The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

Jesse is the founder of CoachingDistance.com and was the high school coach of Simeon Birnbaum, the NCAA 1500m Record Holder and 2026 1500m Champion for the Oregon Ducks. Jesse is passionate about continually learning the craft of coaching distance and then sharing what he's learned with others. He coaches today at Rapid City Stevens HS in SD. Jesse and his wife Dr. Whitnee Coy are the founders of the Go Far Foundation to help kids and families. In just a few months, they've already distributed over 18,000 items via their food pantry. You can follow Jesse on X and IG (@CoachDistance). 

If you have a topic to share, contact David Mitchell to learn more. 

Nick Schneigert’s journey isn’t a straight line—and that’s exactly why this conversation matters.

From growing up in a Polish immigrant family in Chicago…to discovering track and field after getting cut from baseball…to serving in the U.S. Navy and being deployed after 9/11…to chasing a career in media…to finally finding purpose in coaching…Nick’s story is about identity.

And what happens when the title “coach” is no longer part of your daily life.

This episode hits differently.

Because for many coaches listening, there’s an underlying question we don’t always talk about: 👉 Who am I if I’m not coaching?

🔑 In this episode, we dive into:

🏃‍♂️ Finding track and field after adversity—and why multi-event backgrounds matter
👉Lessons from the Navy, deployment, and discipline that shaped his leadership
🎙️ Chasing a career in TV and media—and why it didn’t fulfill him
📉 The reality of life transitions, career pivots, and “low points” professionally
💡 Why coaching became meaningful—and what made it stick
🧠 The identity challenge: separating who you are from what you do

This is a must-listen for any coach who has ever wondered about life beyond the sport—or is navigating it right now.

Dive into over 350 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 Twitter (@MikeCunningham), email at [email protected], or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

This past February, the great people of the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association held their annual Track/Field clinic with amazing speakers. WISTCA has graciously allowed us to share these speaker's topics on the Gill1918 Project. ENJOY!

This past February, the great people of the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association held their annual Track/Field clinic with amazing speakers. WISTCA has graciously allowed us to share these speaker's topics on the Gill1918 Project. ENJOY!

Desiree was a two-sport star (T&F and Basketball) for Emmanuel University in Boston. She takes a fun and entertaining look back at how she ended up competing in the T&F events that she did over her career. Did she choose them or was she the one chosen? 

Desiree is currently completing her master's degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse University. She is a model, an actress, and a content creator. To follow her on IG click HERE or check out her WEBSITE.

If you have a topic to share, email David Mitchell for all the details.

This episode of the Gill Connections Podcast is a little different—and a lot of fun.

Instead of sitting down with a coach, we’re turning the mic inward and highlighting one of our own. Payton Taylor joins the show to share his journey from a multi-sport athlete in Illinois to a Division I thrower at Illinois State University… and now to serving coaches across the country as part of the Gill Athletics team.

We dive into the moments that shaped him—from a faceplant in a hurdle race that ended his hurdling career 😅, to navigating COVID during his senior year, to discovering a passion for growth, process, and helping others succeed in the sport.

This is a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to serve track & field at a high level—and why the people behind the equipment matter just as much as the equipment itself.

🔑 In this episode, we cover:

🏃‍♂️ How Payton found track (and why hurdles didn’t last long 😆)

⚾ Balancing football, baseball, and track before choosing his path

🎓 His transition to throwing at Illinois State and falling in love with the process

🛠️ What it’s really like working at Gill Athletics

🏆 Behind the scenes of NCAA Division II Championships

🤝 Serving coaches, dealers, and athletes across the country

“I was always trying to find more… just the little things that add up to get 1% better.” — Payton Taylor

👉Dive into nearly 400 episodes featuring insights from coachinglegends such as BooSchexnayder and Dan Pfaff, DiljeetTaylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find uson 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 Projectepisode, which airsTuesdays through Sundays. Find YOUR voice on the Gill Connections PodcastNetwork.

📲 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! 🎧👍

This past February, the great people of the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association held their annual Track/Field clinic with amazing speakers. WISTCA has graciously allowed us to share these speaker's topics on the Gill1918 Project. ENJOY!

This past February, the great people of the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association held their annual Track/Field clinic with amazing speakers. WISTCA has graciously allowed us to share these speaker's topics on the Gill1918 Project. ENJOY!

Steve is an EU American Football Hall of Famer, the Inventor and CEO of Two8 Bands, and the author of If We Knew Better, We'd Move Better. He shares one chapter of the audio version of his book to introduce the concept of movement literacy and to help us understand why it matters to coaches, athletes, and everyone else, too.

If you have a topic that would benefit others, contact David Mitchell to find out how you can contribute an episode.

There are episodes where you learn… and then there are episodes where you feel something.

This is one of those.

Sean Foulkes didn’t start track and field because of a dream—he started because his friends wouldn’t let him skip practice. But what began as simple peer pressure turned into a deep pursuit of mastery, fueled by curiosity, VHS film breakdowns, and hours of self-coaching.

Then life shifted.

College brought unexpected challenges, new environments, and moments that forced Sean to step back and reevaluate who he was and where he was headed.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what’s needed.

A single moment helping a friend unlocked something bigger: a realization that coaching wasn’t just something he could do—it was something he needed to do.

This episode is about growth, identity, and the power of rediscovering direction through sport.

🔑 In this episode:

🧠 How curiosity and film study shaped Sean’s early development as a thrower🎯 The difference between having direction vs. drifting🔄 Navigating unexpected challenges in college athletics🧭 Rebuilding direction and identity through sport👥 Why helping others became the foundation of his coaching philosophy🏆 The moment he realized coaching was his true calling

“I knew I liked the version of myself when I was competing.” – Sean Foulkes

Dive into over 350 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 Twitter (@MikeCunningham), email at [email protected], or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍