The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

How do you build a championship distance program starting from scratch?In this live session of The Track Tribe, we’re joined by Coach Shawn Siemers (2024–2025 High School Girls Sport Coach of the Year) to break down the exact process of developing elite endurance athletes from the ground up.Whether you’re taking over a fresh program, trying to get kids off the couch and onto the track, or looking to refine your athlete evaluation, this stream covers the practical blueprint for long-term distance success.📌 What We’ll Cover:Starting from Scratch: How to recruit, develop, and motivate runners with zero background.Evaluating Endurance Talent: What key physical and mental markers to look for in potential distance runners.Program Culture & Retention: How to transition individual success into a thriving, sustainable team culture.

Most pole vault safety problems do not begin with one dramatic failure.

They begin with a small tear that gets ignored. A vault box collar that is never inspected. A concern that is noticed but never documented—or corrected.

In this episode, Mike Cunningham breaks down seven inspection mistakes that can create unnecessary risk for coaches, schools, and athletes.

🏃 Why a casual “it looks okay” is not a real inspection
🔍 What coaches may miss when they only look at the vinyl
📝 Why inspection logs matter
🛠️ What should happen after a safety concern is discovered
📅 A simple before-season, in-season, and post-season inspection rhythm

The goal of an inspection is not to find problems. It is to prevent injuries and make sure athletes have a safer place to train and compete.

Press play before your next pole vault inspection.

Jeremy Fischer is an elite jumps coach and educator who has coached athletes to 19 Olympic and World Championship medals, plus 20 Para and Para World medals. This is part 1 of 4 in his series across the remainder of 2026 on coaching the horizontal jumps. Part 1 focuses on an overview of developing an effective LJ approach. Jeremy is the founder of Maximum Velocity Athletics and will host the live online Horizontal Jumps Masterclass on January 2-3, 2027 along with an incredible team of clinicians. Registration is open now at https://www.maximumvelocityathletics.com/.

If you've got something to share with our youth T&F coach audience, contact David Mitchell to learn more.

🎙️ On this episode of the Gill Connections Podcast, Mike Cunningham sits down with Brett Halvaks, Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Cal Lutheran University.

🏃 Brett's story isn't the typical track and field success story. He didn't grow up in youth running programs. He started cross country as a freshman in high school after getting cut from basketball. He even took a year away from the sport after arriving at college before eventually returning, finding his passion, and building a coaching career.

👑 Along the way, Brett became a student leader, represented Division III athletes at the national level, worked multiple jobs while coaching part-time, and ultimately returned to his alma mater to lead the Kingsmen and Regals.

In this conversation you'll hear:

✅ How getting cut from basketball changed his life
✅ Why he walked away from running and came back
✅ The value of being undecided in college
✅ Lessons learned from coaching at his alma mater
✅ The transition from assistant coach to head coach
✅ Building relationships with student-athletes
✅ What leadership in college athletics really looks like

🎧 Whether you're a coach, athlete, administrator, or simply someone trying to find your path, Brett's story is a reminder that success rarely follows a straight line.

Dive into nearly 400 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more!

🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode:
Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very own Gill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.

📲 Stay Connected:
Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow on Instagram (@MikeCunninghamTF), email at [email protected], or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

An exceptional organization, the Business of Small College Athletics (BoSCA), holds an annual convention attended by some of the most passionate hard working adminstrators in the country.

Coming together to share their experiences and knowledge, the BoSCA Convention features some of the top administrators around speaking on important topics that could provide value to our current slate of track/field coaches whether you have an interest in becoming an administrator one day or not.

We hope these next few weeks of topics from ADs from Albany State, U of Indianapolis and more will encourage you, educate you, and challenge you for future growth.

ENJOY!

Most schools purchase a new pole vault pit only once every 10 to 20 years. Unfortunately, that lack of buying experience can lead to preventable—and expensive—mistakes.

In this episode, Mike Cunningham breaks down the five biggest mistakes schools make when selecting a pole vault landing system:

• Choosing the cheapest pit instead of the best long-term value
• Buying only for the program’s current needs
• Assuming every pole vault pit is constructed the same way
• Ignoring the total cost of ownership
• Failing to ask manufacturers enough questions

Mike also shares one bonus mistake: not speaking with coaches who have owned the same landing system for several years.

The goal isn’t to purchase the cheapest or most expensive pit. It’s to choose the landing system that best supports your athletes, facility, budget, and long-term program goals.

Can an aging pole vault pit be repaired—or is it time to replace it?

Many common problems, including small vinyl tears, worn hardware, damaged weather covers, and certain top-pad issues, can often be repaired. But widespread foam deterioration, significant water intrusion, compliance concerns, or several major problems occurring together may indicate that replacement is the better investment.

In this episode, Mike Cunningham discusses:

• Which pole vault pit problems are commonly repairable
• The warning signs that may point toward replacement
• Why safety and compliance must come first
• How to compare repair costs with the remaining useful life
• The cost trap created by repeatedly repairing an aging pit
• Five questions to ask before approving a major repair

The most important question isn’t simply, “Can we repair it?”

It’s: “If we repair it, what problem are we actually solving?”

If the repair restores a safe, compliant landing system with meaningful life remaining, it may be money well spent. If it merely postpones an inevitable replacement, it may be time to start planning.

Cassandra draws on her 19 years as an NCAA D1 XC/TF Coach and her personal experience as a D1 athlete to share lessons learned about cross country race strategy and the benefits of early preparation. Today Cassandra is a recruiting mentor for JP Coaching Collective who helps athletes and families navigate the recruiting process. Connect with Cassandra on IG (@cassandra.goodson).

If you've got a topic to share with our youth audience, contact David Mitchell to learn more. He'd love to hear from you!

Most coaches don't start their careers thinking they'll become college track & field coaches.

In Episode 381 of the Gill Athletics Connections Podcast, Mike Cunningham sits down with University of Missouri Assistant Coach Jordon Andreassen to discuss her journey from a five-sport athlete at a small Iowa high school to coaching combined events and pole vault at one of the nation's premier SEC programs.

Jordon shares how an injury at Iowa State unexpectedly introduced her to coaching, the lessons she learned during five years at Graceland University, her growth at UAB, and the path that ultimately led her to Missouri. Along the way, she reflects on mentorship, recruiting, leadership, athlete development, and what it takes to thrive in collegiate coaching.

This conversation is full of authenticity, practical coaching wisdom, and a reminder that some of the best careers begin with opportunities we never planned for.

🎙️ Topics Include:✅ Growing up as a five-sport athlete in Iowa
✅ Being recruited to Iowa State by Pete Herber
✅ How injury sparked an interest in coaching
✅ Learning the profession at Graceland University
✅ Becoming a head coach at a young age
✅ Coaching at UAB and Missouri
✅ Recruiting in the modern college landscape
✅ Combined events coaching and athlete development
✅ The mentors who shaped her career
✅ Building relationships that impact athletes for life

Dive into nearly 400 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more!

🎙️ Create Your Own Podcast Episode:
Reach out to Mike Cunningham for instruction on how to create your very own Gill1918 Project episode, which airs Tuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections Podcast Network.

📲 Stay Connected:
Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow on Instagram (@MikeCunninghamTF), email at [email protected], or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

An exceptional organization, the Business of Small College Athletics (BoSCA), holds an annual convention attended by some of the most passionate hard working adminstrators in the country.

Coming together to share their experiences and knowledge, the BoSCA Convention features some of the top administrators around speaking on important topics that could provide value to our current slate of track/field coaches whether you have an interest in becoming an administrator one day or not.

We hope these next few weeks of topics from ADs from Albany State, U of Indianapolis and more will encourage you, educate you, and challenge you for future growth.

ENJOY!