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BONUS: Live Coach's Interviews from Day 4 Nike Outdoor Nationals with Beynon Sports Surfacing! · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

0:00
All good things must come to an end.
0:02
And it's day four of the Nike Outdoor National Championships
0:06
and we are we're celebrating. We got coaches coming by saying
0:09
hi and it's day 4. So it's the, you know, it's the
0:12
sad day, but every relay has to have an anchor and that's what
0:15
today is. So we'll have some more
0:16
interviews coming along right now.
0:20
All right, let's get started here with our first interview of
0:23
the day coach. Why don't you go ahead and
0:24
introduce yourself and tell us where you're from?
0:26
I am Sammy Dash from Dallas, TX. I work with private high school
0:30
athletes in the DFW area as well as post collegiate athletes who
0:34
also have made the DFW area home.
0:37
And then I also when collegiate kids or former athletes I work
0:41
with are back home in the Dallas area, I work with them during
0:43
their downtime I love. That I'm going to do 2 things.
0:45
I'm going to move this here until you speak up a little bit
0:47
so I so I can hear you OK OK, OK, so Sammy, you know, we've
0:51
known each other for a long time and one of the things that's
0:53
super impressive to me and and you prompt someone put this on
0:56
wax. You promised you're going to be
0:58
on our long form, our guilt in there.
0:59
So we're going to learn your whole journey, but maybe give us
1:01
a preview of that. You know what's been impressive
1:03
to me about you Many things, but you have gone from the the high
1:08
school and collegiate coaching and and as a guy who did it,
1:11
this isn't a negative when I say the rap race of collegiate
1:15
coaching and you have made a real career out of the, I'm
1:20
going to call it post collegiate, but I I feel like
1:21
that's even like not doing it justice.
1:24
How have you kind of made that transition away from college
1:28
coaching and still made a a great dent financially as far
1:32
as, like, you know, sustaining yourself and affecting young
1:35
people positively? I would say the biggest thing
1:37
came down to one. I was fortunate to start off
1:40
with two really good high school athletes.
1:43
That helps. Two of the best in the state of
1:46
Texas in history, Tania Marshall and Samantha Gonzalez.
1:49
So that kind of helped raise the visibility of who I was as a
1:54
coach, the relationships that I established through the 11 years
1:59
as a collegiate coach as far as recruiting and stuff like that.
2:02
I think at first people may have been a little reserved to see
2:06
what I was going to be like working in the neighborhood.
2:09
But I think once they realize, hey, he's going to keep
2:10
themselves and just mind his own business.
2:13
The post collegiate side really came down to the fact that I
2:17
just wanted to give the really good high school athletes I work
2:20
with. Once they finished up with
2:21
college, I wanted to give them an opportunity that they wanted
2:24
to continue to train. They could come back home to the
2:27
DFW area where they had support. Whereas if you get out of
2:31
college, most people don't have the money to move to a Los
2:34
Angeles or just another place where you got to pay rent, you
2:38
got to pay all these bills, and then you're still trying to
2:40
train like an elite athlete by staying home.
2:42
Dallas is home, so they had support, correct?
2:46
So that was that was kind of the ideology behind that.
2:48
And so most of the athletes I work with post collegiately have
2:52
all been from the DF 30 area. The thing I don't do is I don't
2:56
go out and recruit post collegian athletes because just
3:00
what it takes to sustain a living and train at a high
3:02
level. It's a lot and if you don't have
3:04
the right type of support, it's going to be real difficult to do
3:07
that. That's cool.
3:08
I I never knew that that's I mean literally as you're
3:11
explaining that I'm like genius because they already have some
3:14
form of support, some more than others, obviously, but they're
3:16
from the areas there should be some family or friends or
3:18
whatever. And you're right, instead of
3:20
going to LA, it's amazing to me when guys or gals supposed to
3:23
collegially go to like LA and it's like, Oh my God, you're
3:25
you're cost of living just. Especially if you're coming from
3:30
a collegiate standpoint where you may have had a 7-8. $100
3:33
straight forward. Well, tell us what you're doing
3:36
here in Eugene. What have you had athlete wise
3:38
and do you have anything less here on the last day?
3:40
You know, it's been amazing. This is actually the first time
3:42
I've been here with high school athletes, so my stress level is
3:46
nowhere near the level it would be if this was in six weeks and
3:50
I got to come back for wait a minute, it's less.
3:52
It's significantly. I just think working with 1418
3:54
year old kids that stress would have been high.
3:55
You're saying the opposite. Well, their parents.
4:00
Their parents are here. I just need them to.
4:02
Get them to the. Track.
4:05
Yeah. You know, I'll be back here in
4:09
about six weeks for the US Championships trying to see if
4:11
we can get on the world championship team.
4:13
I've been here for World Championships.
4:15
I've been there for Olympic trials and stuff like that.
4:18
Even for NCAA championships, that's collegiate coach.
4:20
So to be able to come back here with the high school athletes
4:22
and where they get overwhelmed and look at me as a coach, I'm
4:26
like, well, coach needs to be pretty calm.
4:28
So it may be I can be. And so we had athletes competing
4:31
in the under 20 meet as well as a Nike meet.
4:33
And I believe outside of only one athlete, everybody has at
4:37
least made a final. And so it's been really cool.
4:40
We had a young lady make the under 20 final.
4:43
She's going off the UCL for Dana Boone next year.
4:46
We had another young man who he was the private school.
4:49
He set the private school state records, all time records in the
4:53
one team and 300 hurdles so private school doesn't get to
4:57
compete with. Public school in Texas so.
4:59
Some people may be saying well is he as good as well He he
5:03
proved that by coming here and making both the 110 and 400
5:07
hurdle flatteners. Same young man just came back
5:09
the day after day rest and PR by two seconds running 50.8 into
5:12
400. Hurdles.
5:15
So he's showing that he's definitely ready for the college
5:18
at the next level. We have a young lady, maybe got
5:21
14 to 400. She's a two time state champion
5:24
in Texas and and we had another young lady who was off the
5:27
Lancaster girls national record relay.
5:30
She made the 100m final last night for the girls.
5:33
Dude. So.
5:35
Lovely, you mentioned Lancaster, I just met their AD for the
5:39
first time. Christy.
5:40
Gaines. She she shows up.
5:41
I was at the Texas AD convention and she walks up and she's like,
5:45
oh, GAIL, you know, we love you guys.
5:46
We choose all your stuff. And I know Jeremy and the
5:47
teacher real well. And I look at her badge and I
5:50
was like, are you the Christy Gaines?
5:53
And she's like, well, yeah. And I was like, Oh my, I was
5:55
like, this is royalty and I was so awesome.
5:58
So she is also verbally committed to be on the podcast
6:01
as well. So I love that.
6:01
All right, last two questions. Sammy, you know you, I knew you
6:05
as the Sprint hurdles guy. Like you talk about all these
6:07
different events you've done. I'm gonna put you on the spot.
6:09
What's your favorite event out of all those like the coach now
6:12
your favorite athlete? We're not putting anybody on the
6:13
last year. Just like, and it could be, you
6:16
know, the one you love to watch the most doesn't necessarily be
6:18
the one you like to coach the most.
6:19
But what what event do you like the the most?
6:22
I would actually have to say it's destroyed her.
6:24
Yeah, specifically male or female or both, because the
6:27
women's shorthoodles right now is just dumb.
6:30
I mean, like it is. Holy crap.
6:32
I I would not want to be an up and coming woman hurler right
6:36
now. Or maybe I would because it's
6:37
like, well, I'm going to be competing against the best.
6:39
I can't help but get better. It is tough.
6:40
That's. Actually a really hard.
6:43
Call yeah, because they're different, right there's those
6:44
two different races for sure they.
6:46
Really are I'm a splitting down a minute.
6:50
That's fair. That's.
6:50
You know, here. Here's something really funny,
6:52
though. Yeah, the event I dislike
6:55
coaching the most for a large majority of.
6:57
My don't say the short hurdles, no.
6:59
OK, the. 400 hurdles, yeah. And that's the the event that I
7:02
have Olympic trials finally. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
7:07
Good point. It's funny how that works out
7:09
sometimes. Yeah.
7:10
Yeah. All right.
7:11
Now my last question is, Sammy, you know, I'm a huge coaching
7:14
education fan and advocate, and you have done an amazing job.
7:17
And what I'm gonna call not private, somebody use private,
7:22
but it's not the right word. You have put on your own
7:24
coaching, education, events. I love that for you.
7:26
Please keep doing that. Is there a place where people
7:28
can find those to buy those or is that only at the time when
7:32
you do them? Tell me a little bit more about
7:33
that side. Well.
7:34
You know, that's kind of one of my next moves.
7:37
I need to work on that. But like all of those stuff,
7:40
things are archived. They're all in in Google Drives
7:43
and I have every one of them recorded.
7:45
So every now and then I have people reach out to me about it
7:47
and to be totally under the schedules just been so nuts.
7:51
Like if you've inboxed me about a clinic and I have not
7:54
responded, trust me, it was not personal.
7:56
But you can inbox me on either on X or on Instagram.
8:01
I think both of my handles are at Colonel First Ads.
8:04
And if you do so, then you know I get a chance to try to get
8:07
that information back to you when things slow down.
8:09
My last follow up question is going to be where can they reach
8:11
out so you guys know where his Twitter, I don't call it X and
8:14
Instagram is at. You know, you're listening to a
8:18
guy who is he's going to push back when I say he's done it
8:21
all. He's got a lot more to do and
8:22
he's going to do a lot more. But he is an excellent teacher,
8:25
excellent knowledge. Please reach out to him for some
8:27
of his. He's done some amazing ones and
8:29
I actually want to work with him when someone do some others with
8:31
him because he's a great teacher and I think that's extremely
8:34
important. So Oh man, thank you so much,
8:35
Tammy. I.
8:36
Appreciate you very much. Remember, it's on recording that
8:39
you are going to be on the podcast.
8:40
I can't wait to learn your journey and share with our
8:43
listeners. Now, thank you so much.
8:44
Appreciate it. Let's keep it going here with
8:47
our second interview. Coach, why don't you please
8:49
introduce yourself and where you from?
8:50
Yes, my name is Joe Smith. I'm from Seattle, WA area.
8:55
I'm a coach of Sohomish High School.
8:58
And you, you know, we had a little talk before this.
9:00
You let me on on a couple of secrets.
9:02
Hopefully I'm, you know, it's one thing to have a conversation
9:04
and then to have it recorded. So you might be mad at me here,
9:08
but you told me you are about to be 70 years old.
9:12
And that's one thing. Bravo, by the way, that you are
9:15
a competitor. You are still competing in this
9:17
great sport of track and field. Yes, I am.
9:19
I've been. I competed in high school,
9:22
college, and masters, and I've held, let's see, eight national
9:28
championships. Once I got third in the world in
9:32
the outdoor championship in Finland two years ago, and then
9:37
I ran at BYU. Last time I checked that was the
9:41
7th best triple jumper in BYU history.
9:45
You know, when you say that I'm very impressed, obviously, but
9:48
I'm also a little bit like, I mean, how come they haven't had
9:50
more triple jumpers in 50 years or whatever?
9:52
You. Know what?
9:57
So 2 questions I guess. First the world's indoor Masters
10:00
was in Florida this year. Did you go?
10:01
I didn't go, so another story. I'm a cancer survivor.
10:06
I just, I got cancer so I couldn't compete this year, but
10:11
I'm on recovery now. And you look like I would never
10:14
have guessed, bro. Yeah, Wow.
10:16
Yeah. And so I plan on competing next
10:19
year. So I'm just trying to get myself
10:21
ready, dude, for that. Well.
10:22
You look, even I told you how good you look for almost 70.
10:24
You look great now. Yeah.
10:26
So just you. Know.
10:28
In your coaching high school, Yes.
10:29
Does. I mean, I couldn't help but be
10:33
like more inspired if my coach was nearly 70 and triple jumping
10:36
and everything. Do the kids like see that?
10:39
Like like are you? Able to like.
10:41
Transfer the knowledge, I guess, if you will, that hey guys, this
10:45
isn't just a sport you do in high school, you might be able
10:47
to do in college. And even if you don't, this is a
10:49
sport you can do for the rest of your life.
10:51
Absolutely. You know, first of all, the kids
10:54
are always trying to say, hey, can you jump for us?
10:56
And I still can jump. For.
10:58
But The thing is, is that I tell them that this is a lifetime
11:03
thing. You can do it in college, you
11:05
can have it pay for your schooling if you're good enough.
11:08
You can also do it in masters or youth track.
11:12
And it's it's a lifetime thing. So track is in my blood.
11:15
It's always been in my blood. And I'm just very passionate
11:19
about working with the kids. And so you have to participate
11:24
and achieving greatness. So I'm.
11:26
I'm going away. That's super amazing.
11:28
So talk to me about that coaching.
11:30
What have you been doing here this week and what do you got
11:33
maybe today? Yeah.
11:34
So we had 100 meter dash. Emmett Maxwell, he ran he's he
11:42
did very well. He got fourth in Washington
11:44
state, state track mate. We had two relay teams.
11:48
We had a 4 by 100 girls team in the championship and we had a 4
11:53
by 100 boys team and emerging team.
11:56
They didn't make it to the final, but you know, just here
11:59
like watching compete. And then we had a high jumper
12:02
who this year he's a sophomore Jack Rotondo.
12:06
He he did 6-8 during the season. He ended up competing today.
12:11
He didn't do as well as he wanted to, but you know, just
12:14
making it here. They were jumping today.
12:16
They were jumping. So yeah, I heard 74 was. 7/4 and
12:20
1/4. Crazy.
12:21
No 7 He tried 75, but he made 74.
12:25
That sounds crazy. Well, coach, you know, I just
12:28
love what you're doing with your kids, One, showing them, like
12:31
right there in your hometown. Showing that what this.
12:33
I mean, this is an amazing thing to aspire to be what you are,
12:35
Sir. Yeah, but didn't be able to give
12:37
them greater picture. So Washington, great state for
12:40
track. And field obviously.
12:42
State need it. Washington's amazing to show
12:44
them that there is something even greater.
12:46
There are kids in Florida and Texas and Maine and Illinois and
12:50
this this could be your stage as well.
12:52
I think you've given them that experience.
12:53
It's just it's amazing. I wish I had that.
12:55
I was a kid competing. Well, thank you.
12:57
Well, you, you have a job too. It's just, you know, pushing
13:00
this sport sport forward, right and keeping people interested in
13:03
it because it's a great. Sport, our passion is you, the
13:06
coach. You know, you're positive.
13:08
The impact you make on young people is the greatest thing in
13:10
the for society. You know 99% of your kids aren't
13:13
going to go into college or pro for track and field, but 100% of
13:16
them are going to go in and become moms and dads.
13:18
Business. Owners and coaches and teachers
13:20
and that leadership that you showed them, well, that's what
13:23
they feed off of and go and emulate them.
13:25
I'm so glad for people like you that show them the the good way
13:28
to do it. So coach, thank you so much.
13:30
Thank you for being here today and just thanks for for what you
13:32
do. Thank you.
13:35
All right, we keep the interviews going.
13:37
Coach, introduce yourself and where are you from?
13:39
So Justin Redfern, Snow Canyon High School, St.
13:41
George, UT. Now, if that voice sounds
13:44
familiar, first of all, you're an Uber Gill Connections fan.
13:48
I love you for that. But Justin, you got you're
13:50
actually a Gill Connections podcast alone was on our show
13:54
two years. Ago, yes.
13:56
Two years ago, yeah. You were named I Remember
13:58
correct and forgive me, it's been 307 episodes of Memories of
14:02
Shock. Yes, you were the USTFCAUS.
14:07
Yes, on the boys side, yes. I hope I was right on that
14:10
because if you weren't like, Oh well, that's.
14:11
No, that's good. You should have been right.
14:12
No, that's all good. It's all good.
14:14
Well, that was a lot of fun. I do remember having a lot of
14:16
fun with interview and learning your journey.
14:18
I appreciate that. Here we are on day four of the
14:21
Nike Outdoor National Championship.
14:23
You just told me you're getting ready to head out, so the meet
14:25
must be over. Tell me, give me a a review of
14:28
the meat for you here. So it went well this week.
14:31
We only branded up with a couple athletes this year.
14:33
We had a few others that were sick and a few others that were
14:36
injured. My our main athlete was main
14:38
injured this year and wasn't quite able to get here and but
14:41
that's OK. But we had a head to athlete to
14:44
have her second best performance ever.
14:47
So yeah, a lot of good, you know, good performances in the
14:50
meet with her a couple PRS and and then, you know, a couple
14:54
setbacks like a tough ones go yeah, track and field.
14:58
So anyway, but she did a great job and so really proud of her.
15:03
And and then 100 meter gentleman ran for his first time running
15:08
track this year and got him from soccer and he's absolutely loved
15:12
it. He's fell in love with it.
15:13
And so we expect him to be back next year and doing some really
15:16
good things. And so he had another good
15:19
performance on Friday. So you.
15:21
Mentioned of tathlete and that's fascinating to me you know on
15:24
the college side when someone says they have to have to have
15:26
athletes like of course you do it's it's an event we don't have
15:29
that in high school very much we did actually explore combined
15:34
event athletes when we did the 50 States and how they go to the
15:38
state need things like that. Some states do have a culture of
15:41
multi some states actually have a multi for their state need,
15:44
which is awesome like that. How do you for this only is
15:48
doing the hip Taplon she's not doing the head Taplon during the
15:51
high school season right she's. I'm a.
15:54
You correct me if I'm wrong, she's probably not even thinking
15:56
about the hip Taplon. She's doing hurdles or high jump
15:58
or whatever right? She's doing.
16:00
How do you coach a kid? How do you guide a kid who's
16:04
going to be a multi when you can't really focus on it during
16:07
the year because it's not an event?
16:09
Yes. So with her we she would do
16:13
multiple events during the course of the week, you know at
16:16
the local track meets and invitations.
16:19
So we would mix it up never necessarily any one thing that
16:23
always she's kind of a Fordham meter specialist as far as on
16:27
the. Track probably an event or two
16:29
that that's her main. Right, which is perfect because
16:31
it helps her with, you know, getting some speed work in for
16:33
the 800 and obviously helps out a little bit with her 200.
16:36
So she'll hurdle and then she'll high jump, you know, So those
16:42
are those are fairly consistent between those three events.
16:45
As the season gets towards the end, we do have her practicing a
16:49
few more of her natural events that shot.
16:52
Mixed throws. Yeah, she long jumps regularly
16:55
as well. So we kind of have her do her
16:59
main events regularly and then and then after the state meet,
17:02
we start focusing on all the other events, kind of filling
17:06
the gaps because we have about a month.
17:08
So it's June 22nd, yes. When's?
17:10
The state meet, yeah, about end of May, so May May 20, May 20
17:13
and 22nd somewhere in there. So we have a month.
17:15
And I have to assume, and this probably isn't even assumption,
17:19
this has got to be true knowing what I know about tracking,
17:21
coaching, having her work on some of those, you know, here
17:24
quotes here, all the events, right?
17:26
She's on the shop building stuff.
17:29
Maybe she's a jail drawer. Now doing those other events
17:32
makes her a better athlete. Makes like you can mention her
17:34
400 meter being her kind of main event makes her 400 meter
17:36
better. I see.
17:37
Yes, absolutely, you know. I think all the events help and
17:40
you know, and it helps keep her mind off and things too where
17:42
she has to focus on that, you know, one event at a time.
17:45
So sometimes it takes the pressure.
17:47
Of that. Particular race coming up or
17:50
event. So it but it also teaches her I,
17:53
I, you know, as, as we get to the end of the season, I really
17:55
have her focus on mental preparation, you know, really.
17:59
OK, so now you're a Herbert, now you're a high jumper, now you're
18:01
a long jumper, you know what I mean?
18:03
And so just to try to help her. To mentally prepare, you
18:07
mentioned the mental side of like not stressing about the
18:10
quarter again, if that's everything that that alone
18:13
either she doesn't do the multi in college or whatnot.
18:15
Like just having that helps make her better high school for me to
18:18
run her rest, maybe eventually better quarter in the college as
18:21
well. Absolutely.
18:22
I think she'll end up being a high.
18:23
I think the heptathlon is going to be her event, the next level.
18:26
That's cool she's at. She's talented and this is our,
18:29
her first year with us. And so I, you know, she's had
18:33
quite a few PRS and few adjustments.
18:35
So we're thinking that she's going to really start to take
18:37
off this next year, which will be our last year.
18:40
No pressure. Do you feel pressure now after
18:43
after being named the national coach of the year?
18:46
Do you have pressure of like, Oh my gosh, how do I live up to
18:48
that? Or is it still get in and do the
18:50
job? And yeah, it's.
18:52
You know, The thing is like you never focus on those individual
18:56
accolades. I, I didn't get into this sport,
18:58
those things, I got it and for the kids.
19:00
And so, you know, as you focus on the kids and, and make them
19:03
your priority, you know, and then of course, my coaching
19:06
staff, I, you know, you do those things and, and then you enjoy
19:10
it no matter what because, you know, we're only as good as the
19:13
athletes. That we can get.
19:14
You know, we can develop what we can develop, obviously like
19:17
anyone, but you got to have athletes and stuff.
19:18
And so just like you're going to have an ebb and flow of with any
19:22
other season in any other sport. So, you know, but those are the
19:26
I think this year was kind of a fun challenge for us, you know,
19:28
to kind of really dig deep as a coaching staff to get better and
19:32
and to develop our kids even better.
19:34
So we had a lot of good performances and, you know, some
19:37
state records and some other great performances.
19:39
So, you know a lot of good things, but you know, that was a
19:43
pretty special team a couple years ago that really made me
19:45
look a lot better than I am. Well, my experience is that
19:49
coaches who do not focus on the awards are the ones who win the
19:52
awards. And that's kind of a thing that
19:54
you do with your athletes. If you don't focus on the PRS or
19:57
the things like that, just do the process.
19:59
Yeah, it could be the PRS come. So, Justin, thank you so much,
20:03
man. We're just so grateful for you.
20:05
You know, I love, I love from the podcast because I just, you
20:07
know, I've know your whole journey.
20:08
I've been through it and it's an awesome journey.
20:10
And just so grateful for what you do for the young kids.
20:13
The high school and club level specifically.
20:14
Will we see you back here next? Year.
20:15
Yes, absolutely. Boom.
20:17
Ticket is booked. There we go.
20:18
Thank you. Justin, thanks.
20:20
All right, I'm excited. I'm excited for all the
20:22
interviews, but this one, because we've been having some
20:24
laughs together. I'm even more excited about
20:27
Coach. Introduce yourself.
20:28
Tell us who you're with here. Hello, I'm Keith Evans.
20:31
I'm with Track Houston Youth Track club out of Houston, TX.
20:36
We have about 8 practice sites in the greater Houston area.
20:41
We we roughly have about 700 kid athletes that we train on a on a
20:47
yearly basis. Yes.
20:49
And this year we we brought really out a four by 1/15/16
20:54
team and then a few girls. So we probably have roughly
20:59
10/10 athletes. Here, first of all, it tells you
21:02
how big Houston is if you can have that many sites and that
21:04
many athletes and still just Houston, not the state of you
21:07
know, Texas or that's a bit more right to me now.
21:09
I was joking around actually, I wasn't joking about this part.
21:12
You know, I've seen many, many coaches coming through the
21:14
coaches social the sponsored by Gil athletics here for the last
21:18
we're on our 4th day here and you know, I'm amazed at what
21:21
coaches dress for the weather. It's just impossible.
21:25
But you guys have it's a vote of one, but you guys have been
21:28
easily the most best dressed staff here.
21:31
You guys coordinate very well, which I think helps.
21:32
I think it's what helped win you the the actual award.
21:35
And you've got a lot of coaches here.
21:37
I almost thought you'd have more coaches than athletes, but
21:39
obviously you have a lot of athletes.
21:40
Yeah, we have way more. Athletes than coaches?
21:42
I'm curious, you know, on this weekend you have a lot of
21:45
choices. There's other meats that you
21:46
could go to that might have been closer.
21:48
Why did you guys choose to come out here to Eugene, OR?
21:50
It's always good to come to Eugene, one of the best stadiums
21:53
in the in the nation, probably in the world, in the world.
21:56
And you know, it's a great place to be.
22:00
Do the kids, You know, Houston's a big.
22:03
You know, it could be its own state.
22:04
It's huge, right? Texas is its own state and it
22:06
could be its own country. It's huge.
22:08
Do the kids get a sense when they come out to a meet like
22:10
this? You know, Texas is amazing and
22:13
very competitive, but there is a world outside of Texas.
22:16
I know a lot of Texas people don't want to admit that, but
22:18
there is a world outside of Texas.
22:19
When they come here, they're competing against California
22:22
into Illinois, Maryland, Maine, etcetera.
22:25
Do they get a bigger sense of the world of track and field and
22:28
maybe the world in general? Right.
22:29
And that's our job as coach, to try to expose them outside of
22:33
Texas, outside of Houston, to show them that that's a bigger
22:37
world outside of that. Now we looking to eventually get
22:41
some of the kids outside of the US.
22:43
So we're looking forward to that.
22:46
We had one athlete that actually got second in in EU 20 in the
22:52
100 meters. So, you know, let's see where
22:54
that goes. Wow, that's really cool.
22:57
Holy cow, what a shocker. Somebody from Texas had speed.
23:00
Yeah, yeah, yeah, We all know about that Texas speed.
23:03
So tell me more about the club in regards to like, how long
23:07
have you been, Has it been around?
23:09
I mean, you guys just seem you're very coordinated and that
23:11
impresses me. It may be all a facade.
23:13
I somehow doubt that, but just tell me more about the club, how
23:16
long you've been around and things like.
23:18
That Jack Houston started in 1989 and I've been with the club
23:22
since 2005. So some some 20 years, you know,
23:26
basically. And you know, I mean, we just
23:30
love what we do. We're committed to the athletes,
23:32
we're committed to the program, and I'm just excited about where
23:36
track and field can take us. Texas had a great year.
23:40
You guys seem like you had a great year this year for
23:42
training field. Is next year going to be better
23:43
or worse? Wherever you you, every year we
23:48
reload. So no matter what happens this
23:50
year, we always reload and be ready for the next year.
23:54
Coming back here next year. Absolutely.
23:56
Awesome book, that ticket. We'll see here.
23:57
Next year, all right. Coach, thank you so much.
23:59
I'm grateful for you. I'm sorry that you lost the
24:02
rock, paper, scissors and there were so many coaches to choose
24:05
from. One of them had the draw, the
24:07
short straw joining me here on the podcast.
24:08
And I'm just really grateful for you and the rest of the game and
24:11
just grateful for what you guys do for our young people,
24:14
specifically the 1418 year old age group.
24:16
Absolutely. Thank you for having us.
24:17
Absolutely. All right, let's keep it going
24:20
here coach, once you introduce yourself and name of your club
24:23
or high school, whoever you representing here today.
24:24
Absolutely. My name is Aaron.
24:26
I'm with the Byron Athletic Club.
24:28
We have a pretty big group here. We have 23 athletes competing.
24:33
We got anything from 4 by 1, four by two, 4x4.
24:37
We got a very legit 4 by 4 teams here.
24:41
They're I think seeded 4th or third.
24:45
Four guys with their hammer, couple guys through on discus.
24:49
Open 400m runner. Yeah, everything.
24:52
Yeah. How do you I want to come back
24:54
to that 4 by 4, but how do you help a high school kid in the
24:58
state of Michigan? We don't have, you know, no
25:00
state, Rhode Island, one state. We have it officially as an we
25:03
have nowhere else. How do you help the kid prepare
25:06
for June 22nd? You know that weekend for the
25:09
hammer when I'm just assuming they're not getting that much
25:11
practice throughout the year. Yeah, So we're lucky enough to
25:14
have weight throw indoors and so we train weight indoors.
25:19
Similar movements made. Same movement, but it's.
25:22
Yeah. So we do a lot with that and we
25:24
have a couple of kids who really go all in on it, work in the
25:27
summer with it. We do a little bit in practice
25:31
but overall it becomes we get one meat and they hope to
25:34
qualify and then after the seasons done we push it for
25:37
about 3 weeks before Nashville. So we had, I believe her name is
25:41
Sophie. She's the one of the top women
25:43
girl hammer throwers here. She's competing right now
25:46
actually. And in the earlier she set the
25:49
age group record for hammer. She's part of the Nike Elite
25:51
program. Like that's awesome.
25:52
We had her mom on the on the podcast here and I asked her, I
25:56
was like, so how does that kid get into it?
25:57
She's like, well, I was a hammer thrower and dad was like, oh,
26:00
she showed me pictures of Sophie when she was like 4 years old
26:04
with her own handmade hammer and doing, I mean, and it just shows
26:08
me, you know, as we talk about the hammer internationally and
26:12
allegiance, like, man, if we had more opportunities like you're
26:14
giving these kids, we could be a beast in the hammer just like we
26:17
are in the shop in the discus and a lot of other events.
26:20
Absolutely. There's a lot of untapped
26:22
attention out there that people don't realize, and it can be in
26:25
your school. You just don't know they're.
26:26
There and we're going to get a loud bang.
26:28
We're actually going to be a little quiet because the 200
26:30
meter we'll be doing here, the emerging elite boys 200m is
26:34
about to go off. And you know, the last thing I
26:37
want to do is make a kid false start because my loudmouth says
26:41
something. So we're going to be that.
26:43
Be real quiet here. You'll hear the start of the 200
26:46
here. OK, good, no fault start.
26:53
So it wasn't my fault, wasn't Aaron's fault.
26:55
That's great. Well, I do appreciate what
26:57
you're doing with introducing the hammer two kids because
26:59
again, you know, the earlier the better.
27:01
It can't be early enough, you know, because most of these kids
27:04
aren't going to go do it until they do to high school.
27:06
We'd love for them to get in middle school and elementary and
27:08
things like that. So really love that.
27:10
Now tell me about the 4 by 4 because it's day four and we're
27:13
getting close to into the meet, which means the grateful by
27:16
four. Yeah, you said you got a pretty
27:18
good one. Yeah, so they actually set the
27:21
10th fastest time in the state of Michigan this year at the
27:23
state meet, and they're the. Fastest team from West?
27:25
Michigan too, so of all time. So they're, it's an awesome
27:29
group of kids who have just bought into the system and said
27:33
we're going to do this. And they've all gone together
27:35
and said, we're going to train, we're going to, we're going to
27:37
make this happen. Dude that's awesome.
27:39
What time do they run? They run 345 or something like
27:43
that. So they're in the last, they're
27:44
in the last heat of the championship 4x4, I think.
27:47
Yeah, yeah. Well, you gotta get start
27:49
getting ready. Yeah, we do.
27:51
Aaron, thank you so much, man. We're just so grateful for what
27:53
you do as a track coach. You know, if you don't do what
27:55
you do, I can't do what we do. Right.
27:56
We appreciate you. Thank.
27:57
You. Thank you, man.
27:58
Appreciate you so much. Absolutely Well, that is it all
28:02
good things, even relays have to end.
28:05
And here we are at the end of day 4, the Nike outdoor national
28:08
championships, USATF U20 championships, just amazing
28:12
coaches that we've met all week. Just so grateful and thankful
28:15
for all of them and what they do for our young people and you for
28:18
listening right here on the Gill Connections podcast.
28:20
Hope you enjoyed this. Let me know in the on the
28:23
Twitter or e-mail or smoke signals down in the comments
28:26
below. Down in the description below
28:28
you have my contact information. Let me know if you enjoyed
28:30
these, you know, live on the field, on the track interviews.
28:34
Maybe we'll do some more in the future.
28:36
Thank you so much for being here and press and play.
28:38
Let's do it again next time. See you guys.