Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / #5: Kebba Tolbert-Harvard University

Transcript

#5: Kebba Tolbert-Harvard University · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

0:01
Hey gang, welcome to the Gila headaches connections podcast,
0:04
where we bring you the stories of track.
0:06
And field coach has from around the world.
0:08
I am your host Mike Cunningham and it is my honor and privilege
0:11
to bring you the stories of these men and women this week.
0:15
I just can't say enough about this interview had the wonderful
0:19
Kaiba Tolbert. From Harvard University, I've
0:23
known Kiba for a long time and I learned a ton in this interview
0:28
about his growing up in the Bronx.
0:30
Bronx and his family just support that he had with
0:35
grandparents grandma and uncles and Mom and just what a
0:40
wonderful way to grow up and just to hear his story and how
0:45
the mentors and his life from Dan paths and Bouche, excavators
0:49
and Carla coffees and just everything he's done so much in
0:54
his career up until this point. And the wonderful thing is, is
0:57
how he has reached the point where Is now giving back to the
1:02
track and field Community. He is now a mentor to so many
1:05
coaches from around. We spent a long time together
1:09
which I'm so appreciative of his time and attention and energy
1:13
during this interview. And I guarantee you we will do a
1:16
part two. We didn't even get close to
1:19
learning more about this fascinating young man and what
1:22
he does in the sport of track and field.
1:25
So please give it up and help me.
1:27
Welcome the Great and Powerful Kaiba.
1:30
The Tolbert. So Kiba.
1:39
We were talking about, really the influencers that you've had
1:44
in your life. You've coached, how long have
1:46
you coaching now really since 88.
1:48
But officially since 94. Okay.
1:51
Well, we employ an explorer that then, okay, officially since 94,
1:55
so long time, 20-plus going on 30 years, you look great for us,
1:59
has started at 10 years old. But what's really interesting
2:03
about you and you and I have known each other for quite a
2:05
long time. I think we met through the
2:07
Coaching education, psychology Springs.
2:10
Not indicated for respect. Boise was my okay, just one.
2:13
Yeah. So maybe their jumps with boom,
2:16
which I still say is the number one thing I ever did for my
2:19
career in life, the philosophy and so boot fits nicely into
2:22
this you or your now you're one of these in your going to deny
2:27
this because I know your humility food.
2:29
Thai people like you teach a lot of people but you have been
2:34
taught by a lot of people. Maybe explain the role of some
2:37
of The mentors you've had and what they meant to you.
2:39
Yeah, I've had. I've been very, very fortunate
2:41
to have some good people that were willing to take time and
2:46
energy and invest in me, as a coach, you know, as a person.
2:50
But as Anna coaching side, especially, has been a few
2:54
people. One is a guy named Robert
2:57
Taylor, he's from the Bronx from Co-op City.
2:59
He lives in Georgia now, but his daughter was money for Taylor,
3:03
but she's wonderful dealer and she she was a year older than
3:06
me, okay? He ran a track club called The
3:09
Zodiacs Track Club. It was all girls.
3:11
So did you grow up in a little bit of own show?
3:14
And democracy. We moved to the Bronx knows but
3:17
he had a club called The Zodiacs Track Club was all girls and so
3:20
my brother and I couldn't join but he's I used to sit and and
3:24
when he for was the top herder in the country through the study
3:27
age group and then when it's high schoolers from she went to
3:30
Florida. Won an essay titled got forth in
3:32
the picture. I was like, oh wow, yeah, this
3:34
is a good friend of mine, but I was able to watch them.
3:38
From close up, okay? And I always wanted to be in
3:40
their club and I couldn't my brother and I couldn't, but I
3:43
used to ask them for advice, I'd read articles.
3:46
I said, well, how could be doing this workout?
3:47
I used to sit and watch the World Cup after school.
3:49
Practice was that unique to have an all girls club back then?
3:53
Not in New York. I mean, probably a third of the
3:55
clubs were all girls and maybe some other all boys, and most a
3:59
co-ed, but do a lot of old Girls Clubs back then that is one
4:02
culture. You know, you know me well
4:03
enough to travel around the country, you know, 365 days a
4:06
year. But the New York and Burrows and
4:11
suburbs. I know nothing I've never been
4:13
there. And I didn't know you were from.
4:15
Yeah, I was I was gonna say, I don't even know anybody from
4:17
there. Maybe.
4:18
I know a lot of people just don't realize that it just
4:20
strikes me back in that time that it would be an all female.
4:24
And there were lots of interesting.
4:26
So he I used to so I used to watch him.
4:28
And then I started writing for a school newspaper and the local
4:33
newspaper. And so I write articles about
4:35
the club and about her. And so I got to Interview her in
4:38
interview him and get to know them even more.
4:40
And he started to trust me and he knew that was in the train.
4:43
So you give me articles to read and let me come and watch videos
4:45
of that stuff like speed Dynamics.
4:47
When you first first totally 80s.
4:50
I'd sit and watch and takes ask questions and that's how I
4:55
really got. So because I couldn't join the
4:57
club. And the club that we join was
5:00
about an hour and 20 minutes on the subway.
5:02
We didn't go every day. So I coach my brother, that's
5:04
how I started coaching. 88. We caught the house on a mama.
5:09
Let us go tonight. We sneak out at night and go to
5:11
the track. And I started coaching, he was a
5:13
long jumper, your high school. I was in high school.
5:16
He was in. He was in.
5:17
He's four years younger than me. So, okay.
5:19
It's like my junior year going into my junior year so he was
5:22
like you know 13 14 user. Who think were you doing track?
5:26
I was doing track as well. What events 100-200 2010 got for
5:30
400 so I started coaching him and then kind of just went from
5:34
there. Then.
5:35
I went to college, he was in my brother made a couple of Youth
5:37
games. Teams in Junior Olympics, like
5:38
the long jump into hundred euros, he's legit and stuff like
5:42
that. So when I got to college, there
5:44
was a long jumper who was a junior when I was a freshman and
5:47
he was good. He was like a conference
5:50
conference champion and My coach knew I was into coaching even as
5:56
a freshman to freshman. So the two things happened,
5:59
which are both very strange. I'm coach Wescott.
6:01
So that was called mr. Taylor, right and I got started
6:04
with that but coach Westcott, my college coach at Colby.
6:07
He gave me the key to his office like the first month in my
6:11
freshman year. And like so for four years I
6:14
could go in and watch videos and read books, and read articles,
6:16
and up to workouts. And there was a longing, my
6:20
coach was also the Red Cross Country Coach.
6:22
And so we kind of He give us such to do in the fall, he see
6:25
some of it, but most of it was on her own.
6:28
And when I got to the guy was like, yeah, you know, I'm pretty
6:30
good long jumper but I file a lot, and, and coach was can
6:34
always watch me because he's busy with this group of that
6:36
group. Not what not in any kind of
6:37
disrespect. We're just like small things.
6:40
So me being young and arrogant and stupid said, oh well let me
6:45
ask if I can work with you. I coach my brother in the long
6:48
jumper, he was pretty good and I work with some of our luck
6:49
Jumpers in high school and you were an athlete on the team.
6:52
Yeah, he said, yes. It is so I work with him maybe
6:58
once a week on specific long jump stuff.
7:00
We worked on having check marks that I got.
7:01
Right. I'm Tom two layers.
7:03
Yeah articles and I had a third Army book by Dirty Jobs, going
7:09
to those things and applying it to my brother and then applying
7:11
it to Tom composer was ajar and so that's how I started
7:15
coaching. Then in addition to having the
7:17
key because my head coach at Kobe was their faculty because I
7:21
taught. So, anytime you knew came out.
7:24
Tracker 4 News will have new books, new videos.
7:26
He can order it to the library for me because you could do that
7:29
as faculty. I get new stuff not go to the
7:31
library and watch it and read it.
7:32
Like bumper came out with a book that I wanted and I was like 60
7:35
bucks. I don't have 60 bucks, he would
7:37
order it. And then with the library to
7:38
explain her and I could go read it.
7:41
And so source, that, that happened.
7:43
And we had a good, we had a good coach individual Sprint, coach
7:47
Coach Brown, he was a football coach in the fall.
7:51
Okay, tracking winner is, that's why he was with you in the fall,
7:53
right? Yeah.
7:54
Yeah, and then he he had run aground.
7:57
He was a school record. Holder, his wife working
7:59
emissions, they got a job at Oberlin after my sophomore year.
8:03
So he left and we got a new guy from who didn't have a lot of
8:07
experience. And so I started writing my own
8:09
training cycles and I would run it by my car, my head coach.
8:13
All right, talk to the event coach, and they would make small
8:16
tweaks, but pain certainly from my Junior and Senior year, I've
8:18
got my own training and I'd write some of the training for
8:20
some of the group. I'm not saying I did it.
8:22
All right, like that. How I got started.
8:24
Yeah. And so I wasn't the official
8:26
quoted in my everyone's workouts but I wrote most of my workouts
8:29
and I recycle I didn't talk with the coach he'd make some
8:32
adjustments and that's what I would do.
8:34
What do you think? It is about you Kaiba that that
8:40
someone would trust you after a month.
8:43
Not a you know you hear that sometimes you hear similar
8:46
stories about a senior, right? Or you know, one of your team
8:52
teammates here. Brenner got injured after a
8:54
sophomore year and started, kind of going to cut you hear about
8:57
that. I've never heard of.
8:59
Yeah, I mean first saying, freshman coming in and have an
9:04
access like. Yeah.
9:05
I think he saw that I was into To it.
9:07
And I was serious about it. And I think that was just his
9:11
way of being really encouraging and I would sit in his office
9:14
and said, hey, coach, I write this.
9:15
You can explain that with this is biomechanical Council.
9:18
That understanding. Can you explain it?
9:20
He would say, it is very patient and so what was your major?
9:23
I was a philosophy major last magic.
9:26
So really, no, I really was trying to decide what I'm going
9:30
to go and get a PhD in philosophy and teach or going to
9:33
coaching. And the main reason I'm picking
9:35
coaching was because it was a two-year program for Seven years
9:38
for PhD and as I can't be broken.
9:40
Yeah. But to this day, I still feel
9:43
like I'm a philosopher coach, you know, and I read a lot of
9:47
philosophy. Do I feel like a flock is kind
9:48
of way of living to me and so I kind of have the best of both
9:52
worlds in that regard. So you got an undergrad in
9:54
philosophy. He graduated from Colby, then I
9:57
went to Smith Smith college, which is in Northampton Mass,
10:01
Northampton an undergraduate is all women.
10:04
The grad schools are cyclical in there and I thought it was a
10:06
woman School grads. Schools are slightly co-ed.
10:08
So yeah, 16 people in our exercise and sports studies
10:10
program, they were two men. And so, I did that for two
10:14
years, under called a coffee. I got ya.
10:18
I coached the women's friends to women's hurdles, the horizontal
10:21
jumps there and realize. And so, again, another situation
10:26
where stepped in there for everyone was returning, they
10:30
were finished. Second in the country the year
10:31
before. Oh, and she turned it over to
10:34
me. So, and I was, I was like, you
10:37
know, Seagrave, this and Seagrave that taking stuff in 20
10:39
Wells. And oh, yeah.
10:41
Because we Smith says, it's a part of a five college system
10:45
with UMass and Hampshire at Holyoke and Smith had, it's
10:48
really cool science, Library, without a biomechanics reports
10:51
and sections like that between that.
10:54
And I will go over to UMass. You take the bus over the
10:56
shuttle and they had all the old and csas.
11:00
And so back in those days back in like the 80s and 90s data
11:03
have like Roundtable with Dan path and Lauren Seagrave, and
11:06
from equals 70. And people like that and don't
11:08
you. And so they were like, I could
11:10
because that could I could take them, take them out to copy them
11:14
and then take them back. And the library is Smith had all
11:18
of the old Soviet Sports reviews so I could take those out, take
11:20
them out and copy them as well. And so I had all those and
11:24
that's why I would read and I will go to that.
11:26
Now go to seminars and that's how I got started.
11:30
I'm surprised. This doesn't surprise me.
11:33
You're always been in my mind, a very academic.
11:37
All type of Coach less relying on the rah-rah yelling and more
11:42
on the hey. Here's the cues and here's how
11:44
to improve on the next attempt or the next race.
11:48
So, it does surprise me that you weren't a biomechanics major,
11:51
and also got a master's in. In a PhD.
11:54
I would not have been shocked. If you had told me that you
11:56
started that, where did that? I'm Call It Love of learning
12:03
where they come from, where your parents teachers, or my probably
12:07
came from, my mom, my grandmother, my uncle's.
12:12
So it's funny like my family. I'll tell you two things.
12:16
One is my grandmother passed a few years ago, my grandmother,
12:20
my Uncle Frank, my mother. They all have at least two have
12:23
two masters degrees. I only have one, so I'm kind of
12:25
like the black sheep of the family.
12:26
But yeah. Right.
12:27
Yeah. You're the less educated
12:28
formally educated. Holy cow and my grandma.
12:33
So, in eighth grade, I went to school in Manhattan but tell you
12:39
to go from the Bronx. Manhattan, catch the train every
12:42
day and went to Junior High School.
12:45
My mother had gone to because they had a program to send kids
12:48
to boarding school. And my mother had gone to know
12:50
from my Herman. My uncle like on the picture and
12:52
it was sent my other story in school.
12:54
Yeah. Okay.
12:55
And so I went and then I got into and over to Phillips
12:59
Academy which is nearby Yeah, I've heard that.
13:01
So that's why I went really, really good board is watching
13:04
you. Like I've heard of that like,
13:05
it's kind of, it's stupid. Really yeah.
13:08
Right. But that into that, I got it.
13:09
That's that's where you went. That's why I went.
13:11
That's why I started high school and so eighth grade, you know,
13:15
too much for graduation. Maybe three months before Cars
13:17
come out, and I'd already gotten in.
13:19
I was excited and I was on the mass going like Manhattan,
13:22
Borough Mass team. I was like inaudible for this.
13:24
You know, I was into that kind of stuff.
13:26
All right. I've got my work.
13:27
I thought it was pretty good. I wasn't right.
13:29
Number three, my school. Whatever, whatever.
13:31
And I saw, this is pretty good. Got a couple bees milk.
13:34
Is that the best you can do? Like, I'm doing pretty good G.
13:37
I'm feeling I'm feeling myself. I gotta top boarding school in
13:39
the country, right? And she's like, well, I'm
13:41
grandmother had had was running a day care center in Spanish
13:46
Harlem that she running for 20 years.
13:48
I used to go there when I was little, she had him at Audi
13:50
master's degree. She's working on her second.
13:52
She going on weekends from New York to Maryland on the Bowie
13:55
State University on weekends take classes and she's a 4.0.
13:59
She will have a 4.0 and I In this of I can do it.
14:01
You can do it too light and it's like, yes, Grandma.
14:04
You know, there's no, like, it wasn't a question.
14:06
It was just like, yes. So that's the kind of person she
14:09
was an influence he had on me. Yeah, I'll tell you two other
14:11
quick stories. When I was younger, I thought I
14:13
wanted to be a psychologist. Maybe, when I was terrible,
14:14
Evan, I don't know, I just wasn't sure she would.
14:16
Just like, she just got me subscription Psychology today
14:20
moving. She had been York.
14:20
We have this one, we lived in Rochester, and I didn't even, I
14:24
probably could understand the articles, but it was just
14:27
anything involving education, huh?
14:29
She was going. Support.
14:30
Yeah, you doing well in school. You can almost ask for anything
14:33
in the world, right? I got a new tutorial shoes.
14:36
Are you doing on school? She was behind ya, be hundred
14:39
percent because for her, you know, going to where she came
14:42
from. She came to a really poor, you
14:43
know. African American woman from the
14:44
south like education is the way the future except until the she
14:48
grew up there and music. So that's that, that was her key
14:55
out of ya partner for our family and for the family.
14:58
Right? And so who do well in school You
15:00
were good. Yeah, my first year at Smith, I
15:05
had gone from Kobe where I was captain of the track team where
15:08
I was the president of Black and Hispanic student organization.
15:11
And I was a student government culture and I seen you.
15:14
And so, you know, Kobe, at that time, had 1,700 students, there
15:17
were 32 black students. There were three black males in
15:19
my graduating class, so you know, there's that right?
15:22
Yes. I mean everyone knew I was just
15:24
because there's not that many of us, you know, like, you know so
15:27
it's got go from that to Smith. With undergraduates are all
15:31
female. Only one of two males in my
15:35
cohort of the exercise and sports studies program.
15:38
I'm in Northampton, I'm a grad student and I'm broke and I'm
15:41
studying the science stuff that I had no background.
15:44
It, you know, like I hadn't taken by mechanics had to get
15:46
such physiology, and never don't motor learning that stuff was
15:49
really hard for me. I didn't enjoy it at first so at
15:52
the end of my first year and I and I was also heartbroken over
15:55
this girl. I dated in that didn't work out
15:56
in college. So, in my first year as I can,
15:59
this is for the It's I'm going to drop out.
16:02
Okay? And some make up my mind.
16:03
Yeah, I've had it in the coaching was going fine, but I
16:07
was, I was just not happy. So I get up one morning in the
16:10
summer and I want to go to the registrar's office to the Dean's
16:12
office. Let them know.
16:13
I'm going to, I'm going to withdraw.
16:15
I get about 100 feet from my door, maybe 20 feet.
16:18
I'm like well if I do that I've got to call my grandmother was a
16:21
what grandma? That's cool.
16:23
Yeah, so that's probably not going to go over well, turn
16:25
around while back to my apartment.
16:27
So I got to figure this out and I was that like so then the Last
16:30
year I got to walk over voice. Yeah, so next year I got it.
16:37
I got it teaching. They offered me a teaching job.
16:39
So I had a little more money, wasn't a lot of a thousand
16:42
dollars a semester, but that's a lot back then and I started
16:45
dating someone. And so just everything.
16:47
Got a little better and it was perfectly fine and she didn't
16:49
know that to like, you just got totally useless.
16:51
Like, I was going to drop out and I was walking down the
16:53
street, and I was like, I have to call you and tell you is
16:55
like, yeah, probably can't do that.
16:57
So figure it out what she say, when you told her she lie, I
17:00
just ate now that is true influence throughout their,
17:04
yeah, my mother, my mother has two masters degrees.
17:10
She's ancient near Eastern studies scholar, ancient Greece,
17:13
ancient near Eastern. And she has a, she's a minister.
17:17
Other uncle's. A minister, he has two masters
17:19
degrees from Colombia. He was a dean of a college at
17:23
Howard University. I used to go out and summons and
17:24
spend time with him. So a, my other Uncle who doesn't
17:27
have a college degree is like, if I would get A short life.
17:30
If you got in trouble at school, my house like Teacher Calls on.
17:33
Hey, Kaiba was talking like class.
17:34
Or you want the Parent-Teacher night?
17:36
They came. No more was Kate was doing
17:38
really well with the, he can do even better.
17:40
If he just said, you're not trying hard enough.
17:42
He said, you're not put my mom, man.
17:44
It was like it was there was no escape and, and see this
17:48
building right now. This is where my apartment was
17:50
okay, like to hear about that far.
17:52
As with my uncle's apartment was okay, across the river was wrong
17:55
because apartment was and maybe where the track is, were had
17:57
another Uncle so people can't see.
18:00
You are pointing literally at 57 weeks.
18:03
Yeah, right? Yeah and so if our teacher said
18:06
came is talking too much in class or came it was later okay
18:09
it was a you get the lecture from a mother and she would
18:11
yell, then I get a phone call from my grandmother came but can
18:14
you come over and it's not like you can say no so I go over and
18:18
maybe you know when you got a little better.
18:21
Okay next day my uncle brother come over come over and there's
18:26
this there's this program called eyes on the prize.
18:29
It's a civil rights program. About what black people went
18:31
through, to get to where we are now.
18:33
Not that everything's perfect, but we've made lots of progress
18:36
or, you know, we can go to school, we can vote, we can.
18:38
Yeah, so about the struggles that they went through for that
18:40
and he would sit me down and he put on some version eyes on the
18:44
prize, he might go in the back room and clean up and make a
18:46
phone call, but it's a like a 15 hour program, he would just pick
18:51
some segments. I might have to watch it and
18:52
watch an hour and he'll come back and see.
18:54
Now, you see why you need to be more serious about your school.
18:57
We see the sacrifice these people made so that you can have
18:59
these opportunities. And there wasn't much, you could
19:02
say it's like, what you going to do better?
19:03
Yes. Uncle care.
19:04
What push back? You given for that Dan?
19:07
You get a call the next day? For my uncle fight, brother.
19:09
I need you to come over, how come, you're not trying hard in
19:11
school? Uncle, Frank, I am, what did you
19:13
just say? You're not.you're.
19:14
Not doing your best. Uncle Frank?
19:16
I'm trying. Well, I think you can do better,
19:18
you got to put more effort like, you know, we can do better than
19:20
this. I expect more from you.
19:21
Yes, Uncle, Frank Uncle Frank on his wall pictures of Malcolm X
19:25
pictures of Frederick Douglass Fannie, Lou Hamer, Harriet
19:28
Tubman all those kind of things. I got His house Black Culture,
19:31
black history that love and that was the conversation.
19:35
It was it was a one-way conversation with the yes, I
19:37
understand you better. So that's why I got from, let's
19:41
support. You have their.
19:43
Yeah, I mean they you would have had to have tried to fail.
19:47
Yeah, you know saying I mean they were going to be there to
19:49
make sure that if you were going to fail, one going to be because
19:52
they weren't going to be there like doing their duty to lead
19:55
you and be responsible. So from there, what do school
19:59
and over, I'm pretty fast. Like I have the Freshman record
20:02
and 50-yard there, and then tells you how old you are, but I
20:05
know the yard and then my second year, I was the fastest person
20:10
in the league and island is only one like 23 to like 11 and 2 or
20:16
something like that. But I got in trouble.
20:18
My first year got trouble get my second year so then they had I
20:21
would draw, I had to leave so I'll go back to New York and my
20:26
mom is ha. Yeah.
20:27
Like for two years straight adamant that it and if I look
20:31
the wrong way, see that's your problem.
20:32
That's why I got kicked out and that's your problem.
20:34
Yeah, to the point of doing all these things, you know I figured
20:56
it out things out but My mom said something in a car after
21:01
graduation on the way to dinner and I must've said something
21:04
back, and she didn't like it. She was like, see, that's your
21:06
problem. And my uncle who my uncle is a
21:09
person where you going to respect your parents.
21:10
Like he's no. You see you've got to respect
21:13
your parents. He stepped.
21:14
He's he's in the car because he goes Regina, the boy graduated,
21:18
he's going to college. You might want to let that go.
21:21
I was like, wow, I've been free. Cause some family embarrassment
21:31
and some family pain. But at truman, I go to try and
21:37
get there in the summer of 88 and they have Empire State
21:41
games. Like Mass has basic things and I
21:43
go okay, I'm fast, you know, I was the fastest known public
21:46
school. I'll go make the team.
21:47
All right man, so it did not go as planned.
21:52
I go to the prelims, I won, 100 Mike, I get waxed.
21:56
People are running 10 8, 10 7 and 10 6 is in the prelims.
22:00
I've never seen nothing like that.
22:01
I want to 200, people want to 2222 flat and 21 60s.
22:05
And some of them like, oh my goodness, our team at truman had
22:09
won the State title in the, for I want to you before, but I've
22:13
never seen this kind of running before, right man.
22:16
It was like an eye-opener I was gonna say.
22:18
So, how did you take that? Because one type of person would
22:21
see that and be like, Oh I'm not a sprinter and quit know.
22:24
The person would take it and say I need to get better.
22:27
I got better and I made I made a photo wonderful.
22:30
For a 4 by1 had the fastest time in the state up until the city.
22:36
So the way in New York state to the state championships back
22:39
then is the top relay from each region, made it to state meet in
22:43
New York. We had a top time but at the
22:46
city Championship is on boys and girls school beat us.
22:49
We ran 40 16 and got beat so we couldn't go to the field and
22:53
wait a second best time in the state and you know we mentioned
22:57
we were on like 318 317 lat. The top four teams in the state,
23:01
like New York City had like five of the top six teams in couldn't
23:03
go New Rochelle, which was right next door.
23:06
They went and got second and Mount Vernon.
23:08
And they're right next door to me to the Bronx.
23:10
Take a second to turn the state meet, they weren't and no
23:12
disrespect to them. They were in the top five in the
23:14
state, you know? And so it broke our heart were
23:17
like, man, we went we had going to paralyze them as consolation.
23:21
Final got a medal and we won a lot of games and things like
23:25
that. And boys and girls.
23:26
Daddy's got him. Jimmy Stafford was at a twenty
23:28
point. Nine Twenty One Flat guy back.
23:30
Nice. And he kicked our butt on the
23:32
relay and just couldn't, we had a great anchor, he was a 10 to
23:34
10 3 guy couldn't catch up. Yeah, you know, but that was my
23:38
introduction to Real Track. It's not that it wasn't like,
23:41
oh, this is fast, I got you out of that bubble that.
23:44
Yeah, it was like, oh, there's there's better people out.
23:46
Right. So, I ended up one like 3:40 and
23:49
like 10 9 and like, rent 49er really, as in high school, got
23:53
recruited by Kobe and some other schools ended up there that.
23:56
And so that's that bridge of all those things you know and so
23:59
Between my senior year and I'm a senior in college.
24:03
And my first year of grad school, summer 94.
24:05
I was back in New York City, working and mr.
24:08
Taylor asked me to be his assistant.
24:10
Oh, the club. Yeah.
24:11
So I was Excel was summer and so, all girls club.
24:15
Yeah. And so I travel with them.
24:17
I go to meet at help out. I don't know how much help I
24:19
was, you know, really. But I think he knew that I was
24:22
into it a young coach, and he just helped me out.
24:26
And I've watched and I learn and ask questions and he had a He
24:30
had a 59 second hurdler and high high school here.
24:33
Another girl, who was a youth Champion, the triple jump here,
24:37
a couple other kids that he had a 2006, 2007 100-meter girl in
24:40
the club. You know, 13-6 1370 hurdler.
24:44
Mean he had a crew, so I was around that and getting to watch
24:47
them to see the workout. You did hit a couple of the kids
24:49
over 24, for 24-6 in the 200, you know, all in this one area.
24:53
Yeah, that's what I, that's what I was like.
24:54
Oh wow, okay. And so that's, that's how I got
24:57
started, you know, that's how I started.
24:59
So you did you finish out your grasp?
25:02
Luckily for you, I think you finish out your grad work at
25:05
Smith. You said you got the 4 by 11 the
25:08
year before it was second year before second your house.
25:11
They do. So we were ranked moving s.
25:15
My first year, one, somebody on the relay and head coach had a
25:20
big blowup and so she decided she wasn't taking ability
25:23
Nationals. I was high and I love Carla.
25:30
And that was, that not the athlete, just the whole team.
25:35
So that was that. So but yeah, I mean, it was, it
25:45
was really I wrote everything. Warm up the weight training.
25:49
Yeah, and she just turned it over to your program.
25:52
Now this and when I first got there, She was like, okay we're
25:57
going to coach, you said, you can even the closest friend of
25:59
hers and she may talk about it the summer.
26:01
She's like okay bring me down some of your workout ideas about
26:03
that. So I'm like okay, you know, and
26:06
I had gone. The other thing I should say, I
26:08
know what kind of weaving in and out my senior year in college
26:12
Lauren Seagrave, had was putting on this thing called the elite
26:14
Sprint seminar. It was in Vegas.
26:16
It was a two-day seminar right around Thanksgiving meal, right
26:21
before or after can't remember. And I asked my mother for
26:24
Christmas gift. How What a gift?
26:26
Can I get a ticket for that? I paid for my registration.
26:31
A woman's head coach went and my head coach sent us prints coach.
26:34
Yeah. So we actually room together
26:36
which I'm sure is an NCAA violation that I could be
26:38
physical. So it's like whatever.
26:40
But he said, if you go yeah, if you go, I'll let you run the
26:43
Coach G. So I mean, that's kind of
26:45
support. I don't think it was trying to,
26:46
you know, that just, that's what he did.
26:48
Right. And so, we all went to days with
26:52
about 30 other people, listen to Lauren talk from 9 a.m.
26:55
Yeah, 7:00 at night, two days in a row, about Sprint, Sprint,
26:59
training, things like that. At that seminar, I met Tony
27:04
Vinny. Yeah and he was coaching at Cal
27:06
State Northridge at the time and we exchanged gave me his card
27:09
and he was the woman Sprint development culture.
27:13
So for a long time. Yeah, when I got the grad school
27:16
we had to graduate either a special studies project or
27:21
thesis. I did a special studies project
27:23
so I did I edited a book on spinning and hurtling And so
27:26
Tony, what one of the articles for me, Remy wrote some articles
27:29
for me, John Miller who used to be at Notre.
27:31
Dame and wrote some articles for me.
27:32
I had some really calm about on who I teach you it.
27:35
Now, he wrote one of the Articles from the Plyometrics.
27:37
I'm mr. Taylor.
27:38
I did an interview with him. My good people man.
27:40
It sold for about 15 years, I probably sold about what was
27:43
this called spinning and hurtling.
27:45
Hobbies, not guil used to sell it, man.
27:49
I probably sold 2,000 copies. No no, no self-produce, edited
27:53
everything with my social studies project.
27:55
So I was very into the Lauren Seagrave thinking, mentality of
28:00
stuff. That's what kind of directed my
28:01
training at that point. And that's I bought this to call
28:06
her. She's been MIA training, she's
28:07
like well, you know do you think I need a bigger base and what we
28:11
stuff and she's gonna coach work.
28:13
But that was and she was in this meeting because I know she was
28:15
she had been on numerous teams and committees with was Tack and
28:20
USA Track and Field and she said, I think you should do some
28:24
more of this and I was like, okay Okay, I went back to my
28:26
apartment, this is what's weird because I had a lot of respect
28:30
for her. I was like I really don't
28:31
believe in that. I think this would I went back
28:34
and I said coach Coffey and she's no call me Carla.
28:37
I was like okay Carla. I said, I understand what you're
28:40
saying, it's like two hours later.
28:42
I was as I don't mean to be disrespectful but I really
28:44
believe in this. Hot.
28:48
Can I do it this way? And she's looks because I know
28:52
all that new stuff and I get it but so you know, I'm gonna let
28:55
you do it but they got to be ready to go.
28:56
Yeah, and she let me do it. Yeah, and we ran well and do
29:00
well. But I mean like, I can't believe
29:02
I went back to her right? Is that was terrified.
29:04
Sure. And she said, yes and boom.
29:07
Yeah, so such a Carla coffee. I mean, yeah.
29:10
Well, accomplished back then, we'll accomplish now, right.
29:12
Yeah, right. So that's who are you your grab
29:15
some dude? No.
29:17
Real formal coaching experience taking her relay and get that
29:23
done well and saying I want to do it this way and I'm worked
29:27
out. I don't know.
29:28
Worked out, that's awesome. It's kind of crazy.
29:30
Where was that after Smith? So after Smith I went and I was
29:34
the head coach at Ohio Wesleyan. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
29:38
So what I'm gonna be looking for jobs at the grad student, I got
29:41
a couple of offers one was at UMass for like ten thousand
29:44
dollars and no insurance and I was laying one of my college
29:49
teammates. He was going to grad school
29:51
University of Iowa. His wife would go on to Colby's.
29:53
Well, she had graduated in 1990. She went to Springfield for grad
29:57
school and she was a head track and cross country coach, but she
30:00
was total teaching a full load there, and it was, it was more
30:02
than what you supposed to be doing.
30:04
The person was with the head track coach, what you got there.
30:07
Became the head football coach right when she got there.
30:09
So it shifts are all have responsibilities.
30:11
So she was like, I cannot do all this next year.
30:12
So I was a head track coach. She was ahead Cross Country
30:15
Coach and so, yeah, three, Kobe people in what in Mount Pleasant
30:19
Iowa. Yeah, there.
30:21
And so, that's why do we write? Yeah, yeah.
30:24
That's how I got that. That's how I got there.
30:29
Two years near the head coach bad, like like what am I relay
30:34
at? Look at Smith's May Nationals.
30:37
My fastest person was 64 seconds.
30:39
When I first got there, I was like, oh my gosh, is bad bad.
30:44
And then Jim Granite Iowa. He was the head coach.
30:47
Then he had some kids that won't get any qualifiers and called me
30:51
up and threw me in a I sent me some information about kids and
30:55
I started making connections in Jamaica and I got another person
30:59
from Ivory Coast just and he set it all up and we got third the
31:02
next year at Nationals. Third and doing for thought
31:05
there in my ad was shocked. He's like, and he's like, oh,
31:08
how'd you guys do a national circles?
31:09
30 goes, we make goes without any goals as a team.
31:11
And like, yeah, we've been, like, set conference records in
31:14
schools, like it's all yours. You didn't pay attention and but
31:17
we got there and it was really cool.
31:19
Yeah. And I didn't feel like they were
31:22
they were keeping their promises to me about certain things
31:25
whether it's scholarships or right, or in he and I the time
31:29
getting along, he gave me an opportunity but also felt like
31:32
he wasn't respecting what we were doing.
31:35
So I think sometimes administration's, I have a
31:36
similar experience when I coach Juco and Kansas where they just,
31:41
you know, oh yeah, you're doing this.
31:42
Yeah we're going to do this, we're going to take care of you
31:44
going to and then when the rubber meets the road and it's
31:46
time to do it, I think they're very good at saying yes about
31:50
the dream lot in a Harder when it comes time to actually.
31:54
Maybe not give football a bigger increase but instead can give it
31:56
to you. Yeah.
31:57
And so disheartening because you work so hard doing that.
32:00
So I sent out stuff to a bunch of schools have looking to leave
32:05
the possibility. McKendree College had just
32:07
started the program and they were like fit at Nationals that
32:10
same year and he was like, oh, shoot at this guy with, you
32:13
know. And so we started talking early
32:16
summer late spring, and I became a beacon associate.
32:21
It coach I'd offer can go there or go to Swarthmore as a head
32:25
coach and D3, academic similar, I really Suave my offer me more
32:31
money. Ask me thirty two thousand
32:33
dollars which I thought was a lot of money there and the ad
32:37
had he had been the head coach. Yeah, coach at Amherst and he
32:40
had also coached the other guy in our grant program at Smith
32:45
that done track. So he was his coaches do, that
32:47
was through with that connection.
32:48
He knew Karl anything like that and I really, really can thought
32:51
about But I thought we could win a National Title at McKendree
32:54
and when I was there we 13 to endure when outdoor a second
32:58
outdoor. And so since you took the less
33:01
paying job. Yeah.
33:04
Yeah. I mean, you know, worked out but
33:08
you know, a lot of times coaches as they're going through, their
33:13
call it their progression with different schools.
33:15
But of time is it is, you know, that school is going to be 5,000
33:18
more? Okay, let's go.
33:20
It's all about. As we get paid so little as
33:23
compared to other some other sports that are out there.
33:26
So, that's interesting, took that and so you're at McKendree
33:28
and did you become the head coach at meccano knowledge,
33:30
associate Koke in this, would have been 90 98 to 2000. 98 2000
33:36
little bit earlier than that. Okay, so McKendree.
33:38
So you went from middle of nowhere, I would have middle of
33:41
November. It was a boy.
33:42
Okay, what happened after McKendree?
33:44
So pretty good. I mean, I had a lot of good kids
33:47
there. You know, towns of people
33:48
hard-working kids, I coached with Expense hurdles jumps,
33:52
Maltese. Horizontal drift Maltese and, of
33:55
course, the men's friends hurdles, horizontal jumpstart
33:57
had just knew we had won three titles.
33:59
So, we're pretty good. Yeah.
34:01
Got a call from Andy Roberts at Syracuse.
34:05
So, basically what happened with actually having was Carol Smith
34:07
called me and said, hey, and he's looking for a coach
34:11
Spurrier, was careless. She was at Sea 9, 2008 at Penn
34:16
State and statement. I think she's getting Penn
34:21
State. And she said, and he's looking
34:24
for a jumps Maltese person. I told me you'd be good.
34:26
I had him. How did you know her?
34:28
Oh, so 220 beanie. So 20 Vinny was this woman
34:31
spends co-chair for usatf. So he when I was doing my my
34:37
special studies project him doing articles.
34:38
Hey, you know, when you get your job, let me know where you're
34:42
at. As I call him, I was gonna say I
34:44
want you to be my regional Junior.
34:46
My regional Junior development shape, It was a tie without much
34:49
responsibility. I had something to do.
34:51
But so because of that, I got to go out to the Junior League
34:54
camps Chula Vista. And so that's why I met Tony
34:57
Wells. Yeah, as I said, yes, so Tony
35:00
being taught me was that I learned a ton of them went out
35:03
for a couple of that's why I met Curtis Taylor because he'd
35:05
always have athletes there. So, that's how I met Curtis
35:07
Taylor in 97. Could you really can?
35:10
That's why I'm at 20 Wells. And so, I was there and, you
35:14
know, because of 20 Wells, I knew I meant carelessness and
35:18
and was Tony well, he was your coach in Curtis.
35:22
Connected at all or Tony was one of 20 walls as one of Curtis is
35:26
mentors. Yeah.
35:26
Okay. And so Tony mentored me as well
35:29
as several other. He has a.
35:30
Yeah. And so that's how I knew Carol.
35:33
She talks to Andy Roberts at Syracuse guy.
35:35
She goes, I had any talk to Dan and Gary to Dan Patrick a
35:39
Winkler I knew Dan when I first got to Iowa's lien when I didn't
35:44
get much, when I got 18,000 dollars to be head track coach
35:47
sports information, director assistant athletic director oh
35:50
those are my times. 18,000 but I had insurance and health
35:53
insurance. Yeah it's I said I got to have
35:56
at least a thousand dollars in professional development money
35:58
and so I went to the CAC the Congress my first year in Puerto
36:01
Rico and it was Dan speaking. It was the No 1 when the Victor
36:05
Lopez runs is the and half. It was Jerry Clayton.
36:09
It was jovial and gave woman SMU.
36:12
Those were the four speakers over those two days and I were
36:16
John. Yeah huge.
36:17
I read some stuff. And then before and I'm going to
36:20
turn that weekend. Now, I didn't understand half
36:23
the stuff he was saying but it turned on, light bulbs and I'd
36:26
been holding in the low and Seagrave kind of stuff, so that
36:29
coach together LSU, lots of similarities.
36:32
And Dan said, you know, hey, if you ever need anything not to me
36:35
to the audience, you know, give me a call email fax and I took
36:39
him up on it. You took it as you are talking.
36:40
Yeah. Me and so I had some issues that
36:44
year and I had high jump at 52 high jumper and I said having
36:47
problems because you'll send me some video, I look at it and 52
36:51
minutes and I know Nationals back and he sent me back
36:56
articles and detailed feedback on my father who jumper like she
36:59
was like a 6-foot jumping, right?
37:00
I was like Wow, embarrassing rotation and this that and the
37:03
other and isolation you know, turning Pages looking so that
37:08
phenomenal. Yeah, that he would do.
37:10
Yeah, the next you want to add a good team.
37:12
How to go the got hurt? She heard her hamstring, I
37:15
called him. I said, hey, did I remember you
37:16
talking about Donovan Bailey and 96 getting hurt before the
37:19
Olympics and what you did? He's talked about no lymphatic.
37:22
And and holding points and pressure points and foot
37:26
reflexology. I'm like whoa, yeah so I just
37:30
take it. Yeah I take it easy ology so and
37:33
in that sense I knew some of the some of the stuff he's talking.
37:36
Right. We'll need for Taylor at that
37:38
point was still training but she was getting her certification in
37:42
massage. So I called her.
37:44
I said hey what does this mean? What's he talking about?
37:47
She starts making a dolphin's. Go get this book, go get that so
37:50
all the stuff comes back together.
37:51
So I go to the library and Order and I read an order, and I start
37:54
working on these kids and they run fast again.
37:56
And okay, so I'll be coming for, you know, True Believer.
37:59
So that's how I started to get to know Dan.
38:02
Yeah, back injury, they used to have this me called the Canon
38:04
for me, it was an Indianapolis. But yeah, yeah.
38:09
And so we went when I was in McKendree I had and you know,
38:12
Alabama will go in Texas with a huge Peak.
38:15
Yeah, my kids wouldn't have been 16 women, 60.
38:18
They were good and I can 663 in like seven, twenty something.
38:22
Then came in the next day because I was a Friday.
38:23
He can get there and Saturday and he's like, oh man, I heard
38:26
you guys were tearing it up last night.
38:28
Man. You could have knocked me over
38:30
like he knew what we did like that was like whoa damn fav
38:33
knows, you know like what we did like it was like that one the
38:36
best conference that ever gotten in my life.
38:38
So very similar when I was at Mississippi State, he had a stud
38:42
long long. Hi, maybe triple 33.
38:46
Jump up. Go did all three really really
38:47
well his other favorite to win? The long jump was mm, I think
38:50
you might even win a National Championship.
38:52
Ian my kid wins. The long jump at SCC is kid gets
38:55
sick and I'm sure and Dan comes to me comes over to me and, you
39:00
know, sticks his hand. I guess.
39:01
Congratulations. And I was like, right, like
39:06
that. He would even take the second to
39:09
come save gradually. I was floored.
39:12
Absolutely one of the best compliments.
39:13
Yeah. In my career, actually, it's
39:15
just and so, that's how I never Syracuse.
39:18
Okay, and then was there for two years, CO2 jumps.
39:22
Maltese had pretty good success in school records.
39:24
A cup Nationals that's interest. I was going to ask, how is
39:27
education playing into your career at this point but you hit
39:31
that nail. He is?
39:32
No, he's the funniest thing. So in 2001 Roderick calls me
39:38
because he and I had met at a level 3 in Chicago in 99 1.
39:42
Okay. And he's a, hey who's looking
39:45
blue and clear from looking to reboot, multi-event stuff for
39:49
coaches at the looks people, too.
39:52
To do this pilot study course such as you.
39:54
I suggested you. So president headed Ron do you
39:57
go through to level 3 and we just try to connect you with.
40:00
I can't just ate it and then they'll tell you it was right
40:15
by email questions. We took the back for week two
40:20
who was email Boo and ask him questions.
40:22
And so he's like, yeah, boots, I think Toby would have you come
40:25
out? He said, call him.
40:27
I call it was. Yeah, we're doing this.
40:28
We blew the Vault events curriculum.
40:30
We're going to bring you out. They fly me out, they put me up.
40:34
Everything is me Jim and Otakon. Is there, John Bauman?
40:38
Is there Vaughn? Is there a bunch of people like
40:41
this cohort? I don't think Todd was there,
40:43
but that, that kind of group. And so we do that and then
40:52
That's so bruised like hey, you know, could you maybe be like to
40:58
be talked about being an instructor, you know what you
40:59
do, your level 2? I go.
41:01
Well so I really haven't done my level 2.
41:03
I said I've just kind of hung out with Dan.
41:05
I'd go visit Dan. I'd call Gary, hang out with
41:07
Gary. Go visit boo, but I never went
41:10
to level two. Level three is weren't.
41:12
You could just go. Yeah, that's so I would, I would
41:15
go to the home and go do it this summer and do the jumps and then
41:20
that's what happened. I started teaching you, you're
41:21
too late. Was that?
41:22
Where did your I did jump to Boise?
41:25
Is that right? Yeah, that's right.
41:26
Yeah, that was mine. Yeah.
41:28
That was your first level 2. That's interesting.
41:35
So you're at level 2 in Boise taking jumps with boom.
41:40
Which I know exactly that class because I was in that class I
41:44
can't believe that it's crazy. That was where I was first
41:46
introduced to the ability of drawing stick figures from is
41:51
amazing, right? Legendary, Legendary, I wish we
41:55
could go back and, you know, it's funny, we were in your
41:58
office and I'm looking up and you've got to notebook, boo,
42:02
training and boost stuff. I love that.
42:04
I can't say enough about that man, and what he did for my
42:07
career. I wish we could go back and get
42:10
our roster of everybody that was in that class, it would be real
42:14
interesting. And there's a big one and a half
42:17
month by month is over. That's all, man.
42:19
I wish we could get a roster and everybody that was in that.
42:21
I think we, you know, I'm sure we forgotten some people that
42:23
were in there. What's his name's wife, who
42:26
coached at Florida State English?
42:27
We Thompson's wife. Yeah.
42:29
Jackie Jackie. Yeah.
42:30
She was in that member. Is that right?
42:35
Of course yeah. Wow man, I just remember like
42:41
that was a coach for 10 years total and that was at the end of
42:44
my fifth fifth year. The Performances of my athletes
42:49
in the first five years of my career compared to the last
42:51
night. It really makes different Jam,
42:52
radically duck because he's so smart.
42:55
So let's compare Boudin and you know, both of them real.
42:57
Well I know Dan a little bit okay but for me like Boo can
43:03
teach it to where somebody like me can understand it Dan.
43:08
I've been around them enough and I know he's a good teacher but
43:12
heat whenever I've talked with him it's just that another it's
43:16
an understandable level. That um wow.
43:19
They both huge. Huge mentors to me and your
43:22
friends now. It's amazing.
43:25
That we have the relationship that we do very fortunate.
43:27
Yeah, outside of just the track stuff, life stuff and things
43:29
like that. But with them, I think.
43:33
Who approached, more of a, more of like a high school teacher,
43:38
you know, downtown high school as well.
43:40
I think he kind of tries to make it.
43:42
So, he spent a lot of time code, teaching High School, I think he
43:46
kind of has that approach to it. Was I feel like this is, this is
43:50
just my opinion. I feel like Dan is almost trying
43:52
to challenge you to learn. Yeah.
43:54
And go out and seek Reformation in a different way.
43:57
And so they both turn on light bulbs, but I feel like it's
44:01
different. Yeah.
44:02
That makes a lot of Sense. And it actually makes a lot of
44:04
sense for my own education level and how I learned that I will
44:08
all need that guy who teaches down at the 9th grade level.
44:12
We're at Camp after teaching and he's teaching PhD and I was like
44:14
man I can't even spell phds you know like kill system.
44:17
I never even heard of that never thought of that and it's tough.
44:19
I'd go back and re-watch lectures or go to notes like
44:23
like you know, there's a boot to do both only teach if you go
44:27
back to seeds for years to come. Yeah.
44:30
Shoot because where you're at in the problem you have in there.
44:33
Going to go. I don't even recognize realize.
44:35
I don't understand that and that's what happens to this day.
44:37
It's interesting. You talked about Dan with that
44:39
52 high jumper. So boo, was that for me when I
44:41
was at Ball State, we're at the end of level 2, you know, he's,
44:45
hey, if you're anything, he's right.
44:47
And, you know, I was like, Ima take that, you're talking to me.
44:49
I'm taking that up and good night.
44:50
I'd email them and always a response, always a thoughtful
44:53
response, not just a yeah, keep doing.
44:55
You're doing it, you know. Hey, have you thought about
44:57
this? It was, I mean, just give back
45:00
and now you're in that part of your life.
45:03
Or your now, continually giving back as well, you've been poured
45:07
into from all these people. So what do you do now your?
45:11
Are you teaching you stfc a? She's yours to see ya this year.
45:15
I'm teaching jumps. I've taught Sprints and hurdles,
45:17
probably the last eight or nine years or so your teacher jump
45:20
spin. Jump, is she not?
45:21
Boo. No, you don't have a prior
45:23
commitment. I'd be disappointed if I can.
45:33
Tony, Rini, 20 Wells, Dan and bhuvan, huge, huge influence on
45:38
me. And even young, when I was
45:39
younger Lauren, would answer my calls and answer my emails, so I
45:43
get a reasonably emails or Reason want to call it a, try to
45:45
get back to most of them have eight month old daughter.
45:49
So things being kind of hectic right now.
45:51
Yeah, you got Malcolm. He's eleven twelve next month,
45:57
it's so fascinating. You know, we're connected on
45:59
Facebook, you know, you are a really good father.
46:03
Thanks. I can tell you that, it's been a
46:05
shame on me for waiting this long enough, but it does mean a
46:08
lot to me to look you in the eye.
46:10
You're so good with him in your, you know, I actually.
46:13
So I have a 9 and a 6, I actually learn a lot from how
46:17
you do things with Malcolm. And I see you, I see the
46:19
Snippets right but you seem to be very varied and what you do
46:24
with him. Like you haven't locked him in
46:25
like only do this really well. You want explore this right?
46:28
Let's go check that out. I try to model that with my kids
46:31
man. They show an interest they are.
46:33
Okay, let's go explore one thing for me.
46:35
I feel like, I don't know what he's going to be heated.
46:38
He's in G's into engineering and programming that you need.
46:41
You want to be engineer, he's eleven?
46:42
Who knows? Right.
46:43
Right. But I feel like I want to try to
46:44
support amazing. You want to do this positive?
46:46
Yeah, I appreciate the compliment being a good father,
46:51
it's hard. I don't I'm saying this because
46:53
I feel like people now, I feel a lot and I try to redeem myself
46:57
and try to hate. I apologize to want to make
46:59
mistakes because I want him to know.
47:00
It's okay to make mistakes. I am not.
47:03
Perfect. But I feel like I'm trying my
47:06
best. Yeah.
47:07
And you know, I didn't have good Father's, right?
47:10
And so I feel like I'm trying to be the person that they weren't
47:12
and not that they were bad people, but I really feel like
47:17
I'm trying to be the opposite of right opposite example and I had
47:21
good uncle's. I had two mothers grandmothers
47:23
or have good examples of what adults should absolutely lives.
47:26
And I'm trying to carry that on and help him.
47:29
Put him in a situation. He can do even better for his
47:32
butt on the track. It I haven't seen you just know
47:34
it's funny when he was younger, he would come to life, meets and
47:37
excited and he wasn't in the track at all for a while.
47:39
And he's middle school now, started sixth grade and there's
47:42
a track club nearby and say Dad, I think I'm doing the track club
47:45
but you just said I'm fast in gym class so I do it.
47:47
When you quote, will you help me about me like workouts and
47:49
stuff? And I'm like, yeah.
47:51
Now which is honored that you thought enough of me because I'm
47:54
his dad. Ya ask me.
48:03
You let him gravitate towards track.
48:06
Not hate come to the track and what we're going to do track,
48:09
but I like it's his own decision.
48:10
He's going to own it now. Yeah we'll see.
48:13
That's in your huge. I should say huge.
48:18
You appear to be you know Facebook shows what you want to
48:20
show Rick Star Wars. Big like that.
48:23
That's my thing. Oh yeah, my daughter is named
48:27
Leia after Princess Leia. No no, yeah, so I want to name
48:31
Angela Malcolm is in at the Malcolm X.
48:33
Okay, and my daughter, I wanted him Angela after Angela Davis
48:38
civil rights. Activist intelligent, brilliant,
48:40
brilliant woman. My wife said no.
48:42
Wow. So I was vetoed so she holds.
48:46
Yeah. Okay, so we can use for the
48:48
names and layer was one of the approved list.
48:50
So we need to layer after all. I've got is just not me and my
48:54
wife had the approved list, so Got to go to the Disney World.
49:06
He built his own, what I call the Christmas party and we, you
49:12
have a right because of your brakes, but because we got
49:17
Disney plus, so we watched all eight of the Star Wars.
49:21
Yeah, they had. Yeah.
49:23
All that quick. The in order of release not
49:28
release a white. One, two, three.
49:30
Yeah. So yeah, Jar Jar Binks and stuff
49:32
first. And then, okay.
49:33
My are of Star Wars. And now the new are, which, I
49:35
mean, I don't get the new are very well but but it was neat to
49:39
a see all eight films in order to see the development of Anakin
49:43
from a baby's, right? He is and stuff.
49:46
Spoiler alert for anyone, but for my son to watch it in like
49:52
was super interested. And you know, like, oh, so that
49:55
becomes Darth Vader. It was interesting watching, you
49:58
know, especially the ones are on my are the Return of the Jedi
50:01
and stuff through his eyes. Eyes because like when we found
50:05
out Darth Vader was Luke's dad like he already knew it because
50:09
like what historians like doesn't mean that was a big deal
50:12
when I was right. Like everybody just lost their
50:15
stuff, his favorite ones are trying the Jedi and attack of
50:20
the Clones. I think attack of the Clones is
50:22
probably his favorite to its come on, it's fun.
50:24
The last scene is rising. So hey, keep a man.
50:27
I can't say thank you enough. It's awesome.
50:30
You know, the mentors that you have or some of my say mentors.
50:33
Cool to see. And what's even cooler to see is
50:37
how the progression of your career and how you are now that
50:40
person like, I'm going to interview other coaches and
50:43
they're going to say, yeah, you know, who I reached out to Kayla
50:45
Tolbert, and he emailed me back. That's crazy.
50:49
Yeah, it's a legacy that they have put in, from their side of
50:55
the two lenses and past and stuff.
50:57
And now, you move on to his legacy.
50:59
And even most more importantly, the legacy of, you know,
51:01
fatherhood would Malcolm and Liam that name.
51:05
So promise me that we'll do a part two.
51:08
Yeah I love to even get through your full creative and I love
51:10
your career. Thank you.
51:11
And again, you're outside the track for you is just just
51:16
fascinating, you know, the Bronx and now living in Boston.
51:19
It's just, it's just amazing Yankees.
51:21
Go Yankees. Thank you so much.
51:23
I appreciate it. Boy, I told you, this was one of
51:28
my all-time favorite interviews. I've done several of these
51:31
through different mediums and Burke continues to shock and awe
51:35
me in all the right ways of his background.
51:39
His passion for Education, his passion for coaching his passion
51:45
for teaching, and we barely got into it.
51:48
What I could have spent two more hours with Kaiba and I really
51:52
hope I do get that opportunity to do that once again and do a
51:55
part 2. And maybe a part 3 with this,
52:00
this just fascinating individual, love him to death.
52:03
By the way if you or someone you know would like to be a guest on
52:06
the show please don't hesitate to contact me at H and you are D
52:12
DL e at gil Athletics.com that's right.
52:17
Hurdle at gil, Athletics.com yeah.com of course and you know
52:22
if you've made it this far and you're still listening, I just
52:24
really appreciate your time. And attention means the absolute
52:27
world to me that you would spend an hour plus of your time,
52:30
listening to our podcast here. I really hope you enjoyed
52:32
connecting With Kaiba, as much as I did, you weren't there so
52:36
you couldn't have got as much enjoyment, but let me tell you
52:38
what, fascinating individual if you want to get notified when we
52:43
publish more interviews, we don't do them on a regular
52:46
schedule. It's as the coaches are
52:49
available for us and willing to do this.
52:53
Just subscribe on your podcast app here and you'll be notified
52:56
every time we push out an interview could be once a month,
52:59
it could be three times in one day and in the meantime, I
53:03
really hope you feel led to share this podcast on your
53:06
social media network of choice, kind of spread the love out
53:09
there and have others. Enjoy these interviews that
53:12
we're doing and join us next time.
53:14
When we once again, connect you with another great track and
53:17
field coach. Bye.