know, it's not that they're not important, it's not
• 1:23:47
  did not did not did you kill him the program but we're very busy,
• 1:23:53
  recruiting coaching and managing a women's program and I think is
• 1:24:00
  very much benefit is beneficial as well but we want kids.
• 1:24:05
  That number one, they want to get Arkansas, obviously, did it
• 1:24:09
  talent but not just are talented.
• 1:24:11
  How much room do they have to grow?
• 1:24:14
  Okay, what is so what is a particular not just that how
• 1:24:18
  good they are right now? How much better can they be?
• 1:24:23
  And that's important. And then, you know, it's
• 1:24:26
  obviously different culture to look for different things.
• 1:24:29
  The size, the, the the, you know, mindset me myself.
• 1:24:37
  I like to talk to coaches. And then I like to talk to the
• 1:24:40
  coach to don't coach it on, like, talk to other coaches
• 1:24:43
  within the school district, or the club coaches.
• 1:24:46
  What kind of person is he? It's just, you know, obviously
• 1:24:49
  you compete against him. What are they like?
• 1:24:53
  Are they present themselves? You know, idly, good people not
• 1:24:57
  just really good athletes and I'm saying what happens if it
• 1:25:01
  doesn't go their way as I said, you know, me I like talk to the
• 1:25:05
  parents and it doesn't matter to me.
• 1:25:10
  They're single parents, you got both parents, none of that
• 1:25:13
  matters, and then how How driven is the kid?
• 1:25:18
  Okay, is kid driven. They have the ability to
• 1:25:21
  communicate his parents on all the Talking.
• 1:25:26
  What is the opinion of the kid? What do they really, really want
• 1:25:29
  out of the institution and not a running track?
• 1:25:34
  What is what they really want? Or they just You know, doing it
• 1:25:40
  because they're just good at, you know, do they want to be in
• 1:25:44
  situation and they want to be an Olympian?
• 1:25:46
  I think those students are worried whether they get to that
• 1:25:49
  point or not. I think they got to be very
• 1:25:51
  driven to be the very best at what they do, what they do.
• 1:25:56
  You know. And so obviously we have a
• 1:25:59
  limited number of scholarships as is the case with trying to
• 1:26:02
  field. So we got to get the right ones
• 1:26:04
  nose, right? Once got to get it done for us.
• 1:26:08
  Dude, those are the things that we look for here.
• 1:26:11
  What I look for and recruited athlete at Arkansas.
• 1:26:15
  I like that again, that observing that observing part of
• 1:26:18
  you of like a teacher, who's doing the majority of talking.
• 1:26:20
  Are you just letting the parents talk or you?
• 1:26:22
  You showing leadership and self-awareness and talking as
• 1:26:25
  they recruit? Yeah, I like that just kind of
• 1:26:26
  observation of just how do they interact with their it's a home
• 1:26:30
  visitor you know at the track meet or what not, it's
• 1:26:33
  interesting like that. Well thank you for that.
• 1:26:34
  I think that's a lot of value for people who are sometimes Not
• 1:26:38
  understanding may be why they're not being recruited or why am I
• 1:26:42
  not getting a full ride or all that kind of stuff?
• 1:26:44
  And hey I'm running. See you coach women so I'm
• 1:26:47
  running 13 flatten. The hundred why is Arkansas?
• 1:26:49
  I have a lot of potential. I'm only going to get better and
• 1:26:51
  it's like, well okay. Here's here's what it takes to
• 1:26:54
  make finals and you know, yeah and I think it's it's not any I
• 1:26:58
  guess right there because a lot of different factors going to it
• 1:27:02
  or they have a really good High School coaches, we having the
• 1:27:06
  club coach, I did develop. Or they get into the right meets
• 1:27:10
  to be seen, you know, nothing communication goes both ways of
• 1:27:14
  you interested in crude arcs or any other school for that
• 1:27:17
  matter. It doesn't hurt to send an email
• 1:27:20
  or what I mean the form. Twitter, Instagram, you got to
• 1:27:23
  be able to actively put yourself out there because there's a lot
• 1:27:28
  of competition now. I mean we also exposed to
• 1:27:31
  different countries outside of the US doesn't there's a gamete
• 1:27:36
  and like this. There's more ways to to see
• 1:27:41
  different athletes and more athletes and to be able to get
• 1:27:45
  to everyone. I wouldn't say it's virtually
• 1:27:47
  impossible because it makes it very difficult.
• 1:27:49
  No, no 100%. And that's what's great about
• 1:27:51
  our sport specifically and not know enough about college, and
• 1:27:55
  the different division are none of not knowing enough about
• 1:27:57
  football and their D1 D2 D3 and a I'll that but what track and
• 1:28:00
  field. First of all, there are some
• 1:28:02
  amazing coaches no matter what division you're talking about.
• 1:28:05
  There are some awesome Sprint's coaches on division to division.
• 1:28:08
  NAIA Juco. And so what's great is using
• 1:28:11
  that 13 flat hundred meter person.
• 1:28:14
  Maybe, you know, Arkansas isn't going to recruit that young lady
• 1:28:17
  but she goes to a junior college or any eye and maybe she does
• 1:28:19
  become 11 flat, that is not outside of the realm of
• 1:28:22
  possibility especially as you talk about going from 18 years
• 1:28:24
  old, 22 years old. Yeah.
• 1:28:26
  But that's what's great about it is that that kid will have the
• 1:28:29
  opportunity to get better somewhere.
• 1:28:31
  That's what I was just talking with a D3 coach last week and I
• 1:28:34
  loved his what he said when he talked about recruiting he goes,
• 1:28:37
  we're only Edie three when it comes time for conference and
• 1:28:40
  Nationals. But guess what?
• 1:28:41
  All my other meats are. I'm going to do this Division 1
• 1:28:44
  school for me. I'm going to this division to
• 1:28:45
  its we still get to compete against the Arkansas's and
• 1:28:49
  whatever's no matter where you end up going.
• 1:28:51
  So you have the ability to get better to improve and see the
• 1:28:55
  competition that you, you might need to hit those marks.
• 1:28:57
  That's what I that's what I just kind of love about track and
• 1:28:59
  field is it's not, you know, it's not D1 or bus.
• 1:29:03
  There are some amazing coaches. Go look at the D2 National
• 1:29:05
  media. I can't do there were some kids
• 1:29:07
  that To d3s that you were like, I could have used that kid
• 1:29:11
  absolute of Arkansas. And like I said, there's never
• 1:29:14
  an indictment on the kids, you know, potential and a a great
• 1:29:19
  point, do certain things. It's just hey, maybe you know,
• 1:29:23
  if you run this a you run 12 flat in high school, you want a
• 1:29:28
  scholarship in a sec, that's not an indictment that you don't
• 1:29:32
  think you good, but 12 flattens, not even close to scoring and
• 1:29:38
  The SEC level. Now, you might come in at 12
• 1:29:40
  flat. We've had two girls in the last
• 1:29:43
  five years, come in at eleven seventy five and one is 11780
• 1:29:48
  form around 11:00 s. Architect kids at that.
• 1:29:53
  So but to get a full scholarship 11:7 as you see it's probably
• 1:30:01
  going to be very difficult. Yeah most issues.
• 1:30:03
  I would believe most of see coaching with with agreed that
• 1:30:07
  that That's not going to Warrant a full scholarship because if
• 1:30:12
  you're not under 11:28 you probably you're not projected to
• 1:30:15
  make a final so I can't score, you know.
• 1:30:19
  So Always took his is not necessarily an indictment on
• 1:30:25
  where you are. If this is where you want to be,
• 1:30:29
  then you have to invest in yourself.
• 1:30:31
  In order to get to where you want to be and then obviously,
• 1:30:34
  we're going to reward, your kids are getting it done.
• 1:30:36
  Yeah. I love that.
• 1:30:37
  The way you keep saying that, it's not an indictment.
• 1:30:39
  As we sometimes, we get so caught up in the approval of
• 1:30:42
  others. And so, man, if SEC is not
• 1:30:44
  recruiting me of Chris at Arkansas is not recruiting me
• 1:30:46
  that then who am I me? I'm just not good enough.
• 1:30:48
  It's like, no, no, no that has nothing.
• 1:30:50
  That's not your identity at all. So I love that.
• 1:30:53
  It's not an indictment. Well, Chris, there's a lot of
• 1:30:55
  things changing specifically in the SEC, right.
• 1:30:58
  You know what? I coached at Mississippi State.
• 1:31:00
  We didn't have Texas A&M and me. Zuri.
• 1:31:02
  They came in after me. Thank goodness.
• 1:31:03
  So that conference it was a bloody nightmare.
• 1:31:06
  When I was in it, it got worse. And now coming up soon, Texas.
• 1:31:09
  And Oklahoma are going to come in.
• 1:31:12
  I don't feel like it. I would have any enjoyment at
• 1:31:15
  all coaching this. He see when those boys get in as
• 1:31:18
  well, because it's just crazy, crazy, crazy me.
• 1:31:20
  But another thing that's changing is, and we don't hear
• 1:31:24
  about this in track and field, very often sometimes we'll hear
• 1:31:26
  about this in football, but our good friend Lance harder, I'm
• 1:31:30
  very happy for him. He's Retiring, we should all be
• 1:31:33
  striving to retire. One day.
• 1:31:35
  Absolutely. Lance has the Hall of Fame,
• 1:31:37
  career, Hall of Fame passions and really all the same person.
• 1:31:43
  So he's retiring, which is amazing.
• 1:31:45
  I love that for him, I'm so excited for him and his family.
• 1:31:47
  I love that. And during that, I think it was
• 1:31:50
  just last year when that announcement was made, it was
• 1:31:53
  also announced that you my friend.
• 1:31:56
  I don't know if this is a good or bad.
• 1:32:00
  I know it's good but it's like, whoo boy.
• 1:32:01
  Boy, you are going to be the next woman's head coach at the
• 1:32:05
  University of Arkansas, first of all, congratulations, uh, worked
• 1:32:09
  towards something like this, so that's, that's big.
• 1:32:13
  It's obviously must be something that you strive for.
• 1:32:17
  Not everybody wants to be a head.
• 1:32:18
  Coach, not everybody should be a head coach because it has a
• 1:32:21
  whole different responsibilities and expectations and time
• 1:32:25
  commitments, at cetera. Start with where you are at
• 1:32:29
  today, that the transition is Curry.
• 1:32:32
  Right? So this doesn't happen until
• 1:32:33
  this fall right? Or I guess, maybe I'm sure.
• 1:32:36
  Okay, I will say maybe after ncaa's.
• 1:32:37
  Yeah, as soon as I said that. So this summer The, the official
• 1:32:40
  key will be handed over but it's being handed today.
• 1:32:43
  How are you guys now have a gating the transition at this
• 1:32:47
  point of the Year? Well right now I think it's
• 1:32:51
  pretty much status quo. Okay.
• 1:32:54
  Obviously the recruiting process will let you know who let the
• 1:32:58
  kids know that it's going to be a change in leadership.
• 1:33:02
  Lands is still very much the head coach at this point and
• 1:33:05
  he's running the program the way it sees fit but obviously we are
• 1:33:09
  all agreeable. What he's been doing is because
• 1:33:13
  50 plus years. So I think that you've done a
• 1:33:17
  phenomenal job and being able to coach, you continue to be
• 1:33:21
  successful at a very high level for a long time.
• 1:33:25
  So I think that's that that obviously leaves a blueprint on
• 1:33:29
  her face. Should be done and how he's done
• 1:33:33
  a great job. But obviously it's some point
• 1:33:37
  time this this time for change and I was easy to doing any.
• 1:33:41
  He, I think he looks very much forward to retiring.
• 1:33:46
  I can't speak for him, but also I think he's very much Stills
• 1:33:53
  into coaching women need successful.
• 1:33:57
  So obviously still have him around.
• 1:34:01
  In the community and helping out will be an advantage for me.
• 1:34:05
  But obviously, My Philosophy could be somewhat different or
• 1:34:08
  less than ours. He's done, but just having the
• 1:34:13
  resource there will be fantastic.
• 1:34:17
  So by the transition obviously it's I would say it's big but at
• 1:34:23
  the same time if it's not too much too quick, you know, it's
• 1:34:29
  we known this for some time. I'm all right.
• 1:34:32
  And the kids have bought into it and they understanding and
• 1:34:37
  they're very much happy. That it's one of our Basalt Zone
• 1:34:42
  if you will versus going out and getting someone with, there's a
• 1:34:47
  lot of unknowns that they know me here.
• 1:34:49
  Do they know the expectations that I have and they very much
• 1:34:54
  look like Everyone else and I mean we want to be successful,
• 1:34:59
  we want to do it the right way in terms of what we're going to
• 1:35:03
  do the program. I think the philosophy is very
• 1:35:06
  good. I made, we still have to have a
• 1:35:09
  huge presence in and in terms of distance and what we've done on
• 1:35:14
  that sort of thing, obviously the Sprint hurdles, we got to
• 1:35:19
  continue to be Successful and to be dynamic and to even get
• 1:35:25
  better. And obviously the pole vault in
• 1:35:29
  the Philippines. We got to, we got to grow some
• 1:35:31
  of those events and live better, you know?
• 1:35:34
  You see the transition of me come in and get also the
• 1:35:37
  transition with tastes of Oklahoma being being in SEC, you
• 1:35:42
  know, creates more more competitive environment.
• 1:35:47
  So, with that being said, you got always kind of take ahead of
• 1:35:51
  what they're doing and how they're going to change the
• 1:35:54
  dynamic of the conference and how we go to continue to be
• 1:35:57
  successful. And that creates that creates a
• 1:36:00
  lot of excitement, but it also creates a lot of work and being
• 1:36:05
  able to combat Those a lot of the top-notch program, something
• 1:36:10
  you read in your attitude, top 10 Capital programs, top five
• 1:36:15
  top three. You know, I'm saying, programs
• 1:36:18
  in the country to the SEC, which is already very, very, very
• 1:36:24
  difficult as it is right now. So, you know, it's, it's
• 1:36:30
  definitely something that you got to kind of think out and not
• 1:36:32
  rush into it and develop a plan that you feel like it's going to
• 1:36:36
  be successful. That's that's on me now
• 1:36:40
  obviously it was coaches Vision up until this point, but now
• 1:36:45
  taking over in July, it's got to kind of change to my vision.
• 1:36:49
  What I think would be best, are you taking advantage of?
• 1:36:54
  So there's things that the head coach does that the assistant
• 1:36:57
  coach does meaning. There's some meetings you go to
• 1:36:59
  there's, you know, maybe you have overall purview of the
• 1:37:02
  budget in the next year. Schedule.
• 1:37:05
  Have you started working into that specially?
• 1:37:07
  I mean Some things you got to do now, for next year, for
• 1:37:09
  Coronavirus, scheduling and Cetera.
• 1:37:11
  Are you starting to kind of like, okay?
• 1:37:12
  Lance, let me get more and maybe you already involved heavily in
• 1:37:14
  those aspects, but starting to learn that now, instead of just
• 1:37:17
  a July 1, here's the book, good luck.
• 1:37:20
  No, I mean, we've obviously scholarships and the budget and
• 1:37:26
  different meats and what we're going even working with Chris
• 1:37:31
  button. I'm in terms of day going to be
• 1:37:34
  some nice that we're going to go to as Arkansas men and This is
• 1:37:38
  what we've done traditionally house.
• 1:37:41
  They're going to be beneficial to both programs and and the
• 1:37:45
  home meet schedule. All those things play an
• 1:37:49
  intrical part in what we do and how we do it here and just meet
• 1:37:55
  with different. A DS and says to get it, get it,
• 1:37:58
  get ahead of things in terms of how we manage the budget, how we
• 1:38:00
  build a budget, and the nuances of track and field and how you
• 1:38:07
  got it. You know, scholarships and how
• 1:38:10
  we do those things in a more of an intimate level, I guess, in
• 1:38:14
  terms of how we're going to navigate those Waters as well.
• 1:38:18
  Obviously got in LA and ILS you say and how is it going to play
• 1:38:26
  a factor in recruiting, build a recruiting budget?
• 1:38:31
  Obviously, gonna what are you going to do to staff and playing
• 1:38:35
  those things out? What's going to be?
• 1:38:38
  Leslie was going to be best for this program and now you got to
• 1:38:41
  make some decisions that might be tough, but obviously the
• 1:38:46
  blueprint is there. Now I have to do to make those
• 1:38:49
  decisions, you know, you mentioned Arkansas has their,
• 1:38:53
  you know, you for a long time, been a very complete team.
• 1:38:57
  I mean, it's hard to find an event group that hasn't had a
• 1:39:00
  lot of success, right? Sprint's of hurdles multis
• 1:39:03
  throws, the Vault distance so it's not like you have to
• 1:39:09
  Completely recreate the program for Success.
• 1:39:12
  You just kind of kind of I say this, I say that very flippantly
• 1:39:15
  cuz it's this hard to do this, but continue to raise the level
• 1:39:18
  of distance and Sprints and throw.
• 1:39:21
  So I have to imagine you, tell me when it was announced that
• 1:39:26
  Lance was retiring and you are going to be the new head coach
• 1:39:29
  did. Every distance coach in the
• 1:39:31
  world. Call you like a man who, hey,
• 1:39:33
  you know, I'd love to plug in play right now because Lance is
• 1:39:37
  built. Desirable there, obviously.
• 1:39:41
  I know I've had a few coaches reach out, you know, try to get
• 1:39:44
  ahead of it but I think they respect it lands and what he's
• 1:39:49
  done and they gonna wait for that.
• 1:39:52
  I guess that peaceful transition of power for 4 days are reaching
• 1:39:57
  out. And obviously, that's a big
• 1:40:00
  show, some big shoes to feel it. Regardless of what division,
• 1:40:05
  what school stays been. Phenomenal job in terms of being
• 1:40:09
  a head coach but also the disa coach you know, you talking
• 1:40:14
  about 30 plus years you know in less amount of head coach you
• 1:40:18
  know SEC. Hey coach you your honors and
• 1:40:22
  National Coach of the Year honors and so forth and so on.
• 1:40:25
  So yes I think it's there's there's make shoes feel but I
• 1:40:30
  don't necessarily care like that, you know, i-i've got to be
• 1:40:34
  able to Do what's best for the program?
• 1:40:38
  Not, not compare myself to go Charter and what he does.
• 1:40:41
  If we if we get the right kids, we get the right staff and
• 1:40:45
  coaching and I think those things will take care of
• 1:40:48
  themselves. But being here and him still
• 1:40:52
  being here not to be around. I think will be helpful in a lot
• 1:40:57
  of different things. Well, I tell you for our Sport
• 1:41:01
  and specifically for Arkansas's program, I really like how they
• 1:41:05
  Handled this instead of necessarily going out and open
• 1:41:09
  it up, not that there might have been, maybe, you know, boo
• 1:41:12
  schexnayder taught me. That maybe there's a better
• 1:41:13
  person for that chair than you are for the kids in the program.
• 1:41:16
  But what I like about it is, they had a very successful coach
• 1:41:20
  right there on staff that had interest in being the head
• 1:41:22
  coach. Why why mess with it?
• 1:41:25
  Why you? I think you said earlier, you
• 1:41:28
  have a known product. So we know what, we know what
• 1:41:30
  Chris feels about the Arkansas program.
• 1:41:32
  We know how we recruit successful, you know how he
• 1:41:34
  coaches it successfully. You know, how he works with
• 1:41:36
  home. Meet scheduling donors, Etc.
• 1:41:40
  Like we know what's what Chris is here at Arkansas.
• 1:41:43
  We don't necessarily know who the necessary any other Prospect
• 1:41:46
  might have been for it. So I like that they they
• 1:41:49
  recognize consistency and rewarded it that in put you in
• 1:41:52
  the chair for next year. I just think that's good for the
• 1:41:55
  program and good for our sport in regards to the coaching
• 1:41:58
  profession. I mean, I think it's a very
• 1:42:02
  gracious in terms of what, you know, obviously what Lance's
• 1:42:05
  Push for, but obviously, iadies especially honey.
• 1:42:11
  Your check being able to entrusted to program with me and
• 1:42:17
  give me the opportunity to do that.
• 1:42:18
  So, a lot of situations they wouldn't do that.
• 1:42:22
  Sorry, kind of shows the investment.
• 1:42:24
  Not just in our program but investment in me as a yeah, I
• 1:42:28
  agree. That's yeah spot.
• 1:42:29
  Oh, you know, recognizing what I've been able to bring to the
• 1:42:35
  program. Am I think it's special?
• 1:42:37
  You know, sometimes that doesn't happen, you know?
• 1:42:40
  And they've entrusted me with this and, and had a ability to
• 1:42:45
  have a transitionary year. Right terms of, in terms of,
• 1:42:49
  celebrated coaching allowed kosher, do what he wants to do.
• 1:42:53
  And he's obviously, he's earned that but also give me the
• 1:42:56
  opportunity to not just dive in the kind of kind of slowly ease
• 1:43:02
  into the cold pool. If there is no I think that's
• 1:43:06
  Unbelievably important instead of clean day one, you're not
• 1:43:10
  your day. One is not day.
• 1:43:12
  One, your day was going to be 101, you've done a lot of these
• 1:43:14
  things. You've done most of these
• 1:43:15
  things. So it'll be much more of a
• 1:43:17
  smooth transition than a first-time, first day on the
• 1:43:21
  job, you know, you know, you know, where how to get to your
• 1:43:23
  office, you know, you got all that stuff done.
• 1:43:26
  You're just hitting the, you're hitting it, literally hitting
• 1:43:28
  the ground running going into the the 24 season with this
• 1:43:32
  transition. So I just thought, just super
• 1:43:34
  smart and, you know, I think it also, Of shows, Arkansas and the
• 1:43:37
  administration's like thought process for.
• 1:43:39
  Even the resources for Arkansas, black.
• 1:43:42
  Hey, you know what? We want to continue being
• 1:43:43
  successful? Well, we're not going to start
• 1:43:46
  all over with somebody in new programs new stamp.
• 1:43:48
  We have a great staff. We trust them.
• 1:43:50
  So, let's keep that staff momentum going forward.
• 1:43:52
  I just thought it was just brilliant for the, for the
• 1:43:55
  program in general, like, you'll be much healthier and 24 25 26
• 1:43:59
  then necessary, if you had just a new person Outsider coming in.
• 1:44:02
  So I just thought it was brilliant.
• 1:44:04
  Chris will wrap up. Up here.
• 1:44:06
  Today, I generally ask, what are you most looking forward to?
• 1:44:09
  What are you most excited about for this season?
• 1:44:11
  But I'm going to add a two-parter to that.
• 1:44:13
  So one, I'd like to know, what do you excited about here for
• 1:44:15
  the 2003 season? But also, what are you most
• 1:44:17
  excited about filling those big shoes.
• 1:44:20
  Those big thousand-mile running shoes that he has to be the head
• 1:44:24
  coach or kind of two-parter. What do you most excited about
• 1:44:26
  for this season? And what part about being the
• 1:44:28
  head coach? I mean, in terms of this season,
• 1:44:31
  obviously, I think we have, we have a really good team and
• 1:44:34
  being able to match Surmise what we have right now.
• 1:44:37
  So sometimes you look to the Future which is fantastic.
• 1:44:40
  And you got to, you got to do that.
• 1:44:42
  You got to set yourself up for the future.
• 1:44:44
  But in terms of the noun, I mean, we got some very talented
• 1:44:47
  kids. We've had that's, that was
• 1:44:50
  already on the team. We've had some very child to
• 1:44:52
  transfer the statement, we had a very successful first week so I
• 1:44:57
  just think it gives us the opportunity to see the potential
• 1:45:02
  right now. Let's go out and do our very
• 1:45:04
  best. Compete for this is the
• 1:45:06
  championship. Let's compete for a national
• 1:45:08
  championship but our best foot forward and see how successful
• 1:45:12
  we can be. But more importantly to sink
• 1:45:15
  coach off as a champion as a winner.
• 1:45:20
  I think it's it would be a special touch if we can get that
• 1:45:24
  done and how is it working hard for that but also the kids that
• 1:45:28
  we have currently in the program that worked hard to body and
• 1:45:33
  some of those are seniors now and juniors and the kids that we
• 1:45:37
  brought in and they've adapted to the way we do things of
• 1:45:40
  Arkansas to see. I mean obviously with kids
• 1:45:43
  transfer a transfer for a reason not necessarily - but they want
• 1:45:47
  to get better. You know, they wanted so being
• 1:45:50
  able to see them to a PR as a see them to to doing well at the
• 1:45:54
  SEC Championship, to see a Vie for National Championship in
• 1:45:58
  some individual events and and be in the top three possibly win
• 1:46:04
  Top Four Paws. With a national championship.
• 1:46:08
  Obviously, those things are difficult and no one's going to
• 1:46:11
  give it to you, but we feel like we got some key components of
• 1:46:15
  things, line up to possibly have that happen at least be able to
• 1:46:19
  put our best foot forward. And do is, do the best possible
• 1:46:22
  that we can respect to every other program is trying to do
• 1:46:26
  the same thing. Hmm, But I mean, I think that's
• 1:46:29
  just that year to be able to be able to do our very best with
• 1:46:34
  the extra incentive to to Cinco chowder, Championship fashion.
• 1:46:41
  I love it. What do you, what do you most
• 1:46:42
  looking forward to? As you transition to 23, 24 and
• 1:46:47
  transition? I think it's just be able to
• 1:46:49
  continue to do. What Arkansas does and being
• 1:46:54
  able to get the staff together? Obviously, get some get, some
• 1:46:59
  cohesion, which we already have. And Be able to continue, just
• 1:47:03
  to, to grow the program, grow the staff be and be successful.
• 1:47:10
  And this is not about Coach Johnson.
• 1:47:12
  This is the student athletes and and Arkansas.
• 1:47:16
  So I'm just a conductor on the train.
• 1:47:19
  I'm not, his life is not about me, it's about them.
• 1:47:23
  I'm the tour guide, the conductor of the train.
• 1:47:26
  I love that, man. You know.
• 1:47:29
  First of all, I love that, you know, your first reaction for
• 1:47:32
  Year was how do we send Coach harder out on top?
• 1:47:35
  Because that's what he deserves. And no matter what happens this
• 1:47:37
  year. He's a winner.
• 1:47:39
  You know, his career is winning. So I love that aspect of it.
• 1:47:43
  I'm just super excited to see growth and growth in you.
• 1:47:47
  So, it'll be exciting to see this year play out.
• 1:47:50
  And I think you guys do, you do have a lot of key people in key
• 1:47:54
  places, so it'll be interested in your right.
• 1:47:56
  You know, we forget winning is hard when an SEC Championship is
• 1:48:00
  hard, and sometimes we take it. For great Outsider, we take it
• 1:48:03
  for granted zico Arkansas. If they don't win it, that's a
• 1:48:05
  disappointment. Ain't no one else in that
• 1:48:07
  conference. You said it the best.
• 1:48:09
  No one's going to give it to you.
• 1:48:11
  Everybody else is fighting and clawing and to beat your butt
• 1:48:16
  and it's hard to win. So, it's exciting.
• 1:48:18
  When you guys do win and you have done you get a culture of
• 1:48:21
  it there in Arkansas. So I'm just excited for you to
• 1:48:24
  develop as a coach develop as a head coach.
• 1:48:26
  You know, you've got a lot of growth, you're a lifelong
• 1:48:28
  learner. You said so it'll be interesting
• 1:48:30
  to see how you were. Sitting in the head coaching
• 1:48:33
  position and how you grow as a coach.
• 1:48:35
  I'm just, I'm excited to kind of watch it from afar and have, I
• 1:48:37
  have the best seat of the popcorn.
• 1:48:38
  See, I just can't sit there and watch.
• 1:48:40
  Let's Chris do here. What's house this happen, man?
• 1:48:41
  It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'm just wishing you a ton
• 1:48:44
  of luck, my friend? Well, I appreciate it and house
• 1:48:47
  that I'm looking forward to it. And you could tell all the High
• 1:48:50
  School, coaches, and Club, coaches, and such, you know, hey
• 1:48:55
  said it City kids Arkansas. I heard every 11:7 becomes an 11
• 1:48:59
  flat kid is what I heard. So, We don't try, you'll be from
• 1:49:04
  a lack of trying. That's right.
• 1:49:05
  Exactly right. Well, Chris man, thank you so
• 1:49:07
  much for being here. You know, I know how busy you
• 1:49:10
  are. In fact, I don't know how busy
• 1:49:12
  our eyes know, you're extremely busy.
• 1:49:13
  You're right in the middle of season.
• 1:49:15
  So, you know, anytime a coach like you can give me time for
• 1:49:19
  our podcast here man. Just really does mean the world
• 1:49:21
  to me and says a lot about you and really just appreciate you
• 1:49:24
  being here today and sharing your journey with us.
• 1:49:26
  Well, we appreciate you guys. Appreciate you letting us and we
• 1:49:30
  continue to look forward to work with you.
• 1:49:32
  Awesome. I appreciate you very much.
• 1:49:33
  Appreciate you guys being here, listening.
• 1:49:35
  I hope you had a good time. I sure did.
• 1:49:37
  I love this guy and I can't wait.
• 1:49:38
  We're going to definitely do a part 2.
• 1:49:40
  Once he gets into that head coaching seat and gets a few
• 1:49:42
  seasons into them and come back and see like, hey, you know
• 1:49:45
  what, let's replay the tape. Here's how you thought it was
• 1:49:47
  going to go and not everything goes to plan.
• 1:49:49
  How did it actually go? But I have a feeling, you know,
• 1:49:52
  there's been a tradition of winning at Arkansas.
• 1:49:54
  Like I said before, Chris, it'll be up to Chris and I have a good
• 1:49:57
  feeling. It'll be with Chris.
• 1:49:59
  So thanks for joining us here this week, come back next week.
• 1:50:02
  Going to do it all over again and have another amazing person
• 1:50:04
  who chooses to be a track coach right here on the Gill
• 1:50:06
  connections podcast. Have a great week.
• 1:50:12
  Well, if I can get my mouse to turn it off, hold on.
• 1:50:16
  How to cut all this part out? What the heck, man.
• 1:50:18
  There we go.