Contacts Coaching Podcast

In this Contacts Coaching Podcast episode, host interviews Nate “Blackjack” Pototschnik, associate director of strength and conditioning for BYU football, about his path from the U.S. Military Academy to flying helicopters for 10 years, deploying twice to Afghanistan, and using GI Bill benefits to earn a master’s in exercise physiology at the University of Virginia. Nathan shares why he left the cockpit for coaching, how success habits built his confidence, and how trusting his gut and prioritizing family guided career decisions when coaching opportunities shifted. He explains what transferred from aviation to coaching (explicit vs tacit learning, staying calm under pressure), discusses not tying self-worth to wins and losses, and outlines strength-and-conditioning priorities: movement quality screening, full-range training preferences, power clean vs full clean, building culture through standards, objective feedback and competition, staff alignment, and maintaining daily relationship touchpoints with athletes.

00:00 Meet Coach Blackjack
00:40 From 9/11 to Coaching
03:27 Betting on Yourself
05:22 Confidence and Gut Calls
10:04 GI Bill Explained
11:59 Combat Pilot Lessons
16:51 Staying Detached from Outcomes
18:50 Weight Room Priorities
24:08 Movement Screening Basics
26:52 Full Depth vs Quarter Squats
29:33 Power Clean vs Full Clean
31:03 Be Ready Before Promotion
33:20 Head Coach Time Demands
35:48 Hiring and Coaching Trees
38:58 Healthy Dissent Culture
43:07 BYU Grouping and Mods
44:25 Testing Buckets and Profiles
47:08 Freak Athletes and Standards
49:10 Environment and Competition
52:33 Leadership Lessons and Alignment
55:10 Building Relationships at Scale
56:40 Strength Coaches as Conduit
57:58 Wrap Up and Next Round

On the Contacts Coaching podcast, longtime Jesuit High School (Sacramento) history teacher and cross country coach Walt Lange recounts how getting cut from freshman baseball led him to running, being recruited by UCLA, and then coaching after training on his own at Loyola University of Los Angeles. He describes early coaching at St. Bernard’s near Playa del Rey, a move to Sacramento (including a brief stint as a stockbroker), and joining Jesuit in 1970, where he has coached cross country for 56 years and previously served about 20 years as head track coach. Lang credits assistant coaches, the American River Parkway training environment, and tools like Strava, and explains how Jesuit uses VDOT-based training groups and recognition to scale workouts for all levels. He discusses shifts from high-mileage eras to modern threshold/tempo approaches, the role of confidence and health, Tahoe summer camp, and balancing multi-sport participation, ending with the importance of an understanding spouse.

00:00 Meet Coach Walt Lange
00:41 From Baseball Cut to Runner
02:14 College Running and Early Coaching
05:54 Move to Jesuit and Early Success
09:16 56 Years of Coaching Longevity
10:09 Assistant Coaches and Team Roles
14:30 Strava and the Internet Era
18:28 VDOT Groups and Recognition
20:50 Tahoe Camp and Team Size
25:54 Coaching Every Ability Level
28:52 Hundred Mile Weeks
30:58 Tempo Training Explained
33:09 Threshold Versus Intervals
35:13 Cross Country Confidence
39:05 Motivating Young Runners
42:41 Year Round Training
49:25 Blueprint And Sundays
51:33 Late Bloomers Story
54:32 Coaching Wisdom Finale

https://sites.google.com/view/jesuitdistance/home

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRPvxaGrR4gIcFaBXAZRwjw1eCiHUFYFMDL-grwavt0zlKXGmhhpM4yPLS9ScarhskXS3apXk3VmEEI/pub

https://www.youtube.com/JesuitTrack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCVnMvq3nx8&list=PLKYXiqAHWASjAZyQlIUBUq7JVd0QYU-FL

In this episode of the Contacts Coaching podcast, Athletic Director Chris Stevens from Immanuel High School returns to discuss his journey and the key elements of managing a high school sports program. Stevens, a 30-year veteran football coach now in his fourth year as an athletic director, was recently honored with the Rookie of the Year award by the Central Section. He shares his experiences transitioning from public to private education, the importance of budgeting and fundraising, managing family involvement in school sports, and creating memorable experiences for student-athletes. Stevens provides invaluable insights into how to balance the logistical and emotional demands of the job while fostering a supportive environment for athletes and coaches. Tune in for a comprehensive look at the world of high school athletic administration and gain practical advice for navigating this challenging yet rewarding field.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back
00:34 Chris Stevens' Major Award
02:49 Journey to Becoming Athletic Director
04:43 Public vs. Private School Administration
15:05 Balancing Family and Career
20:53 Fundraising and Development in Schools
31:01 Finding the Perfect Tournament
31:28 Prepackaged Deals vs. DIY Trips
32:52 Creating Memorable Experiences
34:35 Innovative Team Bonding Ideas
39:02 Senior Night Celebrations
49:22 Managing Budgets in Private Schools
57:11 Fundraising Strategies and Challenges
01:03:20 Closing Thoughts and Networking

In a special Contacts Coaching podcast episode, Stevenson alumna Danielle Koval—Director of Compliance for Financial Aid and revenue sharing at the University of Oklahoma—shares her path from being a swimmer and water polo player at Stevenson to swimming at Fresno State, working in student-athlete academic services, moving to UNLV, and then joining OU after taking a financial aid role just before COVID. She compares working environments across Fresno State, UNLV, and a Power Four brand like Oklahoma, emphasizing the scale of budgets, the weight of a global brand, and the constant pace of compliance changes driven by lawsuits and reactive policy shifts. The conversation explains how college athletics finances work, why most sports operate at a loss, and how football revenue and attendance underwrite broader departmental resources. Koval details how athletic scholarships and financial aid function across headcount and equivalency sports, why FAFSA and campus/college-level scholarships matter, and how tuition waivers and programs like the Western Undergraduate Exchange reduce costs. She breaks down the shift from NCAA scholarship limits to roster caps under the new landscape, including how schools decide whether to fully fund expanded rosters and how new scholarships can count against the revenue-sharing cap. The episode also covers OU’s revenue-sharing approach (six sports), Title IX defensibility pressures, preferred walk-on dynamics under roster caps, the increased role of agents in everyday issues, and how contracts are renegotiated annually amid early signing day and the transfer portal. Koval discusses the challenges of paying athletes while preparing them for life after sports, including OU’s financial literacy programming, and closes with a personal reflection on changing her mindset from perfectionism to giving herself grace as circumstances shift.

00:00 Welcome & Meet Danielle Koval (OU Compliance + Financial Aid/Rev Share)
00:33 Danielle’s Athlete-to-Administrator Journey: Fresno State → UNLV → Oklahoma
05:31 Leveling Up: What Changes from Mid-Major to Power Program?
08:34 The OU Brand & Culture of Excellence Across Sports
11:23 Money Talks: Football Revenue, Facilities, and Funding Other Sports
12:51 Is College Athletics Sustainable? NIL ‘Funny Money’ to Revenue Share
17:26 Scholarships 101: Headcount vs Equivalency (and Why ‘Full Ride’ Is Rare)
20:46 New Era: Roster Caps, Scholarship Flexibility, and the 20.5M ‘Salary Cap’
24:30 Financial Aid Hacks: FAFSA, Department Scholarships, WUE, and Tuition Waivers
30:10 Reallocating Aid: When Top Students ‘Free Up’ Scholarships for Other Sports
31:41 The Scholarship Funding Crunch: Revenue Sports vs. Everyone Else
32:24 Tuition Waivers & Campus Support: How Schools Make Full Funding Work
34:33 OU’s Self-Sustaining Model and the ‘Front Porch’ Value of Athletics
36:13 Roster Caps vs. Scholarship Limits: Why Walk-Ons Are Disappearing
37:53 Revenue Share at OU: The 6 Sports in the Pool (and Why Gymnastics)
39:36 Preferred Walk-Ons, Practice Bodies, and Stretching the Rev-Share Dollar
41:35 Inside Football Rev-Share Tiers: Contracts, Cutoffs, and Annual Renegotiations
46:03 Culture & Pay Equity: Avoiding Locker-Room Blowups in the NIL Era
47:43 Transfer Portal Reality Check: The Grass Isn’t Greener (and Many Don’t Land)
48:52 Recruiting Goes Pro: Agents, Negotiations, and the New GM Job
50:25 Preparing Athletes for Money & Life After Sport: Literacy, Taxes, Careers
55:15 Closing Reflection: Changing Your Mind, Letting Go of Perfection

Welcome to the Contacts Coaching podcast! In this episode, we sit down with Mike Luevano, host, and founder of the Between the Shots Show. Mike shares his extensive background in education, development work, and his latest venture that combines golf with deep, meaningful conversations about life, vulnerability, and masculinity. From his upbringing in San Jose to his work with nonprofit organizations and his passion for sports, Mike provides valuable insights into building relationships, personal growth, and the importance of open dialogue. Tune in for an inspiring discussion on how to navigate life's challenges and the transformative power of real, heartfelt conversations.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
01:13 Mike's Early Life and Career
03:09 Nonprofit Work and Development
05:35 Fundraising Strategies and Community Involvement
12:55 The Concept of 'Between the Shots'
24:07 A Lifestyle Show with Purpose
24:26 Fatherhood and Legacy
25:31 The Importance of Vulnerability
28:24 Creating Safe Spaces for Open Conversations
30:55 Personal Growth and Self-Reflection
37:07 Setting and Achieving Goals
40:38 Building and Maintaining Relationships
45:08 Conclusion and Future Plans