The Podcast with Dayna Owen and Kelsey Golz sit down with Coaches Sarah Paulk, Robert Koopmann and Daron Scott from Friendswood High School.
The Podcast with Dayna Owen and Kelsey Golz sit down with Coaches Sarah Paulk, Robert Koopmann and Daron Scott from Friendswood High School.
Speaker 1 Prediction. Six three. Speaker 2 Astros. Yes. Yes. Nine six Astros. Speaker 1 067 Going to. Speaker 3 Go 5 to 2. Speaker 1 Batters to assist. Speaker 2 For sure. Yeah. Speaker 1 I'm going to say 3 to 2. Speaker 2 High school Yankees. Speaker 1 And then it makes sense based on the last two games that. Speaker 3 Two Grand Slams last game. Speaker 2 Yeah. Speaker 1 We'll see. Well, great. Welcome. Robert Koopman, Sarah Pollock, and Darren Scott, I have to tell you so, Sarah, I really struggle with your last name. Well, you say your last name for me. Speaker 3 Park like Paul with a K. Speaker 1 Paul with a K. That's what she said. Okay. Speaker 3 Well, everybody does. And it's so simple. One, two. Speaker 1 Yes. Now everyone knows. Yes. Paul with a K. Yeah. This is. So this is the first time that we have actually had three visitors on the podcast and we only have four mikes. So Kelsey is going to have to sit this one out. But we're so glad all of you were here. We're looking forward to talking about sports and coaches. Speaker 1 And it is an exciting topic for me, actually, for both of us. We both love sports. Kelsey and I played volleyball. I don't know if you know this or not, but I was actually a junior high coach. Did you all know that? Speaker 4 I did not know that either. Speaker 3 Yes. Speaker 1 Yes. It literally took years off of my life. And so I'm amazed that your can do it and do it as well as you do it. Maybe that makes it a little. I don't I don't know that I was that great of a coach. I just had great athletes, so that's why we won all the time. But yeah, that's a little factoid. Speaker 1 Maybe not everybody knew about me, but let's go ahead. The way I want to start out with, I'm going to say, guys, okay. Yes, that includes. Speaker 3 You, my team guys, too. Okay. Speaker 1 Okay. It's kind of universal, right? But we're going to start out with some trivia questions just about sports in general. And and so Kelsey's going to keep up, see who answered who. Speaker 2 Got a little known. Speaker 4 Fact that Robert Koopman is the king of obscure trivia. Speaker 3 Oh, I am not. Speaker 2 No pressure is me, right? Yeah, I like that there. And Scott, I'm sorry. Speaker 3 This is quite the opposite. Speaker 1 I have a feeling you're all going to do well with those questions. It's not. Speaker 2 It's not real difficult things. Speaker 1 Yeah, my questions. Okay, so let's start off the first and we'll listen. We have no buzzers. We're not high tech here. It's just raise your hand or go ding, ding, ding. That you have the answer. Speaker 2 And. Speaker 1 You just kind of say the answer. Speaker 4 So it wasn't on the script. By the way, this is like. Speaker 2 My kind of. Speaker 4 Pressure, right? Right at the beginning to. Speaker 2 Say, hey, I'll let. Speaker 1 You know that most of the things I'm going to ask you were not on when I gave you straight. I don't like everybody to know the answers. I'm not going to talk about anything that you don't have answers for. It's about your life. It's about what you do. It's about what you've been doing for years and what your passion is. Speaker 1 So I just don't like scripted answers for the most part. Speaker 4 I trust your. Speaker 2 Lead. Yes. Speaker 1 Thank you, Daryn. I appreciate that. Okay. Here we go. What is the diameter of a basketball hoop in inches? Speaker 2 I know two basketballs can fit in it. Two basketballs can go in at the same time. I can, Yeah. Speaker 1 Okay. You're not going to you're not know come up with your own questions here. Speaker 2 But that's how you use the question to discuss diameter. The thought I would say 29. Anyone else. Speaker 3 I'll say 26, 1818. Speaker 1 Daryn, don't let your eyes room on this in this direction. Place sheet. I'm not saying that. Yes, all the seats are 18. Speaker 3 Oh, we are waiting. Speaker 4 I did not look okay. Speaker 1 Well, that was a good second guess. Speaker 3 We just take it a little bit to remember. Speaker 1 Do I ever? Yes. Yes. What sport is known as the king of sports horse racing. Okay. We're going to pass on that. Soccer. Soccer? Yes, yes, yes, yes. That was good. You said it. You said it. Speaker 3 Did say it before. Speaker 2 You never heard of that? I've heard it a bunch of things. It's a. Speaker 3 Universal sport. So. Yeah. Speaker 2 Beautiful sport. I've always heard of it. Yeah. Speaker 1 Triple Crown Award is given to the horse that wins. Which three races? Speaker 3 Preakness. Speaker 2 Kentucky Derby. Speaker 4 Preakness. Belmont. Speaker 1 Okay, you. Speaker 3 That was a group effort. Speaker 1 Great way to go, team. Who has more tennis Grand Slam titles? Venus. Ah, Serena. Speaker 2 Serena, Serena. Speaker 1 Okay. They all got that white boxer fight against Muhammad Ali and one. Speaker 2 Kid, Norton beating Joe Frazier. Joe Frazier beating. Speaker 1 Joe Frazier decides going to have to get that one in. Last question. Speaker 2 Did not meet him also. Speaker 1 Okay. Speaker 4 Well, obscure. Speaker 1 Resources do not say anyone other than Joe Frazier, but I believe you Coupe. Speaker 4 Who was at that fight, by the way. Speaker 2 I think he gets points. Speaker 1 Just for that. Speaker 2 Way. And Joe did it by the My own Bleeder. Okay, let's go. Speaker 1 I can't end that either. Which golf tournament did Tiger Woods win by 12 strokes, winning his first major. Two masters. The Masters. Kelsey, any idea who won that one? I mean, that was riveting. This guy for the win. Congratulations. Speaker 3 Because he cheated and. Speaker 2 Won and so on. The first one, I. Speaker 1 Would like to say that the Education Foundation, they don't even know this yet, but they donated a hat. Speaker 3 He can have it in here. Speaker 1 Every coach to have. Speaker 4 This exciting right. I'm a I'm going to wear this Friday night. Speaker 2 Good. There you go. Speaker 4 You always have to wear a hat, even know where I am. Speaker 1 That's exactly right. Well, congratulations on that win. Well, that's important. Speaker 3 Yeah. Speaker 4 Yeah. Speaker 2 Which again, we're. Thank you there. Speaker 1 So as we were trying to prepare for this, we actually created a little poster with a QR code and put it all around the high school or around the athletic area. And I have to say the results were extremely. Speaker 2 That was about I. Speaker 3 Sent it to my program. But you did well, see if they said be nice, though. Speaker 1 It was it was underwhelming. I have to say. Speaker 2 The results that we received, I do want. Speaker 1 To I do want to give a shout out to the athletes who. Speaker 2 Responded. Speaker 1 Kate Wilton, Justin Floyd and Jared Yawn. Speaker 2 Oh, yeah, I guess I could see the. Speaker 1 Yeah, yeah, Yes, but I do I do want to say because I don't want to pass this up because I think it's very nice what the, what they did have to say and how important you are in their lives. But one of the questions we asked, So what's the, what's the best part of practice for you? They love Coach Coop. Speaker 1 This goes you basically they look one on ones Coach hair is cut drills and when the D-line and O-line do pads, I'm sure you know what that means. So do the worst part. I'm sure this can go across the board for all athletes in general conditioning sprints is one. Guys did say he's a bigger guy. So when it comes to special teams, they don't do a lot during that time. Speaker 1 So maybe you could come up with something for them to do when you're. Speaker 2 Pretty excited about that. Speaker 1 That was it. That was his suggestion. And so we asked them, I care what they think of me, and we asked them to give a response 1 to 5, 100% of the athletes said they absolutely care what you think about them. 100% of them say that they work hard as athletes. They hate it when they mess up. 100% of them answered that they cannot stand messing up in front of their coaches and that that you are appreciated as a coach by them, that they look up to you. Speaker 1 So and I we've some of their questions throughout this podcast so and we'll move on to some of those questions so we thought it would be interesting to hear from them and deal to still think about doing surveys like Anonymous surveys each year, just asking them those kind of questions or finding out what's important to them or what. Speaker 2 You didn't say anything that probably surprised any of us. No. I mean, you know, no kid I've known in 30 plus years has ever said, I want to go mess up. Right. I mean, they they have high standards and yeah, and. Speaker 1 They're hard on. So they want to do well. Speaker 3 Yeah, we do end of the year meetings, but it's not anonymous. So they like we go through some of that stuff and they tell us things they like, things they don't like. Speaker 1 Oh you interview with and just them and the. Speaker 3 Coach us and the coaching. Speaker 2 Staff, we coaching staff, exit interviews and we also meet. We meet twice a year with our kids, same the position coaches and cook and just to kind of get a feel tell them where they're standing, what's going on. We ask them, what do you think you need to work on and things. Speaker 1 So that's great. Yeah. Speaker 4 I mean, above that, you know, I mean, even, you know, when you get to those, there's kids that have been in your program three or four years, junior seniors, you know, you're actually asking them, you know, in real time during practice or during a game, hey, what's going on? Right. What can we do different? You know, what? Speaker 2 We do it on the sidelines. I mean, it's one of the I tell people in they've asked me what our success is built on. I'm said we trust our kids and the kids trust us. And, you know, we're on the sideline. We'll ask kids, what do you see? What do you think we need to do? And we'll do it if they if they can on the suggestion, we'll do it. Speaker 2 And so I think there's that trust that that comes from working with each other every day. Speaker 1 Yeah, that's true. It's not just that one time that you ever just sit down and talk with that that athlete, which that's an and that's a great thing that y'all take the time to sit down. I would think on their end they feel heard. They feel like at least they're given a chance and an opportunity to kind of voice their, you know, what they need from you or what they want to get better at or whatever it is that, you know, the discussion. Speaker 2 That you have benefits, speaking strictly for football is as a head football coach, I have a little freedom to wander around the field where a position coach does it. You know, coach role is going to coach quarterbacks. He's with those guys and I've been known to discuss a few things that aren't football related, you know? Sure, I practice a kids standing back there and you go back and talk to him right when you just start talking and and things. Speaker 2 And so, you know, I have that ability as the head coach to to kind of wander around that that maybe a sophomore coach doesn't have, which is do coaches and things like that. Speaker 4 I know, too, that when I was coaching, you know, sometimes it's good to give them perspective, you know, so we might do a a late game drill where, you know, I'll take a senior and they're actually the coach. They're they're kind of managing the last minute of a game or something like that. And oftentimes they'll come back and look for a coach. Speaker 4 That was really hard. I didn't think about 20 things that you have to think about in that time. And it it kind of shows them that, hey, there is a lot that goes into this, you know, and we're not just, you know, that's why we practice these scenarios. So when we get to them, you know, we, you know, we can make the best decision. Speaker 3 Yeah, I have a couple kids who are coaching, volunteering with Little League, are not Little League, but city league volleyball. So, like, they don't listen to us. They don't like. Speaker 1 Well. Speaker 2 The first thing you do continues forward. You know, come back. They just don't listen to that. Speaker 3 What makes them realize. Speaker 1 What a great thing you should almost have to make your athletes be a coach of something at some point in time and they realize how you know very quickly that it's not as easy as they think you know that it is. Speaker 4 They might need to be an official to. Yes. Yes. Speaker 3 We may we may need to be unofficial sometimes. Speaker 1 Yeah. Parents having to be official. Yes. I hate to go off on on that so I can't and and Cade, my voice were both athletes and I was at this I don't even know what the girls gym here at the old junior high and I'll never forget it peer wise Didn't know him yet, but he was refereeing and I was being quite vocal in that body is a call your I look back and I'm it's absurd how I mean Caden was an excellent basketball player but it was really ridiculous looking back how I think I envisioned myself screaming and I'll never forget Larry Harvey said his. Speaker 2 Name from the past. Speaker 1 Yeah, listen, he completely changed me after that. He said that what he realized when he was yelling in the stands is that he was making it only about himself and not about his child. And that is the last thing I ever wanted. Like I really thought I was maybe firing my kid up or come on, You know. Speaker 2 Supporting I'm protecting. Speaker 1 Protecting him. I think protecting him when you're screaming at the ref, I it's absurd. But I realize in that moment there was something about that that really does make it about you. And that stopped that behavior, you know, out of me immediately. Speaker 4 You know, I think the other thing that's what people don't see, you know, just speaking about the three of us is a lot of times we we know the officials, we talk with them with the games. Yeah. We you know, we'll talk with them after the games. They have conversation with us. So, you know, Yeah. You know, we'll get you know, our temperature may go up during the game or something like that. Speaker 4 But but we have these people time and time again. So there is a relationship. Yeah, it's a little different between coaches and officials than it might be with parents and officials. Speaker 2 We pick them in football and that's what people don't understand, is that me and the opposing coach negotiate what official we're going to use. Speaker 1 Yeah. Speaker 2 And so like the other night, I mean, I got a Sunday morning, I got an email from officials saying they blew it. I mean, there was a call that was big right for the half and I might have been screaming at him. I don't know. But, you know, he looked at me on the field. Dwight had didn't goes. Speaker 2 I promise you I'll get back with you if we were off. And he did and he did. And so but this like, you know, when my son was playing Little League football, the same guys that were calling Friday nights were calling league football, and they look at me on the sideline, I'm go, yeah, you know, I mean, me with my son, you know, and you try and tell some of the parents, look, these guys just called a6a they might have called Katie Woodland's last night. Speaker 2 Right right out here. Call him a ten year old game right now. Speaker 1 Really? It's the same. Speaker 2 Yeah. Yes. Yeah, there's not that many. And so, yeah, they probably make more money on a weekend doing the Little League. I mean, they did call in the Katie Woodland's game so yeah it's the same guys and Thursday night we see them Friday night we see them we you know we like I said, you know, basketball. I worked so many basketball games I get to know the basket. Speaker 2 Those are those guys, right? You know, just coming in and taking care of. Speaker 1 Yeah, I'm sure, sir. It's the same for you. Like, you know, all the refs and, you know, pick them. Speaker 3 Also, we for playoffs, we get more of an input and we can pick the ones we don't want so we can scratch them, right? We don't get to specifically pick hey, this game, I want these, but we get a little like we can pick our big games and they usually give us the better refs. Speaker 1 MM Do you see that some rest goes to the same sports like some maybe do basketball? Speaker 2 Quite a few basketball football guys. Speaker 3 There's some volleyball. Speaker 2 Well, there's quite a few football. Baseball guys and they'll do it. So one of my favorite things I like hearing even in the gym or something like that, when like when you're paying the refs and I'm like, we do. We cut them in check. Yeah, we have to. That's someone you know, pays them. Yeah, you know. Speaker 1 Yeah, yeah. And I know it doesn't matter what year it is. I'm sure parents are. That's not even written down for us to talk about. So I'll just. I'll, I'll move on, because that could be a whole session in itself on, you know, parents. But there is a question later on about parenting. I did want to start with how did you become interested? Speaker 1 That was Coop's phone that accidently just slammed down. I do want to say, since we're acknowledging maybe some noises that you might hear in the Background Series, really struggling with some allergies right now. So you might also. Speaker 3 Try not to sneeze directly into the microphone every October. It gets me. Yeah. Speaker 1 So, yeah, we're sorry. We're all we're so glad you're here and that you're still doing the podcast because we know there are a lot of athletes and parents who would love to hear from the girl's side as well. So thanks for being here. Speaker 2 Of course. Speaker 1 So if you don't mind, just kind of discussing a little bit about how you how you became a coach and why or what influence someone had on you. We love to hear about it. Coach, you want to go first? Speaker 2 I'm the old guy, okay? I've told the story a hundred times. I tell when kids come. Probably told your son when he asked me what it was, be the coach. I came home in seventh grade and I told my mom, Those guys get paid to coach. That's what I'm going to do. And I never really like I mean, in high school I was coaching ten, 11, 12 year old baseball when I went to college. Speaker 2 I'd come home in the summer and coach are you know, I grew up in a small town and Hitchcock had Coach Our Pony called Kids three or four. Those guys are coaching now once the head coach and Hitchcock still have great relationships with some of those guys I coached from back there. One's a board member in Hitchcock and I mean that. Speaker 2 That's all I want to do is and you know, we were the nerds and, you know, there's different kinds of nerds. We were two guys that eight 1 hours a day and M we would get clipboards, me and a couple of good guys, and we would act like scouts so we could sneak into local high school game. Oh, there you go. Speaker 2 Right. On Friday nights, you know, we'd be we're in game, we're watching them, you know. And so it was always. Speaker 4 That's going in my notes. COOPER Yeah. Speaker 2 It's nothing I you know, as I get Intel into my career, you know, I've told my wife a couple of times that I, I don't know what's next in my life, but it seems like there should be something because this is what I've done. It seemed like since I was 12. Speaker 1 Yeah, that's what you were made to do, we would say. Speaker 2 And there were a couple couple of coaches that I just loved. And in high school I was the guy hanging around in the coach's office with the coaches in a different time. You know, I was going to the store to buy their Winstons and their marbles, you know, it's a different Yeah, different. I mean, they smoked all sherm. Speaker 2 They came out of halftime smoking cigarets and things. And so I was at the fieldhouse and it's just, it's just, it's what I've always done is I'm never there's never anything I've ever wanted to do different. Speaker 1 Which in some ways, you know, it's, I had always the same way I always wanted to be a schoolteacher, not necessarily coaching, but I wanted to teach. And, you know, you look as you have kids grow up and trying to figure out what they want to be, you really have it a lot easier in life if, like both of us, we always knew what it is that we wanted to be. Speaker 1 Man, what a gift that is because there are some kids that struggle. Speaker 2 Well, I tell them all the time when they ask me, Should I? Kojonup And no, I told your son this one. I said, My I'm never going to work, right? So I'm not to be 60 years old. I've never gone to work. I've gone to school. And there's a big difference in my life, in my opinion, from going to school, being with kids and fields and kids, then putting on stilettos or whatever, going to the office and things like that. Speaker 2 Yeah. Speaker 3 Yeah. For me, I, I mean, I played all sports growing up and I got to my last year in college playing volleyball and I knew I didn't want to be done with the sports world. So I reached out to one of my coaches and was like, Do you have a job opening? And he did. But I think my biggest thing was I had some really good coaches, but I also had some coaches that were not really good. Speaker 3 And I it made a huge impact on me in a negative way and I always wanted to be the opposite of that, right? So I wanted to make sure, you know, whoever I coached didn't have that kind of experience because not that I had a ton of bad experiences, but some of them were not great, and I just really wanted to make sure that the kids I was around didn't have that well. Speaker 1 And that can be just as important, right? You know who you don't want to be. And so, you know, that's a huge lesson. As much as seeing someone that you love and you want to emulate and be like, you know, So yeah. Speaker 4 And then for me, you know, we're sitting in this old junior high, as it's so eloquently called, but, you know, seventh grade was my, you know, first, you know, basketball experience at the school level. And Rick Smith was my seventh Grade B coach. And then I went on to Larry Bain's, Johnny Shear, my ninth grade year. Steve Van Meter was actually my JV basketball coach. Speaker 4 And and then Mark Raffone was. And so I had all these pretty influential men in my life that I just I loved all the elements that they kind of offered me, you know, growing up and, and I just like I just told myself I want to be part of that kind of the way Coop said. I want to I want to have, you know, influence in that way. Speaker 4 And, you know, I remember, you know, so I was kind of a I had a temper when I was playing in my sophomore year. I had gotten three or four technical fouls and which is a lot, you know, for, you know, in the season wasn't even over. And I remember Mark Fine, he's the he's the head basketball coach. Speaker 4 He comes and gets me out of class and he says, Scott, if you get one more technical foul, you're never going to play for me again. And I just went, Oh my God, that that shook me. But he told me a hard thing and I listened to it and I changed and I loved, love, love playing for Mark. Speaker 4 And, you know, he's still he's my principal now, which is, you know, in all aspects of coach, you know, Coop is influencing me, you know, all the time. He's a coach. You know, Sarah and I, we're almost like teammates. And so it doesn't just, you know, stop in one place or with sports. It's it's something that kind of permeates, you know, all parts of your life. Speaker 1 So I heard you say, same with you. You got texts. I got texts on a regular basis, and you get technicals on a regular. Like, is that something is that a common thread? Speaker 2 I yes, I just, I got the ones I wanted. Yeah. I mean, you know what I'm saying? It was always one of those things that was planned like this new need to take. My team is fired up and fired up. So you. Speaker 1 Were a coach even when you were an athlete, is what I hear. Speaker 2 You say. I never got to take planes. Speaker 3 I didn't get to take Michael. I just know he said. Speaker 2 We had a bad temper. We had this thing called straddle. When I was growing up. And if you got on sportsmanship and football or you got to tag, then you had yeah, you got that. And I was one of those guys who didn't really want that. Speaker 1 But see, here's the fine line, I think, because it shows like it shows passion, aggression. Speaker 2 Yeah, but but don't feel upset And I'm a huge I'm Phillip's guy and it's shows my age because he said just because that guy's screaming on the sideline more me than I mean he wants to win more than I do. Speaker 1 Right. Speaker 2 And you know that's kind of been my deal is that, you know, we're all they're the reason we're coaches. We want to win. That's that's part of this business. If you're not competitive, you really need to go do something else. But, you know, just throwing hats and cake and benches and all that doesn't prove that he wants to win more than I. Speaker 2 Right. But I was always come. I mean, I never did. I'm I'm 100% sure. I never got to take I found out a lot of games. Yeah right, right. I raised my hand five times. Speaker 2 But yeah, I didn't get any texts, you know. Speaker 4 And I calmed down a ton, you know, I mean, if you watch. Speaker 3 That wasn't hard for me to believe. Speaker 4 Yeah. If you watch me, coach now, you know, I'm pretty. Pretty even keel. And there are times, just like, you know, where you got to, you know, you you want to be in defense. Speaker 2 Thank you. College of the Fish will know that. Hey, you know. Right, right, right. Speaker 3 I feel like I'm just always trying to fight for my kids and whatever, you know, arena It is like if it's with the referee, then it's with the referee. I'm just trying to fight for my kids. Speaker 1 Very interesting. So what do you think? What are some skills that you think coaches need to possess to be successful in their role? So let's say there are some college kids that they think they want to be coaches. What would you tell them? What what skills do they need? Speaker 4 I'll say, first of all, we need you. Yes, we need young coaches. We you know, it's we need your passion. We need your enthusiasm. You know, I mean, the three of us probably can't, you know, demo as many drills as we could, you know, 20 years ago. And we need those young coaches because they they bring an energy and they're usually not too far removed, you know, from the 17 and 18 year also are coaching which which gives them, you know, a little validity in what they're doing. Speaker 4 But but it's also I know that you know, the coaches that that we you know, when I was coming through Max Crowell, you know, he was he was way influential in my life and bringing me along. And so like these the you know, if there was a campaign we could run to bring new coaches in and young coaches in, I'd say, come on, it's a it's a great profession to be a part of. Speaker 4 It's hard, but it has it has. You walk home and feel like you haven't worked, just like you pointed out. Speaker 2 Yeah, but. Speaker 3 I think some of the skills that you I mean organization as big being able to multitask and time management is huge and then just caring being you know caring about the kids and it's for them and and not you. I think those are a couple of the things. Speaker 2 I think job one is you have to be a teacher. You have to love the classroom because every one of us was in the classroom. And, you know, I tell people all the time I've had college coaches sit in my office and say, Man, I'm making so little money to coach in Division three. In Division two, I'd like to get in high school football, especially in Texas, but I don't want to teach. Speaker 2 And I kept thinking that was the fun part. I mean, teaching anatomy for me was like that was also. And so but I've always, you know, we went to listen and one of my mentors was getting Gary Carney. I coach with him for ten years. He's retired now. I still visit with him and we his here was Bill Walsh, famous night 49 ers won Super Bowls and we fly out to Stanford to visit with Bill Walsh and watch coaches do. Speaker 2 And it's hard to believe, but, you know, I could go visit with any coach in America if I just let them know. And I remember him going, you know, I've just understood the coaches sit there and scream because I've never heard a math teacher scream when someone got it wrong. And and so you've got you've got to embrace the teaching. Speaker 2 You've got to embrace because that's what you're doing on the field. You're you're you're just carrying that out on the field and you know, you've got to be patient. I mean, their kids are kids. And one thing in my 37 years in this business was kids haven't changed. Kids haven't changed, society's changed on them. Technology has changed on them. Speaker 2 Parents might have changed, kids haven't changed and they don't want to screw up and they screw up because everyone in this room screwed up when they were 16 years old. And so you've got to have patience when you've got to have the ability to overlook those things. And, you know, Bobby Knight said it best, don't set rules because then you got to enforce them, right? Speaker 2 I mean, every kid's different. And so, you know, I'm going to punish you differently, that I'm going to punish them because there might have a history of doing a lot of wrong things that you don't. I just think patience and understanding is a big part of this profession. Speaker 1 How do you think that you've changed? So you've been coaches, you know, for a while, looking back on your first year, your second year, or. Speaker 2 How do you still carry a title anymore? Speaker 1 No, that's true. Speaker 3 You don't? Yeah, I've definitely gained a lot more patience. Yeah, the beginning I was just out of college playing and I expected everyone to be like me and they're not at all. So just learning how to coach different types of kids. Patience is a big thing that I've gained over the years. Speaker 1 And not only patience, I think. I don't know, maybe this has it changed over time, but it seems as if knowing your athletes individually and what a difference that can make in seeing with your kids if you have kids. I mean, I don't talk to Cade about one thing that he doesn't need help with that can and does. Speaker 1 Like just knowing your athletes, you know, knowing what their weaknesses are or how they need to be encouraged or challenged, you know, in that moment, I think is is huge. But maybe some young coaches start off with that. But what growth do you see that you've. Speaker 4 And I think I think you realize that you know you can correct and you know do all these things during practice. But you know you really the relationships really turn when you're sitting in the bleachers waiting on the next game or you're just kind of sitting, you know, maybe and even in a hotel lobby, you know, where you're out of town on a tournament and you're just kind of talking with three or four of them. Speaker 4 Then you really get to know each other and, you know, and then you'll see the next week things change or they might come to you more, Hey, coach, this is going on. And you, you know, might be able to to go to them and go, hey, I see this, you know, hey, tell me about tell me what's going on. Speaker 4 And, you know, it's the slow things like that that you realize the longer you coach, that those those are the important pieces that you need. Speaker 2 And I think coming from the different sports that I've coached baseball of coach basketball, those tournament times give you that opportunity in some of those sports we might not get in football because football is regimented. Friday night, we see them Saturday, they go home. Coaches Day are coaches come back Sunday, but you don't have a lot of that downtime of just visiting because, you know, I I've killed 4 hours out of six pizza before that's. Speaker 1 Close one. Speaker 2 Basketball team right Yeah well I mean and you're entertaining right? You got you got you know I mean one of the best things that ever happened to me was when I became a girls basketball coach. You know, I was in September. I was the boys assistant in Santa Fe and our girls basketball coach got ill and they came to me on a Friday and said, Monday, you're the head girls basketball coach. Speaker 2 And I'm like, I don't want to. They said, You're that girl's basketball coach. And it turned out to be awesome. Like, I mean, coaching girls was awesome, but you're talking about different. Oh, yeah. I mean, but in a good way. Girls. I'll take you literally, you know. You know, you need to go stay in here and then you're like, Why didn't you start over here? Speaker 2 You told me to stay in right here, you know, But I think that's all to, you know, just kind of bring a different element into coaching is, is is when I went over and coach girls do that but you just don't, you know football we don't have the luxury of doing that and that's when you get to know me. Speaker 2 That's kind of why I really enjoy just kind of wandering around the practice field sometimes being the old man, talking to the kids just kind of get a feel for where they're at. Speaker 1 Yeah, it's so important, you know, And I would think for them, it's important for them to feel like you know them. Yeah. To as much as you feel like you know your athlete well. Speaker 4 Everyone wants to be known. Speaker 2 Right? Speaker 4 I mean, everyone, you know the things I have to wooden benches that sit outside of my classroom and there's probably a group of teachers that we sit out there and when they when these kids are coming by and coming into our classroom, you know, we call them by name. Hey, Joe, how you doing? You know? Hey, Gretta, how you doing? Speaker 4 And when you're known that way, it matters. And when those kids feel known, it, it changes the relationship. And, you know, like Wynkoop said, you know, you got 100 new freshmen coming in. It's hard to get around and get to know everybody. And it takes time. And, you know, it may not be until their sophomore junior year when you finally have that breakthrough. Speaker 4 Sara and I, you know, have the benefit of having smaller numbers, but it does. But I know every coach is passionate about getting to know every one of their kids. Speaker 1 You would not be in this business. Well, several things. I don't think you would be in this business if you didn't care for kids. And I don't think you would make it, you know, like you wouldn't. You just wouldn't make it. I mean, kids, kids know. They know. Then you can't fake it, right? Speaker 3 Yeah. So I thought my hardest day of the year, the day of tryouts because we have to get kids and and I do not enjoy it and no one enjoys it. And it's tough. I mean, you're essentially killing some kid's dream, but, you know, it's also part of our job. But I hate it. So, yeah. Speaker 2 That's what I didn't like being a head girls basketball coach. Now the cutting was on me right? You know, and I even devises plan. Each girl got an envelope. Speaker 3 There's no. Speaker 2 Way. There's no way I to be a girl. I believe that they could read in private. You know, I seen the posted on the walls and I can. And I actually witnessed one time when I first got to Friendswood, we posted boys basketball and it was his two twins who I love. They were in my biology class also, and we're still coaching football. Speaker 2 And the dad walked up with an arm around both of them and they looked and saw the list and they just deflated. You know what I'm thinking? Just so just, you know, we have to do it. I mean, this is the harshness of it all. But how do you do it? Respectfully and dignified. Yeah, it's being on me. Speaker 2 You know, that's one of my mandates as athletic that do not post list. We're not going to post list of who made it, who didn't even by numbers, right? Speaker 3 Yeah. We started trying to. Speaker 2 Meet with kids. Speaker 3 Two years ago, meeting with kids individually, all of them. And it's so hard, especially the kids you form relationships with. But but I think it means more to them. But it's it's so it never gets easier and so hard. I tried it. Speaker 4 And I think too that, you know, our our coaches are willing to walk through a hard thing with them. And that's I mean, that's part of relationship. You can't just have the good things and you got to fight the hard things too. And I think and maybe I've experienced this too, you know, I've, I've cut girls before, you know, in the girls basketball program. Speaker 4 But, you know, to turn around maybe during the season and see them in the stands. Oh, yeah, that that for me is a is a win because while that was a hard thing and you know, we experienced maybe some, you know, some hard things in that relationship, it was it totally dissolved and there was more to it than that. Speaker 4 It stood on a firmer foundation because of that relationship prior. And there they are cheering us on. And that's a win. Speaker 2 And I think parents and everyone is done that has seen coaches agonize for two or 3 hours over two kids. And I've seen baseball coaches sit around that table in that office in disgust till 7:00 at night. Why they should keep this one and not this one and then go back and go, well, what if we keep this one and not this one? Speaker 2 I mean, it comes easy. You lose sleep over it. Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 1 What? What do you want? Your to know? Because, like, you know, if you think about not just about you as a coach, but what do you want athletes to take away from sports in? How do you want how do you think that that fits in to just life in general being And I. Speaker 2 Tell parents all the time, our only goal is for these kids to be employable five years after they graduate. I'm 37 years. I've had one kid play an NFL and one for one year. You know, no NBA year. You know, I mean, it's hard. I mean, and so so, you know, if you go play in college, really, it's all about what am I doing to be employed in five years? Speaker 2 Because that's what we're here for. I mean, the only reason we're here for is to prepare them for life. And, you know, hopefully, hopefully the work ethic comes in to the the dedication that come, you know, when the last meeting I always have with our seniors, I said, you've proven one thing. You've proven you can show up on time, you've proven you can do the hard work, you can come in on Saturday, you can do those things. Speaker 2 And if you can carry that to your life through your family and everything else, then, then, then we've won something here. You know, you've shown that you can do these things and you know, it's not my first head coach. You might see late. Hugh Massey First thing he told me was Never be late because you're the easy guy to fire. Speaker 2 Yeah. And so, you know, I taught you tell kids be on top, job won't be on top. Speaker 1 Isn't that interesting what we what sticks with us because you know, you've been told a hundred things by 100 people. It's interesting to me the things that kind of stick with this, but. Speaker 3 I always tell my kids that and their parents. I got parent meeting that. I want them to learn stuff to be a better mom and a better wife and a better leader and their business or whatever they choose to do. So that's that's goal is to just make them better people. Speaker 4 We just want to lead kids better than we found them. Yeah, You know, we all want that experience and you know, we, I think we can we could sit here for a few days and discuss all our our success stories. And we're hoping, you know, looking at these kids, that we had a a small impact. You know, I can look at Mark Griffen and go he had a huge impact. Speaker 4 But I can also look at the guy I mentioned, you know, earlier, Larry Barnes, who was my eighth grade B coach, who, you know, there was just little things that he changed about me and how to, you know, work harder and how to approach, you know, making the team and things like that that were just influential. So we hope we do have some impact. Speaker 2 But I also think across all even bands, your league and all of those things, you know, I have a sneaky suspicion when they get back into them because we do in my class reunions, we're not talking about that day in chemistry class and we're not talking about the newspaper, right? We're talking about the time we went to Bay City and almost upset number one team. Speaker 2 And we're talking about, you know, and that's what the kids are going to be talking about. And that's what is part of social media that's hurt us, is we somehow cheapen the high school athletic experience that somehow if you're not going to go get a full ride, that somehow it wasn't worth it, Right? When to me, the four years of high school athletics stands on its own. Speaker 2 It's a chapter of your life. And, you know, how do we make that positive and how do we how do we kind of bring that back to this is worthy no matter what. You know, what the end is going to be, right? You know, these four years, you are not program or worthy. And those are the things you're gonna be talking about ten years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now. Speaker 1 But I think sometimes as a parent, you know, I know for me you love sports so much and you have such a passion for it. You just want to see it continue into college. You know, it's not like I never saw my kids as professional athletes or anything. It's just there are so many benefits to being an athlete in a university and how you're kind of taken care of and and. Speaker 2 Your. Speaker 1 You know what I'm saying? Like, you already have a place, a team that you get to automatically be with. I know that was disappointing. You never know who's going to make it, how they're not going to make it, you know, truly to how much the kid wants it, obviously. Yeah. Speaker 3 But it's really hard to do. I played Division one sports like my entire, you know, the whole time. And it's it is really hard to do And I don't think a lot of kids realize that also. But there is a lot that comes with it. But I think there's a lot that comes with any stage that, you know, the high school experience that if you do happen to play in college, not experience. Speaker 3 But yeah, it's it's definitely hard. Yeah. Speaker 1 And are there any skills just still talking about athletes like what do you want athletes to know? Like what would you say are top skills that kids need to be a good athlete, a strong athlete, a successful? Speaker 2 I think we need to work hard. I mean, you know, when we've all had the kid that had more talent, but wasn't willing to work and you have the kid who's not and I tell parents this and every parent mean to. But, you know, athletics isn't a politically correct world. Some kids are so blessed genetically that they don't have to work hard and your kid's just working his tail off and I can still going to be better. Speaker 2 But that might be the way to work is to I mean, you might go to a firm and the owner son might be in front of you and you know, you're outworking him probably better than him. You know that that's just life isn't fair in athletics. You know, we live in a world where we want everything to be just perfect and fair, and everyone's got the great opportunity. Speaker 2 You know what I always tell when we go play Port Arthur Memorial a couple weeks, they're really fast. They're not going to handicap them. No one's going to feel sorry for us. We got to figure out our way, do it. And I think that's what athlete you try to take that the athletics like, you know, you got to find a way, know if I'm playing basketball and I'm six three and I got six five, I got to find a way to compete with that guy or it's going to be embarrassing. Speaker 2 You know, those are the things that athletics can teach you to move forward. Speaker 3 Yeah, I think I said this a couple of times. My kids just the other day, like when it gets really hard and you can either stop pushing or you can keep going. And like when you have to wake up at 3 a.m. with your newborn baby, it's really hard. So you, you know, you can either keep pushing or you can say, I can't do this. Speaker 3 So I think it's just learning how to push through uncomfortable things. Also. Speaker 1 Do you think it's coaches responsibility to motivate their athletes? Speaker 2 Yeah, I mean, yeah, to an extent, yeah, to an extent. You know, you know, the kids and you know your kids, you know how to motivate them. You know, some kids you don't need to motivate, you know, you know, some you do you know you know my my love is offensive line play and those are those lug nuts are a whole different world. Speaker 2 Right? I mean, they're not going to be the ones Kareem and whoop an island but you kind of look at them till they're ready to play. You know, they're going to work hard. And so it is your job to motivate them, is your job to read your team. It's your job to know when you need to get on them, when you don't need to, you know, when you put your arm around them, which is all part of motivation in my mind. Speaker 2 It is your job as a coach, but as a coach, you can only do so much, right? It's not all on the coach, right? Right. Yeah, it's not. Speaker 4 Yeah, very few people can, you know, are self-disciplined enough. Train themselves. We all need, you know, a boss or we need a trainer or we need a coach to, to, you know, get us going to motivate us to, you know, hey you, you are capable of doing more than you think you can just when you think you can stop, I see that you can do more. Speaker 4 And that's that's the influence of a coach. And when a when an athlete is able to, you know, say, hey, I trust you and I'm going to trust you with, you know, with my my skill set and, you know how to get me to the next level, whether that's, you know, from a non starting spot to a starting spot or from, you know, this level to the college level, any of those things, when they're coachable and they trust, they trust you, that's a that's a big asset for any successful program. Speaker 1 Yeah. Working hard I think is huge and I like that what you just said, being coachable, that is huge and it takes you have to humble yourself. I don't know how often you all talk about that. Speaker 2 But I think that's a big. Speaker 1 Part of it. Speaker 2 I ran through very few kids who were uncomfortable, who became coachable. It's almost like it's an innate trait, right? Speaker 1 That it's almost immaturity. Speaker 2 And so you're right in my immaturity. Speaker 1 Yeah. Speaker 2 But, you know, you can talk with kids, you can cajole kids, you can tell them you got to start doing this. It didn't stay. It's a decision they have to make to be coachable, right? Speaker 1 Oh, yes. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. It would you say what you say is the hardest part about what you do as a coach? I mean, would it would it be for me as a teacher, it was getting through with those kids that I just didn't feel like I could get through to or, you know, What do you think is. Speaker 2 The overall more personal level for me? Because football's a different animal and the fact that we work seven days a week from August till we're done. I've missed a lot of Sunday lunches with my family, you know, of of my wife's birthday and my sons are smack dab in the middle of it. But like, there came this way. Speaker 2 My wife this week, my son's birthdays this week. Speaker 3 My daughter's. Speaker 2 Two. And I don't know how many times I tell my wife I will make this up to you at some point in our life. Yeah, right. I just can't do it now. And so, you know, people don't realize. I don't think, you know, we've got families, too. And sometimes it seems like I'm raising other kids and sometimes forget them. Speaker 2 So to me, that's been the hardest part. And I got married late in life and my son late in life. So might give me a different perspective on it than a 23 year old who's just trying to survive. Speaker 3 Yeah, I think one of the same things back on him that one of the hardest thing, like my daughter's birthday is tomorrow and we play my email away so I won't see her. And I think not only that, like, but I don't know if a lot of people really realize how much time we put into it, how much things we miss with our kids, and then how much we get judged when we do one little thing, you know? Speaker 3 So I think that's probably the hardest part of coaching is to figure out, you know, that it's not always about you when you know someone's mad about something and it's not personal. But like I put so much time into your kids, I've messed up with my kids and you're still you're still, you know, treating me like this. But but also they get comes with that, too. Speaker 3 You know, when we won a huge game and a kid comes back in five years and says, I remember that game. I remember how you made me feel, it makes it worth it. But it's definitely really, really hard to miss personal things. Speaker 4 You know? And I think there is, you know, there's a cost to every job, right, that you want some cost. And saying to a job. But, you know, when you start talking about your family and the cost of that, that it makes a big difference. And it's you know, the truth is that my kids and their kids and my wife has sat in the stands and they hear they hear stuff about me. Speaker 4 And we've we've shed a lot of tears over, you know, our little kitchen table about that. And it's and it's you know, I know coach on on our staff not one woke up that morning to offend a kid to offend the parent, you know, or anything like that. They I just I wish people could really see how genuinely passionate they are about every kid's success. Speaker 4 And, you know, it it just it it's hard to quantify that and and show people that. But believe me when I tell you and you know, these two would echo that it's it's it's true. It's true about our staff and it's it's way different here And Coop's been in a lot of areas different schools. Sarah has to it's different here in our kids and our coaches are passionate about their kids. Speaker 1 Well, and you can understand this. You have children. You know, you don't as a mom of athletes, you don't want anything to happen to your kids that will break them. You know, in quotes. But then you realize as a parent, though, that those are the growth moments. You know, those are the things that are as a parent, you have to realize they have to work through themselves. Speaker 1 You can't move that big rock on the path form all you can, but you're not helping them. And it's a lot of times, I think as a parent, it's easier to it's much easier to say being frustrated with the coach than it is to maybe. Speaker 3 Your kids struggling in. Speaker 2 Society where you blame the coach. Speaker 1 Right. Because it will. It's easier than my. Speaker 2 I'm talking about Ellis. You just started Georgia on who won the national championship 17 games ago, 17 games ago. He won the national championship and they just parted ways with you. Right. And so, you know, but that's the culture. I think that's always been that way with coaching, right? You're always going to have that. I always laugh. I have the best coaches wife in the world. Speaker 2 Once in my ten years as head coach, as she come to me and said that Pat was out of line, you know, and she goes, That really bothered me. And I always tell parents that that she hears you. I don't I have headsets on. Speaker 1 Can't even imagine what it would be like you and. Speaker 3 Remind you to sit in the corner. Speaker 2 And things. And so, you know, I tell young coaches when they get married, football coaches especially, I said, know, you need to tell your wife right now the time constraints that this is fixing to be. Yeah. And that you're going to be at the fieldhouse and it doesn't cause you don't love her or you don't love your family. Speaker 2 And we're famous for not working a lot of hours. Like I know coaching staffs are nine and 10:00 every night on weeknights. You know, I'm a let's get the work job and let's get it done. Let's get home. And I tell them in. If you have a wife at home who's worried that you're up there on Sundays during the season, you're going to have a long life. Speaker 2 Yeah, it's going to it's going to be tough. Speaker 1 Yeah, they're in it together. I mean, it's definitely, I think, coaches so much. You're just you need a partner that completely supports that. That is your life and what you're kind of put here for. And they can really, I think of their spouses, they can really help you and make life easier. You know. Speaker 2 Or, you know, we share, we talk. Yeah, well, every when we meet in August, I talk to every coach about your spouse has to be on board. Speaker 1 Yeah. Speaker 2 Social media and everything. And if they want to gripe, fan, gripe to you, but don't go to the bank and gripe. Don't go to me and gripe because they see that they see that spouse as part of the coaching staff. And so, you know, those are big things that you you have to you have to stay together all you know. Speaker 4 And spouses, too. You know, I think about my wife in particular, just she was, you know, in some ways an extension of our staff because we'd host, you know, like pregame dinners at our house and things like that. And just to watch her just maneuver around these kids and hug on them and speak encouragement to them, there's those are the kind of the behind the scenes things that no one sees. Speaker 4 But our you know, not only the coach, but our families are even passionate. You know, the yeah, I remember the high school boys when they used to come over and my my daughters, they were really young at the time. They loved it. Speaker 2 I mean. Speaker 4 That was just so cool when those kids, you know, would come over and play on our basketball game. Speaker 2 Yeah. Speaker 3 I was going to say, there's a lot of negative that comes our stress, I should say, to your family, but there's also a lot of positive like the things that my daughter has learned just by watching high school kids and by listening to me coach high school kids or, you know, just being around it is well above our well beyond a lot of kids her age. Speaker 3 So there's a lot of. Speaker 2 Keys to a gym teacher. So, yeah, that helps. There's a lot. Speaker 3 Of positives that kind of like that. So it's you, you know, you trade the negatives for the positives. Speaker 1 Some great memories there that you'll never you would have never gotten in another right job. So yeah that's, that's great. What what are some what are some great things in coaching in sports right now that you see that maybe has changed. Cooper said athletes are kids are still kids, but has anything changed over time? Like I know club sports is a big deal that wasn't always around. Speaker 1 Do you see that? That's made a big difference. Speaker 2 With there's been positives and negatives too, right? And how it affected football as much as the other sports. I've had a whole coach tell me one time football still the only true school sport because there's nowhere else to play it right? If you're gonna play football, you're going to play in the school. I think changes that have been made, recruiting has become huge. Speaker 2 Kids just moved it and impacted us and friends were how. Speaker 1 High school. Speaker 3 Required. So yeah. Speaker 2 It has impacted us and friends well because some teams in other. Speaker 3 Schools, the. Speaker 2 Teams we played have just got loaded. And so, you know, when I when I first got anything for it, Dr. Kennedy, actually when they first changed rules, she goes, they want to get a handle on this. I got to go back to the old rule where you're ineligible for 12 months, no questions asked. Speaker 1 And it wouldn't happen. Speaker 2 Would happen. And, you know, they made it more. And, you know, kids just move. And I mean, they're they're shopping. And I know people don't believe me. People shop the kid around and they want to see great facilities and they want to see winning. And they want to somehow think that if they go there, they can go to Alabama. Speaker 2 And so when you look at some of these, you know, we're not to mention names, but some of these volleyball teams end up with six and seven girls from the same age and the same year in the same year. When, you know, you look at in football all of a sudden. So, you know, I think that Ellen has changed. Speaker 2 I think time that's all come from club sports. It's all come from personal trainers, it's all come from different aspects of kids are just being pulled in so many directions now. And the one thing that shocks me is everyone's trying to make money off these families, right? And I said, Who's that? Who's still the true believers? It's the high school coaches. Speaker 2 It's the people on campus because, you know, I'm not I'm not getting checks from those guys for how many months they play for me and things like that. And so, you know, that has certainly changed. I think the kids are just bigger and stronger. Girls, girls, boys and girls who's bigger, stronger. Yeah, I mean, I we laughed. Some old friends got together and we had an old football program when I was in high school circa 1978, fighting Bulldogs of Hitchcock. Speaker 2 I was the biggest guy at £230. Speaker 1 Right. You wouldn't even that. Speaker 2 Wouldn't even read. You wouldn't even blink. You're I mean, right. I mean, you got seven, eight, nine kids bigger than that. Speaker 1 So it's maybe a dumb question, maybe on it. What is that? Speaker 2 They never nutrition. I think nutrition is a big deal. A lot of it. I think if you look at the just getting real deep into, I think the poverty, you know, poverty levels have gotten smaller and people just get better food, you know, just better everything, better medicine, better prenatal care. I mean, I think it all goes into that. Speaker 2 We're just we're just bigger and stronger. Kids aren't having to go to the factory and work with school and 13 years of age. Right. They very few of our football kids, very few of our athletes have summer jobs. Right? Their summer job is get ready for their sport. Speaker 1 What what percentage of your kids in Friendswood play Multi-sports like is that? Let's talk about that for a second because I know that's I mean, do you do you have. Speaker 2 I. Speaker 1 Remember saying I think by the time you get to high school, by the time you're a sophomore, you kind of need to figure out your sport. I don't know why I said that. It's just kind of one of those things that I felt like I needed to to tell. Yeah, but what if what I. Speaker 3 Think we've built is definitely been a hot topic for the last couple of years, but it changes year to year and you ask for a percentage? I don't know that it changes like this year. My kids, we have a lot of kids that are going to play basketball. Speaker 2 And 10% Yeah, less than 5%. Speaker 3 Probably it's back to like it's it's hard it's really hard to I mean, I played three sports in high school and I remember I drove to Dallas to play a volleyball tournament Friday morning. My mom drove me back. I played a playoff softball game that night. She made a pallet in the back of the car and I drove back Dallas to make a play at 8 a.m. volleyball tournament. Speaker 3 That's hard. Speaker 1 The different sports were going on at the same time. Speaker 3 Oh, yeah, it was. Speaker 2 Club volleyball and. Speaker 3 Softball. So it's really hard. And kids get into a rhythm of, I'm going to do this because I don't want to say it's easy, but, you know, focusing on volleyball, it's consistent. Speaker 2 It's and pre 2000, you didn't have those opportunities. Right. And so I was I was sitting on a football field last week and I say I'm coming into the football coach. When we got in, I said, you know, I watched our entire baseball team go play Ridge Points baseball team on a Wednesday night in October. That's a real issue because they let that happened. Speaker 2 And so if I'm a baseball key and I'm going, well, I'm not going to miss right, I'm going to miss out if I do that, that I'm going to be behind in baseball, right? Yeah. So, you know, those old days where it was this season, this season, this season, football's year round baseball, you're on volleyballs, you're on basketballs year around. Speaker 2 And how are you going to manage that? And then you got the outside influences again saying, well, you know, I'm making a living on 16 year old kids, write me checks by coaching these clubs for I, I quit my job at the plant. You know, I'm training of this sport and I need as many kids writing checks 12 months a year as I can. Speaker 2 And so, you know, you got that pool that's coming from it. It it's not easy playing two sports. Speaker 3 And we tried I mean, we've really tried to convince. Speaker 2 It's not we've been you know, we've we've done a lot of things. And at the end of the day, the families and the kids are making decisions that it's going to be better if I concentrate on the sport or I concentrate on the sport. Speaker 1 Okay, So let's move into I like to always end a podcast with just some random questions and I have some random questions here, if you don't mind. Just kind of going around answering this. If you could go back and change one thing in your life, what would it be? Speaker 2 You? Nothing. Speaker 3 You know, I mean, you learn from all the mistakes you make. But I think one thing I regret not doing is, is this personal thing going to play volleyball overseas? But then I went and met my husband and one of my kids. So, you know, I was like two weeks from leaving and I didn't go. But that's just one little personal thing that I still regret. Speaker 4 You know, that's interesting. I mean, when you said nothing, I was like. Speaker 2 Yeah. Speaker 4 But in a lot of ways it's true. You know, I'm I'm who I am because of where I've been. Right. And there's nothing wrong with that. You know, I love I love what I do. I love, you know, the people I work with. I love the people I work for. I love that, you know, the amount of influence I get to have on, you know, on people's lives. Speaker 4 And I don't take that for granted. But, yeah, you know, I guess if you drill down on some things, maybe they're, you know, maybe a decision to or to that you, you might regret we all do that. But it's it's who I am today. And I don't you know, I'm kind of with you, too. Yeah. I mean, there's. Speaker 2 A fork in the road. I turned out to have a job to say and friends was right. And so I don't. Yeah, I don't regret turning those two jobs down. Right. Speaker 1 What makes you happy, dude? Right there with you. We could have a whole podcast on food. Speaker 2 Yeah. Speaker 3 What makes me having to watch my kids do stuff? My winning, watching kids grow and learn things and getting those, like, Aha moments. Speaker 4 Fried shrimp. Speaker 2 All right. Yeah. You know, he's talking my world right there. You mentioned Dana. So I love you know, I love Hollywood. I've got a few friends that are not in the business, you know, And I get with them and one puts people in space. And I always talk about why you won't talk about my job. Let's talk about ping pong. Speaker 2 And that's that's exciting, right? You know? Yeah, I like getting away. Well, you know, I'm not a hunter. I'm not a fisherman. I'm not those things. I like it in a way I'm cherishing right now because it's coming quickly to an end. I love breakfast table with my son in the morning. Just me and him. My wife going to work, you know. Speaker 4 You know, speaking of tables, you know, we what makes you happy? So back in the coach's office, there's a there's a table back there. Speaker 2 It's a table of truth, by the way. That's right. That's true. The spoken at that table. Speaker 4 But there is it's it's of the I love that part of my day. I love that table because it's it's the people I work with. You know, we share you know, what's hard? We've laughed a ton. We've told a lot of stories. Coop has told a lot of stories. Cooper is a great storyteller, by the way. But then, you know, I have the same at home that I've you know, I've sat around right in our kitchen and, you know, we've sat around that same table and we've cried and we laughed. Speaker 4 And that that's what makes me happy. Just that kind of relationship and friendship that you get to have. And yeah, there's something significant about a table. Speaker 2 It's funny when you know, because I mean, it's no secret I've been in a long time. I'm getting close to where I'm close to retiring them. Then beginning and I talk to guys who have coached. So what do you miss? I go the office. Mm, yeah, I miss I don't miss the X's and O's. I miss the coaches office. Speaker 2 Yeah. Speaker 1 Well, we're made to be with people believe that. And then, you know, when you're not with people, especially if you believe that you were made to do what it is you're doing, and then that's gone out of your life. And those people and those kids, I mean, it's just the transition has to be, you know, I do think your spouses deserve it at some point that you make that decision. Speaker 2 But yeah, I. Speaker 1 Could see where me and you can never get that back, no matter what job you do. I don't know that you can ever get it back. Like coaching. Speaker 3 Yeah, I say all the time Our job coaching, it's kind of lonely because, you know, I'm. I go to volleyball and, you know, he coached basketball. He goes to sleep all but I'm the only head volleyball coach. So like the the relationship that we have among other coaches is needed because they're the only ones that really know what. Speaker 3 Right. Speaker 2 And sitting in and going to Yes, I'm married. Go golden boy. So, man, there's a lot of people until you sit in this chair and have to make that decision. Right, Right. Then it's a whole different world. And so I think that's where we lean on each other and the other coaches lean on each other. You know, I tell people all the time, I'm a coach's coach, I take care of coaches. Speaker 2 That's my job as I try and take care of coaches because those are the guys I respect. I want to make their life easier. I want to take care of them. I want to make them the best coach that that they can. They can be. And, you know, that's my wheelhouse. My wheelhouse are kids and coaches. And, you know, I love teenagers. Speaker 2 I just couldn't imagine not being around teenagers because they're screwy and funny and frustrating and lovable and everything. And they've been that way since 1984 when I started in this mess, right? Yeah. And so, you know, you see them throw, you know, I always tell them, please, please don't come out and say, who am I? Introduce yourself because you know the faces. Speaker 2 You know, forget the faces, right? Yeah. And you might say, I had you in biology class. I don't remember your name, you know, and things. Speaker 1 So what's one thing that you wish you knew before you became a coach? I think some of this would help new coaches or people coming into the profession. What's one thing you wish you knew? Speaker 2 I don't know. I don't know. What new people need to know now is it's a job. It takes hours to do this job. Right? You're not going home at 4:00. You know, And I think I knew that going in. You know. Speaker 3 I never really know it. You never really. Speaker 2 Know single go for so long, though, it didn't bother me because I was that what else was I going to do, you know, and things. But you know, what did I know now that I don't know then. Speaker 4 You know, I know one thing. Speaker 2 And knows now more, I'm sure. Yeah. Speaker 4 And I think one thing, you know, especially if we're talking about they just talked about it from the assistant to the head coach. When you're an assistant, you know, you think you know a lot of things and then you sit in that chair until you're the one kind of pulling the strings and you. Speaker 2 Making schedules do. And I can still work when you have these days, right? It calls on you, you know, and all of a sudden. Speaker 3 Your name's. Speaker 2 On your ability. My biggest fear is playing in an eligible player. I mean, like that is it's like this. I last week was eligibility. I know how many times I pulled it up but I guess we went on the jayvee bus and then looked like this kid's not on or this kid's not on here. Speaker 4 And there's a lot there's just a lot to manage. And, you know, you know. COOPER Every time I've gone to do a job interview with, you know, him, we're interviewing people. You know, we're going to find you know, really good teachers because he has said time and time again, great teachers make great coaches. And and we found that in a lot of ways. Speaker 3 You said one thing. It was, you know, I kind of touched on this earlier, but in regards to parents, like, I try not to take things as personal as I used to because they're just they just want the best for their kids. At the end of the day, they just want the best for their kids. And like you kind of touched on. Speaker 3 But that's one of the things I wish I would. And it's still hard, but I wish I would have done that. Speaker 4 And the thing is that maybe what I was naive about is you're not going to do everything that causes you not to have parent issues. You know, there's no. Speaker 3 Way to not. Speaker 4 Yeah, you'll always have those. And that's that's it's just part of it's just part of it, you know, and when you have when you kind of change your mind, your mindset about, you know, what's going to happen or what's going to happen, you know, further down the road, you you just you see, hey, we're going to deal with this. Speaker 4 We're going to talk through it and, you know, sometimes disagree. Exactly. Speaker 2 You agree to disagree. Speaker 1 Yeah. So this is last question. So just finish this sentence. One thing I know for sure is. Speaker 4 Fried shrimp are good. Speaker 2 We play Goose Creek Memorial Friday night. We need to have fresh produce and. Speaker 3 One thing I know for sure is that, I mean, all of that I think all of our hearts are in this for the right thing. And if they weren't, we wouldn't we wouldn't be doing it. But I think all of our hearts are in it for our kids. Speaker 4 I know that. Speaker 3 Not think I know they are. Speaker 4 I mean, there there isn't a coach on our staff that I wouldn't let my son or my daughter play for. And that's the truth. Speaker 2 And I also think we've learned from this pandemic that we're always going to need teachers. Yeah, yeah. Teachers are a vital part of our society. And when they're not there, there are consequences. And I don't think the I don't think the climate always appreciates teachers classroom teacher. I don't think our politicians appreciate classroom teachers. I don't think the public generally knows how much effort. Speaker 2 I watched my first grade teaching wife, how much effort she puts into it, how much ever our coaches put into it that that our society needs teachers. And I always say, and I learned this a long time ago when I was working on my master's society's only hope is public education. And we have to take care of. Speaker 1 Well, one thing I know for sure is that, you know, we have teachers that are good at what they do. We have coaches that are good at what they do and that love kids and that continue to pour into kids daily and and so as a parent and as an educator, I just want to thank you all for being here today and kind of letting parents hear your heart and your passions and what you're about. Speaker 1 And that that's my hope for this podcast is that we kind of learn educators and where they come from in their heart. So thank you. Speaker 2 All for being here. This is a great day. Okay.