Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / BONUS: Gill Connections LIVE at USTFCCCA 2023 Convention (Denver)

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BONUS: Gill Connections LIVE at USTFCCCA 2023 Convention (Denver) · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

0:08
I think I have to get Blake. I have to get him because he has
0:11
to get out for a thing. But you can be this is my this
0:15
is my captain. O captain, she she tells me
0:18
who's next coming in. So,
0:30
yeah, it's about 7:30. No, no, no.
0:34
We'll stop about 7:30 right after him.
0:38
I got to get him to. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:40
Hey, Carly, I need a red shirt to go next, please.
0:44
I just bumped someone that she just said was next.
0:46
I know, I know, I know. This used to be my boss, Mark.
0:49
So I got to, you know. All right, We're live.
0:55
So not not starting the interview.
0:57
Just let people and everything like that.
0:59
Yeah. I just didn't want you to say
1:01
something. Yeah.
1:03
I thought mine might be the cue. Yeah.
1:11
See, I was about to say something I probably shouldn't
1:12
say. Yeah.
1:14
Yeah. I've got a couple people.
1:16
No. No.
1:19
Yeah. I hope I I actually I can't find
1:23
it. It's really bothering me.
1:25
I I can't find one wire that would set up my mics and
1:29
everything, so we're just going to go live with background
1:33
noise. Hopefully they can hear.
1:34
I know, yeah, background noise is always there, but yeah, I
1:37
don't know, a little bit more. Than ambient noise.
1:40
It's really bugging me that that stupid wire.
1:44
Packed. I know it did.
1:47
I know it did. Which means it's sitting at the
1:49
desk with the studio, with the office.
1:51
Because I know I packed. All right.
1:57
So one more minute we'll get charged.
1:58
OK. It's about a lot of people.
2:06
But see yeah I always worry cause a lot.
2:08
You know no one shows up. These guys just laughing.
2:10
Nah, you feel you're. Not gonna have a hard.
2:14
Time feeling it? Yeah, I hope so.
2:16
Should be good this year. Live on Twitter.
2:28
Twitter there, Twitter here, YouTube here.
2:32
Right here, right here. We're ready to go.
2:34
Hey, welcome to the 2023. I just forget what year we're
2:38
at. 2023. Version of the Guild Connections
2:40
podcast live two places right here on YouTube.
2:44
And you know, I am always, always, always on Twitter and so
2:47
we're live, right, right over here.
2:49
I got to make sure my, my cameras are going here right.
2:52
They were live on Twitter as well.
2:53
If you want to check out at at Mike Cunningham over on Twitter
2:56
and we're back for another live edition.
2:59
It was such a hit last year. Everybody enjoyed being on the
3:02
show. I heard a lot of please, please,
3:04
please do it again. And so we're here, We're back in
3:07
Denver as well. We're just repeating everything
3:10
we've got. So appreciate you guys join us
3:12
here. You can join us in the chat If
3:14
you have questions. I'll try to read them to our
3:15
guest here as well, Twitter if you've got questions popping up
3:18
over there. And we'll, you know, we're just
3:19
gonna have another night of fun and coaches and just uplifting
3:22
and honoring the men and women that choose to be track and
3:25
field coaches because they are everything to what we do here at
3:28
Galifudyx, me personally, and then of course all of our
3:31
wonderful student athletes all around.
3:33
So we're going to start making this a tradition.
3:35
So two years means you got to do it next year in the.
3:38
Year. After we're starting with Well,
3:42
actually, let's have you induce yourself.
3:43
Please Sir. Sure.
3:44
Yeah. Blake Holden.
3:45
Franklin P Johnson Director of the Drake Relays in my 8th year
3:49
in Des Moines at Drake. Yeah.
3:51
It's going fast. Yeah.
3:55
And and you you talked about a lot of things that are the same
3:58
as last year Denver the Guild Podcast, but also same as last
4:02
year. We are the presenting sponsor of
4:04
the technical symposiums. Which?
4:07
Start here in in 25 minutes or less maybe.
4:10
And and just really. Thrilled to partner with US.
4:13
TFCC. A to celebrate and honor coaches
4:17
and the work that they do and that commitment to, you know,
4:21
USTFCCA always committed to innovating in this sport.
4:25
Of track and. Field and our event has done
4:28
that for 11 decades in the sport and in Iowa.
4:32
And so a national partnership and and of course continuing to
4:35
identify ourselves as a resource for coaches and also an
4:40
opportunity for athletes every spring and and start building
4:44
our track and field meet into their schedule in 2024 and in
4:48
2025 and every year from now it's all.
4:51
Eternity. So why you?
4:53
Know I understand why you're connected to the USTF.
4:57
It's in the name Ross Country and Track and Field Coaches
4:59
Association. And without our coaches and our
5:02
programs going to the Drake Relays, there is no Drake
5:05
Relays. There's no athletes, etcetera.
5:07
Why the technical symposium? You know, there's a lot of
5:09
things. You know, they have the Hall of
5:10
Fame banquet. We've got the Bowerman, a lot of
5:14
different avenues of what they do here.
5:16
For coaches, why did you pick, Why did Drake Relays pick the
5:20
technical symposium? Coaching education, Yeah,
5:22
coaches education is invaluable because that was what will
5:24
continue to element performances, improve student
5:27
experience. But really, more than that?
5:29
Or tactically Hall of Fame you mentioned?
5:33
Or the big luncheons? In.
5:35
In those large group settings, we may not necessarily be
5:39
talking to coaches we want to talk to.
5:40
And the coaches we want to talk to are coaches that are young
5:44
future leaders. And that's who's going to the
5:45
technical symposium, the Hall of Farmers.
5:48
They either have been or will come to the Drake Relays.
5:52
So the and the kind of the old guard, older generations of
5:58
coaches. They know what the Drake Relays
6:00
are. You know back in the 1960s with
6:02
Jim Ryan and Al Order and then all the way through the 70s and
6:06
just the the way college track and field Herschel Walker in
6:09
1981 as the Heisman Trophy winner running in a track meet
6:13
in front of 40. You know that year, probably
6:15
20,000 fans and standing room moments, that type of
6:19
excitement. And that's what you know about
6:20
the Drake Relays and and younger coaches.
6:24
Yeah, just the era of college track and field has changed.
6:26
So. Quickly that.
6:28
To continue to invest in areas where we can represent our
6:32
significance to the next generation of coaches.
6:34
So, like you and I have known each other for a long time.
6:36
I've known you since you were an athlete.
6:38
That's right. Yeah, a lifetime ago.
6:41
Cool talking to you on the phone when you know, I work with
6:44
Houston Franks now at LSU. And you know, knowing that you
6:47
were a sub four minute like that was so cool.
6:49
Like I'm gonna talk to a sub four minute mile.
6:51
I'm a sub four minute half mile on my best day.
6:54
My PR would have always enjoyed about you.
6:58
And like why I think our friendship has grown to, you
7:01
know, not just working in business with friends is you're
7:04
creative. You're always doing something.
7:06
You're always changing. Something.
7:08
What Anything that we're doing this year at the Drake Relays
7:12
different that we're going to see, that's going to be new
7:13
maybe for the first or second time, yeah.
7:15
So really this year is continuity.
7:17
As we talked about with Guild Podcast in Denver, the theme
7:21
would be continuity. We made wholesale changes a year
7:23
ago to the competition format and we're recommitting to that
7:29
and communicating this, the benefits of it because unless
7:32
you were there and you're Justin Sinclair, Nebraska, who wins a
7:36
Relay Cup and has world class performances at the field
7:38
events. Unless you're there to see it
7:40
and know that that the improvements of the format then
7:44
all the fundamentals are there. We have to preach the gospel and
7:48
educate people and and I'm hoping it serves as a model for
7:50
other meets because it will improve the format and the
7:54
competition performance opportunities for athletes
7:56
across the country. But what we?
7:58
Did a year ago, really can be a leading example now.
8:01
This is out of my wheel, so you tell me if I'm speaking here,
8:04
but I thought I saw the road mile.
8:07
Yeah. Was this is the first time we
8:09
had a road mile world record? Yeah.
8:11
And it was that, Drake. Yeah, that's right.
8:13
That's right. Yeah.
8:14
So it's separate from what we do here with the college coaches.
8:18
But yeah, the inaugural World Athletics One Mile World Record
8:23
was set in Des Moines for both. Men and women, Sam.
8:25
Frankel and Nikki Holtz both had terrific performances and and I
8:30
think it was a testament to our attention to detailed Des Moines
8:33
and how we go by doing everything that in 2023 prior to
8:38
the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Regal, Latvia.
8:41
No one paid attention to those. Details better than us.
8:43
Is is is probably the way to say it it.
8:45
Was terrific performances. On the day, but really our.
8:50
Team. Our volunteers, our officials,
8:52
our Drake Relays committee, our entire community and help we
8:55
renamed the city. Street.
8:57
World, Right. So it is.
8:59
It's an event that starts in. The stadium that is the.
9:01
Heart and soul of it, but it's something that's celebrated
9:03
throughout our entire community. And can you commit today that in
9:08
either? I guess 224 is probably already
9:10
set, so I'll give you 2025 that we can do a Masters road race
9:14
and we can see Blake Bolden come back to the mile on the road.
9:18
I will not commit to running anything right now sometimes.
9:22
When I get them live. I try to, you know, get on
9:24
record here. But Blake, you're having a good
9:26
time. Very much appreciate what you do
9:28
here. For USDA, I've got 100 random
9:31
questions, one through 100. You pick the number one through
9:34
104. Why #4?
9:37
You already said 4 minutes for the mile seem like a good number
9:40
to start with. Alright, well the topic is
9:43
annoyed. Lunch.
9:43
Do you subscribe to YouTube Premium?
9:46
And why should they stop asking me?
9:47
Every time I get on YouTube and YouTube on the phone, they're
9:49
always asking to subscribe. I'm not doing it.
9:51
YouTube. Yeah, I'm not subscribed and I
9:55
feel the same way. Yeah, every single time I open
9:57
the app on my phone. Yeah, I know we're live right
10:04
now. It's like a good salesman and
10:06
track and field equipment. Persistence.
10:09
Yeah, I try not to be that anymore.
10:10
All right, that's two things here.
10:12
Blake, since you have been a Guild Connections podcast alone,
10:15
you've been on the show. Thank you for that.
10:18
You get to flip the script. Only the loans are getting to
10:20
flip the script. You get to ask me one question
10:22
from live on YouTube. Yeah, well, live on YouTube put
10:25
you on the spot. That's right.
10:26
OK. Who are you?
10:28
Most hopeful sits down in one of these chairs.
10:30
In the next two hours. Yeah, you know, this is going to
10:33
sound like. You got to pick a favorite.
10:35
But. You can't stay political.
10:36
No, because close to 250 episodes, which means I've had
10:41
over 250 coaches to sit down with us.
10:44
Everybody from Drake Relays directors to Mouse Holloway to
10:48
D3 coaches, junior college coaches, middle school.
10:51
I had a high school coach in Kentucky who ran a track meet at
10:54
his high school with no trap. He he did the shot put out of
10:57
the out of the baseball field. He had one lap in his parking
11:00
lot, so he did the one lap race. To me and.
11:04
This is the reason why we started the podcast.
11:07
Everybody, Everybody's journey, no matter what's on their shirt,
11:10
it's really, really important. So, since I know you're not
11:13
going to let me cop out, that here's where my real.
11:15
That's a great answer. But it's not.
11:17
Here's my real answer. I I now again going into our
11:19
fifth season here starting in January.
11:21
I I continue to get this sense of responsibility of capturing
11:25
people's stories the whole journey, as you know, right.
11:29
And so I start seeing these coaches like a Lance Harder and
11:32
George Williams who has been on the podcast that, you know, I
11:36
feel a little bit of a responsibility of let's get
11:39
their story on that. So that younger coaches 10
11:42
years, 20 years, 30 years from now will be able to go back and
11:44
find out how did the Lance Harder make it.
11:45
How did the George Williams think that's who I would really
11:51
that would be awesome. Yeah, I'd like we do have a
11:54
gift. We do have a gift everybody
11:56
tonight and only people who sit down in the hot seat get a
12:00
custom fan. Look at this.
12:02
A custom Gill Connections podcast.
12:06
Christmas or no one else is going to get it unless you sit
12:08
down. Blake is just our little
12:09
president. Say, thank you so much.
12:10
Thank you. Go and introduce so much,
12:14
people. Thanks, Blake.
12:18
All right. That was awesome, man.
12:20
Blake has been our first 1-2 years in a row and we had to
12:24
have them on here again. So we're just going to keep the
12:26
train rolling. This one might get off the rails
12:29
here. Let's start with please
12:31
introduce yourself, Sir, and you have to speak up a little bit,
12:37
Act like you're not on the track and you know, yelling out four
12:40
by one splits and 4 by 4 splits and things like that.
12:43
Speak up a little bit for. All right.
12:47
What are you doing here? What I mean by that is you have
12:50
come to a lot of things, right? How many years have you gone to
12:53
USTFCCA convention? Whenever they started, I've been
13:02
each one. So you've been to when they're
13:04
very small and now they're very large, like we're having
13:08
problems finding places to host these.
13:10
The USTF, CCA staff, it's just an amazing job of creating value
13:14
that so many coaches are coming. So with this many years in a row
13:18
what are you looking for? What are you doing here?
13:20
Is there a speaker that you really want to are you speaking
13:23
this year? But you know, I got to watch you
13:25
and and do an amazing. Job, what are you?
13:27
Here, for what value are you getting out of the convention?
13:31
I think actually the value that I'm getting is it's a real
13:37
strength of yours already today I've had a couple of high school
13:42
coaches. We're looking to try to get into
13:44
college coaching, so I think it's time to.
13:47
Start paying and. We.
13:49
Were talking about we were out in our profession because.
13:53
Back then. All right, Several times.
13:56
That's right. So that's a great question.
13:59
That's a question I get quite often.
14:02
What advice would you give to a high school coach that says I
14:06
want to coach college because it's amazing I want to be in the
14:09
college level? What advice would you give?
14:11
Well, definitely reach out. We don't know who they are a lot
14:15
of times, but. They just contact us and it's
14:19
again, not just anything. So you know, and so you know you
14:24
have to turn over. A lot of.
14:25
Stones like that opportunity, but don't give up.
14:31
I think we talked one time I I got into the profession as Agai
14:36
said 100 handwritten letters. And.
14:44
You know what I I love one of the many, many goals that we
14:47
have with the podcast. One of them is to bust myths Or
14:50
like the Myth Busters, right? And I do love working towards
14:54
busting the myth that a high school coach can't coach on the
14:57
college level for all these different reasons, right?
14:59
They don't have to recruit. They don't know how to run a
15:03
college. You know, AP and LS that, you
15:05
know, budget and things like that.
15:06
And then I get these amazing coaches like yourself on the
15:09
podcast and it's like, Oh yeah, I started coaching high school
15:11
first. Like we had Chris Johnson, now
15:14
women's coach, head coach at Newbridge, Arkansas.
15:17
And he started as a high school coach.
15:18
And it's like, well, wait a minute.
15:20
If all you guys started out as high school coaches, why can't
15:23
we have high school coaches move up to the next?
15:26
Yeah, no doubt, man. It used to be, you know, college
15:30
coaching, the. Best high school coaches became.
15:33
Yeah, and I've. Seen this whole career.
15:37
Best coaching in this country because that's the grassroots
15:42
they're taking. They're getting the athletes
15:44
out. There.
15:45
And and so, you know, I've always been a firm believer, but
15:49
I want to hire somebody. Who has less?
15:51
And still. Successful because.
15:54
Given the right resources. I think they.
15:56
Can do some special things, yeah.
15:59
Still sneak peek in January as we kick off our fifth season on
16:03
the podcast, by the way, which is just bonkers to say out loud.
16:07
We're going to start the year with a special Baylor 4 by 4
16:12
series. So we're going to do 4 Baylor
16:14
coaches in a row, 4 Baylor alums in a row.
16:17
So we kicked it off. The first one will be Michael
16:20
Ford, then we go Jeremy Warner and then we go David Hodge and
16:26
then we anchor with Clyde. And it was awesome to hear Clyde
16:30
story. And you guys will get to hear at
16:32
the end of January about where he started, how he started and
16:35
was a high school coach. That's right.
16:39
Yeah, that's exactly right. Okay, someone out there, Jim, is
16:45
thinking about coming to this convention.
16:47
They just can't hold the trigger for many other reasons, right?
16:49
Maybe it's, you know, it's expensive to come to Denver next
16:52
year. I think we're in Orlando.
16:53
It's expensive to the hotel being away from friends and
16:55
family during the, you know, kind of holiday time period.
16:58
What, Convince them to come next year?
17:01
Someone who's never been? But I'll tell you.
17:03
That Sam sees in his committee, his staff, they.
17:06
Put on a. First class program for us.
17:09
And yeah, it might cost a little bit of money, but the amount of
17:12
resources. They put into this banquets all
17:16
the different good meals, technical symposiums and just
17:20
for professional development. Just the opportunity to have
17:24
fellowship is well worth the cost.
17:27
Yeah, that's why I come every. Year is that I look.
17:31
Forward to It's always one of the highlights of my car.
17:33
It's my Superman baby. How many, on average and new
17:37
people do you think you walk away?
17:38
No. After a week like this, yeah.
17:43
Easy. And you've been now a dozen and
17:45
you've been coming a long time. A newbie is going to walk away
17:48
with 20304050. Heck, if you're open to it, you
17:53
you easily meet 100 people but actually really care about what
17:56
you're doing as a coach with high school, junior college.
17:59
Incidentally, NAIA doesn't matter.
18:01
This is really, I really do consider like my my Super Bowl.
18:04
Man, I love this week. It's a Gear Up for every single
18:07
year. Yeah, we're all here for one
18:09
reason. That's it.
18:12
And we want to do what we. Can to make it more better And
18:16
so I think we're just going to be around a lot of lot of
18:19
painting and so if you have a passion it's just it's just
18:22
still so it's yeah it's it's something that I just just feels
18:29
grateful that I started on the at the beginning of it and
18:32
continue with that and we appreciate again everything you
18:41
do. That's.
18:44
Right, people. First, it's people who choose to
18:46
be a coach, not coach. A couple of fun things.
18:50
I've got 100 random questions. Remember this last year, One
18:52
through 100. You can't pick the same number,
18:54
whatever that was last year. OK, number four line #4.
18:59
That's my favorite. Number All right, good.
19:01
All right, so topic is annoying much?
19:03
Do you subscribe to YouTube Premium?
19:05
And why in the heck would they just stop?
19:07
Stop asking me? I'm not subscribing to YouTube
19:09
Premium. Well, you know me too well.
19:12
He. Said that I was like, Oh yeah,
19:15
we won't mind asking, yeah, he does not subscribe to YouTube
19:21
Premium. We just got him to not print out
19:24
emails and ask someone else to respond.
19:26
I'm very proud when you emailed me.
19:28
It means all right because you're a Guilt Connections
19:31
podcast alum. Thank you for being on the show.
19:33
We get to flip the script. You get to ask me one question
19:36
unprepared here live. I want to.
19:38
Join you on. Saturday you're having your
19:42
football, get together, food, menu, games and everything.
19:49
That looks like a lot of fun. You know, I'm a college football
19:52
fan first, last second. I don't watch NFL baseball,
19:56
hockey, all this kind of stuff. And my wife is really love her
19:59
to that blombed onto that. So I have 13 events a year
20:03
roughly, you know, and we have an absolute blast.
20:06
And Troy's going to a ball game so you know you can't beat that.
20:08
Me and Sean Wilburn are going to get the the boxing squared.
20:12
I did that with Cream St. council last year to be played
20:14
UTSA and it's the most scared I've ever done.
20:17
I was like cream you know we're playing.
20:19
I mean he was like like I was like did he used to box because
20:21
he he's into he's into all right Jim what we're doing this year
20:25
only for people who sit down here in the hot seat to say
20:27
thank you. Small token, more appreciation.
20:29
You're getting a custom Guild Connections podcast Christmas
20:32
one. There we go.
20:34
For when he's going to put this on.
20:35
For one of, like, your 5 Christmas trees.
20:36
I know you have more than one. I know you have more than one.
20:40
Thank you so much, man. Appreciate.
20:44
You know, when you're in this business long enough, you, you
20:47
find friends and. Yeah, yeah.
20:49
Come on, come on, come on. You're the you're the
20:53
ringleader. Well, who's next?
20:58
If you got to, you got to, you got to work the crowd and figure
21:01
out who's going to be next. And you know there's a lot of, a
21:04
lot of elbows and demand. A lot of demand, a lot of
21:07
demand. Why don't we start here with our
21:09
next guest. Appreciate him being here.
21:11
Introduce yourself to Brian Ruggles.
21:14
I am the head boys track and field and cross country coach at
21:17
North Oldham High School which is in Ocean.
21:20
Kentucky. Which is basically in
21:21
Louisville, KY, and Brian, Yo. If I were to pull 100 coaches
21:27
that walk by here tonight, 97 of them were going to be a college
21:31
coach. I've always thought that this
21:34
opportunity is maybe greater for high school coaches for a lot of
21:37
funnily educational reasons, but networking reasons such a What
21:40
are you doing here this year? Two main reasons.
21:43
First, first and foremost is education.
21:46
So I took the Sprint circles Greenland class of the 1st 2
21:51
with Tommy and Vince and GABA. And then I'm also also possibly
21:57
or we're probably looking to make a transition into college
21:59
coaching. So you know just hoping to meet
22:02
some people and learn some things about college coaching
22:06
how to start everything. So I think you're probably no
22:09
better place meeting of hundreds of college coaches.
22:12
Yeah. When they're not at the tracks
22:14
just out about their athletes and exactly, exactly.
22:17
And obviously there's a lot of great seminars and things
22:21
throughout the next year. So I'll still be learning if
22:23
that's going on. So and and why you know you've
22:26
been a high school coach for a long time doing a really really
22:28
fantastic job. Why the idea of going on to to
22:33
the college? It's just kind of the next
22:34
progression of, you know, learning.
22:38
You know, I'd love to go to a place obviously where I can
22:41
provide value and also to learn. You know, I'm mostly a running
22:45
bitch. And so a lot of times as a high
22:48
school coach, it's hard. I can't do everything.
22:51
And so I focus and try to make sure that I don't do myself too
22:55
much. And I've got some good assistant
22:57
coaches that have on most of the field events.
22:59
And so, you know, really good coaches have exactly, exactly.
23:04
And so it'd. Be nice to kind of state.
23:06
Take a. Step back in that manner and be
23:08
able to kind of be off to the side a little bit so.
23:13
Then also I have. 4. Boys and My youngest boys is in
23:17
your high school, so as far as when the time they transition,
23:21
this is probably the time. But I've been doing this for
23:23
I've been in our home for nine years.
23:24
So it sounds like you're describing like a midlife
23:28
crisis, but this is a good midlife crisis.
23:31
You want to buy the expensive car that you really shouldn't be
23:33
buying or, you know, picking up Pamplin or whatever.
23:36
Exactly. This is like a healthy midlife.
23:38
Yeah. I think.
23:38
I think if. Yeah.
23:39
I think if you could give my wife a list of midlife crisis,
23:45
this would probably be higher, better on the list.
23:47
Yeah. Stay at home and take care of
23:49
her. I'm sure.
23:49
Sure. It's not.
23:50
It's not number one. Yeah.
23:52
Yeah. But that would be a crisis.
23:55
OK. Well, Brian, you know, you and I
23:56
have spoken a lot before the connection here.
23:59
So I know you a little bit. You seem to be a very smart guy,
24:02
like a guy who like even makes list and checks off the list.
24:06
So I have to assume, you know, you've got the itinerary of the
24:10
USTC and all the different right there and you can't.
24:14
I'm going to give you a little bit of a rule.
24:15
You can't say the one you've already done with the coaching
24:17
education. There was some talk or meeting
24:20
or a bit Hall of Fame down in that you were like, I'm not
24:24
missing this. This is the one thing I'm not
24:26
missing besides sitting down here on the gate connections.
24:28
Yeah. Yeah.
24:29
Yeah. Besides that, the one thing I'm
24:32
not missing. OK.
24:35
I would say probably who's got two farms and I'm probably.
24:40
I'd probably have to say that maybe the Power men is.
24:42
Yeah. Yeah.
24:44
So have you studied the, the three candidates for the
24:47
Bowerman? I'll be honest with you, I have
24:49
not. OK.
24:50
So I can't. I was going to put you in the
24:54
spot who who you thought might win.
24:55
Yeah. It's it's like impossible by the
24:58
way. Yeah, I mean it really is all
24:59
six, the three guys and three women are just, I mean just
25:02
nuts. It's like, I mean of course
25:04
they're win. Whoever wins, it's like of
25:05
course, but of course another person.
25:07
It's amazing, right. Well, in 11, the times and marks
25:10
that are coming out of college recently are wait a minute and
25:16
you want to get up in that mix. Hey, you know you.
25:19
And I'm tired, but you know. And why doesn't right?
25:22
Press your mix documents. Yeah, yeah.
25:25
All right. Right.
25:26
We've got a little fun here. I've got 100 random, and I mean,
25:29
they're random questions here. You get to pick the number 33.
25:34
Why 33? I don't know.
25:42
It's a third. It's a third of 100.
25:46
All right. I love rainbows.
25:47
What's your favorite color? My favorite color.
25:52
Oh, man. I will go with red.
25:57
Is that right? Not because.
26:01
Because it's you around right now.
26:02
Because. It's you.
26:03
You know, I don't know. That's just what comes.
26:05
To mind. It's just one of those things.
26:07
Like, I probably decided maybe I wanted to be a firefighter.
26:10
Yeah, so I don't know. Red's my favorite color as well.
26:15
And for being on the show tonight and only people who are
26:18
on the show, It's not a a convention giveaway.
26:20
It's only the people that didn't.
26:21
Actually. You've got an exclusive custom
26:25
Gill Connections podcast Christmas ornament for your
26:28
treat today this year. Thanks.
26:29
Very much all. Right.
26:30
Thank you for being here, man. Hey if there is someone that you
26:33
are just just burn into meat that you know is here and I can
26:37
help you by making an introduction.
26:39
There's a reason why it's to build connections podcast you
26:42
reach out and I'll do everything in like that I will do that.
26:44
I really thanks again appreciate you.
26:46
Yes Sir, it's awesome. I'm telling you you know high
26:49
school coaches need to be at this convention next year.
26:52
I'm 100% sure that it's in Orlando.
26:56
And so I would hope to see a bunch of coaches in the Florida
27:01
area, but really across the country.
27:03
I know it's a tough time with where it is with the holidays
27:05
and Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, but where is the
27:08
better place to go than Orlando, right, Because you go to Disney,
27:11
bring your family, spouses, etcetera.
27:14
So Speaking of mouses, we have our next guest already lined up
27:18
here, ready to go. See, It's all about the
27:20
transitions. That's that's why I get paid the
27:22
big podcasting bucks here. Speak up loudly and introduce
27:26
yourself. Eric Kramer, the Sprint circles
27:29
coach at Grand Valley State University.
27:31
Eric, I have known you since you were how old freshman in high
27:35
school. At least I don't.
27:36
I don't have to say, like, you know, I changed your Bible.
27:39
Like, at least you're in high school.
27:42
Yeah. Yeah.
27:43
And you know your most positive quality and you've got many.
27:48
Well, your most positive is your wife real honest with you?
27:53
But your second one is your resilience that you know I
27:55
worked with you in some camps and things like that and yet you
27:58
still kept going in the track. You within the coaching track
28:02
and field didn't let me deter that.
28:04
So you're obviously a very strong young man.
28:06
Thank you, Eric. Grand Valley State, which is
28:11
awesome because we have a a new teammate that started this year.
28:15
He's at Grand Valley State alone as well.
28:17
Talk to me about, you know, you've been at a couple
28:19
different programs. You've done very well at each
28:21
one. What makes Grand Valley just a
28:24
little different? You know, it it's one of the
28:29
things is our head coach, Jerry Baltus, you know?
28:34
And it's it's easy to say, you know, hey, it's my boss.
28:36
I better kiss his butt a little bit, but my boss is great too.
28:40
But the reality is, is that the thing that he does very well is
28:45
he allows his. Coaches.
28:47
In the event groups, to be kind of like head coaches within
28:51
their event. And so I get to do whatever I
28:54
want to do with my Sprint group. If I want to go to a certain
28:56
meet, as long as it's OK in the budget, he'll approve it.
29:01
If he think, if I think that it's going to be what's best for
29:03
my sprinters or hurdlers, he's going to be OK with it.
29:06
I just have to arrange. Everything.
29:08
But what he allows us to be our own people and be the be our own
29:13
coach and just as long as it fits within the major umbrella
29:17
of what his vision of the program is, we're good to do
29:20
whatever we want to do. Now, Grand Valley has had a lot,
29:25
has a lot of good coaches that we have there now and has had a
29:29
lot of good coaches. And I mean, there's just, you
29:33
know, you know, I love you. So there's a serious question
29:37
this time. What do you think was the reason
29:40
he hired you? The reason I say that is I have
29:43
to assume a guy like JB had a program like Grand Valley had a
29:48
lot of options and and I don't even want to call it luckily you
29:51
got it because you urn and deserve it.
29:54
What do you think was the defining quality that he was
29:57
like, oh, this is my God. I think it may have been two
30:02
things. One was my history with I I had
30:07
met Jerry and Lou probably the early 2000 Tens when I was doing
30:11
my graduate work. We were in the same conference
30:15
and my sprinters were beating their sprinters and I think they
30:20
that was what kind of maybe put me on their radar.
30:23
And then when I was at UW Milwaukee we would bring our
30:26
sprinters over for the big meet and would run and did very well
30:32
there and we had a lot of success.
30:33
And so I think that was being able to have that connection and
30:38
and having conversations with them just as a a peer coach and
30:42
getting advice and you know, the the ability to just walk up to
30:46
them. So personable, all of the staff
30:48
there. I knew right away when the
30:52
position came open that I wanted the job because I knew how
30:56
outgoing the coaches were, how personable they were, how much
30:59
supportive they were for me. And.
31:02
I knew they were going to be that way for athletes as well.
31:05
And the second being my wife is the head coach at Calvin
31:08
University. It's her alma mater.
31:12
We're going to be there for a while, I hope.
31:15
And so the the idea would be that there will be some
31:19
continuity with if they bring me in, I'm going to be there for a
31:25
while. I'm not looking to go to the
31:27
next new one. Job in the next.
31:29
Position somewhere else. My my alma mater is closed, so I
31:32
have no desire to go coach at my alma mater.
31:35
So yeah, I think that plays with the two big fans and JB strikes
31:39
me. In fact I use him for some
31:41
reason. I picked him as my example.
31:43
When I talk about the leadership that coaches exude and and I
31:48
think sometimes coaching sports is less about XS and OS and more
31:52
about leadership with the athlete.
31:54
And so I've used JB on the podcast as an example several
31:57
times that I think clucked JB off the track and cross country
32:01
and made him coach hockey. Now he may be a huge hockey guy,
32:04
I don't even know, but I'll try to pick a sport I didn't know.
32:06
The Cubs fans of baseball. Yeah well I'm trying to sport.
32:09
He has no idea about, yeah, I bet you you could put JB in
32:12
charge of a hockey team not knowing the access of those in
32:15
the plays. And I think because of his.
32:16
Leadership, style and skill, they would be pretty good, you
32:19
know? Too much.
32:20
He had lasted a time. Yeah, yeah, I still haven't seen
32:24
that. I know.
32:25
But he strikes me as the type of person that always has a list
32:29
of, like, I saw this guy because I bet you were on the list.
32:34
But it was like, oh, I have a position open.
32:37
Well, Eric Gramer, I've seen him and we know him like we should
32:40
be looking at him as well. Yeah, well, you are certainly
32:45
the beneficiary of that type and I'm sure he had, you know, the
32:50
the always looking for the next coaches and will deserve on
32:53
that. So here we are.
32:54
We're in Denver again, right. What are you looking forward to
32:58
the most the dinners. I'm, I'm a foodie, so the the
33:05
the dinners every night. I love that.
33:08
But obviously education, I think, you know symposiums
33:11
tonight, if there's one tonight and a few tomorrow and and
33:16
Wednesday as well. I I look forward to those.
33:19
You know, I may sit in one and just have my notebook out and
33:23
not ever really write anything down, but if there's one thing I
33:25
can take away from each one, I feel like then it was a a
33:28
beneficial thing. And that that's always my advice
33:33
when young coaches or former athletes that are looking to
33:36
get. Into coaching.
33:37
Come to the convention because you're going to learn so much,
33:42
especially. Early on as a young coach.
33:44
And I I know I would not be at Grand Valley if it weren't for
33:48
the coaches Academy and the the symposiums and all of those
33:52
things, because I learned a lot. And have you learned where the
33:56
karaoke spot in Pittsburgh, Kansas is?
33:59
Not yet, but I I'm gonna find it out.
34:02
Alright, let's have a little fun here.
34:03
I've got 100 questions. They're all kind of random,
34:05
wacky questions. You get to pick the number.
34:07
I get to ask the question 87. Why 87?
34:09
That was my high school football number.
34:11
That's usually the answer the guys give 87.
34:15
Sweet or savory. What's your favorite dessert?
34:18
Savory, for sure. Gosh for.
34:23
Dessert. That's tough.
34:28
I don't usually get dessert. If I do, it's usually like fruit
34:33
but sweet. But yeah, that's a sweet.
34:35
But I I would say like the big one in the holidays.
34:38
Pecan pie. Dude, I thought you were going
34:40
to say fruit cake. And we were about to end this
34:42
right now. No pecan pie would.
34:44
Be you would do. Well, in the South, yes.
34:46
OK And we get one more special bonus for you because you've
34:51
been on the podcast You're Guilt Podcast alone.
34:53
You are our first double. So you and your wife Nicole and
34:59
we got to talk about two, you know, spouse, spouses that are
35:03
both track coaches. So it was very educational.
35:05
I really do appreciate that. We get to flip the script
35:07
tonight. You get to ask me one question
35:11
completely unrehearsed. No one knows we're doing this.
35:12
So as he thinks about that question, it's a little risky
35:15
for me, but I don't think you grow without risk.
35:18
And you know, I've noticed in 17.
35:19
I'll just kick him out here real quick if he goes able all along
35:22
with you. Remember.
35:24
And this it's more of a. Question.
35:27
To me. But do you remember in camp, the
35:30
one thing that you taught me that I was doing wrong?
35:33
Oh my gosh. You know, first of all, I'm sure
35:36
there were so many. There was a lot.
35:38
It was really hard. Remind me the number of steps I
35:42
was taking. What were you doing?
35:45
I was 7 stepping. Were you really?
35:47
Which is like the. And I was not A7 stepper, which
35:49
is the cool thing to do. Yeah.
35:50
Like I've seen, like, you know, I've always on Twitter big
35:53
discussions about like, hey, how do I get my kid to seven?
35:56
I'm like you killed. The people can.
35:58
Do that. I got one and I've had multiple
36:01
guys. That have gone on the.
36:03
Trials and all that. You know, I do remember that now
36:06
that you said that in pictures on the Indiana University track
36:09
and I probably went off like, what are you thinking?
36:12
We were setting up the blocks and and I set up the blocks and
36:15
they were like, wait, what's your lead leg?
36:17
What are you doing here? And then alright, show me that
36:19
you can do this. And it was just, and I'll never
36:25
forget it. And then that's why that next
36:28
year I dropped a full second in my one time, all because of
36:31
this. And then I was like, no more
36:34
coaching. Just stop when you're at the
36:35
top. I'm done.
36:36
I'm done. Well, I'm glad that worked out
36:38
for you, man. I'm glad your question was to
36:40
show that I have no memory at 47 years old.
36:43
Appreciate that, Eric. Thanks for being on the show.
36:45
Everybody who sits in the hot seat today and only the people
36:48
that sit in the hot seat get a custom Guilt Connections
36:52
Christmas for your Christmas tree night.
36:54
Like, heard you interviewed my brother as well.
36:57
I did. I'm glad you brought that up
36:59
because if you're listening, we have a like, I'm super excited
37:03
for this. We're building up the excitement
37:05
because it's not going to happen until April and May of 2024.
37:07
We went out and found a high school coach in every single
37:10
state, including new Washington, DC and his brother was the
37:14
Indiana representative and did an amazing job.
37:17
And what we did was we went out and found them and talked to
37:19
them for about twentyish minutes about how you qualify for the
37:22
state, meet in your state. And let me tell you what, boys
37:24
and girls buckle up. It is so Alabama through
37:27
Wyoming, all 51, including DC. It is radically different across
37:33
the country. So TuneIn in April and May every
37:36
day, starting with Alabama all the way to the end of May with
37:39
Wyoming. You're not going to miss it.
37:40
And your brother was an absolute rock star.
37:42
I look forward to listening. It was awesome.
37:44
It was awesome. Eric, thanks for being here.
37:48
If you watching here and you see my hat, you know we're in
37:50
Denver. So you know, I learned from
37:52
Coach Crime that I ain't hard to find.
37:54
So I had to go get the hat since I was coming here to Colorado,
37:57
ready for the next one here. Why don't you introduce yourself
38:00
and speak up with all the the loudness here.
38:03
Shane Brookshire from Frostburg State University.
38:06
Shane. It's kind of a.
38:08
Odd question. I would ask them to kind of kick
38:10
off each interview. What are you doing here?
38:13
What I mean by that, Let me explain a little bit.
38:16
You know, there's a lot of different things that go on
38:17
during this week. All amazing things, right from
38:19
Hall of Fame dinner at Bowerman Symposiums, the kind of
38:24
executive committee meetings, things like that.
38:27
What are you doing? What are you?
38:29
What's your goal? Well, I'm the conference Rep for
38:32
the Mountain E for the Executive Cross Country Committee, and so
38:35
I've been. Going to all those meetings.
38:37
But also just trying to soak in all the symposiums this year
38:41
they get to go to very many last year and also a little bit of
38:44
vacation time too with. Having a a long cross.
38:47
Country season, so it's time to take a little break.
38:50
From it all. So I'm looking forward to that
38:53
too, yeah. That's really important.
38:57
You know my whole. Life as coaches.
38:58
Track coaches and I talk to at least feels like 100 track
39:02
coaches every day but a lot every day and you know so I
39:07
probably I probably this I'm saying this without any Roboto.
39:13
I probably have more of a knowledge of coaches as people,
39:18
not the XS and OS side. You know most people almost and
39:21
everybody. And the number one thing that I
39:25
see us doing to a detriment is that we are coach 24/7.
39:29
So is this a new. So I'm really proud of you
39:32
understanding and recognizing I need to take a break.
39:35
But I'm shamed first, not coach 1st and.
39:38
Has that been something new? It's been a little.
39:44
Difficult, but when I got to Frostburg I had to rebuild that
39:48
whole program, so I didn't really think I could.
39:51
Take. Any time off for a while until
39:53
we got our roster numbers where they needed to be at this should
39:57
we finally get those goals? And so I even told my AD.
40:01
He's. Been stressing to me for about
40:03
taking time off and yeah, so. I.
40:07
Yeah, like finally this year I. Felt.
40:09
Like, I could start to relax and scale it back a little bit more
40:12
on everything that I do. And made it a point that that
40:16
have some fun at the convention. I check things out and then take
40:19
a little trip to Nashville afterwards to something I always
40:22
wanted to do. And so do that for the weekend
40:24
before I head back to Maryland. What I was going to ask what
40:28
does that look like for you? So going to a place you've never
40:30
been but always coming? What?
40:32
Yeah, I mean, I've done it a lot.
40:33
Of. Times with my own coaching, I've
40:34
traveled all over the country, so I'm used to going places I've
40:38
never been and I meet new people, so I figured I'd why
40:42
not? Like.
40:43
Go to Nashville for a little bit.
40:44
Like take a little couple extra days to relax and then be.
40:48
Energized. For the rest of the track
40:50
season, what do you have? You said like an itinerary for
40:54
Nashville or is it something like you want to make sure you
40:56
go see or do? The only thing I'm that's on my
40:59
list right now, aside from checking out all the other music
41:01
venues, is going to Garth Brooks new bar.
41:03
Yeah, so like. Big fan of his.
41:07
I want to. Check that out.
41:08
I caught it. Come on now.
41:09
Yeah. You can't go wrong with Garth.
41:12
That's right. Yeah.
41:13
Did you grow up a country? Yeah, I grew up on country, like
41:17
on Garth especially. And then I lived down to
41:20
Oklahoma. Stuff like coached out there and
41:23
made sure I went out to a lot. Of.
41:25
Different venues there. And he's an Okie.
41:28
I'm an Okie, so I'm going to check it out.
41:32
Oh yeah, Oklahoma State. Yeah, a lot of people don't know
41:34
that about it. That's a nice sideburn.
41:36
With it too. So what was, I can't remember
41:41
the the suit in the ultimate name Chris Gaines.
41:44
So what was up with the Chris Gaines?
41:46
I think he's just trying to have a little bit of fun.
41:48
I will let you know I met the guy.
41:53
Oh, good. OK, great.
41:55
Alright, thank you, Dan. Appreciate it.
41:57
Yeah, what was up with that? So just kind of.
41:59
Wanted to like. Be able to publish music without
42:01
the Garth Brooks name not attached to it.
42:04
Like it automatically hits gold, but it kind of does.
42:06
But like he could play around and do some different things.
42:09
Yeah, I think that's all he was looking to do with it.
42:12
And like something new. Have a little bit of fun.
42:14
Yeah, and that was weird. It was.
42:17
But I can't imagine. You know, I think like guards
42:20
and. Taylor Swift Things like I mean
42:22
everything is under everything microscope.
42:25
Do a degree a. Little bit like that for
42:27
coaching track and field and cross country, right.
42:30
We may not have the national media, which I would love for us
42:32
to. You know, it's a little bit be
42:33
careful what you ask for, right? It's like, you know, USA TODAY
42:35
and New York Times are calling me every day like hey, what
42:37
happened to cross country season this year, you know, But you
42:40
know you certainly are every little move where you choose to
42:42
go to meets who you choose to run in those meets.
42:45
Why are you holding that person up?
42:46
Well, how did that person get injured?
42:48
But if you do, it's really a little bit unfair.
42:51
That definitely can be, yeah. Especially, I mean, like you got
42:54
people from outside the program trying to figure out why you're
42:57
doing what you're doing. They don't really see the whole.
43:00
Picture. Of it.
43:01
And yeah, and that's that's probably like the biggest issue
43:04
with it. But beside me, we try to do our
43:07
best at my place with establishing like.
43:10
The. Why behind everything and like
43:12
teaching our athletes that and so hopefully they buy into it
43:15
like that. And I mean it's carried over.
43:17
It's brought a lot of success in the program, lot and lots of
43:20
buying into administration. So it's it's been exciting
43:27
growth to see. We had a.
43:31
George Williams, that retired coach Saint Augustine on the
43:35
podcast. And he has the same.
43:38
It's been decades that he's had the same.
43:40
If you're not in the huddle, don't know the play meaning, you
43:44
know, if I see Shane, one of your athletes get hurt and I'm
43:46
like, well, you know that kids in my program, they wouldn't get
43:50
hurt. And no one realizes, well, that
43:52
kid went out and played basketball at midnight towards
43:54
me. You know, it's like you don't
43:55
know what's going on over there, guys.
43:57
It's it's really like it really helped me to like, understand
44:00
and see, like not to have judgments.
44:03
I don't know what's going on, but you don't know what's going
44:05
on with your athletes. I'm not cuddled.
44:06
I don't really play. So how do you recommend that
44:09
that episode, you did a great job.
44:10
I like that. All right, Shane, let's have a
44:11
little fun here. I've got a. 100 random enough?
44:13
I mean, they're random brother questions here.
44:15
You get to get the number. I get to ask the question. 12
44:18
Favorite number? Favorite number.
44:20
All right. Did the apple far fall far from
44:23
the tree? Let's hear it.
44:24
Are you team Apple? Are you team Android?
44:29
Probably. Go with Android.
44:31
It shouldn't be that hard. What is your phone?
44:33
Well, that's an Apple, but it's a work phone.
44:35
My first smartphone was an Android.
44:37
So. So if you had your choice, you'd
44:39
be on Team Android. I deal with whatever's cheaper.
44:41
Yeah, not an Apple. Yeah.
44:43
OK. That's an automatic viewer in
44:44
the Android team. I gotta be able to afford it.
44:47
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's amazing.
44:49
What the the prices of these things.
44:51
That's amazing, Shane. Thank you so much man.
44:53
We're. Grateful.
44:54
This is not always the easiest thing in the world to sit in the
44:56
hot seat. And so for everybody who sits in
44:58
the hot seat today, I've got a little token of appreciation
45:01
from all of us here at Gil. We've got a custom deal.
45:03
Connections, Christmas ornament for you for your Christmas.
45:06
Thank you, brother. Appreciate you being here, man.
45:09
Thank you. Oh, for me.
45:10
Oh, hey, come on. No, no, we.
45:11
Got to make a little bigger. Deal of this.
45:13
Yeah. Yeah, I love this.
45:15
You know, if you're following along on Twitter at Mike
45:18
Cunningham, you know, it's a real, like, I get to say this to
45:21
you right here. I just appreciate this.
45:24
It's not likely that I wear these shirts, you know?
45:26
It is kind of my my memento, my memory, my passion of when I'm
45:31
in that weight room working out I'm doing it to be healthier and
45:34
my family. Amy, I know you're probably
45:36
watching. I love it too baby and the kids.
45:38
But it really is it's like that memory.
45:40
When I see whatever school I have that day on it's it's I get
45:44
to think of you, Shane, and like what I get to do and how I get
45:46
to serve and and uplifting honor of what you do for young people.
45:52
Maybe it's it's immeasurable what you do.
45:54
I appreciate the support you give to coaches.
45:56
And I love. Seeing you wear those other
45:58
gears. So now I got you.
45:59
You got it. Yeah.
46:00
Thank you, brother. Thank you so much.
46:03
It really. Does.
46:04
It means the world to me when coaches send me these shirts and
46:07
I have shirts from around the country and you know there's
46:10
nothing, there's not a bigger passion and uplifting and honour
46:14
that I can do to work every day to get better personally, health
46:19
wise. And also how I go about doing my
46:21
business of serving coaches, empowering coaches with
46:24
innovative equipment. And it's just a great memento
46:27
and a great memory for what I'm doing every day to help serve
46:31
coaches around the country. Speaking of coaches around the
46:34
country, come on in. You got to speak up a little for
46:36
me here. Go ahead and introduce yourself.
46:38
I'm Sarah Clemmy. I.
46:40
Coach at UW Parkside in Kenosha, WI Parkside the.
46:44
Bear. The yeah, the Rangers, the.
46:47
Rangers Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can see.
46:48
The mascot? It's Ranger Bears.
46:51
It's not the Bears. Per SE.
46:52
OK, Sarah, what do you do? What what events do you work
46:55
with there? Yeah, so I.
46:57
Primarily coached the throats. All of them.
47:00
So javelin. And then this year I'm probably
47:05
also going to work with the Maltese a little bit with like
47:07
the throwing and like also like planning their training.
47:12
How do? You know.
47:13
I'm really impressed with. Throwing coaches because first
47:18
of all, each one is, I mean, there's some similarities.
47:21
I can get it. Of course, when you throw that
47:22
javelin in there, that's wrecks it all.
47:25
It's more of a horizontal than a circular event.
47:27
But then you're also typically, stereotypically, oh, you're
47:30
going to do our weight room for us and you're going to do the
47:32
weight room for the sprinters and the jumpers and distance
47:34
runners, you know? You have to be kind of on your.
47:38
Game If you're going to be a close coach, What, what?
47:41
What was it? For you how how do you?
47:43
Handle that. Was it the mentors that you've
47:44
had? How do you Yeah so?
47:48
I don't actually do our weight training.
47:50
We have a head strength conditioning coach, Carly
47:52
Taylor. She's been on this podcast.
47:55
I'm. Gonna set that up for her, Carly
47:57
to drop the name. She's fantastic.
48:00
I love. Her to death.
48:01
She's definitely healthy. Like, she's definitely been a.
48:04
Mentor for. Me.
48:06
And like Moss, my boss. He's the director of track
48:09
Field. You really do have a lot of.
48:11
Great people I know. Like I'm really.
48:12
Lucky like. Like.
48:13
Really lucky. Yeah.
48:14
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So.
48:16
Yeah, it's basically just like the mentors that I've had and
48:20
definitely like the coaches. I've.
48:22
Had previously, like I've had them at like the perfect times
48:24
in my life. Yeah, like I've had.
48:28
I went through some stuff my right before my freshman year of
48:30
college, so my high school coach love her to that.
48:34
She's fantastic. I kind of had her in college
48:36
because I would have probably quit track, but the coach?
48:40
That I didn't have in college was.
48:41
Fantastic. What my coaching college, Not
48:46
college. My coaching track and field.
48:48
And what I mean by that is, you know, there there's very few
48:52
people that probably know coaches as people better than I
48:55
do because of the podcast. You know, 2 or 50 episodes.
48:57
I mean, when we get deep, like, why are you doing the track and
49:00
those kind of stuff. And I'm always, like, eager
49:02
impressed, like all these men and women here could.
49:06
Someone here could cure cancer. Someone here could run a
49:08
nonprofit that would help homeless people.
49:11
Someone over here could be an amazing math or science.
49:14
The talent level is amazing. And yet we choose to help people
49:18
throw a 4K ball farther. Why?
49:22
As you were thinking about going into college, thinking about
49:24
majors to pick, thinking about a career coaching track, it was
49:29
actually kind. Of funny coaching track.
49:31
Just kind of fell into my lap, so I was.
49:34
Originally going to. School for to be a doctor and
49:38
then. Yeah, and then I never.
49:41
Went to school to be. And then my GPA.
49:44
Was not good enough. So I was like, OK, maybe not.
49:47
We do have. A lot of common, yeah.
49:49
So maybe not a. Doctor And then I was like, I
49:51
was like debating if I want to be like the high school biology.
49:55
Teacher. Because my degree is in biology
49:58
or like a physical therapist. And then I so I did like a
50:02
practicum, so basically like shadowed.
50:03
And I was like, absolutely not. I could not be a teacher.
50:08
Yeah, fantastic people, but. I.
50:10
Could not do that. Like it was insane.
50:12
And then I was like, OK, physical therapy.
50:14
Sounds fun. Didn't get into physical therapy
50:17
because my GPA was bad, but then my assistant coach actually
50:23
knows Carly. So they were like, you should
50:26
fly. And so here I am.
50:28
Yeah, I love that. Jury.
50:30
Yeah, that's really cool. I'm a tattoo guy and I can't
50:34
help but see what do we got going on there?
50:36
Is this. Yeah.
50:37
No, it's my cat. Prince Henry and Libby, they
50:41
passed away. Oh yeah, So it's like.
50:43
An honorary. I love that.
50:46
That's really cool. Sorry, I'm a hidden.
50:48
You see my wedding room, but everything else is hidden.
50:51
But I really don't. I kept like, what's going on
50:53
over there? Yeah, I know that.
50:55
That's. Hey, I'm so glad you're here.
50:58
I know exactly what that is. Luckily, it wasn't like me.
51:01
Personally, and it was just like for my family, but.
51:05
This was like my first. One, when I was 19 I was like,
51:07
yes, this is I wanted it for you, so.
51:09
That says a lot about. You that you care.
51:11
So it really does. I love that.
51:14
And then I have another one for. My family, I'm on my ankle.
51:17
It's their birth flowers. So my mom, my dad.
51:20
And my brother and my son sounds.
51:21
Like family's. Pretty.
51:22
Important. They definitely are.
51:24
It's a. Little complicated now, but is
51:26
it life? Yeah.
51:28
No, no, yeah. Yeah, it's.
51:30
Definitely just life. My parents got divorced in, like
51:33
2021. So it was like recent.
51:36
Yeah. Yeah.
51:37
So it was like, tough, like figuring that out as an adult
51:39
because normally you're like, oh, you're a kid.
51:42
You're like 9 or 10 when your parents right, right, right,
51:44
right. You know.
51:46
I. Hate.
51:47
That happens. Too, but the track coaches do
51:51
amazingly this turn this in the trauma that they've had to help
51:55
countless of other young people, right?
51:57
So you have this ability now to take this hurtless damage and go
52:02
help some other 18/19/20 year old kid that has no ability to
52:07
figure this out. You had to figure figure it out,
52:09
yeah, yourself. So I've definitely told my.
52:12
Athletes that I'm like, I've literally been through so much
52:15
weird stuff. Like you could not believe it.
52:18
It's. Live.
52:18
There's no button on that like I've been through some.
52:21
Like weird stuff. Like, it's been weird.
52:25
Like I've had two surgeries. Like my parents got divorced.
52:28
Like I've been in a car accident.
52:29
Like I've been through some weird stuff.
52:31
So let's have a little fun. How?
52:32
About that, yeah, I've got 100 random questions here.
52:35
You get to pick the number, I get to ask the question.
52:37
OK, my favorite number is 20. Three.
52:39
So I have to go with that 23. Gilligan's Island was BS.
52:44
What did you grow up thinking was going to be a bigger problem
52:47
than it really was? And and why is it quicksave?
52:49
I thought quicksave was everywhere.
52:50
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
52:52
I was like, like, oh, everywhere I go, I'm going to have to make
52:55
sure I lay flat and don't struggle.
52:56
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
52:58
I agree. I agree.
53:00
Sarah. I love you, Dad.
53:02
Thank you so much for being here today.
53:04
Because you're here, and only because people that set the
53:07
seat, we've got a custom Field Connections podcast.
53:11
Thank you for being here. I saw.
53:16
These on Twitter and I was like, I need you all these that's why
53:18
you're here. That's the only reason just.
53:19
Using you for Christmas, I also wanted to meet you.
53:21
You seem really cool, Sarah, I hope.
53:24
That you know, we're live. So can I give you a hug?
53:26
Thank you. So.
53:28
Much. You're doing a great job.
53:29
Thank you. Thank you so much.
53:30
Appreciate you. Thank.
53:32
You you know it's. Amazing.
53:34
I I always say the people who choose to be a track coach, not
53:40
coach, right? It's it's the people that are
53:43
behind it. Sarah's a great example of, you
53:46
know, at the end of the day, we take off that coach title and we
53:50
are people. We're Sarah's, we're Greg's.
53:52
We're Mike's. We're Steve's.
53:54
That's who we are first and foremost.
53:56
And please don't ever, ever forget that.
53:59
Don't hanging on careless thing over there.
54:01
If you book the table, that's my fault.
54:03
The whole production just ties right there.
54:06
I can't be too aggressive. Let's start the production,
54:09
introduce yourself up there. I'm Greg Schmidt, head coach.
54:12
Cross mentioned track and field university, Bridgeport and
54:15
you're a brand new. We can still say that, right?
54:18
Like I, I, I like to say it. I think until you get to about
54:21
five years and you're a brand easily.
54:24
Easily, easily so. How has it been?
54:25
Going we kind of a little bit followed along the journey.
54:28
You'd be on the podcast here last year and now this year.
54:32
How is that process going for you?
54:34
It's going pretty well. I mean really the first couple
54:37
years has been educating the university about the sport track
54:41
and field. A lot of people in the
54:44
university, they they just admit to me we're we're kind of
54:46
relying on you to tell us what the sport is about more than
54:50
anything else. No, no, they don't.
54:52
And it's nothing against them. It's just they're not.
54:54
They're not experienced with it. And not only that, just getting
54:57
the. Word.
54:57
Out to the different high schools, getting to the
55:00
different, you know, people in the Connecticut area.
55:03
The UB has I'm going to, I know you're me though, you're you're,
55:08
I'm selling, I talk with my hands.
55:09
What do you want from me? But yeah, just getting the word
55:12
out that we actually have a track and field program.
55:14
So they kind of understand that. Yeah.
55:15
Yeah. So how's it going?
55:16
It's going pretty well. When you start with zero, it's,
55:18
it's exciting. You get your fingerprint not
55:21
taking over any baggage and things like that, but you're
55:24
starting at 0, right. How's that been going?
55:27
It's going pretty well, especially.
55:29
This recruiting class I had coming in, the kids bought in.
55:32
From. Day one, you know, I have kids
55:35
from, you know, IMG in Florida. I don't know if I'm allowed to
55:38
name any names on the podcast. Yeah, so I just said he just did
55:42
whatever. But you know, they bought it
55:45
from day one. They've been working hard and
55:46
they bought in and they're they're helping me establish it
55:49
and that's that's kind of what you need.
55:52
And that's nothing against my first recruiting class
55:54
whatsoever. It's just this group came in
55:56
like ready to help me out and I I really appreciate that.
56:00
Why should I? You know, kids out there, it's
56:02
quite amazing, have a lot of choices, right?
56:05
And it's. Easier.
56:06
Today in 2023, to find out about those different schools and
56:11
programs, you you're in a unique situation that you have this
56:15
blank slate or you know you're writing the first sentence
56:17
paragraph of your slate. Why should a kid choose you and
56:21
Richard? For me it's more I I.
56:27
Don't want to go to long. Spiel.
56:28
That's why I kind of pause for a second.
56:29
But I always tell athletes there's three things to look for
56:32
when you pick a universal. So I I see this in every
56:35
recruitment and all that. Number one, do they have your
56:39
degree? Because I've coached humble
56:42
brag. I've coached, you know, at least
56:43
5 athletes in the top 10 United States and United States
56:46
championships. None of us are millionaires.
56:50
Wait, go check my bank account. I thought you told me something
56:53
different so so you don't get rich from track and field from
56:56
most part unless. You're.
56:57
Number one, some #2, something like that.
56:59
And there's there's only one order, right?
57:01
So you you have to have that degree to get a job, even if you
57:04
move. Forward, even if you're.
57:05
Continuing to train for Olympic trials, you have to have that
57:07
degree #2 is who specifically is going to coach.
57:13
And what I mean by that is there's colleges that don't have
57:16
a big staff and what they do is they will recruit athletes just
57:21
so they get those points at a conference meet, but they might
57:24
not have the people who are able to help them reach the
57:26
potential, right and then number. 3.
57:28
Is just the. Eye test, is this a nice area
57:31
for me to live for five years, four years, wherever your
57:34
degrees are required. So for me, I say, you know, we
57:37
have great programs in terms of Health Science, engineering,
57:40
things like that. I don't like talk about myself
57:43
too much, but I've had success in a variety of event areas.
57:46
You're getting a fist bump breakdown.
57:49
So I I know what I can do as a coach.
57:52
So for me it's more about the athletes.
57:54
And athletes sometimes are a little bit mystified that I tell
57:59
them if they choosing another college.
58:02
Hey it's it's tough choosing a college.
58:04
When you see me at least come talk to me say hi.
58:06
I hope you do well. And I'm amazed right here that
58:09
there's some coaches that angry at them.
58:12
I can't get every athlete. There's not no way to do that.
58:16
It's about finding the fit. So I will never be upset in
58:18
athlete finding a better fit than I think every coach would
58:22
say, doing it for the kids. And then we do things.
58:26
It's like I thought you're doing for the kids, but you you're
58:29
you're mad at that kid for choosing what they're making the
58:31
best decision they can at 18 years old, by the way, I thought
58:34
you were doing for the kids, you know what I'm saying?
58:35
It's always we got to be careful.
58:37
It's insecure, like it doesn't make you.
58:39
Less. Of a coach.
58:40
Because we can't be careful with the truth like that.
58:43
That's exactly right. It's insecure.
58:45
And I was, and we talked. About this when?
58:47
I was on the podcast, which you can download on Spotify, iTunes,
58:51
Pandora, Stitcher. All of that.
58:55
It's my marketing department promo.
58:57
But I talked about that when I was a young coach.
59:00
I was insecure also. And that's where I kind of let
59:02
my life anger take over. And it's about realizing that
59:05
and kind of getting through that of it's not about me, it's about
59:08
helping student athletes. You know, that's a really good
59:10
point. You know, I definitely think
59:11
about today, You know, you start to stop watch on me.
59:14
No, no, I stopped it 5 minutes and then we start wrapping up.
59:17
You know, we talk about kids and their development and coaches
59:20
and their development. And, you know, I didn't think
59:22
about the. I coached for 10 years and I
59:24
think about my first year of coaches in my 10th year.
59:26
And. Luckily I progressed not just
59:28
coaching education X, but how I interacted with kids and parents
59:33
and peers and things like that. It's really, it's important and
59:36
it makes me upset when I think about the times that I got upset
59:39
and I made it more about me like getting angry and that's usually
59:43
the problem, right? And and I I think about the
59:45
athletes that remember things from years ago.
59:48
Years ago you're going to? Remember that for the rest of
59:50
their lives and I don't want to leave that bad impression.
59:52
So I always think about that in my head.
59:53
Well, let's leave tonight with a good impression.
59:55
I've got 100 random questions. I know last time he asked me
59:58
about my stand up comedy and I got a little bit upset, like I
1:00:01
didn't go there. I didn't know that I was.
1:00:03
Like this close and then you started dropping tooth.
1:00:05
Bombs. I was like, I'm telling 100
1:00:07
questions to get the pick. The number, I got to ask the
1:00:10
question 8. Why?
1:00:11
Because that was one of my hockey numbers.
1:00:13
All right, all right, Cat and mouse.
1:00:14
Who was the real bad guy, Tom or Jerry?
1:00:19
Number. 47. I've never watched.
1:00:23
I've never watched. Tom and Jerry as a kid, I was a
1:00:26
Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam I Tom and Jerry was
1:00:30
just. And then they had that weird
1:00:32
period where Tom talked. Yeah, there was like a one year
1:00:36
period where Tom talked. I don't really get that.
1:00:39
Well, instead of asking #47, because we were on the podcast
1:00:43
last year, your Guilt podcast last year, well, maybe it's
1:00:46
getting to where now? I don't know.
1:00:47
We're we're starting the 5th season in.
1:00:50
That's crazy to me. I don't know why they never
1:00:53
registered when I started back in 2020 doing this, but because
1:00:56
you were on the podcast podcast, you get to put the script, you
1:00:59
get to ask me one question live right here.
1:01:05
OK, aside from. This and aside from talking to
1:01:09
the coaches, what do you enjoy the most about the convention?
1:01:15
And I know I threw. Two weird.
1:01:16
Caveats in there. That's that's the main thing.
1:01:18
There's got to be a memory that pops out.
1:01:22
I call this my super. You know, I, I, I joke with the
1:01:26
team. Every team that we bring here
1:01:28
that and as we're walking through the hallway to come to
1:01:31
our booth I will have to catch up.
1:01:33
I'm pulled over here. I'm pulled even tonight in the
1:01:36
bucket people are coming over. I'm like I just love it, you
1:01:42
know because I get to see you not at a track being stressed
1:01:45
out doing a million things that you do.
1:01:49
So you're asking what else. OK you know what you know what
1:01:51
we don't have to go there. We we we can just say, we can
1:01:54
just say that just because, so you know.
1:01:59
I don't do. What I do and.
1:02:00
We at Gill don't do what we do without coaches and a caveat of
1:02:04
that and in addition to that I should say is the vast, vast
1:02:08
bulk of our equipment sold through deals.
1:02:11
And so here at this convention we've got MF Athletics, they're
1:02:15
a great partner of ours, So a ton of fuel equipment VS
1:02:19
Athletics, on track Athletics. And of course, we work with
1:02:22
Mondo and binding as well. Also seeing these guys and gals
1:02:27
that every day are going to every high school and every
1:02:30
college and representing Guild athletics.
1:02:33
Because what they're doing, they're representing my favorite
1:02:35
people, my teammates, you know, those guys and gals that are
1:02:39
welding this stuff, painting, this stuff, accounting.
1:02:42
I mean, I I dearly, dearly love the people I work with.
1:02:48
And so all these dealers, coaches, you guys are kind of
1:02:51
supporting them. Putting I was like I don't know
1:02:54
why I used this example. Putting turkeys on their table
1:02:56
at Thanksgiving. That means the world and and
1:02:59
like you said, I mean for me I I was thinking about it earlier
1:03:02
before I walked down here I I was in a committee meeting with
1:03:05
George Williams. So for me, he's.
1:03:07
On not only have you. Noticed.
1:03:08
George has now come. Up I think.
1:03:10
Three times. Take that as a hint.
1:03:13
Go listen to his episode. It it.
1:03:17
I'm not overstating when I say it changed my life.
1:03:19
When he talks about if you're not in the huddle you don't need
1:03:22
to play. It will change your life about
1:03:25
judgement of others in all aspects of your life and driving
1:03:29
in the car in traffic to. Looking at fellow.
1:03:32
Coaches it. It's a you know I never want to
1:03:36
turn the camera off because I can't show you the Yahoo news
1:03:38
that comes out there. I interrupted you but don't
1:03:40
listen to that and and well so I was in the committee meeting
1:03:44
with him and we walk out and Jim Sprecher who's here as well
1:03:48
Lynchburg and I'm a Lynchburg alumnus.
1:03:50
Yeah, we we were talking for a little while and George pops up
1:03:53
after the meeting and we're talking and Jim goes, hey, this
1:03:56
is no, this is Greg, Schmidt and George.
1:03:58
You know, I know I've known Greg because we've talked for years.
1:04:01
And I'm like think about any other sport where a coach who
1:04:05
not only the the the Mount Rushmore, the Mount Rushmore
1:04:09
athletics, if you ask me. Because who else has 39 team
1:04:13
national championships and all the things he has.
1:04:15
And for me that's the best thing about convention is the best
1:04:19
coaches here have no ego. They will work with everybody.
1:04:22
And for me to to have people like that know my name, respect
1:04:26
me and talk to me as I speak with them and I'm getting
1:04:28
emotional think about it just because that's what this is
1:04:31
about and that's why I appreciate what you do.
1:04:34
I appreciate you bringing it to the lot.
1:04:36
You deserve it. You also deserve only for people
1:04:39
who are sitting down on Custom Field Connections Podcast
1:04:43
Christmas Ornament. Look at the ornament he gave me.
1:04:45
I don't know if this will fit my pocket.
1:04:48
Thanks, Mike. Thank you.
1:04:49
I'll talk to you sooner. But appreciate you, there's no
1:04:52
bigger job than being a track coach.
1:04:54
The positive impact that you make on on young people today is
1:05:00
it's immeasurable, it's immeasurable.
1:05:06
You know. I really want to have a
1:05:08
conversation with you. Why the guy that should be at
1:05:11
the Bowerman, your former lead is not here.
1:05:16
Cordell Tench, baby. That's the conversation I want
1:05:22
to have. Why the best?
1:05:24
And we're not talking. I'm not putting down a Leo and a
1:05:26
Jade and I'm not putting them down.
1:05:30
Why is Cordell Tench not there? I don't do much offline.
1:05:37
I do it online, baby. All right.
1:05:39
Let's start. You have to speak up a little
1:05:41
bit, but introduce yourself please.
1:05:43
Eric Robinson, I am the Associate Director of Penn
1:05:46
Relays. And what does that mean and what
1:05:50
I mean by? That is you.
1:05:52
Know we've had Blake Bolden, the Drake Relays director.
1:05:55
We've had Tim last year. I think he's going to join us
1:05:57
again here overseeing the Kansas Relays.
1:06:00
What does that mean for? I mean one of the iconic track
1:06:05
Henry lays so. Steve Gong.
1:06:08
Who's the director? Of the program is the director
1:06:11
of the Henry Lays and my background.
1:06:16
I come from the meet directing side.
1:06:18
So when we deal with the meet itself, I'm the operational
1:06:22
director. I'm the one to make sure that
1:06:24
the meet is running. I'm the one to make sure that
1:06:27
all the bells and whistles are firing, to make sure that Henry
1:06:31
Lays and can move forward. Everything from all the
1:06:33
coordination and things and and Steve.
1:06:36
Is the. The leadership in the direction
1:06:38
of what this meet is going to be and what it's going to become,
1:06:42
and then I get to. Be the.
1:06:43
Boots on the ground to to implement those those ideas and
1:06:46
and those things moving forward. So it's it's definitely A-Team
1:06:51
effort, but Steve obviously having all of his coaching
1:06:54
duties as well, there's. Only so many hours.
1:06:57
In the day and so I try to lighten that load and and my
1:07:01
role which. Is really kind.
1:07:03
Of fun is is 10 realize 20 percent 360 mile.
1:07:07
Yeah, making sure that the meet is is is going to happen and how
1:07:10
can we? Continue to innovate and how can
1:07:11
we? Continue to get better and and
1:07:13
move on and move forward. You know, I I I coached for 10
1:07:17
years before I came to this side and I think in every place we
1:07:20
held the home track meet. So I know what that entails.
1:07:23
There's a million different things.
1:07:25
Everything from, as I don't want to say small as parking, but you
1:07:27
know, outside the track, stuff like parking, alumni, the meet
1:07:32
schedule, last minute scratch, logistical nightmare, logistical
1:07:37
nightmare. And I certainly wasn't hosting a
1:07:40
meet anywhere near the sides. You know, how do you do?
1:07:48
That's a good question. And still figuring.
1:07:50
And every May 1st, I'm like, I don't know how we did that, but
1:07:53
tomorrow's May 2nd and Santa's workshop must yeah, flip over
1:07:58
and then you just you keep moving forward.
1:08:00
Is it like that? Like as soon as Saturday is
1:08:02
over, maybe you get Sunday off and then Monday May.
1:08:05
May is is wrapping. Everything up that.
1:08:07
Happens. And that's everything from
1:08:09
gathering feedback and putting it all.
1:08:11
Like how do we make sure we continue to improve?
1:08:14
Because once it's about only once a year, there's so many
1:08:16
things that you forget that went.
1:08:19
Wrong the year before you've. Got to make sure you got all
1:08:21
that down. It's writing thank you notes,
1:08:23
it's finishing finances and things.
1:08:25
And then June, July and August. It's.
1:08:28
Kind of the decompression and thinking about, hey, where do we
1:08:31
want to go from here And within that too, there's always
1:08:34
something that's in the works and for this year we're really,
1:08:39
really excited about it. So we've been working with the
1:08:40
World Athletics International Relays back and that's not
1:08:47
something that can happen overnight, Sure.
1:08:49
So those things are a long. Time.
1:08:51
In in the works and those are a. Lot of times the.
1:08:54
Conversations you're having in June, July and August and in
1:08:56
September it's time to actually implement those things.
1:09:00
And so everything has kind of its its time and season, but the
1:09:04
penry ways is going all the time and you've got to always.
1:09:07
Make. Sure that you've got the pieces.
1:09:10
In. Place so that the the meat
1:09:12
doesn't become stacked. You want to, you don't want to
1:09:15
change it. Because it's it.
1:09:17
Is what it is, kind of. A top board here a little bit.
1:09:19
You've got to make sure that you're.
1:09:21
Constantly. Getting better, right?
1:09:24
Because you know you're going up or you're going down, right?
1:09:27
Right. There's you never stand flat and
1:09:30
and it's a. It's a.
1:09:31
Challenge we we had you on the podcast and thank you again for
1:09:34
being on the podcast. Oh man.
1:09:35
We had an interesting conversation.
1:09:37
You kind of, I don't say blew my mind but I'm like, oh, I never
1:09:40
thought about this when I I came here.
1:09:42
You're moving the The High School Girls 3000 to the
1:09:46
Saturday or the they never ran on one day And and I was like,
1:09:49
oh we did, you know, just like no, the average time of the
1:09:52
girls. And I was like, Oh my God, I
1:09:54
never thought about that. So what I'm leading into is how
1:09:57
do you do that now that you have the relays, the international
1:10:00
relays coming. I'm assuming that's not
1:10:02
something that just slides in between 2 heats.
1:10:04
How do you work? Nothing ever slides in
1:10:07
necessarily. So last year the change that we
1:10:09
made, the high school girls always had gone on Thursday and
1:10:12
Friday and the high school boys had always gone on Fridays.
1:10:14
And when I say always, like you know, the girls start first
1:10:19
competing and realizing the late 70s, obviously they may go back
1:10:22
to the 1890s, but it was that way for years and years and
1:10:26
years and years. And so last year we flipped it,
1:10:28
but by flipping it to complete. The high school.
1:10:31
Girls 4x4 takes about an hour longer than.
1:10:34
They complete the high school boys 4.
1:10:36
And. So you've got to find that hour
1:10:38
somewhere. You've got to reshift things and
1:10:41
so luckily this year. Creating the schedule.
1:10:44
We went back. To a.
1:10:46
Lot of things we did in. 20. 22 We already kind of created that
1:10:49
will, so there were things that we could quickly swap, but we
1:10:54
always was Saturday we've got the TV block.
1:10:57
The TV block is always a 2 hour block.
1:10:58
We don't know if it's going to be noon to two, two to four,
1:11:00
whatever it's going to be, we don't know what's going to.
1:11:03
Fall in there. Necessarily, but we we allow
1:11:05
ourselves some some relay. So when we the.
1:11:08
International relays come in and luckily it's a four by one and 4
1:11:11
by 4, something that doesn't take a terrible amount to the
1:11:13
schedule. We have the.
1:11:15
Ability. To adjust and how can we promote
1:11:18
this and how can we put this at the most perfect spot in the
1:11:23
event from ATV standpoint, from the spectator standpoint and so
1:11:26
forth, but just allow the the event to to continue forward.
1:11:30
But every year, this schedule is an incredibly complex jigsaw
1:11:34
puzzle. And every year.
1:11:36
You realize? After, you know, like or during
1:11:39
like, Oh my gosh, I needed five more minutes here and I didn't
1:11:42
do it earlier on 5 minutes now. So yeah, well, I was amazed.
1:11:45
I hadn't been to. The thin relays since I coached
1:11:48
at Mississippi State so a long time ago and was able to go this
1:11:52
year and you know, you know, so I I look at it a different light
1:11:56
than what I did when I was coaching and things like that.
1:11:58
Really amazing. I mean the operations.
1:12:02
It's when when I just hit the schedule.
1:12:04
That you? See all the four by four.
1:12:05
It's easy to get complacent as as a fan watching, going, Oh my
1:12:08
God, all these four by fours, the fans were in every single
1:12:15
race. I mean like, it's unbelievable
1:12:18
things that we do. It's kind of fun for the 4 by 4.
1:12:21
Every high school heat of the four by four, we should call it
1:12:24
each one of the individual race. Whoever wins that race gets a
1:12:27
small wheel. So they're actually.
1:12:29
Champions so. They're trying and what we do
1:12:31
when we see the event is we put everybody into different pools
1:12:35
based on their their time. And every once in a while a
1:12:39
coach will get away with it and put a timing slower so they have
1:12:42
a chance to win. But if they?
1:12:44
Come in, we. Have a formula created.
1:12:48
If they come in and they run more than 20 seconds faster than
1:12:51
their seat time, we ensure that we are in heat with the
1:12:54
Jamaicans the next year so that they don't contribute to the
1:12:59
little wrap on the hands and yeah well tell us a little bit
1:13:04
wrap up here a little bit you got this unbelievably indoor
1:13:07
facility coming at the university as well.
1:13:10
What's What's the idea for this indoor facility?
1:13:12
We can host needs? Are we are we going to host an
1:13:14
indoor pin? Relays.
1:13:16
Well, the. With.
1:13:19
You. Didn't say no, by the way.
1:13:20
With Penn being an urban campus, Spaces is limited.
1:13:24
So it's going to be a spectacular facility.
1:13:26
But it's not going to be Ocean Breeze.
1:13:28
It's not going to be the Armory, it.
1:13:30
Doesn't. Allow for that the number.
1:13:31
Of spectators it was built. With.
1:13:34
Heaps and mark right so. 8:00 to.
1:13:36
Ten Team College meet, maybe 15 to 20 high.
1:13:39
Schools. We'll find out, right?
1:13:42
What exactly that looks like so it?
1:13:44
Doesn't have the capacity for a real big high.
1:13:46
School event, but we'll be creative.
1:13:48
You know, we can do things in sessions.
1:13:50
We can do some different things we are going to.
1:13:53
Have a Penn. Realized High School
1:13:54
Invitational, but it's not going.
1:13:57
To. Be the Penn realized.
1:13:59
It's like it's going to be under that wing.
1:14:01
It's going to be some fun things like that.
1:14:03
You know, having some, you know, indoor you can do some fun.
1:14:08
And how that's going? To actually come about.
1:14:14
But yeah, no it. Comes online next fall and it
1:14:19
will be an incredible facility for the Penn Track team.
1:14:22
There will be a lot of college events and it's going to be a
1:14:25
really. Really.
1:14:27
That's exciting for you guys. It really is healthy.
1:14:29
Things grow. So I like when you know,
1:14:31
universities on campus, we're continuing to grow and build new
1:14:33
facilities. That's awesome.
1:14:35
All right, Aaron, let's have a little fun here.
1:14:36
I've got 100 random questions. And trust me, my friend, they're
1:14:39
pretty random. You get to pick the number.
1:14:41
I get to ask the question. Let's go with you said.
1:14:46
It's. 100 all. Right, we'll go.
1:14:48
With #30. Why #30?
1:14:51
Because. It's been.
1:14:52
Going on for. 130 years. Very good.
1:14:54
All right. Hoarding one O 1.
1:14:56
What did you collect growing up or what do you collect now?
1:14:58
Baseball cards? Dolls.
1:15:00
I don't know. All growing up, it was
1:15:03
basketball. I was a big basketball.
1:15:07
Fan growing up in Salt Lake? Well, actually Provo.
1:15:11
But do you still have them? Are they worth anything?
1:15:19
Because. When I was talking baseball.
1:15:21
Cards they were making like a. Billion each one.
1:15:23
So not much. But basketball, yeah, but
1:15:24
they're just not always going to select.
1:15:30
They do have a large. Yeah.
1:15:34
That's cool. All right.
1:15:35
Well, because. You're a Guild.
1:15:36
Podcast alone as well. You get to flip the script and
1:15:39
you get to ask me one more question.
1:15:42
You know, I have no idea. It's.
1:15:44
I don't know why I keep doing this, to be honest.
1:15:45
It's a little risky here. You get the I grilled you for a
1:15:49
long. It's kind of a loaded.
1:15:51
Question what is your? Favorite track?
1:15:53
Oh jeez. Well, actually, and I'll make
1:16:00
sure, Tim. Can hear this.
1:16:01
What's your favorite relay? No, you can't.
1:16:03
No, you can't go down to that. Now what is what are your top
1:16:06
five favorite track? Events.
1:16:09
Annual track. Events, yeah.
1:16:10
So Olympics. World Championships, yeah.
1:16:13
Yeah. Good, good.
1:16:14
And I and I. Wouldn't pick those.
1:16:15
I've never been to those, you know.
1:16:16
So I will tell you, you know my former boss, now retired then to
1:16:21
Fred Dixon for years kept telling me you've got to come to
1:16:24
the pre class. You've got to come to the pre
1:16:26
class and. It's never worked.
1:16:28
Out my schedule and then one year I did and it was like wait
1:16:31
this is what track can be like this was phenomenal and this
1:16:36
year we actually partnered with pre classic the Trek 10 USA and
1:16:41
so I was out there again this year and it was it's I mean
1:16:44
again the athletes are making this crazy which is coming
1:16:47
through the coaches but that's amazing I I do like the incident
1:16:51
league Division One indoor national championship another
1:16:54
meet that every year I'm like how can it ever get better
1:16:57
indoor the. I mean, I'm I.
1:17:01
Love relays? Yeah.
1:17:01
The indoor four by two is the best relay, yeah.
1:17:04
It's. It's a. 4 by 4 on a short track,
1:17:07
It's amazing. I love the indoor week because
1:17:10
every year it's like, it will never get better than this.
1:17:12
And then next year it gets better.
1:17:14
And then you're never cold. You're never.
1:17:17
Oh yeah. I love indoor.
1:17:18
But yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, good.
1:17:20
Point Good point. And then my my third favorite
1:17:23
meet, it is, well, it's indoor outdoors.
1:17:25
Honestly, the junior college national, I got to coach junior
1:17:28
college for a year. But you know, I I'd resonate a
1:17:31
little bit more with junior college kids and coaches.
1:17:34
You know, kids that needed second chances, kids that
1:17:37
weren't that good out of high school get to go to junior
1:17:39
college and develop and and you know, junior college coaches,
1:17:44
you know, a high school coach has a a really hard job right?
1:17:48
Obviously coaching and teaching and helping to get their kids
1:17:50
recruited. A four year coach has a hard job
1:17:54
coaching, always recruiting for the team.
1:17:57
Junior coach, coach has to do both every year.
1:17:59
That's recruit kids the team every year and that's to get
1:18:01
their kids recruited every year and that's and also find those
1:18:04
kids, if you like this kid means that telling me, I I have a.
1:18:08
Special. Place in my heart for Virginia
1:18:10
College Aaron for being on the show and only for people who sat
1:18:14
on the show. You get a custom holiday
1:18:16
ornament with a good connection podcast man.
1:18:18
So grateful for you man. Thank you so much.
1:18:20
Appreciate you. It's really amazing.
1:18:22
If you haven't, go on to University of Pennsylvania's
1:18:25
website and check. Out the.
1:18:27
The the new center that they're building there, it's really a
1:18:30
Taj Mahal of what they're building.
1:18:32
It's going to be great for Ivy League and heps.
1:18:34
It's going to be great for that area for indoor track and field.
1:18:38
We don't have enough inventory of indoor track and field
1:18:41
complex, and so anytime we get a new indoor facility online, it's
1:18:47
always beneficial for our sport, for our coaches.
1:18:51
All right, let's keep moving. We're having a blast.
1:18:54
Another relay so much. Fun.
1:18:56
Hey, we hit. The trifecta this.
1:18:57
Year last year we were two out of three.
1:18:59
Don't tell Mount Sack. I know I didn't count them.
1:19:01
I'm so sorry. They.
1:19:03
They. Always had the.
1:19:03
Opportunity to come on as well. Let's go ahead and introduce
1:19:06
yourself, Tim Byers, the. Director to Kansas Relays last.
1:19:11
Year you were here with us. Thank you for that And it was
1:19:14
really special. It was kind of the comeback of
1:19:17
Kansas Relays 100 year anniversary.
1:19:19
How did it? Go.
1:19:20
It went great. I mean, it was something that, I
1:19:24
mean, being 100 years is pretty incredible.
1:19:27
You know there's. Three of us.
1:19:29
It's us. In and Drake you know, they had
1:19:31
the 100 years, had a lot of support from those guys, from
1:19:35
Aaron and you know what, Drake and stuff, dude.
1:19:37
It was pretty neat, but it went. As great as.
1:19:41
I think it could go 275 alumni came back.
1:19:45
Billy Mills was. There.
1:19:46
Jim Ryan was there and we're talking about a historic
1:19:49
program. We're.
1:19:50
Talking about. The he they're we're talking.
1:19:52
About. Olympians and all Americans and
1:19:55
national champions. We had a guy that came from that
1:19:58
was on the 1953 national cross country team.
1:20:03
That was there. And stuff.
1:20:04
So, I mean, the history was just a girl.
1:20:07
Wow. That's.
1:20:08
Really special. Yeah.
1:20:09
Our mom and I are just. Incredible.
1:20:11
And stuff so so. Some people might be listening
1:20:15
and you know, we had Blake Golden to kick us off.
1:20:19
We just had. Aaron.
1:20:20
Robeson from the pen Relays. And now we have Tim here with
1:20:24
the KU Relays. What?
1:20:27
And I already know the answer, because I saw and I know, y'all
1:20:31
very collegial. You're very helping of each
1:20:34
other. And there's no at least you fake
1:20:37
it. Well, if there is, there's no
1:20:39
animosity. I don't, I don't want to say
1:20:42
there's no competition. I know we're competing on our
1:20:44
teams that come to our meet, but how have you guys and it's fair
1:20:48
to say not at all, right. I believe that's the answer.
1:20:51
How have you guys helped each other for the sport?
1:20:53
So, So what we're doing. Now actually we're all three of
1:20:56
us are meeting together here. We got me, Blake and Aaron
1:21:01
together. I put out an e-mail said, hey,
1:21:03
would you guys like to talk? And, you know, not a lot of
1:21:07
people know what we go through. You know.
1:21:13
I plan on. I plan the next Kansas relay is
1:21:16
about 16 months out. So we're already doing one when
1:21:20
we have another one and and process and stuff.
1:21:22
So a lot of people don't you know, understand that how many
1:21:26
officials we need, how many volunteers, meals, the housing,
1:21:31
you know everything that goes. And that doesn't even include
1:21:33
the entries or anything weather you know.
1:21:36
What's going to happen? You know, we're in the Tornado
1:21:39
Alley in Kansas and we had to cancel the four by fours
1:21:41
because, I mean lightning. Hail came through.
1:21:44
And stuff that you just as part of it.
1:21:47
What's the? You know, you have many, many
1:21:48
coaches that come every year not only for the KU release but some
1:21:51
of the other meets of course, some great cross country meets.
1:21:53
You got one of, you know, nicer cross country facilities in the
1:21:58
country as well. You know, it's easy for us as
1:22:01
coaches to, and rightfully so, be zeroed in on their team,
1:22:05
their entries. You know, mad that you won't let
1:22:08
me choose this heat over this heat or whatnot.
1:22:11
What is the hardest part for you and your team when you click on
1:22:15
the relays that the coaches just don't see and they shouldn't,
1:22:19
you probably insulate them. They don't even know that the
1:22:22
hot dogs didn't get ordered until there's no yeah yeah,
1:22:23
what's what's kind of. One of the hardest things that.
1:22:26
Kind of pull the curtain back and forth, you know, I think one
1:22:29
of the. Hardest thing is for me, I want
1:22:31
everyone to have a great experience.
1:22:33
So when a coach comes saying, you know, why didn't my kid get
1:22:36
into the fast heat and stuff, you know, I have to say well you
1:22:39
know the cut off is 14 minutes and your kid ran 1425.
1:22:43
You know I don't have anything personally against these coaches
1:22:46
and I was a coach too. I'm fighting for my kid also.
1:22:49
So I get it, you know, but it but just doesn't know.
1:22:53
It's not personal it, it's just how the events line up and we
1:22:57
take all everything is certified entries, so it's not like we're
1:23:00
taking a hand time everything down like they.
1:23:03
Had to run it to get. In or or throw it or.
1:23:05
Whatnot and stuff. So, so but it's not first, you
1:23:08
know, we just we're trying to put together a good experience
1:23:12
period for the athlete first and you know in the coaches we want
1:23:16
the coach to have good experience too.
1:23:17
But it's for the athletes. We want them to come back or
1:23:21
say, you know, I remember I ran to the campus because, you know.
1:23:24
So you had a an. Amazing experience bringing it
1:23:27
back and celebrating the 100th anniversary.
1:23:29
What can we expect? New or enhanced or doubling down
1:23:35
on this year, right? So our big.
1:23:37
Thing last year was bringing the high schools back, getting the
1:23:40
trust back in Kansas, right and everything.
1:23:42
So that went, I mean, we were maxed out everywhere, all events
1:23:47
were maxed out and now? I'm really.
1:23:49
Wanting to start to bring the Collegiates back.
1:23:51
OK, the bigger. Rocha Park.
1:23:54
Is a Class A facility, right? It's World Athletic certified.
1:23:59
It's got everything you need and stuff.
1:24:02
So there's a couple. Changes I would make, yeah.
1:24:06
More stands. I want to.
1:24:08
Yeah. I know what you're saying.
1:24:09
I know you don't make those decisions.
1:24:11
So it's OK, ask them. Where are all our?
1:24:13
Oh yeah. Oh, very blessed.
1:24:14
OK. OK.
1:24:18
But you know, that's my big focus right here.
1:24:22
You know the pros are I think we're going to work their way
1:24:25
back and stuff like that. But you know, but first I need
1:24:28
to look at the colleges 1st and then after that we'll start
1:24:31
bringing in because you. You know as well as.
1:24:34
I do. Once you get rid of something,
1:24:35
it's really hard to bring stuff back and.
1:24:37
Getting the trust within. The community, we did an
1:24:40
economic impact study which someone hadn't done for years
1:24:43
and years and the economic impact is $3.3 million for, hey,
1:24:48
that is so. Like.
1:24:50
Reinforcing. Because.
1:24:51
You know. It's very easy and try to say
1:24:54
track and field is not a money maker.
1:24:56
Not true, not true, not true. That is exactly right.
1:25:00
I don't think that collectively we are thinking about the money
1:25:04
making process for our sport, talk of economic impact
1:25:07
etcetera. Oh, I was just recently on a
1:25:11
podcast called the AD Podcast podcast focused for high school
1:25:15
athletic directors and the two hosts, they were amazing asking
1:25:18
to be on to talk about the importance of a healthy track
1:25:21
program for a healthy athletic program.
1:25:24
And I talked about hosting meets as well and I was like, you
1:25:26
know, you can make money hosting meets.
1:25:29
And so we talked about, you know, gate receipt, which we
1:25:31
don't talk about enough of track either, collecting a gate,
1:25:34
parking concessions. But I reminded him I was like,
1:25:37
hey, here's the other thing, Even if you host a a triangle
1:25:40
weed at your place, you may not see an income statement, but
1:25:43
you're not spending the money for the bus to go to the need of
1:25:46
the food, etcetera, You. Are making.
1:25:48
Money you are. And I think as track coaches, we
1:25:52
need to be more cognizant of that and making sure our
1:25:54
athletic directors understand the value that we're bringing.
1:25:58
Not only in the positive impact we're making on young people,
1:26:00
which is immeasurable, but that hey, we're not this money drain
1:26:03
you think we are, that we actually can pull in dollars.
1:26:07
I'm glad you said that and you can not surprised by what you
1:26:11
guys do there, what other sport can bring. 5000 potential
1:26:18
students to campus. At one time, that's a good.
1:26:21
Point. I really.
1:26:23
Completing. Everything and.
1:26:25
Stuff. I mean having a good experience
1:26:26
all you can. You had 22 to play you.
1:26:29
Know what? Whatever it is on the foot
1:26:30
cross, you got 5000 kids you can bring at one time.
1:26:34
Yeah, well, I don't have. 5000 questions I do I because I was.
1:26:41
I had both a iPod and a. That's right, That's.
1:26:46
Right. So if we, if we get that, don't
1:26:49
pick #12, OK, don't do that. But what 300 you get to pick the
1:26:52
number 21 you flipped. It around all.
1:26:55
Right. Get off my lawn.
1:26:57
What did your What's your old man Pet peeve My old man pet
1:27:01
peeve my. Dad was a cop, so oh man, yeah.
1:27:07
I think. His His big thing is he was old
1:27:10
school. He liked Bobby Knight.
1:27:12
He liked those guys. He he wasn't.
1:27:14
Much. For talking about, you know, and
1:27:17
that's kind of where I was raised, you know, and everything
1:27:19
and stuff. So his probably biggest Pete was
1:27:23
people using. Powerful.
1:27:26
Language for his job. And stuff.
1:27:28
So, but he retired as a cop. He's doing great now and
1:27:31
everything. Thank you for getting.
1:27:33
It And that's a that's a job I wouldn't want.
1:27:36
I couldn't do. The world would be worse off if
1:27:38
I was. And Tim, thank you for being
1:27:41
here. Every guest that sits down with
1:27:43
us is getting an exclusive build connection.
1:27:46
It's only for people to sit down and see.
1:27:48
We're not handing this out of the convention.
1:27:49
It's only for you sitting down in the house.
1:27:51
I appreciate you, brother. Thank you, brother.
1:27:52
That's a great job we got. Can't wait till we get our new.
1:27:55
That's right, Blocks. In and stuff so.
1:27:58
Thanks, brother. Appreciate you, man.
1:27:59
Thank you it really. Is you know these meats.
1:28:02
I'm, I'm a short meats fan. I think meats should be in the
1:28:05
two to three hour range for us to have success in our sport.
1:28:09
But there is a place for us to have the PIN Relays, Drake
1:28:13
Relays and the KU Relays and yes, Mount SAC.
1:28:16
I know someone's listening right now Mount SAC as well.
1:28:19
So it's always great to have those directors of those great
1:28:22
meats being here to kind of pull that curtain back and show what
1:28:25
they have to do to put on these massive massive meats.
1:28:28
It's quite an endeavour. And Speaking of endeavours,
1:28:32
let's have our next guest. Why don't you introduce
1:28:34
yourself? Mark B Rahm, Director.
1:28:37
Of the cross country and track. Program at IO Western Community
1:28:39
College in Kings Bliss, Iowa. So I for people who have been on
1:28:44
the podcast before that sit down.
1:28:46
I allowed them to flip the script because I grilled them
1:28:48
for an hour and a half, Two hours.
1:28:51
Aaron. Robeson.
1:28:52
Was on just. A little bit earlier with the
1:28:53
associate director of Henry Lace and his flip the script was what
1:28:57
are he's trying to he's trying to get me what's your favorite
1:29:02
annual track points And so you know mine were you know I love
1:29:07
the Pre classic. I love the.
1:29:10
Division. One indoor championships and my
1:29:12
third was, whether it's indoor or outdoor, was the junior
1:29:15
college national championship. It's just my my heart is in
1:29:19
those kids that second chances weren't good enough out of high
1:29:22
school. Told they weren't good enough.
1:29:24
Academically needed second, third.
1:29:26
I probably needed five chances. So it really it's a it's a myth
1:29:30
that it's a system that means a lot to me.
1:29:33
What has been your you You weren't always a junior college
1:29:36
coach. Talk to us about your
1:29:38
experience. Why Why are you why are you a
1:29:39
junior college coach Why IA Western kind of happened because
1:29:44
it's it's where I'm from. I'm from that area, but I don't
1:29:49
know, it just happened I. I.
1:29:51
Coach in AI. I've coached high school, I've
1:29:53
coached D1, I've coached D2 and you coach, I have.
1:29:59
Not a real reason per SE. Coaching is coaching to me.
1:30:06
And I just, I don't care where it is.
1:30:08
I just want to coach and this has been probably the most eye
1:30:14
opening experience and the most knowledge I've gained from
1:30:18
coaching has been these six years.
1:30:20
I I I have absolutely no doubt I I would have been a better coach
1:30:23
in all those other positions if I would have been.
1:30:28
Why? So there's oh goodness, you
1:30:32
asked I. Said it, and then you asked it.
1:30:37
Just. The situations that I've had to
1:30:42
grow from and and learn and build the the connections.
1:30:50
There's so many more. Connections involved.
1:30:52
I, you know, I'm not just recruiting athletes.
1:30:54
I'm also helping my athletes get recruited.
1:30:57
Yeah, that has been an interesting experience in
1:31:01
learning from and and the development is different and you
1:31:06
know, I've got to develop kids in two years to.
1:31:09
To. Find you know.
1:31:11
Find their home or, to make you know, score points at Nationals
1:31:15
or. Regionals.
1:31:17
Or. You know, yeah.
1:31:19
Yeah, yeah, you know, a high school coach has a really tough
1:31:23
job. You know, they're usually a
1:31:24
teacher. Then the family they're
1:31:27
coaching, they're always trying to get their kids recruited to
1:31:29
the next level or even beyond recruiting, get them to the next
1:31:33
level. You go to college, right?
1:31:35
A four year coach has a tremendously hard job.
1:31:38
They're always coaching young people.
1:31:39
They're always recruiting to their team, the junior college
1:31:43
coach. We have to do both every single.
1:31:46
Year you're always. Recruiting and you're always
1:31:48
helping them to get recruited, man.
1:31:49
Yeah, it's. It's.
1:31:51
Non-stop. It's non-stop.
1:31:52
It's both ways and. And it's thinking not just the
1:31:59
the recruiting part of getting them out is also thinking about
1:32:01
the race strategy and where they're going to fit best and
1:32:05
finding that quickly and. Learning where?
1:32:08
That's going to be. And.
1:32:09
And then trying to figure out, you know, everybody's got their
1:32:12
dream schools. And is that dream.
1:32:15
School, right? Fit.
1:32:17
It. Heal us as junior colleges
1:32:19
because of these connections. This convention, a perfect
1:32:22
example because of the communication we have with the
1:32:25
four new schools, gives us better insights on what that fit
1:32:31
could be for that athlete, even though they may have a different
1:32:34
idea. Right, in a sense.
1:32:37
No, it it does because, you know, I'm still amazed that we
1:32:42
force 18 year olds to pick a major that will affect them the
1:32:46
rest of their lives. Like when you're 18, you don't
1:32:48
know what underwear you want to put on today.
1:32:50
I mean, what in the world do we do?
1:32:51
It's it's really kind of a whack.
1:32:53
Like when you take a step back and think about, like that's
1:32:55
what to do. So when they're trying to pick
1:32:57
the school that they think is the school they want to go to,
1:32:59
the location they want to go to or the level they think they
1:33:02
might be aspired to, boy, there's nothing better than
1:33:05
indoors and people that have done it before and do better
1:33:07
than a junior college coach who's done this many, many, many
1:33:11
times and. There's so much growth and
1:33:16
difference. Between 17 and 18 and 20 and 21.
1:33:19
Yeah. Oh, Oh, yeah, like.
1:33:21
Your whole. Idea of.
1:33:23
The. World.
1:33:23
The world is different. Athletics, academics, social.
1:33:28
Any of them, right? Into, you know, so.
1:33:32
Picking, picking those colleges at that age, it's it's just a
1:33:36
different view and then, you know, you look at the junior
1:33:38
college side of it. You when you.
1:33:40
Go and run these meets as a junior college athlete, you.
1:33:43
Also. Are looking you're running
1:33:45
against D1. You're running against D2.
1:33:47
We're not running just we're running against all the
1:33:49
different divisions. So then you're also seeing
1:33:51
college track up front you you're almost on a free college
1:33:55
visit for all these schools to compete.
1:33:58
You're competing against them. You're going to the facilities
1:34:01
and you're warming up on their on their campus.
1:34:04
And all that and. And you know.
1:34:08
When you go on these. Visits behavior, yeah.
1:34:11
You have to see the real. Yeah.
1:34:13
Now you gotta meet this guy yelling at, you know, this.
1:34:20
Guy. Yelling at their athletes,
1:34:22
maybe? They're this or maybe.
1:34:24
Their athletes or this or that. It's a different perspective.
1:34:28
You know, you and I and A fellow friend of ours, D Brown, have
1:34:32
talked a lot about, you know, some upcoming projects to work
1:34:35
on here. What do you, you know when you
1:34:37
start to wrap up here a little bit today?
1:34:39
What's the, what's the top misconception about junior
1:34:44
colleges that you kind of see over and over and you're like
1:34:46
kind of banging your head against the wall?
1:34:47
Like, man, if they would just know that it's really this, not
1:34:50
that. There's, there's.
1:34:52
There's a few, but one I would one I'll touch on right now.
1:34:55
Because. It's on my head.
1:34:57
Would be the level The level you know everybody wants to think of
1:35:02
D1D2D3 any you know any I. JUCO Where?
1:35:05
How do they want to label? It but D1's here.
1:35:08
OK, cool, you're right, D1's. Really high end.
1:35:12
But if you come to the JUCO National meet or you look at.
1:35:16
T first page, there's a. Lot of high schoolers doing what
1:35:19
that is. That's the athletic.net of
1:35:21
college you're going to. See some?
1:35:24
Time. Jumps and.
1:35:26
That. You don't.
1:35:29
It's the level. The.
1:35:30
Level is so high, it's. Very high, and that's one big
1:35:34
misconception that making. The other one I would say is
1:35:38
that there's this negative connotation.
1:35:41
About what? JUCO is and.
1:35:43
You know. Only kids who have grades are
1:35:45
going JUCO and that's just not true.
1:35:47
We we have. We have high.
1:35:50
ACT scores. We have this with that.
1:35:52
There's so many different up your draft stop, so to speak.
1:35:57
Maybe there's a school you want to get into.
1:35:59
And they're. They're not letting.
1:36:00
You they're not giving you a scholarship.
1:36:02
You come to JUCO, you get better, and then you make them
1:36:06
give that to you. Well, stay tuned because we're
1:36:11
going to have some things coming up that I want to dive into here
1:36:15
on the podcast and some other forms and fashions about the
1:36:18
junior college system. You know, there's a lot of
1:36:20
topics that we can't get into tonight with called the Transfer
1:36:22
portal and things like that, that you know, we need to make
1:36:26
sure every high school. Coach.
1:36:28
I've ever talked to Will say. I do it for the kids.
1:36:31
I want them to go where they are best suited for and I think we
1:36:35
need to make sure that they understand that junior college
1:36:38
is the right route for a lot of kids.
1:36:40
I mean, it's it's not the right route for every kid.
1:36:42
Just like Division One is not the right route for every kid.
1:36:45
But it is absolutely a viable option.
1:36:48
I think we need to maybe take a a harder look into as high
1:36:51
school coaches. All right, Mark.
1:36:53
I've got 100 random questions here and they're they're random,
1:36:56
my friend. I remember mine last year.
1:36:59
Yeah. One day don't pick that one
1:37:00
through 100. You get to pick the number.
1:37:01
I get to ask the question 2. #2 To 88 mph you live in a time
1:37:07
travel. What are the rules in your time
1:37:10
travel universe? You know there's the.
1:37:18
Back to the. Future where, if you.
1:37:19
Do something in the past. It'll mess like you, you know?
1:37:22
Remember his picture was erasing his image.
1:37:25
Was erasing from the picture because he met his mom as well.
1:37:28
There's the Marvel Universe, which creates a whole separate
1:37:31
branch of the timeline. What are your rules?
1:37:36
What are you doing in your time? Travel machine.
1:37:40
I said they were in them. Yeah, can't go, can't go back
1:37:44
further than 100 years. Oh.
1:37:47
So you can't mess up multi. Generation and you can only mess
1:37:49
up, basically. Generation sounds right.
1:37:51
That's actually a pretty good You probably just named the
1:37:56
Marvel movie theme in 2026. Look into something like that.
1:37:59
Look at something like that feels good.
1:38:01
I put you in the spot. Appreciate that.
1:38:03
To do that. For doing that, I for everybody
1:38:06
who sits in the hot seat today. And it was the hot seat.
1:38:08
You had to think about that. That was good.
1:38:09
You're going to go home. You're going to call me like in
1:38:11
a week and go, all right, here's my rules, man.
1:38:12
I was thinking about it. We've got a custom Christmas
1:38:16
ornament for the Bill Connections podcast only podcast
1:38:19
guest they're getting, man. So I don't want to see that on
1:38:21
eBay. Oh, no.
1:38:22
Me on the Christmas tree. All right.
1:38:24
Thank you so much. You appreciate everything you
1:38:25
do. Thank you.
1:38:27
Again, I'm super blessed and honored that that I coached
1:38:33
junior college track and you know I'm telling you it is an
1:38:35
option for for a lot of your kids.
1:38:38
We need to make sure we're taking a look at it
1:38:39
academically, athletically, location wise, cost wise,
1:38:43
etcetera. But I think it's I know it's a
1:38:46
valuable option. I coached it for a year.
1:38:48
Heck, I've got a great junior college where we live here in
1:38:50
Champaign, IL Gale Athletics. And I hope my kids honestly go
1:38:53
to Parkland Community College because I don't want to pay a
1:38:56
lot for their with their college.
1:38:57
That's really where I want them to go for college.
1:39:00
All right. Screwed up for me.
1:39:02
Be loud because of some of the ambient noise back here and
1:39:05
introduce yourself, please. What's going on guys?
1:39:07
My name is Steve Stratovan. I'm the sales Rep over at MF
1:39:10
Athletic. I know you can be louder than
1:39:14
that. Proud to say.
1:39:18
A multi. Multi year relationship with Mr.
1:39:21
Cunningham here over at over at Gill and just continuing to
1:39:26
build on that relationship. The last couple years has been
1:39:28
really good. Do you remember the first time
1:39:30
we met? I feel like I was in Ohio.
1:39:34
That might be right, Ohio. Clinic.
1:39:36
That might be I I don't know. And I and I actually not a
1:39:39
decade ago. Yeah, for sure.
1:39:41
Yeah. Yeah.
1:39:42
Yeah, absolutely. So tell us, you know, first of
1:39:45
all, I think a lot of people might be listening right now and
1:39:48
go, wait a minute. I think I heard him say he's
1:39:51
from M Math athletics. What is he doing on the That's a
1:39:54
competitor. What in the world is he doing on
1:39:55
there Explain for people who don't know.
1:39:59
And the good news is a lot of people do know the relationship
1:40:02
partnership with MF and Gil Athletics.
1:40:04
Point the contrary to popular belief.
1:40:08
Gil MF we like to say partnership.
1:40:12
Correct me if I'm wrong. That's been flourishing.
1:40:17
More and more so over the the last couple of years with us
1:40:23
kind of collaborating with the product development, bringing
1:40:27
back the Sky Pole Mystic and yeah, I I wouldn't call us
1:40:32
competitors at all Part partners is is more more of the word, you
1:40:37
know Steven the relationship between him and that and GAIL
1:40:39
actually goes way farther than you and I, Bill Fall and David
1:40:44
Hodge. But I think to your point it's
1:40:48
gotten better lately. So I like to think guys like you
1:40:51
and I are what's making it better.
1:40:53
I mean, sure. We'll we'll.
1:40:55
We'll take the take the credit. But no, actually a person that I
1:41:00
would equate a lot of that too would be a guy that we saw last
1:41:04
night in Fred Dixon between I know Fred had initiated that
1:41:12
relationship many, many years ago and kind of built on the
1:41:17
foundation blocks that that he put down.
1:41:20
And yeah, no, we we've certainly grown quite a bit the last
1:41:24
couple of years and hopefully continue to to grow in that
1:41:27
direction even for absolutely. We're very proud of our
1:41:29
partnership. It really is, it goes beyond a
1:41:31
dealership. It's a partnership.
1:41:33
Talk to us. You know some people, a lot of
1:41:35
coaches. I'm sure you get this will come
1:41:38
up to me and ask me about my job and like no I maybe thought I've
1:41:41
gotten out of coaching and things like that as the sales
1:41:44
Rep amazing sales. What you do there at at NF
1:41:49
Athletics what do you do help us understand kind of the what's a
1:41:52
day-to-day kind of look like for you.
1:41:55
It's day-to-day it's change there's there's no static
1:41:58
there's no you know cookie cutter type of day.
1:42:02
But in the grand scheme of things we are equipment
1:42:06
providers so we are talking to coaches on a day-to-day basis
1:42:10
trying to figure out what their needs are.
1:42:12
And luckily enough we have a couple of different product
1:42:16
lines that we can equate to coaches situations and fit them
1:42:21
out with the best equipment for their needs.
1:42:24
And I think our partnership is shown that we can do that at a
1:42:29
pretty efficient level. So, and what is your background
1:42:33
and track and field now? Your dad, who keeps evading me,
1:42:37
by the way, I really want him on the podcast because of his.
1:42:40
Are you sure? Yeah, yes, I am sure.
1:42:43
Because of his history in our sport and specifically in this
1:42:47
side of our sport, the equipment side of it.
1:42:50
I really do want to get his story on wax.
1:42:52
He keeps saying no one wants to know about me, blah blah blah.
1:42:55
I do that. That should be enough.
1:42:56
But tell us about your background athletically coaching
1:43:00
and how you kind of got to him back.
1:43:01
Yeah, so he's. I mean, obviously my dad's
1:43:03
modest guy. He's 18 foot falters back in the
1:43:08
in the 80s. No slouch of a mark to say the
1:43:12
least. No, it turned out 18 feet today
1:43:14
by the way. No, 550 is a height of a mark.
1:43:18
But we. I mean, I was.
1:43:22
Growing up in in an athletic family, my mom was an All
1:43:25
American. She went to Auburn for cross
1:43:26
country and she was, yeah, she transferred back to Uri.
1:43:29
That's where they met. But we we were always in
1:43:34
athletics growing up, so we didn't really get thrown into
1:43:37
the the vault until. We wanted to so my, my.
1:43:42
Brother and I were 15 months apart and we kind of started at
1:43:45
the same time. I was a freshman in in high
1:43:47
school. He was in 8th grade and my dad
1:43:51
was doing like these free clinics at high schools around
1:43:56
around our our area and we just picked up all kind of started
1:44:01
from there. So after after high school,
1:44:04
competed for four years and then I started coaching myself,
1:44:08
started up my own club and did that for about 6 years prior to
1:44:12
to. Working at.
1:44:13
MF did that while I went to college so it was stayed in in
1:44:18
the family if you will. My brother went to college and
1:44:20
vaulted at Uri and and did very well there and I I coached while
1:44:24
he did that so. Now we.
1:44:26
We transition six years later. I start working at MF and going
1:44:31
on my 10th year on this upcoming year.
1:44:33
So do you think I got to go back?
1:44:35
And forth on this. Honestly, I'm not leaving you
1:44:37
like like I do. So I I kind of go back and forth
1:44:40
this. Do you think your background as
1:44:41
an athlete, as a coach? I don't want to ask.
1:44:44
The question is, do you think it helps you in your Business
1:44:46
Today? Because obviously it does
1:44:49
because you have understanding. But do you think it's like an
1:44:54
automatic, like if you weren't a coach or an athlete, you can't
1:44:57
be in this side of the business or is it pretty detrimental if
1:45:01
you don't? No, I don't think that at all.
1:45:04
Obviously there's there is a learning curve in any business
1:45:09
even being in on the coaching side of things.
1:45:13
It probably took four or five years of learning from my, from
1:45:17
my coworkers, from other people in the industry to really get to
1:45:22
the nuts and bolts of what makes coaches take one, what helps
1:45:27
them them out on a day-to-day basis and what kind of feedback
1:45:31
and how can I be to their situation.
1:45:36
And it's, it's an accumulative learning curve throughout the
1:45:39
years. Just go learning 100%.
1:45:41
Yeah, 100%. That's why we come here.
1:45:43
Yeah. That's why we come here.
1:45:44
That's right. That's exactly.
1:45:46
Yeah, that's. I mean, you learn.
1:45:47
We were talking earlier with with Boo for 45 minutes.
1:45:52
I mean, you can, you can talk to him the entire time here and
1:45:54
still learn stuff year after year.
1:45:57
Well, yeah. Well, let's learn something
1:46:01
about you. I've got 100 random questions
1:46:03
here, and trust me, they're randomly, right?
1:46:05
You get to pick the number. I get to ask the question.
1:46:07
All right, My my number has always been nine, so I'm not.
1:46:11
But why 9? It's my baseball number growing
1:46:14
up, and I'm just kind of stuck. Chachi What currently costs
1:46:18
money that should be free to everyone?
1:46:26
It's tough, though tough, to not get political at that.
1:46:30
Type of answer, isn't it? Like education is a pretty good
1:46:34
answer, but yeah, you know, it's probably not going to happen.
1:46:38
But yeah, but it should be. Better educated society would
1:46:42
make a better society in general.
1:46:44
I like that. I like that.
1:46:46
Well, my friend for being here. Today, and only people who sit
1:46:49
down at the hot look of this, only people swap here.
1:46:52
You know the free gifts you're you're kind of swag neck you.
1:46:55
Know. Yeah.
1:46:56
Yeah, yeah, we're handed out custom Christmas Woman is here
1:47:00
with the Guild Connections podcast.
1:47:02
Just a small token of our appreciation.
1:47:04
Thank you, brother. Appreciate your job.
1:47:06
Thank you. Thanks for talking.
1:47:07
Appreciate it. Hey, great partners, go check
1:47:09
them out at MF athletics.com, everythingtrackandfield.com and
1:47:15
you get all your Guild equipment there.
1:47:16
They do an amazing job, very educated, very customer service
1:47:19
oriented, sales force that will help you out with everything you
1:47:23
see in the Guild catalog. You can get there from ML.
1:47:26
Highly encourage you to reach out to them.
1:47:28
They're they're awesome. You never know.
1:47:30
Who's. Going to be next.
1:47:32
We're getting, we're getting close to packing up shop here.
1:47:35
You know, we're we, I think we're through eight, 7:30
1:47:38
tonight. We've got a lot of amazing
1:47:40
technical symposiums going on. We kicked it off tonight with
1:47:43
Blake Bolden from Drake Reeliz, who supports these technical
1:47:46
symposiums. You know what's so funny is I'm
1:47:48
getting a phone call from a coach right now.
1:47:50
Hope they know I'm live on YouTube and Twitter.
1:47:53
Look it's it froze my my Twitter.
1:47:55
If if Ray Ray Williams from Washington University of Saint
1:47:58
Louis caused my Twitter feed to go down, he will hear it.
1:48:01
I'm gonna have to do like a video on Twitter of me giving
1:48:04
him the business edit broadcast. Yeah, he did.
1:48:08
I'm gonna So we just went dead on Twitter.
1:48:11
Really. Because I didn't put the Do Not
1:48:14
Disturb on there, but I am going to find Ray if he's here and
1:48:18
I'll make him apologize to everybody on Twitter.
1:48:19
Now let's get to our next guest. Why don't you screw up here,
1:48:23
speak loudly and introduce yourself.
1:48:25
Hey, Wes Miller, I'm the head coach at Wayland Baptist
1:48:27
University and this is a fairly new title.
1:48:31
New title. Where'd you come from?
1:48:32
So past Four Seasons was at South Mines College, Junior
1:48:36
College in Texas. Now that's a pretty good
1:48:39
program. We were talking about Community
1:48:42
College, junior college, track and field just a little bit, a
1:48:44
little bit ago. How was, I mean, South Plains,
1:48:48
You guys were really cooking. Yeah, we.
1:48:52
We had a really. Good run, good history.
1:48:55
Before. That.
1:48:56
But yeah, in the four years, we won seven national titles.
1:49:00
So pretty good stretch, dude. There are people.
1:49:03
That will go. Through their career and not win
1:49:06
one national title, you were able to have it be a part of
1:49:11
seven. Yeah.
1:49:12
What was it like winning the first one?
1:49:15
Oh, the first one. Was.
1:49:17
Honestly, it was you said there are people that never.
1:49:19
Do. It.
1:49:19
I cheered up. It was a huge emotional feeling.
1:49:24
Something that you know I. Didn't know that I would get to
1:49:26
experience, but fortunately I didn't.
1:49:28
Have to experience SO. But I'll tell you what that.
1:49:30
Experience. Is.
1:49:31
I mean it is. Addicting.
1:49:33
You you want to do that? Yeah.
1:49:35
So how many win? One.
1:49:37
This is really kind of a rhetorical question.
1:49:39
And then don't win ever again and think like, oh, we'll do it
1:49:42
again. We're better next year and it's
1:49:44
like. Do this special, that's why.
1:49:45
Like I remember one year Oregon when the indoor national by a
1:49:50
huge March 4050 points and I remember going up to now former
1:49:55
head coach Robert Johnson, Great guy, love him with that.
1:49:57
And I, you know, congratulated him.
1:49:58
I was like, I know this was hard.
1:49:59
I know people from the outside are going to see this 40 point
1:50:02
win and be like, oh you guys easily won.
1:50:04
I was like, I I know how hard it is so.
1:50:08
How do you from? Everything that you learned at
1:50:10
South Plains, everything that you taught and were part of at
1:50:13
South Plains, how do you bring that to a really historic
1:50:16
program? I don't know.
1:50:17
I'm sure you've looked into the history here.
1:50:18
How do you bring that to Wayland Baptist now?
1:50:21
No, I think, I mean, I think most coaches would say the same
1:50:24
thing. It's process, process oriented.
1:50:26
You've got to look at what your resources.
1:50:28
Are what? Your strengths are from a
1:50:30
recruiting standpoint and then. You know, kind of evaluate.
1:50:35
Where are areas that you know, hey, with yourself as a coach
1:50:38
and your? Staff.
1:50:39
That we can coach athletes. Up.
1:50:41
You know to. Score at The National.
1:50:42
League just kind of start chipping away.
1:50:44
Really. Being a head coach is different.
1:50:49
You've learned. That in this short amount of.
1:50:51
Time. Was there anybody or any
1:50:53
process? We talked about processes that
1:50:56
you leaned on to help educate ourselves.
1:50:59
Was there someone you called and was like, hey, all right, man,
1:51:01
you've been head coach for 20 years and I've always looked up
1:51:03
to you. How did you figure out X or
1:51:05
what? Hey, and there is the guy right
1:51:07
there that cut us off Twitter. We're going to have him sit down
1:51:10
and talk to us about why he cut us off Twitter.
1:51:14
What? How did you lean into and what
1:51:16
did you continue today to lean into to help you become a better
1:51:20
sure? No.
1:51:21
I was fortunate when I first got started in college to have some
1:51:24
really good mentors. Got started in Louisiana, at
1:51:27
Northwestern State University and Leon Johnson was a legend.
1:51:32
Coach, 30 something years, individual, national.
1:51:36
Championships. A lot of conference
1:51:37
championships and. You know he.
1:51:40
Taught me really early on in recruiting.
1:51:42
You've got to find your niche. Find.
1:51:45
What What athletes are available in your recruiting area?
1:51:49
And. You kind of.
1:51:51
You've got to be flexible. You know, you've got to be.
1:51:53
Able to shift? Your focus into certain events
1:51:55
and that's where the talent is and and then also looking.
1:51:57
At the conference. And saying where the weak areas
1:52:00
and. So.
1:52:01
Far at a national level, you have to do the.
1:52:02
Same thing and say where are points available.
1:52:04
And you know. Are there points available?
1:52:07
That that I can, you know? So.
1:52:11
Yeah, I think. I think that and then having
1:52:13
head coaches that have honestly given me more freedom than I
1:52:17
deserved early on, you know, learn from some failure in.
1:52:21
Recruiting and you? Know, thinking, oh, I can just
1:52:25
snap my. Fingers and this will happen.
1:52:27
We've all been there. How naive so it's been.
1:52:30
Yeah, I've been blessed to be in some good programs with Coach.
1:52:33
That gave me a lot of a lot of freedom.
1:52:35
Do do we do anything here at USTFCCA whether it's, I'll say
1:52:40
first time head coaches, but that'd be real narrow to do
1:52:43
something as big as here. Maybe it's the first five years
1:52:45
as head coach education or to our I.
1:52:48
Know we have assisted. Coach track here, Do we do
1:52:50
anything like, hey, you would be head coach?
1:52:52
Well, let's have some head coaches we've done.
1:52:54
Really. Do we do anything like that?
1:52:55
I know, I know. USATF or U.
1:52:58
STFCCCA has you have one program.
1:53:01
Or cert. That was a head coaching cert.
1:53:03
Oh, OK. And actually did that about.
1:53:06
Eight years ago and it was good, you know, talking about.
1:53:09
Budgeting, recruiting, and managing.
1:53:11
Personnel. Pretty good.
1:53:14
It'd be nice to have maybe more 100% because there's so many
1:53:17
things that. You know, I've been associated
1:53:20
HEAD twice. And you know, but until you sit
1:53:22
in. That chair and you can, you can
1:53:24
only. Learn by doing it.
1:53:26
So yeah, some of the stuff might have been.
1:53:27
Nice to be prepared. For and we've got to do a better
1:53:29
job as head coaches of preparing our system.
1:53:32
We've got to do a better job as head coaches of delegating.
1:53:38
You know we need. Experience in budgeting and
1:53:40
recruiting and alumni support and meet management
1:53:45
transportation. We need that experience with our
1:53:48
system coaches so that when they become head coaches, not
1:53:50
everybody can, should or. Wants to be.
1:53:53
Become head coaches. They're at least getting out of
1:53:55
the blocks faster, not learning the blocks on the job.
1:53:58
Now if you're watching, I know you know, we we rerun this on
1:54:01
the podcast. It'll be audio only as well.
1:54:03
But if you're watching this video, I know you've already
1:54:06
seen my hat. But I want to show his hat.
1:54:08
This is. Tell me more about this hat.
1:54:10
Show the hat a little bit here. Pan Am's.
1:54:12
This is cool looking hat. Yeah.
1:54:14
So actually it was an athlete kind of gift secure package.
1:54:18
I had two athletes going to Pan American Championships.
1:54:21
And medals. While I was at SPC and so each
1:54:25
of. Them, kind of.
1:54:26
Came back with a. Gift to say thank you so.
1:54:28
They got to go. We helped him get there, but I
1:54:31
had to stay behind because it. Happens in, you know, November.
1:54:34
Stay behind with the rest of the athletes.
1:54:36
And that's very fortunate to get again.
1:54:38
It's a pretty. Striking app I really like.
1:54:39
It's one of my favorite. Yeah, all right.
1:54:41
Man. This is pretty cool.
1:54:42
Too, you know. I had to you.
1:54:44
Know cooks Prime showed us what's swag and and you know, I
1:54:49
think he did a phenomenal job. I know a lot of people throw
1:54:51
arrow so I had to get my I ain't hard to find either.
1:54:53
You know. You can find me on the podcast,
1:54:54
on Twitter, on e-mail. Phone number that ain't hard to
1:54:57
find, baby. And these aren't hard.
1:55:00
Well, actually, these are hard to answer.
1:55:01
So you've got 100 random questions, and they are random,
1:55:04
my friend. You get to pick the number.
1:55:05
I get to ask the question. Just pick a number.
1:55:07
One through 100, let's go 17. Alright 17.
1:55:12
Fear. Mountain time What fears do you
1:55:14
have Heights. Spiders.
1:55:16
Snakes. You hit it on the first one.
1:55:18
Heights. Heights I I get.
1:55:20
Queasy stepping up today. I mean, I don't have to be on
1:55:23
the edge. Just seeing the edge of
1:55:25
anything? That's so you're not doing any
1:55:27
hot balloons. You're not doing any.
1:55:29
I will never jump out of the plane.
1:55:30
Bungies jump out of a plane. Never.
1:55:33
Do you have a problem getting on a plane like you flew here?
1:55:36
No, I'm fine with planes, OK? Do you not are?
1:55:38
You not able to look out like do you get the window shaped down?
1:55:40
I'm good with that. I don't know why I feel safe in
1:55:42
a tin can but I think she's screaming.
1:55:45
Yeah. I sit at the back which is the
1:55:47
most likelihood of survival at the back of the plane.
1:55:49
Yeah. They've done crash test you know
1:55:53
test crashes highest chance of survival.
1:55:57
It's actually as long as it's not a nose first landing, even
1:56:01
if it's a crash landing. The back, well, I always sit up
1:56:08
front. So I can get the heck off that
1:56:09
plane because I fly so much. I'm tired of sitting down all
1:56:11
the time. So I'm a God.
1:56:13
That's what I learned today. I'm a God.
1:56:14
I'm a God. Well, my friend, as a small
1:56:18
token of our appreciation, everybody sits in the hot seat
1:56:20
with us today. We've got a small appreciation
1:56:23
of custom build connections podcast Christmas morning for
1:56:25
you. Just so thankful for you sitting
1:56:27
down and thankful for everything for us, for for our young
1:56:29
people. Man, it's really adventure.
1:56:31
Thank you. Appreciate it.
1:56:34
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, you know, new head coach.
1:56:37
How do you even prepare for something that you have no idea,
1:56:40
You think you know, but you don't know?
1:56:43
And so it'll be exciting to watch him continue develop and
1:56:45
grow as a head coach at Wayland Baptist, which is a really
1:56:49
historic track and field program, OK?
1:56:53
You know it's it's. It's not for everybody, for the
1:56:56
faint of heart, to sit down in the hot seat, especially when
1:56:58
you have no idea who the person is or what questions they're
1:57:01
going to ask. Why don't we start by
1:57:02
introducing something? OK.
1:57:04
Hi, I'm Sarah. Anderson.
1:57:05
I'm the woman's cross country coach and assistant track and
1:57:08
field coach at the University of Cincinnati.
1:57:10
Here with Miss Susan. CI am so.
1:57:14
Susan was. Recently a guest on our podcast
1:57:17
we run Monday Long for. It's like an hour and 40 hour
1:57:20
and 50. We really dive deep into your
1:57:22
whole history and Kupsit was recently on there and Oh my
1:57:27
goodness her. History and background.
1:57:30
In our sport is amazing. How?
1:57:34
How long have you been there? Oh, I've.
1:57:36
Been there a year and a half. How?
1:57:37
Do you? I'm going to say work around
1:57:40
that. But what I mean by that, it's
1:57:42
like you have an opportunity to learn from here and help you
1:57:44
with your career. Yeah.
1:57:47
How do you take advantage of that?
1:57:49
Yeah. Do you take advantage just like
1:57:51
her acknowledge and? Experience, yeah.
1:57:53
Every day she she's really given me a lot of autonomy to like do
1:57:58
what I want with the program and with that is like making
1:58:01
mistakes and learning from it. But she has like truly given me
1:58:04
a platform to learn and grow. And we just have an open
1:58:08
relationship where like I feel like I can ask for anything
1:58:11
whether it's like track and field related recruiting, just
1:58:14
life in general. But she's been involved with the
1:58:16
sport for so long. She's had kids through the
1:58:18
sport, like just being a female head coach and doing it as
1:58:22
successfully as she had for so long.
1:58:24
For me, just having the opportunity to like see her
1:58:26
entered by her, I try to step it in everyday.
1:58:30
Just learn under her and throw under her, you know,
1:58:33
Fascinating. In our sport, we're roughly
1:58:35
rough numbers here. We're roughly 50% how you doing
1:58:39
bus, we're roughly 50% women and 50% men.
1:58:42
I don't know what the numbers are racially, but let's say it's
1:58:45
5050, it's definitely not 91 and 10 of the other, right?
1:58:49
So I'm always wondering how can we help in this example, more
1:58:54
women become coaches. We have 50% that do the sport.
1:58:58
We certainly don't have 50% in our coaching Staffs that are
1:59:04
women. What does it mean to you?
1:59:06
I don't mean to put you on the spot here and maybe that's the
1:59:08
whole point of the. Interview.
1:59:10
Yeah, yeah, she had no clue. What's going on there when you?
1:59:13
See someone like a coach. C And there's a Mother amazing
1:59:16
death out for Sullivan. Kathleen Raske.
1:59:21
I mean, some amazing, amazing women out there that are
1:59:23
coaching unbelievably. Is it?
1:59:27
Is it something for you? Like, did you have to see a
1:59:29
woman in that position before you could believe that you could
1:59:32
be a track coach talk? To me, about you.
1:59:35
Know that? Kind of, yeah.
1:59:37
I was really fortunate in my own, like, personal collegiate
1:59:39
experiences. I was coached by females.
1:59:43
It wasn't like when I was getting recruited to run at the
1:59:45
college level. It wasn't like, oh you know, a
1:59:48
male coaches recruited me and a female, I just ended up at a
1:59:50
university where a a female was there.
1:59:53
And for me, originally, coaching wasn't like the goal.
1:59:57
I I. Did exercise science.
1:59:58
And I thought maybe, you know, PT or strength and conditioning.
2:00:02
And when I was a junior, my, my coach at the time, I'm Karen
2:00:05
Cheegan. She's the head of Yale now.
2:00:07
She sat me down and she was like, yeah, I loved her.
2:00:09
And she sat me down. And she was like, you have a lot
2:00:12
of energy and you have a lot of leadership skills.
2:00:14
Have you ever thought about coaching?
2:00:15
And she kind of instilled the seed in me.
2:00:18
And then I went on to compete at Michigan State under Lisa.
2:00:23
So talk. About just two like.
2:00:24
Really powerful. Really incredible.
2:00:25
Like inspirational women. So those two are kind of like,
2:00:29
yeah, really big factors. And like, hey, you can, you can
2:00:32
do this and you can do it at a high level, but you can also
2:00:35
have a balance with it. And that's something that I've
2:00:37
been learning, Susan, Like this is a really enjoyable lifestyle
2:00:41
and women can do this and be successful.
2:00:43
So like having the opportunity to not only be coached by women
2:00:47
but like now be mentored by, you know Susan, that's kind of like
2:00:51
my why behind this is like I felt like I was poured into and
2:00:53
impacted in so many positive ways.
2:00:55
So like I want to be able to do that for the.
2:00:57
Next generation, I love that story example you give about
2:01:00
Terrance saying, hey, you've got a lot of energy out of good
2:01:03
qualities that will help other young people.
2:01:04
You know. I really believe the superpower
2:01:07
of coaches, specifically track coaches here, is seeing
2:01:10
something in others before they can see it themselves.
2:01:12
And that was kind of that sounds like, that's kind of the example
2:01:15
of like you didn't think I could be a track coach.
2:01:16
And here she's like, you need to be a track coach.
2:01:19
Yeah, yeah. Yeah it was.
2:01:22
I I still like think back to that conversation like it's it's
2:01:25
that weird time of life where you're like junior going to be
2:01:28
senior in college. Are we going to grad school?
2:01:30
Are we trying to go pro? You know are we?
2:01:32
Is the goal to win a conference title national meet.
2:01:35
And I just felt like I was like I was so overwhelmed with the
2:01:37
next step and she was like, just relax.
2:01:39
Like, I think this could be a good step for you.
2:01:41
But let's just be present right now.
2:01:43
And I was so like focused on what to do next.
2:01:47
And she was just like, hey, like it'll it'll come.
2:01:49
Like, I think this is an Ave. you should explore.
2:01:51
And I remember walking out of that office and for the first
2:01:53
time in like my young adult life, I was like, I am really
2:01:57
passionate about this and I can be really good at this.
2:01:58
So like she kind of like, you know woke that up and he was
2:02:01
just really special. And yeah, she's she's an awesome
2:02:05
mentor for me. We talk all the time.
2:02:06
How do you you brought? Up kind of the things that you
2:02:08
were thinking of as your your senior, junior, senior year and
2:02:11
all these different avenues you have and all these different
2:02:13
pressures at the conference and nationals and do you go to the
2:02:16
next level and things like that. I assume you're human.
2:02:19
And what I mean by that is, yeah, yeah.
2:02:22
What I mean by that? Is you also probably have
2:02:24
pressures of grades and maybe relationships and family.
2:02:28
You know, we're not just athletes, just like we're not
2:02:31
just coaches. We are humans behind that.
2:02:33
How do you use the experience that you had going through that
2:02:38
with your athletes today? Yeah, I think something.
2:02:41
I I should just talk about this behind women a couple days ago.
2:02:44
Something I take a lot of pride in is like being a younger
2:02:46
coach. I have so much relatability
2:02:48
because I was in their shoes very recently, so I think.
2:02:52
With with recruiting. And culture and all that stuff.
2:02:55
I can bring something to the table in terms of just like
2:02:58
understanding the stressors of the day in and day out lifestyle
2:03:01
of a student athlete. You know, there's a lot of
2:03:04
learning and growing on the coaching side, but I know what
2:03:07
that feels like and I know what that pressure feels like and the
2:03:10
the stress. So I really try to bring a lot
2:03:13
of energy to practice and truly make that the best part of their
2:03:15
day because like, if you're nervous.
2:03:17
Or scared or. Stressed about the workouts that
2:03:19
just builds and builds and you know performance is going to
2:03:22
decrease. School's going.
2:03:23
To decrease. So like if I can make that 2
2:03:25
hour block of their day positive and they can walk away feeling
2:03:28
like they want and feel like confident, then I'm doing
2:03:30
something right and that's going to help for another school and
2:03:33
stuff. Here's a.
2:03:35
Famous. For giving challenges.
2:03:36
To our guests. So I'm going to.
2:03:38
Challenge you? Sarah, you know I believe in
2:03:40
what you said there in regards to because you're not that far
2:03:44
removed from them. So you, you know, you know what
2:03:47
TikTok is. And maybe some of our other
2:03:48
coaches don't know what TikTok is.
2:03:50
This is a very small funny example, right?
2:03:52
And. So but.
2:03:53
The challenge is going to be, Sarah, that you're going to be
2:03:55
in this profession hopefully for an extremely long time.
2:03:58
You're going to be the 40, God bless you, from 47 like me,
2:04:01
5060. Hope I look that good when I'm.
2:04:07
40 She knows how to earn a a. Return guest of I'm going to
2:04:12
challenge you that it's if it's good and right with your your
2:04:15
thought process here today. How do you you know let's think
2:04:19
about the statement work on this as you go through your career.
2:04:22
How do you still relate at 40? How do you still relate at 50?
2:04:25
How do you relate at 60? Because I don't think the kids
2:04:28
change. I think the lead change.
2:04:31
I was once at A at a topic. Where?
2:04:34
The person was like, you know how?
2:04:35
Would you? Describe millennials and ginzies
2:04:37
and all this kind of stuff, right?
2:04:38
And whatever. Like whatever the youngest is
2:04:40
now is it's you or the athletes. I don't even know why.
2:04:43
And. It was like, oh.
2:04:45
What do you know how would? You.
2:04:45
Describe when? You know, people nodding like
2:04:47
yada yada yada yada. And she brought up a like a
2:04:51
here's what Life magazine says and blah blah blah blah.
2:04:53
And then she goes, oh wait, I'm sorry, that's actually Life
2:04:55
magazine from 1950. Talking about Young.
2:04:57
People back then. So young people are going to be
2:05:01
brash and maybe short and maybe indecisive, whether they were
2:05:06
young in 1940 or young in 2024. But we get older and now go, you
2:05:10
know, back in my day, we used to study harder and we.
2:05:13
Used to run the challenge for you and for.
2:05:15
All of our coaches here is to remain elatable so that you can
2:05:19
continue to help these young people over and over and over.
2:05:22
They need. It more than.
2:05:25
Not more than ever, because the young people in 1940s needed
2:05:28
help and and leadership just like they do here in 2023.
2:05:31
They need leadership and what you have the responsibility of
2:05:35
the privilege of is to be that leader.
2:05:38
More so, just a challenge. Just as you.
2:05:40
Continue because I want. To have you.
2:05:42
Back here in 40 years when we are 60, something and talk
2:05:45
about, if you remember back in 23.
2:05:48
How do you? Have developed and still have.
2:05:51
You know the love, passion for your athletes and be related to
2:05:55
that as well, having flexibility and being in.
2:05:57
The change. All right.
2:05:59
Well. We have a little fun now because
2:06:01
I've got 100 random questions and trust me, they're random.
2:06:04
You get to pick the number one through 100.
2:06:06
I get to ask the question OK 24 why?
2:06:08
24 my. Favorite.
2:06:10
Alright, love it. Gobble.
2:06:10
Gobble. What were PAC Man's pellets you
2:06:13
might didn't even know? Pac-Man So Young What were PAC?
2:06:16
Man's pellets made. Of And why was he always hungry?
2:06:18
Do you even know who I know who Pac-Man is?
2:06:20
OK, OK. OK.
2:06:21
OK, what were his pellets? Made of them.
2:06:23
Why was he so hungry? He was.
2:06:23
Hungry all the time, eating those pellets, I told.
2:06:27
You. It's raining.
2:06:28
What's? Something.
2:06:30
It's like potato chips. You can't just eat.
2:06:31
One, and it kind of looked. Like, yeah.
2:06:35
That might be the best answer. We've had, OK.
2:06:36
All right. Sarah for anybody who sits.
2:06:39
Down with us today, and only for people who sit down here
2:06:41
tonight. This is not something we're
2:06:42
going to give away tomorrow. And all this stuff, this is
2:06:44
exclusive. We'd like to give you just a
2:06:46
small memento podcast. Just a little Christmas ornament
2:06:49
for you. We're so grateful because here's
2:06:51
another thing, God, you know, we're getting close to Episode
2:06:54
250 here in the Guild Connections podcast and we've
2:06:58
had again, many, many amazing women on the on the show.
2:07:02
The G from the BYU. Yeah, I'm.
2:07:06
Crazy Good luck by. The way and you know, almost
2:07:11
every one of them expressed some kind of form of this story of
2:07:16
when they saw another woman in leadership, typically as a coach
2:07:19
in our example here, that it showed them that they can also
2:07:23
do that. And you're a great example of
2:07:26
that with some other women. But now you get to be that
2:07:29
example, so I just want to bless you and just say you know what
2:07:32
you're doing is more than showing people how to run laps
2:07:35
around a track and. Over the hills and through the.
2:07:37
Dales, there are young people today that are going to do
2:07:40
really amazing things, most of them not in track and field.
2:07:42
But to be honest with you, you're going to go and become
2:07:44
moms and dads and business owners and coaches and clergy,
2:07:47
etcetera. And you're going to be a big
2:07:49
part of someone's going to be telling someone else.
2:07:51
You know, my cook, Sarah, she believed in me and I and I
2:07:54
didn't. That helped me to understand
2:07:56
what I can do to myself. So, yeah, just love you and so
2:08:00
grateful for what you do and choosing to be a track coach.
2:08:02
Thank you, Sarah. Thank you so much.
2:08:03
Thank you for stopping by. Appreciate you so much.
2:08:06
Hello, Susan, I said. Hello.
2:08:07
And if you didn't listen to our podcast, you got to because her
2:08:09
background is amazing. Are you coming to sit down?
2:08:11
Do. You have stuff.
2:08:14
For me. Are you?
2:08:16
Do you are you want to sit down or do you want me to wrap up?
2:08:18
I was going to wrap up. Where do you want to?
2:08:20
Well, let's do let's have you give me the gift online and
2:08:24
we'll wrap up that way. So, Dave's self, please sit
2:08:27
down. Absolutely.
2:08:28
Oh, no, no. Are you here?
2:08:29
Oh, I don't know. What?
2:08:29
I'm sorry, I cut. No.
2:08:31
No, no, I just have to. Have one here so I can yell at
2:08:33
them. We already have one more,
2:08:34
actually. What's up brother?
2:08:35
Hey, you know, we're always visited by VIPs.
2:08:37
Michael Ford from Baylor. Second little preview In January
2:08:44
as we kick off our fifth season crazy 5th season of the Guild
2:08:48
Connections podcast, We're starting it off with a bang.
2:08:50
We're doing a special Baylor 4 by 4 series all four weeks in a
2:08:54
row. We're doing Baylor Big Timer.
2:08:57
So we had to get Mr. Leadoff Michael Ford here, Director of
2:09:00
Track and field there, Baylor. He's guest number one.
2:09:02
Guest #2 is Jeremy Warner. Guest #3 is actually my fate.
2:09:06
No he's not here. David Hodge, my boss is a great
2:09:09
Baylor long multi time all American pop author.
2:09:11
He's guest #3 and then to anchor it.
2:09:14
There was no way we weren't going to anchor it without the
2:09:17
granddaddy, the big Pooba himself, Mr. Clyde Hart.
2:09:20
And trust me, you don't want to miss that one.
2:09:23
It was. It really was amazing.
2:09:34
Dave Self is here. Sam Houston State.
2:09:36
You know, we've had a lot of talks about junior college today
2:09:41
and Dave and that's how we first met, was coach in junior college
2:09:44
a couple of weeks ago, right? Yeah, yeah.
2:09:49
Been a day or two. That's how time works when you
2:09:51
get to our age. What are you doing here today in
2:09:53
just FCC? Just.
2:09:55
Literally just. Got in, came to see you and just
2:09:58
want to say hello. Just excited and didn't get a
2:10:01
chance to come last year. Just really excited about being
2:10:04
here and seeing everybody and catching up and you know all the
2:10:06
great things that are going on. What's the one thing you
2:10:08
circled? OK, I'm coming to Denver, to the
2:10:11
US Six. Cai can't miss Hall of Fame
2:10:13
there. Maybe it was a speaker.
2:10:15
You know, it's there's a couple of things.
2:10:17
Hall of Fame There's a couple of speakers.
2:10:19
That I want to listen. To our Our flight got delayed so
2:10:21
I was trying to catch Chris Barna tonight.
2:10:23
I missed him, but we're looking forward to some of the Division
2:10:28
One voting stuff that's going on about some possible changes to
2:10:31
indoor qualifying. Absolutely.
2:10:33
We're going to hash it out. Whatever you do with, you know,
2:10:36
this is completely selfish as an equipment provider, do not do
2:10:38
regionals for indoor nationals. It's also not good for our sport
2:10:42
in my belief as well. But I hear you.
2:10:43
It may be out of our control. Yeah, well, you know, that train
2:10:47
may be hitting out of my control.
2:10:49
You said you had some ideas for me, I mean.
2:10:54
Yeah. Oh my gosh.
2:10:57
AT shirt and a hoodie. So.
2:10:59
Take a look at this. And you know.
2:11:01
If you were here earlier, you know my feelings about this.
2:11:04
It really is special. You know, when I wear these and
2:11:07
show them on Twitter and workout stuff, this really is my the
2:11:10
reason I do this, it's kind of twofold.
2:11:12
One is to keep myself accountable.
2:11:13
That's why I do it when I work out.
2:11:14
But it also is, it's kind of my my thought process of like what
2:11:17
I'm doing to get myself healthier, also for my family
2:11:20
but for for the coaches. I can't serve you if I can't
2:11:23
it's it's a little bit that selfish.
2:11:24
I have to be selfish and get better, healthier so I can serve
2:11:27
you guys longer. So there's £50 less of Coke Self
2:11:31
now than there was about four months.
2:11:33
Ago. I know there's no.
2:11:33
Secret. But I'm going to say I need to
2:11:35
know the secret because I'm struggling.
2:11:38
Yeah. Yeah, my.
2:11:39
My diet is not matching up to my working out, that's for sure.
2:11:42
My super fit wife says I got to keep working out no more, so
2:11:45
that's the next step. But my wife's, I did a diet
2:11:47
first, so she's she's too nice to me, right?
2:11:49
It's like you really should eat healthier.
2:11:51
There's like some pizza. Yeah, she's too nice to.
2:11:54
Me, Dave. Thank you so much for the, we'll
2:11:55
catch up throughout the week. Yeah, yeah.
2:11:57
Sounds great. I appreciately.
2:12:01
No, he's a good he's. A good ender to this.
2:12:06
All right, so. I think.
2:12:09
He might be learning this right now.
2:12:10
First of all, introduce yourself coach Ray Williams.
2:12:13
Washington. University.
2:12:15
St. Louis, MO.
2:12:17
The. Bears.
2:12:17
The bears. The bears.
2:12:19
OK, so something I was doing tonight that I've never done
2:12:23
before. Besides going live on YouTube,
2:12:25
we are also live on Twitter and. When you called you now.
2:12:30
Say I didn't believe it. Edit Broadcaster Yeah, it just
2:12:34
dies, everybody. So listen, everybody on.
2:12:36
Twitter, come over to YouTube. We don't even get too late for
2:12:41
that. It's too late, Ray, you and I.
2:12:45
Have been friends for a long time.
2:12:50
When you were five. Years old when I was 30.
2:12:52
We love you. Love that.
2:12:53
You love that? You you've done an.
2:12:55
Amazing job at a lot of great institutions.
2:12:59
This is because. You know.
2:13:02
I. Think of you.
2:13:03
As someone who has a a fountain of knowledge, you thought of my
2:13:07
opinion. I hope this doesn't offend you.
2:13:08
I love you enough that you know this isn't offensive.
2:13:10
I think you are seen more as the the hype coach and there's
2:13:14
nothing wrong with that, Nothing wrong with that.
2:13:16
You know, just like you came in, you know, you know, every time
2:13:19
we give you a check. And I love you for that, but I
2:13:21
think. You don't get your.
2:13:23
Due, if you will, of what's up. Here and how you.
2:13:27
Coach, and I don't just mean the X's and O's.
2:13:29
I mean how you relate to your kids, the programs, the programs
2:13:33
that you build, how you recruit and build those programs
2:13:36
athletically as well as academically.
2:13:38
So I want to kind of take the opportunity since I.
2:13:40
Have you here? You know, we we have a a really
2:13:44
broad audience, everybody from guys and gals that are in the
2:13:47
Hall of Fame tonight down to people who have never coached
2:13:51
but want to coach, you know, athletes.
2:13:53
What advice? Would you give?
2:13:55
Someone wants to become a track coach, whether it's college or
2:13:58
high school. I don't.
2:13:58
I don't know that that's relevant.
2:14:00
Maybe it is. You can answer with.
2:14:03
Part of your answer could be that what advice would you give
2:14:06
to help someone have a long career?
2:14:10
Coaching specifically? Yeah, so it's a passion, right?
2:14:13
So I come from a. Family of educators.
2:14:17
And so it's kind of instinctive, so when you when you look.
2:14:21
At what's the end result? The end.
2:14:23
Result is to build that young person to be the best, whatever
2:14:27
they're. Going to be we have a.
2:14:28
Sport that doesn't have an end to it and so because our sport.
2:14:33
Doesn't have. An end How do we take our sport
2:14:36
and apply it to what they're going to do?
2:14:39
And so. As I mentioned.
2:14:41
In Washington University, keep keep talking.
2:14:43
Hey Dave. Yeah, totally different, totally
2:14:46
different situation where Washington University are
2:14:51
players Division Three. They're not on scholarship, and
2:14:54
so they do it for the love of it and that whole paradigm.
2:14:59
Of. The love for it, but what can
2:15:00
you bring to the table when they go into the workforces,
2:15:05
accountants or lawyers or doctors, architects.
2:15:09
I mean conversations I have with my students now just it's mind
2:15:13
blowing because the the altitude of of our young people.
2:15:18
But it's it's been. That way, you know for now, 28
2:15:21
years in commuting athletics. So it's.
2:15:23
Been been pretty good roller coaster.
2:15:25
It's funny, you kind. Of took the.
2:15:28
Words out of my mouth I, I, I'm saying I'm famous for.
2:15:31
Saying this. But I say this a lot.
2:15:35
You know the the love that I have for for the people who
2:15:38
choose to be track coaches is because 99.999% are never going
2:15:43
to go pro and now the .01 that do 99% are going to make money.
2:15:48
Unfortunately, I wish that would change.
2:15:50
But every kid that you coach, every kid that these guys and
2:15:53
gals out here coach are going to go on to become moms, dads and
2:15:57
business owners, to your point, architects, clergy, charity
2:16:01
owners, etcetera. And that is the real, in my
2:16:04
opinion, positive impact that track coaches make on society,
2:16:07
because you're raising hopefully good people by being an example,
2:16:11
correcting when necessary, patting them back when
2:16:14
necessary, that they go become good humans.
2:16:18
What? You know, you talked about
2:16:20
passion and what we do for the kids as as we're giving this
2:16:23
advice to young people, most in my experience want to coach
2:16:28
track because they want to, I would say put their Sam's, their
2:16:31
toes in the sample. They like to be outside.
2:16:33
That's the fun part. Talk to us about.
2:16:36
You. Know of all the coaching duties
2:16:38
you have, The very formal ones, meaning there's paperwork and
2:16:41
stuff they have to do, the informal ones.
2:16:42
A kid comes in and let's talk about dropping to class or maybe
2:16:46
being homesick. Out of all of your coaching
2:16:48
duties, how much time are you actually on the track?
2:16:51
The the part that we all quote, UN quote get into coaching for.
2:16:55
You know the two hours that that we long for all day bro the but.
2:17:01
But you said it well and that. And that's when.
2:17:03
You can see the longevity of the sport because the the coach, you
2:17:06
just. Want to?
2:17:07
Play and keep your feet in the sands.
2:17:10
They don't last long because they they.
2:17:12
Miss the Big. Picture the.
2:17:13
Big picture is to to raise up the next generation of of of
2:17:17
young men and women to do some amazing things.
2:17:20
But but yeah, to answer your question that that two to three
2:17:23
hours, you know, maybe the prep time or again I'm in a situation
2:17:28
where players have class during the.
2:17:30
Actual practice. Time, so the three sessions.
2:17:33
In the morning. The two after practice, you know
2:17:36
to try to get them what they need to be successful, but.
2:17:41
That that. Little block of time is that's
2:17:42
not really what it's all about. And the big picture, as as any
2:17:48
educator will tell you, it's it's all about the
2:17:51
organizational structure. Making sure there's a a plan and
2:17:54
what's the end? Goal and A.
2:17:55
Lot of people are are so tied up into the science or the art of
2:18:00
yeah, put it both together yeah. To to make make that end result
2:18:04
do what they do. I've used this example before
2:18:06
and I actually for some reason I always use the same person.
2:18:10
It's actually a a former boss of ours, JB, OK, Because you just
2:18:15
said it's not always about the X's and O's and I think that's
2:18:18
very true. I think it's very important for
2:18:20
coaching education and understanding how to coach long
2:18:22
jumpers better and just in terms of better, absolutely.
2:18:25
But I think. How?
2:18:27
You work with these young people can overcome a lot of, maybe
2:18:32
some not so great habits on the scientific X's and O's side,
2:18:36
right? So I always use JP.
2:18:37
I don't know why I use that. I just do.
2:18:39
I always say, you know, Debbie Jerry Vaultis of Grand Valley
2:18:41
State, you know his leadership skills are so good.
2:18:44
I truly believe that we could pluck him out of track and put
2:18:47
him as a hockey coach. And I don't know, maybe he
2:18:50
actually loves hockey and knows everything about.
2:18:51
I don't know, I just assume it doesn't.
2:18:53
But even that he would not know that XS and OS of hockey, I
2:18:56
think because of his leadership skills and style that the
2:18:59
leadership side of they would be very successful.
2:19:01
I think really good leadership coaches could do almost any
2:19:05
sport, any classroom, etcetera, and have success because of the
2:19:08
leadership qualities. And that's that's the key.
2:19:10
You just said it. You just said it.
2:19:12
That that part of coaching is the secret.
2:19:16
Sauce. That's.
2:19:17
The secret sauce? My coach had it at North Central
2:19:20
College Kerry's and it's it's but.
2:19:23
It's. It's about building those
2:19:24
relationships. You know that that extra 5
2:19:26
minutes to to just. To tell a player, hey, you know
2:19:29
these little things, you need to correct things, have them on the
2:19:32
back, send them off. That little bit.
2:19:35
Is all it takes, Yeah, Yeah. You know, you have a huge
2:19:37
responsibility. You know, not young people
2:19:42
today. Young people are going through a
2:19:44
lot of pressure, stresses, etcetera.
2:19:48
They need. To have a good experience.
2:19:49
With you and they do have that two hour block with you.
2:19:52
They need to know that that's kind of the the best time of
2:19:54
their life. And you said it right.
2:19:56
Called a recess. Yeah.
2:19:57
Yeah, they ring the bell I. Say this every year.
2:20:01
The. Door opens, 30 players run all
2:20:03
over. People run all over.
2:20:05
I've never seen a hamstring pull, maybe a couple of bloody
2:20:09
nose, right, and three little girls here in the.
2:20:12
Corner. Having their conversation, the
2:20:14
two little boys over. There picking boogers but, but,
2:20:18
but that that is I think. Everybody needs that and that
2:20:23
that. That joy.
2:20:25
Yeah, you know. As they get on an age.
2:20:27
They're going to forget or at least embellish their PRS.
2:20:30
You know, I'm now a 150 half Miller.
2:20:35
Next year, I'm sure I'll run 144.
2:20:36
Oh my God. But they were.
2:20:39
Yeah, but they remember the bus rides.
2:20:41
They remember the coach that saw something in them before they
2:20:45
could see it themselves. They remember the stressors and
2:20:47
pressures of the conference title, whether it's a team or
2:20:51
individual relay. That's what they truly remember.
2:20:53
I love that recess analogy, man. That's it.
2:20:55
I give it to him every year, especially when you got so much
2:20:58
stress on the academic side. Can you come over here?
2:21:01
Leave that stuff there. That's awesome.
2:21:03
Open up. Have a good time.
2:21:04
Great. Experience.
2:21:05
Let's have a little bit of academic.
2:21:07
Here. I've got 100 questions,
2:21:09
absolutely not one through 100. You get to pick the number.
2:21:12
I get to ask the question. My number's 22.
2:21:15
Why 22? Oh, great question.
2:21:17
So 22 was. My number.
2:21:19
In high school, my soccer freshman year, I got number. 22
2:21:24
My senior we. Only have 18 jerseys, so I took
2:21:27
#2. I think this is a good one for
2:21:30
you. Get out of my kitchen.
2:21:32
What's your least favorite food or ingredients?
2:21:35
It's messed up. So.
2:21:38
Although I wear. It well.
2:21:41
Yeah, well, here's the thing. I've been very fortunate.
2:21:44
I. I don't really have a bad.
2:21:47
Thing right, you know. Remember when you're little,
2:21:52
you. Didn't like salad?
2:21:52
You don't like salad? You know when.
2:21:55
Couldn't understand why the the? Squid.
2:21:58
Tastes so funny. And so was she.
2:22:00
Yeah. I like squid now.
2:22:01
So yeah. So you know when you evolved
2:22:04
with years your your time changes.
2:22:07
So in the kitchen I. Don't.
2:22:10
Know, man, I I would. Say they like.
2:22:14
Hot foods I. Love it.
2:22:15
I love. It now that's a.
2:22:19
You're. Constantly evolving.
2:22:22
You. I'm not someone in general.
2:22:24
You are constantly evolving, getting better every year.
2:22:30
Yeah, it's. Not no.
2:22:31
No fan there. That's for sure.
2:22:33
That's for sure. Great.
2:22:34
Thank you for being on the show, man.
2:22:35
We do appreciate you and thank you for the product that you
2:22:39
always give me. Thank you and I need.
2:22:42
A A. Wait.
2:22:42
That's. Where we're at over to land now.
2:22:43
Exactly. Hey, for everybody who sits down
2:22:45
with us tonight, we're giving them this is exclusive.
2:22:47
We're not giving this out to just to, you know, only for me
2:22:50
to sit down. Good connections.
2:22:51
I love you, man. Thank you.
2:22:54
Appreciate you. Appreciate you.
2:22:57
If you're. Going to sit down, come and.
2:22:58
Sit down. Otherwise I am wrapping it up,
2:23:00
man. Awesome.
2:23:02
That's always. Good.
2:23:04
Hey, why, how are you, man? Good to.
2:23:06
See you, man. I'm doing great, man.
2:23:07
You guys good. All right, let me wrap.
2:23:10
Up and not. Let me come see you real quick,
2:23:12
all right. I'm.
2:23:13
Wrapping up man. Thank you.
2:23:16
Appreciate you. Appreciate you always worry like
2:23:19
who's going to step in as soon as I start to wrap up.
2:23:23
Hey everybody, thank you so much for being here.
2:23:25
Again with the Live Connections podcast.
2:23:27
You know, we do this here at Gil Athletics because we love you as
2:23:31
a person and what you do for the young people around the country,
2:23:34
around the world, and it really does mean the world to us.
2:23:37
So keep watching, keep listening and we'll keep bringing you
2:23:40
amazing coaches around the world.
2:23:42
Give you a sneak peek here. Coming up in season five, you
2:23:45
can find us on iTunes, Spotify, the whole 9, but we've got that
2:23:48
Baylor 4x4 where we're going to have Michael Ford one week,
2:23:51
Jeremy Warner the other week, David Hodge, our CEO at Guild
2:23:54
Athletics, and then we anchor that four week block with Clyde
2:23:58
Hart. You're not going to want to miss
2:23:59
it. We've got, we've got Casey
2:24:02
Combest coming to the show. You're going to love that.
2:24:06
We've got another amazing high school coach or club coach,
2:24:08
Danny McRae you're going to enjoy.
2:24:10
We're going to continue bringing you special coaches every.
2:24:14
Week. On the podcast.
2:24:15
And then in April and May of 2024, every day starting April
2:24:19
2nd, we've got a high school coach from every state sitting
2:24:22
down with us talking about how they qualify for the state meet
2:24:25
and what events they run, meet the Champions, things like that.
2:24:29
And we're going to answer the the the forever argument, is it
2:24:33
state or states? You plug in with us at Guild
2:24:36
Connections podcast and we'll keep uplifting and honoring
2:24:38
coaches around the world. Thanks everybody.
2:24:40
Have a great night.