Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / BONUS: Oklahoma State Meet featuring Luke Orvis from Edmond Memorial HS

Transcript

BONUS: Oklahoma State Meet featuring Luke Orvis from Edmond Memorial HS · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

• 0:00
  It's bonus time here on the Gill Connections podcast.
• 0:03
  In an effort to increase communication, empathy and
• 0:06
  understanding around the country, we're going to be
• 0:08
  running a new episode every day interviewing a coach, a high
• 0:12
  school coach from every state, and yes, even you, Washington,
• 0:16
  DC with explaining how the state qualifying system works in their
• 0:21
  state. We'll be talking with a local
• 0:23
  state expert on how many classes, private versus public
• 0:27
  schools, what events and what is the process?
• 0:30
  Is it areas, districts, regionals, state meet?
• 0:34
  Is it a descending order list? Are there fun things that you do
• 0:38
  a little differently? Like maybe you, I don't know,
• 0:41
  maybe you do double points for relays looking at you Texas.
• 0:45
  And then we're also going to get to the bottom of is it the state
• 0:48
  meet or do you qualify for states?
• 0:50
  So check us out every day here in April and May of 2024 as we
• 0:54
  run through each state with a local state expert.
• 0:57
  So let's get started right now. Here we go.
• 1:10
  We're going to Oklahoma today. If you're traveling along with
• 1:14
  us as we started with Alabama and we're going all the way to
• 1:17
  Wyoming, we're hitting up 51 including new Washington, DC
• 1:20
  state meets. I don't know.
• 1:22
  We're going to figure out what Washington, DC calls theirs.
• 1:24
  I don't think they would call it a state meet, but we'll figure
• 1:26
  it out. And today we have Luke Orvis
• 1:28
  from Edmond Memorial High School in Oklahoma to learn all about
• 1:32
  Oklahoma. Luke, thanks for joining us
• 1:34
  today. No problem.
• 1:36
  Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
• 1:37
  Absolutely, man. We're excited.
• 1:39
  You know, every state has been uniquely different and I'm
• 1:41
  excited to learn what we do here right in the middle.
• 1:43
  I mean, that's like you right in the middle of the whole country.
• 1:46
  So maybe you're a mix of everything that we've learned so
• 1:48
  far and everything. So thank you for being here,
• 1:51
  man. I really do appreciate that.
• 1:53
  And see you stepping up for the for the state of Oklahoma.
• 1:56
  Why don't we start with, why don't you give us like a 32nd
• 1:58
  kind of 30,000 foot level introduction of yourself.
• 2:01
  Let's get to know you a little bit.
• 2:03
  Better. All right.
• 2:03
  Well, my name is Luke Orvis. I coach girls throws at Memorial
• 2:07
  High School and I might add the defending state champion girls
• 2:10
  at at Memorial High School. I've been there for 16 years.
• 2:15
  We have a lot of success in our throws program there.
• 2:18
  Got the returning state champ coming back and discus that
• 2:20
  we're going to try to repeat this year.
• 2:23
  We've had I think over 40 state qualifiers since I've started
• 2:27
  coaching here in 2007 and our my favorite stat we have is that
• 2:32
  we've had a state quality. We only have shot putting discus
• 2:34
  in Oklahoma. Those are the only two throwing
• 2:36
  events. We've had a state qualifier
• 2:37
  every year since 2008 in one of those events.
• 2:41
  So we've got, we got a really good throws program here and
• 2:43
  we're real proud of it. Well, it sounds like we got the
• 2:46
  right person to represent the state, so that's awesome.
• 2:48
  Luke, congratulations on your success and congratulations on
• 2:51
  the title. That's a big deal.
• 2:54
  Not everybody gets to do that. So that's awesome.
• 2:56
  Well, let's learn about how you guys went through to get that
• 2:58
  title. Let's start with some states
• 3:01
  we're learning. Not very many, but some states
• 3:04
  have a separate entity for private schools and a separate
• 3:07
  one for public schools. Most common we're learning is
• 3:10
  everybody works together to go towards the same state title.
• 3:13
  What are we doing in Oklahoma? Private and public schools.
• 3:16
  We're all we're all mixed together.
• 3:18
  You know, the private schools have some rules as far as in
• 3:20
  certain sports, if they place high enough for so long, they'll
• 3:23
  bump up a class or down a class. But for the most part, it's
• 3:25
  pretty, pretty well straightforward mixed in with
• 3:28
  the public schools. Yeah, that's pretty, pretty
• 3:29
  common that we're learning so far.
• 3:31
  All right. You said classes, So how many
• 3:33
  classes do we have in Oklahoma? We have seven class 6A being our
• 3:39
  our highest class all the way down to A.
• 3:41
  And then there's B in some sports too.
• 3:44
  But, but 6A is our highest classification.
• 3:46
  That's the classification we're in.
• 3:48
  So 6A is our big schools based on enrollment and we go down for
• 3:53
  track. So we go down you said 3A2A1A
• 3:56
  and then. All the way down.
• 3:57
  All the way down to A for track. OK, so no 1B.
• 4:00
  So we're doing six classes for track, So six boys teams are
• 4:04
  earning a state team title and six girls teams are winning a
• 4:07
  state team title. Correct.
• 4:09
  Perfect. All right.
• 4:09
  Now let's figure out how we get to that state meet to try for
• 4:12
  that opportunity. All around the country, we have
• 4:15
  area districts, regional sectionals, all these different
• 4:18
  names. What's the first round that
• 4:20
  we're doing in Oklahoma? Well, Oklahoma only really has
• 4:23
  one round of qualifying for state and that's our, that's our
• 4:26
  regional meets we have they they split like 6A split into 32
• 4:31
  teams and so you go to one of four regional meets.
• 4:35
  So there's eight teams at each region.
• 4:39
  And then the top three placers in each event are automatic
• 4:44
  qualifiers for the state meet. All right, so hold there.
• 4:46
  Before we get to the state, let's let's talk about Regional.
• 4:49
  So how do I enter Regionals? And what I mean by that, Am I
• 4:53
  only allowed two per event? Am I allowed unlimited?
• 4:56
  Let's talk about Regionals. How do I enter my kids into
• 4:58
  Regionals? You can enter anyone you want to
• 5:01
  into regionals. You get 3 per event per team.
• 5:05
  But it's just a matter of who the coach enters.
• 5:07
  There's no qualifying before regionals.
• 5:09
  You can show up that day and be a regional champ and there's no
• 5:13
  so only three. And what I mean by only three, I
• 5:15
  keep using the mile as an example.
• 5:17
  If I have 4 stud Millers, I always use the boys.
• 5:20
  An example I'm going to use girls this time.
• 5:22
  I'm trying to be variety here. I've got 4 stud girl Millers.
• 5:26
  They all run around the five flat range, but I'm only
• 5:29
  allowed. What I'm hearing is I'm only
• 5:30
  allowed to enter three. And that that 4th girl, that
• 5:33
  five O 9, she's going to have to figure out the two mile or the
• 5:35
  half mile or maybe a relay we'll talk about later.
• 5:37
  But there's no time qualifier to get that fourth one.
• 5:40
  It is three and only three. That is correct.
• 5:43
  You get three and only three for all events.
• 5:46
  I got 3 vaulters, 3 shot footers.
• 5:48
  Yes, Sir. All right.
• 5:49
  Perfect. OK, so I've got three no time
• 5:51
  qualifiers, no qualifying to get into regionals.
• 5:54
  So no, I had to have. I don't even have to have a
• 5:56
  mark. If I haven't run the 200 yet, I
• 5:58
  can go in as a as a no time. Correct.
• 6:01
  Perfect. OK, now I'm in regionals.
• 6:03
  Now what do I have to do to make it to the next round, which is
• 6:06
  the state meet I hear? OK.
• 6:08
  Yeah. So for us, if you're if you
• 6:11
  finish top three in your regional meet, you're an
• 6:14
  automatic qualifier for the state meet.
• 6:17
  And that that consists of that's puts 12 athletes on the board
• 6:20
  and then they take the next best four from all the regions
• 6:23
  combined for a total of 16 per event and and ties with stuff
• 6:28
  like pole vault and high jump. So top three relays field events
• 6:36
  running events. I get to go to state and then
• 6:37
  they take those regionals and put all the results together of
• 6:41
  all the remaining. They take out the top threes and
• 6:43
  they say OK, the next 4 get to go on 4 relays, 4 shot putters,
• 6:48
  4 running events. Yes, Sir.
• 6:50
  Yes, Sir, that's correct. OK, that's pretty good.
• 6:52
  That gives us the ability if we're in a tough region or
• 6:54
  something. You know you weren't, you didn't
• 6:55
  choose where you lived or where everybody else decided to live
• 6:58
  and run track. So that's good.
• 6:59
  Next floor and that gets a 16 to the state meet.
• 7:03
  That is correct. Yes, Sir.
• 7:04
  OK. So let's talk about the state
• 7:06
  meet. Where is it typically held?
• 7:08
  Is it typically held at a college or a high school?
• 7:11
  Do all 612 state championships? Are they all held at the same
• 7:15
  weekend in the same place? Are they spread around?
• 7:18
  Let's talk about that state meet.
• 7:19
  All right, so we we hold our state meets at high schools, a
• 7:23
  different high schools around. They will pair up 5A and 6A
• 7:27
  together. For a state meet in one place,
• 7:29
  they'll pair up 3A and 4A together.
• 7:32
  And then they'll pair up A and two A together for a state meet
• 7:36
  as well. So there's three different sites
• 7:38
  where the state meets AS is taking place.
• 7:42
  All in the same weekend though. There is the 3A and four AII
• 7:46
  want to say is a week after. I think they have one more
• 7:50
  additional week because I want to say there's 64 teams in one
• 7:53
  of those classes. So they they give them an extra,
• 7:56
  an extra week of competition and qualifying to make sure they get
• 7:59
  the right people in. Do they do the meets?
• 8:03
  Are they typically held at the same high school or do they
• 8:05
  rotate from a year to year basis?
• 8:08
  They rotate from a year to year but typically the the top venues
• 8:12
  end up hosting one of the two. You know we'll we'll be at one
• 8:15
  of three or four places every year for our for our our meets
• 8:19
  and stuff. So it's so it's the the really
• 8:22
  the nice places generally are the ones that are still hosting
• 8:25
  over and over. They might switch classes on
• 8:26
  where you are that year, but it's the same general ones.
• 8:31
  And what are we doing for the state meet?
• 8:32
  We have two classes per venue. Are we doing is this a one day
• 8:36
  meet, two day meet? Three day meet.
• 8:39
  So it is a it's a two day meet. It's a Friday, Saturday meet.
• 8:42
  I probably should have added our our regional meet is only a one
• 8:45
  day meet so it's a it's a Saturday only with prelims and
• 8:49
  finals. So it's kind of a, it's kind of
• 8:51
  a knock down drag out day for regionals and then state takes
• 8:54
  place over 2 days over Friday and Saturday the following week.
• 8:59
  Awesome. And what we're learning, you
• 9:00
  know we what we know is you know track is one of the most
• 9:04
  inclusive sports there is tall, short, big, small.
• 9:07
  There's a place for you to have some success in our sport.
• 9:09
  And what we're learning is many states are adding some kind of
• 9:12
  adaptive unified wheelchair events to the state meet
• 9:15
  anything like that going on in Oklahoma right now.
• 9:17
  We we don't have that in anything right now in Oklahoma.
• 9:20
  But when I was reading your e-mail on these questions, I
• 9:23
  thought that's something we need to do.
• 9:24
  I work with adaptive athletes and with my teaching job.
• 9:28
  And so now I'm. I'm kind of inspired to see what
• 9:30
  we can do to get that going on in Oklahoma as well.
• 9:33
  That is awesome, Luke. That really, actually makes me
• 9:35
  feel really good, 'cause that's one of the many, many hopes of
• 9:38
  this series of talking to every state is a state like Oklahoma.
• 9:42
  Luke, you listen to Wisconsin and say, well wait a minute,
• 9:46
  they've been doing this for how many years and how do they do?
• 9:48
  Who do I need to contact to figure out how might we do that
• 9:51
  here in Oklahoma? That's exactly why we are doing
• 9:54
  this series, is to help create conversation amongst the
• 9:57
  different States and state organizations and track coaches
• 9:59
  out there. So bravo, appreciate you having
• 10:02
  that heart to doing that. And I'd like to see something
• 10:05
  going on in Oklahoma. That's awesome man.
• 10:06
  Love to hear that. OK you have six shot put state
• 10:12
  champion boys and six girl state championship shot putters.
• 10:17
  Some states do whether it's official or unofficial meaning
• 10:20
  whether the you know the the state organization puts it on or
• 10:24
  coaches association maybe puts it on.
• 10:26
  Does some type of meet at champions maybe a week or two
• 10:29
  later to kind of find out their quotes here, who the true state
• 10:32
  champion is. Anything like that in Oklahoma?
• 10:34
  Yeah, we do. We have a meet at Champions.
• 10:36
  It takes place the Tuesday following our state meet, so it
• 10:40
  happens pretty quick. And to get into that, the top If
• 10:44
  you're a first champion or runner up in any event, you're
• 10:47
  an automatic qualifier for the meet of champions.
• 10:50
  And then if you have, let's say you know a lot of 3rd and 4th
• 10:53
  place girls in six A will have good marks, good times, you can
• 10:57
  enter them in and they'll try to take up to 16 people at the Meet
• 11:00
  of Champions as well to try to make that a little more
• 11:04
  competitive. The one big difference is we're
• 11:07
  coming off a two day state meet from Friday, Saturday and we're
• 11:10
  not practicing on Sunday or Monday after the state meet.
• 11:13
  So we kind of go into a cold sometimes.
• 11:16
  And it's not, I wouldn't say it's a you're finding a true
• 11:20
  champion like you said you would put in quotes, but it is a great
• 11:23
  meet. It's a great chance for to see
• 11:26
  girls and guys from other classes and compete with some
• 11:28
  other people that you wouldn't normally get to.
• 11:31
  What's the culture they're like for me to champs?
• 11:33
  And what I mean by that is, is it well attended, like do pretty
• 11:36
  much every 1st and 2nd place go on to the next Tuesday?
• 11:39
  Or is it kind of like, you know, some people do and some people
• 11:41
  don't, some people go get ready for football or?
• 11:43
  You know yeah with with in Oklahoma spring football starts
• 11:46
  the Monday after after the state meet.
• 11:49
  So if if they're if they're a football guy they're probably
• 11:52
  they're probably getting ready for and going to spring ball
• 11:54
  that first day. It'll it'll it's attended a
• 11:57
  little bit better by the girls because they don't you know they
• 11:58
  don't have that to go in and then some people.
• 12:01
  You know have just they've just barely made it to the state meet
• 12:05
  without their body breaking down.
• 12:06
  So they're ready for some rest and some people are ready to go
• 12:09
  compete. So it's you get, you get a good
• 12:11
  mix there, you get a good mix. Amen.
• 12:14
  Yeah, it's remarkable you know for all of our track athletes.
• 12:16
  But you know thinking distance runners who do cross and maybe
• 12:19
  do something in the indoor and then you do outdoor then maybe
• 12:21
  you do a meet to champs and then you got you know all these
• 12:23
  outdoor, high school national. It's like holy cow is there ever
• 12:26
  an off off period for you. It's quite amazing.
• 12:29
  Let's take a look at some of your events there in Oklahoma.
• 12:31
  A month we'll go group by group. We're assuming that you're doing
• 12:34
  the 102 hundred, 400 and 800, right?
• 12:36
  Correct. In the 16132 mile two mile,
• 12:39
  which which one are you doing 1500?
• 12:41
  And three we have both actually we have the mile and the two
• 12:43
  mile in Oklahoma. Is it the mile two mile or is it
• 12:46
  the 1600? 1600, sorry, 16132, 100, that is
• 12:49
  we. I know, and I'll give you no
• 12:51
  excuses, just 'cause you're a throws coach, that is an
• 12:53
  important distinction. All right, so we're doing the 16
• 12:55
  and 32. Appreciate that.
• 12:57
  We're doing the 110 high hurdles and the 100 high hurdles for
• 12:59
  boys and girls, correct? We're doing the 300 hurdles for
• 13:03
  boys and girls. Correct.
• 13:05
  Perfect. We know you're doing the four by
• 13:07
  one and four by four because if you're not doing those relays,
• 13:09
  you're not really doing track and field.
• 13:10
  So you wouldn't be here on this podcast?
• 13:12
  Any other relays? Yeah, we actually added in a a
• 13:16
  four by two a few years ago. So that's that's an event the
• 13:20
  four by 200 got added in and it's you know it's about 5050
• 13:24
  when you talk to people on whether they like it being in
• 13:26
  there or not. If you're winning, you probably
• 13:28
  like it. Yeah, exactly.
• 13:30
  And that was just added a few years ago.
• 13:32
  Yeah, cool. Any 4 by 8 or any Sprint
• 13:34
  medleys, anything like. That yeah, we we all, we don't.
• 13:36
  I don't have any medleys, but we also run a 4 by 8 relay as well.
• 13:41
  Perfect. Very cool.
• 13:42
  Let's go over to those field events.
• 13:44
  Long jump and triple jump for boys and girls.
• 13:46
  No, no triple jump in Oklahoma for boys or girls.
• 13:49
  Boys or girls? Yeah.
• 13:51
  All right. That is I almost want to say
• 13:55
  it's not uncommon meaning we have heard of a few state just a
• 13:59
  couple that's that do seem that that same operation there no
• 14:02
  triple jump for boys and girls. All right.
• 14:05
  You mentioned shot, put and discus and that's our only
• 14:06
  throwing event. So I don't correct, I
• 14:08
  unfortunately don't get to ask you about Javelin or hammer or
• 14:10
  anything like that. We're not doing those.
• 14:12
  I wish, yeah. I wish you could ask me about
• 14:14
  those, but me too, Me too, me too.
• 14:16
  And then pole Bolton high jump for boys and girls.
• 14:18
  Correct. Yes Sir.
• 14:19
  Some states after the state meet for these more unique events on
• 14:25
  the high school level, javelin, hammer, multis, hept that
• 14:28
  decathlon. We'll do an unofficial state
• 14:30
  meet for that. Maybe you know a group of
• 14:33
  coaches or coaches association, anything like that that you're
• 14:36
  aware of. No, we don't have any like that
• 14:38
  in Oklahoma. Usually if we want to do some
• 14:40
  events we don't have, we'll do like indoor meets, we'll go out
• 14:43
  of state, we'll go up to Kansas, you know to do weight throw and
• 14:47
  stuff like that and and try to do some meet where we can get
• 14:50
  some events we don't have that way perfect.
• 14:53
  Before we ask a couple of fun questions.
• 14:55
  Luke, anything that we missed anything you you double up relay
• 15:02
  points, you only score 6 places. Anything unique that we should
• 15:05
  have asked or we should know about?
• 15:07
  South in in Oklahoma we do relays are worth double points,
• 15:11
  is that right? That is right, yes.
• 15:13
  Relays. Relays are double points at the
• 15:15
  state mean. So you win a relay, you're
• 15:16
  putting 20 on the board. You know, I said that because
• 15:21
  we're we're going to find out Texas does that and that's, you
• 15:23
  know, I thought Texas was the only state.
• 15:25
  So I kind of used it as a like throwaway, like these are the
• 15:27
  kind of examples. So Oklahoma 4 by 1, four by two
• 15:31
  and four by 820 points for the winner. 10 4x4, Yeah, there's
• 15:37
  four relays. Yeah, I missed three.
• 15:38
  Yeah. Oh, I haven't.
• 15:39
  Boy, I'm going to, I'm going to hear about that one.
• 15:40
  I missed the four by four. So 400 meter runner wins 10
• 15:45
  points. 4x4 team wins 20 points. Correct.
• 15:51
  How do you, how do you? Because I'm always interested
• 15:53
  now that I know there's another state that does this.
• 15:56
  How do you feel about that as a coach?
• 15:59
  Well, it just it makes you, it makes you think a little bit
• 16:02
  about where you want to put your athletes and you know you also
• 16:05
  get a Max number of four events. So if relays are double up and
• 16:09
  you got someone that they might be running in three relays to
• 16:12
  try to get second place points as opposed to being a state
• 16:15
  champion, an individual event, those are sometimes some of the
• 16:18
  choices you have to make as coaches.
• 16:20
  Going into it now, being a throws coach, I don't have to
• 16:23
  mess with that too much but you know for the for the team, it is
• 16:26
  one of those things we talked about as coaches is does this
• 16:29
  person need to be on this relay or can we get points in this?
• 16:31
  And you're also wondering what other schools are doing, are
• 16:34
  they putting their stud sprinter in three relays, are they going
• 16:37
  to run there in the one and the two.
• 16:38
  So it's kind of a little bit of cat and mouse games back and
• 16:41
  forth before you get to the to the regional meet to figure out
• 16:43
  where everyone's going to put their people.
• 16:45
  I I do love when we involve things with track and field that
• 16:49
  involves strategy because we always talk about with football
• 16:52
  and basketball, the strategy of plays and who you put in to
• 16:56
  match up with who and things like that.
• 16:57
  And track. We generally think of like, Oh
• 16:59
  no, no. We just go out and run our and
• 17:00
  try to do our best or go out and throw and try to throw our best.
• 17:02
  It's like, Oh no, no. With these relays you have to
• 17:04
  make some real considerations on where athletes go and what
• 17:08
  events that they participate in. Especially because we're only
• 17:10
  doing 4 events. So we we've got a limited time
• 17:12
  here. That's real strategy and I like
• 17:14
  that for track and field. I really.
• 17:17
  Do it makes it a little more fun when you get down to the
• 17:19
  planning side of it. It does make it a little more
• 17:21
  fun than as a coach to sit down and look you know, we we're
• 17:24
  planning and we like backup plans to backup plans to backup
• 17:27
  plans. So it's kind of fun to.
• 17:29
  To map that stuff out during track season and and kind of see
• 17:32
  how it all works out for you and makes more math as you're going
• 17:35
  into the four by four, like, OK, what place do we need to go and
• 17:37
  what place do they need to get and well, there's 20 and 18 and
• 17:40
  60. Yeah, yeah.
• 17:40
  That's that's a. Little bit too much, too much
• 17:42
  math for me, that's for sure. Anything else we should know
• 17:44
  about Oklahoma? That was a great fact.
• 17:46
  I'm so happy you said that. No, I I don't think there's any.
• 17:50
  We would probably do something else quirky, but it's not coming
• 17:52
  into my mind right now. All right, well, let's have a
• 17:55
  little bit of fun here. Luke, help us settle an
• 17:57
  argument. When you are talking about the
• 17:59
  state meet, when you're talking about the kids, were they
• 18:01
  qualified or you're going, you're trying to win, maybe
• 18:03
  that's a for you, for your team, that's definitely maybe a a a
• 18:07
  goal for the season. Do you talk about qualifying or
• 18:10
  qualified for the state meet? Qualifying for state?
• 18:13
  Are you going to states? How do you say it, at least in
• 18:16
  your culture and your your time? It's just one state.
• 18:19
  We we qualify for state, for the for state.
• 18:22
  Qualified for State. Perfect.
• 18:24
  I love it. We're we're getting, we're
• 18:26
  getting everybody's. We're going to figure out what
• 18:27
  it is. As a state, as a state, as a
• 18:29
  state. Meet.
• 18:29
  Here it is. State, for sure.
• 18:32
  Got it. Love it.
• 18:33
  All right, Luke, man, you've done an amazing job.
• 18:35
  I'm so grateful for you stepping up here and helping us learn
• 18:38
  about Oklahoma. I love these uniquenesses.
• 18:40
  So you win the prize. You win the magic wand.
• 18:43
  If you could change one and only one please thing about Oklahoma
• 18:48
  outdoor track. That could be the State Meet
• 18:50
  series. It could be events.
• 18:51
  It could be maybe not doubling up relay points, who knows.
• 18:55
  I don't want to put words in your mouth.
• 18:56
  If you could change one thing that you think would improve
• 18:59
  Oklahoma high School outdoor track and field, what might that
• 19:02
  be? OK, I'm going to this is from
• 19:04
  From my perspective as a throws coach, I wish we would have some
• 19:09
  automatic qualifying marks for the state meet.
• 19:12
  Even if they're very lofty, I've seen and I've been 16 years now
• 19:17
  at this school and I've seen returning state champions not
• 19:19
  qualify for state the next year because they're one bad meet of
• 19:22
  the year was the regional meet. You know, they've been the best.
• 19:25
  Throw or the best run or the best jumper all year long and
• 19:28
  they had their one bad meet at the wrong time and now they
• 19:30
  don't even get to compete at the state meet.
• 19:32
  So if there's one thing I could change, that would be it.
• 19:34
  I think that that's going to give more kids an opportunity to
• 19:37
  compete at the state meet, which is I think should be our goal
• 19:39
  anyway, is to give as many kids those experiences as we can.
• 19:43
  And I think if we had that in there, it would lead to for sure
• 19:46
  getting the best competition at the state meet each year at
• 19:51
  least up until today. At Oklahoma we still have a few
• 19:54
  more states to go. That is easily the most number
• 19:58
  one biggest concern that I'm finding on coaches minds.
• 20:02
  It's how do we get the best athletes to the state meet.
• 20:04
  Let things happen and shake out whatever happened to the state
• 20:06
  meet. But how do we have a kid who
• 20:08
  fouls three shots, which can happen?
• 20:11
  That's not a. I shouldn't say it's a hard
• 20:13
  thing, but that's not a crazy thing.
• 20:15
  A long jump, a fault start in the in the four by one or
• 20:18
  whatever and they don't get to go to state and they're the top
• 20:21
  five or ten in the whole state. That seems a little, seems a
• 20:24
  little tough for sure, so that. That's I've had to go both ways.
• 20:28
  I've I've had it where I had a thrower that that didn't make
• 20:30
  it. That was that was probably the
• 20:31
  3rd or 4th best in the state going into Regionals.
• 20:34
  And then I've had a girl win the state championship because the
• 20:36
  returning state champ who was the best fouled 3 throws at
• 20:39
  Regional. So I've been on both sides of
• 20:40
  it. But really, in the name of
• 20:42
  competition, I wish we could get the best people competing at the
• 20:45
  state meet for that title. Yeah, I find it.
• 20:48
  And I bet I speak for you here, Luke, that coaches would rather
• 20:51
  in that situation, the one who fouled out and your kids ends up
• 20:54
  winning. You'd rather that a kid have
• 20:56
  qualified and then still beat them.
• 20:58
  Like I'd rather let me beat the best at the best time, Not
• 21:00
  because. We yeah we want to compete
• 21:02
  against the best and and see how we shake out 100 percent.
• 21:05
  Luke man thank you so much. This has been a fantastic as we
• 21:08
  continue to travel around the country here it is amazing.
• 21:11
  I'm I'm stunned every time I thought I honestly thought every
• 21:14
  state meet would be roughly the same on how they do things and I
• 21:17
  could not have been more wrong So I love the uniquenesses of
• 21:21
  Oklahoma's especially with that doubling up of relays.
• 21:24
  I I learned something. I thought that was only one
• 21:25
  state. So I love you did that.
• 21:27
  So Luke, thank you so much. We're very grateful for you
• 21:28
  stepping up here for this great state and joining us and helping
• 21:31
  us learn more about Oklahoma track and field.
• 21:33
  All right. Thank you, Mike.
• 21:34
  I appreciate all you do for the track and field community and
• 21:37
  all the support you give to the track coaches and athletes out
• 21:39
  there. It does not go unnoticed and it
• 21:41
  means a lot to us. Thank you, man.
• 21:42
  That humbles me. I appreciate you very much.
• 21:44
  You deserve it, my friend. Thank you.
• 21:46
  Thank you buddy.