People that inspire me - Pat Wilson

There are 40 weeks left in the year and once a week I will write about someone in my life that is inspiring or motivating to me.  Hopefully others will read it and gain a little bit of inspiration in their life as well.  There is no particular order to these writings, just a bunch of people I am fortunate enough to know.  So without further ado ….

Inspirational person #11 of 50 – Pat Wilson

Pat Wilson is the pole vault coach at Wichita State University and I’ve been fortunate to work with him for almost the entire time I’ve been at WSU.  He was coaching across town at Friends University at the time and made the short move to his alma mater in the Fall of ’06.

Coach Wilson grew up in Leon, Kansas, and attended Bluestem High School before becoming a Shocker and contributing to the 1994 MVC team championship.  Pat has always been a Shocker at heart even though he took a long and winding path to get back to WSU.

Pat is a very unique individual.  He’s probably the funniest guy on our staff that no one realizes.  He can fall asleep sitting up in his office chair.  He was the drummer in a band.  Any kind of creative or manual labor job we think of … he is the one who ends up actually doing it.  He loves South Park, Beavis and Butthead and fishing.  If you want to know what his sense of humor is like … go to YouTube and watch Guy on a Buffalo.

More below but first …

I asked Pat five questions, here are his responses …

Question 1:  What advice would you give the 15-year-old version of yourself?

Pat:  Listen more, and talk less. You have a lifetime to form ideas and opinions. Never miss an opportunity to learn and grow.   And pay more attention in algebra...

Question 2:  What is your favorite non-professional thing to do and why?

Pat:  I guess it's no secret that I love the outdoors. Fishing, hunting and camping have always been some of my favorite things to do when I have spare time. 

Some of my earliest childhood memories were fishing with my grandfather, so I suppose there's a lot of nostalgia involved.  We all have something we like to do that puts us in a philosophical state of mind. For me, fishing is something that helps me recharge and feel normal again.

Question 3:  Where is the best place you have ever traveled and why?

Pat:  That would probably be a tossup between Northwest Ontario, Canada, and Kenai Alaska, but I would give Alaska just a slight edge. The fishing and the scenery are spectacular. In fact, I found it frustrating showing people pictures of my trip because the images didn't even come close to what it was like being there. 

And, any place I can fish and wear a hoodie in July is a winning in my book!

Question 4:  If you could change one thing about society what would it be?

Pat:  I wish we weren't so divided politically. I think as a people we have many more things in common than we realize, and somehow we have learned to focus on only on our differences.

Question 5:  Who inspires you and why?

Pat:  My athletes inspire me. 

There is always something satisfying about witnessing a new personal best, a newly developed skill, or a victory. It's especially inspirational when you're there every day to see the struggles that preceded them. 

My athletes probably think I'm never satisfied with their effort, technique, or their performance. 

But what they may not realize, is how amazed I am when they do something new, acquire a new skill, or compete at a high level.  I can't explain the feeling, but it never gets old. 

Final thoughts … Why is Pat Wilson inspirational to me?

A lot of people only see a college coach at practice or competition and think, “I’d love to have that job!”  And while I admit it’s an awesome job, getting to a workable situation isn’t always easy.  Pat Wilson is proof of that.

Obviously, Pat has always been a pole vaulter and loved the event.  He coached for many years in the Wichita City League working with young pole vaulters and then eventually worked his way to the college level at Friends University.  When he got hired at WSU it was as a part-time coach.  I can tell you that for a fact it wasn’t nearly enough money to live on, yet alone prosper.

Pat would get up way before the sun rose (around 3 or 4am) to work on the Wichita loading docks, then come to the office for a while before practice, then usually go to practice as long or longer than any coach (Pole Vault requires lots of practice time), and then do things like recruiting into the evening before falling asleep and doing it all over again on a daily basis.  He didn’t do this for weeks or months, he did it for YEARS.  Finally, WSU was able to put Pat on full-time and he was able to solely focus on working for the Shockers – something I assume has always been his dream.  And no one has ever given him anything in reaching his dreams.

I also admire his creativity in figuring out how to work around any problem he finds.  I think this is why he’s such a good coach too.  He’s able to think outside the box to develop a new training tool or another way to communicate something to his athletes.  It helps me as a coach to take another look at what I do.

Sometimes we take the people we see every day for granted.  And when you work with someone who is generally as humble and unassuming at Pat Wilson I imagine I’ve done the same.  But Coach Wilson, just know that all of us are really fortunate to work with you and are better people and coaches because of it.  I’m sure lots of your former athletes feel the same way!

People that inspire me - Dylan Shelton

There are 41 weeks left in the year and once a week I will write about someone in my life that is inspiring or motivating to me.  Hopefully others will read it and gain a little bit of inspiration in their life as well.  There is no particular order to these writings, just a bunch of people I am fortunate enough to know.  So without further ado ….

Inspirational person #10 of 50 – Dylan Shelton

Dylan Shelton is one of the funniest guys I know.

I go back to Ohio once or twice a year and I usually see a few friends and family while I’m there.  One of the people I always try to see is Dylan Shelton.  We graduated from Eastern High School together in 1993 and have been able to maintain a good friendship even though we haven’t lived anywhere near each other or even see each other with regularity.

We went to the “rival” junior highs of Russellville (me) and Sardinia (Dylan) before combining forces at Eastern.  I was athletic and slightly into other artsy type things.  Dylan was slightly athletic and way into all the other artsy type things.  If there was an extra-curricular activity he was going to be part of it.  He was a good hurdler in track, ran on a state qualifying cross country team, acted in plays, participated in the World qualifying Olympics of the Mind team … the list goes on and on.

Having different interests and being in different social circles, how did we end up being friends?  Humor.

I remember buying a book of David Letterman’s Top-10 lists and we laughed uncontrollably while reading it aloud.  Saturday Night Live became a bit of an obsession and the Monday chats about Chris Farley, Adam Sandler and Phil Hartman became regular.  In our senior year English class we had to do a project of anything we wanted and I made a SNL-type video of which Dylan was the main star.  Embarrassingly funny sketches of Wayne’s World, the Superfans and Deep Thoughts were just part of the hour long VHS I still have.

Fast forward two decades and I’m still doing my thing in the world of athletics and Dylan is still doing his in the world of arts as an actor and director at MadCap Theater in Cincinnati.  He also does improvisational comedy and other cool things that I try and catch whenever I’m back home.

More below but first …

I asked Dylan five questions, here are his responses …

Question 1:  What advice would you give the 15 year old version of yourself?

Dylan:  I would tell my 15 year old self not to take himself so seriously and to stay curious. Challenge yourself to read about religions and philosophies that you don't adhere to. Make friends with people that are very different from yourself, older people, younger people, people from different backgrounds, and people from different parts of the world. And, I would advise him to live in another country for at least a year before you turn 30. 

Question 2:  Where is the best place you’ve ever traveled?

Dylan:  The best place I traveled was to Florence, Italy. It connected me to a history that I found absolutely fascinating.  I loved its rich history of art, architecture, and culture. 

 

Question 3:  If money was no option, what would you do with the rest of your life?

Dylan:  Without concern for money, I would travel all over the world. I would take expeditions to remote places like Antarctica. I would buy a house by the sea in Spain and write plays, novels, and screenplays.

Question 4:  If your life was made into a movie, who would play you and what would the title be?

Dylan:  I think Jake Gyllenhaal would play me. The title would be, "Lucky to Die"

Question 5:  Who inspires you?

Dylan:  I'm inspired by people who go against popular ideas of the time to further advance society in some way. People like Galileo, or Charles Darwin in the field of science who were brave enough to follow the evidence wherever it would lead them even if it drew serious criticism. I also admire George Carlin who could satirize American culture and point out hypocrisy in politics and religion. I think he was way ahead of his time with his comedy.

Final thoughts … Why is Dylan Shelton inspirational to me?

Nowadays when we get together for an evening out, the main thing me and Dylan do is laugh.  And that’s what is inspiring to me about Dylan – he lives his life the way he wants and is having a blast while doing it.  Sometimes coming from a small country school like we did you can develop a bit of an inferiority complex with others from the big city but none of that has ever kept Dylan from success.  I watched him go onto college and never look back and it inspired me to do the same.

I feel like I am pretty good and allowing certain kinds of people into my life.  I am pretty selfish about my happiness at this point and won’t let negative or harmful people in my world.  Not only is Dylan negative or harmful, he’s the complete opposite - fun, creative, generous, not judgmental.

Dylan hasn’t had a perfect life, there has been more than a few bumps along the road, but it just goes to show if you are constantly striving to be great at what you do and are determined to do it eventually you’ll get there.  I know Dylan has a lot more to accomplish with his life and I am excited to see what he is into 10 years from now.

I imagine whatever we are both doing, we’ll get together, tell stories, make fun of each other and mostly laugh.

Thanks Dylan, you make everyone around you smile and laugh on a daily basis.  Keep doing what you’re doing and allowing me to crash at your place two or three nights a year!  See you in Wichita someday!

People that inspire me - Wendel McRaven

There are 42 weeks left in the year and once a week I will write about someone in my life that is inspiring or motivating to me.  Hopefully others will read it and gain a little bit of inspiration in their life as well.  There is no particular order to these writings, just a bunch of people I am fortunate enough to know.  So without further ado ….

Inspirational person #9 of 50 – Wendel McRaven

Sometimes timing is everything.

I went to Texas A&M for the NCAA Indoor Championships this past week and hung out with one of my former co-workers Wendel McRaven on Friday night.  On Saturday his Texas A&M Aggies won the Men’s NCAA Indoor Championship!

Wendel has had a very interesting journey through the world of track and field.  He grew up in the Chicago suburbs and went to North Central College in Napierville, Illinois, where he was an all-American in the 3000m Steeplechase.  I have witnessed one of the more incredible videos from his days at North Central when, during the conference championships he had a tremendously violent fall on the steeplechase barriers.  It would have won the $10,000 on America’s Funniest Home Videos back in the day (someone please upload this to YouTube).  But he got up, checked to make sure his valuables were all there, and then proceeded to pass most of the field and help his team win the league title.

Wendel is the comeback kid of college track and field.

Wendel’s coaching career began at the University of Alabama from 1991-94 where he was part of a couple titles in the ultra-competitive SEC as well as a NCAA runner-up finish in indoor track.  From there he went to the University of Nebraska where he coached as well as being the recruiting coordinator for the Huskers during a time of major success.  Multiple Big 12 championships and another NCAA runner-up finish happened during his time in Lincoln.

At Nebraska he met assistant coach Steve Rainbolt, who became the head coach at Kent State University in 1996 (during my junior year).  In Rainbolt’s second year at Kent he brought Wendel on to rebuild a down distance program.  As a member of the Kent State track team before and after Wendel came, I can attest to the difference he made … and made quickly.  Within a couple years our distance runners were a major part of our team and our women won the first ever MAC title in cross country shortly thereafter.

When Coach Rainbolt left Kent State to become the head coach at Wichita State, Wendel got promoted to the head coach position at Kent State.  Bolt had done a great job getting the Golden Flashes to a higher level and Wendel kept the ball rolling (and also made me an assistant coach!).  For the first time in school history MAC Championships became a regular thing and by the time he left Kent, he had been part of five conference championship teams.

He got the opportunity to head closer to home and become the head cross country and distance coach at the University of Illinois.  Although he had some very good success at Illinois in his six years there, he fell victim to some changes in the track and field staff and was left without a job.  I’m sure this uncertain time was a very stressful time for Wendel and his family.  But the comeback kid would not be down for long.

That’s when one of the most successful track and field programs in the nation came calling.  Texas A&M.  Before Wendel arrived to College Station, the Aggies had become one of the dominant programs in the country under head coach Pat Henry.  And with Wendel aboard things have continued to roll on, most recently with the first ever men’s NCAA Indoor national championship!

More below but first …

I asked Wendel five questions, here are his responses …

Question 1:  If your life was a movie, what would the title be and who would play you?

Wendel:  "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" with Steve Martin as the distance coach at Texas A&M! Although, in my life there aren't very many trains involved. Maybe, "Planes, Busses, and Rental Cars" would be a more accurate title!

Question 2:  What one thing would you change about society?

Wendel:  That's pretty deep! If anything, I wish there was more time to stay connected with the people in our lives. We all get going 100 miles per hour chasing our dreams and goals and before you know it you've lost touch with some important people! Social media has made some of those connections easier, but it doesn't take the place of a phone call or a face to face conversation.

Question 3:  What makes you laugh?

Wendel:  Lots of things make me laugh! Lately, three of my buddies from high school Jim Clark, Kenny Kappie, and Marc Burns have discovered the joys of Snapchat! The funny thing is that we all use it like a group of old men! The number-one topic each day is the weather!  We all live in different parts of the country so we actually do have something to report. We have even dubbed our reports the "Jim Clark Weather Network." It's some high level stuff I assure you!

My daughter makes me laugh as I see her starting to figure out the ways of the world and the innocence and naïveté in which she still views the world. I'm laughing now, but I know those days of innocence are numbered.

Of course, any references to "The Big Lebowski" or "Caddyshack" will always make me laugh!

Question 4:  What does success mean to you?

Wendel:  Wow! Tough one! In the end success to me is more about my family than anything. Being able to provide for my family and being able to come home to a loving and happy wife and child is success on a personal level!

Professionally, success is having a positive impact on the lives of the student-athletes I get the opportunity to work with. Obviously, we want to have great teams and help people run fast, jump high or far or throw far, but in the end that is just a part of the experience. I tell recruits all the time that if all they learn by being a member of our team is how to run faster than we failed them. Sometimes, it takes them a few years away before they realize some of those lessons, but they are hopefully there.

Question 5:  Who inspires you and why?

Wendel:  I get inspired daily! Heck, I get inspired by song lyrics!

Hard to pick just one! My parents inspire me because they came from small town settings where they really weren't expected to go out and make something of themselves, but they did! My dad is the hardest working man I have ever known. He was a mechanic welder and he often left the house at 4:30 in the morning and worked on big machinery in all types of weather. My mom went back to college when my sister and I were in elementary school to become a nurse. My parents sacrificed a lot to make a better life for our family. They never settled. Whenever I feel like I am working hard I think about my parents and their work ethic and realize I've got it pretty good!

A lot of my coaches have inspired me! From junior high on. My college coach, Al Carius at Division III power North Central College may be one of the most inspirational humans alive! He is a guy that never stops learning. Never stops striving to be better. While always doing things the "right way" and always being a man of high character! I honestly think he is the best collegiate distance coach in the country regardless of division!

My boss, Pat Henry, inspires me! His diligence, his attention to detail, his consistency... amazing! And, he proves that you can do things the right way and win. His values and priorities are in the right place. Whether you are the superstar individual national champion or a walk-on who never makes a travel squad, you are held to the same standards. You don't see that as much these days.

Final thoughts … Why is Wendel McRaven inspirational to me?

If there was ever someone who knows EVERYONE in the world of track and field it’s Wendel McRaven, and for everyone who knows him he has always been thought of as a great guy, terrific coach and wonderful friend.  He’s a person who has always seemed be a combination of focused, fun and dedicated to not only his work but his family and friends.  I can tell you this is not an easy thing to accomplish no matter if you’re the head coach at Kent State or an assistant coach at Texas A&M.

And as you can tell from his resume I summarized at the beginning of this blog, Wendel has worked his tail off everywhere he has been to get where he is today.  He is a testament that if you work hard, treat people right and not settle for mediocrity that you can accomplish more than you’ve ever dreamed possible.  In the world of track and field, Wendel is living the American Dream.

I was fortunate to work with Wendel from 1999-2003 at Kent State and I could sit here and tell story after story of funny things that happened at the office or on road trips.  He has a particularly funny way to give people crap – especially Coach Rainbolt.  I’m lucky to get daily Snapchats from College Station that range from his worldly travels to his daughter’s many soccer games.

But to know and be a friend of Wendel McRaven’s is a special thing.  During a particularly tough and personal ordeal that eventually led me to leaving Kent State in 2003 to move back home to Cincinnati, Wendel was the most supportive and caring person I have ever known.  Even when he was stuck with finding a new sprint coach when I left him out to dry, so to speak, he never showed any frustration and was as professional as a boss could be and as great as a friend could be.

I never ran for Wendel but I had many distance running teammates whose lives were changed for the better when he arrived to Kent.  It seems no matter where Wendel has gone in his life from Illinois to Alabama to Nebraska to Ohio back to Illinois and now to Texas … the places he works are successful and the people who come in to contact with him are the better for it.  Thank you Wendel for being such a positive role model for young people, wonderful peer for your co-workers and a great friend to all of us!

People that inspire me - Jenni Ashcroft

There are 43 weeks left in the year and once a week I will write about someone in my life that is inspiring or motivating to me.  Hopefully others will read it and gain a little bit of inspiration in their life as well.  There is no particular order to these writings, just a bunch of people I am fortunate enough to know.  So without further ado ….

Inspirational person #8 of 50 – Jenni Ashcroft

I worked with Jenni Ashcroft for about 4 months in 2006 when I first moved to Wichita.  That wasn’t nearly long enough.

Jenni is one of those special people who makes anywhere she goes better.  When she was an athlete at the University of Nevada she was not only a conference champion, all-American and Olympic Trials Qualifier but she was also the NCAA Woman of the Year for the entire state of Nevada!

From 2003 to 2006 she helped take Wichita State to the next level in terms of conference championships, NCAA qualifiers and all-Americans in the jumping events.

Then she moved onto the University of Oregon from 2006 to 2012 where she helped the ducks win four NCAA titles while not only coaching the Pole Vault but also assisting with the distance runners.  Ever heard of Jordan Hasay?  Jenni was highly influential in her development as well as several other national champions.  She was a steadying force in the intense and crazy world of big time track at Oregon.

Now at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, she continues to mentor athletes to the top of the national charts in the field events.

How has she managed to have so much success?  Well in the short time I worked with her it was very obvious.  She is one of the hardest working and caring people you could ever meet.

More about this below but first …

I asked Jenni five questions, here are her responses …

Question 1:  What have you yet to accomplish that you would very much like to happen?

Jenni:  That's a good question and I don't have a profound or specific answer.  I've been fortunate to be involved with some very fun and exciting accomplishments, but ultimately, it's the pursuit, the process, the relationships and the journey that makes an accomplishment special.  My focus and desire is to pursue championships as champions.  Watching a student-athlete grow in their mindset and habits throughout their collegiate athletic experience is ultimately the most rewarding part of my job.

Question 2:  If money was no issue, what would you do for the rest of your life?

Jenni:  I am fortunate to have found a profession that I love and enjoy, so I don't think too much would change.  I'm pretty confident I would remain involved with education and/or coaching.  The only real change I could foresee is living closer to family.  If money was no issue, I’d lobby for them to move here because San Luis Obispo is a pretty spectacular place to live.  

Question 3:  What makes you laugh?

Jenni:  A lot of things make me laugh.  Laughter is a key ingredient to my day.  

I probably laugh the most with my family.  The student-athletes I work with bring laughter to my day.  Children, especially my niece and nephews, make my heart happy and full of laughter.  People being silly and goofy, not taking themselves too seriously is a favorite of mine.  And, if I'm being honest, I laugh when someone biffs it, especially if it’s me. 

Question 4:  What makes your life meaningful?

Jenni:  Faith, family and friends.  All three of those categories are relational.  No question about it, meaningful relationships built on love and trust is what fills my cup.  

I haven't made a lot of money coaching track, but I consider myself richly blessed.  God did not hold back on bringing amazing people into my life.  Whether that's family, friends, teachers, coaches, mentors or athletes I've coached - I have been extremely fortunate.  

Question 5:  Who inspires you and why?

Jenni:  I can't pick just one person.  As I stated above, I have been blessed with some tremendous people in my life.  From family members, to mentors, to student-athletes I've been fortunate to coach -- I don't have to look far for inspiration.  

In addition to people I know, I love hearing stories of someone selflessly serving behind the scenes.  I also enjoy hearing about people overcoming obstacles.  Stories of people facing true hardship and taking it on with a positive attitude and a no excuses mentality are especially inspiring.  

Additional comment by Jenni:  I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to thank Wichita State Track & Field for giving me a model to follow.  Coach Rainbolt is one of my greatest mentors.  The coaching staff is the best you can find and they are coaching for all the right reasons.  And, last but not least, the hard work and trust of the student-athletes was both inspiring and motivating.  The sustained success of Wichita State Track & Field is a testimony to Coach Rainbolt and his staff.  It's encouraging to me to see people get it done, the right way.  To every athlete in that program - know that you are part of an extremely special program.  I don't know if it's possible for you to fully grasp it, but please trust me that you are.  Take full advantage of the opportunity you've been given.  You have much to be grateful for.  Go Shox!

Final thoughts … Why is Jenni Ashcroft inspirational to me?

As you can tell by reading Jenni’s comments, she is very unselfish and all about helping uplift those around her.  This is not a “pitch” or “recruiting talk” in any way.  This is just the way Jenni Ashcroft is as a human being.  She’s one of the nicest and most gracious people you will ever want to meet.  She couldn’t just answer my questions, she had to add her personal comments about our program and how much she appreciates us.  I would consider her a main team player in the game of life.  We are all better for knowing and being around her.

Jenni in the middle when we
worked together in 2006

Every once in a while we get a chance to connect at a track meet or on the telephone and inevitably we end up chatting for an hour or longer about our teams and the sport of track and field.  She has very unique insights about how to make her athletes and teams better and I learn every time I get the opportunity to speak to her.  And usually it isn’t so much the technical side of coaching (which she is very knowledgeable), but more the organizational, inspirational and motivational side of it.  We also can’t help but imagine what it would be like to work together again.  Her addition to any staff would instantly make it better – someday I hope that can happen!

I asked her above what makes her laugh because I’m always smiling and laughing when she’s around.  She can brighten up your day no matter how bad it’s going and I’m sure that’s why her athletes and co-workers enjoy being around her so much.  While at Brooke Demo’s (Rasnick) wedding a couple years ago, I introduced myself to her parents as Jenni’s fiancée (inside joke because we are both forever single).  Jenni played along with it as we laughed the entire time.  Needless to say her parents will never give me permission to marry Jenni after that!

Whenever our Wichita State Track and Field teams win a championship or has success, Jenni is one of the first people to send us a congratulatory text message or phone call.  She always makes us feel good about what we are doing and how we are doing it. 

Jenni, you have positively affected so many people that I personally know, and I’m sure there are dozens, if not hundreds more, that feel the same way.  Thank you for being a light of inspirational to everyone around you.  I admire you for the way you live your life and your fierce dedication to living it the right way!