BeTempered Episode 85 - Coaching for More Than the Scoreboard with Tyler Luce - BeTempered

Episode Transcript
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Speaker (00:00):
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Speaker 6 (02:09):
Welcome to the Be Tempered Podcast, where we
explore the art of findingbalance in a chaotic world.

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Join us as we delve into insightful conversations,
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Speaker 6 (02:22):
We're your host, Dan Schmidt, and Ben Sparr.
Let's embark on a journey tolive our best lives.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
This is Be Tempered.

Speaker 6 (02:30):
What's up, everybody?
Welcome to the Be TemperedPodcast, episode number.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
Like he said, Chad Ochocinco.
85.

Speaker 6 (02:37):
85.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Let's go.
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (02:39):
Hey, today on the podcast, we're honored to
welcome Tyler Luce.
Tyler is a sixth grade socialstudies teacher at National
Trail Schools and the head boysvarsity baseball coach.
But those titles only begin totell his story.
Tyler is a true leader amonghis peers and someone who deeply
understands the responsibilitythat comes with influencing

(03:01):
young lives.
Beyond teaching content andcoaching the game, Tyler is
intentional about getting toknow his students as people.
He challenges them to thinkcritically about the world
around them, to understand thatlife is hard, and that they are
not defined by labels,expectations, or the false
realities pushed through socialmedia.

(03:23):
He teaches them what's real,what's true, and how to prepare
for the real world, not justacademically, but as human
beings.
Tyler's heart is focused ondeveloping productive citizens,
young men and women who careabout others, who lead with
integrity, and who genuinelywant to make the world a better
place.
That mindset doesn't stop inthe classroom or on the field.

(03:45):
It carries into his home aswell.
He's a devoted husband, anincredible father, and a true
family man.
Tyler Luce embodies exactlywhat Be Tempered stands for:
choosing the harder path,investing in others, building
resilience, and leading withpurpose.
I'm excited to share thisconversation today and grateful
for the impact Tyler continuesto make in our schools, our

(04:08):
community, and the lives of thenext generation.
Tyler Luce, welcome to thepodcast.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
Welcome, what an intro.

Speaker 6 (04:18):
Hey, I just took what we talked about and I put it
into the program, my assistant,Benjamin AI, and it spit that
out.
And and you know, as I as Iread it, you know, I thought
about our conversation earlierthis morning, and and I think it
hit on everything we talkedabout.

(04:38):
And um so, you know, you and Iknow each other, but we don't
really know each other.
Correct.
And so through thatconversation, I got to know a
little more, and through ourgood friend Sean Rubush, uh,
Sean's been on your bandwagonfor the past year saying, hey,
Tyler is a leader in ourschools, and he's he sets the

(05:01):
example on what he does everyday, and he needs to be on the
podcast.
And so here you are.
So thank you for coming.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Yeah, I appreciate it, man.
I to be in this room with thepeople I've heard sit in this
this seat, and man, for Sean tosay that about me, like I I
think so highly of Sean and andChase and his son and his
family.
So I mean, those are those arehuge to for me to hear.
So I appreciate that.

Speaker 6 (05:23):
Yeah.
Well, you know from listening,how we like to start every
podcast is we like to start fromthe beginning.
So talk about what life waslike for you growing up as a
kid.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, man, I think I think I told you talking today,
that was kind of my biggest fearum of this of this podcast was
you know, the stories that I'veheard for the people that have
set in this chair and and andwhat they've gone through.
And man, I I grew up in, youknow, with a great childhood.
I, you know, I have twohardworking parents, blue
collar.
Um, you know, my dad is is theguy that he can work 60, 70

(05:56):
hours a week and you wouldn'tknow it because that's just his
what he does and he provides.
And and my mom's worked thesame job for um, you know, I
don't know how many years now,but she's a receptionist at a
doctor's office.
And you know, I I just grew upin a in a typical, what I
thought was a typical family.
I mean, we were close knit.
Um, I have a I'm the oldest ofthree.

(06:17):
Um, so I have a younger brotherwho is three years younger than
me.
And he just got married not toolong ago, so I I got to give
that best man speech.
And um, man, I was a lot morenervous for that than I actually
was for this.
I feel I feel good.
I feel good right now.
But um, no, my brother's mybest friend.
My brothers, you know, we wecompeted against each other and
everything.

(06:38):
Um, unfortunately, my brothergot all the athletic ability of
the family.
Um but no, and then I have uh ayounger sister, she's seven
years younger than me, and uhwe're we're all still close.
But I I was the I was the olderbrother, man.
I was the I took care ofeverybody.
I, you know, my brother and mysister were at it like cats and
dogs, and and we still jokeabout it today, but man, I was

(07:01):
always I was the one that tookcare.
I that's that I just I tookthat upon myself.
So that part of me startedyoung.
Um, but that was shown to melike by how close our family
was.
Um, you know, my my grandma, mygrandpa, uh, and some of the
two most important people in mylife, uh my mom and mom's
parents, and uh I have an auntand uncle who didn't have kids,

(07:25):
but they treated us as theirkids and still do today.
Um, so you know, the closenessof family.
Um I didn't grow up at, youknow, I didn't go to school to
National Trail.
Um I didn't grow up in PrebleCounty.
And uh it's weird because inthe modern society of social

(07:46):
media, I feel like NationalTrail in Greenville where I grew
up, that's you know,geographically it's not that
far, but I didn't even know whatNational Trail was.
Like I I remember one timeplaying a baseball game at
Trail, whether it was a JV gameor something.
I remember coming to trail, buthonestly, that's the only thing
I could tell you about trail umuntil until I got here, really.
Um but yeah, man, I I I grew upin Greenville.

(08:08):
I had, you know, a close groupof friends that were that were
close from young, um the samefriends I graduated with that I
I still talk to today, and umwe're still close.
Um I I was really big into thesense of community and taking
pride in my school and takingpride into doing well in school.

(08:30):
And I was a people pleaser,man.
So any chance I got to pleasemy parents with my grades or
please my teachers with you knowsomething I did in class or
please my coaches with how hardI worked, even though I might
not have got the athleticismthat my my siblings got, but um
man, it was never a question oflike my worth that work ethic or
you know what I was gonna do.

(08:50):
Um but I mean I had this, I I'dgo to I'd go to games and it's
not like some some kids today,they go to games, they go to a
football game and they'replaying football in the you know
the side field or you know,they're they're going to the
concession stand a hundredtimes.
Man, I was there to watch thegame.
I like those athletes to mewere like larger than life.
Like they were, I wanted to bethem.

(09:10):
Like I wanted to be on thecourt for my my school.
Like it was just a sense ofpride that I I don't know where
it came from.
I I don't know why that wasingrained in me or why I did
that.
Um but it that's yeah, that'sjust that's just who I was.
Like that's that's just the wayI was I was brought up.
And so taking pride in myschool and my grades and what I

(09:31):
did on the court, off the court,that was important to me.
So man, the the sense offamily, um, my parents, how they
how they provided what theycould, the blue collar, the work
hard.
I mean, I I think now just tomy dad, like my dad coached me
in everything, you know, fromthe time that I was able to be
athletic.

(09:51):
And I mean, that's one thing.
If you talk to my mom, as soonas I got a chance to put a ball
in my hand, like that's what Idid, and that's what I always
did.
And um, my dad was my coachthrough everything.
Like, I I can't even now as adad, I think back of like the
long weeks and the the Fridaynight where you're exhausted,
and man, my dad put in 50, 60,70 hours, but yet still went to

(10:12):
baseball practice.
He changed his clothes andwashed his hands, and we go to
practice.
Like, that's just what it was.
And I have so much of a respectfor that now as a dad.
Not that I didn't then, but I Ijust didn't understand it as a
dad or as as a kid.
So, but yeah, I um I went uh touh Rice State University.
I gotta take a step back for asecond.

(10:33):
I um I married my high schoolsweetheart, man.
I'm I'm super proud of that.
We we started dating when I was14.
Um I it's something I'm veryproud of.
Um, man, my first date, talkabout a first big date.
We went to the Dark CountyFair, Boder Eliminade Shakeup,
man, and the rest is history.
Um, but something I'm superproud of that I can model to my

(10:58):
kids and talk about to my kids,but also to my students and my
my athletes and things likethat.
But uh I went to Wright StateUniversity.
Um I I had no idea as a seniorin high school what I wanted to
do.
Um, and I think I was the oddone out with my friends.
Man, I I if you talk about someof my friends, if they listen

(11:18):
to this, like I've got a handfulof engineers, friends.
I got uh a doctor, achiropractor.
Um, I got man, I went, I haveuh one of my buddies went to
West Point and was in the armyand is is you know just doing
big things there.
And um, man, uh some in salesthat are that are killing it,
have their own business.
And like I had no idea.

(11:40):
Like I it's funny, I think backas I was thinking through of
how this would go, like I got aI was blessed enough to get a
lot of local scholarships andand a lot of things.
And those came with with a lotof essays that I had to write
and a lot of banquets that I hadto attend to, which I loved,
like I I was so prideful in.
But I think back to some ofthose banquets, I I think that

(12:02):
for a lot of those, I said foran occupation I was gonna own my
own sporting goods store.
I clearly didn't go that path.
Like I just didn't know um whatI wanted to do.
And I was was blessed enough tohave a guidance counselor that
as I was going through um theprocess of signing up for
scholarships and FAFSA and allthe things that you have to do.

(12:24):
Um, at some point I was justlike, man, like I'm very
thankful for all the help shegave me.
Like I should think about that.
Like, why not?
So, you know, I went to rightstate and that's what I majored
in.
And um, my first thought was II did I wanted to be a guidance
counselor.
Like that's what that's whatinitially I thought was my path.

(12:45):
But being a dumb kid that youdon't think about it, like I
didn't even realize at rightstate at the time, once you got
your undergrad in education, youhad to get your master's in
education there too.
But the the spinoff was, andand the positive was it was a it
was a one-year program insteadof two.
So I got to get it done in oneyear.
Um, but you didn't get yourteacher's teaching license until

(13:05):
after that master's program.
So here I am, like four yearsin, you know, I'm an 18-year-old
kid, 19-year-old kid.
I didn't look ahead that far.
And so now I'm stuck, I guess,stuck in this like I got to get
my master's in education.
And then I'm I have my master'slike, I want to go work, I want
to go start a career, like Idon't want to go to school.

(13:27):
Like, so um, that's kind of howit took off.
And then I started, um, Itaught for four years at
Fairborne High School, or sorry,Fairborne Middle School.
Um, I coached baseball there.
I was a varsity assistant therefor four years.

Speaker 6 (13:40):
Um was to back up a little bit, was baseball your
main sport in high school?

Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, I played uh I played baseball.
Baseball was definitely myfavorite, probably my best
sport, the one that I was bestat.
Um I played basketball, Igolfed.
Um I played I played footballuntil through middle school.
Um, and uh that was a reallyhard one for me because my dad's
sport was football.
Like that's what he did.

(14:04):
Um, and that's what he wasproud of.
And and to be able to have tolike tell my dad as a middle
school kid that like I don'twant to play anymore.
Um, I mean, I I remember thatwas one of the hardest
conversations I had with my dadbecause I didn't want to
disappoint him.
I was a people pleaser, right?
And if if I don't play thesport that he loves the most,
then I was gonna disappoint mydad.
Um, but I also remember being amiddle school kid running down

(14:26):
on a punt, getting ear hold, andbeing like, man, I this is this
isn't for me.
Um, this is this is not whatI'm I'm cut out to do.
So um I loved golf.
My dad loved golf as well.
I mean, he helped me start thatsport, and that's something
that I I did.
So I I did play three sports inhigh school.
Basketball was kind of like myfootball.
Like, basketball was my likepacked gems.

(14:49):
I mean, we weren't really thatgood, but um, you know, Friday
nights, like that's where I gotthat sense of because baseball's
different.
Like baseball, if you're not aparent, you're probably not out
watching a baseball game.
Like they don't, it doesn't getloud, you know, it doesn't get
as intense as some of the othersports.
So baseball, I was definitelythe most skilled at.
Um, I had the most passion for.

(15:10):
Um, and it just one that justkind of came more naturally than
others.
I I started off as a kid, like,um, especially in baseball,
like I was, you know, I was thatkid that kind of was really
good early.
Um, I was usually the kid that,you know, other teams, I mean,
at that point you were playingfor, you know, your your
all-star team of your of yourtown.

(15:31):
Like that's just, you know,things are very different.
But, you know, if we went andgo went and played in local
tournaments, like I, you know, Iwas the kid that people knew.
And then as other kids maturedand got bigger and got stronger,
everybody catches up and andthat changes.
But um, you know, as a youngkid, I I was I was pretty good
at it and and I loved it.
So yeah, baseball was it forme.

(15:52):
Um, so I knew when I got doneplaying baseball, um I
definitely think my dad wasunder the impression that he
wanted me to play at the nextlevel.
Um, another hard conversationwith your dad, right?
Like that I knew that myplaying day was over, but I I
knew I wasn't gonna be done.
I like I knew coaching wassomething that I always was

(16:14):
going to do.
At that time, I was um for twoyears, I was Greenville's um
senior acme um coach.
And so I got to, you know, acmeat that time was kind of the
big that was kind of before allthe travel baseball stuff really
took off.
Um, but I was able to coachthat for two years and and coach
some kids there.

(16:34):
And then I actually did a yearat Cedarville High School
randomly.
Um and and then kind of allover the place jumping back.
I got to work with Randy Bakerat Arcanum for a year, which I
loved.
Um, I loved working with Randy.
Um, and he's been aroundforever, has like a million
wins.
So um it's it's awesome to bework under a guy like that um

(16:55):
and learn as much as I did.
And then the guy that I coachedwith at Cedarville got the head
varsity job at Fairborn rightwhen I got my first job at
Fairborn.
So it kind of worked out great.
So I jumped back on with himfor a four-year stint um before
I ended up a trail.

Speaker 6 (17:12):
So that's your that's your how you got started into
coaching was so you you talkabout that having those
difficult conversations withyour dad.
Was it implied that he justwanted you to play college
baseball or that he wanted youto play football?
I mean, why were thosedifficult conversations?

Speaker 1 (17:28):
I I don't think we ever really had the
conversations.
I think those wereconversations I had within my
own head.
Okay.
Um, I think just naturallybeing somebody that was always
trying to please everybody, andobviously being the oldest son
and my dad being someone that Ilooked up to some of the most,
and I obviously still do, butlike um that's just what I

(17:48):
thought he wanted.
I don't think it was evertalked about.
I don't think I it was everimplied.
Um, I just think it was in myhead what I had told myself,
like this is this is what my dadwants.
So this is what I'mdisappointing him when I when I
don't do it.
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (18:04):
So I think there's an important lesson there as a
parent, right?
Is to, you know, you recognizethat in yourself, and maybe it's
something your dad didn't evenrecognize.
You know, so I as you'resitting here talking, you know,
I'm thinking about my kids, andI'm like, man, I wonder if
they're are they playing thesesports because they want to, you
know, uh be fulfilled me to beme to be fulfilled for them.

(18:28):
So that's just an interestingtake on it.
Um you just you got me thinkinga little bit.
Absolutely.
So that's good.
So you go to Fair, you're atyour first, you're at your first
teaching and coaching job.
So talk about what that's like.

Speaker 1 (18:41):
So yeah, Fairborne was um, I uh I did my student
teaching there.
So I had already known like Ihad already acclimated with
their middle school and some ofthe teachers.
And um man, I I can't tell youhow much I wanted to be um in
the community of of likeGreenville was my dream.

(19:02):
Like I'm gonna go back to myhometown.
I'm gonna coach on the field Iplayed on, um, I'm gonna make a
difference.
I'm gonna teach there.
Like I just I just grew up likeso prideful of where I was from
and um and what I did and whatI accomplished individually.
Um and things just didn't workout with you know whatever
happened there, and and um itled me to uh Fairborn where

(19:27):
teaching, getting teaching jobsthen was a lot different than
getting teaching jobs now.
Like it it was it was a battle.
It was cutthroat, man.
Like if you didn't knowsomebody or have an in or have a
way to get your resume to thetop, like it was hard.
Like there was a lot of people,and I'm not saying that people
aren't applying for jobs now,it's just the the number of
people, the volume of people isjust different.
Um, and so I got offered aposition at Greenville that

(19:50):
wasn't within my um degree.
Like I would have had to getother certifications.
And then on the other side, Igot offered a position at
Fairborn that was within mydegree and I there was some
familiarity there.
And um, so so I took that and Iwanted to make myself part of
the community.
Like, yes, I I was die hardgrowing up with my school and

(20:13):
and you know, all the things,but it was it wasn't
necessarily, I think, nowlooking back on it as my school
specifically, it's just I wantedto be a person in the
community.
Like that's what I wanted.
Like I wanted to be a face, um,I wanted to be there, I wanted
to lead.
Um, and part of that um comesfrom my, I mentioned my uncle

(20:33):
earlier, who is a big part of mylife.
Um, he didn't have kids.
And like I said, he was, wewere his kids.
But like I remember growing up,like he did so much for our
community.
He did so much for his church.
Um, he did so much for thecommunity, financially,
spiritually, whatever wasneeded.
And like I always looked up tothat.
Like that was so cool to me.

(20:53):
Like, and in any any place wewent to, everyone knew him.
Like everyone said hi to him,everyone, he was shaking
everybody's hand.
And um, even when I would saymy name, you know, the first
thing they would ask me waslike, Oh, are you George's son?
I'm like, No, I'm Alan.
George is my uncle.
And and it was just because ofwhat he did in the community, or
the good, like the good he didin the community.

(21:14):
And uh, like I loved that.
Like I looked up to that and Iwanted to, I wanted to be that.
So that's kind of where we'reat with Fairborn.
I worked there for four years.
Um, man, some great people,some great students, some great
athletes, some that I'm still incontact with today.
Um, and actually the only, theonly player I've ever coached um

(21:35):
who got drafted, he's in theRed Sox organization right now,
which is really awesome to seehim move his way up.
Um, but lots of awesomeathletes, lots of lots of great
families.
I just I just didn't feel likeI was having an impact.
Um, and then as we we talkedabout this today, like then I
started to question like, iseducation even for me?

(21:55):
Like, is this what I'm supposedto do?
Um, because I didn't feel likeI was making an impact.
And I I told you I I won anaward there as a teacher.
I don't know if it was teacherof the month or, you know, just
whatever it was.
And I I went to the banquet orI went to the the place where
they gave me the award and theyread this excerpt about me, and
um, the superintendent hands methis award.

(22:17):
And like obviously I'm superproud of it.
And you know, anytime you getrecognition, you're proud of it
and you're thankful.
But like I looked at thesuperintendent and I'm like, I
don't even know if he knows me.
Like, I don't know if he's evereven said a word to me.
And that's not, I'm notknocking on him or whatever.
It's just that was the size ofthe school.
Like we had five or you know,three or four buildings.
Um, the central office was notattached to any of the

(22:39):
buildings.
So, like, you know, I didn't,I'm like, man, he might have had
to ask somebody even my name,like how to pronounce it.
Like, I like I'm I just feltlike a number, and I was an
educator, and I'm like, that'sjust not how I'm supposed to,
supposed to feel.
Um, and so reflecting on it,and you know, like all great men
do, we talk to our wives and wefigure out a plan, um, which I

(23:01):
do a lot.
Um, and you know, her advicewas, you know, why don't we try
to look for somewhere different,a change of scenery before we
start jumping the gun as intolike education is not for me.
Um, and that's what I did.
And I uh the first job Iapplied to was National Trail,
and it was an eighth-gradesocial studies position.

(23:23):
Um, I came to the interview andobviously with a passion of
baseball, but I wasn't going tothe school for baseball.
I was going as an educator.
Um yeah, man, and I thought theinterview went great.
Um, I liked the people thatwere there.
I liked um how things went.
I liked what they said thattheir culture was like, their

(23:44):
mission and what they wanted todo.
And um, I got offered the joband talk about icing in the cake
when he called me, offered methe job, the teaching position,
but he also offered me thebaseball coaching position at
the same time.
So, I mean, it was a slam dunk.
Like I it just again, there wasa purpose behind it.
There was a reason I didn't getthe job right out of school at
Greenbelt where I was gonna giveeverything that I had to a

(24:07):
place.
There was a reason why I wentto Fairborn and felt the way
that I did um about me as aneducator, not about them or not
about you know anything theydid, just me as an educator and
my purpose.
And and here I ended up inNational Trail.
That's where I'm at.
And I I mean, I that's where II mean, I Sean jokes all the
time.
Like I still remember this day,Sean and a couple other, you

(24:29):
know, community members, justlike, man, you know, Coach Luce,
this is a stepping stone,right?
Like you're just you're justhere, you know, you're you're
getting the resume, you'reyou're building it and you're
you're gonna move on to biggerthings.
And and I looked him in theeyes and I told him that's not
my plan.
And it never was.
Um man, I just it wasn'tnecessarily the school at that
time.
It was I wanted to be, I wantedto be a I wanted to be part of

(24:52):
a community.
I wanted to plant my roots, andthat's I was so big on that.

Speaker 6 (24:56):
You wanted to be your uncle.

Speaker 1 (24:58):
I did, I did.

Speaker 6 (24:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:59):
I still, I mean, I tell them all the time uh that
yes, that's exactly what Iwanted to be.
When people joke, man, like youyou don't walk into a room
where someone doesn't shake yourhand or say hi to you, and then
and I love that like to a levelthat I probably shouldn't.
And it's not about me.
It's not it's not about that,it's about just people knowing

(25:20):
that I'm there for the rightreasons and they know that you
care, yeah.

Speaker 6 (25:24):
Which is critical, especially in this day and age.
Yes, with with all the socialmedia and everything else.
So you're at National Trail, sonow now you've got your chance
to make that impact, right?
One thing you glossed over alittle bit, you talked a little
bit about your wife.
What what is, you know, thewhole time that you're going

(25:45):
through Fairborn and what what'sshe doing?

Speaker 1 (25:48):
So um my wife was once fed under the category of
knowing what she was gonna dowhen she was older throughout
high school.
Um, she knew from a young ageshe wanted to work with older
adults.
Um, she wanted to be um someonewho made a difference.
And like I think about what Ido, you know, I get to work with
the youth and I get to workwith the young and I get a mold.

(26:08):
She's the opposite, right?
Where she's working with peoplethat are at the end of their
lives, and she wants to makesure that that goes as best as
it can.
And talk about a differentaspect and different, like I
can't, you know, death issomething so different for me.
Um, but yeah, so she does that.
She got, she went and um shegot her um masters.

(26:29):
She so she started out at UCwhen I went to Wright State.
Um, if anybody on here knowsanything about my wife, um, one
of the most strong independentfemales I've ever been around,
which I'm so thankful forbecause we have two girls and I
want them to be just like sheis.
Um, but she was not gonna go tothe same college as me for any

(26:52):
of the reason of I'm notfollowing a boy.
Like I'm not following myboyfriend.
I'm gonna do what I want to do.
Um, and I never thoughtanything of that.
Like I thought that wasawesome.
I mean, I just that's her.
Like, so she went to UC and shestarted there.
And it just based off of, youknow, things happened.
Like that that wasn't just agood, she thought it was a good

(27:14):
fit.
She went, she gave it theopportunity.
It wasn't a good fit, andreally she ended up transferring
to right state.
And I to this day, she itprobably wasn't because of me.
Um, when she came in visit, shemade such a good relationship
with some of the females, thegirls that I was friends with
there.
Um, one of them being fromNational Trail, by the way,
which is really small world.
Yeah, but she made such a goodrelationship with them that I

(27:38):
think she came because of thatfriend group.
I mean, it's it had a bonusthat I was there.
Um, but then she ended up, shegot her master's um at the
University of Miami.
Um, and at that time I wasdoing my student teaching at
Fairborne, and we were trying tofigure out where to live and
and how to, you know, be poorand you know, where can I live

(28:00):
that makes it work financially?
And so we actually had a smallworld, had an apartment eating
um right there by the uh the newKroger they built just off to
the right.
Um, we lived back there and Imean it was it was awesome for
us.
Like we had our own apartmentand you know, you know, it was
our own place.
And um, yeah, so we lived therefor a while and she finished

(28:22):
her her grad school and and thenI um finished my stuff.
And we ended up being moving toEnglewood um because when I was
working at Fairborne, she heruh she works at the Brother in
Retirement Community inGreenville.
Um and I think her title now isum she's another an assistant
executive director there.
Um and so at that time I wasgoing to Fairborne.

(28:44):
She was working in Greenville,it's a perfect middle.
We both drive a little bit.
And then when I switched overto National Trail, like it
really wasn't the middleanymore.
So we did it for a little whiletrying to find um the right
place um at in the traildistrict and close to the school
because we knew we both had thesame same vision and same goal

(29:06):
with that with our kids and andour roots.
And um, so and then we endedup, you know, finding the place
that happens to be.
I think it's a good thing,Sean, that I live right right
right close to you.
Um but you know, right aroundthe corner from Sean, and and
you know, it's it's perfect,man.

Speaker 6 (29:22):
Yeah.
So you get to National Trail.
Now it's now it's time for youto have your impact.

Speaker 1 (29:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (29:29):
So talk about what that looks like and how
different that is from Fairborn.

Speaker 1 (29:33):
Well, it's it the the impact in the classroom isn't
much different.
Um, you still have students,you still have um, you know, the
what you're trying to do as aneducator.
But what was different aboutNational Trail was just um the
sense of family, in the senseof, you know, my classrooms at

(29:55):
Fairborne might be 30 to 35kids, and I teach seven classes,
and you know, it was just likekids were rolling through there.
And um, where at trail I'm onlyteaching four, and you know,
it's 20 to 25 kids.
And but then the cool thingabout trail, and I and I I
absolutely love this, is like,you know, sixth grade happens,
which obviously I get to developthose relationships, and then

(30:16):
seventh grade is just a coupleclassrooms away.
So they're at my door all thetime, you know, and and then
eighth grade is just a littlebit farther away.
And then when they flip over tohigh school, they don't go to a
different building like atFairborn, and they can just walk
across the library.
And I mean, I start mymornings.
I mean, if you come to myclassroom at 7:15 in the
morning, there's anywhere fromthree to five high school kids.

(30:36):
They're just starting their dayin my room just to say hi.
And um, so there it started.
The the big difference wasbeing the being in charge of a
baseball team, you know, beingbeing the leader, being now it's
my team.
Now it's now it's how do I dothose things.
And man, I have to talk aboutthe ultimate setup, man.
I get to, I get to teach thekids in sixth grade, I get to

(30:57):
develop the relationship at ayoung age, I get to get to know
them and get to know theirfamilies, and and then as they
get older, now I'm not Mr.
Luce, I'm I'm Coach Luce.
Um and I always tell them youknow, Coach Luce is a lot
different than Mr.
Luce.
So it understand that, but um,I get it, I get to start that
relationship and I get to startthat, you know, all that early,

(31:18):
and then it grows into that.
So um I don't know.
I it it's just it's it's aperfect setup.

Speaker 6 (31:26):
Like it's so what do you do that may be a little
different from what otherteachers or coaches do?
There's a couple things that wetalked about that I think are
are huge beyond just teachingwhat you're teaching in the
classroom.

Speaker 1 (31:41):
You know, I as part of my job, there's state
standards, right?
Like that's that's what I baseeverything I do off of.
And and if any of myadministrators listen to this, I
I take it very serious.
I I take what I'm supposed toteach very serious.
But at the end of the day, umto me, it's not about what they
learn content-wise in myclassroom.

(32:03):
Um, I think to me, it's aboutwhat they learn life-wise.
Uh and and I'm not saying thatother teachers don't do that.
There's so many great teachersin our school system.
And um, you know, the greatthing about my subject is I'm
not um state tested.
So I don't have a state testhanging over my head.
Um, so any type of extra thing,um, I try to take on.

(32:26):
First off, I try to take it onto take it off of my teachers,
the other teachers that arestate tested.
And then I take it on because Ilove that.
So, like um, when whenadministration pushed a few
years ago, like we really needto do goal setting and we need
to teach these kids what itmeans to set a goal.
And I'm like, oh, how perfect.
I'll take that for my grade.
Like, I I love that.
Um, and then we decided we'regonna start a hope squad in the

(32:48):
middle school.
Um, we had had it in the highschool level for a few years and
it was working great.
And let's how can we bring thisinto the middle school?
And right away I'm like, well,I I want to be part of that.
Like, I want to be um a leaderin the hope squad.

Speaker 6 (33:02):
Um talk about what the hope squad is.

Speaker 1 (33:04):
Yeah, absolutely.
So it uh on paper, it's a it'sa suicide prevention group, um,
but it's beyond that.
It's a it's a mental health umawareness group, it's a a
kindness group, it's uhessentially what we do, and I'm
I'm not a trained therapist, I'mnot a trained counselor, I'm
not a doctor.
I um I'm just someone who caresa lot about kids and has been a

(33:26):
lot of around a lot ofsituations.
But what we do is we train ourstudents to recognize um mental
health things amongst theirpeers.
I mean, the students are theeyes and the ears, man.
They they hear everything.
They go to the lunchroom, theygo to recess, they you know,
they they go into the PE class,right?
So they hear so much more thanus teachers do.

(33:47):
Um, and so what we teach themand what we train them in is
just to notice and and to see.
And then we we teach them howto talk to other students.
But if they're not comfortable,they we teach them to come to
us.
And then that's where I jumpin, and that's where I I love
what I do and I get a check onstudents who might be just

(34:07):
having a hard time.
Um, and then a great the greatthing about our school is is
we've got some great trainedcounselors and and therapists
and right in the school.
And if it's above me, or I wantto make sure that I'm not
missing something, or I want tomake sure that I don't, you
know, I turn over every stone, II ask them for their help.
And we just talk to the kid andwe develop a plan of of what

(34:28):
the issue is and how we're gonnago about fixing it.
And and I get to be, I'm verythankful that I get to be a part
of that.
Um and man, some of therelationships you build in that
aspect when a kid's at theirworst, I mean, that's what it's
all about.
Like that's what it's all aboutto me.
It's easy when you get tocelebrate success, and that's
that's part of it.
Um, but when you get to bearound somebody maybe at their

(34:51):
darkest time or their theirlowest time, um, and you get to
help work them through that toeventually see where they don't,
you know, quote unquote needyou anymore, like man, like uh
it doesn't get any better forthat than for me.
Like that's what it's all aboutfor me.
Um so that growth is issomething I'm super, super proud

(35:11):
of.
Um and it's hard because youknow, life is hard for kids.
Like it's hard in our society,it's hard on it's hard on
athletes, it's hard on females.
I mean, some of the greatestaccomplishments I have, if we
were to sit here and talk aboutall the the things that I'm most

(35:32):
proud of, um, really come withour female population.
Um, and for a couple ofreasons.
Um, number one, I mean, I grewup with a dad that wasn't super
emotional.
Like he was old school.
He still is old school.
Um, I know my dad loves me, um,but he didn't talk about it.
You know, that's just not heshowed it.

(35:53):
Like he, I know he did, and andhe showed it all the time.
But, you know, we have femalesthat still have, you know, dads
that, you know, might not talkabout emotions or talk about,
you know, how to handle thoseemotions.
And so I get to be a male rolemodel in their life.
Um, and we have females thatthis day and age with social
media, like, man, how tough isit to be a female right now?

(36:17):
Like anybody as a kid, but likeas a female, like you have this
vision of what perfect is, youknow, what your hair's supposed
to look like, what you know,clothes you're supposed to wear,
what your body's supposed tolook like, um, you know, what
your relationship with a a boyis supposed to be, and you know,
this fairy tale fairy taleworld, that's not real.
And like, so, but they don'tknow that.

(36:38):
And they might not be gettingit modeled at home, um, you
know, through their mom and dador through, you know, what they
have at home.
And so they they see this andthey think it's real, and
they're not living up to thoseexpectations because they can't,
because it's impossible.
And, you know, think what thatdoes to a to a female.
Like, I just it it's so hardfor me.

(36:59):
And and honestly, it is hardbecause in society you have this
stigma between male teachersand female students, right?
That unfortunately withsociety, you know, has put this
label.
Some people have put this labelon what that looks like, and
that, you know, you're you're init for the wrong reasons or
whatever.
And and I and I hate that.

(37:20):
I hate that that stigma is oneducators.
Um, and but I understand it.
Right.
I understand being a parent.
And, you know, if my middleschool girl comes home and talks
about a male teacher talking toher about things like that,
like I I hope they questionthat.
But I also hope that, you know,the great thing about, you
know, being in a place for along time and um, you know,
being where I'm at, that nowthey know me and they know my my

(37:42):
reasoning and you know why I dothings.
Um, but man, some of my biggestsuccesses right now are are
girls that as middle school kidsjust struggled, but now as high
school kids, man, they're justthriving.
Why?
Because what what do I wantthem to be like?
I want to be like my wife,right?
Ultimately, the mostindependent, strong female I've
ever been around, right?
So that's what I want them tobe like.

(38:03):
Like that, and and so um I getto be around it every day.
So why not help them realizewhat it's like?
So that's amazing.

Speaker 6 (38:13):
So you know, through our conversation this morning
and Sean and I talking, youknow, you you're a little unique
in your coaching style with umseniors.
And I I it it's a veryinteresting perspective from a
parent who's not a not a coachat that that level, you know,
couldn't have been and I coachyouth sports and are very

(38:36):
involved in our kids' lives, butyou know, at the high school
level, it's a little different.
So would you would you talk alittle bit about how you handle
senior boys who try out for yourbaseball team?

Speaker 1 (38:47):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um I when I got here, um, and Istill use this all the time,
but like I wanted just to createa standard, like a standard for
the program.
And it didn't matter who youwere, it didn't matter how good
you were, it didn't matter whoyour parents were, because

(39:08):
that's the great thing about me.
Like, I didn't come from here.
So like there is no bias when Istarted.
I mean, things are a little bitdifferent now that I've been
here a while, but like there wasno bias in the decisions I
made.
Like, I every decision that Imade, um, and I'm not saying
that I've made all the rightones, absolutely not, but like
all the decisions that I evermade as a baseball coach were to
put our team in the bestposition at all times because I

(39:31):
didn't know any different.
Like I didn't know who yourparents were.
I you could tell me your lastname.
You he could be written allover the walls at national
trail, but I didn't know anydifferent.
So that was a really bigadvantage for me.
Um, and so I just I I wanted tocreate a standard, and I wanted
to create a standard thatpeople wanted to be part of the
program.
Um, and it might not be justthe nine people that are out on

(39:51):
the field every single day.
Like people want to be aroundNational Trail baseball.
And because Coach Luce is theleader, and because I've had
great assistants who all Alsoshare the same vision.
Um, but no, I I it Sean told methat this question was gonna be
asked, and and honestly, it'scrazy because I didn't even
realize that I was doingsomething special.

(40:12):
Like it's just I I never likeit's it, it just was what I was.
But um so when seniors comeout, um, I don't I don't cut
seniors.
Um, I don't I don't believe inin letting go of seniors.
Honestly, I I'm you know in asituation in a small school
where it's not like I cut a lotin the first place.
Um but I wouldn't ever eventhink about cutting a senior um

(40:34):
because I mean think about it,it's their senior year.
I coach in the spring season,so it's the last season they
ever get to be a part of highschool athletics.
Um and now if they do somethingelse, if they run track or they
do a different thing, awesome.
But if they don't, like it'syour last chance to be with your
guys, to show up, to put on theuniform, to to work hard, to,

(40:55):
to win, to lose, to, you know,to hug, to cry, like do all the
things that we all know and loveof high school sports or sports
in general.
Um, but that comes with aresponsibility.
Um, it comes with uh anexpectation that I'm going to be
up front with you.
I'm gonna tell you where Ithink you stand.
I think that's something thatum I would hope that every

(41:19):
player that's ever played for meum agrees upon, that my line of
communication is very open.
Um, and I know that can be hardsometimes um to hear.
And I let seniors know thatlike you can be a part of this
right now, in the moment.
You're not one of our top nineor our top 10.
If you're willing to be a partof something bigger than

(41:42):
yourself, if you're willing tobe a good teammate, if you're
willing to do the things, youcome hard work every day at
practice.
I want you a part of it.
Like I want you to put on theuniform again.
And that's not saying that youcan't earn that.
That's not saying that thatthat's not something you can
work yourself into.
Um, but baseball's tough, man.
If you're jumping in yoursenior year and you've and you
haven't played very much, orit's been a long time since you

(42:03):
played, like baseball can behard to jump into that.
Um, but man, I've had some ofmy greatest like moments of
being a high school baseballcoach because of seniors who
were part of it and were willingto accept that role.
And to see them just show upevery day.
I mean, their only start thatthey might get might be senior

(42:23):
night.
Um, and there's been a couplewhere senior night happens and
they go like two for two orthree for three.
And I'm thinking, man, likewhat a decision.
Like they're probably thinkingthis guy is making some terrible
decisions.
Um, but but to see themcelebrate those even small
successes, man, those go beyond.
And I I say it all the time,and I told you this this
morning, I it's bigger thanbaseball, man.

(42:46):
It's it's baseball's a game atthe end of the day.
Um, any sport's a game at theend of the day, you learn so
many life lessons in it, and Iwill go to the grave talking
about that.
But I hope that everybodythat's ever played for me, um,
been around a program that I'veled, or you know, whatever,
understands that when I tell youthings, um, when I tell you it

(43:09):
means more than the game, thewin, the loss, um, it's bigger
than baseball.
I mean it.
Um, and I think that comesfrom, you know, growing up
around good coaches.
Like, I mean, that's where weget it from.
And honestly, uh growing upgrowing up around now as an
adult, looking back, coachesthat like weren't good.
And I'm not ever gonna talk illwill about coaching because I
just won't do that.

(43:29):
But there are coaches that I'vehad in my past that um I look
back and I was a people pleaser.
So I was easy to have someonelike me buy in.
You said a few things and I'mbought in.
That's just that's who I am.
But now as an adult, I lookback and I'm like, man, they
didn't mean that.
They weren't real.
They knew what to say to a kidlike me.
They know how they knew how tomake it sound good.

(43:52):
Man, I I remember right now,and and I remember walking in to
a senior year sport and uhcoming home, and we got a new
coach, and I was all in, and youknow, practices were awesome,
and I was working hard, and andI remember my dad looking at me
in the kitchen table and andsaying, be careful, just be

(44:13):
careful because I know, I know,I know who he is.
I grew up with him, and I Inever will forget this.
Man, I was ready to fight myown dad, like because I wanted
to go to bat for my coach sohard because that's just that's
how I was.
Like, I was willing to get thisargument with my own father
about someone because I amthat's how I do.
I'm all in.
And he got me all in.

(44:33):
He said the right things, andthen I look back and I'm like,
man, my dad was a hundredpercent right.
Like he said the things thatneeded to say for a kid like me
to buy in.
So that right there wassomething for me that was so big
into what I do and what Ibelieve in.
Like, if I tell you something,I'm I mean it.
It's authentic, it's real.
Um, I mean, anybody can talkabout.

(44:55):
I get, you know, I'm full ofemotion.
Um I coach Arians for theCardinals a long time ago said,
coach them hard and hug themafter.
And I I I live and die by that.
I'm the first one that's gonnalet you know when you mess up.
But literally a minute, twominutes, five minutes later,
it's over, it's done.
I'm giving you a hug and youknow, we're on to the next
thing.
Um, and I I love that.

(45:17):
Um, I love what that teaches toto kids, and and I I love being
that way personally.
Um, I if I tell you I love you,I mean it.
Like I I'm not gonna saysomething that's not real and
authentic.
And I I think, I mean, we allknow in sports, I'm not, I'm I'm
not batting a thousand.
Like we're not gonna get a hitevery time we get up, but like

(45:38):
I'm assuming there's a playerout there that's listen may
listen to this and be like, ohcome on, coach, you didn't you
didn't do that for me.
But I like to think that my ummy batting average, let's say,
is is pretty high in thataspect.
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (45:52):
So it's pretty awesome.
Let's talk about faith.
Let's talk about we, you know,we had that conversation this
morning and and you were youwere honest and upfront with it.
And I I think that's importantfor for us to talk about because
I I had similar feelings earlyon and and what you shared with
me.
So talk about your faith.

Speaker 1 (46:13):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, it's it's somethingthat I didn't grow up in a house
um where faith was at theforefront.
Um and I'm not upset about it,I'm not I'm not mad about it, I
don't have any hard feelingstowards that at all.
My I I've talked about my unclea little bit.
He was obviously big in thechurch, and you know, they would

(46:34):
take us to things, and um itjust I always believed in
something bigger, but I I don'tthink as a kid I really knew
what that was.
Um and faith didn't hit mepersonally um until I talked
earlier about being a close-knitfamily.
Um, and I I some of my bestchildhood memories are um during

(46:56):
the summer, we would spendSunday nights at my grand my
grandma's and grandma andgrandpa's house.
And uh all the cousins wouldstay.
And, you know, we would wewould spend Monday there and and
I got to spend this time withmy family and my cousins and
grow up with them.
And but with being a close-knitfamily, when when life happens
and you know, sickness happens,and unfortunately, you know,

(47:18):
cancers hit our family a fewtimes, and um my aunt passed
away very quickly um withcancer.
Um it was kind of I've been soblessed in my life not to really
have a lot of instances whereyou know death has happened like
that very quickly.
Um, but that was one of them.
And uh so we we go to the we goto the funeral, and um the

(47:43):
person who does the funeral, Iremember sitting through the
funeral.
Um, and I told you earlier,like death, like my wife deals
with with those things on adaily basis.
It's not it's not for me.
Um, I struggle with it.
And uh I sat through thefuneral and I remember the guy
speaking, and I'm like, man, hedid a great job.
Like, I don't know who this guyis.

(48:03):
I we're not a faith-basedfamily, and really for the most
part, most of my family wasn't.
And uh I was just like, Iremember asking someone, like,
and who is like he did a greatjob.
Like, I loved it.
And kind of circle back around,he uh Reverend Morrison was um
he took uh he was at a church inEton, and it was the

(48:27):
Presbyterian church in Eton, anduh we were living in Eton at
the time, just again randomly.
Um that's where we ended up,and he was the person at the
funeral, and I loved what hedid, I loved what he said, and
and then I remember talking tomy wife, and she's like, he's
he's right down the road, likewe should go check it out.
So we went to the Presbyterianchurch there at Eton and spent

(48:50):
some time there.
Um my wife and I decided, um,we were engaged at the time, and
when we decided to get married,we decided to ask Reverend
Morrison to be the person toofficiate the wedding, um, which
was awesome.
And he was also the one thatbaptized my wife and I.
Um, and he retired and he movedon, and you know, we moved on,

(49:12):
but like those moments happenedfor a reason, right?
Like I was put in thatsituation um for a bigger
purpose.
Um, and I think that's soimportant to me now because I do
raise my kids to know Jesus andI do raise my kids to

(49:35):
understand what kindness is andand putting others before
yourself um and and doing thosethings.
And and as an educator, wetalked about this.
It's it's difficult because Ifor my job, I have to make sure
that I'm separating church andstate, right?
Like that I that's somethingthat I have to do as an
educator, and which I think I umhave an easy time doing.

(49:58):
Like that doesn't bother mebecause I believe what I do
speaks it.
Like I believe my purpose, likeI believe that I'm here what uh
doing what I'm supposed to do.
Um I believe that I've beengiven a gift to have um an
ability to develop relationshipswith students and with people,

(50:21):
um with athletes, all kinds, allwalks of life that I'm people
ask, like, you know, you go intoan interview, like, and someone
talks about like, you know,what's your best quality, right?
Like, what's my best quality asan educator?
It's developing relationshipshands down.
And if you talk to anybodythat's worked with me or around
me, they're gonna agree withyou.
Like, well, how I don't know.

(50:42):
I just, I just do.
Like, I but I know now, I knowwhy now.
Like, I know where that'scoming from.
Like, I I know why I do what Ido and why I ended up where I'm
at and why I'm good at what I doand and that aspect.
Um, because none of thatmatters if you can't develop a
relationship with them.
Like, right?
I can't, how is this kid gonnatalk to me about the darkest
times in their life or theirbiggest struggles, or you know,

(51:06):
if I'm not real and authenticand get to know them and them
respect me.
Um so yeah, I um that's a bitimportant to me and to watch my
kids grow in that aspect.
Um and it's just some of thebiggest blessings, man.
Like I I'm obviously asports-oriented guy.
I'm I'm a competitor.
I I like to to do those things.

(51:28):
I get a coach youth sports andalong with my son as he's as
he's moving up, and I get acoach at the high school level.
Um, but like, man, some of mybiggest successes as a dad is
watching my kids do things thatI know they're doing because
they they know Jesus.
Um I was thinking about thistoday.

(51:48):
I happened I had to run acouple errands for my wife.
And one of the things I love isum my grandfather, who I've
talked about a couple of times,was um, he was a Navy CB.
So obviously I have thisultimate respect for um people
in the military.
And and uh one of the things Istarted with my son at a young
age was uh anytime there's aveteran wearing a hat, you know,

(52:08):
I taught him, you know, we goup to him, we look him in the
eyes, we shake their hand, andand we tell him, Thank you for
our service, thank you for yourservice.
And it started with me doing itand him coming along, and then
it went to he would do it, buthe needed me to come with him.
But now what does he do?
Like he pictures the guy, hesees the guy come in, or the the

(52:30):
male or the female come in witha hat on before sometimes I
even see it now.
And man, like I get emotionaljust talking about it right now.
Like he's had some reallyawesome, and and not just my son
and and my my uh my girls aswell, but like some awesome
sports things, sportsaccomplishments.
But man, those are at adifferent level, man.
Like they don't even compare.
Yeah, like to see my kid do it,my eyes get watery every time.

(52:52):
I get emotional, uh, I getgoosebumps right now, just
thinking about it.
And and you know, those are thethings that were I know um, you
know, being a parent's hard andand raising kids are hard.
And um I know you know we'redoing the right things, we're on
the right path.

Speaker 6 (53:07):
Yeah, that's that's awesome.
Yeah.
So one more thing we talkedabout this morning, and it and I
we share similar paths growingup.
You know, I had an amazingchildhood.
I didn't have any childhoodtrauma or any of that stuff, but
I was always a big kid.
You know, I always went andshopped at the shop at the husky
section like you.
And I think Ben maybe had alittle bit of that as well.

(53:30):
And that was something that wetalked about this morning.
Share, share your journey asfar as physically and tie that
into the mental growing up.

Speaker 1 (53:40):
Yeah.
Um I just I tell the story,man.
I I can remember to this day,like going back to school
shopping, um, going into youknow, the department store, JC
Penny, and walking in, and youknow, there's a big sign up
above the rack of clothes thatwe're shopping on, and it says
husky.
And I'm I remember looking atmy mom and being like, mom,

(54:01):
what's what's that mean?
Like, what what do you like?
This isn't where my friendsshop.
Like, you know, they shop overthere.
And like I didn't know.
And what a tough conversationfor a mom, man.
Like, that's tough.
Um, and it was a stage, like alot of kids.
It was a stage.
It and it was something that asI got older, that I was able to
um outgrow into high school,being an athlete, being active.

(54:22):
Um, but you know, health andnutrition and exercise, those
came because I was an athlete.
Like that's where I got all ofthat.
Um, I didn't know nutrition, Ididn't know what that meant.
Um, you know, my you know whatyou know as a kid, right?
And and I and I talk about myathletes all the time that are

(54:45):
that are trying to betterthemselves and into trying to do
those different things.
Like, yeah, it's easy for me totalk as an adult to go meal
prep and to go buy the things,but like they're at the mercy of
what their parents have, right?
And I there's so many differentreasons why your parents are
buying what they do and fightwhether it's financially or you
know, whatever.
Um, but I the I mean, I Ididn't have the childhood

(55:09):
trauma.
Like my mom had cancer when Iwas in eighth grade.
I remember that.
Um, I remember my grandparents,you know, each dying, like, you
know, passing, and those werestruggles.
Um, my dad'll my dad's umbattled type one diabetes
forever, and we've had somelegitimate scares and and things
that have gotten scary withthat.
And even as a kid, under Ididn't understand what cancer

(55:30):
was.
And so like I didn't have thatchildhood trauma that some of
these kids go through.
And and for me, it was it wasjust even as I got older as an
athlete and I worked throughthis this awkward stage of my
life in middle school where Iwas heavy and chunky, like, but
man, this version and thisvision of me being this bigger

(55:50):
kid, like it never left me.
It it still doesn't today.
Like I it's I know I I mean I Ihate sitting here saying that
that's that's something that Ibattle because I know some so
many people are going through somuch greater things.
Like, I I'm not I'm notdownplaying that.
Um, but for me, like it it'sjust you know, you you go to

(56:11):
your buddy's house and you goswimming.
Well, you gotta take your shirtoff.
We talked earlier before thisstarted shirts and skins at the
basketball practice, right?
Man, I was praying, don't makeme skins, like don't put me in
skins.
Man, I don't want to be part ofthat.
Um just that's just kind of mymindset um as a kid, and I hate
that.
I hate that that was mymindset.
Um, I hate that that botheredme so much because, like, as we

(56:35):
talked this morning, like myfriends didn't care.
Like we were at the swimmingpool, like my friends could care
less.
Like, it was just this battlethat I fought between my own
ears.
Um, that was that was reallyhard for me.
Um so you know, everyone talksabout like you you graduate high
school, the the dreadedfreshman 15.
Like they they talk about it,but for me, it wasn't even when

(56:57):
that happened.
For me, it was all of a suddensports stopped abruptly.
Like I, you know, that lastbaseball game was over.
And now it's time to go live inthe real world and be a, you
know, be a be an adult.
And I got a um, and throughoutmy my college career, I worked
um a grown-up job.

(57:18):
I worked at a food distributioncompany out of Greenville, and
I I was a plug and play man,like put me wherever you need.
So that that might mean aregular eight to five, that you
know, that might mean I wasworking third shift and I was
working in the freezer becauseof a food distribution company.
I was building routes in thefreezer.
Um, but my my mindset and mybody wasn't ready for a grown

(57:38):
man 40 hour a week job.
Like I just I would come homeand I'd go to bed and my mom
would wake me up for dinner, orif I was working first shift and
then I'd go back to bed.
And and so it hit me prettyhard those three months before I
even left for college.
Like freshman 15 hit me beforecollege started.
Um, and it's somethingthroughout college I didn't

(58:00):
really, you know, address or payattention to.
Um, and then you then youbecome a dad and just the
perspective of everythingchanges.
And not even just dad, like Iwas standing in front of a
baseball team that I'm leading,and I put it this emphasis on,
you know, baseball is a toughsport on your body.
Uh, all sports are, butbaseball, man, it's a sprint.

(58:22):
You play 27 games in a shortperiod of time.
Like, you got to take care ofyourself, you got to take care
of your arm, you got to hydrate.
You know, we might play fivegames in a week.
Um, and I think that's whatmakes baseball so different than
in some of the other sports.
But, you know, I stand in frontof this group that I'm leading
that are actually men, and I'mtheir leader, and I'm telling

(58:42):
them to take care of theirbodies and to eat something good
for them and to to hydrate andto stretch.
And I'm like, who the heck am Ito tell them that when I I
don't even live by what I talkabout?
So I mean, I don't have atraumatic thing.
I had stupid little smallhealth issues that come with
being overweight.
And um uh one day I uh one ofthose being like I had I would

(59:07):
get swelling really bad in mylower legs.
Um and one day I got it reallybad.
It was worse than I've everhad.
And um, my mom always workingat a doctor's office and being
close with doctors.
I just sent her a picture andshe showed the doctor, and he
was just like, Man, he just justbe careful.
Like, you know, this isn'tsomething to mess with.
And so I remember my wifestayed home and I went to the

(59:28):
emergency room just to check tomake sure.
And I felt okay.
Um, and I just remember sittingthere with my wife at home and
my kids at home being like,okay, like if this comes back
okay, which I pray that it does,and it did, like I'm gonna be
different.
Like, I'm gonna change and I'mgonna, I'm gonna learn, I'm
gonna understand.
Um, not just for me, but alsofor my kids.

(59:50):
Um, I wanna model that.
I want to model that for myathletes.
I wanna model that for myplayers.
Um if uh an athlete comes to meand wants to talk about how
Health, nutrition, those typesof things.
Like, but I had a lot to learn,man.
Like it wasn't part of me.
Like it just, it wasn't.
So I told you this morning,like, so what I first do, what
everyone does, I start trackingwhat I eat and lower my

(01:00:12):
calories.
And man, I lost like 18, 20pounds in like three months.
And and everyone is probablylike, well, that's awesome.
That's a that's a greataccomplishment.
Like, you know, that took somesome work in which it did.
Um, but I looked myself in themirror, I'm like, that's awful.
Like I went from this big guy,I lost 18 pounds really quickly,
and I was just like, man, Ifelt like I was like this old

(01:00:35):
man.
Like I just I didn't like theversion of me in the mirror.
And um I remember uh going towork and again, the people that
get put in your lives for thereason that they get put in your
lives.
And at the time, our schoolresource officer was a
bodybuilder.
Um, he's you know, he was a bigdude and knew a lot about you
know nutrition and thebackground of it and lifting.

(01:00:57):
And he was like, if you'retelling me you want to look like
you, you tell me you look likeyou gotta get in the weight
room.
And I started off slow and Idid three days a week, and I
didn't do three days a weekbecause I didn't want to do
more.
I did three days a week becauseI couldn't get out of bed.
Like it's like I hurt.
Like I that's all my body couldtake.
Um and and just progressively,you know, over this, you know,

(01:01:17):
seven year, you know, I juststarted my eighth year in that
aspect.
Like it's just it's just becomepart of me.
But what it does for me nowmentally, obviously the physical
things, but man, what it is forme mentally is is huge.
Like I am such a better person,such a better dad, such a

(01:01:38):
better teacher, such a betterhuman being because of this this
routine um and what I do.
And and you know, likeeverything, like you need
support at home.
Um, and my wife, my wife modelsit as well.
I mean, she's the same thing.
She does hers in the morningbefore work.
Um, I get to do mine afterwork, and and you know, we model

(01:01:59):
that at home and we live by it.
So yeah, it's big for us, man.
It's huge.

Speaker 6 (01:02:03):
And it's contagious for your kids too.
Yes.
Yeah.
They see that and they want tobe a part of that and to taste
that success of hey, if I workhard, I take care of my body,
good things will happen.
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:02:16):
Yeah, they I I've got to take Isaiah with me a couple
of times um to the gym.
And and we don't, you know, wedon't do anything crazy, but you
know, I can't tell you how manypeople have stopped me and just
like told me how awesome it isthat my kid's in there and that
he's just doing, you know, kidsare busy, like, you know,
practicing stuff, so you younever want to overdo it and make
it something that the kidhates.
Like we go back to our startupconversation.

(01:02:37):
I don't want him to do it justbecause dad's doing it, right?
I want him to do it because hewants to do it.
And um, but it's been reallycool to to share that.
And you know, our girl, mygirls too, McKenzie.
McKinsey loves to run.
Uh, Sean's can can can say thatyou know, there are days when
they're warmer, she's out on thestreet, she loves to run like
like her mom does.
And um, you know, it'ssomething that she likes, so she

(01:02:59):
gets to get out and do.
And so yeah, so it's beenawesome.

Speaker 6 (01:03:03):
Yeah, you're setting a good example.
What do you got?

Speaker 3 (01:03:06):
What um what year did you start national trail?
Like coaching and being thehead baseball coach?
This is year man, I think thisis year nine.
Year nine.
This is year nine, I believe.
Have you noticed um like uhdifference?
One of the big things I I keephearing every time you're
speaking is relationships,relationships.
No matter what aspect it is inlife, it's relationships, which
I I think Dan and I both can saythat we believe heavily in

(01:03:28):
relationships and any aspect ofyour life, that's like a big
thing.
Have you noticed um being ableto teach the kids in sixth
grade, like a correlation oflike kids coming out and more
kids wanting to participate inbaseball with those
relationships you built in sixthgrade, now as coach Luce
instead of you know Mr.
Luce?

Speaker 1 (01:03:46):
You know, it's it's one of those things that like I
always thought would be thecase, right?
It'd be linear, right?
I I teach more kids, I'm aroundthe kids, and more kids coming
out with baseball.
I I think unfortunately, I I'veactually the opposite's kind of
happened.
And I don't think it's becauseof the relationship factor.
I I think baseball is um is asport where um unless you're

(01:04:09):
doing it at a young age and youand you do it kind of all the
way through, it's hard to kindof just pick up and do.
Um we've actually our numbershave gone the wrong way um for a
little bit here, which which Ireally hate.
Um, and and part of that is toolike I I don't have the answer.
Like obviously, I if I had theanswer to why that's happening

(01:04:30):
in society, like why baseballtends to be or just in general,
why our numbers are going down.
But the relationships with thekids that are athletes, that are
baseball kids, um 1000%correlates to that relationship
as a high school kid.
Um man, I I think of I couldsit here and name athlete after

(01:04:53):
athlete that like has come up tome and been like, coach, like
if you didn't do what you did inmiddle school, I wouldn't have
never come out for baseball inhigh school.
Or, you know, we talked about acouple students that you know
that cross over the trailearlier.
Like, uh I always tell them,like, your freshman year, you
gotta give me, just give me achance.
Just give me a chance.

(01:05:14):
Um, I mean, I I talk about or Ithink about some of my
athletes.
I mean, shoot, Sean, you know,Chase being one of them.
I mean, Chase will be honestwith you, Chase was I don't know
that Chase would have playedbaseball in high school if it
was different.
Um uh there's kids that I Iremember my first or second year
walking the hallways and andjust seeing kids that looked
athletic and been like, hey, I'mcoach loose, shake their hand,

(01:05:37):
like um you play baseball.
Uh no coach, I don't playbaseball.
I'm like, you know, will yougive me a shot?
Like come to one practice, likecome to one offseason workout,
come to one thing.
And and if it's not for you andmy vision isn't like your
vision, like don't come back.
And I'm not gonna, you know,I'm not gonna, no hard feelings.
But so many kids that arethankful or will talk to me now

(01:06:00):
as they graduate and move on.
Like, I'm so glad you came upto me in the hallway coach.
Like, you know, baseball wasthat just that experience itself
was, you know, such a highlightand such a good thing and such
a positive thing.
So there's 100% correlationbetween uh the relationships you
start early.
And now I even have a cool,like it's a whole a different

(01:06:22):
perspective.
Now I'm having families thatI've had older siblings, or now
I'm having families wherefamilies were their uh friends
with my kids or you know, andtheir siblings.
And and so um I've establishedthose relationships, or my kids
have been part of it, or youknow, somehow through my wife or
whatever.
And so like now it's like it'sdifferent.

(01:06:43):
So when I told you earlier thatevery decision I made couldn't
be biased because I I didn'tknow anybody, that part's out
the door.
I've been long enough where Ido know people now, and I have
to make those decisions basedoff of um, you know, being being
a coach.
But um, yeah, man, it's uh inand just the building being all
together.

(01:07:03):
Like, you know, I can get aphone call from a a teacher,
good or bad, and I can just walkacross and I can talk to the, I
mean, that's huge.
Like I can and and and thosethings in in our school, um, you
know, our athletes tend to beour athletes, right?
So my best baseball players areprobably some of the best

(01:07:23):
football players, you know, orsome of the best, you know,
basketball players or wrestlersor whatever it is.
And we have to we have to bemindful of that.
We have to, we have to shareour athletes.
We have to make sure that theyare all um, you know, they get
their rest and they get theirtime in with their sport.
And but yet I can't be the onethat says, you know, during
baseball season, you can't goplay AAU.

(01:07:44):
That's not my mindset.
My mindset is here's ourschedule.
Go play AU.
Like, man, if we're having agood year, I really hope you
decide not to go roll yourankle.
Not not saying that anybody inhere doesn't have a rolled
ankle.
Um, but you know, like makegood decisions based off of
where, but like the kids aregonna go, if they want to go

(01:08:06):
play basketball, they're gonnago to the park and play
basketball.
So um, you know, I I encouragethat.
Um, I want them to do thosemultiple sport things and and be
part of it.
I don't I don't know if I mightI think I went all over the
place from your question, but ohno.

Speaker 3 (01:08:20):
I mean, basically my question was just the
relationship.
I mean, so I think that's thenumber one thing I view for
coaches is that relationship.
Like if you have a relationshipwith these kids young, no
matter if they play this sportor not.
I mean, I'm sure it's you're ateacher, but you're also a
coach, which means you're in thehigh school with those kids
after the sixth grade year.
Yeah.
I'm sure it's so rewardingseeing the way they've
progressed and six years laterfrom when you, you know, when

(01:08:42):
you taught them, you're seeingthem through the hallways and
everything as a coach.

Speaker 1 (01:08:45):
Correct.
And then come to me with likeany sport failures, like or hard
times or hardships, or youknow, I'm thankful I get to be
on the assistant athleticdirector too.
So I I I'm gonna go to sportingevents too, so I might as well
get paid to do it a little bittoo, right?
Like I love it's it's my thing.
So um, man, I all kids, allsports, they play for me, they
don't play for me.
Like, um, and I I think it'simportant for just any role

(01:09:08):
model, any coach to be there,not just during their season
that they're competing in, butalso every season of all those.
Like, if you want to developrelationships, you got to do it
all the time.
You just don't do it the threemonths you get them.
Like you get to do it all thetime.
And then for me, that thatrelationship doesn't stop just
because you graduate.
Um, that relationship continueson um after graduation.

(01:09:30):
Man, some of the the greatestthings that I've ever got,
number one, I mean, some of theguys that have coached for me
and over the last you know, nineyears at trail and even beyond,
like when you get a formerplayer that wants to come back
and coach baseball with youbecause he had that much of a uh
a good experience, like that'sthat's the ultimate.

(01:09:51):
Like, or I was talking to uhtoday in this morning, just like
um man, I've had former playersinvite me to their baptisms or
former players, hey coach, uh mywife's pregnant or my
girlfriend's pregnant, like youknow, and those things happen.
Wait, I've been to weddings,I've been to, I mean, the
obvious the graduations and thethings, but man, when you get to
celebrate those successes inlife that is beyond the

(01:10:15):
classroom, beyond the field.
Like if I'm gonna talk aboutbigger than baseball, then like
I that's what that's what Imean.
Um, and for me, it might not bethose times where the kids have
their biggest successes.
Like, let's talk about thetimes that the kids in their
life are in their biggeststruggles.
And they they think of me, likethey call me.

(01:10:36):
Um, you know, uh I had a playerjust you know get in a car
accident when he was in highschool, and his parents just,
you know, for whatever reason atthat time were busy and they
didn't pick up the phone.
And who's the second call hemade?
He he called me and I got you,I'll take care of you, you know.
Like I like those things forme, like that's why I do what I

(01:10:56):
do.
Like that is the sole reasonwhy I stand, why I sit here, why
I take pride.
Um, and again, I don't bat, I'mnot batting a thousand.
Uh, I I'm not saying that everykid has every relationship like
that.
Um, all kids are different inin that in that range, but man,
those successes, but those timesthat they've called me in those

(01:11:17):
failures, um, man, that'sthat's the ultimate thing.

Speaker 6 (01:11:21):
Well, you talk about relationships.
What'd you tell me earlier whenwe were talking this morning?
You're like, hey, I'm gonna Igotta send out a couple of texts
here later.
You know, we're doing we'rewhat tomorrow's Christmas Eve.
This episode goes out onFriday, but uh, you know, we're
recording here before ChristmasEve and Christmas.
So talk about that becausethat's that's part of that
relationship building.

Speaker 1 (01:11:41):
Yeah, I mean, if you're if you're gonna be real
in those relationships, thenthose relationships mean that um
you open up your front doorstoo, like and you look at kids
like family um and you look atthem as your kids.
And um, so uh I I meancountless times I've you know
send messages to kids that youknow my door is always open.

(01:12:03):
Um I mean the amount of timesthat I've had kids over to just
come over and you know eatdinner, or uh man, some some
kids that have gone through somestruggles, um, that I've gone
through the right procedures andpaperwork and you know, parent
signatures, but like you know,they're they're struggling in
their own home life, so theythey spend some time with me for

(01:12:24):
over a course of a couple days,or um, you know, kids go off to
college and they strugglefinancially and they're
struggling and and they reachout and you know, you gotta make
sure you take care of them.
If that's what you trulybelieve and that's what you
truly mean.
And if you're gonna beauthentic and you're gonna be
real, um, you know, that'sthat's what you got to live by.
So um speaking on yours, I wewe always have a we always have

(01:12:45):
a Christmas Eve dinner that isnot anything formal, not
anything crazy.
Um, but just for people in myown family that don't have
anything going on on ChristmasEve, um, I always I always smoke
something in the smoker and andanybody that wants to come over
can come over, hang out for afew hours.
And you know, I I usually openthat invite to um to players and

(01:13:09):
and to players.
And I want to make sure thateven with the players, that I'm
not here to take away from yourfamily.
I'm not here to, if your familyhas something going on and you
guys great, like I I obviously,but if you don't and you want to
be somewhere and you want to,you know, be a part of it, you
know, part of something onChristmas Eve, man, my doors are
open.
So I mean, shoot.

(01:13:30):
Uh I mean, Chase walks in thefront door all the time, man.
Like I he's got the code to myfront door, like it.

Speaker 6 (01:13:38):
That's amazing.
That that's having that impactthat you wanted to have, and
that's that's amazing.

Speaker 1 (01:13:43):
That is what I've always wanted, man.
Like that, uh just hearing yousay having that impact.
That is such uh a smallstatement, right?
Impact's such a small, but likethat's what it is about.
That's what it's about for me.

Speaker 6 (01:14:02):
Well, you're gonna feel it, man.
You're gonna feel it after thisairs because there's gonna be
uh current kids, teammates,coaches, administrators,
teachers you teach with, um, whoknow your heart, who know how
much you care.
Um, you're gonna you're gonnafeel it, man.
You deserve it for sure.
Appreciate that.

Speaker 3 (01:14:21):
What else you got?
What are you smoking tomorrow?
Uh so Dan busy.
Dan and I might get this code.

Speaker 1 (01:14:30):
So so so talk about like uh and we've talked about
disappointing my dad.
So in the past, I've I'vealways bought um a beef brisket,
and that's kind of been mygo-to.
I'm gonna be honest with you,like smoking a beef brisket is
difficult.
Like it is not easy.
And I destroy it.
Yeah, like it's probably theleast successful I've been with

(01:14:51):
the smoker over my time ofsmoking of anything.
And um, my go-to, like my go-toare ribs, my go-to are is
pulled pork.
And so uh the other day therewas a deal at Kroger for you
know, buy one, get ones.
And if there's buy one, getone, pull pork's, I'm buying
them.
So so I was doing pulled pork,and man, I go to my dad
literally on Sunday because hecame.
Of course, my dad's at everysingle sporting event of my

(01:15:13):
kids, and my my mom is too, andum and he said something about
it, and I said, Yeah, I'm gonnado pulled pork.
He says, What?
You're not doing brisket?
And I'm like, Man, tough crowd.

Speaker 6 (01:15:24):
Like all those people that had been over when you
destroyed the brisket areprobably like, Thank you for not
doing the brisket.

Speaker 3 (01:15:29):
Obviously, you couldn't have been that bad if
your dad's like, hey, listen,you gotta do the brisket.

Speaker 1 (01:15:33):
I I've never destroyed one.
I just I guess I'm a toughcritic, right?
Like, and so I I just havenever felt like I've done a
great job.
Um, but I mean, pulled pork I'mpretty good at.
Yeah, so pulled pork's likewhat, like eight to twelve
hours?
So I do it, I do it real lowand slow, and I start in the
middle.
Usually it's 12 to 14 for me.
I do it really super slow, butyeah, it's brisket's what, like

(01:15:53):
18 to it's a lot longer.
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (01:15:55):
So let's go ahead and share your address.
Yeah.
The front door code.

Speaker 1 (01:16:00):
It's open and confirm about the brisket.
I got plenty.
It's always the door's alwaysopen.

Speaker 6 (01:16:06):
Sean, you got anything to add back there?

Speaker 2 (01:16:10):
Uh no, I you're correct.
Chase played baseball becauseof the relationship you had,
100%.
And that's why he's helping youcoach because of your example.
Um I I don't think I can'tthink of a greater example at
trail that I've been a part ofthat.
That like you are the you're agreat example and a great role

(01:16:30):
model for these kids.
That's why your kids are outrunning and uh doing what they
do, and that's because of thegreat example of you and your
wife.

Speaker 1 (01:16:40):
Thanks, man.
I that's that means a lotcoming from you.
I I'll never forget the uh theday after Sean's or the day
after I watched Sean's episode.
Um, and I mean I didn't Ididn't know Sean's story.
I knew Sean, um, I knew hiskids, I knew his family.
Um but I was oddly enough atPlain of Fitness, and uh I was

(01:17:02):
sitting on the bike and I wasdoing my cardio and I called
Sean and I I just felt like Ineeded to.
And man, I I grown man criedthrough that whole conversation
with Sean.
Um and it was such an impact tome to hear a story.
Um, and with so many peoplethat sit in this chair to hear
their stories.
Um and I like I told you at thebeginning, that was my biggest

(01:17:25):
hesitation.
Like I don't have thattraumatic story.
Um, but and so many people do.
I want everyone to understandthat I am so blessed and
grateful and thankful for theopportunity that I do have.
Um, and I'm so thankful to makethat difference, that impact,
that relationship, man.
That's that's what it's allabout for me.

Speaker 6 (01:17:44):
For sure.
All right.
Last question.
Okay.
If you could sit on a parkbench and have a conversation
with someone living or deceased,who would it be and why?

Speaker 1 (01:17:54):
Man, I I've I of all of this whole process, man, I
have analyzed this question,I've thought about this
question.
Um, and I and I I guess I'mgonna give um I'm gonna go two
different routes with it.
So route number one, um, Imean, if if I sit here and tell
you that I'm a Christian, and Isit here and tell you that I'm

(01:18:15):
doing something that's for abigger purpose and that I've
been given a gift, um, then Ithen I then I have to at least
talk about the fact that havinga conversation with Jesus about
um making sure that my beliefand what my gift has been, that
I'm following the way that Ithat he would want me to lead

(01:18:35):
and follow.
And I I think that would be myI I honestly think that's my
easy answer, right?
Because that's that's my beliefand that's what I that's what I
believe in personally, um, andI try to model.
Um man my grandparents playedsuch an impact on my life.
Um when I when I think back tomy mom having cancer, um I don't

(01:19:05):
I I think I said I I fullydidn't understand the situation
and how scary it was.
One, because I was young, umbut also two because my
grandparents took care of us.
We not that my dad did it, mygrandparents did things that I
don't even know that they did.

(01:19:26):
You know, it was Christmastime, and you know, the gifts
under the tree were the samegifts that we always had under
the tree, and the cupboards werealways, you know, full of the
food that we still had, and andlater to come find out it was my
family that was doing all thisstuff behind the scenes.
I had no idea.
I mean, they made meals for us,they they did things, but I
learned so much from mygrandfather.

(01:19:46):
Um he started me in the game ofgolf, uh, and he retired and he
became a uh a barber, and soall my haircuts were done there.
I there's to a point where umas he got older, um, I again I A
people pleaser.
Um, but his ability to cut hairstarted to um not be as good,

(01:20:07):
so I went and I would just he Iwould have him shave my head.
So the first time I I shaved myhead and he had to call home to
grandma and get permission fromgrandma to shave my head
because he didn't want grandmato be mad.
And um I learned so much aboutum man just what it meant to be
a man.
Um I mean he raised six girls.

(01:20:29):
Uh I I really obviously didn'tgo into some of this stuff, but
like I remember conversationsthat I had with my grandpa when
I when I go got quote unquote introuble um and he corrected me.
And those last with me some asmuch as my own father does.
Um I'll never forget I I heardyou the other day, uh I think it

(01:20:52):
was episode 84 where you guyswere reflecting and you talked
about being at a familygathering and talking about
politics.
And uh one thing that you'llget from me is you will never
hear me talk about politics.
Um I don't post about politics,I don't talk negatively,
positively about politics.
And for a lot of the samereasons you you mentioned, but

(01:21:14):
one of the things for me is Iremember being like, I don't
even know how old I was, man.
I was probably aneight-year-old, 10-year-old, and
and uh I looked at my mygrandfather because we had just
had an election and that's whateverybody was talking about.
I didn't know any different.
I said, Grandpa, I said, Whodid you vote for?
And man, did he let me hear it?
Like old school, like you donot talk about that.

(01:21:35):
You know, you go be a goodperson, no matter what you
believe in or what that they'rethey're telling you.
He said, I've been married toyour grandma for 50 plus years,
and she doesn't ever know who Ivoted for.
Um, but it just you know, thatimpact on my life, like um, and
I think the last piece, I I justI still move people please are

(01:21:56):
at heart, but like not that Iknow they're not proud of me, um
but to hear him say it manwould mean and uh the last piece
of that would be um so that mykids could sit on my lap with me
and they could have thatconversation with them because I

(01:22:17):
talk about them all the timeand and my my older ones were
lucky enough, blessed enough tomeet my grandmother before she
passed, but my grandfatherpassed um early enough where
we're he I didn't they didn'tget a chance to meet him and uh
so they know him, right?
There's pictures of him.
We have his his uh his flag inthe in the case, and I was
blessed to be the oldestgrandson, so I got the um his uh

(01:22:40):
armed service flag when hepassed, and um to have my kids
be able to sit on my lap insteadof kneeling in front of his
gravestone to talk to him andjust be able to have that
conversation with them because Iknow what he meant to me would
be but what I'm thankful aboutis they have grandparents that
are amazing and they havegrandparents that are doing the
exact same thing that mygrandparents did for me, and so

(01:23:02):
I'm blessed.
So I I don't want it to soundlike I'm not thankful for it,
but uh man, the to share oneconversation with them with my
kids present would mean theworld to me.

Speaker 6 (01:23:12):
So what would you say to him?

Speaker 1 (01:23:14):
Oh shoot.
That I still have never toldanybody who I voted for.
No, man, I I I would I wouldask him I would I I think I
would ask him the question, Iwould ask how if I was if he was
proud of me.
I would ask if I was doing whathe always envisioned me to do.

(01:23:34):
Um he uh we joke when when Iused to bring my wife around at
that obviously that time was mymy girlfriend, and and she would
come to family gatheringsbecause she you know she's been
around since you know I was 14.
And one time they came over anduh um he pulled me aside and he
said, uh I want you to knowsomething.
You like you've picked a goodone.

(01:23:55):
And he said, You remember thatand you hold on tight.
And uh so that's always stuckwith me.
Um but uh I've been uh told afew times how much I've
outcooked my coverage.
So shout out to my wife thereon there.
But um no, that just are you amI doing what you thought I
would do?
Am I are you proud of me?

Speaker 6 (01:24:16):
Um he would say yes.

Speaker 1 (01:24:18):
I know, I I really believe that too.
I really do.
But man, to hear his voice sayit would be and it would be
awesome.

Speaker 3 (01:24:25):
So something about grandparents, man, right?
I tell you.
I know.
I know Dan talks about it allthe time about his grandpa, and
that's what I mentioned to Danthe other day about Christmas
time, you start missing yourloved ones.
And man, I tell you what, mygrandpa, that's that's all I
think about.
Especially this time of year.

Speaker 6 (01:24:40):
Absolutely, absolutely for sure, man.
Well, you know, yourgrandparents set a good example,
your parents set a goodexample, you know.
You talk about in the beginninghow you know you were you were
happy for the experience thatyou had at Greenville, at
Fairborn, but then you moved toNational Trail, and that's where

(01:25:03):
you you want to become who youruncle was, right?
Absolutely.
You know, you want to be thatman when you walk in a room,
everybody shaking your hand andgiving you a hug and a high five
and all those things, andthat's what you're doing.
Like you're living it rightnow.
And uh so there's no doubt youryour your family is is very
proud of you, and and I'm I'mproud to know you and to get to
know you a little better.

(01:25:23):
And I appreciate you coming uphere and sharing your story.

Speaker 1 (01:25:26):
Yeah, it's absolutely I I appreciate you guys for
having me.
It's it's cool, like we beforewe even met, like our kids met.
Yeah.
And now whenever they see eachother, they they still say hi
and that respect.
Um, they got to play some flagfootball together.
Um, and uh I told Isaiah what Iwas doing, and and uh he said,
uh you gotta you gotta tell themthat my nickname for his son.

(01:25:49):
And and I said, Okay, I mean Iif I get a chance, I'll say it.
But it was the it was thecoolest thing for my kid.
They got to play together in ain a flag football game together
a few years ago.
Um, and uh for whatever reason,Isaiah was he was a little bit
like I don't want to say scared,he was a little bit because he
was only trail kid on this onthis team and and and Ryan was

(01:26:10):
was good to him and and kind ofmade him feel but he he came
home one day and he said he saidyou know uh something about
quick trip.
And I said, Who's quick trip,man?
And I'm like, what he's like,yeah, daddy's like, man, if you
when Ryan gets the ball, man,it's a quick trip to the end
zone, man.
That's where it goes, that'swhere it ends up.
And I'm like, You come upwithout yourself, that's that's
pretty good.
That's real good.
I didn't heard that.

Speaker 3 (01:26:30):
I heard he had a nickname, but I just I might
start calling that inbasketball.
Yeah, there we go.
He had a quick trip to thebucket every time this week,
right?
Pit scored 19 points inbasketball in the bucket.
He's he is good, he is anabsolute athlete.
Shout out to Kim becauseobviously that's where he got
his athletic ability.

Speaker 6 (01:26:45):
And this is where we end.
This is where it goes.
All right, well, everybody, weappreciate your ears and uh all
the support.
Tyler, we appreciate yoursupport.
You know, I know you've been auh listener here for a while,
and uh, and we thank you forthat.
Hopefully we've provided someinspiration for you and and for
all those in the communitybecause you have certainly

(01:27:05):
provided inspiration for many.
Thank you.
Yeah.
All right, everybody.
Go out and be tempered.

Speaker (01:27:11):
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He owns Catrin's Glass.

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Speaker 4 (01:27:40):
I want to share something that's become a big
part of the Beatempered mission,Patreon.
Now, if you've never used itbefore, Patreon is a platform
where we can build communitytogether.
It's not just about supportingthe podcast, it's about having a
space where we can connect on adeeper level, encourage one
another, and walk this journeyof faith, resilience, and

(01:28:01):
perseverance side by side.
Here's how it works.
You can join as a free memberand get access to daily posts,
behind the scenes updates,encouragement, and some things I
don't always put out on otherplatforms.
And if you feel called tosupport the mission financially,
there are different levelswhere you can do that too.
That support helps us keepproducing the podcasts, creating

(01:28:23):
gear, hosting events, andsharing stories that we believe
can truly impact lives.
And here's the cool part.
Patreon has a free app you candownload right on your phone.
It works just like Facebook orInstagram, but it's built
specifically for our community.
You'll be able to scrollthrough posts, watch videos,
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(01:28:44):
journey.
At the end of the day, thisisn't just about content, it's
about connection.
It's about building somethingtogether.
Not just me and Ben putting outepisodes, but a family of
people committed to growingstronger through real stories
and real faith.
So whether you just want to hopon as a free member or you feel
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(01:29:05):
that community.
Because at the heart of BeTempered has always been simple
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BeTempered Episode 85 - Coaching for More Than the Scoreboard with Tyler Luce

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}BeTempered Episode 85 - Coaching for More Than the Scoreboard with Tyler Luce