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.
If you're coaching long or triple jumpers who struggle with inconsistent approaches, missed boards, or fouling their biggest jumps, Coach Keinan Briggs' 1-Day Approach System breaks down the approach principles he uses to help jumpers develop a more consistent, repeatable runway. In this episode, Keinan shares a portion of his system to help coaches avoid a common coaching error. To get the full 1 Day Approach System, go o https://www.leapmentality.com/stop-fouling and enter the code: COACHO for a $10 savings. Regular Price: $55 | Coach O Price: $45
If you've got a topic to share with our youth T&F coach audience, contact David Mitchell to learn more.
Fort Bend Marshall girls head coach Shahira Ehiemua joins the Gill Connections Podcast to share her remarkable journey from running for Track Houston as a fourth grader to leading her alma mater to four UIL State Championships (so far!).
Mike first met Shahira while hosting the Texas High School Coaches Association Clinic, where her presentation on culture became one of the most talked-about sessions of the week. In this conversation, Shahira shares the lessons she learned as a Marshall athlete, her experiences competing at both UTSA and SMU, and how those experiences shaped her leadership philosophy today.
The conversation dives deep into building culture, developing championship mindsets, creating accountability within a team, balancing individual athlete goals with team success, and why she believes strong foundations matter more than trophies.
Whether you're a coach, athlete, or sports leader, you'll walk away with practical insights on leadership, intentionality, and creating environments where people can thrive.
🎙️ Topics Include:✅ Growing up with Track Houston✅ Competing at Fort Bend Marshall, UTSA, and SMU✅ Returning home as head coach✅ Winning four state championships✅ Building culture that lasts✅ Developing athletes for success beyond high school✅ Why "we still won" doesn't always mean a state title✅ Leadership lessons from coaching and teaching
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 mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍
Do you really need a weather cover for your pole vault pit?
If the pit lives outdoors, the better question may be: what are you willing to let happen to that investment without one?
In this episode, Mike Cunningham explains why weather covers should be viewed as part of a pole vault pit’s maintenance plan—not simply as an optional accessory.
🌧️ How rain and standing water can create larger problems over time
☀️ Why UV exposure, dirt, debris, snow, and ice all matter
🛡️ Why the cover protects the foam and components underneath
✅ The simple end-of-practice habit that makes the biggest difference
🏠 When a pit garage may also be worth considering
A weather cover cannot make a pit invincible. But consistently using one can help protect a much larger investment for years to come.
Press play before you leave the pit uncovered after practice.
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 mcunningham@gillathletics.com, 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.
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