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Speaker 1: In the crazy world that we have going right now,

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Speaker 1: the one thing that can always get you motivated is athletics.

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Speaker 1: We'll stand by as we welcome the number one athletic

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Speaker 1: director in all of NCAA Division I Sports, doctor Pat

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Speaker 1: Kraft at Penn State University. This is the David Rutherford Show.

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Speaker 1: One of the most important things that I think all

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Speaker 1: people can ever participate in is athletics. We learn so

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Speaker 1: much about ourselves, about working with teams, about working in

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Speaker 1: a mission oriented focus, and really pushing ourselves to be

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Speaker 1: the best version of ourselves. Well in this country right now,

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Speaker 1: in my opinion, the number one athletic director by far

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Speaker 1: is doctor Patkraft at Penn State. In this year alone,

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Speaker 1: he has transformed the storied institution into one of the

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Speaker 1: most success athletic departments around. And the reason he does

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Speaker 1: it is because he teaches these young people how to win. So,

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Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen, I'm so privileged to welcome one of

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Speaker 1: my favorite people of all time, doctor Patcraft, to the show. Dota, Hey,

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Speaker 1: how are you doing that?

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Speaker 2: I appreciate that, Rod. I was swirming in my seat

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Speaker 2: a little bit because, as you know it, I don't

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Speaker 2: have that much to do with what we're what we're

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Speaker 2: doing right now. But I appreciate that from an alump,

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Speaker 2: I will say, do you know who was our I

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Speaker 2: forget who was our guest speaker at our first all

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Speaker 2: staff meeting this year before we went embarked on one

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Speaker 2: of the best years in the history of this story program.

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Speaker 2: Who's that? Do you remember who that was?

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Speaker 1: I know it looks a little bit like that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, oh that's right, that's right. It did coincide with

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Speaker 2: you doing that. So I give you as much credit

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Speaker 2: as anybody else to get enough off on the right foot.

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Speaker 1: Now, man, I listen, I've been a part of this

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Speaker 1: institution for a long time in a bunch of different ways,

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Speaker 1: and the energy that you have brought. I mean, just

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Speaker 1: looking at this year alone, National championship wrestling, national championship, volleyball,

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Speaker 1: Final four, football Final four for the first time, men's

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Speaker 1: hockey Final four, lacrosse, and winning seasons across the thirty

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Speaker 1: one different sports. But the one that really is highlighted

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Speaker 1: for me, and this is the thing that I thought

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Speaker 1: was incredible, is that, you know, for the student athletes

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Speaker 1: who excelled academically this year, the overall average was a

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Speaker 1: three point three to two. Right, six hundred and thirty

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Speaker 1: six students achieving a three point zero or higher. So

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Speaker 1: you know that type of excellence is indicative of the

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Speaker 1: culture that you're bringing. Can you describe what when you

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Speaker 1: got to the university, what was your main focus in

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Speaker 1: is what's now percolating across all the teams?

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Speaker 2: No, yeah, I appreciate you referencing the academic side of

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Speaker 2: it too, because here that part gets lost in our

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Speaker 2: world right now with all the revenue talk and or

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Speaker 2: you know, the house case and paying money, and it

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Speaker 2: is a big business. I'm not dismissing that. But at

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Speaker 2: the end of the day, we're our student athletes are

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Speaker 2: the people who we serve every day. That's why I

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Speaker 2: serve every day. I happen to have eight hundred and

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Speaker 2: thirty three. Different schools have different amount of athletes, but

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Speaker 2: I've eight under thirty three students, and as I tell them,

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Speaker 2: they're my children. I have my two kids at home,

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Speaker 2: and then I have eight hundred thirty three kids here.

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Speaker 2: But I think when I got here three years ago,

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Speaker 2: if I'm being really honest with you, but I think

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Speaker 2: there was a siloed approach the way we communicated the

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Speaker 2: way that we looked at competition and the way we

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Speaker 2: looked at everything we were attacking as an organization, and

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Speaker 2: it's just different than the way I approach it. My

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Speaker 2: philosophy is always just give me your best to the

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Speaker 2: best you possibly can classroom, socially, competitively, and if you

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Speaker 2: do that, good things will happen. And then you have

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Speaker 2: to really surround yourself with really great people. And I

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Speaker 2: think three years in and we've had we've been very

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Speaker 2: blessed to have success along the journey. I think this

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Speaker 2: year kind of was the the acceleration of that, and

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Speaker 2: I think we still left a lot of meat on

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Speaker 2: the bone, and I think none of us are satisfied

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Speaker 2: within these walls. I think we see it as a

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Speaker 2: lot more for us to accomplish next next season. But

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Speaker 2: I think it is coming around to everybody feeling that

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Speaker 2: they're they're holding on to the road and no matter

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Speaker 2: what you are, or what role you play or what

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Speaker 2: sport you play, you're important. And our student athletes are

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Speaker 2: really special young men and women who who get it

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Speaker 2: and they want they want to be the best, they

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Speaker 2: want to be elite, and we just got to fuel

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Speaker 2: that fire.

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Speaker 1: You know, one of the hardest things. I think for

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Speaker 1: most kids, you know, they come out of wherever, they're

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Speaker 1: coming out of any all, and you guys recruit from

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Speaker 1: all over the country, all over the world. Really, I mean,

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Speaker 1: it's incredible, and you know, they they show up and

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Speaker 1: a lot of people don't realize just the arduousness of

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Speaker 1: being a student athlete at an elite level program. Can

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Speaker 1: you describe some of the impact or the commitments that

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Speaker 1: you see from these student athletes, whether it's football or

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Speaker 1: volleyball or whatever it might be.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you're I think you're one hundred percent

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Speaker 2: right now. People don't really understand the commitment that they're

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Speaker 2: making to being successful. It's why I tell them all

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Speaker 2: the time they're going to be really successful and they

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Speaker 2: leave our little world here because they're being trained to

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Speaker 2: understand the time commitment it takes to being elite. They

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Speaker 2: understand than we think it's silly, but sleep why that's important.

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Speaker 2: They understand you know, hey, your diet does impact how

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Speaker 2: you approach a day. All these things that you know,

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Speaker 2: we see as adults and we look back, especially if

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Speaker 2: you're in a competitor like, oh man, why didn't I

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Speaker 2: listen to that? A little bit more right right now,

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Speaker 2: and I'm trying to lose weight, might go and it

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Speaker 2: hurts to run or walk on a treadmill. I think

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Speaker 2: they see all these things. They're much more in tune

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Speaker 2: to their body. They're much more in tune to their

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Speaker 2: surroundings that they're involved in. And I think from academics,

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Speaker 2: remember now, we're not just telling them to be great

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Speaker 2: at like one thing. We're laying out a list of things.

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Speaker 2: That's a lot of pressure. And one of the things

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Speaker 2: that we try to deal with is, hey, you also

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Speaker 2: got to be like a studient. You just got to

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Speaker 2: be you, and that is really hard in this world

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Speaker 2: now because of so many people can come at you.

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Speaker 2: And so as much as I talk to him about, hey,

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Speaker 2: we're going to go win, and we're going to go

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Speaker 2: one hundred, you know, one hundred percent into everything, there

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Speaker 2: is also the talk of taking care of yourself, Understanding

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Speaker 2: your body needs dress, understanding your mind needs dress, Understanding

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Speaker 2: that the care that you give yourself and your teammates

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Speaker 2: actually is as valuable as doing the extra lyft, doing

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Speaker 2: the extra run, doing the extra study. And so it's

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Speaker 2: a very holistic approach. I've had that it really stems

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Speaker 2: from my time at you know, Loyola Chicago and and

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Speaker 2: the Jesuit tradition of mind, body, and spirit, and it

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Speaker 2: correlates no matter where you are. It's not a religious thing.

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Speaker 2: It's about can we make the mind right? Can we

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Speaker 2: make the spirit right? And and your body will follow.

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Speaker 2: And you know, it's just about being healthy and holistic

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Speaker 2: in everything you do. And so that's the approach, and

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Speaker 2: and the pressure is tough, it's it's a lot. And

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Speaker 2: my job is to try to make that as easy

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Speaker 2: as humanly possible on the individual, provide everything they need,

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Speaker 2: and then keep it as simple as I can throughout

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Speaker 2: their death.

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Speaker 1: I love that, you know. One of the things that

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Speaker 1: I think I was just watching a podcast with a

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Speaker 1: bunch of former Penn State football players and they were saying, listen,

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Speaker 1: you know, prior to doctor Craft coming in, there was

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Speaker 1: kind of a different mentality. But when he came in

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Speaker 1: the way he spoke to us, the way he was

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Speaker 1: so invigorated about winning, Like one dude was like, man,

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Speaker 1: I was ready to run through a wall after he

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Speaker 1: spoke to it. And then we see you on the

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Speaker 1: mats watching the wrestling team, you know, win year after year,

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Speaker 1: and you're screaming, or at the volleyball championships when they

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Speaker 1: came back, you know, down two sets and you're screaming,

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Speaker 1: or whatever sport it is. You know, I think that

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Speaker 1: an activity to the administration, to the athletic to program,

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Speaker 1: you've you've personalized it in such a palpable way that

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Speaker 1: the kids are feeling that. Do you find that that

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Speaker 1: and it really helps support your coaching staff as well too,

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Speaker 1: that that they feel that connection as well.

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Speaker 2: I would hope. So I think it's one of those

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Speaker 2: things I've learned. I remember when I became an ad

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Speaker 2: for the first time at Temple and I sat in

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Speaker 2: the proverbial chair. It was a chair in my office

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Speaker 2: that was the ady office. And my dad had just

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Speaker 2: recently passed and he had run a business and he

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Speaker 2: his office was in the back of where the shop was.

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Speaker 2: You know. He was, you know, servant leadership. Right, Let's

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Speaker 2: let's lead by example. There's nothing too small and nothing,

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Speaker 2: you know, we're going to do it together. And so

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Speaker 2: I sat down, I thought about my dad and I said, Okay,

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Speaker 2: I'm just gonna be who I am because I can't

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Speaker 2: be anybody different. Now, you know, ten plus years ago

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Speaker 2: in your that moment, you're still young and raw and

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Speaker 2: and but I have learned over time, like this is

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Speaker 2: just who I am. I'm a competitor. I want to win.

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Speaker 2: I mean I was playing in the parents daughter soccer

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Speaker 2: game this past week. Yeah, I'm not gonna write Anny

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Speaker 2: score on me. I'm not gonna let my dog. I'm

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Speaker 2: just gonna I'm gonna be that guy. And if I

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Speaker 2: gotta be broken ribs after diving after a ball, I'm

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Speaker 2: gonna do it. And that's probably not the right thing

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Speaker 2: to do, but hey, we're in it. You're twelve years old.

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Speaker 2: We got it. You gotta compete. But like it's just

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Speaker 2: kind of how I'm wired and and a lot of

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Speaker 2: people bring up you know, my side, but like I'm

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Speaker 2: all in, and my wife will tell you that, like

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Speaker 2: I truly do. I tell my athletes like I love

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Speaker 2: them and I want them to succeed. But if I'm

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Speaker 2: not there through good and bad, then who is? Yeah,

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Speaker 2: So like I have to I hope my coaches. I

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Speaker 2: know it was hard for our coach. I'm not not

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Speaker 2: the normal, but like when I come around like the

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Speaker 2: normal stereotypical ad. But when I come around practice I'm

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Speaker 2: not coming around just to like, hey, are you doing. No,

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Speaker 2: I'm coming around just to be around the energy. Being

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Speaker 2: around the athletes is the one treasure that in the

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Speaker 2: job that is like it is priceless to me, and

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Speaker 2: so I don't get to do that. But I think

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Speaker 2: our coaches now understand, Oh wait, this just isn't you know,

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Speaker 2: the first week or the first month. It's everything. And

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Speaker 2: I hope they understand now I'm doing this to help them.

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Speaker 2: I'm doing everything I can. I feel invested in fencing,

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Speaker 2: track and field, soccer, gymnastics, football, volleyball, wrestling, I mean, diety.

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Speaker 2: It doesn't matter because I want to win and I

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Speaker 2: want to compete, and I think that is resonating. You know.

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Speaker 2: Now they don't think I'm a total lunatic or like,

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Speaker 2: but but like for me on the sidelines, when people

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Speaker 2: bring that up, like how could you not get excited,

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Speaker 2: Like how could you be a red goooded American and

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Speaker 2: not jump through the roof when our volleyball team comes

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Speaker 2: back down ten against the brawn Like I'm just so

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Speaker 2: proud of them, Like I see them so differently than

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Speaker 2: most people see our alleys. Yeah, and to see them succeed,

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Speaker 2: You're like, I get emotional doing that, and the same

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Speaker 2: when we lose, you want to hold them and you know,

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Speaker 2: so I'm glad. I I wanted to be something organic

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Speaker 2: and real and it is just what it is.

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Speaker 1: Well, I think that's the that's the genuine thing to

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Speaker 1: always do. But it's so difficult because of the pressure,

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Speaker 1: the stressors, right, I mean you showed up at that

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Speaker 1: institution and you know the facilities there were the worst

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Speaker 1: facilities in in the Big ten, right, the stadium hadn't

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Speaker 1: been redone. You know, my one of my favorite things

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Speaker 1: that you've done is the upgrades to Jeff Field. I

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Speaker 1: mean where I played back in the day. And you know,

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Speaker 1: we've got one of the greatest female soccer programs in

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Speaker 1: the entire country, one of the best coaches. I just

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Speaker 1: saw recently one of our our grad recent graduates scored

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Speaker 1: our first winning goal in the in the female professional league.

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Speaker 1: And it's like, and now, all of a sudden, you

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Speaker 1: know this with you know the momentum is it? Are

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Speaker 1: you finding it more uh less complicated to fix all

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Speaker 1: of those kind of hardcore administrative problems to bring the

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Speaker 1: money in to bring all this I saw a recent

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Speaker 1: article that you know, they said, you know, you were

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Speaker 1: going to go work with private funding and all this stuff,

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Speaker 1: and you're like, hey, no, we we are. We are

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Speaker 1: the funding Penn State, the alumni. So can you talk

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Speaker 1: a little bit about, you know, now that you have

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Speaker 1: the momentum supporting the athletes, supporting the programs with all

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Speaker 1: these new renovations in additions, Yeah, I think I hope

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Speaker 1: you've been enjoying this incredible interview with doctor Pat Kraft

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Speaker 1: at PENNS from Penn State Athletic Department. What I want

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Speaker 1: to just talk to you a little bit about is

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Speaker 1: our our new Embrace Fear curriculum that's available on David

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Speaker 1: Brotherford dot com. It's a part of the Frog Logic Institute,

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Speaker 1: which is going to be an emerging group of of

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Speaker 1: of core products or core curriculum that I've been working

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Speaker 1: on over the past thirty years. The first in line

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Speaker 1: is learning to embrace your fear. Fear is the number

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Speaker 1: one emotion that impedes us from achieving anything that we

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Speaker 1: truly put want to put our minds to right. It's

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Speaker 1: that emotion that's wired in you've been taught at your

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Speaker 1: whole life. It's it's that that that one thing that

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Speaker 1: you really have to get a hold of. Now here's

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Speaker 1: the deal. There's no such thing as fearless. So please

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Speaker 1: go to David Brotherford dot com, check out go to courses,

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Speaker 1: and sign up for your Embrace Fear Curriculum. This is

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Speaker 1: a five week or five month course. I recommend it

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Speaker 1: doing it over the course of five months. And this

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Speaker 1: course is designed not only to help you understand your fear,

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Speaker 1: to accept your fear, to begin to retrain your brain

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Speaker 1: with the fear, to test your fear every day, and

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Speaker 1: then ultimately to live with courage and to deal with

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Speaker 1: your fear as a motivational component to go help you

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Speaker 1: achieve your purpose in life. So don't waste time. Go

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Speaker 1: to David Butherford dot com and check out our Embrace

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Speaker 1: Fear Curriculum.

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Speaker 2: Thank you. You know, women's soccer is a great example.

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Speaker 1: We have.

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Speaker 2: Our soccer programs are tradition, historic soccer programs. We didn't

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Speaker 2: have a bathroom, they didn't have a real locker room,

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Speaker 2: gorgeous grass, but there literally was like my first summer,

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Speaker 2: I put two double wide trailers in there, and you

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Speaker 2: would have thought we had built them. The taj Mahal

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Speaker 2: they were just happy to have a place of going

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Speaker 2: at rains. You know, I'm sitting there against you know,

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Speaker 2: we're number we're top five in North Carolina. I think

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Speaker 2: was one or two first game of the year a

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Speaker 2: couple of years ago, and it's downpouring. We had nowhere

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Speaker 2: to go. So I look at it as like, no,

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Speaker 2: I'm just doing what I should be doing. You deserve

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Speaker 2: better than that. That's not what you deserve, a better experience.

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Speaker 2: And so we've done a lot of projects to focus

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Speaker 2: on what I told you food recovery. For soccer, it

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Speaker 2: was make their life easier, locker room, weight room, buyer facility,

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Speaker 2: you know, a better environment for our fans. But they

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Speaker 2: deserve that. I would love to say it's gotten easier.

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Speaker 2: It's not easier, but that's a product of who I am.

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Speaker 2: I probably I think you have to continue to push

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Speaker 2: yourself and push the people in the organization to not

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Speaker 2: get complacent, to not take your foot off the gas.

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Speaker 2: I think that's true easy for people to do. You

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Speaker 2: got to get uncomfortable. I'm not saying, you know, we're

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Speaker 2: over working people, but you have to keep the mindset that, yeah,

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Speaker 2: we had a great year this year, but as I

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Speaker 2: told the athletes, this summer is gonna be the most

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Speaker 2: important summer in the history of Penn State because we

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Speaker 2: can do things that no one's ever done in college sports.

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Speaker 2: So I, yeah, I'm so happy and so proud of

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Speaker 2: what we accomplished, but we should be able to do

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Speaker 2: that again and again and again. And so I a

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Speaker 2: little sadistic, I guess in my mind, but like I keep,

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Speaker 2: I keep the We got to keep the energy going

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Speaker 2: because if you don't, and if I back off, it

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Speaker 2: gives everyone the opportunity to back off. And I just

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Speaker 2: am not wired that way. Like I have. You know,

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Speaker 2: I have to be able to continue to be creative

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Speaker 2: and find new ways. And yeah, you put certain things

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Speaker 2: to bed, but it just creates a whole other thing.

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Speaker 2: They're like, okay, well we got to get one percent better?

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Speaker 2: How can we get one percent better? You know, Erica

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Speaker 2: with Eric and I had a great conversation this offseing,

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Speaker 2: our women's soccer coach said Okay, how do we like

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Speaker 2: the ball can go one way or the other, but

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Speaker 2: how do we get ourselves just a little better? And

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Speaker 2: I need she's the best coach, but we all need that.

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Speaker 2: They challenge me I challenge that, and so yeah, it's well,

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Speaker 2: look at we have a historic wrestling program. You know that.

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Speaker 2: Kel's I think the greatest coach in the history of coaches,

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Speaker 2: not college anything. What he does and what our athletes

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Speaker 2: do there is truly remarkable, and they're incredible human beings.

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Speaker 2: But I do think sometimes people take them for granted,

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Speaker 2: for them to reprocess and take that winning and how

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Speaker 2: hard it is to do what they do and to

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Speaker 2: watch it, because there's two weeks where I really am

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Speaker 2: embedded with them. We go big tends d NCAA's and

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Speaker 2: for me to watch what they do at that moment

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Speaker 2: and do it so graciously, so incredibly successful, and you're like, well,

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Speaker 2: you don't ever want to get to place like, man, yeah,

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Speaker 2: we're gonna win the nasals. No, every year were like, okay,

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Speaker 2: how do we get better? How could you get back? Well,

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Speaker 2: we could get better, we can keep getting better. And

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Speaker 2: so that's just kind of the way I'm built and

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Speaker 2: I think the way we're built here, and I'm blessed

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Speaker 2: because and right, you know a lot of our coaches

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Speaker 2: you had guy on, I have great coaches who think

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Speaker 2: the same way. Yes, And so when you can give

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Speaker 2: them the ability to even push further. Then they'll then

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Speaker 2: they'll do it, and and so we just keep you know,

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Speaker 2: it's not easier, it's not. It's no, it's and that's

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Speaker 2: it's fun. Well that that.

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Speaker 1: Well, that's that's where you are statistic. Right, It is

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Speaker 1: like the pain of winning. And I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: Kale and his program are the perfect examples of that, right,

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Speaker 1: I mean, to win four national champions in the row

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Speaker 1: and to become the greatest wrestling program in his And

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Speaker 1: I agree with you wholeheartedly. He is the best coach

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Speaker 1: to ever have coached. And I trust me, I'm not,

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Speaker 1: you know, old enough or young enough not to you know,

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Speaker 1: put John Wooden in there for sure, or some of

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Speaker 1: the other great you know legends Bear Bryan or whoever.

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Speaker 1: But what I'll never forget I when I a couple

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Speaker 1: of years ago, the last time Penn State went to

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Speaker 1: the Final four, I was working with the captains that year,

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Speaker 1: and the first thing I did at the beginning of

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Speaker 1: the year, I said, go talk to the captains of

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Speaker 1: the wrestling team and ask them what their culture is about,

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Speaker 1: ask them what they do, how do they cultivate it,

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Speaker 1: how do they embody it? What do they do every day?

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Speaker 1: And so can you explain kind of your philosophy of

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Speaker 1: culture to be at Penn State, not only as a

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Speaker 1: as a as a coach, as a supporter of coaching

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Speaker 1: or the administration, and then also as as an athlete?

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Speaker 1: What is if you could define the culture being a

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Speaker 1: Penn State athlete, what is it?

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Speaker 2: Well, I'm glad you bring up culture because I think culture.

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Speaker 2: I'm a firm believer. Culture is what drives everything. Uh,

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Speaker 2: if i'd sum it up, you know, grittiness, toughness, like

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Speaker 2: we have to out tough everybody in this world, this

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Speaker 2: new world with the house case and everything. Tougher teams

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Speaker 2: will win. And I talked. We talked about hockey team.

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Speaker 2: Tougher team on the ice this year. They didn't flinch.

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Speaker 2: You can't flinch. Volleyball don't flinch. They didn't flinch in

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Speaker 2: so many instances where they could have bowed down. That's toughness.

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Speaker 2: Toughness is I tell them all the time, that's not

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Speaker 2: getting a bar fight. That's actually a sign of weakness.

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Speaker 2: Toughness is going to class, doing the extra work, being

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Speaker 2: a good teammate. So I when I look at who

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Speaker 2: we are and going all the way back to when

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Speaker 2: you were here, and everybody like there is a level

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Speaker 2: of grittiness and toughness to what me do. And yeah,

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Speaker 2: we're not going to be flamboyant and we're not gonna

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Speaker 2: be that's not and there's nothing wrong with that. But

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Speaker 2: here it is right. It's the simple uniforms. If you

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Speaker 2: look at our new facilities, they're very big. I mean

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Speaker 2: they get the needs that we what we have to have,

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Speaker 2: but they're not you know, Holli braand pictures and no,

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Speaker 2: it's it's a place to go, get work, go get rehab,

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Speaker 2: go get it done, and and come together as a group.

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Speaker 2: So I think that culture is what is driving us

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Speaker 2: to succeed. And then it's this, let's not back down.

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Speaker 2: We are Penn State, So have a chip on your

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Speaker 2: shoulder and go take it. Don't It is never going

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Speaker 2: to be given to I don't care who you are,

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Speaker 2: but if you don't go and take it, then you're

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Speaker 2: never going to get it. And so we're trying to

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Speaker 2: get everybody to say, I don't care if you're a fencer,

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Speaker 2: a swimmer, a football player, go get that thing that

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Speaker 2: you want. Go one hundred and ten to that and

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Speaker 2: if we're all do that, coaches, equipment, staff it, boy,

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Speaker 2: you become really difficult to beat. And but we all

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Speaker 2: need to be going in the same direction, everybody. And

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Speaker 2: and so I think I really believe culturally we are

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Speaker 2: we are closer to that than I think probably most

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Speaker 2: people really realize to who we are as as this

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Speaker 2: thing is building and and that toughness is hard when

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Speaker 2: you're this big. That toughness piece is really hard to

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Speaker 2: get ingrain. But you've seen, you saw so many examples

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Speaker 2: this year. Yes, football at SC, you know, wrestling in

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Speaker 2: the third round where everyone thought the sky was fun,

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Speaker 2: We're still up thirty points and we lost a couple

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Speaker 2: of matches, and then the next morning we go fourteen

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Speaker 2: and one and set it all up right. Well, that's

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Speaker 2: that's Penn State. Katie are volleyball coach, battles freaking cancer

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Speaker 2: and is the first female to win a national championship

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Speaker 2: as a head coach. Like, that's what it takes. So

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Speaker 2: being all in, being together and doing it with heart

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Speaker 2: and passion and toughness, it's hard to beat us.

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Speaker 1: I agree, And I think that grittiness is and you

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Speaker 1: and I've talked about this, that that grittiness is the

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Speaker 1: essential thing within sport itself, right, It's it's it's doing

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Speaker 1: the thousands and thousands of reps, it's doing what you're

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Speaker 1: not what you're doing, and off, it's taking care of

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Speaker 1: each other on the team. Like that's the essence of

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Speaker 1: that grit and thing. But there is also this other

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Speaker 1: phenomenon that I believe exists in a happy valley, and

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Speaker 1: that is the fans. You know, can you talk about

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Speaker 1: what it's like going from Boston College or or Temple

428
00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:00,480
Speaker 1: and coming into Penn State and participating in your first

429
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:03,639
Speaker 1: white out, or going you know to the Frozen four this

430
00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:07,119
Speaker 1: year in Altoona, or being in and and one of

431
00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:09,760
Speaker 1: you know, the the you know, one of the Arenas,

432
00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:13,560
Speaker 1: whatever it is on whatever field. What's that embody to you?

433
00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:17,200
Speaker 1: And how does that that that force of our our

434
00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:18,600
Speaker 1: fan dedication drive you?

435
00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:24,280
Speaker 2: It fuels your fire, It fuels you number one. You

436
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:31,680
Speaker 2: You take great pride in being able to deliver you want.

437
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,920
Speaker 2: Like we're in the memories business, so I need to

438
00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,920
Speaker 2: like to be able to give memories to whether it's

439
00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:41,880
Speaker 2: the students or families, the lums and supporters. Is a

440
00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,600
Speaker 2: treasure gift that we have in this business and it's

441
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:46,879
Speaker 2: not lost on me. It's not lost on me to

442
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,600
Speaker 2: have this role. That is something that is is so

443
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:53,320
Speaker 2: important to so many and I respect that and I

444
00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:55,760
Speaker 2: don't want to mess that up. That's the pressure that

445
00:25:55,800 --> 00:26:00,200
Speaker 2: I put on myself. But at the same time, it's

446
00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:05,480
Speaker 2: so powerful. It's like, you know, when I recruit coaches

447
00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,840
Speaker 2: or I recruit staff or even athletes. I try to

448
00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:13,720
Speaker 2: put it into words what it means to either represent

449
00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:17,560
Speaker 2: us be a part of this, and it's never I

450
00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:20,560
Speaker 2: can never do it in a way that shows it

451
00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:23,480
Speaker 2: in real life. I mean, my first game, I get

452
00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:26,280
Speaker 2: off the bus of Purdue for football, It's my first

453
00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:30,400
Speaker 2: year and there's seventeen one hundred to two thousand people

454
00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:34,639
Speaker 2: waiting for us for the opener at Purdue. I'm like,

455
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:39,080
Speaker 2: you would think another game. Nothing here is another game,

456
00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:45,080
Speaker 2: and whether it's you hit it like a lacrosse gymnastics,

457
00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:51,480
Speaker 2: it doesn't matter. The fandom and the support is it's

458
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:56,920
Speaker 2: it's inspirational, it's motivating, it helps motivate us. It separates

459
00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:01,679
Speaker 2: us in every category and it's not normal. And I

460
00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:06,160
Speaker 2: mean that in a really special way. And so if

461
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:09,880
Speaker 2: we don't have that, we don't do the things we can't.

462
00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:14,080
Speaker 2: We can't do what we are doing. The fans are

463
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:16,520
Speaker 2: such a critical aspect to the whole. Lord, you know,

464
00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:20,160
Speaker 2: we have ninety four thousand season ticket holders. That number

465
00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:24,360
Speaker 2: is insane, that's crazy. It's insane that like in football

466
00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,800
Speaker 2: that like it's insane. People announced sixty and they're probably

467
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:31,680
Speaker 2: we got to buy thirty plus. You know, you can't

468
00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,120
Speaker 2: get a ticket to wrestling and our hockey cells out

469
00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:38,239
Speaker 2: like and so the impact lacrosse, the impact and the

470
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:41,520
Speaker 2: passion of our fans is so powerful. What I do

471
00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:45,040
Speaker 2: think I've learned in three years years, we all as

472
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:48,640
Speaker 2: Fence State nation need to stand up and stick our

473
00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,679
Speaker 2: chest out and say yeah, we're penns Day and not

474
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:54,840
Speaker 2: just talk to each other, but talk to everybody and say, no,

475
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,760
Speaker 2: we are elite, we are the best, We are the

476
00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:01,480
Speaker 2: best base in the country. We are the strongest institution

477
00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:04,520
Speaker 2: in the country. We are the best athletic department. That's

478
00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,280
Speaker 2: okay to see that, that's our cocky, that's just confident

479
00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,919
Speaker 2: and as we say, that's juice and it's the Jews

480
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:14,760
Speaker 2: and we as at we Penn State. I think we can.

481
00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:18,720
Speaker 2: I think we're helping to fuel that fire in athletics.

482
00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:23,199
Speaker 2: But right you know, it's it's it's it's a powerful,

483
00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:28,720
Speaker 2: powerful thing. Our eight hundred thousand alumni and no matter

484
00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:31,520
Speaker 2: where you go in the world, you're hearing a we

485
00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:35,560
Speaker 2: Are chant. And everybody can say they're powerful, They're not

486
00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:36,880
Speaker 2: as powerful as us.

487
00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,880
Speaker 1: No, No, I love that coach. I mean that just

488
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:46,080
Speaker 1: makes me it. It's overwhelming one to see all over

489
00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:49,360
Speaker 1: the country. And I travel the country every year. You know,

490
00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:52,720
Speaker 1: I'm giving one hundred, one hundred and twenty speeches a year.

491
00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:55,920
Speaker 1: You know, last year, thirty different states. Everywhere I go,

492
00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:59,160
Speaker 1: I see I see that panther head on someone's chest,

493
00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:01,920
Speaker 1: you know, and I'm screening out the window. I forget

494
00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,480
Speaker 1: where I was, you know, some state, and I see

495
00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:06,960
Speaker 1: this woman and she's got it on. I go, we

496
00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:09,520
Speaker 1: are you know. She looks at me and she's like

497
00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,240
Speaker 1: Penn State, you know. And it's it's that energy, man,

498
00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:16,560
Speaker 1: It's that thing that comes with the grit and the dirt. Termination.

499
00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:20,040
Speaker 1: So you know, last question for you. Let you go,

500
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:28,160
Speaker 1: Thank you for joining. I apologize for the interruption, but

501
00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:31,479
Speaker 1: we got to give a little love to our one

502
00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:35,120
Speaker 1: of our main sponsors, that's Firecracker Farms. If you want

503
00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,160
Speaker 1: to spice up your diet, spice up your food, and

504
00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:42,440
Speaker 1: want to get rid of those traditional hot sauces that

505
00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:46,840
Speaker 1: are are pretty born, what I recommend is you check

506
00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,760
Speaker 1: out Firecracker forms and what they do is they infuse

507
00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:54,360
Speaker 1: the three kings of hot peppers into their beautiful salt shakers,

508
00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:56,960
Speaker 1: into their salt that you could put on your food

509
00:29:57,080 --> 00:29:59,560
Speaker 1: all day long. Every morning I put it on my eggs,

510
00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:02,880
Speaker 1: and every time time i have chicken, steak, pork or whatever,

511
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:07,040
Speaker 1: I'm dropping that Firecracker Farms hot salt on my food

512
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,840
Speaker 1: and it really spices things up. Now, the thing that

513
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,720
Speaker 1: I love most about this is it's a family owned business.

514
00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,560
Speaker 1: My friend Alex and his children, they all get together,

515
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:19,400
Speaker 1: his wife, they produce, They raise these peppers in their farm.

516
00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:21,440
Speaker 1: They make it all together, they box it and they

517
00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:23,920
Speaker 1: send it out together. So this is the type of

518
00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:27,240
Speaker 1: company that you truly want to get behind and support, right,

519
00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:30,160
Speaker 1: No more mega companies, no more all of that you

520
00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:33,880
Speaker 1: want in organizations. That's making a product with love, designed

521
00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:38,240
Speaker 1: specifically for you to help spice up your diet, all right.

522
00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:42,000
Speaker 1: So check them out at Firecracker dot farm. Punch in

523
00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:45,520
Speaker 1: your promo code, which is RUT one five, that's Romeo

524
00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:49,440
Speaker 1: uniform Tango one five and you'll get some love not

525
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:52,120
Speaker 1: only in your salt, but also in a discount. So

526
00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:57,520
Speaker 1: check them out Firecracker dot Farm. You know, what are

527
00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:01,200
Speaker 1: you hoping to accomplish this coming year? Like, what are

528
00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:05,120
Speaker 1: what are some personal milestones that you're hoping to achieve?

529
00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:07,120
Speaker 1: And then what would you like to see as an

530
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:11,760
Speaker 1: institution both athletically and then as the as the athletic

531
00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:13,480
Speaker 1: department itself and its growth.

532
00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:15,360
Speaker 2: Well, I think you just hit it, and I think

533
00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,240
Speaker 2: you have to continue to grow. You can't settle. Uh,

534
00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:21,120
Speaker 2: you know we have a huge beaver stadium projects or

535
00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,959
Speaker 2: you know that that is it takes time. And then

536
00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:28,600
Speaker 2: obviously the chaos of what our world is in college

537
00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:31,880
Speaker 2: athletics right, so stabilizing it and we're in a good

538
00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:35,120
Speaker 2: spot once again being a Penn state. You know, we

539
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:37,880
Speaker 2: have that the ability to do what we need to

540
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:40,840
Speaker 2: do to be successful because of the support we have,

541
00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:45,080
Speaker 2: because of the infrastructure we've built and the support from

542
00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,400
Speaker 2: Neely Gown, our president, to all of us. So that's

543
00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:53,320
Speaker 2: extremely helpful. I think from look at I believe if

544
00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:56,479
Speaker 2: we if we all do our jobs in the summer

545
00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:59,960
Speaker 2: and get ourselves ready. We can absolutely match and surpass

546
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:05,360
Speaker 2: our national title mark this year. I think our teams,

547
00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:08,360
Speaker 2: believe it or not, are positioned better than we were

548
00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:11,840
Speaker 2: last year. But with that, we've got to be able

549
00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:15,040
Speaker 2: to do the work to get there. So I think

550
00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:20,040
Speaker 2: continuing to progress competitively and and build off of what

551
00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:22,200
Speaker 2: we do, That's what I'm kind of looking for. A

552
00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:23,920
Speaker 2: lot of my work right now is to make sure

553
00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,840
Speaker 2: we don't miss a beat over the summer, take our

554
00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:30,720
Speaker 2: eye off the ball. But I'm really I don't want

555
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:35,600
Speaker 2: to wish summer away, but I'm really excited to get

556
00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:39,960
Speaker 2: our fall off and running because we are very well

557
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:44,880
Speaker 2: positioned competitively. Obviously, you see you mentioned what we do academically,

558
00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:49,440
Speaker 2: but as a unit and as an organization, I'm very

559
00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:53,000
Speaker 2: excited about. We haven't even scratched a surface, right, Like,

560
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:55,760
Speaker 2: we haven't even gotten to what we can do. I

561
00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,960
Speaker 2: think we can be a transcendent department to where people

562
00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,600
Speaker 2: are like what is going on in Happy Valley. I

563
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:06,360
Speaker 2: believe that in No Maart, So I think make sure

564
00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:07,760
Speaker 2: we'll just be another phase of that.

565
00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:12,840
Speaker 1: Well, Doc, I just wanna just you know, I have

566
00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:16,880
Speaker 1: so much gratitude for you being at the school, but

567
00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:20,880
Speaker 1: for being a friend, but more importantly for the impact

568
00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:24,080
Speaker 1: and what you're doing for those young student athletes, because

569
00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:28,040
Speaker 1: there's no place like Penn State. It's transformative and you

570
00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:30,760
Speaker 1: are a huge piece of that. So I wish you

571
00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:35,200
Speaker 1: all the bless God bless you, good luck and if

572
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:38,080
Speaker 1: there's anything I can ever do to help you or

573
00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:39,280
Speaker 1: that institution.

574
00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:42,480
Speaker 2: Don't ever have a man. You know, I'd be remiss

575
00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:45,560
Speaker 2: if I didn't tell you how much your support has

576
00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:49,920
Speaker 2: helped mean through this these three years. You know, you

577
00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:51,840
Speaker 2: know how much I love you, and what you said

578
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:55,200
Speaker 2: to our teams and all jokes aside set us up

579
00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:59,960
Speaker 2: to rethink how we attack every day to be great

580
00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:04,440
Speaker 2: and so you know, and your texts and notes mean

581
00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:06,400
Speaker 2: a lot, brother, but I appreciate it. I'm so happy

582
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,600
Speaker 2: for you too. Man. Now that you get too good

583
00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:10,440
Speaker 2: time that you don't come back, that's the problem.

584
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:13,080
Speaker 1: Ah, dude, you're gonna have to pull me out of

585
00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:21,640
Speaker 1: that place, and God bless you. Yep, thank you, thank

586
00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:24,719
Speaker 1: you for joining us in our interview with doctor Pat

587
00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:30,920
Speaker 1: Kraft from Penn State as the athletic director for what

588
00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:35,880
Speaker 1: most consider was the most significant athletic program of the

589
00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:39,920
Speaker 1: Year in NCAA Division One Sports. What I hope you

590
00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:42,799
Speaker 1: got and what you pulled away from this man was

591
00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:47,239
Speaker 1: not only his passion and his dedication to those athletes

592
00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:51,560
Speaker 1: and his coaching staff, but more important, his idea behind

593
00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:57,759
Speaker 1: what enables young people and coaches to grow, which is

594
00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:01,480
Speaker 1: that sense of grit and determination and the building of

595
00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:05,640
Speaker 1: great culture to be all in. And that's an important

596
00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:08,040
Speaker 1: part that I think we need to really begin to

597
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:12,480
Speaker 1: emphasize in our society at a higher level. I've been

598
00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:15,920
Speaker 1: in sports since organized sports since I was four years old,

599
00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:19,640
Speaker 1: and and I learned more about who I was and

600
00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:24,960
Speaker 1: who I potentially could become through athletics. And I think

601
00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:29,040
Speaker 1: with the you know, with the advancement in technology, what's

602
00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:33,760
Speaker 1: ultimately happening is is, you know, our kids are moving

603
00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:38,040
Speaker 1: a more a way towards that competition or the desire

604
00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:41,360
Speaker 1: to compete in athletics, you know. And then I also

605
00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:47,000
Speaker 1: think that there's a negative component of the travel UH

606
00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:51,800
Speaker 1: leagues in what they've done overwhelming kids and overwhelming parents

607
00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:54,799
Speaker 1: quite frankly, and coaches. I mean, there's a lot of

608
00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:57,720
Speaker 1: people I know that have wanted to be into coaching

609
00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:00,319
Speaker 1: or gotten into coaching in travel and then and up

610
00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:03,120
Speaker 1: quitting because of the madness of the parents, the intensity

611
00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:05,719
Speaker 1: of the leagues, and just you know this all of

612
00:36:05,719 --> 00:36:08,960
Speaker 1: the negative aspects that seem to be uh, you know,

613
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:12,960
Speaker 1: fusing their way or or infecting the beauty of what

614
00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:16,640
Speaker 1: sport can be. And what I want to emphasize is

615
00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:20,440
Speaker 1: that if if you're struggling, if your children are struggling,

616
00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:24,879
Speaker 1: if your high school or your college is struggling, lean in,

617
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:30,600
Speaker 1: like doctor Craft said, lean in and support them. Volunteer

618
00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:34,200
Speaker 1: to go coach your high school football team. I've been

619
00:36:34,239 --> 00:36:36,680
Speaker 1: working with my like you know, the high school I

620
00:36:36,719 --> 00:36:39,160
Speaker 1: went to, my kids go to this, I've been working

621
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:43,000
Speaker 1: with their athletic department and specifically their football for years now,

622
00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:46,600
Speaker 1: and and and the reward that I get for having

623
00:36:46,680 --> 00:36:50,440
Speaker 1: some small influence on these people is overwhelming. And it

624
00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:54,800
Speaker 1: also contributes. Obviously. You know, many schools around the country

625
00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:59,239
Speaker 1: don't have the financial opportunities as Penn State does. But

626
00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,040
Speaker 1: what they do have is they do have the ability

627
00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:05,799
Speaker 1: to influence your children or to influence you if you're

628
00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:09,520
Speaker 1: out there competing yourself still in that capacity. So what

629
00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:13,239
Speaker 1: I just ask of you is contribute, get involved. If

630
00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:15,520
Speaker 1: you're going to be a coach, be a guest coach

631
00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:18,239
Speaker 1: for one season a year, or just show up for

632
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,960
Speaker 1: one practice a week. And if you're a player, listen

633
00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:25,480
Speaker 1: to what he was saying. Contribute to the advancement of

634
00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,800
Speaker 1: the culture. Really get in and understand the long term

635
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:31,759
Speaker 1: positive impacts of what sport will do for you.

636
00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:33,080
Speaker 2: Listen.

637
00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:36,080
Speaker 1: You know, we're a country that seems to be pulling

638
00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:38,959
Speaker 1: apart at the seams a little bit, and the one

639
00:37:39,040 --> 00:37:42,239
Speaker 1: thing that always kind of keeps us together is our

640
00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,359
Speaker 1: fascination and our desire to want to be a part

641
00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:49,680
Speaker 1: of athletics. It's the thing that really exemplifies what's best

642
00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:52,520
Speaker 1: in each of us and what's best in us as

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Speaker 1: a society. So don't be afraid to volunteer. Thank you

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Speaker 1: so much for joining me. If you love this show,

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Speaker 1: please like, add a comment, give us a five star

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Speaker 1: rating Radio of rating. But more importantly, share it with

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Speaker 1: somebody that you knows in the athletic world. Share it

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Speaker 1: with a young person that's thinking about involving in sports

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Speaker 1: or leaving sports. But share it around so we can

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Speaker 1: inspire other people to feel the benefits of what athletics

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Speaker 1: can do. Thank you so much. I'm your host on

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Speaker 1: The David Rutherford Show,