The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

Today we take a look at how the state of Louisiana qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: While Louisiana has a long tradition of having the javelin as an official event, it's only been a few years the 4x800m relay has been an official event.

Today we take a look at how the state of Kentucky qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: While Kentucky Middle School athletes have the opportunity to throw the Turbojav , High School athletes DO NOT have the opportunity to throw the javelin!

Today we take a look at how the state of Kansas qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: Kansas is one of the nearly 25 states that throws the javelin as part of their state series.

Today we take a look at how the state of Iowa qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: Iowa has separate governing bodies for boy's sports and girl's sports; Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union. This means a few subtle differences including the boy's running the 1600m and 3200m events while the girls run...

Today we take a look at how the state of Indiana qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: Indiana competes as one single class for track and field. At the state meet there is only one boy's state champion team and only one girl's state champion team. PS: Indiana HS athletes do NOT have the ability to compete in the TJ.

Today we take a look at how the state of Illinois qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: Illinois scores the top 9 athletes in each event!

Join us on the latest episode of the Gill Athletics Connections podcast as host Mike Cunningham, National Business Development Manager at Gill Athletics, dives into an engaging conversation with Bruce Jackson, the assistant coach for Academy of Art . With a unique blend of passion for the sport and a keen insight into the challenges and triumphs of collegiate coaching, Jackson shares his journey f...

Today we take a look at how the state of Idaho qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: The largest class in Idaho (5A) runs the 4x800 but the 1A through 4A run the Sprint Medley Relay. To make it more fun the girls run the SMR 100, 100, 200, 400 yet the boys run the SMR 200, 200, 400, 800!

Today we take a look at how the state of Hawaii qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: Hawaii runs the 1500m and the 3000m races in lieu of the more traditional 1600/3200 and has added the 4x800m relay race for the first time this year!

Today we take a look at how the state of Georgia qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: This is the last year GA will operate under an 8 class system, as they move to a 7 class system in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Today we take a look at how the state of Florida qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: Florida is one of the few states that has moved the 300m hurdles to the 400m hurdles. Can you name the other states? Hit me up on Twitter @MikeCunningham with your guesses.

Today we take a look at how the state of Delaware qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: While there are qualifying standards for all individual events, any team with any time can enter into the relay events!

Today we take a look at how the state of Connecticut qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Spoiler Alert: while not part of the official state meet, CT hosts a steeplechase, heptathlon, decathlon and hammer state meet after the official state series! How cool is that?

In this gripping episode of the Gill Athletics Connections podcast , host Mike Cunningham ( Twitter: @mikecunningham ) sits down with the esteemed Hampton University head coach, Maurice Pierce, for an enlightening conversation that delves deep into the essence of track and field coaching. Through a narrative that intertwines the discipline, knowledge, and personal attention to athletes, both on an...

Today we take a look at how the state of Colorado qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: Colorado runs a Sprint Medley Relay (100, 100, 200, 400) ONLY for the Girl's state meet competition!

Today we take a look at how the state of California qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. Fun Fact: JT is also the host of the On Track and Field Podcast! where he interviews coaches and athletes around the world! He does a great job and it's worth heading over and subscribing. HERE is the link for Apple Podcast .

Today we take a look at how the state of Arkansas qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: Arkansas high school coaches host an 'unofficial' state meet for the heptathlon/decathlon after their Meet of Champions track meet. They substitute the triple jump for the Decathlon javelin and the discus for the heptathlon javelin.

Today we take a look at how the state of Arizona qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: Arizona awards state team titles to four Divisions which then combine down to one Open State Championship meet (one for boys and one for girls).

Today we take a look at how the state of Alaska qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Fun Fact: While the pole vault is not an official state meet event, they do have a strong tradition of an All Star meet held at Kodiak HS called the Bryan Young Invitational where three super teams are created from the different regions to compete against one another regardless of Divis...

Today we take a look at how the state of Alabama qualifies athletes to their outdoor state track and field meet. *Spoiler Alert: Alabama is one of the 22-ish states that score the javelin (rubber tipped)! And while not part of the official state meet, AL hosts a heptathlon and decathlon state meet after the official state meets!

Step into the world of collegiate track and field coaching with the latest episode of our podcast, featuring the insightful and dynamic head coach of Butler Community College's track and field team, Greg Franklin. This episode offers a deep dive into the challenges and triumphs of coaching at the junior college level, the development of student-athletes, and the intricate process of preparing...

This bonus episode features an episode of the Vance Johnson's live show called Talkin' Track w/Texas Track Dad. He features athletes and coaches from around the country live utilizing YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. This episode he invited Gill's National Business Development Manager Mike Cunningham on the show to talk about the new Long Jump experiment, NCAA DI championships, and Noa...

Dive into the fascinating world of race walking with the latest episode of the Gill Connections Podcast, where we sit down with Michael Roth, a prominent figure from the Raleigh Walkers. This episode peels back the layers of an often misunderstood sport, shedding light on its techniques, history, and the passionate community behind it. 🚶‍♂️💨 From Michael's journey in the sport to the intrica...

Dennis joined us on our LIVE broadcast of the Prefontaine Classic 2023, the Diamond League Finals. He provided an insiders look at a pro team working on producing medals at the Olympics and World Championships. We get a chance to talk about how he started the group, what it's like to go from an elite athlete himself to an elite athlete coach, as well as the specialness of coaching such a talen...

🎙️The Multi-Sport Athlete Advantage: A Deep Dive with George Lutkenhaus 🏆🏈🏀⚽ 🌟In this enlightening episode, we sit down with George Lutkenhaus, the dynamic Athletic Director of Northwest ISD in Texas, former collegiate track athlete, esteemed high school track coach, and the proud parent of three exceptionally athletic boys. George shares his unique insights into the world of high school and...