Stay ConnectedUnlock the world of track & field coaching with The Gill Connections Podcast! Host Mike Cunningham brings you inspiring stories, real conversations, and coaching insights from leaders at every level. Discover a new coach’s interview every Monday. Plus, don’t miss the Ted Talks of track/field podcasts with our NEW Gill1918 Project episodes Tuesday-Sunday — short, powerful lessons from top coaches to help you grow on and off the track.
Powered by Gill Athletics — Supporting Coaches Since 1918.
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 mcunningham@gillathletics.com,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 mcunningham@gillathletics.com, 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. To kick off the weekend they hosted a women4women program featuring inspirational 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. To kick off the weekend they hosted a women4women program featuring inspirational speakers.
WISTCA has graciously allowed us to share these speaker's topics on the Gill1918 Project. ENJOY!
Tyson is a 7-time Team USA member including the 2016 Paralympic Games. He's a 2-time Para World Championships Silver Medalist, and a Para Pan American Gold Medalist. Tyson and his wife, Kenzie, met at Idaho State and now serve as high school T&F coaches in Idaho. He is also the E-Commerce Manager for Black Label Supplements--Science-Backed Sports Nutrition. In this episode, Tyson shares insights on Para T&F and offers future support to those who may wish to get involved.
If you've got a topic to share, contact David Mitchell to learn how. We'd love to have you join the fun!
Alan Wardsworth’s story doesn’t start on a pristine track facility—it starts in chaos.
A childhood that spanned continents. A high school that literally burned to the ground. A kid who wasn’t focused in the classroom… until sport gave him a reason to be.
And then, almost by accident, he finds track and field.
What follows is a journey shaped by curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to figure things out—from breaking school records in his first week, to learning events through instinct, to eventually becoming the kind of coach who impacts lives far beyond marks and medals.
This one is a reminder of what makes this sport so powerful:
➡️ It meets you where you are➡️ It gives you a reason to grow➡️ And if you let it… it can change everything
🔑 In this episode:
🌍 Growing up around the world and how it shaped his perspective🔥 Experiencing a high school burning down—and what that taught him about adaptability🏀 How eligibility struggles became a turning point academically💡 Discovering track & field almost by accident (and breaking records immediately)🧠 Early signs of a coaching mindset—problem solving before he even knew it🏃♂️ The environments and mentors that helped shape his coaching philosophy
“I didn’t have the strength for the shot put… so I figured I had to use my legs. I didn’t know that’s what you’re supposed to do—I just knew I had to figure something out.” -Alan Wardsworth
🌟Explore Our Library: Dive into over 350 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such asBoo 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 ownGill1918 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 onTwitter (@MikeCunningham), email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, 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. To kick off the weekend they hosted a women4women program featuring inspirational speakers.
WISTCA has graciously allowed us to share these speaker's topics on the Gill1918 Project. ENJOY!
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