Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / #206: Ryan Dukes-D-Force Elite TC

Transcript

#206: Ryan Dukes-D-Force Elite TC · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

• 0:10
  Track and field coach, the ones that point
• 0:24
  people most every season. He's the voice of reason.
• 0:27
  Speaking, the growth gotta prep for you carry the load.
• 0:30
  Talk to the stove. For those of us, stay on the go
• 0:33
  pop, the handle, staying in the zone.
• 0:34
  What you packing for the role is more than one way to go taking
• 0:38
  those tests. And you told it ain't practice
• 0:40
  it before it became clear. You can't happen to you.
• 0:42
  Listen with both ears, can't Mentor, without a mentor, kids
• 0:46
  of experience, you can reinvent those kids.
• 0:48
  Every plans got to stand and deliver in the price sacrifice,
• 0:52
  can you give up Hugh its choice and to fight not to win or lose?
• 0:56
  It's not a boy, but if I see, y'all can make more movies, not
• 0:59
  about how to All about why you don't know what you're you know
• 1:02
  who you are inside. Six, many ways to die.
• 1:05
  She's not absorb. Your faults Finish Line.
• 1:07
  The work ain't done. So we learn from the experts to.
• 1:10
  Y'all got to put in the legwork Gil athletic shoes Network.
• 1:13
  It's all about Connections put together for the profession to
• 1:16
  every track coach could be blessed.
• 1:32
  Here we go. Once again with the guilt that,
• 1:34
  it's connections podcast and you came back.
• 1:36
  I'm just so, so humbled by that, you know, literally thousands
• 1:41
  every stinking week. You guys come back and listen to
• 1:44
  these amazing coaches that we have on this podcast.
• 1:47
  And we're just so grateful that you would help us up.
• 1:49
  Lift an honor coaches that we get here on the podcast and
• 1:52
  we're going to do it again right now.
• 1:53
  So help me welcome. We're going to get into this.
• 1:55
  This is kind of like it's kind of a blind date.
• 1:57
  We've never met. Don't know each other.
• 1:59
  We just talked like maybe their first time last night.
• 2:01
  Night before he record. So buckle up.
• 2:03
  I have no idea how this is going to go, but I think it's gonna go
• 2:05
  really well, help me. Welcome the head.
• 2:07
  Coach, and owner of d-force Elite Track Club up in the
• 2:10
  beautiful state of Michigan. Help me.
• 2:11
  Welcome wise and wonderful mr. Ryan, Dukes Ryan, how are you
• 2:14
  sir? I'm good.
• 2:15
  How are you? Well, as I mentioned before, we
• 2:19
  hit record, I'm grateful. I'm because of you, you know,
• 2:23
  it's hard. I put out on Twitter.
• 2:25
  I think that's how we connected and I, you know, you follow me
• 2:28
  on Twitter and I follow you. So you know, how prolific I Am I
• 2:31
  live on Twitter and I put out the other day.
• 2:34
  What do you think know my followers?
• 2:36
  What do you think is the hardest part of creating a Content like
• 2:40
  this? You know, every week we do this
• 2:42
  podcast, have amazing coaches, like yourself, what do you think
• 2:44
  is the hardest part? And, you know, the hardest part
• 2:47
  is that it's the scheduling because of both of us.
• 2:49
  It's coaches. Where the middle of season me.
• 2:52
  That means I'm in the middle of season, it's, it's tough.
• 2:55
  So, just so thankful for you, man, to be able to have the
• 2:58
  freedom to jump on within. I mean, 12 hours notice?
• 3:02
  Yeah, roughly 12 hours that this is great.
• 3:05
  This is great Ryan. Well, let's get into it, man.
• 3:08
  I don't know if you're a comic book guy, I was and still kind
• 3:11
  of an with the him with the Marvel movies and my favorite
• 3:14
  comic book was always the origin story.
• 3:17
  Like, how did Spider-Man get his power as?
• 3:19
  How did, you know, Superman get his powers?
• 3:21
  Where you come from etcetera. So what is, what is your origin
• 3:23
  story? Where does track and track
• 3:26
  coaching? Begin for you.
• 3:29
  I guess if we, you know go all the way Back to the beginning.
• 3:32
  I started running track when I was in about the fifth or the
• 3:35
  sixth grade. I remember watching my first
• 3:39
  Olympic Games, it was the 2000 Olympic Games and I was a little
• 3:44
  kid sitting in front of, you know a little box TV older than
• 3:48
  I look sitting in front of a little box TV.
• 3:50
  That's a good problem that right?
• 3:53
  And I was just like, you know, I want to do that someday.
• 3:56
  I was like I don't know what this is, but this looks so cool
• 4:00
  and I want to do it. And then, you know, some years
• 4:02
  went past and then, you know, I'm in recess and you know, one
• 4:05
  of the teachers, you know, because nowadays all teachers
• 4:08
  are coaches to. And so she said, hey like you
• 4:11
  should come out for the track team and I'm like, what's that?
• 4:13
  And she was like, well, you know, just just stay after
• 4:16
  school and like, we'll talk about it.
• 4:18
  So I remember, you know, fact in the 90s, nothing fit, you know,
• 4:23
  baggy clothes, I show up to track practice.
• 4:27
  I got a huge t-shirt on shorts. They don't fit, I'm Like a
• 4:31
  busted Air Force Ones and they're just doing like time
• 4:34
  cows and stuff like that. And I just step onto Line, you
• 4:38
  know, they blow the whistle and I just I just take off and you
• 4:42
  just like you said, you've never done this before and I'm like
• 4:44
  nope never done this before like run around on the playground but
• 4:47
  that's about it. And I want to say within a week,
• 4:51
  I had a jersey in a house on a team and the rest, the rest is
• 4:55
  history but you know as I got older it was just something that
• 4:58
  I fell in love with like I could Watch track meets all the time.
• 5:02
  It didn't matter what event it was.
• 5:05
  I was there, you know, fast work.
• 5:08
  Do you know to high school and like I was just always helping
• 5:11
  people, you know, never thought anything of it.
• 5:13
  But like, if I knew something that could know better, another
• 5:17
  teammate or an athlete, like I was there talking pay, like, you
• 5:20
  know, coach, Cho told me we should do this.
• 5:22
  Hey, like, I found out that this is a good way to do that, you
• 5:25
  know, stuff like that. And then, you know, get the
• 5:28
  college, it was kind of saying we'll pause right there.
• 5:31
  Ryan, you're gonna make this a five minute podcast by just
• 5:33
  going on there. Because what, what I'm curious
• 5:36
  about, I love that picture that you painted about when you were
• 5:39
  a kid watching the 2000 Olympics, right?
• 5:42
  You know, you talked about the Box TV and I could almost like
• 5:45
  imagine you imagine you sitting in front you know crisscross and
• 5:49
  you know what and just like fastly like these guys are
• 5:52
  jumping and women run and I was so what I'm curious about
• 5:55
  because I because now as a parent I have kind of that same
• 5:58
  experience. I've watched the Olympics with
• 6:00
  my children and things like that, and one of our favorite
• 6:02
  Parts about the Olympics and maybe you did it back then.
• 6:05
  In 2000 is not just track is a new sport maybe for the first
• 6:09
  time that you're seeing on TV. But, you know, you get to watch
• 6:11
  gymnastics and fencing. And you know, I mean curl all
• 6:15
  these sports that you know you just most of us are just not
• 6:19
  growing up into, right? What was it for you?
• 6:23
  I'm curious that track could. So I'm imagining, you also are
• 6:26
  watching You know, you see a little bit of fencing and you
• 6:28
  see a little bit of handball and there's all these crazy Sports
• 6:31
  at me, you know, maybe we don't grow up with.
• 6:32
  But for you, you saw track. And that was the one, you kind
• 6:36
  of holds, you know, it's just kind of tractor beamed you in,
• 6:39
  what was it about track that did that for you as a kid?
• 6:43
  Ah, you know, I can't put my finger on it specifically, but I
• 6:48
  can, I can tell you a person that basically just let that
• 6:52
  spark and it was Michael Johnson and particularly that his This
• 6:57
  is where the ones that just like caught.
• 6:59
  My eye was like you know, something about him like man.
• 7:01
  Like I don't know who this guy is but like the way he's
• 7:05
  running, he's running like his confidence like the gold spikes
• 7:08
  like that just stood out to me and like it just lit a fire and
• 7:13
  I was like I want to know what that feels like you know and
• 7:19
  it's crazy that you know he was the like first big track athlete
• 7:23
  that you know, kind of like got my eyes big Because on say, a
• 7:28
  couple months ago, I tweeted something on Twitter about my
• 7:32
  son. He always comes to practice with
• 7:34
  me and he's too and somehow, he understands the concept of, you
• 7:39
  know, starting blocks and lo and behold Michael Johnson like
• 7:44
  retweets it. And he is, you know, talking
• 7:46
  about it. I'm just like, what do you know?
• 7:49
  So, you know, you know, someone you've looked up to your idol,
• 7:52
  you know, he's a legend, he's one of the greatest ever and
• 7:55
  like, you know, he's talking about My son, I don't care don't
• 7:58
  talk about me but he's he knows his food.
• 8:01
  So you know you never knows that make these years.
• 8:05
  My son is older. If he's running track.
• 8:07
  I said, hey like you know, who talked about you, you know,
• 8:11
  that's really special. I mean, that's really cool too.
• 8:14
  You know, to kind of idolize and watch Michael Johnson growing up
• 8:17
  and you know, of course what he did is, you know, fantastic.
• 8:19
  It was amazing. And then you fast forward and
• 8:23
  now your son and Mike's talking about him on Twitter, that's
• 8:26
  really interesting. No, shout out to Michael
• 8:28
  Johnson, you know. Again a guy who easily could
• 8:31
  ignore a lot of people. I mean he's certainly busy,
• 8:33
  right? A lot of people are talking at
• 8:34
  them for, you know, he's I think he's a BBC announcer.
• 8:38
  I think he's doing some coaching things like that, he is fairly
• 8:41
  active on Twitter, in regards to like answering people.
• 8:44
  He was following me on Twitter for for a walk for a long time
• 8:47
  actually. And I thought that was kind of
• 8:50
  like, yeah. I was like, I was like, I was
• 8:51
  the coolest thing in the world may I was like, come on like
• 8:52
  Johnson's follow me. That's really cool.
• 8:54
  And I get this report on people. Unfollow me.
• 8:58
  And and he unfollowed me and and I it actually kind of like my
• 9:02
  mood went down. I was like oh man for first of
• 9:05
  all my mood went down because I was like, oh I'm not providing
• 9:07
  enough of value for him to fall. It literally was my first
• 9:10
  thought but then I kind of you know, because of the whole role
• 9:12
  of social media I kind of taught myself.
• 9:14
  It was like, oh man, why do I care if someone does or does not
• 9:18
  like that kind. It's like, oh, this is a
• 9:19
  reflection of me. And so, I tweeted out and said
• 9:22
  because I, you know, again, I live on Twitter.
• 9:23
  So I just put my whole feelings and my whole life on Twitter.
• 9:25
  I said, I said, hey I'm a bit shocked that I'm here.
• 9:31
  Are the exact words? If I didn't say depressed but if
• 9:33
  I'm in sad, why am I said? As I don't I think I feel like
• 9:36
  I'm more sad than I should be that.
• 9:38
  Yeah I think it's MJ. Gold is his handle unfollowed me
• 9:42
  on Twitter and and he responded and he was like oh man he goes
• 9:48
  you know, you shouldn't like he was very uplifting actually he's
• 9:50
  like, you know yeah worth is not based on whether I follow you or
• 9:53
  not, he's like you know, it's all good and I was like yeah as
• 9:55
  I think you then I was like, what a man like You didn't have
• 9:57
  to do that. Yeah, well, I keep her are
• 10:00
  summe. You know, goes through.
• 10:01
  And I'm follows people all the time.
• 10:02
  It's all the people tie it in here, you know?
• 10:04
  Like I was cool man. He did not re follow me though,
• 10:08
  so it wouldn't. There's no like a peony sent
• 10:11
  some encouraging words did. That's right, right, that's
• 10:14
  right. Well, that's super cool, man.
• 10:15
  I love hearing that. So Tuck, take us through high
• 10:18
  school. You're in Michigan now.
• 10:20
  Did you grow up in Michigan? Was this all?
• 10:23
  And what when you were coaching or I'm sorry when you were An
• 10:27
  athlete. There you mentioned, you kind of
• 10:29
  had like a little different I to it, you know, being an athlete
• 10:33
  is a very selfish Pursuit and it has to be.
• 10:36
  If you're going to be any good, you're trying to take
• 10:39
  information in and how does it make me a better Runner.
• 10:42
  Jumper thrower. So it's a very, you know, coming
• 10:45
  in. But you do you expressed of like
• 10:48
  the other side of it like, oh, hey, if I could help my f, my
• 10:51
  teammate in the blocks, or maybe I understood what coach said, a
• 10:55
  little bit differently. So maybe how I Explain it.
• 10:58
  What would that comes from somewhere?
• 11:00
  Where any family teachers or Healthcare, where people that,
• 11:05
  you know, are their servants that are helpers?
• 11:07
  Any anybody like that in your family, that came from?
• 11:09
  Where did that come from? So both my parents they all my
• 11:13
  life they've always been about you know, helping others, you
• 11:18
  know it they never made it seem like it was an inconvenience to
• 11:22
  help anybody. That needed it didn't matter
• 11:25
  what it was. I remember, you know, someone
• 11:30
  needed something from my dad and instead of, you know, getting on
• 11:34
  the phone, he hopped in the car and drove 19 hours straight
• 11:37
  through the Texas. Like he, you know, that's the
• 11:40
  type of stuff that, you know, my parents would do so, you know,
• 11:44
  as a kid, you know, like you never understood that like, hey,
• 11:47
  like you know, why do I have to go here?
• 11:49
  I'm just a kid, like you're helping.
• 11:51
  I want to go home. I want to go play outside, you
• 11:53
  know? But then you know as I've got
• 11:57
  older And went through life, I started to realize that without
• 12:01
  me even realizing it that some of those same values.
• 12:04
  I was still doing it may not have been in the same way but I
• 12:08
  was still about helping others. Yeah, shout out to Dad because,
• 12:13
  you know, it's one thing to say something, it's another thing to
• 12:15
  do something. And so, to be that example of
• 12:17
  like, oh man, what's he doing it?
• 12:18
  You probably thought like, that's crazy.
• 12:19
  What's that guy doing it? I don't wanna drive two hours.
• 12:22
  He's driving 19 hours. Right to help someone out.
• 12:25
  That's what a great example from Dad.
• 12:27
  Shout out to Dad for that when you were you made me think about
• 12:31
  something in my own coaching career and it's so it's so weird
• 12:35
  you know in your experience it now as a father as you get
• 12:38
  older. So I remember distinctly
• 12:40
  remember this time I was coaching jumps at Mississippi
• 12:44
  State and I had to just wonderful wonderful people to
• 12:47
  people that I still am in contact with today.
• 12:49
  I'd love them to death and one started talking to the it was
• 12:53
  afraid a senior to a freshman and we're working.
• 12:57
  On triple jump and I caught the senior saying some stuff to the
• 13:00
  Freshman off to the side and instead of like talking about
• 13:05
  technique and stuff and instead of trying to figure out what he
• 13:08
  was saying, to make sure it's lined up with, you know, how I
• 13:10
  was trying to coach, I just went off.
• 13:11
  I was like, no, no, no, you can't talk like he's got to
• 13:13
  trust me. Like I was such a bad coach by
• 13:16
  the way, obviously. I mean this is just a terrible
• 13:17
  example, but it was almost like, I don't know if it was jealousy
• 13:19
  or not but actually probably more of like authority
• 13:23
  authority, authority, authoritarianism trying to Be
• 13:27
  the big boss like you should all the kids should come to me and
• 13:30
  blah blah blah and now look back and I'm like oh he was probably
• 13:33
  explaining something to him in a way that he could understand.
• 13:36
  It better like he'd gotten better that way.
• 13:38
  Yeah, in fact, this makes me think I'm going to have to
• 13:41
  message that freshman who's now, like, who's now, like he's
• 13:44
  either principal or superintendent.
• 13:46
  He's big-time educational guy down in Texas.
• 13:48
  I got a message, both of them and say, hey man, I'm sorry, I
• 13:51
  like looking back 20 plus years. Now, I screwed that up, it's all
• 13:56
  that to say when You were doing that with your high school
• 13:59
  teammates. How were the coaches reactions
• 14:03
  to that? Was that something that was
• 14:05
  lifted up and like, and blessed? Or was it more of like, hey
• 14:08
  Ryan, like I'm the coach buddy, you're the high school here, let
• 14:12
  me, let me do my job. Well, I'll never forget any of
• 14:17
  my High School coaches. They I went to a huge High
• 14:21
  School. It was I mean they bred athletes
• 14:25
  left and right, didn't matter what sport.
• 14:27
  A lot of guys that I even watch on Sundays.
• 14:29
  Now for NFL football, I went to high school with it, you know,
• 14:33
  just tons of really good guys, but my High School coaches like
• 14:37
  I their names. Head coach was, John read my
• 14:42
  hurdle. Coach was coach shoe, our Sprint
• 14:45
  and jump coach coach Ed. They were just Upstanding guys
• 14:55
  man. Like they, you know, you know,
• 14:59
  things that I see from a lot of High School coaches today, you
• 15:03
  know what I observed from them. You know, back then it was just
• 15:07
  one of a kind like, you know, so privileged to have had High
• 15:11
  School coaches like that. And you know I've coached at
• 15:13
  every level middle school, high school Collegiate and you know
• 15:17
  some post-collegiate Runners and my experience from you know,
• 15:22
  college coaching. You know, a lot of kids come in
• 15:25
  And so, you know, just raw talent.
• 15:27
  But it's like I can tell where they came from before that.
• 15:30
  It was just like no type of guidance.
• 15:32
  No type of real good coaching. And that's why I like you see a
• 15:35
  lot of improvement on some of these athletes between their
• 15:38
  freshman and sophomore years in college, because it's such a
• 15:41
  different system that they were used to, and, and high school.
• 15:46
  But I'm just so thankful for the coach that I had high school but
• 15:50
  no, they were very, you know, perceptive of you know things
• 15:54
  that are I'm doing and I feel like it's because like you know
• 15:57
  they watched and observe how I treated you know, my teammates
• 16:01
  and they were saying okay well you know not only is he also
• 16:05
  learning himself but he's helping like other kids to learn
• 16:10
  and like we you know, we were fortunate enough because like
• 16:13
  not a I'm sure you know this not a lot of high schools have the
• 16:17
  privilege of having enough coaches you know there's like
• 16:21
  amen. Absolutely yeah.
• 16:23
  There's like one coach. And you know, 40, 50, 60 kids.
• 16:27
  So I didn't really get a lot of times.
• 16:29
  The coach has to pick and choose what event group they're going
• 16:33
  to pay attention to that day and then the other kids, you just
• 16:35
  got to trust that they're not goofing off and they're doing
• 16:38
  what they're supposed to be doing.
• 16:39
  Yep. But like I said, you know, our
• 16:42
  Sprint coach Coach G. We had a hurdle coach.
• 16:45
  Specifically we had a distance coach.
• 16:48
  We had another guy who was the women's Coach who post coached
• 16:52
  the hurdlers and a distance we had.
• 16:54
  A high jump coach. We had a stroke coach like we
• 16:57
  were set. We had a mid-distance called
• 16:59
  like we had all that, you know, saying like it was you know,
• 17:03
  back then I didn't think anything of it for like, you
• 17:06
  know, got into coaching. I'm like holy cow like yeah,
• 17:09
  like a whole College step, you know, no one was unaccounted for
• 17:14
  no one was just doing stuff. Unattended, like we were just
• 17:18
  well, rounded at the team. We have the numbers.
• 17:20
  We had the coaches, it was something that you just rarely.
• 17:24
  Eyes in college and high school. I mean sometimes colleges you
• 17:29
  know you only you only know what, you know, right?
• 17:32
  When. Yeah, I grew up in Alabama and
• 17:34
  all of our other sport coaches were all football coaches.
• 17:38
  So the offensive line coach was our tennis coach.
• 17:41
  Quarterbacks coach was our track coach that kind of thing right?
• 17:44
  So I thought well, that's how it is everywhere.
• 17:46
  And so when I interviewed for my first job was a high school job
• 17:49
  in Chicago and so I he was he was the cross-country track
• 17:53
  coach and I was like So, what position do you coach in
• 17:56
  football and he was like, what are you talking about?
• 17:58
  He's like football. I was like, yeah, you know, you
• 18:01
  coach football to, right? And he's like, no, I coach cross
• 18:04
  country and track. And has like, really as a group
• 18:07
  as I go, he must be. The only one is, like, obviously
• 18:09
  the baseball coach is, you know, the vehicle.
• 18:11
  He's like, no, no that we have a basketball coach, and we have a
• 18:13
  wrestling coach. And we have about, you know, I
• 18:15
  was blown away. So, yeah, you grew up in an
• 18:17
  environment where it's like, oh, every high school has six, seven
• 18:21
  eight coaches for their team or whatnot, and it's like, oh no.
• 18:24
  There's plenty that have one apparent that will help out on
• 18:28
  Mondays and Wednesdays. All right.
• 18:30
  Yeah there was only a couple of coaches that also coached
• 18:35
  football. So I throw he was he was like a
• 18:38
  lineman coach for the varsity football team but he had a very
• 18:41
  successful, you know, high school and Collegiate tracker as
• 18:45
  well. So he wasn't just a person that
• 18:48
  oh he's a big strong guy coach so like he actually.
• 18:52
  And then our And jumps coach Coach G.
• 18:57
  He competed professionally. So, you know, he was at USA and
• 19:00
  like, you know, he did all that. So but he also coached the
• 19:04
  running backs for football, but like so he was well, you know,
• 19:07
  he knew exactly like he was in from that environment.
• 19:10
  And then all the rest of our coaches, they were strictly
• 19:13
  track and field. So, you know, the only time I
• 19:16
  saw them was, you know, come springtime, Lis House.
• 19:20
  Yeah. What school did you go to?
• 19:22
  So do you want to fairly large school?
• 19:24
  So formally Farmington Harrison High School they closed down.
• 19:28
  I want to say 2019 or 2020 one couple years ago they just they
• 19:34
  just closed it down but now they turned into a very fancy
• 19:40
  state-of-the-art you know Community Rec Center.
• 19:43
  It's beautiful. But they've paid homage to all
• 19:47
  of you know the former athletes and great setup going through.
• 19:50
  So like they have a they have like a Hall of Fame and like
• 19:53
  directs Enter and it's like all of the old trophies and
• 19:56
  everything and pictures of bubble, that they also kept the
• 20:01
  field, the same, and they like, renovated, everything around it.
• 20:04
  So and like we want a lot of state championships for
• 20:08
  football. So, like they have like, all
• 20:09
  these pillars outside of the stadium with each of those teams
• 20:12
  and stuff like that. So that's something pretty cool
• 20:15
  that it's nice to go home and, you know, like where - on Good
• 20:19
  Times. Yeah.
• 20:20
  So when you were describing the coaches that you had, And now
• 20:25
  you know you have something today that you didn't have back
• 20:27
  then and that's perspective. Right?
• 20:29
  We can, you know, hindsight's 20/20 and all that when you look
• 20:32
  back at how those coaches treated you and your teammates
• 20:36
  maybe not necessarily a novice, it sounds like they were fairly
• 20:40
  competent and coaching as well. But when how they treated you
• 20:43
  guys and gals on the team? What was it about?
• 20:46
  I mean, you your face had a different look to it when you
• 20:49
  were describing your coaches. Like, like, like, I wrote down
• 20:51
  my oh, my notes like, oh, obviously, a big influence on.
• 20:54
  On you were these High School coaches.
• 20:56
  When you look back now, after having coached, you know, your
• 20:58
  own athletes and, you know, you're not your father, what,
• 21:01
  you know, Parenthood changes, everything.
• 21:03
  What was it about them? That just obviously holds a big
• 21:08
  place in your heart and I do the same thing and it's genuine but
• 21:19
  I do the same thing as a coach now, but, you know, not every
• 21:24
  athlete is fortunate enough to be, you know, that guy or that
• 21:29
  girl. So, like in Middle School, I
• 21:32
  excelled quickly. You know, a picked up on a
• 21:34
  sport. It was just, you know, natural
• 21:36
  god-given Talent, obviously like you still got to work hard.
• 21:40
  I've always been terrible. Hard work beats Talent when
• 21:43
  talent doesn't work hard. So, regardless of the talent,
• 21:46
  like I had a great work ethic, I wanted to be better no matter
• 21:49
  what, but you know Obviously, because I was a hurdler, there
• 21:54
  still an adjustment, you know, coming into high school and it's
• 21:57
  like, you know, boys, amongst men, Natalie growth spurt, like,
• 22:00
  yeah, I was small skinny and fast.
• 22:02
  Like now, you know, you're at this huge athletic High School.
• 22:06
  These dudes are like grown men. You know, we had ESPN coming to
• 22:11
  our school every year for national Signing Day.
• 22:13
  Like that's how big these athletes were out of our school.
• 22:16
  So like it was, it was a big adjustment.
• 22:19
  And but it didn't matter if you You were that top guy, running
• 22:24
  10 5 or this is your first year and you're trying to figure
• 22:27
  things out. Everyone matter everyone.
• 22:31
  Mad at everyone was a part of the team.
• 22:34
  They didn't treat anyone different, they didn't show any
• 22:37
  more or less attention to people are even remember specifically.
• 22:43
  So like during spring break they you know a lot of people know
• 22:47
  families, they were going trips and stuff like that.
• 22:49
  And they would say, hey like these practices Mandatory.
• 22:53
  But if you are new to the track team or like you're a freshman
• 22:56
  or sophomore, you still, you know, get things like we
• 22:59
  strongly suggest that you guys specifically come and get extra
• 23:04
  work on because like this is will be one of the few times or
• 23:07
  we can just focus on you. So I remember every every year
• 23:13
  on spring break, you know, my heard of Coach, he would have
• 23:15
  the hurdlers come in and he'd work with us.
• 23:18
  And even as you know, I became a junior senior and I was one of
• 23:21
  the, you know, Top, hurdlers I still came and because, you
• 23:24
  know, not only, and I'm still trying to get better.
• 23:27
  I'm trying to help, you know, the other kids get better too.
• 23:30
  And I remember, you know, being a Freshman.
• 23:34
  So my sophomore year was the first year I made it to like the
• 23:37
  18, relays I still wasn't in like all of the like, fast heat,
• 23:42
  but like, I was still good enough to be a part of that
• 23:45
  18-wheeler, which still says a lot, you know, continuing like,
• 23:48
  you know, I remember looking back at like, what our school
• 23:51
  records were I'm like, holy cow. Like if we were good enough to
• 23:54
  be a, you know, college in some divisions, you know.
• 23:59
  But, you know, being a Freshman and sophomore and, you know, you
• 24:01
  know, basically, being on JV for like a lot of meats and we had
• 24:05
  JV specific meats that we would go to, and all of the coaches,
• 24:10
  the same coaches that were at all of our seams.
• 24:13
  They were at the JV mates to there was never any like oh
• 24:17
  we're only going to send a couple of guys and it was the
• 24:19
  same excitement. It was the same.
• 24:22
  Judgment. And I feel like that that made a
• 24:24
  difference because, you know, even in dual meets, where, you
• 24:28
  know, don't mean a lot of stuff, you know, they're not the big
• 24:30
  meats and I remember seeing my coaches get excited for like the
• 24:35
  fifth heat of hurdles. The guys were, you know, all
• 24:38
  over the place. And no one's really good
• 24:41
  whatever. But like, you know, coaches
• 24:43
  still encouraging. Hey, like you ran a PR.
• 24:46
  Okay, here's what it Stacks up against other people.
• 24:49
  Like you are better today than you were yesterday.
• 24:52
  Yeah, like I keep those same philosophies and my coaching now
• 24:57
  today, and I mean, I have tons of stories from athletes.
• 25:00
  I've coached over the years and particularly I'll talk about one
• 25:04
  athlete. She was just just a special
• 25:06
  person. So I used to coach at CN IX
• 25:11
  University. It's in NAIA school, but the
• 25:15
  talent is the same. As D1 D2, just throwing athletes
• 25:18
  all around. And I remember, we had a
• 25:20
  walk-on. On the women's team.
• 25:23
  And I want to say, within the first week, you know, she came
• 25:27
  to me and she said, you know, coach like I'm really
• 25:29
  struggling, you know, I know that I'm not as fast as these
• 25:34
  other girls. Like these girls are running.
• 25:36
  You know, sub 11, these girls are all American national
• 25:39
  champion. And, you know, I wasn't even the
• 25:41
  best on my high school team. But like, you've accepted me and
• 25:46
  you haven't treated me any different, you know?
• 25:49
  And that means a lot. And she told me like that, I
• 25:52
  assume she said, you know, I don't know what's going to
• 25:54
  happen, but as long as I'm here and you'll have me like I'm
• 25:57
  going to give you my bet and I remember fast forward like a
• 26:01
  year or two later, we were at the conference meet.
• 26:03
  And you know, you didn't, you generally know who's going to
• 26:07
  score who's not going to score and things like that.
• 26:09
  So I remember it was her heat of the hundred Dash and she just
• 26:16
  blasts out the blocks, her form was great.
• 26:18
  Everything just, you know, she just executed a perfect race.
• 26:22
  For her. And she ended up winning her
• 26:24
  heat and like, I'm dark down the field.
• 26:27
  I'm like running, I'm hugging her.
• 26:29
  And like you know, she's looking at time like she knows like it
• 26:31
  still doesn't score but she's like you know what are you so
• 26:34
  happy about and like do you see what you just ran?
• 26:37
  Like you just ran a huge PRI like that's that's awesome.
• 26:39
  And then like later that same day she did the same thing in a
• 26:42
  to just like she just had herself a day and I remember
• 26:46
  after the banquet that year, she was like, you know, coach like,
• 26:49
  you know, I watch you have. Faith like you have more
• 26:53
  excitement for me and what I ran then you had for the girls that,
• 26:58
  you know, that actually one conference and they're going to
• 27:01
  Nationals and stuff like that, like why is it?
• 27:03
  And I said, because you're still part of the team, you still show
• 27:06
  up every day, like they show up, you still work every day.
• 27:08
  Like they work, you are no different than anyone else in
• 27:12
  the time. Does not matter, you show up and
• 27:15
  you work hard and as long as you end the season or even each day
• 27:21
  if you To take it day-by-day you in the day better than how you
• 27:24
  started it. Then that means I did my job not
• 27:28
  not every athlete is going to be a national caliber athlete.
• 27:31
  Not every athlete is going to win races and break records.
• 27:34
  I was like, I feel like the misconception of coaching is
• 27:38
  having that success. Now, I've been fortunate to have
• 27:42
  tons of athletes, be successful at the national level.
• 27:46
  I was like, but at the end of the day, I don't care if you
• 27:49
  never want to race, I don't care if you never want to title, if
• 27:52
  you are better at the end than you were when you started, I've
• 27:56
  done my job. Thank you for really good.
• 28:00
  Example, of, when I talk about the positive impact that coaches
• 28:03
  make on young people, you know, it's interesting.
• 28:05
  Again, you paint a really good picture.
• 28:07
  I can kind of see the movie playing out as you're describing
• 28:09
  and I can see that young lady coming in and saying, hey I'm
• 28:12
  struggling like you know, my teammates are fast, by the way,
• 28:15
  I wasn't even the fastest one of my high school team And then
• 28:19
  fast forward to when she's PR and she's like, why are you so
• 28:22
  happy for me? Like, I didn't win.
• 28:24
  I'm gonna be making the finals. And it's, and you showed her
• 28:27
  that her worth is not in her times.
• 28:29
  Her worth is in who she is as a human, and she shows up, and she
• 28:32
  gives you the respect of showing up and working hard for you
• 28:34
  everyday. So man, you deserve my respect
• 28:37
  and love and happiness. When you run faster or, you
• 28:40
  know, jump farther than you ever have.
• 28:42
  Because, you know, you also mention there, you know, a lot
• 28:45
  of athletes are not. Every athlete is going to The
• 28:48
  national qualifier when a raised etcetera.
• 28:51
  In fact, change that most athletes are not going to be
• 28:54
  National qualifiers or ever win a race Etc.
• 28:57
  So the only competition that we have for all of our athletes,
• 29:01
  whether you are a gold medalist for crying out loud or walk on
• 29:05
  your team, is yourself the distance, you throw the
• 29:08
  distance, you jump, the time, you run and cetera so that the I
• 29:12
  agree, I'm a huge, you know, proponent of celebrating PRS.
• 29:15
  Regardless, if you're a He s hundred meter person and you
• 29:19
  run, 19:9, celebrate it because one day and we never know.
• 29:23
  Here's the crazy part about PR Zoran, you know what, as a
• 29:25
  former athlete here as well. Is one day, you're going to set
• 29:29
  your last PR but you don't know for a long time after that, that
• 29:33
  was the last time, you're gonna have another race in.
• 29:36
  You don't PR then 100 more races like well holy crap, I have a PR
• 29:39
  for two years that happens and you don't know until you look
• 29:43
  back. So.
• 29:44
  Well, I love the experience that you had with Our High School
• 29:48
  coaches and honestly really proud that you took those great
• 29:51
  parts and continued into your own coaching career.
• 29:55
  Again, another great example, of the positive impact coaches,
• 29:57
  make on young people. They thought they were just
• 30:00
  doing a good job. You know, say, hey, this is what
• 30:01
  I do. I'm the hurdles coach, and so, I
• 30:03
  work with Ryan and I celebrate, when he does well, and correct
• 30:05
  when it needs to be corrected. And that coach, maybe didn't
• 30:08
  realize, like, oh, you're molding future.
• 30:11
  Ryan holding future coach Dukes here, so, I love that.
• 30:17
  So you You have a great High School experience.
• 30:20
  I love that for you, not everybody has that.
• 30:22
  So you know that's pretty special that you have such a
• 30:24
  great High School, track and field specific exam experience
• 30:28
  there. Where do you go to college?
• 30:30
  And more importantly, as you are going into college, what are you
• 30:34
  thinking for career? Are you already thinking about
• 30:37
  being a coach or you thinking about maybe being a doctor, or a
• 30:39
  banker, or a lawyer? I don't know an astronaut going
• 30:43
  into college, I still wasn't thinking and thinking about
• 30:47
  coaching, So originally I went to an art.
• 30:53
  I was an art major. My focus was graphic design and
• 30:56
  marketing and so, you know, I was trying to be, you know, Big
• 31:00
  Time designer for nine years, you know, any one of the, you
• 31:04
  know, the big time Brands. I remember you know as you get
• 31:07
  to your Junior and Senior year they want to do internships and
• 31:10
  stuff like this. So you know, I feel like I was
• 31:13
  one of the, you know, the top, you know, students in my class,
• 31:17
  you know. A lot of people see the word
• 31:20
  art, you think, like, oh that's that's not hard, that's drawing
• 31:23
  and painting, like there's nothing to that and they
• 31:27
  actually told us, you know, seeing a heist, the college I
• 31:31
  graduated from, they said actually are fine arts program
• 31:35
  is the toughest curriculum like harder than like the nursing and
• 31:39
  you no disrespect to what they have to do.
• 31:41
  But like they said it was as far as like what you're required to
• 31:44
  do to graduate. Like it's it's the toughest out
• 31:47
  of With all of the programs and I thought nothing of it.
• 31:52
  I was like, wow they really like okay we're special or one of the
• 31:55
  kind but I remember you know having this just huge elaborate
• 32:00
  portfolio and every summer I'm sending it out to Nike and
• 32:03
  Oregon and I'm sending it to coma and a date is.
• 32:06
  And just all these Brands, hoping that I get a call back,
• 32:09
  like, hey, like my stuff is good.
• 32:11
  I want to be an intern, like I'll fly out there.
• 32:13
  I'll stay there for summer, like, I want to learn from you
• 32:15
  guys. This is something that I want to
• 32:17
  do. And like it sucked because I
• 32:20
  didn't get not a single call back.
• 32:22
  Email, not even to say, we didn't pick you up, I got his
• 32:26
  think it anything and I was just like, what like that?
• 32:30
  That makes no sense to me. So, you know, I, you know, just
• 32:33
  fine summer jobs, you know, I, you know, train through the
• 32:36
  summer to just the same state for track but like, it was, it
• 32:40
  was discouraging because I was like, man, like this is what I
• 32:42
  want to do and like I can't even get, you know, the internship
• 32:46
  credit that I'm supposed to have.
• 32:48
  I ended up going into photography, just so that I can
• 32:51
  have something that, you know, for graduation purposes.
• 32:54
  Like, hey, I like, I need something.
• 32:57
  But even then, like, I still wasn't thinking about coaching
• 33:00
  and it wasn't until my senior year in college.
• 33:09
  My junior year, had a huge breakthrough year.
• 33:12
  I was fortunate enough to qualify for Nationals every year
• 33:16
  that I competed in. Llege, indoor and outdoor.
• 33:20
  And so, you know, me not thinking about the and, you
• 33:24
  know, just basking in the glory of it all.
• 33:26
  And I remember we were getting ready for practice one day and
• 33:32
  my coach came to me and he said, like, hey, like, you know, I got
• 33:36
  a friend, they have an AAU track club and they're looking to
• 33:40
  bring on, you know, another coach, and they asked me if we
• 33:43
  knew anyone that was looking to get into coaching, and you know,
• 33:48
  immediately I thought of you and he was like, you know, it's
• 33:50
  that, you know, something that you're interested in doing and I
• 33:53
  was just like Sure. Why not, you know, had thought
• 33:58
  about it before, but I was like, you know, it, I didn't hesitate,
• 34:02
  I was like, hey, you know, I can see myself coaching like yeah,
• 34:05
  like let's meet up with the guy. Like, you know, let's talk to
• 34:08
  him and so they, you know, he set up the interview and
• 34:12
  everything I met with the coach and his wife and just it was
• 34:18
  almost like it was just meant to be like, you know, he's asking
• 34:21
  me these questions and just like no, hesitation, I'm just Talking
• 34:25
  and into psych, you know, I wasn't just, you know, talking
• 34:28
  about the side of my neck, it was, you know, I was legit
• 34:30
  things and he was like well like you know I definitely like what
• 34:33
  I hear like I'll be in touch with you and then you know I did
• 34:37
  tell him that like I still had Nationals and everything.
• 34:39
  So like I wouldn't gone, I wasn't going to be free until I
• 34:42
  June. We'll just have to Nationals and
• 34:46
  just kind of like how you talked about like you know you never
• 34:49
  know when you're going to run your last PR.
• 34:52
  It's that's kind of how you feel about like your last race.
• 34:55
  And so my last race at Nationals was to 4 by 4, and I remember I
• 35:02
  was thoroughly. I remember handing off to the
• 35:03
  time and turning all my teammates and then, you know,
• 35:08
  they finished and we all got together and we were awesome.
• 35:12
  We were all seniors and that had never happened before.
• 35:16
  We were all seniors and, you know, we just kind of soaked in
• 35:20
  that moment and I remember taking my jersey off and I just
• 35:22
  looked at it and I just had to take take a lap because the
• 35:25
  tears are just flowing, you know, because I didn't I didn't
• 35:28
  know what my future was at that point.
• 35:31
  I knew certain things but you know so then you know we would
• 35:36
  come back home and then pause right there because I'm curious
• 35:40
  about your coaching experience, your college experience.
• 35:43
  Yeah. You mentioned about how it was
• 35:47
  the leadership that you had with your High School coaches and
• 35:50
  kind of the blessing of you working with other athletes and
• 35:53
  helping them out. Did Continue that through into
• 35:56
  college as well and there's maybe a little bit.
• 35:59
  I don't know, maybe there's different Dynamic of being a
• 36:01
  college freshman versus High School, freshman cetera and you
• 36:04
  maybe grew into kind of was like, reset and had to grow into
• 36:07
  it. As you went through your senior
• 36:08
  year college. How was that experience compared
• 36:10
  to high school? I would say that reset is kind
• 36:13
  of the same. Like, you know, coming into high
• 36:15
  school as a freshman and you got to learn it, you know, a boy
• 36:18
  amongst men, you grow and you get better.
• 36:21
  And then like by my junior senior year like, you know, I
• 36:24
  was It's that guy. I was that leader, you know,
• 36:26
  things like that. You know, I was wondering faster
• 36:30
  kids on the team, I was anchoring relay stuff like that,
• 36:33
  you know, help my teammates and then I get to college.
• 36:36
  And I remember one of the first things, my college coach told
• 36:39
  me, he was okay like this is a different ballgame.
• 36:42
  You're not in high school anymore like yeah, you were the
• 36:44
  best in high school, but here everyone is the best from
• 36:48
  wherever they came from. And I was like, wow, that's
• 36:51
  that's deep, that's team. And I was an All-American.
• 36:54
  In coming out of high school, you know like Iran, you know,
• 36:57
  usatf Nationals, you know, Junior Olympics, all that, stuff
• 37:02
  like that. So you know, I was I wasn't
• 37:04
  cocky but like you know, I had a lot of confidence that hey like
• 37:07
  I'm one of the top four and hurdlers coming in, you know,
• 37:10
  like like I'm great and then you know, I get to college and
• 37:15
  they're like, okay, like that's high school and we're one of the
• 37:17
  top people in the country for college.
• 37:19
  So like let's start over. So time is just like that.
• 37:24
  Same thing, reset and but you know, I've embraced the
• 37:27
  challenge, you know. Like I remember, you know, first
• 37:31
  couple months trying to prove myself, always, trying to lead
• 37:33
  Repsol. We're trying to, you know, jump
• 37:35
  in front and I could tell that it kind of take the, you know,
• 37:38
  you know, older guys off. But, you know, then they
• 37:41
  realize. Hey, like he's not doing this to
• 37:43
  be cocky like this kid showed up and he's ready to work.
• 37:46
  So it's kind of just like in high school were like it took me
• 37:48
  some time to get on like 218 relays and stuff like that.
• 37:51
  Same thing with college and in college is different, like you
• 37:54
  Over 18 and B team. So like the A-Team they're going
• 37:57
  to be running at faster meet there at Florida relays and
• 38:00
  Drake and Texas relays not so to stuff and the B team.
• 38:03
  We're kind of at these small and meats and I was like, Hey, like
• 38:06
  I want to be where they're going because like, you know, those
• 38:09
  are some fun meets. Like I remember one of the, you
• 38:11
  know, funniest me to ever been to was Jesse Owens relays at
• 38:15
  Ohio State because, you know, even coincidentally, you know,
• 38:21
  I'm a Michigan fan, big Michigan fan bleep, amazing Yellow.
• 38:25
  Coincidentally, Santa Heights. Colors were the same as Michigan
• 38:28
  and they were located in Adrian, which was about an hour for an
• 38:31
  arbor. So, you know, we get to Ohio
• 38:33
  State and I'm like, yeah, like we we we want to beat up on you
• 38:36
  guys and we actually ended up beating them that day in a 4x4
• 38:39
  and it was just like the greatest thing ever.
• 38:41
  Wow, you're like, who is this NAIA team?
• 38:44
  Why are they so fast? It was a great experience but
• 38:47
  um, kind of just like the same things, you know, ain't no As I
• 38:50
  Grew and matured into, you know, a young man, a young adult.
• 38:55
  I was doing those same things, just helping these young guys,
• 38:57
  you know. Hey, you know, I was once a
• 38:59
  freshman I was once where you are like, hey, like let me help
• 39:02
  you through this process and my coach.
• 39:04
  He embraced it. He'd even ask me sometimes,
• 39:07
  like, hey, like I'm going to, you know, go over here working
• 39:09
  these guys can, you know, you do some block starts with, you
• 39:12
  know, some of the freshmen stuff like that.
• 39:14
  So, I think he early on, he kind of saw some things that I didn't
• 39:18
  even see. Because, like I said, like I
• 39:20
  thought nothing about coaching but, you know, he He went
• 39:25
  approached about, you know, a coach that you think could
• 39:28
  handle something like that, you know.
• 39:30
  Hey, I have a guy hasn't graduated yet, but I think he, I
• 39:33
  think he can do this. I was gonna I was gonna bring
• 39:36
  that up. What what's coach's name real
• 39:37
  quick? Coach?
• 39:39
  Kim Bauer. He's still the at the head coach
• 39:42
  for see a nice silver that I was going to ask.
• 39:45
  Because that story you told of when the he had the friend that
• 39:48
  was the club coach and said you know who anybody could help and
• 39:50
  he immediately thought of you. You know, that is a coach has
• 39:53
  superpowers. That super power is the ability
• 39:57
  to see things and others before they can see it in themselves.
• 40:00
  A lot of times it's manifested in track, you know?
• 40:02
  Hey, I think you can be a hurdler and kids, like I've
• 40:05
  never heard of my life and they become a state champion or, you
• 40:07
  know, I think you could be a great decathlete and it's like,
• 40:10
  man, I can barely lift the shot put and they become, you know,
• 40:13
  Collegiate decathlete. I love that.
• 40:17
  The two examples you gave their one of like, coach saw like, oh,
• 40:20
  like I can trust Ryan to lead the hurdlers, or to do this.
• 40:24
  Work out. You know, I can go spend time
• 40:26
  with these jumpers or what not. He saw that early in you and
• 40:29
  then and he manifested that when the coach at hey is there
• 40:31
  anybody on your team and I could use an assistant who was like
• 40:34
  automatically? Oh yeah.
• 40:34
  Ryan like I know Ryan's in this Bachelor of Fine Arts thing and
• 40:38
  he's doing his photography internship but he's a coach he
• 40:41
  does don't know what yet. So awesome accidents.
• 40:44
  The that's a coach is super power.
• 40:46
  The ability to see things and others before they come in
• 40:49
  themselves. So you did you join after
• 40:52
  graduation to join that club? As a sister gosh, yes I did see
• 40:57
  a track club and it was you know, something that I never saw
• 41:04
  coming and it was just the beginning of something great
• 41:07
  really. And so you know most of the kids
• 41:11
  on the team were elementary and middle school and so which I'd
• 41:17
  say is if you want to get into coaching, start Young.
• 41:21
  No, don't don't do that. You'll go crazy.
• 41:23
  Oh my gosh, I can't Believe you started there that is, I've coat
• 41:29
  100% exact, I've coached at every level, and the only level
• 41:33
  that has driven me out, is the summer young.
• 41:36
  The the eight, nine ten kids, I love them to death.
• 41:39
  I mean they are awesome. They really are awesome but oh
• 41:41
  my squirrel a squirrel. Who is on ADHD medicine?
• 41:48
  Yeah. God bless you.
• 41:50
  My son's doing Middle School track.
• 41:51
  I tweeted out the other day of my God.
• 41:52
  Bless Middle School coaches because Oh my God, I can't do
• 41:55
  this. You started in that age group he
• 41:58
  how did you how did you handle that?
• 41:59
  And what I mean by that is I guess, first of all, did you
• 42:02
  have any younger sibling? So maybe like experience with
• 42:04
  that and then how did you Fight against, maybe the urge of like,
• 42:09
  okay, I know they're eight, nine, ten years old.
• 42:11
  But well, they've got to train like I did in college if they
• 42:13
  want to be any good, you know, sometimes people have that,
• 42:15
  like, I don't care if the rate it's like, well, you better care
• 42:17
  if they're eight because that's a whole different training age
• 42:20
  and attention, span Etc. So, how did you fight that urge?
• 42:22
  And did you have any younger brothers and sisters, that any
• 42:25
  experience working with young people?
• 42:27
  Young, I'm the I'm the youngest of my siblings but I have tons
• 42:31
  of nieces and nephews that I've no watch blossom and grow up and
• 42:35
  stuff like that. So you know coming Into it.
• 42:39
  It was just something that I just I observed you know, how
• 42:42
  the group of kids that we have, you know, were not how they work
• 42:45
  together. A lot of these kids are from the
• 42:46
  same area, so like they all know each other.
• 42:48
  So there were, you know, we didn't have to do a bunch of ice
• 42:51
  breaking and oh get to know your team and so you know, I told him
• 42:56
  first day I was hey like you know you guys are running summer
• 43:00
  track, you don't run summer track just for the fun of it.
• 43:04
  Like it's different than like Middle School track.
• 43:07
  When you're in school, like, you know, pass, hey, like, you need
• 43:10
  to be active, like here's something to do.
• 43:12
  Go run track, you know, alone, learn about that but like, if
• 43:15
  your parents are paying money for you to run summer track like
• 43:19
  it's for reason. So, you know, you're not here.
• 43:23
  This is not just your parents decision.
• 43:25
  Like, yes, you might be eight years old but you also want to
• 43:28
  do this but I also put myself in their shoes and I said, hey if I
• 43:34
  was eight years old how What would get me to pay attention?
• 43:39
  What would get me to grasp the concept of everything that we're
• 43:43
  doing? So all of the drills, all of the
• 43:45
  workouts, and everything that get, I, for like a better terms.
• 43:50
  I've dumbed it down and it was as simple as it can possibly be.
• 43:54
  Now, obviously, that's different than the way I would talk to my
• 43:58
  high school and college kids. I can get as fancy as I want,
• 44:02
  you know, I can talk to one of my high school hurdlers that I
• 44:04
  coach now say, hey, like we know when you're coming out, Drive
• 44:08
  for come up to the second floor and that cut step before you go
• 44:12
  and they're going to know what that is, but it is an eight year
• 44:14
  olds like, is he speaking Chinese or Spanish or French?
• 44:18
  What is he talking about? So I had to put it in the most
• 44:23
  simplest terms as possible, but more than anything I had to make
• 44:28
  it fun. I have to make everything fun
• 44:30
  about what they do. I want them to come say, hey for
• 44:33
  this hour and a half two hours that we're with Coach Dukes,
• 44:36
  it's fun like Yes, we're working hard because you know it's track
• 44:40
  that you got to push yourself like you get in with you know
• 44:43
  you get in what you put in. Basically, you know which also
• 44:46
  leads me to another Point like when I coached high school
• 44:49
  college kids and I remember a lot of coaches say, like, you
• 44:51
  know, how do you discipline your athletes in flight they show up
• 44:54
  late or, you know, something like that.
• 44:57
  And I said, oh this this sport disciplines itself.
• 45:00
  And it's like how I was like, well if the kid shows up late
• 45:03
  and he's missing warm-ups or he's, you know, slacking off
• 45:07
  doing And not giving this for effort.
• 45:09
  I was like well he or she is going to go to meet and get the
• 45:11
  brakes blowing off of them job that I don't have to do nothing.
• 45:16
  Great boy. No like why am I going to make
• 45:18
  you do pushups over run extra like no that's no.
• 45:22
  I said, okay. Like yep, you relate, I'll make
• 45:25
  a mental note of that, but okay, you're only hurting yourself,
• 45:28
  you know. But, you know, going back to
• 45:31
  working with kids, like, you just got to make, you got to
• 45:33
  make it fun. And, and when I saw that, they
• 45:36
  were just enjoying Everything about, you know, what was going
• 45:39
  on that? I was having fun, like, hey,
• 45:42
  like you an awesome little group of kids, you know, but then at
• 45:46
  the same time, like I had some studs, like I was gifted some
• 45:51
  raw talented, you know, little kids, and some of those, some of
• 45:56
  those kids. I've coached all the way through
• 45:59
  middle school, high school and sent them off to college.
• 46:02
  And not only does that, make me feel old, but It's just a good
• 46:09
  feeling to see the progress that they've had over the years.
• 46:14
  I've sent can't, I don't know how many athletes I've helped
• 46:17
  get recruited and sent off to college, but one of my first
• 46:21
  kids that I've ever coached, I met him when he was in the fifth
• 46:25
  or sixth grade and now you know, he's a senior, he's in his last
• 46:29
  season and he's heading off to college next year.
• 46:32
  And one of the things, you know, when he started going on his
• 46:36
  recruiting visits, I mean, everybody wanted this kid just
• 46:40
  Raw Talent. He was a three-sport athlete but
• 46:43
  he knew in middle school that he wanted to run track in college.
• 46:47
  But you know, he wanted to still be a kid so he's like, I'm going
• 46:50
  to play football, I'm going to play basketball.
• 46:52
  I'm going to do all these other things and I was like you know
• 46:55
  what, what's so great about that is is once you get to college
• 46:59
  and you're just focus on track, you're gonna you're gonna blow
• 47:02
  up you know because like you're not exhausted, you know, you're
• 47:05
  having fun and you're not. We're Wear and tear on your body
• 47:08
  from specifically, just doing one thing.
• 47:11
  But one thing that just like, really touched my heart that he
• 47:13
  told me is when he's, you know, talking to all these coaches and
• 47:19
  what helped him decide where he wanted to run at the next level
• 47:22
  was he said you know this coach reminded me of you.
• 47:25
  He had the same philosophies, he had the same way of training and
• 47:29
  he talked to me the same way you've been talking to me for
• 47:32
  like the past 56 years and that clearly has worked for me this
• 47:36
  kid. He's You know, he was a national
• 47:38
  champion All-American in high school.
• 47:40
  Like he's a stud and he said this college coach makes me feel
• 47:46
  the same way. You make me feel and that's what
• 47:48
  I look for and that's why I chose to go there and I'm just
• 47:51
  like pulling on my heartstrings. Yeah.
• 47:54
  I was gonna see if you tried to pick like what are the top three
• 47:56
  things that make you feel good? You might not guess that but
• 47:58
  that's a big compliment. Yeah and you know I don't do
• 48:03
  things for recognition, I don't do things for a pat on the back
• 48:07
  like Like, you know, I've helped high school teams won state
• 48:10
  titles. I've helped all types of
• 48:12
  athletes, but I always tell them like this is not about me, it's
• 48:16
  never about me. It's about you.
• 48:19
  You know, when people answer all like you know what are your
• 48:21
  accomplishments? And like I haven't accomplished
• 48:24
  anything. I'm just a mere person who is
• 48:30
  Helping these kids reach their ultimate goals.
• 48:33
  So like, you know, you ask them, what have they accomplished.
• 48:36
  Like I'm just a guy, you know, just a messenger, you know.
• 48:40
  Like I never I never you know and this is no dis to any of the
• 48:46
  other coaches that do it. But I've seen coaches, they put
• 48:49
  it like as a signature in their emails like oh you know,
• 48:53
  coaching for this many years and this many championships and
• 48:56
  that's great. You know, I see it in a lot of
• 48:58
  people's bios and things like that.
• 49:00
  But like, I'm I don't talk about it.
• 49:03
  I don't, I don't flash my education and stuff like that.
• 49:07
  I've got, you know, I see it from a different perspective
• 49:11
  today, right? Because, you know, for the last
• 49:13
  17 years, I've been on this side of track and field and for maybe
• 49:17
  the last four, five, six years, I've just been, you know, sold
• 49:20
  out to as one coach called me, the ultimate height, man, for
• 49:24
  coaches, right? So I get to see it from a
• 49:26
  different side of things, you know, it's funny.
• 49:29
  Thanks. And it's funny.
• 49:30
  I actually have a tweet loaded up like a.
• 49:33
  My drafts that says something like, here's the state of
• 49:37
  coaching today. Coach says, I need to learn from
• 49:42
  others. Go to coaching education.
• 49:44
  Be the best coach that I can can be for these kids coach also
• 49:48
  says, I'm just the bus driver that line, I don't know if
• 49:52
  you've heard that line drives me more crazy than the other line,
• 49:56
  the world. I'm just the bus driver and it's
• 49:58
  like, No, no, you you devalue what you do as a coach and I
• 50:05
  mean, that from the X's and O's to the, what your some of the
• 50:09
  examples you gave of loving on kids, and helping them.
• 50:12
  You devalue all in my opinion is all my you do value that.
• 50:17
  When you say, I'm just a bus driver, I just bring the kids to
• 50:20
  the meats. Well, that's not true because
• 50:21
  there's plenty of people who do just bring kids to the meats for
• 50:24
  many, many reasons. And those kids don't perform as
• 50:26
  well, right? They don't, they like On your
• 50:30
  their teams. They're not, you know, maybe
• 50:32
  reaching their full potentials, their age group Etc.
• 50:34
  So so like I I know what you're getting at.
• 50:39
  When you talk about, you know, the signatures and things like
• 50:42
  that, but I also think that you should be proud it, take it,
• 50:47
  take it away from coaching, go to any other profession, a
• 50:49
  teacher wins teacher of the year, a scientist wins, the
• 50:52
  Nobel Prize and author. Wins a Pulitzer, they put in
• 50:55
  their signature, in their description of their Twitter and
• 50:58
  you're like, wow man, that that Person want to a Pulitzer,
• 51:01
  that's a big deal, like you should be proud of that.
• 51:03
  That is how I feel about you. Ryan in the sense of, you know,
• 51:07
  coach of the year. Mike.
• 51:08
  Wow, Bravo. That's Pretty stinking amazing.
• 51:10
  This many kids signed to college and you made an impact on kids
• 51:12
  like like Bravo, I want you to not brown said, brag not brag
• 51:18
  about them, but to be proud of them.
• 51:22
  But so asterisk, all of that is on the back of the kids to your
• 51:26
  point. Do you know if they don't listen
• 51:28
  to you, if they don't perform You could you let your looked at
• 51:32
  is like the worst coach in the world, right?
• 51:34
  So it is their performances, your rights.
• 51:35
  When it coach says, or when someone comes in and says, what
• 51:37
  have you done coach Dukes, you know, you certainly haven't run
• 51:41
  the hundred for the kids or the 400 it such, or they've done
• 51:44
  that and done. Well, but you have certainly
• 51:47
  guided them. I don't think they would have
• 51:49
  done as well with a coach who just drives the bus, right?
• 51:55
  So be proud, don't be braggadocious, but be proud
• 52:00
  because What you're doing matters.
• 52:01
  I mean, literally think about the experience you had as an
• 52:04
  athlete from back in the day. Think about that.
• 52:07
  Coach that said, wait a minute. You've never done this before.
• 52:09
  Yeah, that first day of middle school or Pierre elementary
• 52:13
  school, right? If that coach wouldn't have said
• 52:16
  that, that's what. That's a small little gem that
• 52:18
  coach probably. Thought that was a throwaway
• 52:19
  sentence. If they were just impressed
• 52:21
  because you ran faster than all the kids.
• 52:23
  But for you, it was like, there was a sense of Pride that go
• 52:27
  Like someone else Believes In Me.
• 52:29
  Hmm, like that's a big deal and look what it's LED for you.
• 52:33
  You've gone on to go to college and have a degree in now, you're
• 52:35
  coaching. That's, that's what you do for
• 52:38
  other kids. There's other kids right now, I
• 52:39
  could interview some of your former athletes right now.
• 52:40
  Just talked about that kid, that chose a college coach based off
• 52:44
  of being similar to you and your style.
• 52:47
  Yeah, they that kid one day when I bet you they that athlete has
• 52:51
  some memory of something. You said that you think was
• 52:53
  like, I've said it a million times.
• 52:56
  But because you said it to them in that moment, they were like,
• 52:59
  oh wow, this guy, this coach Ryan Dukes, he believes in me,
• 53:03
  like, he thinks I could be a state champion.
• 53:04
  One day, I can't get over this hurdle without tripping.
• 53:08
  What, you know, how does he see that?
• 53:10
  And then that person goes on because of the love and care and
• 53:13
  knowledge that you put into them.
• 53:14
  So, you know, I'm the ultimate hype man for coaches because I
• 53:17
  believe in coaches more than they do themselves sometimes
• 53:21
  honestly. Yeah, it's a, it's a fun thing.
• 53:24
  I'd rather be the person typing someone up and like, hey, man.
• 53:26
  Bring your ego down. Those are the hard ones which
• 53:28
  you maybe have dealt with. Hey, I'm curious, you know, you
• 53:32
  can you said, I cut you off earlier when you said, I think
• 53:35
  every coach should start with young kids and I said, don't do
• 53:38
  that cause you'll drive, every you'll drive a majority of
• 53:40
  coaches out of the other profession.
• 53:43
  But do you think that again, you know, this perspective kind of
• 53:46
  question here, do you think starting with such a young age
• 53:50
  because you talked about, you know, you use the statement, you
• 53:52
  had to dumb it down and we know what you really mean.
• 53:54
  You know, you had to get to speak at their level, if you
• 53:56
  Because it what level, whether they're up here or down here,
• 53:59
  communication is more ineffective, that way.
• 54:02
  So, you have to speak to their level, you had to really speak
• 54:06
  to the level. You had to, maybe learn how to
• 54:08
  say some things. Like when your head you're
• 54:09
  thinking of this way, you're like, okay, they're not gonna
• 54:11
  understand that. So I got to figure out other
• 54:13
  ways. Do you think Looking Back Now?
• 54:15
  That that actually helped you become a better Coach, the years
• 54:19
  following, or was it just that just another stage in a coaching
• 54:23
  development for you? I think that definitely has Help
• 54:26
  me be a better Coach, because I've come to the realization
• 54:30
  that coaching is not Universal. Like, if I'm coaching you, what
• 54:35
  I say to you might not be received the same way as its
• 54:39
  next person. Yeah, like I can say, like 8, I
• 54:42
  can have a team of people, you know, 10 15 doesn't matter.
• 54:45
  I've coached as many as like, 30 people at a time like, yes, I
• 54:49
  can say something general, but as a coach, you got to know all
• 54:54
  of your athletes and what they The specifically to help them
• 54:59
  grow. So like, you know, find out how
• 55:01
  to balance that time of like, all right, I'm going to say this
• 55:04
  generally and then when I get a chance, I'm going to go to John
• 55:08
  over there and say it again so that he can specifically get it
• 55:13
  for him and things like that. And I feel like that's why in
• 55:19
  high school and in college my coaches, you know, encourage the
• 55:23
  fact that I was helping, you know.
• 55:26
  Other teammates. Because, like I said, I had no
• 55:29
  idea that this was something that was going to happen in the
• 55:31
  future. I didn't know that this was my
• 55:33
  destiny, but they saw that. And they kind of, let me work,
• 55:37
  and they just let me Blossom. So, at a young age, I recognize
• 55:42
  that, hey, like, they're not getting this, but I think I know
• 55:45
  a way that can help them and what coach just said, so I'm
• 55:50
  going to go help them. He's, so that's kind of how I
• 55:53
  use it. A lot of great things so far.
• 55:56
  Level a lot of time to go here, but that may be one of the
• 55:59
  smartest things I've heard in quite a while that you said
• 56:02
  coaching is not Universal. That's, that's a real, like, go
• 56:07
  back and hit the rewind button on that and hear him say that,
• 56:11
  you know, I hear coaches of all sports, not specifically track
• 56:15
  here. You know my way my way or the
• 56:17
  highway, I coached this way. If you can't figure out the way
• 56:21
  how to do it based on how I coach it?
• 56:22
  Well then I'm not the cook, you know, go somewhere else or it's
• 56:25
  your fault. All the best coaches
• 56:27
  specifically track coaches here. Now, that I've been around, and
• 56:31
  there's a lot of them. Like, I still think this is, the
• 56:33
  majority of coaches. They have found ways on how to
• 56:36
  communicate the same thing, different ways.
• 56:39
  So they have found it. Whether it's not just the
• 56:42
  verbiage that you use and cues, but whether they have one
• 56:46
  athlete needs to actually feel the the technique where they
• 56:49
  needed to see it on video, you know, or do they need to see
• 56:53
  someone else, a teammate demonstrated or I Need to say it
• 56:56
  in a different way, the best coaches have really, honestly
• 57:00
  dumbed down. All of track and field at the
• 57:02
  highest levels. One of the greatest coaches out
• 57:04
  there, boo schexnayder. He has, he he coaches at the
• 57:07
  highest level, the top five Cooks in the world and he
• 57:10
  teaches it like we're all nine year olds and I think that's one
• 57:13
  of the biggest compliments I can give them.
• 57:16
  I truly feel like I as a 46 year old.
• 57:19
  Never was a terrible, a fight, it's hard.
• 57:21
  It insults athletes for me to say that.
• 57:23
  I was a former athlete. That's how bad I was when boot
• 57:26
  talks about the triple jump. I honestly go, I think I could
• 57:29
  do it. I think I could be a pretty good
• 57:30
  triple jumper if I just listened to Booth the confidence in the
• 57:34
  way he teaches about. Yeah, I can do, I can do this.
• 57:37
  So let's keep moving along there.
• 57:38
  Anyway, that's super important coaching is not Universal.
• 57:41
  I that Bingo my friend bingo, I love that.
• 57:44
  So your Working for, I think you said was FCA track clubs at what
• 57:48
  was called? Yeah.
• 57:50
  Where do you go from there? So, my coach with SCA, for a
• 57:55
  couple of years and we were taking a lot of kids to Junior
• 58:00
  Olympics and things like that and, you know, it was in a
• 58:03
  small, it was in a small area, will small County.
• 58:06
  Most of these kids want to small schools.
• 58:08
  So it was a culture shock for them to be opened up into this
• 58:13
  huge World track and field. But also help them realize that
• 58:18
  they're bigger than this small schools like Haley.
• 58:22
  Yes, you're winning races out here.
• 58:23
  But like, let me show you the, let me send your mom.
• 58:26
  This link to like all of the 10 year olds in the country and
• 58:30
  like, this is how you stack up. I think that if you keep working
• 58:34
  we can be at Nationals in summer, and that's basically
• 58:37
  what's happened. So like, you know, for years
• 58:39
  upon in, we were sending a lot of these kids to Nationals but
• 58:45
  Then you know, I had a dream, a vision, whatever you want to
• 58:49
  call it, you know, a sign from God, that it was time for me to
• 58:53
  Branch out and do my own thing. And so that's when I started
• 58:59
  DeForest Elite. So are you because, you know,
• 59:02
  coming out of college coming through the senior year, you're
• 59:05
  still working on an internship for your, the graphic design and
• 59:10
  art so that you're not attractive.
• 59:12
  Like there's no, like, oh, I'm going to be a track coach to
• 59:15
  this. Did that time with that first
• 59:18
  track club? Did it?
• 59:19
  Is that where it's solidified would like do you remember like
• 59:22
  an aha moment you woke up one day and you're like oh this is
• 59:25
  it. I know I got this degree and
• 59:26
  everything but I'm actually a track coach.
• 59:30
  Was there ever an aha moment or two just kind of gradually and
• 59:32
  you started your own Track Club? That's a big deal.
• 59:35
  Yeah, so yeah. So there was an aha moment for
• 59:38
  me, but there was also like other more people reaching out.
• 59:42
  So the hit coach at the time for the FCA Track Club.
• 59:47
  He was also the superintendent for another school in the area
• 59:52
  and so he was like Hey like you know this summer was great.
• 59:55
  How would you like to coach full-time now it okay.
• 59:58
  Like coach what he was like, cross-country.
• 1:00:00
  So I was like, okay, so they brought me in a coach
• 1:00:03
  cross-country. Next thing you know, they say,
• 1:00:05
  hey like we're looking for, you know, a basketball coach for the
• 1:00:08
  kids. Like are you interested?
• 1:00:10
  They hired me off to there and then it was like, well obviously
• 1:00:13
  like we know what you can do for track.
• 1:00:15
  So I We'd love to have you for track as well.
• 1:00:18
  You need assistant varsity coach.
• 1:00:19
  I was like bang. Let's do it.
• 1:00:22
  And so it was just like one thing led to another and so side
• 1:00:29
  note, you know, like I told you like I want to be a designer and
• 1:00:31
  everything but like you know hadn't heard back from anybody.
• 1:00:35
  So like as far as like my day job I was working for a beer
• 1:00:39
  Distribution Company. So I was like well you know and
• 1:00:43
  you know I guess we'll put art on a back burner.
• 1:00:45
  Or like that'll come. And so I, you know, I need
• 1:00:47
  something to pay the bills, like, I'm graduated.
• 1:00:50
  Couldn't book? Put my big boy pants on so that
• 1:00:53
  was like, you know, my day job that paid good and then like,
• 1:00:55
  you know, second half of the day, you know, I'm coaching kids
• 1:00:59
  and so there was this summer of 2010 there.
• 1:01:05
  It's funny. You talk about beer distributor,
• 1:01:06
  my father-in-law just retired from against abortion in
• 1:01:09
  Chicago, thinking about graphic design because I love good
• 1:01:13
  design. I love design and there are
• 1:01:14
  certainly bad. And good design when you were
• 1:01:18
  working the beer distribution, because, like, you talked about
• 1:01:20
  turning in your portfolio to like, the shoe company.
• 1:01:24
  So, obviously, you're what they call you a sneakerhead, or
• 1:01:26
  whatever. Like, you have a passion for
• 1:01:28
  sneakers, and design a sneakers, which is amazing.
• 1:01:30
  I mean, what they do with shoes is quite quite amazing.
• 1:01:33
  Honestly, did you find yourself when you're working for the beer
• 1:01:36
  distributor? Because I'm thinking about my
• 1:01:38
  father-in-law had been to his place and you know beer cans and
• 1:01:42
  and logos are it's all Over there.
• 1:01:45
  It's crates. Awesome.
• 1:01:46
  And there's some amazing art did you when you were working there
• 1:01:49
  but also coaching in the middle of the day, did you find
• 1:01:53
  yourself daydreaming about how to create a new beer logo, or
• 1:01:58
  was it what the next workout? It needed to be both.
• 1:02:05
  Okay, so there's passion still in design here at this point.
• 1:02:07
  Yeah, because I've got the guy who's given up design and goes
• 1:02:11
  to coaching is only think about the workouts but the guy who's
• 1:02:13
  it's still like, you know, I'm a good designer, I Have passion
• 1:02:15
  for this is looking at beer Coke cans going through, you know
• 1:02:18
  what if they did this that you know what they read this van
• 1:02:20
  bubble bubble, you know, saying so you still did both.
• 1:02:23
  So I remember when I was interviewing for the job, I kind
• 1:02:29
  of, you know, they say like, any questions I was sick.
• 1:02:31
  So as you can see, on a resume, like I have no experience when
• 1:02:35
  it comes to beer but like somehow you guys are going to
• 1:02:37
  hire me anyway, but I'll say, hey, like, as far as my actual
• 1:02:41
  degree is concerned, like, you know, they are there going to be
• 1:02:45
  He positions opening up like in an office area for like design
• 1:02:49
  and so they say, yeah, like you know, will leave the door open,
• 1:02:52
  you know for that. So like you know, it was always
• 1:02:54
  on my mind but you know, that never happened and it's funny
• 1:03:00
  because, you know, I believe that everything happens for a
• 1:03:04
  reason, you know what's meant to be will be.
• 1:03:06
  And so when I look back on it now and like, how, you know,
• 1:03:10
  upset, I was because I was just so passionate about art and
• 1:03:13
  everything and Look at what I'm doing now.
• 1:03:17
  So I actually own a custom shoe business, so I started that
• 1:03:23
  during cold but you know, you know, obviously Jim's
• 1:03:27
  everything, shut down. So like I'm bored.
• 1:03:30
  I'm in the house. I have nothing to do.
• 1:03:32
  What do I do to pass the time? Let's go back to my roots.
• 1:03:36
  Let's start drawing and painting again.
• 1:03:37
  And so I'm just messing around, um, when she was actually have a
• 1:03:42
  shoe right here. Let's see it.
• 1:03:46
  That I've customized. So it's like jeans, like Freddy
• 1:03:51
  vs. Jason type thing.
• 1:03:53
  But yeah, that started in like 20 20 and next thing I know I
• 1:03:56
  have a business and I was, you know, pretty successful with
• 1:03:59
  that customizing shoes. Doing a lot of shoes for like
• 1:04:03
  different universities celebrity stuff like that.
• 1:04:06
  So like what I'm thinking about how I was so upset about, like,
• 1:04:10
  how I'm not getting called back from anybody Haley?
• 1:04:14
  I want to work for these companies.
• 1:04:15
  And now I have my own business and I work for myself making my
• 1:04:19
  own designs stuff like that. So like you know I was like, you
• 1:04:23
  know, when I look back on it like that was silly.
• 1:04:25
  But like obviously during that time when you don't know what
• 1:04:28
  what's going to happen, like I wasn't confident that something
• 1:04:30
  good will come from it. You know, you just never just
• 1:04:33
  like with coaching, like I never knew that I would be, where I
• 1:04:36
  was a today was coaching and it didn't take me long to realize
• 1:04:41
  that I was, you know, meant to be a coach because the second I
• 1:04:45
  I accepted you know to come on. After graduating high school to
• 1:04:48
  coach these kids for the summer. It was just like opportunity
• 1:04:52
  after opportunity success of success.
• 1:04:55
  And I remember one summer, we have kids at Junior Olympics,
• 1:05:01
  they were hosting at Drake University in Iowa and we're
• 1:05:06
  just in the middle of the weeks, you know, events and stuff like
• 1:05:09
  that. And I got a phone call from
• 1:05:11
  seeing Heights and said, hey like you know, we've been
• 1:05:14
  watching you for the last Couple years and like, what you're
• 1:05:16
  doing with these kids, it's absolutely amazing.
• 1:05:19
  Like, you know, you're awesome. We how would you like to coach
• 1:05:23
  at the next level? And is this your coach from when
• 1:05:26
  you were there? Yeah.
• 1:05:28
  And I was like holy cow and I didn't, I was just, I've always
• 1:05:32
  just been living in the moment. So there's no like big in game.
• 1:05:35
  I want to make sure I'm a Collegiate coach or whatever you
• 1:05:38
  know. So I was like, you know, how
• 1:05:39
  coach these kids as long as you know?
• 1:05:41
  I can't like I'm having fun doing this.
• 1:05:43
  I love it like that. These kids are amazing.
• 1:05:45
  And so you know, they offered me a job, then I was like what?
• 1:05:48
  Like I'm at Nationals right now so I can't really I don't need
• 1:05:53
  to focus on my kids right now. I was he put like know when I
• 1:05:55
  get back and in the state. Like I'll give you a call.
• 1:05:59
  And so basically I was hey like this is a good decision for my
• 1:06:03
  future and it was at that point when I was like, okay this is
• 1:06:06
  the blue point. I can actually see myself doing
• 1:06:09
  this on a much bigger scale doing, you know, stuff like
• 1:06:12
  that. So and that's why.
• 1:06:15
  I started DeForest Elite because I was like, I want to still be
• 1:06:18
  able to coach these kids, when I can.
• 1:06:20
  So they they that was kind of a part of the deal is you?
• 1:06:25
  Hey like we're going to bring you on but we're going to allow
• 1:06:27
  you to still, you know, coach these kids and do what you do
• 1:06:31
  because it also expect, you know if you're if we allow you to
• 1:06:34
  train kids here on campus and stuff like that.
• 1:06:37
  Then it also exposes these kids to like a college, you know,
• 1:06:40
  college environment, things like that and maybe motivate some of
• 1:06:44
  these kids. That may or may not want to
• 1:06:46
  compete at the next level stuff like that.
• 1:06:48
  So so what was it? Like you get to see in a high
• 1:06:51
  as, you know, I have a real special place in my heart for a
• 1:06:54
  Lumps who coach at their alma mater.
• 1:06:56
  You know, and I was thinking about like, when an Alum, who's
• 1:06:59
  coaching at their alma mater calls, a recruit to tell him how
• 1:07:01
  great their school is like they have like the ultimate trump
• 1:07:04
  card of like I went to school here.
• 1:07:05
  Like that's how great I think it is.
• 1:07:07
  You know, when you're recruiting for another school, it's like
• 1:07:09
  well, you know you didn't choose that schools.
• 1:07:11
  Why should I believe you people, you know, just always kind of a
• 1:07:13
  I'm sure no recruit has ever said that just I just When you
• 1:07:15
  know, it's like man you know you grew up because the college was
• 1:07:17
  a special time for me. I know how much it changed and
• 1:07:19
  affected my life still to this day.
• 1:07:21
  So I think of that for everybody and it's like, obviously, you
• 1:07:24
  know, seeing Heights had a big experience for you.
• 1:07:26
  So now you're back and you're coaching kids.
• 1:07:29
  That it's like you're looking a little minimis, you know?
• 1:07:30
  Like oh, man. I remember doing that in my
• 1:07:32
  sophomore year and oh, yeah, this dummy over here is a
• 1:07:34
  junior. I did that to, you know, what
• 1:07:35
  was that experience? Like actually coaching not only
• 1:07:38
  Collegiate athletes but coaching at your alma mater me there, you
• 1:07:42
  know, I would think you would have a Hard time.
• 1:07:45
  Not comparing athletes to yourself.
• 1:07:48
  You know, you get a hurdler and you're like, man, well, I ran
• 1:07:50
  such and such I don't you look like, you'd be way better than
• 1:07:53
  me but you're not or vice versa. What was that experience?
• 1:07:55
  Like CO2? Coming back to your alma mater.
• 1:07:58
  It was, it was surreal because it was interesting to see how
• 1:08:02
  things worked on the opposite side of it, you know.
• 1:08:05
  So, you know, they bring me in and now I got keys to the
• 1:08:08
  facilities and I got Authority and power.
• 1:08:11
  Oh man, like this is what the used to sneak onto the track.
• 1:08:14
  Now they give you the key. The track is what coaches
• 1:08:16
  offices looks like. All these are nice, you know,
• 1:08:19
  just you know, all types of core things, you do now.
• 1:08:22
  You know we're traveling to meet some sitting at the front of the
• 1:08:24
  bus with the coaches instead of packing with my friends and
• 1:08:27
  stuff like that. So like and it was it was
• 1:08:31
  different. It was an adjustment but like I
• 1:08:34
  had to be confident in myself because like going from you
• 1:08:39
  know, the Elementary and high school, high school kids to you
• 1:08:43
  know, these Collegiate athlete like once again like just like
• 1:08:47
  how you know, when I first talked to this you know kids who
• 1:08:50
  were running summer track, like you here for a reason like
• 1:08:53
  you're not just you know spending your parents money and
• 1:08:55
  come in here every day in the summer when you can be at the
• 1:08:58
  pool or something for no reason. So you know in college it's that
• 1:09:02
  times 100 like hey like you were recruited.
• 1:09:05
  You are not running college track.
• 1:09:07
  You don't play a sport in college just because I need
• 1:09:11
  something to do. Like you have a goal, you have a
• 1:09:13
  purpose, you want to be great. And so I had to have a
• 1:09:18
  confidence in myself. I was like, all right, so like I
• 1:09:20
  know I can make, you know, a ten-year-old better.
• 1:09:23
  I know I can make a high school kid better, but these kids are
• 1:09:26
  coming in really good. What can I do for them?
• 1:09:31
  To get them to that next level. And despite what I thought it
• 1:09:38
  was going to be, The concept of it is still simple.
• 1:09:42
  You believe in the athlete, you coach them.
• 1:09:45
  Well, and you just guide them through that, like, hey, show
• 1:09:49
  up, put in some work, but obviously, ultimately, you know,
• 1:09:53
  the higher you get and coaching like, you got to have the
• 1:09:56
  education for that. I'm a big believer in that.
• 1:10:00
  Um, so that's why I will tell me more about that because I'm a
• 1:10:04
  huge, proponent of coaching education.
• 1:10:05
  What coaching education have you done in when I say coaching
• 1:10:08
  education? Always like to?
• 1:10:09
  Kind of caveat that, you know, I believe it is as important, the
• 1:10:13
  official coaching education and The Unofficial.
• 1:10:16
  And what I mean by that is the u.s.
• 1:10:18
  CTF level-1 level-2 sust, FCA Altis.
• 1:10:21
  Those are the official, you know, the certificate programs.
• 1:10:23
  Things like that. Those are highly important.
• 1:10:25
  I went through what we didn't have.
• 1:10:27
  I'm so old wouldn't have you stfc a and Altis back then?
• 1:10:29
  But I went through all the office, I'm sorry through all
• 1:10:31
  the usatf. And it was a great big benefit
• 1:10:35
  for me, but also the unofficial coach in education, I think is
• 1:10:39
  can As inportant meaning mentors, that you call a, who do
• 1:10:42
  you, bounce ideas off? Who do you, who are you in the,
• 1:10:45
  you know, when you go to meets, who are you in the hotel lobby
• 1:10:47
  till 2 a.m. just talking shop? What we're was coaching
• 1:10:52
  education for you at this point. So one big thing that I was
• 1:10:57
  thankful for when Sienna did call me for the job opportunity.
• 1:11:04
  Unlike, you know, some of the lower-level like elementary and
• 1:11:06
  middle schools. Like a lot of times like when
• 1:11:08
  they need a coach Tail called a parent or an alumni like hey
• 1:11:12
  like you know do you have some free time like we need a track
• 1:11:14
  coach and there's nothing wrong with that because that you don't
• 1:11:17
  always have the resources to get someone with a resume and stuff
• 1:11:21
  like that. So, but yes, although in some
• 1:11:26
  sort I feel like they did hire me because I was an alumni.
• 1:11:30
  I also truly believed that I wasn't just hired because I was
• 1:11:34
  an alumni because, like, you know, it was what he said over
• 1:11:38
  the phone, okay? Like we've Watching you for the
• 1:11:40
  last couple of years, what you're doing, you know, blah
• 1:11:42
  blah blah. So like hey like we see that you
• 1:11:45
  are capable of handling this at the next level, you know?
• 1:11:48
  So like they let me know that like hey like you're qualified
• 1:11:52
  like we're not just calling you for no reason, but eventually I
• 1:11:59
  got my usatf level 1 certification and then I
• 1:12:03
  continue to get my usatf level to.
• 1:12:07
  What do you what do you level 2 in Spring Turtles?
• 1:12:09
  Or yep. Sprint's hurdles, but do you
• 1:12:11
  remember where and who your teachers were for level 1 level
• 1:12:15
  1? I can't remember his name, but
• 1:12:17
  if I was to see his face like he was at level two as well, but
• 1:12:21
  he's an amazing guy, I know he's based out of Ohio and then I
• 1:12:25
  actually ended up having him again for level 2.
• 1:12:28
  He was one of the teachers for level 2 and Sprint's jumps and
• 1:12:33
  then I am also often certified. Yeah, and I love everything
• 1:12:37
  about Altius. I hope to They do some more
• 1:12:40
  coaching apprenticeships with them out there at their training
• 1:12:42
  facility. Yeah, I also want to do emerging
• 1:12:48
  Elite which is at Chula Vista. Yeah.
• 1:12:50
  Coming up in June, I believe and then I am also have biomechanics
• 1:12:57
  applied, functional science and a movement analysis
• 1:13:00
  certifications. So just a bunch of just
• 1:13:03
  well-rounded things as well as being an event specialist.
• 1:13:07
  So, that's when I talk about, Coaching education.
• 1:13:10
  Like I want people to know their stuff so you know, a lot of
• 1:13:15
  times I give in slang terms, they say, you know, put people
• 1:13:20
  on game, a lot of parents thought, you know, text me and
• 1:13:24
  things like that. And he's like, hey like, you
• 1:13:26
  know, my son or daughter like struggling with this like, you
• 1:13:29
  know, here's a video from their last meat, like, you know, can
• 1:13:31
  take a look at this, you know, I watched the video maybe five ten
• 1:13:35
  times over and then within minutes, I'll be able to send
• 1:13:39
  them back. Hey you like have them do this
• 1:13:41
  next time we're like you know okay it with their coach now and
• 1:13:44
  see like it's you know I'm just another set of eyes so like you
• 1:13:49
  know I feel like I'm able to do that because of you know the
• 1:13:54
  coaching education that I have and I feel like misconception is
• 1:13:59
  that because I'm a younger coach you know I don't know what I'm
• 1:14:04
  talking about and I've had so many different experiences at
• 1:14:08
  meet. And things like that was like
• 1:14:10
  coaches who have been coaching longer than I've been alive and
• 1:14:14
  you know they do I know more than you know my okay well they
• 1:14:18
  have like this can't teach an old dog new tricks type
• 1:14:21
  mentality and I'm like well like things are changing like we
• 1:14:24
  don't have you know saying for track anymore you don't have to
• 1:14:28
  scoop of foot placement in like Jesse Owens is like everything
• 1:14:33
  is changing technology is changing, you know, High School
• 1:14:37
  boys are running 10 one now, you know.
• 1:14:39
  So like, you got to change with the times, you know, everything
• 1:14:42
  is just so different, so I'm always educating myself.
• 1:14:47
  I'm never afraid to hear from another coach.
• 1:14:52
  I hope that coaches aren't afraid to learn from a younger
• 1:14:56
  guy because I dunno, I dunno myself.
• 1:14:58
  I put in the time, I've taken all the tests, instead, hit the
• 1:15:01
  materials, and things like that. So, you know, and I just want to
• 1:15:05
  help. I wanted everyone to be good.
• 1:15:08
  And although, So my goal is to get eventually get back to
• 1:15:12
  coaching, you know, a team or something like that.
• 1:15:14
  I am enjoying coaching privately because I can go anywhere and
• 1:15:19
  everywhere. Both know sometimes I'll be
• 1:15:21
  training. You know, for myself, you know,
• 1:15:23
  I'll be at a track and like, I'll see, you know, a high
• 1:15:26
  school team or something like working at and I'll, you know,
• 1:15:28
  kind of see if I can find the coach as a head coach.
• 1:15:31
  Like, you know, introduce myself, my name is Ryan, Dukes
• 1:15:33
  shorts, feel love, you know who I am.
• 1:15:35
  And, you know, make sure he or she knows that, I'm qualified of
• 1:15:38
  the hell. I was watching some of your
• 1:15:40
  athletes, do this, would it be okay if I, you know, gave gave
• 1:15:44
  you or them? You know, couple pointers and I
• 1:15:46
  times, I was gonna say, hey, yeah.
• 1:15:48
  Like that sounds pretty good like, you know, you know, you
• 1:15:51
  know, what do you, what did you see?
• 1:15:53
  And, you know, there is usually a receptionist, you know, pretty
• 1:15:56
  good. And I don't always do that.
• 1:15:59
  You know, a lot of times I have to stop myself like, no, I
• 1:16:01
  don't. Don't be that guy, don't be that
• 1:16:02
  guy cuz we'll just well. But I want to know how someone's
• 1:16:05
  gonna take. I think how you're expressing
• 1:16:07
  that though, is very Appropriate because, you know, I think
• 1:16:11
  nothing might upset a coach more than one another coach probably
• 1:16:16
  meaning. Well by the way, no
• 1:16:17
  nefariousness here goes to an athlete and says hey you know,
• 1:16:21
  if you try this or bubble or you know, the worst cases.
• 1:16:24
  Well, hey, if I was coaching you, you could be X y&z.
• 1:16:29
  I think, you know, nothing infuriates.
• 1:16:31
  That's kind of the worst. When you can't, you know, you
• 1:16:33
  cause you're putting down the other Co like you're losing all.
• 1:16:35
  Yeah, you're just destroying the trust that athlete and coach.
• 1:16:39
  Has. But when when they go to the
• 1:16:42
  athlete straight without talking to the coach.
• 1:16:44
  Again, I think there's a lot of well be in there.
• 1:16:45
  But again, you know, there's proper channels.
• 1:16:47
  I love the way you're describing that of going to the coach
• 1:16:49
  first. Yeah.
• 1:16:51
  Like hey you know, I you know, I've done this.
• 1:16:54
  I have this experience, are you okay with, you know me?
• 1:16:58
  I just observed something. Are you okay with me?
• 1:17:00
  Just expressing that to you and because in the coach has the the
• 1:17:04
  ability to say, no as well, right?
• 1:17:05
  It's like, oh, you know, hey I appreciate that Ryan.
• 1:17:08
  I know all about. Shh.
• 1:17:09
  It's all yet seeing Heights you know awesome we're working on
• 1:17:12
  because you know we all have plans with our athletes.
• 1:17:14
  It's like hey I'm working on this with athlete.
• 1:17:16
  I don't want to talk about that. Just just now and you get to go.
• 1:17:19
  Awesome will man, you got a plan?
• 1:17:21
  Okay, great. I don't want to be, I don't want
• 1:17:22
  to put a wedge in there. That's awesome.
• 1:17:24
  I'm just here to help or they can say hey wow.
• 1:17:26
  Awesome, Ryan. Yeah, you know, I'd love to hear
• 1:17:29
  what you think and then we can put in a plan or not put into
• 1:17:32
  plants. I love how you're doing that.
• 1:17:33
  What I wonder is. And, you know, I put you on the
• 1:17:36
  spot here because, you know, lots of people are going to hear
• 1:17:38
  your Job wanna hear the real answer, not what you, what you
• 1:17:41
  think the answer should be. So you're working with an
• 1:17:44
  athlete and a coach comes up to you and says, hey Ryan.
• 1:17:48
  So I was an All-American at University of Florida, and the
• 1:17:51
  XYZ events. You know, I've coached at
• 1:17:54
  Georgia, Texas, Kansas, I noticed, with your athlete,
• 1:17:58
  they're doing blah, blah, blah, blah.
• 1:18:01
  Are you okay with me? Giving you some advice on, how
• 1:18:03
  to maybe fix that? What's your response, I'd say?
• 1:18:07
  Yeah. Because, you know, now is that
• 1:18:09
  The answer because, you know, that was what you're supposed to
• 1:18:11
  say or is that the real answer Ryan?
• 1:18:12
  That's the real answer. Because I mean like how many
• 1:18:16
  more times would, I might see this person.
• 1:18:19
  You know, it doesn't hurt to steal here when he or she has to
• 1:18:23
  say and like if you know they, you know, say what they say and
• 1:18:27
  like, deep down, like, I don't really agree with it or I might
• 1:18:30
  think it's wrong then, like, you know, you know, I'm not going to
• 1:18:33
  hate like, actually, like stop. Stop, stop.
• 1:18:36
  Don't know if there's no no value.
• 1:18:39
  Arguing right. Right.
• 1:18:40
  Yeah, but like, you know, I want them to still say it and I mean
• 1:18:44
  I've never had that happen. Like, I've pretty much degree
• 1:18:47
  when when someone has approached me and that's a matter because
• 1:18:51
  like I said, like, I want to continue learning like I'm going
• 1:18:54
  to do as much as I can, to learn as much as I can.
• 1:18:58
  So, if someone came to me and said, hey, like, basically, what
• 1:19:02
  I would do for them. I said, hey, like Yeah, by all
• 1:19:04
  means and because not only, I would hope for my athlete to
• 1:19:08
  listen. To them but like I'm also
• 1:19:10
  listening to. So it's like okay because like
• 1:19:13
  this is a fresh set of eyes like I'm saying the same thing every
• 1:19:16
  day right. Maybe what they're saying is
• 1:19:20
  slightly different than what? You know I'm not paying
• 1:19:22
  attention to. So now I'm watching this person
• 1:19:25
  and I'm learning as well because now if my athlete did pick on
• 1:19:29
  that I'm like okay like all right so like you see what they
• 1:19:31
  just said like let's let's work on that let's build on that and
• 1:19:35
  then you know I'll thank them. So how do you you And I think
• 1:19:40
  it's the minority it gets the most publicity but I think it's
• 1:19:42
  the minority of coaches that say you know hey I've been doing
• 1:19:46
  this for 30 years, youngster, I think 400-meter Runners.
• 1:19:51
  They should be doing a quarter mile repeats every day.
• 1:19:53
  We know there's at least one or two coaches out there that do
• 1:19:55
  that, by the way. And that's Ron, you'd agree.
• 1:19:57
  That's not the right way to do it, right?
• 1:19:59
  Okay, good. I guess we don't talk X's and
• 1:20:01
  O's, but so, will fucking big generality, right?
• 1:20:04
  But so how do you discern between the coach?
• 1:20:08
  Who says, I mean, Coaching for 30 years.
• 1:20:10
  You're doing, you're gonna meet Aurora Runners wrong, they
• 1:20:12
  should be doing quarter mile repeats.
• 1:20:14
  Versus another, coach who comes and says, hey, I've been
• 1:20:17
  coaching for 30 years at Florida, Kansas Texas, I've seen
• 1:20:20
  something That I think your athletes or maybe could be
• 1:20:25
  competitive from if you'd listened to me.
• 1:20:27
  How do you discern between? I'm not, thanks for taking, tell
• 1:20:30
  me your opinion. Have a great day versus.
• 1:20:33
  Hey, thanks for telling your opinion.
• 1:20:34
  I learned something today. Thank you.
• 1:20:37
  You just got to have an open mind and an open ear.
• 1:20:41
  Because like at the end of the day, you know, a coach, they're
• 1:20:44
  going to do what they want to do.
• 1:20:46
  But, you know, if you know, you're lucky enough to come
• 1:20:51
  across someone. And they, you know, have an open
• 1:20:56
  mind to what you want to bring to the table.
• 1:20:59
  Then I feel like that that makes it all the better because like
• 1:21:03
  like I said like it doesn't matter if you've been coaching
• 1:21:06
  for 30 40 years like you know there's always something new to
• 1:21:10
  be learned. And so for instance, when I went
• 1:21:13
  back to coach at Siena Heights coach power, he's been there
• 1:21:16
  he's coached kids and then he's coach.
• 1:21:19
  Those kids kid. He's coached, you know, he's
• 1:21:21
  been there for like 45 T plus years.
• 1:21:23
  So like, he has seen a lot. He's had and unimaginable amount
• 1:21:28
  of success coach Richards. He's the women's Coach same
• 1:21:33
  thing. He's been there for a while.
• 1:21:35
  So obviously, like, they know say, hey, like we coach this guy
• 1:21:39
  when he was in college, he was a great athlete, great leader,
• 1:21:41
  great mentor. He went on, he's only been in
• 1:21:44
  the coaching world for like maybe two three years and we
• 1:21:48
  think that he has what it takes to coach at this level.
• 1:21:52
  Oh, that they've been coaching for that amount of time.
• 1:21:58
  Then bringing me on stairs shows if they're willing to learn what
• 1:22:04
  I bring to the table because obviously they've seen what I've
• 1:22:07
  been doing. Like that was first thing.
• 1:22:08
  You said knows what you've been doing for the last few years
• 1:22:11
  with these kids. So they saw it like hey what he
• 1:22:15
  has to offer. Could be great for our program
• 1:22:19
  and so like you know we emerged well we incorporated some of
• 1:22:23
  that old school with the new school stuff because it's like
• 1:22:26
  yeah like if it's not Broke, let's not fix it.
• 1:22:29
  But if he's coming in and although it's not broke but he
• 1:22:34
  has a way to finagle it to make it even more efficient than
• 1:22:38
  like, let's work together to improve it.
• 1:22:40
  Yeah, yeah. So Ryan tell me more about
• 1:22:45
  today. The d-force elite because you
• 1:22:47
  know, much like Middle School coaches.
• 1:22:49
  I'm just I'm in awe. I it's it's one of the things
• 1:22:53
  that I just can't do it. I've tried it and they beat me.
• 1:22:56
  Those little kids is beat me. So tell us about the track club.
• 1:23:00
  What do you focus on? How do you mean, maybe there's
• 1:23:03
  someone out there right now? That wants to start their own
• 1:23:04
  track club, we talk us through how you even got kind of up and
• 1:23:08
  running to have a truck Club. So it's pretty much all ages
• 1:23:14
  from have a couple of college athletes that I coach on the
• 1:23:18
  side as well and then it's high school on down and I coach
• 1:23:25
  short, and long Sprint's, so one.
• 1:23:27
  One to four hundred. And then I also coach the 800,
• 1:23:31
  and the mile. I coached both horrible events
• 1:23:35
  long, and short, and then high jump, long, jump, and triple
• 1:23:38
  jump. So a vast range of events that
• 1:23:43
  kids come to me for. But I would say, you know, if
• 1:23:51
  someone is looking to start their own Track Club, just do
• 1:23:57
  what, you know, How to do, it's not complicated.
• 1:24:00
  You don't have to, you know, there's so many track clubs that
• 1:24:03
  have been around since I was a kid and they're still going
• 1:24:06
  today and they're huge successful and they got the
• 1:24:09
  jerseys and they're recognized, that New Balance Nationals out,
• 1:24:13
  you know. Like you don't have to be like
• 1:24:15
  that. I was pretty fortunate enough,
• 1:24:18
  couple years ago, to get some national recognition, one of my
• 1:24:22
  athletes he was at New Balance Nationals and he He was third in
• 1:24:28
  the 800 final but like in the prelims leading up to the final
• 1:24:33
  like he won his heat and so like the announcers, you know,
• 1:24:36
  they're used to seeing some of the same you know Track clubs
• 1:24:39
  and so they remember this kid from when he was with me on FCA
• 1:24:43
  so here's Brandon. Now running for d-force out of
• 1:24:47
  Michigan was like, that's cool. Yeah.
• 1:24:50
  Then he kind of like made a joke about, you know, May the force
• 1:24:53
  be with you stuff like that so that was pretty cool.
• 1:24:57
  But like you know, Just do what you know how to do.
• 1:24:59
  Like if you're you know you got to start somewhere.
• 1:25:02
  If you know you don't have the budget and you know you got a
• 1:25:05
  team and it's you know whatever you can do, just make it happen,
• 1:25:11
  you know, because it's not about the recognition and the name of
• 1:25:16
  the team, it's still about the kids.
• 1:25:18
  So even if I didn't have a name, even if we didn't have uniforms
• 1:25:21
  anything like that, like these kids are still the same kids,
• 1:25:24
  they're still going to run, still going to compete and stuff
• 1:25:26
  like that. So but as far as like starting
• 1:25:32
  try to get in contact with people who you know, has the
• 1:25:35
  same thing because you know the more people that you know, the
• 1:25:38
  better to, you know, help you through that process.
• 1:25:41
  So I was fortunate obviously like you know I was with a track
• 1:25:44
  club so when I started my own Track Club I kind of knew some
• 1:25:48
  of the systematics and stuff to do.
• 1:25:50
  You know I reached out to some people that I knew growing up
• 1:25:53
  that I ran a you for as well and say hey like I'm going to start
• 1:25:57
  my team. Like you know, where do I go?
• 1:25:59
  What are, you know, what do I do to get this up and running?
• 1:26:03
  And then I posted about it say hey like you know it's time for
• 1:26:07
  me to Branch out and do my own thing and I'm thankful for all
• 1:26:11
  the people that has helped me get to this point and you know,
• 1:26:14
  I'm not asking anyone to follow me.
• 1:26:16
  I'm not asking anyone to join, but you know, this is what I'm
• 1:26:20
  doing. And then just, you know, over
• 1:26:22
  the years, it just started to grow.
• 1:26:24
  So someone right now has a pencil in hand and they're
• 1:26:27
  listening to you. They want to start a track club
• 1:26:29
  and put me on the spot here, but what are the first three things?
• 1:26:32
  Someone should do? And it may be simple blocking
• 1:26:35
  and tackling of like, well, you better come up with a name first
• 1:26:37
  or it may be well, you better get on social to see if there's
• 1:26:40
  even interest in your in your area.
• 1:26:44
  What do you think of that? Maybe the top three things,
• 1:26:46
  because, Looking Back. Now, you maybe have made some
• 1:26:48
  mistakes, like maybe you did something to in the second spot.
• 1:26:50
  You're like, oh, I could have done that night.
• 1:26:51
  And you know what the tenth thing I did.
• 1:26:53
  I should have done that number three, what are kind of the top
• 1:26:55
  three things? Someone right now, there's no
• 1:26:57
  Club where they're at, they want to start one.
• 1:27:00
  What are the top three things that they need to start?
• 1:27:03
  One? Is you got to know the area that
• 1:27:06
  you're in. So reach out to these schools,
• 1:27:10
  whether it's middle school or high school, you know, a simple
• 1:27:14
  Facebook post. I mean, everybody, and their mom
• 1:27:17
  and their grandma is on Facebook like, use that to your
• 1:27:20
  advantage. So, you know, it could be the
• 1:27:23
  simple Bulls. Hey, like, are you interested
• 1:27:25
  in, you know, competing and in Indoor or summer track.
• 1:27:29
  Like, I'm starting sucking sex, like, simple as that number to
• 1:27:34
  resources. If you aren't already like a
• 1:27:39
  coach of like a school or something like that, you got to
• 1:27:42
  know where you can and cannot be, because a lot of schools
• 1:27:47
  might not like if you're not affiliated with them.
• 1:27:49
  So just know, you know where you want to be, but you know it's
• 1:27:54
  it's not complicated. You can find space in the park
• 1:27:58
  kids like being outside. So if you know you set up some
• 1:28:01
  cones on some flat grass, like kids are still going to show up,
• 1:28:05
  they're still going to put Some work in number three, don't
• 1:28:10
  overthink everything. It's, it's like I said, it's
• 1:28:14
  not, it's not complicated. You don't have to stress
• 1:28:16
  yourself out and get gray hair to make it happen.
• 1:28:21
  You know, the people that want to show up will show up.
• 1:28:25
  And that's the, I feel like that's the beauty of, you know,
• 1:28:30
  being a private coach or starting your own track plug
• 1:28:33
  because like, you're not just going to show up.
• 1:28:35
  Oh, Mikey. It needs something to do like
• 1:28:37
  they're going to want to work. So we're you got three kids that
• 1:28:41
  you're coaching, or you got 20 kids.
• 1:28:42
  They're all there for a reason and side note, I don't mention,
• 1:28:48
  I honestly the hardest thing about starting a track club,
• 1:28:51
  it's coming up with a name like it.
• 1:28:53
  I thought days maybe weeks like, what do I name this?
• 1:28:57
  I mean, like, I've been around a trap.
• 1:29:00
  All my life, you know, seen and heard all different types of
• 1:29:04
  names for these Track clubs. Some are like super cool.
• 1:29:08
  Some there's one track club. I remember it was called 16 ways
• 1:29:13
  and when I was a kid I was like like what type of name is that?
• 1:29:16
  And then I got older knows the options done.
• 1:29:18
  There's 16 events outdoor 16 ways to win like that.
• 1:29:23
  So creative says that's pretty good.
• 1:29:25
  Yeah. But like they're just so homey,
• 1:29:30
  so how'd you come up with d-force?
• 1:29:31
  I'm going to assume d stands for Dukes.
• 1:29:35
  A lot of people actually think it stands for Dukes but actually
• 1:29:39
  stands for dominate then I assume forces your shoe guy.
• 1:29:43
  So it's a play off of Air Force Ones and things like that.
• 1:29:47
  No, but that's good. I should just check that.
• 1:29:55
  I. So like growing up.
• 1:29:58
  And like I said, I've always had a really good work ethic and
• 1:30:03
  fortunate enough to I have a lot of success at every level that
• 1:30:06
  I've competed at, but I remember in high school, somebody said
• 1:30:11
  that I was a force to be reckoned with.
• 1:30:14
  And so, like, it was like, it doesn't matter what what event,
• 1:30:17
  it doesn't matter if he's behind or whatever like, like Dukes,
• 1:30:20
  he's coming for you, like, you should be afraid.
• 1:30:23
  And so like that stuck with me a while, obviously throughout my
• 1:30:28
  tractor, or not, every moment was great.
• 1:30:29
  I've had moments where I was like I'm not to be afeard by
• 1:30:33
  anybody, right? But you know that that
• 1:30:36
  particular thing that they said to me in high school stuff and
• 1:30:39
  so that's where GeForce came and then I tacked on Elite so
• 1:30:44
  DeForest Elite because I was like I want to coach Elite
• 1:30:47
  athletes and that's not saying that like, you know, you being
• 1:30:52
  better than someone else. It's me recognizing that the
• 1:30:56
  fact that what you're doing the work, you're putting in, and
• 1:30:59
  what we're trying to accomplish, That's What Makes You Elite.
• 1:31:03
  Hello there little bit. Right.
• 1:31:04
  So top three things to sort of track club from coach talks
• 1:31:07
  here, get the word out. Figure out your resources,
• 1:31:10
  whether it's where you're going to practice your track, your
• 1:31:12
  equipment, things like that, and three, don't overthink
• 1:31:15
  everything. I like that.
• 1:31:17
  That was really good as well. That's when most people probably
• 1:31:19
  wouldn't expect them to put into three, but I think that's a
• 1:31:21
  really good one and then you even gave us this a good.
• 1:31:23
  He is you give us an honorable mention mention coming up with
• 1:31:26
  the name. So I'm going to again, put you
• 1:31:27
  on the spot. So what is as you look back
• 1:31:30
  because how long have you had the track club now since E18.
• 1:31:35
  Yeah, so we're on five plus years here for the track club.
• 1:31:38
  What is you got to be real vulnerable here?
• 1:31:40
  What's the biggest mistake you made?
• 1:31:42
  So someone can learn from your mistakes.
• 1:31:44
  That's one of the greatest things you can do as a coach as
• 1:31:46
  a teacher is to help others. Not make the same mistakes you
• 1:31:49
  do. If you think about all the
• 1:31:50
  things you've done, what is something you're like, man.
• 1:31:52
  I either wish I'd have done it differently or sooner or later,
• 1:31:55
  or not at all. I tried to do too much too soon,
• 1:32:01
  so it was like, it was just me. There were no other coaches
• 1:32:06
  because one at the time, I didn't need other coaches
• 1:32:09
  because I had no one, you know, to start off with like a, like,
• 1:32:12
  starting to track club. And, you know, if you want me to
• 1:32:16
  coach you, that'd be great. But I was just trying to do
• 1:32:20
  everything. I'm like, hey, like we got to
• 1:32:22
  get meat set up like we got a venue, we got to get, we got to
• 1:32:26
  get some cool uniforms. Going on, we got to get some
• 1:32:29
  warm ups and like I was just trying to do all of that and
• 1:32:32
  these kids they didn't care about that.
• 1:32:34
  Didn't care about you before they came to me because they
• 1:32:36
  wanted me to be their coach. They weren't joining DeForest
• 1:32:39
  because they wanted a dope uniform or like free gear or
• 1:32:43
  whatever the case may be. So if I, you know, was like to
• 1:32:47
  restart something or like to go back and redo it, I would just,
• 1:32:50
  I would just take my time and just let things come as they
• 1:32:54
  came here. Controlled growth.
• 1:32:57
  Yes. What's the other word?
• 1:33:00
  Something else growth? You know being pretty well being
• 1:33:04
  that's relative of my tongue. Sorry, be a deliberate with your
• 1:33:09
  growth. Like you don't have to do you
• 1:33:10
  have to go from zero to 100 on the first day by the way?
• 1:33:12
  None of your athletes do. So why would you expect this to
• 1:33:15
  be club, right? That it may take 1 Season 2
• 1:33:18
  Season 3, season 10 seasons but have a deliberate plan and plan
• 1:33:22
  accordingly for your growth like that.
• 1:33:25
  Well, going to when it Comes to growth when you're good at what
• 1:33:30
  you do. Your work will speak for itself.
• 1:33:36
  So I haven't advertised for DeForest and years.
• 1:33:40
  I haven't made a post or anything but yet I still, you
• 1:33:43
  know, seasoning and season out parents or to hey like are you
• 1:33:47
  still accepting new kids? And that's because the word is
• 1:33:50
  getting around. And, you know, the area that you
• 1:33:53
  coach and kind of plays into your favor.
• 1:33:55
  So, you know, these kids go back to their school and they're at a
• 1:33:58
  meet and like, oh my God, I remember this kid from last
• 1:34:01
  year, like she's so much better. Like, you know, track just
• 1:34:04
  started. Like how is what has how does
• 1:34:08
  she get to this point? And then a, I do, like, well,
• 1:34:10
  she trains with Coach dukes and DeForest during the summer.
• 1:34:13
  Boom. Free advertisement.
• 1:34:15
  I love it. Yeah, your actions speak for
• 1:34:17
  your louder than your words. Absolutely.
• 1:34:19
  Yeah. Well Ryan to close us out today.
• 1:34:22
  You showed us one of your shoes. I want to know more about this
• 1:34:24
  custom shoe business here man. I-i'm one of I'm a wannabe.
• 1:34:29
  I'm a wannabe sneaker guy, right?
• 1:34:32
  First of all, I just Just my priorities.
• 1:34:34
  I will never put that much money into shoes, I just can't do it
• 1:34:37
  but I like it. I look at people like you know,
• 1:34:39
  Martin Johnson and some other guys Zine those guys and they
• 1:34:42
  show off their shoe collections. Like maybe they're all like,
• 1:34:46
  what's the cool I guess? Now I'm gonna sound so old here.
• 1:34:50
  Ryan, I guess for these limited drops for these.
• 1:34:53
  I don't know if it's specifically for Air Force but
• 1:34:55
  it certainly seems for Nike like, people are posting up on
• 1:34:57
  Twitter. Like, oh, I didn't get you.
• 1:34:59
  Like it shows. You like sorry you missed out or
• 1:35:01
  you, you win. I assume it's you.
• 1:35:03
  Opportunity to purchase that shoe.
• 1:35:05
  Like that's like, first of all, I'm kind of envious.
• 1:35:07
  I'm like, man, Nike has that much.
• 1:35:08
  Just do that. Like how do I do that here Gil?
• 1:35:10
  Right? You know, but I love that but
• 1:35:12
  tell me more about. I mean, shoes are a big deal for
• 1:35:16
  culture and a lot of different cultures tell me about.
• 1:35:19
  Where did it start for you and how did you get into like the
• 1:35:22
  custom design? Because I have a friend is a
• 1:35:24
  friend, my tattoo guy, I have a tattoo guy, he does becomes an
• 1:35:28
  artist so he does some shoes stuff too.
• 1:35:29
  And it's always like man those are really cool man like that.
• 1:35:32
  That's Choose that are cool and personalize them, I love that.
• 1:35:36
  So tell me more about that. So I've been into sneakers, you
• 1:35:41
  know, since I was younger since, you know, the Jordan days when
• 1:35:44
  obviously I wasn't born in 80s. I'm a I'm a tube 90s, baby born
• 1:35:48
  in 91, but I grew up so young during that Jordan are and
• 1:35:53
  everything. So I remember my first pair of
• 1:35:57
  Jordans and it was, you know, love at first sight busy.
• 1:36:01
  But I was a fan from then, but I Obviously like you know you're a
• 1:36:04
  kid like you can't collect sneakers like you know, my mom's
• 1:36:07
  not going to find me a bunch of chores and stuff like that.
• 1:36:10
  So you know as I get older and now you know, you're an adult
• 1:36:13
  and you know you can do what you want with your money.
• 1:36:17
  I remember you know getting my first pair of Jordans that like
• 1:36:20
  that I've ever bought and it was just like it was such a
• 1:36:23
  accomplishment was like yeah, it's a status for you.
• 1:36:26
  Absolutely. Yeah.
• 1:36:27
  Just like over time. Like I just You know, the
• 1:36:30
  collection just started to grow. So even like when I was in
• 1:36:35
  college, like, you know, and we had to do like art shows and
• 1:36:37
  everything like that, like there was no question what my show is
• 1:36:40
  going to be about, it was going to be about you.
• 1:36:42
  So, I did this whole historic piece about every Jordan shoe,
• 1:36:48
  and I like, Jus like a piece of each shoe in the description.
• 1:36:52
  Each shoe was like, when he wore the shoe, what he accomplished
• 1:36:55
  in issue, when it came out, it was just a whole big thing.
• 1:36:59
  So, like, I've I've been a lover of shoes like all my life now.
• 1:37:04
  A lot of people ask me, like, how many shoes do I have.
• 1:37:07
  Yeah, I was just saying, is it cool?
• 1:37:09
  It okay, to ask that like that and I want to know, like, what's
• 1:37:12
  your like your golden to, okay? I wonder how many shoes you
• 1:37:15
  have? If that's cool to ask to, I want
• 1:37:18
  to know, what is your your favorite one that you own?
• 1:37:21
  And then is there a Holy Grail out there like a shoe?
• 1:37:24
  You're like man I just did, you know they're twenty thousand
• 1:37:26
  dollars back. I can't afford these or they're
• 1:37:29
  just you know, there's only You ever made.
• 1:37:30
  And I, you know, I'm not one of those two.
• 1:37:32
  It's give me those three answers there.
• 1:37:35
  So I know for sure, it's in the triple digits, the you home, I
• 1:37:41
  can't give you an exact number because I don't know.
• 1:37:46
  So we should have you worn. You know.
• 1:37:48
  I know this answer is no. Have you worn?
• 1:37:50
  At least one time every pair not yet.
• 1:37:53
  Like, there's no way I do wear all of my shoes like I'm never.
• 1:37:58
  I'll never just buy a She wouldn't just sit there and
• 1:38:01
  looks pretty like I'm going to wear them.
• 1:38:03
  It's just when I've been, you know, like you know, like I'm a
• 1:38:08
  coach like, I'm not right. Which one is your favorite
• 1:38:14
  weather in? Tell me why is it?
• 1:38:16
  Because of the, the, the style, the color special story, you
• 1:38:20
  know, maybe Michael Jordan gave you a?
• 1:38:22
  That'd be pretty cool pair. What's your favorite one that
• 1:38:25
  you own? My favorite pair that I own is
• 1:38:28
  the the You know, Chicago, Jordan, Jordan one eye.
• 1:38:35
  I was lucky enough to get. We were you, you have the Jordan
• 1:38:38
  Ones? Yeah.
• 1:38:40
  Well, so that's a big deal. Yes.
• 1:38:42
  So they re they re dropped them in 2015?
• 1:38:45
  Gosh, I don't know. Have 85 care though.
• 1:38:47
  Got you. Okay, I'll just say I'm, yeah,
• 1:38:49
  well, you said 20,000 dollars those.
• 1:38:51
  That's what those are. That's what I was like, right?
• 1:38:53
  I'd like, you know, not being the shoe guy, I feel that would
• 1:38:56
  be a pretty highly sought-after. Yeah, it's still worth it,
• 1:38:59
  still. A lot what?
• 1:39:01
  When they re drop them in 2015, I was able to get a pair and
• 1:39:05
  it's my all-time favorite Jordan.
• 1:39:09
  I have just tons of like different colorways and things
• 1:39:14
  they like significant to like when he wore them, things like
• 1:39:17
  that. But like that's like my all-time
• 1:39:19
  favorite. Like if there was one that I can
• 1:39:20
  keep like forever, it be that one.
• 1:39:23
  And what's the Holy Grail? What's a shoes out there that?
• 1:39:26
  You know, it's like man I got no shot at getting this thing but
• 1:39:29
  If I won the lottery tomorrow, this might be my first purchase.
• 1:39:34
  See, I'm looking at my collection now and wondering,
• 1:39:37
  like, do I have something already like that, or Okay, so
• 1:39:44
  Yes, there is a Holy Grail, so it was.
• 1:39:49
  So before Kobe Bryant had his own shoe, he had a Jordan 8
• 1:39:56
  player exclusive shoe that was made for him in like the Lakers
• 1:40:00
  colors and there's only like a couple of pairs in a row like
• 1:40:04
  literally maybe at most periods in the whole world that were
• 1:40:09
  made and the people that have these shoes.
• 1:40:13
  They either by Bought them for the crazy price or like they
• 1:40:17
  were actually gifted to them from Kobe.
• 1:40:20
  That's like, holy grail like a shoe that.
• 1:40:23
  Yeah, we'll never be able to come across but yeah, definitely
• 1:40:27
  something that I would have always wanted to have.
• 1:40:31
  So how do you decide on the, on the artwork side for you?
• 1:40:33
  You like the shoe that you showed which was really cool.
• 1:40:37
  How do you decide which shoe you're going to do that, too?
• 1:40:40
  Because the shoe, you know, I've seen them apart.
• 1:40:45
  I've seen them do airbrush are things like that on like a pair
• 1:40:48
  of white canvas and say, oh they're just white shoes so you
• 1:40:51
  know, it's almost like it is a canvas, right?
• 1:40:53
  But yeah, it looks like you maybe we're taking shoes that
• 1:40:56
  already had a color way, I designed to it, and you're
• 1:40:58
  adding to that. How do you decide?
• 1:41:00
  Because you're, you're now taking away from that the
• 1:41:02
  original intent and adding your spark to it.
• 1:41:04
  Which, you know, there's that's like taking an already done
• 1:41:09
  painting and making it cooler, but it's like, well, now the
• 1:41:11
  original ones done and that was kind of cool to, you know, how
• 1:41:13
  do you decide on That so it's a mix between what each client
• 1:41:20
  wants as well as how much creative freedom that they give
• 1:41:25
  me. So, you know, it's a mix of what
• 1:41:28
  people do. So sometimes people say, hey I
• 1:41:30
  want a custom shoe and this is the thing that I want, like I
• 1:41:35
  like the Chicago Bears, he make me shoot for that and so the
• 1:41:40
  only guideline that they give me is I like the Chicago Bears And
• 1:41:44
  then the rest is up to me, then there are times where people say
• 1:41:48
  exactly what they want, like, hey, like I want some red laces
• 1:41:51
  and I want some blue and some red or whatever the case may be,
• 1:41:55
  and then I can make it exactly to what they want.
• 1:41:58
  And then sometimes people give me less than that and say, Hey,
• 1:42:02
  I want a custom shoe but like I don't really know what I want.
• 1:42:05
  I looked at your work. I love it.
• 1:42:07
  I like fuchsia purple and pink make me a shoe.
• 1:42:11
  I'm like Okay. All right.
• 1:42:16
  So but like, you know, I've done tons of tons of different types
• 1:42:20
  of shoes. I've done wedding shoes for
• 1:42:24
  people. I've done Best, Buy shoes, I've
• 1:42:27
  done, you know, roller skates. I've done those a lot of
• 1:42:32
  football cleats as well as I made these for Justin fields.
• 1:42:43
  He's now with Adidas so he can't wear these in a key.
• 1:42:55
  Yeah. Like it's, you know, sometimes
• 1:42:59
  it's tough coming up with a design and then sometimes I just
• 1:43:03
  come, I just start putting paint on a canvas and then, as I go
• 1:43:07
  my, okay, this will look nice. This look nice and then there
• 1:43:11
  have been times where I finished a shoe And didn't like it and
• 1:43:15
  then just went and painted over it.
• 1:43:17
  And it came up with something totally different, you know,
• 1:43:20
  it's such a unique canvas, you know, this shoe because not only
• 1:43:24
  the material that's used but the shape and size and, you know,
• 1:43:27
  some things because the way they lap in, you can't always get
• 1:43:32
  like a full design that you'd want on there.
• 1:43:33
  So you got to figure out how to do that.
• 1:43:35
  How do you do? Do you ever like do you paint on
• 1:43:38
  that on the outside or drawn outside?
• 1:43:40
  And then look at something like That go.
• 1:43:43
  Okay, I see how I would chop that up for a shoe or are you
• 1:43:46
  just do exclusively on shoes as far as all your ideas and
• 1:43:49
  creativity? So it's funny because when I was
• 1:43:53
  in college, I hate it, hate it rough drafts.
• 1:43:58
  I hate it thumbnails and it wasn't just with art.
• 1:44:01
  Like if I had an essay to write, I didn't want to do a rough
• 1:44:04
  draft. Like why do I have to bring you
• 1:44:07
  a rough draft Monday, and then you correct it?
• 1:44:09
  And then I bring it back Wednesday.
• 1:44:11
  And can you correct it? And then I Like shouldn't he be
• 1:44:14
  great after the first time? So I lost a lot of points on not
• 1:44:18
  having I never showed my work doing math class like oh yeah
• 1:44:27
  this was a train and then so been an art school, you know?
• 1:44:30
  They want to say hey like I want to see 20 thumb nail designs of
• 1:44:36
  what you could possibly be and I'm like or or give you one and
• 1:44:41
  then we just kind of build on that.
• 1:44:42
  So, once again, lost a lot of points for just not having
• 1:44:46
  thumbnails, you know, it's it works out for me now because I
• 1:44:51
  will not SketchUp and shoot some.
• 1:44:55
  If it is requested and someone said, hey like can you do a
• 1:44:58
  mock-up for me? Like I wanted to kind of see
• 1:45:00
  what this might look like. Then I'll do it but like 99% of
• 1:45:05
  the time people don't ask they say hey look, I want to be
• 1:45:07
  surprised like you do your thing.
• 1:45:09
  So I will take a blank shoe, no sketch.
• 1:45:12
  No blue player and I just start painting.
• 1:45:16
  Huh, what do you so I got 33. Less questions.
• 1:45:18
  We'll wrap up here today. Ryan deep, what do you prefer
• 1:45:21
  more? Do you prefer that client?
• 1:45:23
  Who comes to you? And says I like purple fuchsia
• 1:45:25
  in the bears go. So pretty specific, or do you
• 1:45:28
  like the person says hey. So I like the Bears have at it.
• 1:45:31
  Like what do you prefer more Direction?
• 1:45:34
  Less Direction. I guess it kind of depends on
• 1:45:39
  the situation. So like if they say hey I like
• 1:45:42
  the Bears. As then, like off the top of my
• 1:45:44
  head, I can say, all right, well, I'm going to do some
• 1:45:46
  research because like, yes, I know, the Chicago Bears logo
• 1:45:50
  looks like, but maybe I want to give this.
• 1:45:53
  You a retro look. So I'm going to look up what
• 1:45:55
  their retro logo looks like. Maybe I'll do a Skyline of
• 1:45:58
  Chicago in the windy city and stuff, like, so like, things
• 1:46:01
  like that, I can really play into the hands of that.
• 1:46:04
  Do you interview them? Like, if I came to us said, hey,
• 1:46:07
  some, a big fan of the Bears, create me a shoe, do you say,
• 1:46:10
  Okay, bet, I'll see you in a week or however long it takes.
• 1:46:12
  Or do you say? Oh, well to tell me, tell me
• 1:46:15
  more about why you like the Bears and you know, I tell you
• 1:46:17
  maybe I'll tell you what, maybe, I'm an eighty-year-old I tell
• 1:46:19
  you. Well, I can remember in 1941 of
• 1:46:21
  the first game because that would help me be direct like,
• 1:46:23
  oh, let me see what the logo was a 1940.
• 1:46:25
  Like maybe it's, you know, that could they do do any kind
• 1:46:28
  interviewing or is it? Like not on me and you you're
• 1:46:29
  going to trust me. You're going to trust me?
• 1:46:31
  Yeah, so like we yeah, I try to talk with each person about
• 1:46:35
  like, you know, and deaf on like what they want because then it
• 1:46:38
  gives me more of an idea. And it also helps me really make
• 1:46:42
  the best possible. Cebu shoot for them because a
• 1:46:44
  lot of times like people are just surprised at the small
• 1:46:47
  details that I put like, oh my God, like I wasn't even thinking
• 1:46:49
  about that. But like I love that because I
• 1:46:52
  remember this one time, I went to a game and substance are so
• 1:46:55
  things like that. Like for instance, right now,
• 1:46:58
  I'm doing a ton of shoes for Michigan State.
• 1:47:02
  I'm making shoes for male Tucker.
• 1:47:04
  He's head football coach at Michigan State, but there's
• 1:47:06
  someone else there a big basketball fan.
• 1:47:09
  And so, like I asked them about State.
• 1:47:11
  I said, hey, like, you know, Your big State fan, like, you
• 1:47:14
  know, they're one of the greatest programs of all time.
• 1:47:16
  Time is over, his Legend will be Hall of Famer as he.
• 1:47:19
  But like what about Michigan State?
• 1:47:21
  Like, will you always remember and they said, oh like when they
• 1:47:25
  won the 2004 Championship? And you know, the newspaper
• 1:47:28
  said, state of Glory. So I was like, okay I'm going to
• 1:47:31
  take that idea and run with it. So I have custom insoles and
• 1:47:35
  it's the newspaper printing from like you know when they won that
• 1:47:39
  dude. So it's stuff like that.
• 1:47:42
  You know, I really try to go all out with like that sweet.
• 1:47:47
  So when I ask people questions, they have no idea that it's for
• 1:47:50
  my new details like that. So I love it.
• 1:47:53
  I love it. Alright, let's to Let's two
• 1:47:55
  questions you do restoration as well.
• 1:47:57
  Or is this more true? Yeah.
• 1:47:58
  Okay, you know people say hey like were these shoes to my kids
• 1:48:03
  soccer game and they're pretty beat up now.
• 1:48:05
  Can you make them look as clean as possible?
• 1:48:08
  So they'll send me there, they call him beaters.
• 1:48:11
  The similar beaters, and Send back to them, you know, pretty
• 1:48:15
  cleaned up. Yeah, okay, that's cool.
• 1:48:17
  It's cool. All right, last question for
• 1:48:19
  here. Ryan, we ended a thank you again
• 1:48:20
  so much for your time today. Someone wants to get a hold of
• 1:48:23
  you, whether it's for the track club, whether it's for an
• 1:48:26
  opportunity, or maybe they want to talk shop about shoes and
• 1:48:30
  maybe even get a custom pair for you.
• 1:48:32
  Where can people what's the best route for people to get a hold
• 1:48:34
  of you, for coaching aspects? You can find me on Twitter at
• 1:48:40
  coach are Dukes. My email is the same coach, our
• 1:48:45
  Dukes at gmail.com. I have tons of other Pages.
• 1:48:50
  Like I have to Instagrams to Facebook's to Twitter.
• 1:48:54
  It's a lot to keep hope. Maybe I needed an assistant but
• 1:48:57
  if they, you know, for the sake of this podcast, if they reach
• 1:49:01
  out to me through coach our Dukes on Twitter or my email and
• 1:49:05
  they have other questions not pertaining to coaching, then I
• 1:49:08
  can just easily direct them to write my other outlets.
• 1:49:11
  You know why? That's it.
• 1:49:12
  Last question is one of those accounts set up just for your
• 1:49:15
  shoes. Yes.
• 1:49:17
  Which ones that I'd like people to see the designs and stuffy,
• 1:49:19
  nose count for my shoes on Instagram is inspired Creations
• 1:49:24
  LLC, all one word and Inspire like the full word note, no
• 1:49:31
  substance, Inspire Creations LLC.
• 1:49:34
  Yes, sir. That's all I G.
• 1:49:36
  All right, so check them out on Instagram, Inspire Creations,
• 1:49:39
  LLC because I just, you know, I think I'm in love with things
• 1:49:42
  that I know. Oh, I can't do.
• 1:49:43
  That's probably why I love track coaches and I love track that
• 1:49:46
  kid. Do it, but I love art, and I am
• 1:49:49
  still working on my stick figure.
• 1:49:51
  So, when I see cool and, you know, I grew up and, you know,
• 1:49:54
  hip-hop and things like that. So when I see Hip-Hop and and
• 1:49:56
  culture type stuff, like I'm just immediately attracted to
• 1:49:59
  it. So I'm going to go there as soon
• 1:50:01
  as I can today and check out Inspire creations and also
• 1:50:04
  because I love I just love art man.
• 1:50:06
  So when I hear, you know, you and being in shoes and that's
• 1:50:10
  its own culture and brand, I love that.
• 1:50:12
  But when you actually create shoes, you know, creating
• 1:50:15
  something original creation is always more important than
• 1:50:17
  critics. So I love seeing people and
• 1:50:20
  hearing their story about stepping out doing their thing.
• 1:50:23
  A people are going to come at you and say well that's awesome
• 1:50:25
  about. It's like yeah, whether you you
• 1:50:26
  go do it then. So I love creators man.
• 1:50:29
  So I just love love doing that. So go check them out on
• 1:50:31
  Instagram and Inspire Creations. LLC Ryan, my friend man, thank
• 1:50:35
  you so much. I am just so grateful, you know,
• 1:50:38
  you're obviously busy. You know, you're hobnobbing with
• 1:50:41
  the izzo's and Tuckers and Justin Fields May.
• 1:50:44
  I'm just so, you know, I'm in that same group.
• 1:50:46
  Now, I kind of feel like, you know, on par with them now, one
• 1:50:49
  of the same. Yeah, exactly.
• 1:50:51
  Right here. I am in my brain is still in
• 1:50:53
  place where one of the same man, but thanks again for your time,
• 1:50:56
  man. You know, it means a lot to me
• 1:50:58
  that you'd sit down with us for a couple hours and just an
• 1:50:59
  amazing amazing journey. I love the experience that you
• 1:51:03
  gained in high school and college.
• 1:51:05
  I love coach Powers, you know, again, I think that's super
• 1:51:08
  power of seeing something in others before they can see in
• 1:51:11
  themselves like that. Just its Brilliance with
• 1:51:14
  teachers do, that's what parents do this, what coaches do?
• 1:51:17
  So I love that example from him and that how you're doing that
• 1:51:19
  now with the athletes that you that you're in charge of today
• 1:51:24
  and even in your customers with your shoes, you know you're
• 1:51:27
  looking at that blank shoe or that Chute already has colorway
• 1:51:29
  on and you're like, oh yeah, you know what?
• 1:51:31
  You know what, I see that shoe, I see that shoe being a bear
• 1:51:33
  shoe, or I see it being a Michigan State shoe etcetera.
• 1:51:36
  That's, that's a, that's a skill, man.
• 1:51:38
  And I'm so so happy and proud that you got that skill from the
• 1:51:41
  people that built. It into you all the way back to
• 1:51:43
  your parents, man, your dad on the 19 hour drive, man.
• 1:51:46
  Shout, I love that. That's that takes creativity and
• 1:51:49
  boldness to do that and servitude.
• 1:51:51
  So I just love that the people that have poured into you and
• 1:51:54
  made you who you are today. And what's awesome is, is you
• 1:51:57
  mentioned it earlier? Being a young Coach man?
• 1:51:59
  You've got 10, 20, 30, 40 years ahead of you think you're going
• 1:52:03
  to be a better person tomorrow. You're going to be a better
• 1:52:04
  person five years, ten years, a different person.
• 1:52:07
  I just can't wait to, to watch and see that continued growth,
• 1:52:11
  man, cause I got no doubts. You're going to Tell you to do
• 1:52:13
  really, really amazing things and I don't think that what
• 1:52:16
  you're going to end up doing is going to be what?
• 1:52:18
  We maybe even talked about it all today.
• 1:52:19
  I have no idea. I just think that you know
• 1:52:21
  there's some great things right on the cusp for you man.
• 1:52:24
  You've got a great attitude, a great learning posture, and
• 1:52:28
  those are the kind of people that do better and you're going
• 1:52:32
  to continue to do better and bring people along with you as
• 1:52:34
  you do that. Thank you Ryan.
• 1:52:38
  Thanks again. Thank you guys for being here
• 1:52:39
  again. Another week man, I am just so
• 1:52:41
  pumped for the coaches. I Get here.
• 1:52:43
  I love. You know, I don't do a very good
• 1:52:45
  job of making sure I get each stratum right.
• 1:52:48
  So from middle school club, coaches all the way up to
• 1:52:51
  professional coaches. I do work really hard at that,
• 1:52:53
  but my, my, my stratosphere is mainly college, coaches.
• 1:52:58
  So that's why we probably see more college coaches on the
• 1:53:00
  podcast. But I want to, I'm gonna do a
• 1:53:02
  resolution, right. You do a January, 1 resolution?
• 1:53:04
  I'm going to do a in april-may resolution, I'm going to do
• 1:53:08
  better. I want to have more people like
• 1:53:10
  Ryan on the show that are In our young people and such positive
• 1:53:14
  manners because that's extremely extremely valuable to our
• 1:53:17
  society. So you keep joining us here on
• 1:53:19
  the podcast. I'll keep bringing in branching,
• 1:53:21
  out these great guests and will continue to learn from them and
• 1:53:23
  connect with them and just get better together because that's
• 1:53:27
  what it is. It's a network, it's a family
• 1:53:29
  together, using each other, to get better.
• 1:53:30
  So thanks for being here this week.
• 1:53:32
  Come back, next week, we'll do it all over again.
• 1:53:33
  Have a great one guys.