The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

What happens when a football-obsessed strength coach turns into one of the most respected high school sprint coaches in America? Chris Korfist’s journey from law school aspirations to redefining sprint development at Homewood-Flossmoor High School is one of reinvention, humility, and relentless curiosity.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

🧠 How one bad year on the track sparked a decades-long quest for better coaching

📼 Learning before the internet: VHS tapes, letters, and snowstorms

🏈 Transitioning from a football identity to a track & field innovator

🌀 Building a training palette instead of following cookie-cutter programs

💥 The neurological approach behind RPR (Reflexive Performance Reset)

🧘 Why every HF sprinter begins practice with 5 minutes of belly breathing

🧪 Training sprinters with science, soul, and skepticism of "the noise"

🛠️ How a high school social studies teacher became a trusted NFL consultant

"We lose the art of coaching when we just become exercise instructors." — Chris Korfist

💡 Worth every second of your time and attention, this episode shows the power of self-reflection, mentorship, and doing things your own way.

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into 300+ 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 YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

🎙️ 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 Twitter (@MikeCunningham), email at [email protected], or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

Tiara is the founder of Real Talk With Tee found all across social media. Her interviews have been praised by T&F athletes and fans alike for the way she allows the human side of the stars to shine through. Be sure to follow Tee for The Content House coming to you from the Tokyo World Championships! If you’d like to contribute an episode, contact David Mitchell at [email protected] to learn more.

From the rooftops of Udine, Italy, to the R&D department at Gill Athletics, Matteo Madrassi’s journey is anything but ordinary.

Raised with a love for climbing, parkour, and BMX, Matteo discovered pole vault at 14 and quickly soared to world junior competition. His path led him through NAIA and NCAA championships, engineering degrees, and an MBA — all while chasing Olympic dreams.

💡 In this episode:

🏙 Growing up in Italy and avoiding soccer to forge his own path

🪂 How a PE teacher spotted his talent for pole vaulting

🎓 Transitioning from Italian high school to U.S. college athletics

🏆 PRs, injuries, and the mindset to keep going

🛠 Inside his summer internship with Gill Athletics R&D

“I might not leave my mark in the sport as an athlete, but maybe I will as an engineer.” – Matteo Madrassi

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into 300+ 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 YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

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

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

Welcome to Gill1918, the track & field coaching podcast powered by Gill Athletics. Since 1918, Gill has been dedicated to empowering coaches with innovative equipment—now, we're bringing elite coaching education straight to your ears.

Our goal is to create the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts bringing the annual track clinic to your ears DAILY! Topics will include but are not limited to covering key strategies, techniques, and training principles to help you improve athlete performance, structure better workouts, enhance team culture, and more!

Whether you're a high school, collegiate, or club coach, Gill1918 is your go-to resource for quick, high-impact coaching education from the best minds in the sport.

📩 Want to contribute an episode? Submit your 10-30 minute coaching talk to [email protected] or read ⁠⁠THIS LINKEDIN ARTICLE⁠⁠ for information on how to get started. All coaches are invited to participate!

🎙️ Don’t forget to subscribe and follow Gill Athletics for more expert coaching insights!

#TrackAndField #CoachingEducation #Gill1918 #ByCoachesForCoaches #TrackCoach #TedTalksOfTrackFieldPodcast

Welcome to Gill1918, the track & field coaching podcast powered by Gill Athletics. Since 1918, Gill has been dedicated to empowering coaches with innovative equipment—now, we're bringing elite coaching education straight to your ears.

Our goal is to create the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts bringing the annual track clinic to your ears DAILY! Topics will include but are not limited to covering key strategies, techniques, and training principles to help you improve athlete performance, structure better workouts, enhance team culture, and more!

Whether you're a high school, collegiate, or club coach, Gill1918 is your go-to resource for quick, high-impact coaching education from the best minds in the sport.

📩 Want to contribute an episode? Submit your 10-30 minute coaching talk to [email protected] or read ⁠⁠THIS LINKEDIN ARTICLE⁠⁠ for information on how to get started. All coaches are invited to participate!

🎙️ Don’t forget to subscribe and follow Gill Athletics for more expert coaching insights!

#TrackAndField #CoachingEducation #Gill1918 #ByCoachesForCoaches #TrackCoach #TedTalksOfTrackFieldPodcast

Jamie is a two-time US Olympian in the high jump and a former D1 coach. He's also an accomplished actor and filmmaker. You're invited to register for Jamie's upcoming HJ Virtual Clinic that takes place on 9/21/25. If you’d like to contribute an episode, we’d love to hear from you! Email David Mitchell at [email protected] to learn about how to join the team.

From competing at Bucknell to leading both men’s and women’s programs at Missouri Southern State University, Brian Shiding’s career has been defined by growth, opportunity, and memorable performances on the national stage. This episode follows his journey from athlete to head coach, highlighting the pivotal stops and the athletes who made the moments unforgettable.

In This Episode:

🎓 Competing at Bucknell and developing a passion for coaching

🏃‍♂️ Graduate assistant lessons at La Salle University

🚀 Making the leap to Missouri-Rolla and building a competitive program

🏆 Earning the head coach title for the MSSU men’s team

👩‍🏫 Taking over both programs after the women’s head coach retired

🌟 Nationals memories that shaped his approach to coaching

💡 How standout athlete performances fueled program growth

Quote from Coach Shiding:

“Each program, each athlete, and each championship moment has prepared me for the next challenge.”

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into 300+ 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 YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

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

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

Katie Follett is a National Champion in the USATF Road Mile and a World Championships finalist at 3000m. She competed as a pro for 13 years. Now she's giving back to the sport in many ways including serving as a Mental Skills Coach to teams and individuals, speaking at clinics, and hosting camps. Katie provided this free, fun resource for you to use and share entitled How to Silence Self-Talk. This is part two of a series on mental resilience that Katie will present here over the coming months.

If you’d like to contribute an episode, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact David Mitchell at [email protected] to learn more.

🏃‍♂️ What if your high school athlete could go home by 4 p.m., ride bikes with friends, and still chase national titles?

This week, we’re joined by "Coach Mo" from The St. James Academy in Virginia, whose bold approach to youth development flips the script on burnout, over-scheduling, and unhealthy sports obsession. His work is creating balance for student-athletes and coaches alike.

In this powerful episode, you'll hear about:

🏫 Why St. James Academy is changing the game with its school-athletics model

🔥 Mo’s take on work-life balance for coaches and athletes alike

🛑 The dangers of 14-hour athlete days and what we can do differently

🎤 The upcoming fall track & field clinic hosted at St. James Academy

🏈 Mo’s journey from youth football coach to building a national track program

“Once I pull in that driveway, there is no more track and field.”

— Mo, on setting healthy boundaries in coaching

🔥 Don’t forget to check out the upcoming clinic this fall! Just Google "St. James Academy Track Clinic" to find the latest info.

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into 300+ 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 YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

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

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

Recently National Business Development Manager Mike Cunningham attended the Business of Small College Athletics (BoSCA) Convention in Oak Brook, IL. While there, he captured amazing presentations from Athletic Directors around the country that we thought would bring value to our audience here at the Gill Connections Podcast.

We've been publishing BONUS episodes from BoSCA for the past few weeks, this is our last one out of five. If you received value from this episode, we encourage you to go back and listen to the other four amazing presenters. Also, we'd love to hear feedback from you to confirm this was a VALUE GIVER to you.

In the meantime, if you are a small college administrator, to check out BoSCA as we were thoroughly impressed with the Convention and the Organization as a whole.