Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / #169: Marlon Brink-Wayne State (NE) College

Transcript

#169: Marlon Brink-Wayne State (NE) College · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

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Alright welcome back to the podcast here I'm so humbled to
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be your host, Mike kind of him national sales, sales manager or
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the smells manager, whichever one you want to call me here.
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For Gila FedEx and I am super excited.
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We just got done with an awesome pre-interview and that just
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means it's going to be. We're gonna have a lot of fun
0:57
today. I'm just going to predict that
0:59
right now. So help me welcome the head
1:01
coach of Wayne State College in beautiful, extremely long east
1:05
to west Nebraska Marlin. Bring Marlin.
1:08
How are you sir? I'm good.
1:10
Thanks for having me on Mike. I'm excited, man.
1:13
You know, you got if you're watching on YouTube you can see
1:15
his big ol smile because we just had some fun talking about
1:17
topics that I don't know. Did you think we were going to
1:20
talk about the difference between University and college
1:22
during our pre-interview? No, I didn't think that come up.
1:25
But got an interesting one to talk about.
1:28
If, you know, so let you in on the, the behind the scene.
1:31
So if you know, I need you to tweet me because I don't know,
1:34
the reason I guess I could look it up, but I'm going to use my
1:37
crowdsourcing here. Everybody who's listening.
1:40
We were talking about what is the difference between a
1:43
University versus college and how they came up as Marlon here
1:47
as the head coach of Wayne State College.
1:49
There is also a Wayne State University up in Detroit, right?
1:53
If I remember correct? Yep, they're in the trailer, you
1:56
know, they're green. These guys are more yellow.
1:58
It's very there needs to be like I hope you have a dual meet, you
2:01
need to have a dual meet Wayne Square, just call it that right?
2:05
But yeah, it's like what is the difference?
2:06
I don't understand the difference between Universe in
2:08
college, so if you know, let me know.
2:10
Because I want that to be put to rest and I can be smart, maybe
2:14
get a Jeopardy question, right? One day.
2:17
But here today, we're here to learn about Arlen, man.
2:20
I'm so excited and grateful that you'd be with us today, you
2:23
know, I really am. I know it's summer right now,
2:26
but it's days away from cross country.
2:29
In fact, maybe some teams have already had their cross-country
2:31
team starting to come in new freshmen are coming in.
2:35
You're probably still recruiting and maybe the next cycle of
2:38
recruiting come in. So for all of Of our guests and
2:41
today, Marlon you, you know, to spend, you know, there's a
2:43
couple of our commitment to be on the podcast.
2:46
I really am just so grateful, man, that you would agree to be
2:49
here and share your journey with us today.
2:52
Yeah. Like you said, it's an exciting
2:54
time of the year, you know, whenever you start a new school
2:56
year, you know, it's turning over a new calendar and new
3:00
group of athletes that you get a chance to work with, and you got
3:02
new goals, new hopes, and expectations for the season.
3:07
And so, we're really excited about that.
3:08
In fact, like you said, are Cross-country kids come in on
3:12
this Sunday and then we start practice on Monday as we're
3:15
excited about that. We actually start class on
3:18
Monday August 22nd. So it's just around the corner
3:21
here. Well, that's funny.
3:22
You know, in podcast time land, you're listening to this on
3:26
August 22nd. So he's actually today, is his
3:28
first day of school. Yeah.
3:31
You know, cross country is amazing to me, because, you
3:34
know, when they come in, if they haven't done the work over
3:37
summer, You know, I don't want to be overdramatic and say
3:41
season's over already, but with track it's like, you know, if
3:44
they didn't do some stuff for their summer, okay, I got fall,
3:46
you know, I got some time with a cross-country is so tough.
3:49
You got to be, you have to have done a ton of work before you
3:52
get to school and playing catch-up really doesn't exist in
3:56
Cross Country. Yeah, here.
3:58
Exactly. Right.
3:59
You know, that's one of the things I try to stress our
4:01
athletes is that, you know, what you do in the summertime is
4:03
really going to determine how well you're able to race in the
4:07
fall there and Like you said it's really hard to play
4:09
catch-up, you know, some of the kids that don't do what they're
4:14
supposed to do in the summertime, it shows pretty
4:15
quickly. I mean, you can figure out in
4:17
the first week who's been training over the summer and who
4:19
hasn't been and, you know, that's one of the things that
4:23
then is the coach you got to try to, you know, pick up the pieces
4:26
and make up for lost time and if somebody was the injured or just
4:29
didn't do what they're supposed to do over the summer and you
4:33
know so fortunately this year is a NCAA Fall Festival year.
4:37
So I've got two extra weeks so like the NCAA division.
4:41
Two championships aren't until December 3rd.
4:45
I believe it is. And so once every four years
4:47
division to does what they call, the spa, fall sports festival
4:51
and pushes everything back two weeks later in the whole cycle.
4:55
So we'll be competing right up until the first week in December
5:00
there. What?
5:01
We're getting a little ahead of ourselves, but I actually I like
5:03
this topic because I love to help people who don't know,
5:06
maybe things that Are going on in division, three and NAIA
5:10
division, two, and even division one to kind of peel back that
5:13
curtain you mentioned the the fall sports festival.
5:17
Now I'm a little familiar with I guess they would call it the
5:20
winter sports festival where they do the indoor track
5:24
championships wrestling and I think swimming correct.
5:29
Yeah, all in the yeah. So any diving that that's like
5:32
saying track without feel? Thanks for everything.
5:35
You just told me you saved me from every swimmer and diver
5:37
coming at me. And they, so they do all three
5:39
of those division, two championships in one city.
5:43
So I'm familiar with it because Birmingham has done that a
5:46
couple of times now, and so cross Flex, which I'm from
5:50
Alabama. So I consider that my home
5:51
track. So, you know, cross B is done
5:53
the track portion there obviously.
5:55
Oh no, they probably did the swimming as well, because they
5:56
have an editorial. Yes, right across from the
5:58
factory, right? Yeah.
5:59
And some where they would do wrestling and it's kind of a
6:02
cool idea. I don't think any other division
6:05
or level any IA, Juco does anything similar.
6:08
Because you're bringing in first of all, you have three national
6:11
championships in one town. That's that's quite amazed.
6:14
If you're a sports fan, I'm not sure it gets any better than
6:17
that. But then you have because it's
6:19
division. It's the same divisions in
6:21
division 2 here. So we have a lot of school.
6:23
So you maybe get to travel with your swim coach that you never
6:26
get to travel with and you're wrestling coach.
6:28
What is it in Fall? The do they do three
6:32
championships again with the time of the Fall Championship
6:36
thing? Well, yeah, I guess I'm I'm not
6:38
that familiar at the fog because you haven't been to the the fall
6:41
chips, but, you know, they do, I think it's volleyball field,
6:46
hockey some friend and then cross country, of course.
6:52
So actually field, hockey, might be spring, I might be wrong on
6:55
it, okay? For sure volleyball and soccer.
6:59
And then also cross country, that's pretty cool.
7:02
First off, I'm a volleyball, might be my second favorite.
7:05
Well, I can't like college football.
7:07
Is my number one. Track.
7:08
But I do, I really, really do love volleyball.
7:11
So again that opportunity to have those teams together and
7:15
it's soccer that that's the exact you think that's super
7:17
interesting. I think it's super awesome for
7:20
the host City because it brings even more like I have and I'm
7:24
not sure I stole this from some eyes, I'm sure I heard this
7:26
somewhere and I've now just adopted that, it's my idea, I
7:30
truly think there is a way to do and I'm a use Eugene whether you
7:34
know, don't send me hate tweets because you don't like
7:37
traveling. And all the stuff Marlon if you
7:39
hate Eugene, don't don't don't yell at me here but I think like
7:42
a facility like a Eugene in Austin and some other places, I
7:47
think there'd be a cool opportunity to do all three of
7:49
the n-c-double-a division outdoor championships at the in
7:53
the same town, same city. Right.
7:55
So now all the same time but you designate a call it a Saturday
7:59
through Monday S Division, 3 Tuesday, through Thursday.
8:03
I'm just making up dates and names here, right is division 2
8:06
and then the Thursday through Or whatever is division one you
8:10
bring so many more people into the town.
8:12
So as far as economic impact Rockets skyrockets division,
8:16
three folks get to stay maybe and see what division 2 and
8:19
division one's about in division.
8:20
One gets to come early and maybe see them.
8:22
I just think the cross pollination and almost like this
8:26
division to sports festival. You get a.
8:29
I mean, you talk about Track Town USA.
8:31
Yeah. Give me all three track
8:33
championships in one area man and I'll go to town, that's an
8:36
amazing event. Am I crazy?
8:39
I mean, did you think you just heard that for the first time?
8:41
Are you just like? Yeah.
8:42
You're nuts. That would never work.
8:43
Well, I would be interesting to try to figure out the logistics
8:46
of the scheduling with the different divisions and be a lot
8:50
of work for the workers. That's for sure.
8:51
Oh, yeah. You know, and even like the
8:53
lodging and stuff like that, you know, that might be a problem as
8:57
anything, it has to be. It has pretty huge City.
8:59
Yeah, Austin. But let's not let's not kid
9:02
ourselves Eugene, just hosted World Championships, right?
9:05
Yeah, you know, and you are going to spread it out, so I How
9:08
many D ones are going to come in?
9:09
At the same time the D3 using my D3 D2 to D1 and Angie how many
9:13
are actually going to come in on the Friday Saturday before but
9:17
you also have other tracks. Like if d3s panels are on Monday
9:21
and D2 starts on Tuesday, okay, well there's other tracks for
9:24
you to get your Monday warm-ups and things.
9:26
Yeah, yeah. And remember the track me
9:29
doesn't last all day. Most most do, but for
9:31
championships. We can we can condense that to
9:33
wear like a morning session for practice.
9:36
I haven't fully baked it out. I just think It's an amazing
9:38
idea. Yeah, you know that may be
9:41
something to bring up the Coaches convention.
9:44
Yeah, idea role in there. Let me tell you how many, how
9:47
much they pay attention to me at the coaching convention, my
9:51
they're like it go to your vendor booth, go sell your
9:53
batons as the, the u.s. TFC don't want anything to do
9:56
with me on that. Okay?
9:58
We are 10 minutes in Marlin and we have yet to talk about you.
10:01
I am so sorry. No problem.
10:04
But let's let's get into it man. So you know.
10:08
Some time in whether you were an athlete or were not but at some
10:13
point in your life and it may have been during your athletic
10:16
time period coaching changed for you.
10:19
It went from something that's done to you.
10:21
I have coaches that tell me what to do and I go to execute to an
10:25
idea of like oh wait a minute like I could be a coach like
10:28
this could be my job, where does coaching as an idea as a
10:32
profession start for you and that goes way back.
10:38
Give me, um, actually, I was born into a family, with my dad
10:44
being a coach, he was a cross country and track coach at the
10:46
high school level. And so, from the time I was
10:49
born, I was always around cross country and track.
10:52
He was High School cross country and track coach for 37 years.
10:56
And so, I just grew up around track and field.
10:59
I remember as a little kid getting out of school
11:01
occasionally to get to go to some of his track meets and, you
11:04
know, travel with him under the bus and you know, when he'd have
11:07
a whole meat Get to be at the whole needs and stuff like that.
11:09
So that was really my first exposure to track and field and
11:14
cross country. And you know, as I was getting
11:16
older into junior high years, I thought I want to be a football
11:19
player. Not a cross-country distance
11:21
Runner. I always kind of joke with him.
11:24
Now that I always thought that, you know, cross country is kind
11:27
of her with himself. That doesn't go very far
11:31
anymore, but you know, then once I got into it, really started to
11:36
enjoy it as a high school. Athlete.
11:38
I fell in love with it and then I went to college and competed
11:42
for four years at an Nei school. I'm a Lutheran college at the
11:45
time and had a really good coach there.
11:48
Jim McMahon who's unfortunately, since passed away.
11:52
But you know, he was a big influence on me and I didn't
11:55
really realize that the time then and I wanted to be a
11:57
college coach. I was a business, an accounting
12:00
major and kind of had that idea from the time when I got into
12:05
college, my dad always told me is like if you want to make any
12:07
money. Don't go into coaching and deep
12:09
but I heard dad smart Dad. Yeah, but I followed his advice
12:14
and but you know I got out then and started to work in the
12:20
business world as working. The FDIC is a bank examiner up
12:23
in Sioux Falls. South Dakota, did that for a
12:25
year and I'm just realizing, you know, I can't do this the rest
12:28
of my life and be happy. And so that was kind of playing
12:31
where I decided I had to do something different with my life
12:33
and I decided to go back to school.
12:35
I thought this would be a high school teacher and Coach, so I
12:37
Went back to South Dakota State University up in Brookings,
12:40
South Dakota, and decided that I'd get my coaching endorsement
12:44
certifications there, to go on and be a High School, cross
12:47
country, and track coach. And also teach I want to teach
12:50
like social studies, maybe business classes while since I
12:54
had a business background. And so while I was there, I also
12:58
had the opportunity to be a volunteer assistant at South
13:01
Dakota state with Scott Underwood, who is the head coach
13:04
of time there. And they had a very successful
13:06
program at SDSU The jackrabbits and that was when they're still
13:11
division, two before they made the jump up to division one, but
13:15
got a taste of it there and then through an assistant coach are
13:19
Tom Henderson. Who knew the guy was the head
13:21
coach at a new school or new program is getting started
13:25
Mount. Marty College.
13:26
It's time and Yankton South Dakota.
13:28
They just started up a program. They're looking for a cross
13:30
country and distance coach and Brent Erickson is a coach there
13:34
at the time. And so I went down the
13:36
interviewed and fortunately for me they're willing to hire me
13:41
and I also got to be the residence hall director in one
13:45
of the dorms there. So that's helped to make ends
13:49
meet which is a starting coach. You're always trying to go from
13:53
a volunteer assistant maybe up to lower, paid part-time
13:57
assistant or whatever the case may be, but is able to make the
14:00
ends meet there and then he accepted another position after
14:04
year and saw them. They asked me if I want to take
14:05
over as head coach of them already which I said yes, I
14:09
wasn't really sure. I was quite ready for it, but,
14:13
you know, it just worked out with the young program.
14:17
We had a small team. We didn't really have any
14:19
facilities, we didn't have an indoor track.
14:21
We didn't have an outdoor track to share with the local high
14:23
school. We were able to go to an indoor
14:26
track during the winter season over in Vermillion South Dakota,
14:30
which is 30 miles away at the University of South Dakota in
14:32
their gracious enough to let us practice or a couple days a
14:36
week, even though it's like 6:00 in the morning, And we were able
14:38
to get some workouts in and braila build up kind of a nice
14:43
little team there and have some success and just really, you
14:47
know, started to explore, you know, the whole processes of
14:51
becoming a head coach and what all it entails and start to
14:54
realize it. You know, there's a lot more to
14:55
it than just going to practice every day.
14:59
All the paperwork that goes with it, the recruiting and let's
15:03
pause there because I think that's an important topic that
15:06
and definitely we want to Or that because I think that is.
15:09
I love how you said when they offered you, the head coaching
15:12
position. You're like, yeah, I'm not sure
15:13
if I'm ready in the the fun exploration have there is how do
15:19
we get assistant, coaches ready, you know, and I know you don't
15:22
know the job until you get in the job.
15:23
But they're nithi could and needs to be you know maybe some
15:26
better development there but also what led you to still take
15:29
that plunge, you know? So but let's pause that for a
15:32
second because I'm interested when you're back at South Dakota
15:35
state, so you go and do this Bank FDIC job, which I mean,
15:41
there has to be, there are very important boring jobs out there
15:45
but thank God, people do them. This sounds like one of those
15:48
like, you know, I'm sure it was necessary, but that sounds, that
15:53
sounds a little painful. This big, what does FBI stand
15:56
for federally deposit? Insured?
15:58
Something I don't even know. Yeah.
16:00
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
16:01
Yeah. So, what did that even?
16:03
I mean, that sounds like we're just typing away today.
16:05
We're auditing the books of the bank's you You go down in the
16:08
basement and their conference rooms and sitting there going to
16:11
go over paperwork and just trying to make sure that, you
16:14
know, everything lined up the way it was supposed to.
16:16
And, you know, the information that they reporting to the FDIC
16:19
was correct and accurate. It was kind of interesting but
16:22
at the same time you got to travel a little bit, you know,
16:24
throughout the state of South Dakota and move it into
16:26
Southwest Minnesota, but it just wasn't something that I could
16:31
see myself doing and enjoy my life.
16:33
And you know, like you said, thank goodness.
16:36
There are people out there who are willing to to do those kinds
16:38
of jobs because you want to make sure that your money's weren't
16:42
supposed to be. That's right.
16:44
But at the same time it just wasn't me.
16:45
I mean, it wasn't fitting my personality and what I really
16:49
enjoy doing. I love the imagery you gave us
16:51
about growing up in your dad, 37 years.
16:54
As a coach I should have your dad on the podcast as yeah
16:57
amazing that's awesome. Shout out to your dad but I had
17:01
this imagery as you're telling that story of just like little
17:03
Marlon looking up to Dad and dads out there, maybe with his
17:06
whistle and his clipboard missed.
17:07
Watch. And you're just like, man,
17:09
that's me. Like, I want to be dad, you
17:11
know, like the, I just love that imagery there.
17:15
I don't know that that imagery continues on to someone who is a
17:19
bank FDIC job that, you know, the son sees their dad going and
17:24
working on ADD machines like man, I want to do that.
17:26
I want to pour over spreadsheets, you know.
17:29
So I just love that inventory of you just like watching day.
17:31
All right. I almost I'm gonna do that.
17:33
Oh, do what somehow you did. Okay, I'm going to do that.
17:34
Yeah, I love them. That's so that's pretty special.
17:37
Yeah, I really, really do love that.
17:39
So you had that grown-up. Obviously, that's a big
17:42
influence on you. Dad gives you gives you the
17:46
proper advice. I would say, I wish it wasn't
17:49
and what I mean by that is that statement of like hey if you
17:52
want to make money, don't go into coaching.
17:55
He's right back. The here's what's interesting.
17:57
He's he was right back then and he might be right today as a
18:02
coaching Advocate. I hate that.
18:04
I would love it to be like, oh man.
18:06
Yeah you want to be rich? You go be a track coach and then
18:09
it's so hard to get into because there's so many people that are
18:12
trying to do it. Like if you want to be rich and
18:14
be a singer like you could be right like you know, singer did
18:17
a lot of really good ones, you know.
18:19
So but it's hard to get to that level because so many people
18:22
behind it, right? Like I want an American Idol for
18:25
track coaches. I want to be that kind of
18:27
competition, right? But I wish it wasn't that way
18:31
but there were still so you went on your like, okay, it because
18:33
money is important. We sometimes want to separate
18:36
that from track coach and be like yeah.
18:37
I do it for the passion. I do it for the kids and that's
18:40
important. But you can do that and make a
18:43
proper living to help support your family.
18:45
Your friends yourself your retirement one day.
18:49
Yeah, let's not get it twisted again.
18:50
Go back and listen to music Slater's podcast episode here on
18:54
the, on the show to hear about what he talks about.
18:57
Like, hey, you know, we don't pay coaches enough.
18:59
So you have got to make the money when you can or you'll be
19:03
paying for it when it's retirement day.
19:05
So you go out and you try to do the the money job.
19:08
There's no passion there, which I don't know that anybody can
19:10
blame you on that. And you go to South Dakota
19:12
state, that was a g. A type of position you're doing,
19:16
I strictly a volunteer assistant.
19:17
So, you know, I had I was stocking shelves at heavy and
19:21
doing telemarketing work, which actually, I found out later in
19:24
life. I was kind of a good thing with
19:26
recruiting. Get told no a lot of times when
19:28
you're a telemarketer just like recruiting and so, yeah, you
19:33
know, I was doing it strictly for free.
19:36
So, you know, it opportunity. It opens some doors and made
19:38
some connections which as anybody in the coaching
19:41
profession knows. It's not necessarily what you
19:43
know it's kind of who you know and making those connections.
19:46
Yes. So that was the job.
19:48
You said that? We're twice connections.
19:50
There's a reason why the podcast is called connections.
19:53
That's exactly right. Yeah, yeah, exactly.
19:57
Feeling that, that curtain away. Get kind of getting my mind of
20:00
why we named it. Buttocks connections podcast.
20:03
That's right. So but even there at South
20:05
Dakota State, you're going to back and you're getting your
20:07
teachings Getting coaching certificate, you still had.
20:11
I'm gonna call it an out from coaching, like coaching still.
20:14
Now you're actually doing it. You're, you know, you're kind of
20:17
putting some things into play that you saw.
20:18
Dad. Do you've got your mentors?
20:20
Your now mentors at South Dakota State, you know, you're learning
20:23
from them. You still had a okay.
20:26
Yeah, I'm going to go I'm going to become a teacher.
20:29
I mean that's, you know, you can be a teacher without being a
20:31
coach. I'm gonna go back into business
20:33
and a different way. I'm not going to go to a dungeon
20:35
and pour over bank statements. It's, but you stuck with it.
20:39
Do you remember? Was there a, an athlete?
20:43
A workout, an event? Something was there a, the
20:47
spark? That was like, oh, oh, yes, that
20:50
this is the right way for me. This is, this is who I am.
20:56
That's a good question, you know.
20:58
I don't know that there was any one particular athlete that made
21:03
me think that but I just knew what I was there in Brookings at
21:07
South Dakota state that it just seemed right to be doing the
21:11
coaching. You know, I was given a little
21:12
bit responsibility. I mean I was the lowest one on
21:14
the totem pole there and, you know, but I got to do a lot of
21:18
things. You know, I actually work with
21:20
assistant coach was in the Sprints and hurdles and jumps.
21:24
And learn a lot about that because there's a distance
21:27
runner in college myself. I didn't really necessarily pay
21:29
that much attention to, some of the other events.
21:32
And so I realized me and I've got a lot to learn if I want to
21:35
be a college coach. And so that was a great
21:37
experience for me to get a chance to go to all those
21:39
practices and kind of see you know, how they were running
21:43
their practices and doing things and and we had some good
21:47
athletes. You know, there were going to
21:48
Nationals and being all Americans and things like that.
21:50
So I think that kind of caught my Interest a little bit when I
21:55
could see you know, how things are being done.
21:57
And like I said there's a lot more to it than just, you know,
22:01
showing up to the meats. You know.
22:03
It's all the practice and time that goes into which obviously I
22:05
was aware of from being a high school and college athlete but
22:10
at the college level, when you're the coach, then there's
22:14
even more of that that goes into all the planning and
22:16
preparation, hosting meets, things like that, making travel
22:22
plans and and all that. And I just I I like the variety.
22:24
I think of it rather than just one job the whole day.
22:30
You had different things went on throughout the day, they're
22:32
always kind of changing always had to be able to deal with
22:34
those and you still do. That's one of things.
22:37
I still tell people. I enjoy about this job.
22:41
That's a great point. You know, sometimes on the
22:45
outside when we're thinking about getting the coaching, like
22:47
maybe one where an athlete and certainly, not every coach comes
22:51
from a strictly athletic background, there's plenty of
22:54
Using coaches who didn't do our sport, we think of because, and
22:58
I think it comes from, because we come from it from the athlete
23:01
side for like, oh I go to the track, I get on the long jump
23:05
Runway or I put my miles in on the cross-country course or
23:09
through our, you know, our routes through the town and
23:11
things like that. But reality is sometimes, that
23:15
might be this much, you know, if of a smell part of, it may be
23:19
the most important part as far as athletic performance.
23:22
But as an assistant coach in Definitely as a head coach you
23:26
mentioned, I me rattled off maybe six or seven things and I
23:28
bet you we could add six or seven more.
23:30
You didn't add, you didn't have the curtain in their recruiting.
23:32
You didn't have a lot of my in there.
23:34
You didn't have a fundraising in there.
23:35
There's three more right budget but yeah, yeah exactly you
23:40
probably pretty good at that part, I think.
23:42
Yeah so you go you do South Dakota State, your volunteer
23:49
coach, your he'd say you're getting your feet wet but you
23:51
know you now you're coaching coaching and Or helping other
23:55
the full-time assistance and head coach.
23:57
And then you go to mount Marty College.
23:59
Love that. You had to be the residence hall
24:01
director. I wish you didn't have to be the
24:03
residence hall director, but you did that, to make ends meet and
24:07
to make this thing happen. And then you get the opportunity
24:09
to be a head coach. As you were transitioning to
24:12
that head coach position. So now you've been an assistant
24:15
for a while. You kind of, you know, you're
24:17
still green. But you're not straight rookie,
24:19
right? Your soft or maybe, Junior, you
24:21
know. Yeah, yeah.
24:23
Best right. I gots this for years of
24:24
experience, I didn't still not sure what they saw that, they
24:28
thought that I was ready to do it.
24:30
But yeah, what what surprised you the most transition into
24:36
head coach? I would say kind of the things
24:41
that I was mentioning before you all the behind-the-scenes stuff
24:45
you know getting ready for traveling you know work with a
24:50
different event groups because we were very limited we didn't
24:52
really have I have one Part-time assistant coaches in.
24:55
So I was kind of puts a little bit of everything because that
24:59
part-time assistant was even able to be there all the time.
25:01
And, you know, so like I said, I really didn't have that much
25:06
experience with the other event groups.
25:08
And so is this one of those things where it's kind of like,
25:11
you know, we're going to get through this.
25:12
We're going to learn together a little bit, sometimes working
25:14
with the athlete. I remember one athlete in
25:16
particular, Julie, Hendrix. She was a All-American for me in
25:20
the heptathlon, but she been there for a year before I got
25:23
there. And I knew the Vince well and so
25:26
we just kind of collaborated together, you know, if something
25:28
wasn't working, you know, we talk through things and she's
25:31
like, you know maybe this is what you need to be doing and
25:34
I'm like, well, you know, that sounds like a good good plan.
25:36
And so, you know, folk kind of figure out and the best way to
25:40
approach your her workouts and stuff like that.
25:43
I was learning at the same time that I was trying to coach her
25:46
and probably not the best thing that you know, in hindsight, for
25:51
her experience, a have to deal with Coaches kind of a rookie
25:55
but at the same time, you know, that's what it was and we're
25:59
going to make the best of it and we did well with despite that
26:03
and, you know, some of the other kids that I had then to we kind
26:06
of did kind of a similar process where it's like, we can talk
26:09
through some of this stuff. And, you know, every athlete
26:12
kind of has their, their favorite workouts and stuff like
26:15
that. And part of it is, is, you know,
26:16
getting an athlete to buy into what you're having them do.
26:20
And if they don't buy into it, it might be the best work.
26:24
Out in the world. But it may not be the most
26:26
successful for them. And so when we started to do
26:29
some of the work out, you know, I kind of started to realize,
26:32
you know, they can buy into it, I'm going to have more success
26:35
with them and if I'm just giving them something that I found in a
26:38
book or on a website or something like that, you know,
26:41
maybe some other coaches using, but had different circumstances.
26:44
Like I said, we didn't really have any real facilities.
26:47
So, you know, facilities was always kind of an issue for us
26:51
dealing with the lack of facilities and trying to, you
26:53
know, Make do with the best of what we could kind of Cobble
26:57
together and that was always kind of an interesting challenge
27:00
in and of itself. You mentioned something that got
27:03
my wheels turning their when, you know, one of the goals of
27:07
the podcast is to bring value to others.
27:11
You know, you've coached for I told Marlon I apologize, I don't
27:15
do research before, which is a good and a bad thing, I guess.
27:20
How many years have you coach now Marlin?
27:22
Well, this will be starting my 31st year.
27:24
I did two years at South Dakota State and six about Marty and
27:26
and I've just finished my 22nd year here at Wayne State.
27:29
So I will be starting my 31st year total, first of all, Bravo
27:31
that you've been a 22 years for one place.
27:33
I think that says a lot, not only about the profession, but
27:37
of the person. So, you know, you've been
27:40
coaching for 31 years. There are dare, I say, hundreds
27:45
of people, listening, that will listen to this episode that
27:48
aren't 31 years old and I don't mean that as a shot.
27:52
Meaning like right there, green. We talked about the freshman
27:55
sophomore rookie, their green, right?
27:56
You mentioned because when you said you had a pretty good
28:00
hipped athlete, you know what's going to National?
28:02
I think maybe even said she was All-American.
28:04
Like yeah, that's striking because, you know, multi
28:08
combined events coaching super hard.
28:10
I mean it's it's hard to coach 100-meter Sprinter.
28:13
It is a it is hard to coach a 5000 meter Runner, you name the
28:18
event, that's hard. It's like, we can we sometimes
28:20
forget what hard is, you know, winning is hard.
28:23
Coaching someone to be much, much better is hard a multi
28:28
yours adding complexity because while there are some
28:31
similarities between events, right?
28:32
You have the 100 hurdles in the 200.
28:33
Sure there's a lot of similarities there and you had
28:35
the long jump, some similarities but the 200 is different than
28:38
the hunter hurdle in the to body shot.
28:40
Put and Javelin love Above, All right?
28:42
But you mentioned that you guys because you didn't, I'm going to
28:47
overstate this here. Marlon you didn't know anything
28:49
are courts. There don't get, don't get mad
28:51
at me. I'm not you know he knows where
28:52
I'm at on this. That you worked with her believe
28:55
you said her name was Julie. Yeah, Julie, Hendrix, youmu you
28:59
work with Julie like, hey, so what felt right what?
29:01
You know, maybe, maybe you probably asked her, like, what
29:03
did you do in high school that worked or what did you do?
29:04
Last year you mentioned, she'd been there.
29:06
You were four and then you guys continue to build the
29:09
relationship of Coach to athlete and your own coaching and we're
29:12
going to talk about, you know, your efforts into coaching
29:15
education, how you got better there as well but there's this I
29:19
don't know if I'd call it a term or thought process, but there's
29:23
this The thing I don't know what to call it, it's not a theory
29:27
about unconscious and conscious incompetence and competence and
29:33
in what it means is, when you first start something, whether
29:36
it's a job or a passion, you are unconsciously incompetent.
29:41
You don't know what you don't know, right?
29:43
And as you're talking about that that working with Julie, that's
29:46
where I felt like, oh yeah, he didn't know.
29:48
What do you know? He just kind of getting into it.
29:49
He probably they're probably events in the head that you're
29:51
like, I've never thought about doing the shop but I don't know.
29:54
Idea what we dude can you just take it farther?
29:56
I don't know as you continue to learn and gain experience you
30:01
quickly move into consciously incompetent like oh okay, I
30:06
know, I don't know enough about the shot put And then you get to
30:10
make a decision. By the way, I get to, I'm going
30:12
to learn or I'm just a dumb, I don't know.
30:14
I'm not shopping that moves into consciously competent.
30:19
So you gain experience coaching a helped athlete.
30:21
You go to coaching education, Etc.
30:24
And then real Mastery becomes, when you become unconsciously
30:27
competent, you don't have to think about a lot of things.
30:30
It's stuff that you've done the experience kind of takes over.
30:33
Its, you know, some people might call it the Flow State, you
30:36
know, we talked about that with the athletes there.
30:38
Is that with coaching Well, write the danger and a lot of
30:42
things comes in when you're consciously competent because
30:45
now you know why? I'm pretty good.
30:48
I got know a lot of things and so you lose a lot of those
30:52
things that made you that moved. You from unconsciously
30:55
incompetent to consciously incompetent, meaning you lose
30:57
curiosity, you lose learning. You know what kind I'm smart.
31:02
I'm I know that I know things, you know.
31:05
And then when you get to unconsciously competent you
31:09
Realize, oh, like I still need to do investigation and
31:12
curiosity and learning. So it just really struck me.
31:15
It's a real big made its philosophy that.
31:18
That, that those four stages, I was talked about.
31:20
We actually talked a lot about that here on the sales.
31:24
Professional side of like, you know, when we get guys and gals
31:27
on here that become our sales reps.
31:29
You know, they come in typically not typically everyone I'm comes
31:33
for some kind of track background coaching background
31:35
of track and but they don't know the equipment sauce like, you
31:38
know, like we You know, you got to be here to kind of know that
31:40
side of it, but then you know fairly quickly.
31:42
They learn, you know, they go out and watch that our guys make
31:44
hurdles and pits and you become pretty like, I can consciously
31:49
say, I know more about hurdle designed than you do Marla.
31:52
And you probably do a lot. You've been around for a long
31:54
time, right? But I, as I've have become and
31:57
as we become unconsciously competent, we can get real quick
32:00
to win. You a customer calls in and
32:04
says, hey, I'm looking at hurdles and we just start.
32:06
Well, let me tell, you know, I'm the smartest guy in the room
32:08
here. Martin.
32:09
Let me tell you all about hurdles and you're like, yeah I
32:11
just I just wanted to know if it went to 42.
32:14
Like I don't care about all that other stuff.
32:16
So you have to be real intention of like, hey, I need to shut up.
32:23
I know, I know a lot, but I don't know what Marlon needs to
32:26
know and wants to do, right? So it just struck me there as
32:29
the coaching side of that. Like, you know, you were very
32:31
like, oh, I have no idea. So, let me talk, let me know
32:34
some coaches in the competent. Conscious might have been like
32:39
Julie, I'm going to tell you. I know this was your favorite
32:41
workout that don't happen in my program.
32:44
Yeah. Hey I know you think you need
32:46
more shot. Put work.
32:47
It. Guess what?
32:48
No. We're going to do all sprinting
32:49
because it's this event. This event, this event etcetera,
32:52
the really good like Mastery type coaches.
32:55
This is what struck me about it. They coach as if they don't know
32:59
anything, that's a huge overstatement, but they asked
33:02
the athlete, they'll talk the athlete.
33:03
They have their way of coaching. They've been doing it for a long
33:05
time and I've coached all Americans and maybe Olympians
33:07
and what have you under Approved, kids, but they're
33:10
always like, hey, so what you do in high school, what worked for
33:13
you? What didn't, what didn't work?
33:15
What do you like? What do you not like?
33:17
Yeah, you know, it just it just really struck me when you said
33:19
that about how you you you IMA call it attacked the coaching of
33:23
Julie of like, man, I don't know anything.
33:25
So hey, what worked for you? What's I know some stuff so
33:27
let's make sure, you know, it's the right things to do that.
33:30
That's amazing. Huh.
33:31
Have you ever as you look back now after 30 plus years of
33:35
coaching to that beginning time and think like, oh, And like I
33:40
can't believe I used to do that but in a good way like me, I
33:42
need to get back to that I'm more.
33:44
Maybe I'm too strict now or something the ever reflect back
33:48
on the beginning years. Yeah, you know, a little bit,
33:52
you know, there's some things that I look back on now and I
33:55
kind of realized, you know, I really didn't make a lot of
33:57
sense as far as I was doing at that point but that was kind of
34:01
where I was at with my like you said the learning curve and
34:05
sometimes you don't know what you don't know, like you said
34:07
and that's kind of where I was at.
34:09
So, when I look back on some of the workouts and maybe I did in
34:11
the past and like, yeah, you know, I would probably do things
34:14
a little different now than it previously.
34:16
But, you know, I always feel like you should be learning, you
34:19
know, as a coach and like you said, you know, I always have
34:22
that Curiosity. I still teach track and field
34:24
Theory class here at Wayne State and I always enjoy it.
34:28
You know. It does it kind of makes me go
34:29
back and go through, we go through all the different events
34:31
in the class and these are for students that want to eventually
34:36
become teachers and coaches. And so we're trying to give them
34:40
a general overview of everything.
34:41
We talk about training Theory, you know, the event itself.
34:45
And, you know, I still find myself curious and interested,
34:48
you know, there's a lot of stuff out there now and YouTube.
34:51
And on the internet that wasn't available, you know, 30 years
34:53
ago and I started teaching the class.
34:55
And so, you know, there's new ways to teach things and just to
34:59
terminology that you can communicate to the the students
35:03
there. And you'll hopefully, when they
35:06
go through that class, that they can kind of pick up some things.
35:09
That you know, if they become a coach they can kind of use and
35:11
their toolbox to work with and work with the athletes and that
35:15
way you know hopefully they can have some success as well as a
35:18
coach down the road there. So you know I think as a coach
35:21
you always kind of need to have that Curiosity and that
35:24
willingness to learn. I've always thought that, you
35:27
know, once you get to the point where you feel like, you know,
35:28
it all it's maybe time to retire it's because you don't know it
35:33
all. By the way, you can write never
35:35
gets that point. We really know it all, because
35:37
there's always new things that are, you know, Years ago,
35:40
training was a little bit different than what it is now,
35:42
you know, and whatever event group you can pick.
35:45
And so you know, I just think that you always have to try to
35:49
be evolving as a coach and making yourself better and you
35:52
like you're talking about the coaching education schools.
35:54
We were talking about that in the pre-interview.
35:57
You know I went down to the USA track and field level two
36:00
schools that I first started out and had Boo as one of the
36:06
mentors that was there and also Dan path and some of the other,
36:09
you know, great coaches, that people are still talking about
36:12
to this day and I was really fortunate that, you know, I got,
36:16
you know, attend the week-long school, listen to them every
36:19
day, you know, talking about their theories and their
36:21
philosophies on things and you don't really realize at the
36:25
time, maybe how much that's kind of shaping you as a coach and
36:29
you get that in the back of your mind and you can pull from that
36:32
then in the future and you know, I think the coaching education
36:36
is a great thing and you know, would really recommend Going to
36:39
anybody. That's the only especially young
36:41
coaches are getting started out, you know, what better way than
36:44
to, you know, pick the brains of some of the best coaches and the
36:48
more he can pick up, you know, it everybody says you know,
36:52
you're always kind of borrowing or stealing ideas from other
36:55
good coaches and you know, if you can pick up one or two
36:57
things that a convention or a seminar that you go to, that's
37:01
going to definitely help the program and then help thinking
37:05
input that into being able to help your athletes.
37:07
And so, When I go to coaches conventions, now, that's what I
37:11
am always kind of thinking, say, like what's one, or two things I
37:13
can do to make this kind of help make our program will get better
37:17
and, you know, at its core coaching, track and field and in
37:22
almost every job. By the way, I don't know about
37:24
the basement Bank thing, maybe that's an exception here but at
37:28
its core you know coaching track and field is a people
37:31
profession. So I truly believe that.
37:34
Even if you do get two sums in state where you know it all
37:37
let's say let's say we just stop learning.
37:39
On how to coach track and field and so whatever is the quote
37:41
unquote. The best way to coach whatever
37:43
event is it right? You're still going to have
37:45
different people coming into your, your program, you're going
37:48
to have different body types, different training, ages,
37:51
different motivations, you're going to have to coach those
37:54
people different and one form or fashion.
37:57
So there, it's always going to evolve exactly.
38:01
Now Marlon, I'm fascinated with coaching education, a lot
38:04
because I saw how it affected my coaching career.
38:08
Wait, You know, I've been here 16 years, I'm catching up to
38:12
you, you've been there 21, I'm catching up at 16 but I, you
38:16
know, I know what coaching education did for me, and when I
38:19
say for me, my athletes, how much way better they got after I
38:22
did, my level 2 would Boo schexnayder as well man.
38:26
We're in a big group but still a very select group Marlon you
38:30
know us blue guys. But you know when you did that
38:35
level too and it's intense, right?
38:37
Especially your first one, the week long.
38:39
They don't necessarily do the same way now.
38:40
But, you know, it's a week-long, studying all the training
38:44
Theory, and biomechanics, and especially, if you didn't come
38:46
from that undergrad background can be a little bit of a
38:49
struggle, and then you get into your event group and, you know,
38:53
who the teachers are, you know, like, oh man.
38:55
Boo and Dan. Like, there's a little
38:57
intimidation of like, yeah, I think I should warm up this way
39:00
for my, you know, but I'm still have after level to happens and
39:08
you know, and it's just yeah. Tidal wave of information,
39:11
right? So you need some decompression,
39:12
and then you need to put it in practice.
39:14
You still have a decision to make up, okay?
39:18
I've been doing this thing X, but I learned that I really need
39:24
to maybe be doing more of it. Why.
39:28
And sometimes ego that ego, I remember we've talked about here
39:32
on the show. Ego is not bad.
39:34
Bad ego is bad, bad. Ego can tell you, yeah.
39:39
But that doesn't work here. I've had success doing it 2x
39:43
way. So I'm going to ignore the why
39:45
away. What was it, how did you battle
39:49
that? They're, you know, sometimes
39:50
those thoughts come in even when we're not going to do them.
39:53
But, you know, we talk to ourselves.
39:54
Sometimes we talk to ourselves worse than we would ever talk to
39:56
anybody in our own head, for crying out loud.
40:00
What, how did you overcome any kind of like?
40:02
Yeah, but it, but at that Marty College, it ain't going to work
40:06
because of whatever you know, add to a hundred excuses in
40:09
Right. How did you overcome?
40:10
And actually start adapting your coaching philosophy and style
40:14
after doing, you know that level too.
40:18
You know, I would say it was just kind of a melding process,
40:23
you know, kind of, like I said, with the, like I said, there's a
40:27
hundred different excuses. He come up with why you would or
40:30
wouldn't do it. But one of the big ones that we
40:32
really struggled with was facilities, we didn't really
40:35
have an indoor track. We didn't have an indoor track
40:37
and the outdoor track. We had were sharing with high
40:40
school and stuff but you know, it is trying to make things work
40:44
with what we had and then trying to figure out, you know, This is
40:49
what you should be doing here philosophy as far as like volume
40:51
and intensity and try and incorporate that into it.
40:55
And those are some things that I knew a little bit about from my
40:58
previous experience at South Dakota state, but hadn't really
41:01
had a chance to incorporate into my own practice planning.
41:05
And so, you know, once you get a chance to kind of write your own
41:08
workouts, it becomes a lot more personal to you.
41:12
I think and it just is a lot more meaningful.
41:15
I mean because, you know, the athletes in and what their
41:18
Tendencies are as far as like their work ethic their injury
41:21
history. They're just their overall
41:25
attitude, you know, and towards training and everything.
41:28
And so I think you use those things with what you've gathered
41:33
through your coaches education and, you know, try to meld that
41:36
all together to make the best program that you can.
41:39
It's going to be successful, I guess.
41:40
And before, you know it, you can have the best program, but if
41:44
the athlete is a buying into it, then you're gonna I think
41:48
struggle a little bit with, having the fullest amount of
41:51
success that you could. And so there is some things
41:54
that, you know, sometimes I think maybe I cut a few Corners
41:58
to be honest, to get athletes to buy into it but once they start
42:01
to buy into it, then a little bit easier to pull in a few more
42:05
things, I'd learned through the coaches, education program and
42:09
start to having them, do some of those things, you know, and just
42:13
instead of throwing everything out of my once pulling a little
42:16
bit at a time and just gradually Make those changes and that way,
42:20
you know, you can get to where you really know that you should
42:24
be doing or the right way to be doing things, that's the art of
42:28
coaching right? You know, first of all I'm not
42:31
sure it's ever correct that I'd love to maybe.
42:34
I should have asked to do this and then Dan is on our list,
42:36
what? He will be on this podcast one
42:38
day. I'm not sure.
42:39
Ever doing a wholesale change is correct, unless you were just
42:44
doing absolute tear like like Marlon, you're like, you know,
42:47
I'm a My hundred meters runners run 100 miles per week.
42:51
Who said that's not right. Maybe I should make a wholesale
42:54
change, but you, you probably maybe had the same experience I
42:57
did. When I did my little to Abu,
43:00
they were a lot of things that buta, that was like, oh sweet.
43:04
I do that. Like, I believe, in this sweet,
43:07
right. And then there are things like,
43:08
oh, I'm getting them in the wrong order.
43:10
Your, maybe I'm doing speed and dirt and we don't talk X's and
43:12
O's. I'm being, I'm treading lightly
43:14
here. I don't want to get into that.
43:16
There's some other amazing podcast and versus out there
43:18
like coaches, a DI St of CCA and usatf and Altis and some others.
43:24
But then there were some things like booze like.
43:26
Oh yeah. But in, I also found this
43:27
successful for our jumpers and is like oh I don't do that at
43:30
all. I see why he's doing that.
43:32
I should maybe start incorporating that so I think
43:34
you know that the way you described that it was the right
43:37
way now and the Art of it is your facility is may be way
43:42
different. Your training age of your
43:43
athletes may be different. You may be getting kids that you
43:45
know to use the boo an LSU Kind of analogy.
43:48
They may be getting a ton of Javelin throwers.
43:51
Maybe 90% of the javelin throwers.
43:52
They get have high school experience because they're in
43:54
Louisiana, okay? And you're in Nebraska, wait, do
43:58
we have Jeff one in Nebraska? No, It Dont.
44:00
Good goodness, look at this analogy, considers the work that
44:03
and you're in Nebraska and you're getting gellin.
44:04
Throws. You're like, yeah, I'm making
44:06
Javelin throwers. But yeah, they don't even know
44:08
what this toothpick is. So I can't be doing necessarily
44:12
the same things right off the bat.
44:13
I think, I think you explained. It gave the example of the art,
44:17
really Really well, there. I think you nailed that.
44:20
Yeah, I've seen this with coaches, even through coaching
44:23
education and to do unless, you know what, I consider the right
44:26
coach and education me to do on it and implementing things like
44:29
that. I've seen them struggle when
44:32
they siloed themselves, meaning they go to the coach and
44:35
education which is a 9s, non Silo thing, right?
44:37
Them maybe talking to the other students and hopefully listening
44:40
and talking to the the teacher, but then they get back home and
44:44
they just go for us for the next four or five years and, you
44:47
know, Or not, they're not still talking to peers and asking
44:51
questions, were there. Any, as you did level 2, and
44:55
maybe that for me, it was like the big light bulb.
44:57
I had no light bulb and then have light bulb.
44:59
It was amazing for me. But so you have these new ideas
45:02
and you know you're implementing the art side of it because of
45:06
facilities and you're a particular stance there.
45:09
Did you were there any people that you reached out to to
45:12
continue the conversations from coaching education?
45:18
Yeah. You know, some of the ones that
45:21
I kind of think of, you know, one of the first ones that I
45:24
think I reached out to was my old college coach, Jim at me and
45:28
at Midland Lutheran College in Midland University.
45:31
Now he was the one that had reached out to Scott Roberts is
45:35
a friend of mine that I drank with him College.
45:39
He was my Scott Roberts Alabama, Lindenwood.
45:43
Yeah. Yes, yes.
45:45
Yes. Guy of Scott Roberts.
45:48
Come on, you, did you say you ran out?
45:51
It's still together. We graduated the same year
45:52
together. Oh, man, I knew I liked you.
45:56
I've known Scott for her ever, man, that's awesome.
45:59
Okay. Sorry, it's like how many Scott
46:01
course you keep saying Jim McMahon, you know, your coach.
46:03
And I'm like, okay. I know it's not the Bears guy,
46:05
right? So when you said Scott Roberts,
46:08
I'm like that's a kind of a common name, maybe there's
46:09
others. That's awesome man.
46:10
Love it. Yeah, keep going.
46:12
Sorry, I didn't mean to throw. Yeah, you know.
46:13
He was coaching Iowa State, its time there.
46:16
He was one that, you know, he was a Spreader hurdler guy.
46:18
And that was what I did when I went to the level two schools,
46:21
as I went for Sprints and hurdles and then relays.
46:28
And that was the first year. The second year I went for
46:29
jumps, we was and so I knew that as a distance Runner, I had a
46:35
lot to learn in other events so to me it seemed better to try to
46:39
learn and the other vent groups through the coaches, education
46:43
schools and kind of used what I had for my prior knowledge, with
46:46
my distance running. Instant coach the cross country
46:49
and the distance distance Runners.
46:52
And then I was able to have I said before a part-time
46:54
assistant he worked with me with the throwers and so I kind of
46:58
just turn the throwers over to him and let him work with this,
47:01
the throwers. But yeah you know Scott was
47:06
another one you know Scott Underwood at South Dakota State
47:10
he was a guy that, you know, I'd learned from the two years I was
47:14
there but his continued to be a resource and Mentor.
47:19
So yeah. And I think, you know, you're
47:21
always talking to other coaches, when your meats and stuff like
47:23
that. That's kind of the neat things
47:24
about track and field. As you got some downtime in
47:27
between events and so you can talk to other coaches and kind
47:30
of pick brains and stuff like that.
47:32
And I still try to go to as many seminars and coaching education
47:38
schools as I can, you know, when time allows for it.
47:41
So still trying to learn all the time you know and find new ways.
47:46
It's little bit easier now. Internet, you know, back in the
47:49
90s, there was no internet really to go to and listen to
47:53
podcasts and pick up information on websites and stuff like that.
47:58
I mean it was just so new. But now there's a lot more
48:01
information than, you know, at everybody's fingers tips and
48:04
it's just a matter of whether you take the time to sit down
48:07
and dig into that, you know, some of its great.
48:09
So it's not so great but that's one of the things as a coach you
48:13
can have to go through and figure out, you know, what
48:17
really makes sense. He's here.
48:18
And what's the logical versus not.
48:20
So, so practical. I mentioned those 31 year old
48:23
and younger coaches that are listening right now.
48:26
I mean Marlin, they have no idea how easy that I have it.
48:29
Not only for the ease of availability of resources.
48:33
As you mentioned, you know, I could literally I could probably
48:36
go on YouTube right now and find a clinic topic or presentation
48:40
from boob right now? Like I'm fairly cool.
48:42
Yeah I could probably find the right back then like You predate
48:48
me a little bit on coaching the oldest.
48:51
I can remember. As far as like, you know,
48:53
coaching resources, besides you sat effect back then I think
48:58
it's all we really had was usatf level one level, two level three
49:01
wasn't even really baked that. Well, yeah, for my experience
49:05
but the only only only other two resources.
49:07
I can remember are the speed Dynamics VCR tape speed,
49:11
Dynamics 1 and 2 to the K and Lauren I think it was Lawrence.
49:15
Again, learn C gravy which I wore those.
49:17
Doubt though. I mean those those somehow need
49:19
to make a comeback. By the way, they were amazing
49:23
and into was the VHS tape that you could get from usatf where
49:27
they would show you the ID by the hunter hurdle tape and it
49:31
would show you the hunter hurdle all the prelims and finals from
49:35
that year the Year, befores. USA national stage show it to
49:37
you from the front in the slow-mo that show to you from
49:40
the side and a slow mode the other side behind.
49:43
And so you got to just watch back and forth and watch
49:45
different techniques and things like that.
49:46
No, talking. By the way.
49:47
One actually saying hey look at you know, so-and-so in Lane
49:50
five. No it was just quiet video and a
49:53
bunch of different angles. I mean people would cringe right
49:57
now. That was all they could find
49:59
coach. Oh yeah.
50:00
So not only do you have all those resources, you mentioned,
50:03
you amazing coaching education and you have people like Kaiba
50:05
and crisp are no and other guys that are doing their own.
50:08
So say me Dad's doing amazing solo presentations to resume and
50:13
stuff like that. But now you have access to
50:17
Coaches easier. Use that to your you. 31 in
50:22
younger, you're going to, you're going to.
50:23
This is going to blow your mind. You used to have to pick up a
50:25
phone to call Boost. EXT, first of all, you to find
50:29
that phone number that in itself, would you don't need in
50:32
this Google his phone number. You had to find that these guys
50:36
can call the phone book but you didn't have it for Baton Rouge
50:39
and have to call someone now. And I was the email made things
50:42
easier, but now also I could DM a coach and get an answer within
50:48
Minutes typically in not only can I, can I do that for a coach
50:51
anywhere in the u.s., if I'm in Seattle, I can DM a coach in
50:54
Miami, New York, Etc. I can DM a coach in Japan and
50:58
Australia, I mean, yeah, flatten the world man.
51:01
There really is no excuse to not be trying to work better at your
51:05
craft me. What?
51:06
Excuse do you have right now? There is a there is none, right?
51:09
No, not okay. Let's put a pin in that Marland.
51:12
I think that I think coaching education might come back up
51:14
again but let's put a pin in that because you talked about
51:17
Moving from assistant cook to head coach, there Mount Marty
51:20
college. And we just explored, you know,
51:23
for the past 20 minutes, we talked about all these amazing
51:25
coaching education how to get better at coaching, but we also
51:29
said that that's this part of your job.
51:33
There is all the other stuff, budgeting travel recruiting
51:37
fundraising again, we could list 10 more, right?
51:41
What resource? How did you learn that?
51:45
This probably the easiest way to ask that question what I mean?
51:48
You can't just learn it all by trial and error and you know,
51:50
you forgot to pay the hotel and like oh well well they just gave
51:54
me rooms anyway, you know that just don't work.
51:56
So what, how does someone who's a rookie head coach today or
52:00
someone who doesn't even know today?
52:02
That's next year, they're going to be a head coach.
52:05
What is your recommendation? Your advice for that person.
52:10
Who's like, okay, I know I need to do a budget or I know I
52:13
needed to work on travel, but where do I go?
52:17
There is No usatf level 1 coaching procedure, you know,
52:22
head coaching manual, that side of it, you know, what's your
52:25
advice there? For someone who is either
52:27
struggling? It doesn't realize.
52:28
They're going to struggle, right?
52:30
Yeah, I think he had to be, just not afraid to ask questions, you
52:34
know? Like, if you were to come in and
52:38
take over my job here, I would say, you know, some of the
52:40
things you have to talk with, you know, like the business
52:43
manager, there's procedure for a, you know, how you order
52:45
things when you go on the road. It's travel.
52:48
You know how you're going to pay for the hotel, the meals, the
52:52
bus contracts, all that kind of stuff.
52:55
You know, your athletic director.
52:57
Hopefully is going to be a good resource for you as well to talk
53:00
to that person and make sure that, you know, kind of how
53:04
things have to operate to follow the rules of your University or
53:09
college that you're working at. And, you know, I would say nine
53:14
times out of ten, those people are going to be more than
53:17
willing to to help you but it's kind of getting over the ego
53:21
like you said before, being afraid to ask, you know, there's
53:24
a goodie gonna bad ego and if your egos too big and you're
53:28
afraid to ask, then you're probably getting a set yourself
53:30
up more likely for failure if you're not afraid to ask
53:33
questions, you know it might seem stupid.
53:36
But you know, if somebody knows it, hey, this person's never had
53:39
to travel on their own before. You know, where do you pick up
53:42
the car to go on a recruiting trip?
53:44
You know, where do you No, turn in your expense report and
53:50
things like that. I mean, my assistant coaches
53:52
right now when they ask me it's like, well, okay, we'll work
53:55
through it and you'll figure out, you know.
53:57
So that way the next time you know, because those are
53:59
important things but they maybe seem trivial the time, but it's
54:04
going to help them, you know, learn how to do it.
54:06
So that way in the future that you know, they can do those
54:09
kinds of things. But, you know, even if you're
54:11
taking over a program, another school don't be afraid to reach
54:14
out to other coaches to, you know, have that experience.
54:16
And you know they'll I'll be like I said, nine times out of
54:19
ten more than willing to share with you that information that,
54:22
you know, they've picked up over the years and you know somebody
54:25
called me up right now or email me or text me whatever you know,
54:29
I'd be more than happy to you know share with them.
54:31
The information works for me now.
54:33
Doesn't mean it's going to say Matt at their particular school
54:35
but chances are as can be somewhat similar and you know
54:41
that would hopefully be a good resource for somebody.
54:43
Start now what did you find the most challenging to be
54:47
Proficient at it. Was it the well again I'm I'm
54:52
stereotyping I don't feel like it was the budgeting part, but
54:55
was it the organization for travel?
54:58
Was it how do I get plugged into alumni to, you know, for
55:01
fundraising and you know, program culture building?
55:05
What did you find the hardest and how did you kind of overcome
55:08
that? Well, that's a tough question,
55:13
you know, I think recruiting's always the challenge because it
55:16
certainly changed. Now how it used to be in terms,
55:20
like you said, reach out and contacting kids at still.
55:23
The number one thing is reach out and contact him but now it's
55:26
different, you know as far as like how you contact them and
55:29
staying on top of that and building relationships with
55:32
coaches that maybe can help with recruiting their student
55:36
athletes at the high school level.
55:39
The alumni thing is something I know I could be better at and
55:43
would like to you know, grow as a coach and just reach Out till
55:48
it's not that there aren't lumps out there, but, you know,
55:50
there's just only a certain number of hours in a day and to
55:54
try to lie, you know, a certain amount of time to, you know,
55:58
spend with you working on developing those relationships
56:01
with alums, I think that's, you know, important to do.
56:04
But, you know, set it up as a priority that, you know, every
56:07
week and do a little bit, you know, whether it's two hours a
56:10
week the reach out, you know, talk to one or two alone's.
56:13
I think those are important things.
56:14
So, you know, the Our works cited, things like ordering
56:19
equipment, the budgets and stuff like that.
56:21
And I don't think that, you know, generally that's not a
56:24
terribly hard thing to do, you know.
56:27
But there are some hoops, you got kind of jump through, you
56:29
know, as far as like getting the purchase orders for your your
56:33
school to follow their procedures and everything like
56:36
that. But yeah, I mean there's always
56:38
things that come up to eat yarn expecting you know, you realize
56:43
I could do better at that. What I've been doing, you
56:46
brought up a good point about The many hats that you have to
56:49
wear as not only as a check coach been specifically as the
56:53
head track coach, you know, it amazes me when I look at, like,
56:58
a lot of football teams. And I'm not talking about just
57:00
the University of Alabama's Florida's, Etc.
57:04
I'm Tom, I probably down to Wayne States and it might ease
57:08
Etc. But number of non coaching
57:11
positions that we have on staff, you know, the offensive analyst
57:15
of defensive analyze the, you know, they'll have a team.
57:17
Of five videographer, you know more.
57:20
You know, it's amazing and I'm not saying they don't deserve
57:22
them and I'm not on the flipside, putting down tennis
57:27
and golf but they're their rosters are so small.
57:30
And so depending on how long the coach has been there, how long
57:32
the program's been there? You just don't have the same
57:34
amount of alumni going on that. You do in track and field
57:38
because we are typically pretty large number driven and then you
57:43
don't have the. So with the number of athletes
57:45
you have more complexities with your Will, you know, charter
57:49
buses versus Vans, and things like that.
57:51
It just seems like, it seems like we're getting better as a
57:56
whole with more director of operation positions in our
58:00
programs. But it doesn't seem like we have
58:03
a very, I don't know anybody necessarily, I know there's a
58:06
couple programs that have to dioz that they'll have like an
58:09
internal Dio and an external Dio.
58:13
But we don't know that we have enough of those that we just
58:16
like hey Marlon here, do it. All that's like, yeah.
58:19
I know I wasn't expecting to do a 40 hour week in this
58:21
profession II. Get that didn't know.
58:23
I was going to be expected to a 400 our week expectation.
58:27
And by the way, you know, I have family, I'd like to have a
58:30
personal life, some hobbies and passions outside of work, right?
58:34
It's just tough, man. I'm and it's not fair, it's not
58:37
like, it's not even like, I don't think it's fair.
58:38
I know, it's just, it's not it's not right?
58:40
And it's not sustainable as a whole for careers.
58:45
Yeah. Yeah.
58:46
You know, Right. That there is a limit to how
58:50
much you can do in a day. And like I said to have a family
58:54
life and some other outside interests.
58:55
I mean, I've got a wife and five children.
58:57
Psych, my wife always like, well, you know, you got to make
59:01
time for us to, and, and I get that and, you know, I think
59:04
that's one of the things that sometimes it's tough for the
59:06
coaches is to try to find that balance and especially if you
59:09
feel passionate about this for which I think the majority of
59:12
the coaches that I have come across do, but then to find that
59:17
balance, you know, so you can't have a family life and some
59:21
outside interests besides track and field, well, I've always can
59:24
also give me a hard time about cycle.
59:26
You just enjoy going to work all the time.
59:27
Like, well, I enjoy it because it's something I'm passionate
59:30
about. And so it doesn't really ever
59:32
seem like work to me, but at the same time, you have to find that
59:36
balance and that's one of the things that I think is kind of
59:39
nice about NCAA division, two as they've always kind of had one
59:42
of their mottos is life in the balance, you know, more so for
59:45
the student-athlete but I think I'll For the coaches to that,
59:49
you got to try to find that balance, you know, between work
59:53
and near outside life and just trying to make everything mesh
59:58
well, so that way you don't get to burned out, you know, having
1:00:01
a vacation, you know, in the summertime.
1:00:03
You know, it's nice to have a little bit of time away from the
1:00:06
sport and stuff even though you really love it.
1:00:08
Yeah, I think track lends itself to the, you know, work hard,
1:00:15
hustle hard, 100% 24 hour. Hours a day 7 days a week Mojo
1:00:20
because of the nature of the sport.
1:00:22
You know. It's not you know it's you know
1:00:25
track is just like in not like any other sport out there.
1:00:29
So I think it's kind of lends itself to that and I love, you
1:00:32
know, I think what you're describing.
1:00:34
They are you know, when your wife says, like, you just like
1:00:37
going to work and that's awesome.
1:00:38
Like, we should all like, you know, weirdly maybe not weirdly.
1:00:42
Yeah, I'm an office guy. Basically I enjoy going like I
1:00:45
just got off a caishen errors. Like oh, you're back.
1:00:47
Like now, thank God the kind of love being back in you begin.
1:00:51
It's a people profession that I got I get back here and I get to
1:00:53
do this kind of thing. I didn't get to do that, right?
1:00:55
Yeah. But and I love that I like when
1:01:00
you say Marlon, you know, I have a passion for track.
1:01:03
Have a passion for the athletes. Have a passion for my program.
1:01:05
I love Trucking feel. That's awesome.
1:01:07
I love that because the the opposite would be devastating.
1:01:10
You're like, yeah. You know what?
1:01:11
I just show up. I just do what I do.
1:01:13
My job done wrong with that. It's a job for Colonel.
1:01:15
I just was to be a human first, not a Job person, right?
1:01:19
Like that's just that's just devastating right?
1:01:21
Always way more impressed with coaches who tell me.
1:01:24
Yeah. You know what my passion is my
1:01:26
family? Maybe you know my faith maybe
1:01:31
you know, charitable the volunteering helping people and
1:01:34
then yeah. You know, for profession I'm a
1:01:37
college track coach or a high school track coach or a high
1:01:39
school teacher and I absolutely love doing that.
1:01:41
Thank God. That that's my profession but it
1:01:44
ain't my family. That ain't my faith and it might
1:01:47
serve it to your hands like that man.
1:01:49
So I can't imagine you know, with five children while I had
1:01:54
to and I am overrun. We're man on man.
1:01:59
You know I got to I got me a wife and we still can't do it.
1:02:02
They beat us up all the time. Five, you were playing Zone my
1:02:07
friend. It's unbelievable.
1:02:08
And that, by the way, you telling me that, you know, a
1:02:11
coach's wife, your wife, in a mother of five, God bless her.
1:02:16
I know, she's your listening right now.
1:02:18
God bless you. Because first of all, he can't
1:02:20
do what he does without that but your kids I mean just
1:02:24
unbelievable Essence to you guys for that.
1:02:27
But yeah, I can't imagine a world where having five kids and
1:02:30
even being a track coach and it's, you know, quote-unquote
1:02:33
24/7 365, and it certainly is, you know, that's a slight
1:02:36
exaggeration. But slight, you got five kids
1:02:40
like, you have to be involved in our lives.
1:02:43
Like I don't know how you could not because Mom.
1:02:45
Do it all superhero, she is. She needs her partner and dad to
1:02:49
be involved. How do you?
1:02:52
I don't like necessarily the term work-life balance because
1:02:54
I'm not convinced, it actually should be a balance.
1:02:57
I think life should be the 80s and the work, the 20, you know,
1:03:02
use it for its mean, it needs to have a paycheck so you can
1:03:04
support the children and their dreams and your wife and you
1:03:07
guys is dreams and your parents. You know, that it's a huge
1:03:10
ecosystem here in The Heir Apparent.
1:03:12
How do you handle that? How do you handle a 5?
1:03:15
Kids not knowing their ages but they're they're going to be all
1:03:18
the way into. Maybe they're a little bit more
1:03:19
self. Sufficient to boy, you got to
1:03:21
drive them everywhere and be involved in everything to.
1:03:23
Yeah, I'm still changing diapers, how do you don't want
1:03:27
to say handle? How do you, how do you do that?
1:03:30
How do you live that life of? Okay, I got to work, but I get
1:03:33
to come home and do XY and Z, but in the back of my head, I
1:03:37
sure could be writing, work out some more.
1:03:39
I could be drafting this email newsletter for the alumni or,
1:03:43
you know, I still got a book, the hotel rooms for Extend or
1:03:46
how do you have you handled that successfully?
1:03:49
I'll soon successful because you're still here and you're
1:03:51
talking about? Yeah, well, and to give you a
1:03:55
little bit of background, like you said, my wife, I think she's
1:03:58
been the one that's really held it together for us.
1:04:01
She's a high school teacher. She teaches chemistry so by
1:04:06
voltages smart background. Yeah, and our oldest one.
1:04:11
She's gonna be starting College here, actually, next week.
1:04:14
And then we've got a 16 14 12 and 10 year old, so I mean
1:04:17
they're like you said they're older now to where they're kind
1:04:19
of self sufficient to a certain degree, but at the same time
1:04:24
when they're like ten eight, six, four, two and newborn.
1:04:28
It was a lot of scrambling all the time, but you know, it's one
1:04:32
of the things that we've enjoyed and we've been blessed five kids
1:04:36
and, you know, and to be able to be involved in their activities,
1:04:40
you know, it's I think different to do division, two level.
1:04:45
And we're in a small town, it's community of 7,000.
1:04:47
So you feel pretty small and confined and safe here.
1:04:51
So we're able to zip across town of somebody's got a piano
1:04:56
recital going on or you know, different things that the kids
1:04:59
are involved in to try to make some of that stuff work out, you
1:05:03
know, to be there. Like you said, you still want to
1:05:05
be able to be a part of their lives as well as you know what
1:05:08
you got going on with work and everything.
1:05:10
And so, you know, we've just found a way to make it work.
1:05:14
She's not a coach. Ouch.
1:05:15
Fortunately, if she were also coached, I think it really be
1:05:18
tough to be two coaches in the same family.
1:05:21
And having conflicting schedules I think would be really tough.
1:05:25
So I'm really fortunate from that standpoint that you know
1:05:28
she gives a lot of her free time to help raise the kids.
1:05:32
And, you know, I'm always kind of impressed when I go to like
1:05:36
the the Hall of Fame being quits at u.s. tfcc a conventions in
1:05:41
here, the candidates are getting inducted in there.
1:05:43
They talk about, you know, how Their spouses really influential
1:05:48
and in critical really to make them be able to have the time to
1:05:51
be successful. And I just think that, you know,
1:05:55
I've kind of been in that same boat where I've really been
1:05:57
fortunate that my wife has been supportive of me and been able
1:06:01
to help us do the things we want to do as a family.
1:06:05
But then also allow me to have some time as a coach to, you
1:06:09
know, do what I need to do and want to do.
1:06:12
And so I'm just really blessed like I said, Well, again more
1:06:16
shout outs to her because, again, being a teacher teach
1:06:19
teaching was hard. You know, yesterday, today.
1:06:24
I don't know how they did. We live in a community where we
1:06:26
have several teachers in our community and so I have 11 and
1:06:29
8. So we're right in the thick of
1:06:31
some class of a kid starts Middle School, junior high next
1:06:35
week and whatnot. You know just love and bless on
1:06:37
them because it's so hard. I mean God bless it's so so hard
1:06:42
so shout out to her for being a teacher as well.
1:06:45
Not sure what's harder teaching or coaching to be real.
1:06:47
Actually, I do know teachings way harder.
1:06:49
I think I may not say I would say teaching us.
1:06:52
Yeah, maybe it's me now. I think my football when I said
1:06:55
I'm not sure. It's because the hours of
1:06:57
coaching that I know goes on. Yeah, but day-to-day.
1:07:01
Yeah, I think teaching for sure. So you know when I think about
1:07:04
our High School coaches who are teaching and coaching, oh yeah,
1:07:07
oh oh man. Yeah you know superheroes you
1:07:12
And I saw that was my dad you know, growing up.
1:07:14
I mean he was teaching and coaching and so he'd be right
1:07:17
and workout plans in the morning before school and on the
1:07:20
weekends you know, he'd be going to meats and stuff like that or
1:07:23
during the week and so you didn't always seem on time.
1:07:25
So like I said, going back to my back and I kind of knew what the
1:07:30
H and the work involved were going to be more than just like
1:07:33
you said, if it's not a 40-hour a week job, it's about as many
1:07:38
as you can squeeze in two hours a day - The time for sleep and
1:07:43
eating, he hasn't said, make sure you have a meal there.
1:07:46
Well, Marlin, let's fast-forward your mentioned Wayne State here.
1:07:52
Now in Nebraska, for 20 to 21 year, 2182 22:31 say, 7 2013 2.
1:07:58
Yeah, which is amazing. You know, a few years ago, I was
1:08:03
sitting with some coaches at the convention and we were talking
1:08:07
about coaches that had been an institution for a length of
1:08:11
time. And there were about five, we
1:08:13
could name off, you know, snap of a finger real quick, you
1:08:15
know, Curtis fry and a mouse Holloway and guys, and gals like
1:08:19
that. A me Dean, and then we thought
1:08:22
little bit harder and we came up with about five, six, seven,
1:08:24
more, and then we were stumped. I mean, you know, we got to
1:08:28
about 15 as, you know, Al carius think guys like that.
1:08:32
And it was like we're done like, you know, it's like oh, what
1:08:34
about so-and-so? Yeah, she's only been there five
1:08:36
years. What about so?
1:08:37
Yeah he's like therefore it's like wow that it doesn't happen
1:08:40
that often. So 20 plus years, Man Bravo
1:08:43
because not only are you surviving and thriving but you
1:08:48
are surviving, there's a DS that come in your own like, well,
1:08:51
maybe this school be better or maybe this job would be about
1:08:55
me. Oh, maybe I shouldn't get out of
1:08:56
coaching and go do this as right before we went on.
1:09:02
I read a Facebook post of a very good friend of mine.
1:09:05
Dan Tomlin at st. Ambrose, in Iowa, and his
1:09:08
Facebook post was, I'm announcing that I'm leaving say
1:09:12
Ambrose, I'm leaving coaching. This is, he is a young guy.
1:09:15
This ain't the guy who's ready to retire.
1:09:17
Eat 60, plus face pregnant. Younger than I am for crying out
1:09:20
loud. They didn't necessarily give
1:09:22
specifics, but it's like, man. He is not the first one that has
1:09:26
loved coaching this year that I'm aware of, right?
1:09:30
And it's like, man, I want again.
1:09:31
Remember, I talked to, I want the American Idol of track.
1:09:33
I want more people did to want to be and do they get paid right
1:09:37
to be coaching. So to be a 20 plus years at one
1:09:39
institution, man Bravo that alone is a to me.
1:09:42
The Hall of Fame. Worthy credit right there, my
1:09:44
friend. So talk to us about why did you
1:09:48
go from out? Marty to Wayne State?
1:09:51
Let's, let's start there. You.
1:09:53
I assume you're doing pretty good amount.
1:09:54
Marty, what made the reason to change?
1:09:58
Well, you know, I was looking at it from the standpoint of being
1:10:02
able to advance my career when I was younger, I thought, you
1:10:05
know, eventually someday I'd like to get up to being a
1:10:07
division, one level coach and so I thought, well, the next step
1:10:11
is to get It to division two. And it was close to his only an
1:10:16
hour away from Yankton South Dakota, where Mount Hardy's
1:10:18
located at to Wayne State College.
1:10:21
And I knew the head coach here at the time.
1:10:23
Brian Kavanaugh was the previous coach before me, and he had
1:10:27
said, hey, you know, you might want to take a look at Wayne
1:10:29
State. He's like, I'm getting out of
1:10:30
coaching. Like you said, he's into, you
1:10:32
know, some computer work stuff. Now, what she was very good at
1:10:36
and installs, good at. And so, the job opened up a came
1:10:40
down interviewed for it and Unfortunately, they hired me
1:10:45
what I came here, though. I mean, the facilities were in
1:10:48
great shape to be honest, and but we did have an indoor track
1:10:52
that have the word track was in great shape, has old black
1:10:55
asphalt track and but the president we had at the time she
1:10:58
was talking about. She like, we're going to make
1:10:59
some changes for an upgrade and do some things so I thought,
1:11:02
okay, we'll see how this goes. I'll stay here for a few years
1:11:05
and then maybe I can kind of use this as a springboard into, you
1:11:08
know, maybe a division, one level job, or a better division,
1:11:11
two level. Evil not really knowing really
1:11:14
what division one was all about or even division two so much at
1:11:17
that time other than my little experience that I had for two
1:11:20
years at South Dakota state. So I came here and you know
1:11:24
things started to change and we got a new outdoor track.
1:11:27
We resurfaced our indoor track did some things with that and
1:11:32
start to have a little bit of success with some of the
1:11:34
athletes that I was recruiting here.
1:11:36
And you know, and just so nice location for both myself and my
1:11:41
wife. It's about 100 miles to my
1:11:43
parents. 100 miles to her parents, so from that
1:11:46
standpoint. As a good location, we knew we
1:11:48
wanted to have children and kind of be able to have them close to
1:11:51
Grandpa and Grandma's and stuff like that.
1:11:53
So, you know, there's a lot of things that kind of tied into I
1:11:56
was from northeast Nebraska. And so, from a recruiting
1:12:00
standpoint, I knew the high school's.
1:12:02
I knew a lot of the coaches knew that athletes and things like
1:12:06
that. So it made it a good transition
1:12:09
for me that, you know, I wasn't going into a totally different
1:12:12
Different area to try to start developing those connections for
1:12:15
recruiting purposes and you know, so and just it's worked
1:12:20
out well and, you know, just a really felt like, you know, it's
1:12:25
a good school and I always tell our recruits down.
1:12:28
I wouldn't stay here as long as I have.
1:12:30
If I didn't feel like it wasn't a good school and so, you know,
1:12:34
academically they do a great job.
1:12:35
It's a very affordable school which in this day and age, you
1:12:38
know, cost is a big thing, you know, I'm looking at my
1:12:41
daughters To school. Now she's going to melt Marty,
1:12:45
which is kind of funny and kind of erotic, but, you know, she's
1:12:49
going into nursing program and she got a great nursing program
1:12:51
there. But my point was that, you know,
1:12:53
you look at it cost, you know, private school compared to a
1:12:56
state school. That's huge.
1:12:58
And, you know, I think here it's not such a big school that you
1:13:02
still can't have a small private school type of atmosphere but
1:13:07
still not have to pay the private school cost.
1:13:10
You can pay the state school costs, which Is is great.
1:13:13
And so there's a lot of things that have kept me here at Wayne
1:13:16
State College a lot longer than what I ever thought I would be
1:13:18
here. Yeah, it's going to ask first of
1:13:20
all, seems like there's a ton of advantages to going to Wayne
1:13:23
State. I love that love that.
1:13:24
It was a positive for you and your wife at that time, for
1:13:27
building your family, and having family closer, it's always
1:13:31
critical critical. As much as you may not like
1:13:33
in-laws and family, they're critical, trust me speaking from
1:13:37
experience there, but I also assume maybe you got paid more
1:13:41
and you maybe didn't have to be the Since all director to make
1:13:43
great. Yeah.
1:13:44
Good. I good.
1:13:45
Good. Good.
1:13:46
That's awesome. You know, one of the things that
1:13:48
you have today, Marlin that you didn't have been is perspective
1:13:53
and experience, right? You had no idea what the next 20
1:13:55
plus years were going to be in the next 24 now.
1:13:58
But now you do it's 2022. When you took that job, the job,
1:14:04
you have now Wayne State and you can you took it as the head
1:14:06
coach, right? You didn't come in and assist.
1:14:07
Yeah. So you you know first day on
1:14:10
campus, you're excited. You're going to build your own
1:14:13
program. Did you think?
1:14:15
And you might have already answered this, but I want to I'm
1:14:17
going to ask it again. Did you think?
1:14:20
Man, I'm going to be doing my 23rd year here one day.
1:14:24
Oh, no. Not at all.
1:14:28
I tell people that. Now, I never never and to be
1:14:30
here this long, but I'm glad I have been, you know, this
1:14:34
through a lot of changes on campus of all been really good
1:14:38
changes and it's been a great town for us to raise our Our
1:14:42
children in had a great experience at that.
1:14:45
And so, yeah. And now I honestly, I have a
1:14:48
hard time seeing myself someplace else.
1:14:50
You know, sometimes is a little bit of a detriment maybe to say
1:14:54
that, but at the same time, you know, this is where I feel
1:14:57
comfortable at and swear I feel like it's a good fit for me and
1:15:00
I'm a good fit for the school and I really enjoy it here.
1:15:04
I love to challenge the right word here.
1:15:09
But challenge people, it's like, hey, so when you get a new job
1:15:11
or anything, A point right now today write down what you think
1:15:15
your life will be like in 10 years and I mean, like, your
1:15:18
goals. Like yeah, I want to be, you
1:15:19
know, you talked about, I want to be a division.
1:15:21
One coach, or I want to have coached Olympians, or I want to
1:15:24
be married with Children. Write it down and tuck it away
1:15:28
for some way. Or maybe you sit yourself an
1:15:30
email to be sent 10 years from now.
1:15:33
In find out how wildly wrong you are.
1:15:36
Yeah, and not because you overshot things probably because
1:15:42
Undershot things. You could even see the great
1:15:44
things that we're going to happen to you and you to be
1:15:47
involved in, you know, you're 20 plus years.
1:15:50
There have been a positive experience, that's an assumption
1:15:53
but you're still there. So and bright guy like you would
1:15:55
have had other opportunities if you wanted them.
1:15:57
So, you know, maybe that ten year, when you got there back in
1:16:00
2000, would have been like, oh yeah, I'll be a division one
1:16:03
and, you know, wife and I will have, you know, a couple kids
1:16:06
and will you know, blah blah. And it's like, oh wait a minute.
1:16:08
Look what I missed. I would have missed out on,
1:16:10
like, look at all the, you know, the championship.
1:16:12
It's the kids. The relationships built like all
1:16:15
that would have missed out on man.
1:16:17
So yeah, I love that kind of that challenge of like yeah you
1:16:20
think what? You think what you think your
1:16:21
plans are for 10 years but guess what?
1:16:23
You're not even dreaming. Big enough.
1:16:25
My man, you are so much more is going to happen for you.
1:16:28
Oh yeah, awesome. I love it.
1:16:29
I love it. So, part of that perspective
1:16:32
that you have 20 plus years as a 20 plus years, as a head coach,
1:16:36
20 plus years as the head coach here at Wayne State.
1:16:39
How have you evolved? A head coach and I don't mean
1:16:43
that on the track, I mean, that with your staff.
1:16:47
So you've have you have assistant coaches.
1:16:49
Now you've had assistant coaches of, I'm assuming that your whole
1:16:52
staff has been there. 20 years if you have, I'm about to be
1:16:54
blown away, that'll be the most stable staff in the whole world.
1:16:59
But you've hired two people, you've hired gaas, maybe and
1:17:02
assistance and volunteers. How have you this kind of Boss?
1:17:08
Part of the job, not just the coaching, but hey, I have to,
1:17:11
you know, No help assistant, coaches become better and maybe
1:17:14
I helped them go to other places that are better for them.
1:17:16
How have you evolved that relationship Mentor side of the
1:17:22
the job for your assistant coaches?
1:17:27
Yeah, that's a great question. You know, I think one of the
1:17:30
things that I've tried to do is try to not micromanage as much,
1:17:37
you know, I think as a when you get that title as head coach,
1:17:40
you think you got to be in charge of everything and know
1:17:44
everything and do everything sometimes, and you realize that
1:17:48
you just can't do that. Especially if you're growing
1:17:50
your team size, your ostracised and things like that.
1:17:53
And just trying to, you know, where all the different pants
1:17:55
that you've talked about before. So, you know, like if I have my
1:18:00
assistant coaches, do something, you know, I feel like I'm a lot
1:18:03
more trusting now than maybe what I used to be several years
1:18:07
ago that it would get done and that they do a good job.
1:18:10
My Sprints hurdles and jumps Coach Travis Cam.
1:18:12
He's been with me for 11 years. Now my throws coach Carly for
1:18:16
injury. She's in her third year but she
1:18:18
actually threw for us here at Wayne State and it was a
1:18:21
volunteer assistant for us for four years before she left and
1:18:24
came back. A couple years ago.
1:18:26
So she's got a lot of experience with the program to it and, you
1:18:30
know, I just feel like now I have a lot more faith and trust
1:18:36
in those coaches to know what the right things to do and the
1:18:40
decisions to make our rather than feeling like I have to talk
1:18:43
through everything with him all the time.
1:18:45
And and as a head coach, I mean that's really nice because
1:18:49
you've got that, you know, confidence that your assistant
1:18:53
coaches are doing a good job. And that gives you the
1:18:56
confidence to do a better job. I think, as a head coach and to
1:18:59
are you intentional. So, so I have to imagine, you're
1:19:03
very intentional with your athletes.
1:19:05
You maybe? Maybe not written out, but you
1:19:08
have in your head kind of a four to five year plan with your
1:19:11
kids. Maybe you're bringing in a new
1:19:14
multi, talented kid, you're like yep by year two or three, he or
1:19:17
she's going to be a combined event or, you know, we kind of
1:19:20
have this we're going to be intentional in how we coach the
1:19:23
athlete. How much intentionality do you
1:19:27
do with your assistant, coaches, and regards to you mentioned
1:19:31
your throws coach, who was an athlete.
1:19:32
So you got a lot of experience with her like, hey, you know, by
1:19:35
year two or three I'm going to have the expectation that she's
1:19:39
booking, our travel and Travis year-on-year 10-man.
1:19:42
If you should be in charge of equipment, are you intentional
1:19:47
with those types of assignments? Because those will help them
1:19:50
become head coach? Has one day if they so choose.
1:19:52
But also to your point about like, hey, Do you know how I
1:19:55
don't do? 400 hours a week.
1:19:57
I've got Travis and I've got my throat was cut.
1:20:00
How intentional argue and have you become more intentional as
1:20:02
you've grown in your 20-plus years as a head coach I guess I
1:20:07
don't know how intentional I am with some of those things that
1:20:12
you know I do try to, you know, get their feedback on things and
1:20:18
then we try to talk about it as a coaching staff here.
1:20:20
And so I think that that's one of the things that we try to
1:20:24
collaborate together. And figure out what's best for
1:20:26
the program, you know. And it doesn't mean that
1:20:30
necessarily everything that they say, I say well yeah, we're
1:20:33
going to do that and vice versa, they don't necessarily do
1:20:37
everything that I say that, you know, I think we have to do, but
1:20:42
I think that we have that trust between each other as coaches
1:20:46
and as peers that, you know, we feel like we're making the best
1:20:50
decisions for the team in the school and the program here in
1:20:53
some given. That I feel like we work really
1:20:56
well together. I think our personalities mesh
1:20:59
well and, you know, it's been a good collaborative experience
1:21:05
for all three of us and I love that.
1:21:07
You know, I didn't mean to kind of set it up like, hey, you're
1:21:11
not being attentional. I think the real asset there is
1:21:14
that you are doing it, though. You know.
1:21:17
I don't I don't hear you saying. Yeah, you know, I know it's a 40
1:21:20
hour week job but, you know, Mike.
1:21:21
I'm the only one who can do scheduling and budgeting and
1:21:25
Equipment purchase etcetera. Like, oh no, yeah, yeah, we get
1:21:28
our assistant coaches involved and I think that's going to help
1:21:30
them. First of all, I think it helps
1:21:32
you in the program immediately, but if they ever, you know, if
1:21:36
10 years down the line, I'm interviewing Travis for his new
1:21:38
head coaching position and I'm like, so are you ready?
1:21:41
And he's like, you know, I knew I wasn't, but boy Marlin helped
1:21:45
me like I already knew how to do the equipment and scheduling
1:21:47
because Marlon put that on me and we work together like that
1:21:50
part was done because of what the the leadership that he gave
1:21:54
me. So I think your Doing a great
1:21:55
job of that delegation, which is that opposite word of
1:21:59
micromanagement, right? And doing that.
1:22:01
So I love seeing that development through your career
1:22:04
there Marlin, it is an hour and a half in my friends.
1:22:08
So, as we wrap up today, first of all, I'm just I'm tickled
1:22:14
pink. I am going to refer back to this
1:22:15
episode for a long time because your openness and authenticity
1:22:20
about the different aspects of coaching and becoming a head
1:22:23
coach are invaluable, you know that Russians.
1:22:25
We have a coaching education, which we've had several times
1:22:28
and they're always great. I can never stress the
1:22:31
professional development on the coaching side, but you really
1:22:35
helped us to dive deep into the professional development of the
1:22:38
other stuff, which a lot of times can be the majority of
1:22:41
what we're actually doing as a coach and maybe specifically as
1:22:44
a head coach. I'm just so thankful for that,
1:22:46
as we wrap up today, Marlin, you know, you're going into your
1:22:49
23rd year, complacency can sometimes set in, and I hope
1:22:54
that's not what's happening. Here.
1:22:55
I don't get the sense that that's happening here.
1:22:57
So give us kind of a 30,000 foot level.
1:23:00
What's got you excited about Wayne State college, track and
1:23:03
field and cross country, coming up this year.
1:23:05
Next year, what's, what's got your juices flowing?
1:23:07
And you're just you just can't wait to get started.
1:23:10
Well, there's a big thing that's coming up here is we're going to
1:23:13
be building a 300 meter. Indoor track.
1:23:17
We're going to be breaking ground on that starting next
1:23:18
march 2023. And that's going to be a huge
1:23:22
game changer for us. We really feel like It's going
1:23:25
to have six lanes and it's going to be within a bubble structure.
1:23:29
100 yards of turf on the infield.
1:23:31
It's going to be a multi-use facility.
1:23:33
Obviously for division to school, it's got to be that.
1:23:36
So it's going to be used for football and soccer and baseball
1:23:39
and softball practice is done in field areas there as well.
1:23:42
But you know we're right now we're on 160 meter track so I
1:23:46
mean to go from a 162 300, you're basically doubling your
1:23:51
track sighs. We just it's going to be like
1:23:54
walking into To the wide-open Oasis, I guess.
1:23:58
So our fellow friend division to Pittsburgh state.
1:24:03
When I coached Juco in Kansas is before they had their new
1:24:07
facility and they had 160 meter track.
1:24:10
I'd never had never had experience on that.
1:24:12
So I took our kids over and, you know, the 200 there, just
1:24:16
skidded out into the next line. I was like, I'll never do this
1:24:18
again. As I got maybe a, maybe I'll
1:24:20
bring my 60 and 60, hurdlers and long jumpers over, but I will
1:24:23
never do the Fours and even the eights.
1:24:26
Now I just won't do it. Yeah.
1:24:28
Now, you know, we were just there for division to endure
1:24:31
Nationals and, you know, you just walk in and it's, there is
1:24:36
no comparison night and day does not give the the Justice to what
1:24:40
they've done with it facility. That's what you're going to
1:24:42
experience. You've got this hundred-meter
1:24:44
it's hard to even call that a try.
1:24:46
You know that I'm not, right? You're going to get this to the
1:24:51
palace for your programming, for your kids, and for your coat.
1:24:55
Coaches. That's amazing.
1:24:57
I'm so excited for that for you. Yeah, yeah.
1:24:59
We're definitely excited, you know, and I think the kids are
1:25:02
excited about it too. You know, it's been in the works
1:25:05
for a long time knowing that we needed a new type of field
1:25:08
house. There's talk that we would do
1:25:10
like a 200 meter track and you start to realize, well, with the
1:25:13
200 meter track, you really can't do much on the infield.
1:25:16
You could put a little bit of turf down there, but it wouldn't
1:25:18
be a good multi-use type of facility.
1:25:22
And so you kind of hash through For a long time and I said, you
1:25:26
know, if we don't do this we may as well do it right?
1:25:28
Because it's going to be here long after we're gone and you
1:25:31
know, the coaches and teams and stuff that are going to use it
1:25:34
down the road there, we may as well get ahead of the game a
1:25:38
little bit and do it right a friend, do it.
1:25:41
So I'm not saying that they just took my advice but it's nice
1:25:45
that that we are doing that because you know, the 30-meter
1:25:48
tracks are great and you know, they're going to help us a ton
1:25:53
and it's going to help the whole athletic.
1:25:55
Here at Wayne State College, is that just track and feel lonely
1:25:57
and it's going to benefit from it.
1:25:59
All the student athletes are going to benefit from and so
1:26:01
that's going to be huge for the whole athletic department.
1:26:04
Yeah, I think facilities multi and single track facilities are
1:26:08
are better when the Trek excuse me, when the track coaches
1:26:11
involved, they don't need to be overly involved because there
1:26:15
are some things in the construction process, a track
1:26:17
coach just doesn't necessarily know and it's boring but when it
1:26:21
comes to the track and like where the placement of the long
1:26:23
jump forms and Altered things like that.
1:26:26
Like you should certainly be talking to the men and women who
1:26:29
are going to be standing on that track on a daily basis.
1:26:31
So I love that they actually like, Hey, we're concerned 200
1:26:34
because of cost that's probably their first thought.
1:26:35
It's yeah. Understandable.
1:26:38
But then you're like, hey, you know, so this is multi-use, you
1:26:41
know, 300 would allow us to do XYZ with no problems.
1:26:45
By the way, you start thinking about facilities like Kent State
1:26:48
and spire and again, pits day. You just look at it like oh
1:26:52
yeah, this is. Yeah, well there's a track here
1:26:54
and certainly it's going to Be an amazing track, but yeah,
1:26:56
football can be here, La Crosse could be here, soccer can be
1:26:59
here, there's so much more I think about Notre Dame's big
1:27:02
trying. There's just so much more you
1:27:03
can do with this. I'm so happy that they listen to
1:27:06
you. You got cash, a, your the, are
1:27:08
you, are you, are you, the Godfather at Wayne State
1:27:10
meeting? Are you the most tenure their
1:27:13
longer-term? Yeah, I guess.
1:27:15
Fortunately or unfortunately. Yes, it's Survivor failure.
1:27:19
Several years ago, I love it. Well, I'm glad they give you the
1:27:23
respect that you have earned. For that's awesome.
1:27:26
Thank you. Well, I'm excited as well, man.
1:27:29
Like I said, I've seen you know what Pitt States program has
1:27:32
done in other programs that have built, not just 300 tracks but
1:27:36
built new facilities and it's a game changer, it really?
1:27:39
Yeah, actually a state like Nebraska with weather and such
1:27:42
man, it is a game changer. Can't wait to see, you know what
1:27:47
recruiting happens performance of the athletes that are their
1:27:51
team performances, it's going to be like, said, nine-day doesn't
1:27:54
even give it Justification. Man.
1:27:56
That's awesome. So happy for you.
1:27:58
Yeah, thank you. So yeah, we're excited about it.
1:28:01
We feel like it's going to, you know, move us forward to a big
1:28:04
step in terms of our team development or athletic
1:28:07
development. And, you know, they're also
1:28:10
stepping up some things with scholarship resources, which we
1:28:14
didn't necessarily have the best situation before and it's going
1:28:17
to be improving, you know, there s some expectations as far as I
1:28:20
bigger roster numbers and stuff like that as well.
1:28:23
But at the same time, having The facilities is going to make it a
1:28:26
lot more possible to do some of those things we couldn't have
1:28:28
done on 160 meter track, man, our CEO, who was a four-time
1:28:33
All-American pole vaulter for Baylor.
1:28:34
So he's a track guy through and through his one of the things I
1:28:38
learned from him early in my career here, he has the saying
1:28:41
healthy things grow. And so when I hear things like
1:28:46
that, first of all, new facility, there's there's
1:28:47
growth. So it's healthy when you're
1:28:49
talking about additional scholarship opportunities,
1:28:51
that's healthy. That's great stuff.
1:28:54
You know? I And I truly think when I see
1:28:57
schools, that are adding men's and women's indoor track or
1:29:00
adding outdoor track, like we should all celebrate that
1:29:04
healthy things grow in our sport needs to be healthier and
1:29:07
healthier every day. Every month, every year.
1:29:09
And so it seems like at Wayne State College healthy.
1:29:13
Things are growing. My friend.
1:29:14
I love it. Yeah, for sure.
1:29:17
Awesome. Awesome.
1:29:18
And that is the best. That is the mic.
1:29:20
Drop exclamation mark to way to end a podcaster out there.
1:29:23
Marlon, I'm so excited again. Merlin Mann, an hour and 45.
1:29:27
You gave me today and I'm so blessed for that.
1:29:29
I know you busy kids are coming again, but I'm you're listening
1:29:32
to this is first day of school for Marlon and his staff man.
1:29:36
I'm just so thankful, because I know there's a lot of
1:29:37
preparation. I'm part of your.
1:29:39
Now, 400 hours for the week, you could be at home with the wife.
1:29:42
She's right now. Listen to going.
1:29:43
Yeah, Mike. He was with you instead of back
1:29:45
here with the kids helping me out here, his piano recital, to
1:29:48
go to. So, but yeah, just so thankful
1:29:50
for you, man. You know your journey, which I
1:29:53
love about your journey. Is it still going like, we're
1:29:58
writing a book here and you're on maybe chapter 13 of 20, like
1:30:01
you still got a ton. It's a go here, my friend, I
1:30:04
can't wait to continue to track along and you know maybe in 10
1:30:08
years when you're celebrating 30 years, they're at at Wayne that
1:30:11
we're going to do this podcast again and just find out like,
1:30:14
what was the rest of the journey like me?
1:30:15
I'm just so excited for you to be awesome.
1:30:17
Yeah, yeah, I love it and thank you again, man.
1:30:20
Really do appreciate you. Appreciate you guys listening.
1:30:22
Again, I am just always humbled that you would give Me and us
1:30:26
here at the podcast and they go FedEx your time and attention
1:30:29
this. So it's telling Marlon before we
1:30:31
hit record this is I realized this is not an easy podcast to
1:30:35
listen to its minimum of an hour.
1:30:38
I'm not sure how many you want our we've done, it's an hour and
1:30:42
a half today. It'll be two hours tomorrow.
1:30:45
Three hours tomorrow but you know our numbers are through the
1:30:49
roof right now. The feedback we're getting is
1:30:51
through the roof and honestly, 100% of that goes to guys, like
1:30:55
my Man here Marlin. This podcast does not happen
1:30:58
without the Marlins. Jim speakers boost.
1:31:00
Shucks Mater's. Those 169 168, other guests.
1:31:06
These 169. So, I'm just so thankful for
1:31:09
your time and attention today. Do me a favor.
1:31:12
Share it with someone who maybe doesn't know.
1:31:13
Because this guy story right here and the rest of our guys
1:31:16
and gals, we've had here, alumni of the podcast.
1:31:19
They got stories that matter and they got stories that provide
1:31:22
value. So go share it with someone that
1:31:24
can could get By listening to someone's story and come back
1:31:27
next week, we're gonna do it all over again.
1:31:28
Have a good one. Thanks Mike what an incredible
1:31:39
journey coach has been on so awesome to hear their story in
1:31:42
their own words, tremendous proof of the positive effects
1:31:45
coaches make on a daily basis. Help us spread the word of this.
1:31:48
Great journey by sharing on your favorite social, media channel.
1:31:51
And don't forget to take a minute to rate and review the
1:31:53
podcast. You just might get a shout out
1:31:55
on a future episode, that's it for today.
1:31:58
Join us next week, when we'll connect you with another amazing
1:32:01
coach.