Path to Follow Podcast

Greg Calhoun is an assistant football coach, track & field coach, and Lower School teacher at Gilman School. He played offensive line at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and professionally for the Florida Tarpons and Colorado Crush. //

On Episode #33 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Greg discuss off-season training for football players, the coaches that inspired Greg, growing up with football as "a way of life" in Alabama, the recruiting process, the influence of social media (especially Twitter) on athletic recruitment, developing yourself as a player and student in high school, the differences in "level of play" between high school, college, and professional athletics, a "day in the life" of a college football player, Greg's football experience at University of Alabama at Birmingham, how society can influence emotional vulnerabilities, father-son relationships, and Greg's two book recommendations: "Slavery By Another Name" by Douglas A. Blackmon (2008) and "Cry Like a Man" by Jason Wilson (2019). //

Enjoy the episode? Please spread the word and follow @pathtofollowpod on all platforms. More to come! //

Many, many thanks to Cesare Ciccanti for his production magic. //

On Episode #2 of the Special Topics Series of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Gene Ubriaco discuss the topic of FUNDAMENTALS & INTANGIBLES in the sport of lacrosse. //

Gene Ubriaco is the Head Lacrosse Coach at Loyola Blakefield in Towson, MD. A product of Boys' Latin School of Maryland and Loyola University, Coach U is a career educator and wealth of knowledge in the game of lacrosse. He and Coach John Nostrant (Gilman School) also run a developmental lacrosse training program in Maryland called Ascension Lacrosse. //

Enjoy the episode? Please follow the Path to Follow Podcast (@pathtofollowpod) on all platforms. Many thanks to the podcast tech wizard, Cesare Ciccanti. //

"Mr. Finney: nobody had anything but total respect for the man...." //

Del Dressel '81 is one of the most talented athletes to ever come through Gilman School. He won the C. Markland Kelly Award as Maryland's top high school lacrosse player in 1981 and went on to play on two National Championship teams as a midfielder at Johns Hopkins ('84) and ('85). A National Hall of Fame member, Del's one of only six college lacrosse players in history to be selected as a First Team All-American for four straight years. // In Episode #32, Jake and Del bring to light Del's fondest memories playing lacrosse at Johns Hopkins, the Blue Jays' undefeated season and mantra in 1984, Harvard for a year, transferring from McDonogh to Gilman, Del's teammates at Gilman, the legacy of Redmond C.S. Finney, Coach Dave Allan, the influence of basketball and football on Del's lacrosse game, Ben Carson, Tulane University School of Medicine, shifts in Del's career plans, psychiatry, and The Spirit in the Stick by Neil Duffy (2004) //

Enjoy the episode? Please spread the good word and follow @pathtofollowpod on all platforms. More to come! //

Many, many thanks to Cesare Ciccanti for his production magic. //

“The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility. Humility is endless.” - Four Quartets, T.S. Eliot // 

Jay Brooks ‘10 is a United States Marine, Harvard graduate (‘14), and an aspiring doctor. He returned to Gilman in the spring of 2021 to teach a senior history elective, “Perspectives in Modern War.” //

In Episode #31 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Jay cover a variety of topics, including: transitioning out of the Marine Corps, returning to teach at Gilman for a semester, Jay’s course called “Perspectives in Modern War,” Tribe by Sebastian Junger (2016), Junger’s experiences in Afghanistan, unity borne from trauma, dependability and sacrifice, alienation in modern society, living through historical moments, national cohesion and lack thereof, Phil Clay’s short stories in Redeployment (2014), what inspired Jay to serve, balancing academics, athletics, and ROTC at Harvard, training for the Marine Corps, leadership lessons in the military, gripe up versus gripe down, the overlaps of sports and the military, John Wooden, whether leadership is innate or learned, courage as a habit, deployment to Iraq, the nonpartisan ethic of the military, Tulsi Gabbard and Dan Crenshaw, partnerships in the Middle East, the Sykes-Picot Agreement and borders in the Middle East, Jay’s fond memories as a student at Gilman, humility in T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets, and the capacity to forgive. // 

Enjoy the episode? Please subscribe, share, and follow the Path to Follow Podcast on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/Pathtofollowpod​​​

Many thanks to the all-powerful Cesare Ciccanti for his efforts on production. //

Clare Lincoln is a French and Spanish teacher at Gilman School. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and holds a master’s degree in French Literature from the University of Virginia. In her free time, Clare enjoys knitting, sewing, hiking, and traveling abroad. //

In Episode #30 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Clare discuss speaking French and Spanish, learning multiple languages, teaching at all-girls schools versus all-boys schools, journalism at Penn State, Clare’s master’s degree in French Literature, Notre Dame Preparatory School, connecting with colleagues during the pandemic, knitting and sewing as hobbies, hiking in Baltimore, traveling to the South of France, the rewards of rereading books, John Hathorne and the Salem Witch Trials, and Clare’s book recommendation: Maryse Condé’s I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem (1986). //

Enjoy the episode? Please subscribe, share, and follow the Path to Follow Podcast on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/Pathtofollowpod.​​​ //

Many thanks to the all-powerful Cesare Ciccanti for his efforts on production.

Ryan Ruff Smith is the Tickner Writing Fellow at Gilman School. He has published both fiction and literary nonfiction in journals such as Ploughshares, Subtropics, Green Mountains Review, and New Ohio Review. One of his short stories, "The Disturbance," was listed in the Best American Short Stories 2017. Ryan's a native of Minneapolis, MN. He holds an MFA from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from the University of Cincinnati. //

In Episode #29 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Ryan discuss the process of creative writing, Ryan's short story "The Disturbance," ideas drawn from experience, reasons humans enjoy storytelling, the continual process of revision, the challenges of beginning a story versus ending one, "showing versus telling," the short fiction of Flannery O'Connor, Anton Chekhov, and John Cheever, the Writers at Work Series, Paragon (Gilman's award-winning literary magazine), and Ryan's book recommendation: The Collected Stories by Grace Paley. //

Enjoy the episode? Please subscribe, share, and follow the Path to Follow Podcast on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/Pathtofollowpod​​. //

Many thanks to the all-powerful Cesare Ciccanti for his work on production.

In Episode #1 of the Special Topics series of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and John Nostrant discuss the topic of BUILDING CHAMPIONSHIP CULTURE. //

John Nostrant is the Head Lacrosse Coach at Gilman School. He has built a legacy of success as athletic director and long-time lacrosse coach at the Haverford School in Pennsylvania. //

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https://linktr.ee/Pathtofollowpod​

Many thanks to our phenomenal producer, Cesare Ciccanti.

“Don’t be afraid to make a path for yourself that is unique.” //

Julian Baron ‘17 is an extremely talented sports broadcaster, the face behind Greyhound TV’s resurgence, a Baltimore sports die-hard, and a senior at Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Public Communications. //

In Episode #27 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Julian discuss the reactivation of Greyhound TV, the intangibles of insightful broadcasting, Gary Thorne’s radio voice, the broadcasting style of Ryan Boyle ‘00, the difficulties of broadcasting sports you’ve never played, the atmosphere of volleyball games, teaching without condescending, Julian’s early interest in meteorology, the intersection between sports, news, and weather, Julian’s favorite GTV memories, Cesare Ciccanti’s mentorship, the unique identity of Baltimore, temperatures in Syracuse, what Gilman means to Julian, Mr. Culbertson’s math class, “If you think about it…,” seemingly minor moments that shape your perspective, reading and writing fiction with John Rowell, advice for the youth, “Everything converges,” the complexities of history, and Julian’s book recommendation about the mysterious circumstances of JFK’s assassination, “Hit List” by Richard Belzer. //

Enjoy the episode? Please subscribe to the Path to Follow YouTube channel and follow @pathtofollowpod on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Instagram, and Twitter. //

A huge thank you to the engine behind production, Cesare Ciccanti.

"What are we doing if we're not trying to get better at what we're doing?" //

Bryn Holmes is the Head Wrestling Coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Gilman School. He's a family man, former Maryland Terp, assistant lacrosse coach, and McDonogh School alum. //

In Episode #27, Jake and Bryn discuss Bryn's transition from a McDonogh student to a Gilman teacher, growing up a multi-sport athlete, generalization versus specialization in athletics, the influence of siblings on competition, the mentality of a wrestler, cutting weight, the challenges of playing sports in college, the inadvertent whistle in the 2009 7-OT Maryland/Virginia game, important lessons learned from losing, becoming a dad, and Bryn's children's book recommendations, including his most-read, Alice Schertle's "Little Blue Truck." //

Enjoy the episode? Please subscribe to the YouTube channel and recommend the podcast to a friend. And don't forget to follow @pathtofollowpod on all platforms. Many more episodes to come! //

As always, thank you for listening and to Cesare Ciccanti for working technical wonders.

"My job really isn't to teach [students] pre-calculus. My job really isn't to get them to win the 100-meter dash. My job is to be a support for them, to serve them, and to look out for their best interests. And that's what I try really hard to do every day." //

Jeff Gouline '00 is the Chair of the Mathematics Department at Gilman School and a character education coach for student-athletes. He's a committed mentor, devoted advisor, talented pastry chef, long-distance runner, and the antithesis of a box-checker. //

In Episode #26 of the Path to Follow Podcast, Jake and Jeff discuss supporting students emotionally during the pandemic, misconceptions about math, being an athlete at Swarthmore College, the unlikely combination of math and history at UVA, Upward Bound under Bill Greene, Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Jeff's first day of teaching, impactful teachers during Jeff's time as a Gilman student, Peter Julius's writing standards, deeper meanings in literature, Jordan Peterson on life as a series of games, team versus individual sports, the reason schools emphasize athletics, the philosophy of Joe Ehrmann, manhood as a structure, Jeff's daily motivations, having a deeper sense of purpose, the power of listening, Jeff's life-altering experience reading "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers, and apple pot pie! //

Enjoy the episode? Don't forget to subscribe and follow @pathtofollowpod on all platforms. Many more episodes to come! //

Thank you for listening! And as always, thank you to Cesare Ciccanti for the visuals.