Well, KP here, and welcome to the Kevin Pratt Podcast. We have two great friends of the shows that are ambassadors, trailblazers, pioneers for this lovely sport. They're helping boys volleyball across the country. Uh they've been on the show before, and we are gonna talk the first point tournament that will be taking place in Austin. Coach Kenny and Coach Sarah, who are heavily involved in First Point, are gonna tell us all about the tournament. So let's just get right into it. Sarah, why don't you uh introduce yourself? You've been on the show countless times, but why don't you introduce yourself again?
SPEAKER_00Sure. Good to see you, KP. Uh my name is Coach Sarah Conklin. I'm based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I have worked to sanction boys volleyball in North Carolina for the past 10 years. I started working with First Point about six years ago, and we I work alongside Kenny to help grow the boys' game uh nationwide.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no doubt. You two are definitely the dynamic duo. I've seen you at multiple places in Orlando and Austin. I've had the pleasure of meeting both of your families, and it's just you guys are doing so many great things for our game, and also you're getting some results that I'm sure we'll talk about. I mean, you guys are really helping states become sanctioned, and it's it's just a beautiful thing that when I was the student athlete's age, that wasn't even part of the equation. It was like, yeah, Title IX, no, and like now it's just crazy. We're gonna be talking about states from like Alaska, Oklahoma, Delaware, all these states that are coming to your fabulous tournament. But uh, let's give uh Coach Kenny an opportunity to say hello. Kenny, good to see you. Why don't you say hello to the listeners?
SPEAKER_02Hey KP, great to be here. Thanks for having us. Yeah, my name's Kenny Rogers, uh Coach Kenny. I'm co-chair along with Sarah of the Committee to Grow Boys High School Volleyball, and we are co-founders, I guess, of this tournament, the First Point National High School Invitational. And we have two missions at First Point, really, two goals. One is to get to double the number of boys playing high school volleyball in the United States from 50,000 back about eight years ago to 100,000 um by 2028, and we're at 95,000, I think, at last count. So we expect to hit our goal by this September. And the second goal is to get boys' high school volleyball sanctioned in all 50 states. We were at 18 when first point started about eight years ago, and we're at 29 states now, so 21 to go, and we want to hit that number by 2032.
SPEAKER_01Well, like I said, you guys are pioneers, trailblazers, and you're doing a lot of things behind the scenes that are making an absolute impact in our volleyball community. So, on behalf of the volleyball community, I can't thank you guys enough. I know, uh, Coach Kenny, you briefly touched up on it, but can you give us a little bit more in depth? Like, what is First Point for the listeners that don't know about First Point? And so this tournament is so important for your organization, and this is going to be the second year. Can you talk a little bit briefly about how and why the tournament got started?
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. I had the great opportunity of going to Paris uh in 2024 and got getting to watch the USA Olympic team uh compete in Paris win the bronze, and it was just such a wonderful experience, all the pomp and circumstance and the flags and everything. And I thought to myself, you know, our boys in high school should have this opportunity. They don't really get to play outside their states. Club volleyball players get to play at nationals, but boys' high school players have not had that opportunity. So, you know, two years later now, we had our inaugural first point national high school invitational last year with 16 teams from 14 states. This year we have 32 teams from 23 different states. And it's basically broken up into three different brackets. We've got one bracket of high school teams that are playing each other from states that don't yet sanction boys' high school volleyball, and those are like North Carolina, which is getting oh so close, New Mexico, Alaska, etc. And then we've got eight other teams from states that don't yet sanction boys' high school volleyball, but they're all-star teams. So they're not from one high school, they're from multiple high schools. And then we have 16 teams from states that do sanction boys' high school volleyball, some of the best in the country from you know, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, etc. So there will be three champions at this tournament ultimately. Um, but the it's a big celebration of boys high school volleyball and how fast we're going. We are the fastest growing boys high school sport in the country, and it's not even close. 76% growth over 10 years, and I think the next closest sport was at like 12%.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and we have a lot to thank on YouTube. Of course, you know, like AVCA is helping out and stuff. Like there's a lot of people rowing in the right direction, but my gosh, you two are definitely at the top of the mountain, and we're following your lead. You know, this is for both you guys. We can start with Coach Sarah. Can you paint a picture a little bit of why the tournament was so successful last year and why it was so much fun?
SPEAKER_00So, you know, I think the most consistent feedback we got was how much camaraderie there was at this tournament. They said it was unlike any club tournament they've ever been to. Everybody just really got along and they they loved meeting guys from different states. They loved competing with guys from different states, and of course, everybody liked to win. But I think the focus was more on sportsmanship and just really gathering everyone around that loved volleyball. It was just a really feel-good vibe moment, I think. I think uh Kenny can support that testament too. It was just it was a lot of fun to be a part of it. And Austin Sports Center was our host. We did that because Glenn and Kathy Litzkey have been incredible supporters of all things volleyball. But specifically for boys' volleyball, they've been just so supportive. And you know, they were so generous with their facilities last year. And their team at Austin Sports Center is just dynamos. I don't know. They just made it so easy for us to be there. And so it was really didn't think twice about going back this year. And with um, you know, Glenn Litzkey unfortunately passing away, we just want to honor him as much as possible. Even though he loved to be behind the scenes, he did not like to be the star of the show. But he and Kathy both have made such an impact on our game that hopefully we can find a way to honor him, maybe not with glitz and glamour, but with just putting on another uh five-star event.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I could agree to that. And you know, one thing that's really awesome about Coach Glenn, who sadly passed away recently, and the volleyball community is well aware of it. He's just an incredible guy, incredible family, loves volleyball, his family loves volleyball. And there was all these you nailed it, hidden stories like uh Glenn helped there, Glenn helped with that. Oh, and and Glenn and Wade wanted to make it very clear like, you know, it's first point, it's Pacific's coming back, this is great. But we, us Pacific Tigers, and I'm one of them, really found out that Glenn had a huge hand in that. And, you know, we at Pacific are well aware of that, and we just appreciate them, we appreciate you guys, and I'm really glad you brought him up, Coach Sarah, because he is he is a staple in this event. And uh I think you're right. We just got to go there and put on a five-star event and do it the right way. But Coach Kenny, I'd love to hear your thoughts because I think your wife said it best. She's a proud supporter of First Point. We can go on and on about how great First Point is. But she said, I really feel one could argue First Point arrived that weekend last year in Austin. And I would agree where the kids are like, put it together, like, oh, this is first point. This is what it can do. It was just so fun, Kenny calling the games and saying, All right, we have Alabama versus Utah, you know, and that's not usually a common sentence in boys' volleyball. And maybe in football it is, but uh, I just had a blast there, and and I know you had a lot of fun, but why don't you share your experience of last year?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I wanted to touch on Glenn as well, um, and then talk about you know what I think made last year so great and what will make this year so great as well. You know, Glenn really embodied a couple things about First Point that make First Point so special. One is he had the ability to dream big, and then second, he had this can-do attitude. Both those things led him to uh and Kathy to help produce the First Point Collegiate Challenge, which has been going on in Austin, Texas. This year it was in Phoenix, but it had been going on in Austin, Texas for the previous four years, I believe, where four of the top collegiate teams, men's collegiate teams in the country come together every year. So that's a brand new thing that Glenn started. And then when I approached him about, you know, having this brand new high school tournament, he was all in immediately. So I just wanted to sing his praises again. The second thing that I think made this tournament so wonderful last year is the involvement of Slunks. Slunks made custom uniforms for every team at the tournament that were representative of the states in which they were from. So, as you said, KP, in the finals, it wasn't just Maple Mountain versus Windward last year, it was Utah versus California. And that had this feeling of almost like the Little League World Series or the Olympics or something like that. So that that slunks we can't thank enough, and they're going to be sponsoring the event again this year, providing custom uniforms for all 32 teams, again with their states' outlines and the state names. Um, another thing that made it special, obviously, was our opening ceremonies and the flags from each state, closing ceremonies with Karch Karay, the goat of volleyball, and that now the U.S. men's national team coach. So it just had this special feeling last year, and we're hoping uh confident we'll recreate that feeling this year as well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I told Coach Kenny and Coach Sarah, like, I've been lucky to I've been to European volleyball events, I've been to Olympic volleyball events, I've been to Nebraska when it's been sold out on the women's side. I've I've played against Hawaii, I've played against BYU, it's sold out crowds. There's nothing like the first point tournament. And I when I was there, I was like, this is the coolest thing. I mean, there was just it was so pure, it was so fulfilling. There were so many just like little gadgets that Coach Sarah and Coach Kenny had their fingerprints all over on. It took months, and it was to give these kids an incredible opportunity. And you guys hit it out of the park. So I I'm so fired up. I'm gonna be there again with Todd Hallenbeck. There's people coming, and it's gonna be really exciting. And and one thing I admire is you guys do dream big, and you uh it's really all about the kids for you. You're like, let's give these kids the best experience, and the coaches loved it. I couldn't agree with more with everything you said. But I also wanted to give Coach Sarah an opportunity. What are kind of the goals and the objectives of this first point tournament now that you're in year two?
SPEAKER_00You know, I think one we accomplished the very first one, which was making it bigger and better, right? We doubled in size, we expanded the opportunity and the amount of guys that got to experience what we've already said is was so amazing about the tournament last year. And I think just what's so special is what they bring back to their state, right? So I had I had the honor of taking my high school team last year, and every single one of those seniors, their best memory was that tournament. And so it's something that it's not just about the weekend, it's something that they'll carry with them forever. And so I think just more doing more of the same, obviously, it's bigger. And uh again, just touching on that we uh provide the opportunity for even more kids to have that memory.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I could attest to that because, like, again, I was a small, small, small piece of it, but you guys were open doors, let me be part of it. Walking around conventions and walking around like volleyball events that are big, we would all recognize each other from the tournament. Like you'd be like, Oh, there's the Alabama team. Oh, okay, there's the Utah team, oh, there's Trey from Utah, or there's Pennsylvania guys right over there. Like, and it was just kind of like like Kenny said, Coach Kenny said, this Olympic kind of vibe and spirit, you know, and I think that that's incredible. And then Coach Kenny, you you briefly mentioned it, but if you want to go on a little deeper dive, what type of teams are coming to this tournament? I and I know there's a lot, um, and you guys doubled in size, but can you expand on that a little bit?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know, we've got some of the best teams, um, most competitive in the country, but the really we're the purpose of the tournament is to put sale behind, um win behind the the sales of the states that are trying to still get sanctioning um and to help grow the game. So, you know, we've got a team from Illinois that that's strong. We've got a team from uh Pennsylvania, I mentioned teams from North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Missouri, Massachusetts, Maryland, Kansas, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Delaware, Colorado, Arizona, Alaska, Alabama, in addition to the ones I had already mentioned. So, you know, we're we're thrilled by the geographic diversity and looking forward to the competition and having everybody get after it together. But at the end of the day, it's about building this momentum. I want to segue for a second, KP, if I might. You know, Sarah and I are have have been kind of had this great opportunity of help helping to grow the game, but I want to go back in time to I think some people we need to give credit for for this growth of the game and why we're the fastest growing sport in the country. And really it goes back to Title IX. Title IX helped women's volleyball grow in this country, and now there's I think 450,000 girls playing girls' high school volleyball, and a bunch of women who got to play a collegiate volleyball. And those women, Title IX was in the 70s, or you know, over the last 50 years have had a lot of kids and a lot of kids who play volleyball, a lot of boys who play volleyball. And so the growth of boys' high school volleyball and boys' volleyball in the country actually goes in large part back to Title IX and the great women who've led that charge, including Sarah.
SPEAKER_01Yes, no, that's that's a great segue and a great point. You know, and I noticed too when I was looking at the list, you you named all the schools, and that's incredible, but my gosh, the fact that Alaska's coming really fires me up. It's a long trip. I've already been in touch with their coach, and that's just exciting. And and a lot of others, you know, like we said, Alabama, North Carolina, there's a ton. So good work for you two. So, Coach Sarah, obviously we talked about a lot of our supporters, you know, like slunks, and there's a lot of people helping. But can you provide what Coach Kartsch is gonna be doing at the tournament? Because I think that that's really unique and a fun piece you guys provide for the athletes.
SPEAKER_00Sure. I mean, we're so grateful to Kartsch for his generous commitment that he's made to us. He's been on so many calls with our volunteers nationwide that are helping grow the game in their state. And even with our ambassadors over the summer, he would he would get on and listen to everything they're working on and provide support and encouragement to them for what they're doing. He will be at the championships uh Saturday night, and then Sunday morning he will do um a clinic. But it won't be a big clinic for everybody, but there'll be a couple guys that get to participate with him on the court, but he will run some of his favorite drills, tell the kids why, why they do these drills, how they do them, and they'll have the opportunity to take a practice plan back to their gym that you know Coach Karch Karai has created, which is a pretty special thing, not just as a coach, but as a player. And you know, anytime we can honor the legends that have given so much to the game and continue to give to the game, that's what we want to do. And so we're just grateful for his time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and it goes to show again, uh, Dr. Brockman was there last year. You know, she was filming her documentary that will be coming out. I think that's gonna be a great opportunity to highlight the tournament because it'll be all over her documentary. Coach Karj Karay was there and gave a ton of time. And another thing I thought, and we wanted to be there, don't get me wrong, but the last match like ended at like 11:15, and Dr. Brockman staying in there, Kartsharay staying, like they they wanted to be part of this special event. So there's just so many cool things that are going on. There's gonna be some live streaming, we got Karts that's gonna be there, Slunks is you know, making that generous donation. I mean, it it is a really great event. Speaking of part of why it's a great event, I would say the opening ceremonies, you could argue, make it different than any other boys' volleyball event in our country, in my opinion. Yes, Nationals is great, but they don't necessarily do it like an opening ceremonies. Can you uh, Coach Kenny, discuss kind of what the plan is for opening ceremonies, why is that so special to you guys, and paint the picture for the listeners?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so this year opening ceremony, since we're double in size and we want to get all our parents to be able to see it and the kids to be able to participate, we're going to bring teams in one by one. We're gonna start with the team from Pennsylvania, North Allegheny High School, because Pennsylvania was actually the first to sanction boys high school volleyball. So just as in the Olympics, Greece goes first, Pennsylvania is gonna go first in our parade of states, followed alphabetically by Alabama and Alaska, Arizona, etc. We're gonna go all the way through until we get through to Utah, and then Texas as our home host state is gonna parade through. And then we'll all the boys will sit down in in front of their flags and we'll do our great reveal, which will be the slunks uniforms that the boys have not seen yet, um, and that they were super excited to get their slunks uniforms last year. I coach one of the teams that got to participate in this tournament, KP, and the boys still wear their slunk shorts and uniforms at practices whenever they can. They absolutely love the slunks.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I again I I think we just have to reiterate because uh hopefully a lot of parents are listening to this. The three of us go to a lot of these things. We go to nationals. I, in fact, uh run a ton of camps. I love running camps, don't get me wrong. But most of the things in boys volleyball world, they cost a lot of money, and I get it, and um that's part of it. And uh the fact that you guys have like literally like slunks is the hottest item in boys volleyball, not even close. And these kids get to just feel like rock stars when it gets, you know, when they get their jerseys, and just like I said, there's just all these little touches, like you thinking of having the presence of mind be like, let's have Pennsylvania go first because they started boys volleyball. All those types of things throughout the weekend, they don't just happen, it's you you two have thought of it, but then it comes together so nicely.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Kenny Kenny had the great uh idea of giving pins. The coach from the opposing state gives pins to one of the players on the other team, and you know it's it was just such a unique touch last year. So we're carrying that forward this year. But my guys that received pens last year still have them on their volleyball bags, so it's a really it's you're right, like it's really neat little touches that you can't, I don't know, like in bits and pieces, people are like, Oh, that's cool. But as an aggregate, it it turns out to be just a really cool, wholesome, uh fun experience.
SPEAKER_01Well, and it's also we can take that back to principals, ethic directors, leaders in those regions and be like, look it. Like it to me, if I was a parent, I wouldn't necessarily, to be honest, care what my child played, whether it's music and I wouldn't really care. But what I would care is is there a sense of community? Are they learning life skills? Are they around good role models? And are they having the time of their life? And those all get checked with what you guys are doing, and you're doing it out of like you're volunteering and doing it out of the pure love of the sport. I it's just a it's a beautiful thing to see because when I was these kids' age, it's okay, but we didn't have that, you know, and now that it's there, and it's it's really because of you two and you know the backing of first point, obviously, but that's that's awesome. Um, but yeah, Kenny, did you want to add anything real quick right there?
SPEAKER_02Uh two things. One is that the pins come from the Olympics, actually, though the Olympic pins are traded in the Olympic Village a lot. So these pins are have the picture of the state flag on them, lapel pins. And then I've continued to see these pins at tournaments, club tournaments on kids' backpacks that they're they have become keepsakes. It's almost like the key to the city when you win a pin from the opposing coach. And this year, the the idea is that they don't go necessarily to the best player on the other team, they go to the player on the other team who's modeled uh the spirit of the of the games the best. So the spirit of the Olympic Games is uh to bring people together and win or lose to make sure you fight well. So that that spirit, you know, that any um any boy playing in in this tournament of any 32 teams has the ability to bring to the court in any given set, any given match is what we want to foster and honor and reward. And so that that's what would make I think the the pin exchange so special.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and Coach Sarah, I know that throughout the whole podcast, we gave little bits and pieces, but to tie it all together, obviously growing the game and getting these states to sanction boys' volleyball is very important to the three of us on this podcast. Can you highlight some of the perks that the coaches, the parents, and the athletes will experience being part of this event? I know we mentioned a lot of them, but maybe tie them all together.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think you know, one thing when I first started working with First Point, because I when you're fighting for sanctioning in your own state, you kind of feel like you're on an island and You're beating it your head up against a brick wall all by yourself. And so I think what First Point did was create a community of people across the nation that are all fighting for the same things or that have been there. You know, Minnesota was pivotal in helping me shape how it was going to fight in North Carolina. So I think one of the biggest takeaways is that community aspect you talked about where they they feel seen and they feel understood. And there's something to be said for like, we see what you're doing to grow this game. We know how important it is. We know the impact that it's making on these kids' lives. And I think the coaches benefit from hearing that. I think the parents also, because there's a lot of parents that are working really hard as well. And really, there's players that are working hard too. I mean, there's kids that, you know, fight to get the sport at as a club at their school for years. And so I think just that feeling seen and feeling part of the community is one of the biggest takeaways and one of the biggest perks about being a part of this tournament.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, without a doubt. And you know, obviously we mentioned Slunks, uh Joe, who's all over social media and does a brilliant job covering the sport, is gonna uh be there doing some social media reels and taking pictures, and he's a very talented, you know, sports journalist, if you may. There is live streaming. I know I'll probably be on there a little bit. Coach Todd Hallenbeck will be on there, who's gonna be there. I have a sneaking suspicion that uh Joe will get on there at one point because there's so many games to cover.
SPEAKER_02Uh you know what we didn't mention KP yet is that that Moulton is involved as well. Moulton's one of our sponsors, and they're providing the game balls and practice balls for for the tournament. And we're thrilled that the the boys love playing with the Moulton balls and thrilled that that Moulton is supporting us as well as you know, Austin Sports Center and Slunks.
SPEAKER_01That's that's a great point. Yeah, Moulton is a great ball, and uh the kids are well equipped at this tournament. We mentioned the opening ceremonies. You know, we are gonna be because these kids and Coach Kenny and Coach Sarah are being very supportive of this, but free of charge, Coach Todd and I are gonna have a little seminar for any parents or coaches, if they can find it in the day, to stop by a room, and we're just gonna really go, hey, here's our nuts and bolts of recruiting. And because I think that there's a lot of states out there that are still relatively new to this, and not only do we want them to sanction these high school sports, but it'd be great if some of these kids go on to play collegiate men's volleyball, which last year at the tournament, there were a lot of student athletes there that ended up going to play in AIA, Division III, community college, division one. And then we talked about carts coming, and then lastly, um, I know the coaches know about this, but we have the Kevin Pratt Foundation Scholarship. We will be awarding a student athlete a scholarship. They have to write the Kevin Pratt Foundation board, they have to write an essay and talk about kind of the spirit of this tournament. How are you influencing the game? How are you being a good team player? What are you gonna do and pay it forward when you're done with uh high school volleyball? And it's it's a foundation I'm uh very uh proud of, and I'm very, very lucky that Coach Kenny and Coach Sarah are letting it be a little bit piece of this event. And you know, before I have you guys do your predictions and your goodbyes, I just want to say it's crazy. It seems like I've blinked and it's like, oh my gosh, I've known you guys for like three and a half years now. But every time the band gets back together, if you may, is it's the same thing. We want to grow the sport, we want to help kids. You guys are doers, you're not just like, hey, let's get this done. Oh, if it happens, great, if not. And the things you guys do behind the scenes and the amount of times I call you throughout the year, hey, what do you think of this? What do you think of that? You're just extremely supportive. And and boys' volleyball and men's volleyball is really lucky to have you guys. So I can't thank you enough for coming on the show. Thank you for letting Todd and I be part of this special event. Before I let you go, and I know maybe not the spirit of the tournament is to predict who the winners are because we just want to grow the sport and have these kids have a blast. But do you have any bold predictions for the tournament? Or uh do you have any uh maybe some heavy favorites or maybe some student athletes or coaches to look out for that are doing some great things in their states?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Well, KP, I want to start off by thanking you and thanking Todd for coming this year. But KP, you you were great last year. I got to coach a team that actually ended up winning the tournament, and the boys on that team play back your call of the final point, match point, over and over and over again. Um, and to have you there calling that made it extra special for us. So thank you for donating your time again this year. We really appreciate you. As to the teams this year, that to look out for, it's it's gonna be wide open. We we last year, three of the teams from out of the six team went on to become state champions, by the way. This year, we've got two state champions from Oregon are coming. So I think Oregon is a newly sanctioned state, but they should be competitive. I think the Pennsylvania team, North Allegheny, should be very competitive. Bowling Brook from Illinois, Shadow Ridge from Nevada, Lind, Lindbergh uh High School from Missouri may be a team to look out for. They seem to have basically all club players on that Lindbergh high school team from Missouri. So, in terms of the sanctioned state, that's who to look out for. Sarah, who do you see from the unsanctioned states?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the non-sanctioned True High School, a little bit trickier, gonna be totally honest. Not I'm not exactly sure uh who is going to come out on top, but that's kind of cool, right? To see who who battles when they come. I know I can speak to the team coming from North Carolina, TC Roberson. They're from the Asheville area. It's a fairly new area, but they're a very well-coached team. Um, they have a ton of great athletes, fairly new to the game, but they've developed really quickly, as most guys do that find the game late late in life, or late in high school, rather. As far as the All-Star side goes, man, I am excited about that. We've got some great athletes I know coming from North Carolina, some that are on the Olympic track for NTDP. Um, and I know there's a few others uh from across the nation, but just I I'm so excited to see what Alaska brings. I'm excited to see what Maryland brings. I just think it's gonna be a blast and and kind of the I know you want a firm call, Kevin, so I'm just letting you down there. But I just think the anticipation of seeing all these teams battle it out is is part of the fun.
SPEAKER_02And I just realized KP that there's a couple teams I left out. I don't want to create bulletin board material for them by not mentioning them, but St. Thomas Akinus from Florida should be a very strong team. Old Bridge, New Jersey high school state champ, I believe, should be a very strong team. And Old Bridge's assistant coach, Michael Schoen, is actually the designer of the Sunks jerseys. So how about that?
SPEAKER_01Well, you know, if you may, uh your guys' predictions were great because it's the spirit of it. But I, as you know, I've had the luxury literally of like I've been to 30 states in the last five months, so a lot of these kids I've actually like seen. So Thomas Dempse is gonna be huge that's there. I mean, he's a really good player. I think Joe's team from you said St. Thomas of Christmas in Florida. Yeah, they're they're gonna be good. I've played against Shadow Ridge a lot in my career as a coach. That's a good program out of Nevada, but you guys nailed it. There's places like, and then Tracy's doing great things in Tennessee. She'll always bring a good program, Coach Sarah. And don't don't count out the champs, Coach Kenny. I mean, I know that you guys lost a lot of guys that ended up going to play at Princeton, and um, you know, one went to uh Hobart, but you guys are competitive. But I also think it's gonna be really fun. You're right, to see like the Oregons and then the I'm really excited to see Alaska, Alabama. So, no, job well done. And um, I'll see you guys sooner rather than later. But uh just greatly appreciate you. And uh, you have anything else to say before we sign off? We appreciate you.
SPEAKER_00Thank you to you, man. Appreciate you uh showcasing this event on your podcast. And as always, you're just such a um great supporter of our game and just really really grateful for that.
SPEAKER_01Well, it's easy to be around great people. So you just surround yourself with good people and we're all doing it for the right reason. So thanks a lot, guys, and we will be in touch. Okay. Sounds good. Thanks, KP.
SPEAKER_02Take care, KP. See ya soon.