Episode 149 - January 15, 2020 - Josh Scott, Marty Marsh, KHS and GLS Boys Basketball

In this episode, we preview the number one attended high school basketball tournament in the country, the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions! This weekend, at the former JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University, Springfield Public Schools Athletic Director Josh Scott and Assistant Athletic Director Marty Marsh will host the 36th Annual Bass Pro Tournament of Champions (TOC). We previewed and evaluated the teams, bracket, and events going along with this weekend’s tournament.  Josh Scott and Marty Marsh gave us the “stats” of the tournament and previewed the incoming teams, along with local teams Greenwood Laboratory School and Kickapoo High School. We also caught up with Kickapoo coach, Mitch McHenry, and three of his players Anton Brookshire, Elijah Bridgers, and Micah McIntire about the tournament and their season.  We also spoke with Greenwood players Aminu Mohammed, Grant Harper, and Tommy Pinegar about what they hope their team will gain from playing in the TOC. For more information on the tournament, visit www.tofc.weebly.com.

Episode 148 - January 8, 2020 Guests: Kelly Holt, Mike Denbow, Jeff Grevillius, Matthew Holt

In this episode we welcome back our officials’ panel!  The stripes were in the studio! My guests included Southwest Missouri Coordinator of Officials Kelly Holt, and officials Mike Denbow, Jeff Grevillius, and Matthew Holt.  The panel did an excellent job of expressing the mentality of an official and answering our listener and coaches’ questions.  Each one had a unique perspective and shared those point of views with us.

Episode 147 -January 1, 2020 Guests: Ned Reynolds, Art Hains, Don Louzader, Misty Ramsey, Jeff Burnett

Happy New Year!  Wow! 2020!  What an exciting time!

We ring in the New Year with another challenge for our legendary duo, Art Hains and Ned Reynolds.  These two broadcast gurus decided to accept another test from Coach Hopkins. We met at Ebbett’s Field (thank you – such a great place to eat and catch up on the latest sports scene) and, this time, had a panel of judges/studio audience.  We hosted our St. Louis Cardinals correspondent, Don Louzader who did a terrific job and is always a welcome guest on the show.  We also had one of my former assistants and current school principal Misty Ramsey join us for the first-and after her performance definitely not her last-appearance!  We also hosted my younger brother, and Kansas City Chiefs Superfan, Jeff Burnett-one of my favorites to have on the airwaves. 

The challenge was to play, what I now like to call, Play by Play Charades.  I showed a one-minute video clip to Ned and Art of a lesser known sport – but still nationally or globally recognized –and, without saying what sport it is, they painted the picture so that the panel could guess.  The panel had dry erase boards and after one minute, they wrote down what sport they felt like Ned and Art described.  We went through 14 sports! It was fun, some they knew and some, well, I had to have some that “stumped the chumps”.  Jeff was the winner with seven correct and we had a great time playing (cue dramatic music in your mind)…Play by Play Charades! Listen to the show and give it a try, see how many you get!

My thanks, again, to Ebbett’s Field for their hospitality.  Also, thank you to Greg Burnett for compiling and selecting the sports and videos, he did an excellent job!  We hit sports from all around the world.  Kudos to Ned Reynolds and Art Hains for, again, proving how they are the sports broadcast legends of this area and to my stellar panel Don Louzader, Misty Ramsey, and Jeff Burnett – you all were wonderful sports and we appreciated your valued participation!

Episode 146 - December 18, 2019 Guests: Bob Kinloch and Mike Percival

In this episode, we visit with Hall of Famer Coach Bob Kinloch about his career and the impact that he has had on multiple athletes throughout his decades of coaching at Central High School.  We also previewed the Kinloch Wrestling Tournament coming up on January 3-4, 2020 at Parkview High School.  We also caught up with Greenwood Girls Basketball Coach Mike Percival about the holiday basketball tournaments going on this year between Christmas and New Year’s including the Greenwood Blue and Gold and the Greenwood/Springfield Public Schools Pink and White Lady Classic among others in the area.

Episode 145 - December 11, 2019 Guests: Ned Reynolds, Art Hains

In this episode, we enjoy a “Thanksgiving dinner with Ned Reynolds and Art Hains” at Springfield’s first and finest Japanese Steakhouse, Nakato.  We reflect on the gratitude, professionally and personally, that Ned and Art have and how sports broadcasting has changed and evolved over the years. We also gave these two legends a challenge – they performed play by play and color analyst work of our Hibachi Chef at Nakato! They did an excellent job and give a whole new meaning to, “And he goes for the butter AGAIN!”  My thanks to these two gentlemen, they have been wonderful mentors and friends. 

Episode 144 - December 4, 2019 Guests: Lori Endicott-Vandersnick, Caira Dortch

In this episode, we hosted former Olympian, Lori Endicott–Vandersnick and Head women’s volleyball coach from Southwest Baptist University Caira Dortch. We looked into the mission of in season and out of season sports and how both high school coaches and off-season coaches need to communicate and bridge that gap with a centered focus on the athlete and their development. We also explored the value of multi-sport athletes and how beneficial it is for athletes to have experience in more than one sport if they choose to do so. As a former Olympian, and as a head volleyball coach at the collegiate level, my guests made excellent points in trying to provide the best experience for student athletes.

Episode 143 - November 20, 2019 Guests: Keith Guttin, Ray Meyer, Tommy Burnett, Billy Burnett, Lacy Newman Humphreys

On this show, we previewed our new book, Raising Razorbacks: A Collection of Burnett Stories with an interview with Tommy Burnett, Billy Burnett, and Lacy Newman Humphreys who hosted the book launch party. Order online on our product page! We also previewed the upcoming Step Up to the Plate event with Coach Keith Guttin with Missouri State University Baseball.  We also caught up with talented local broadcaster Ray Meyer.  Take a listen!

Episode 142 - November 13, 2019 Guests: Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors

In this episode, we celebrated the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame season and had a plethora of sports figures.  We were very grateful for Ebbett’s Field in hosting the show and for all of the participants that were willing to join us and play some games on air.  We had, in no particular order, Corey Riggs, Art Hains, Ray Meyer, Ned Reynolds, Mark Stillwell, Mark Fisher, Dan Cashel, Lynne Miller, Lisa Tinkler, Becky Oakes, Reba Sims, Ed Beach, Bill Rowe, and Tom Mast who all braved the airwaves playing our segments of “Out of the Hat” and “This or That”.  What a fun evening! 

Episode 141 - November 6, 2019 Guests: Kelsie Cleeton, Kyle Moats

In this episode, we visit with former two time All-American from College of the Ozarks Women’s Basketball player Kelsie Cleeton and celebrate her career as a Lady Bobcat and the retiring of her jersey.  She also joined in on our insightful conversation with Missouri State University Director of Athletics Kyle Moats. We discussed the current state of Missouri State’s athletic programs, the new NCAA guidelines on pay to play, and the mental health support athletic departments are giving their student-athletes.

 Don’t forget to check out our new Human Champion Collection on our product page!

Episode 140 - October 30, 2019 Guests: Michael Spinks, John Pinney, Miranda Atkins

In this episode, we speak with former heavyweight boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist Michael Spinks.  He was a total gentleman while he recalled what the sport of boxing did for him and the journey he experienced through his career.  We also spoke with, and congratulated Miranda Atkins, on her title win this past weekend. Her, and Alicia Acero, in different weight classes, won world titles and showcased their skills by winning both of their fights in the first round.   We also hosted Hall of Fame and Southern Middleweight Boxing Champion John Pinney about his boxing career and his stand-up comedy career.  We wrapped up the show by debuting our new Human Champion Collection – check it out at https://www.acoachsperspective.com/hcc-product-line

Episode 139 - October 23, 2019 Bobby Bones, Darrell Smith, Alicia Acero, Hal Lewis, John Carden, Michael Spinks, Ray Mercer

In this episode, we were jabbin and punchin with some of the coolest in the industry!  First of all, thank you to radio host and American Idol coach Bobby Bones for sharing with us his journey and how he has developed such a multi-faceted career.  We then promoted a very special event.  Alicia Acero, a local boxer, will be going for a WORLD TITLE this weekend in Springfield, Missouri.  Her coach, Darrell Smith (Coach Smitty) shared with us, along with Alicia, how she got to this point.  Her story is amazing, and we are very proud of her path.  Coach Hal Lewis was also on the show and has some athletes from his gym fighting this weekend.  All of this is brought to us by John Carden from Carden Combat Sports and he is the event promoter.  We also received a special call from Heavyweight Champions and Olympic Gold Medalists (both!) Merciless Ray Mercer and Michael Spinks. Best of luck to all of the fighters this weekend! 

Episode 138 - October 16, 2019 Guests: Kevin Agee and Ed Beach

In this episode, we met with the Content Strategist for Missouri State University, Kevin Agee, and explored his position and mission at promoting Missouri State University and how he accomplishes that with several outlets including social media. We also spoke with the Sports Information Director at Drury University, Ed Beach and how he uses several techniques to engage the community and inform fans about Drury Athletics. The insight of these gentlemen and their positions are fascinating. Coaches don’t only teach on the court, part of what they do is promote their program and Kevin and Ed gave out some valuable advice on how to do that and it relates to businesses and organizations, too!

Episode 137 - October 9, 2019 Guests: Mike Keltner and Larry Nemmers

We welcomed in this episode two Hall of Famers, Coach Mike Keltner and NFL official Larry Nemmers. We spent the first half of the show talking about the psychology of coaches and officials in their game preparation, holding concentration, and minimizing distractions. . We then debuted a new segment called “Out of a Hat” where we drew random questions and they had to answer them on the fly. We are happy to report they did a tremendous job! If you missed it, make sure you listen on the website or Apple iTunes Podcast.

Episode 136 - October 2, 2019 Guests - Don Louzader, Ethan Bryan, Loren Broaddus

This episode consisted of the return of our Major League Baseball correspondents Don Louzader and Ethan Bryan.  We also had a very special guest, and talented author, Loren Broaddus.  Ethan updated us on the Kansas City Royals and their season while Don shared with us the experience of feeling the champagne fly in the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse after celebrating the path to the playoffs.  We then took an in depth look into the beautiful work of Loren’s book, Joe DiMaggio Moves Like Liquid Light.  This book of baseball poetry captures some beautiful memories, stories and experiences that entertain and generate conversation.  If you are interested, and you are, you can find a copy of his book at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Books-A-Million and several other entities.  Check it out, it is a treasure!

Episode 135 - September 25, 2019 Guests: Bob Huggins, Steve Forbes, Becky Oakes

In this episode we caught up with West Virginia Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins about his friendship with Charlie Spoonhour.  We then caught up with Coach Steve Forbes from East Tennessee State University about his vision and philosophy for ETSU.  We then wrapped up our Sports Psychology series with Becky Oakes and talked about the roles of state associations, national associations and school districts in the support and access of resources for the mental health of athletes and coaches. This has been a tremendous series full of valuable insights and information.  My thanks to all who made it possible and we will revisit this series again in the future! 

Episode 134 - September 18, 2019 Guests: Dr. Patrick Cohn and Coach Holly Hesse

In this episode, premier sports psychologist Dr. Patrick Cohn joins us and talks about the value of pre-game routine and preparation for maximum production. He also discussed the challenges with handling with perfectionism and playing with a fear of failure.  His tips for effective coping skills were valued and are also outlined on his website peaksports.com. He also has a great podcast on Apple iTunes.  We also caught up with Missouri State University softball coach, Holly Hesse as she explained the value and implementation of the DISC test and how it can make your athletes more coachable. 

Episode 133 - September 11, 2019 Guests-Tim Blasi, Mark Stratton

On this episode, we are joined by future Springfield Area Sports Hall of Famers Mark Stratton and Tim Blasi. Both of these gentlemen have accumulated many accolades over the years, but the most important ones are the influences they have had on their teammates and players. We had some tremendous guests call in and offer their heartfelt and genuine congratulations to them both. My thanks to Mark Bailey, Scott Bailes, Mark Resz, and Neil Chambers. Also, thank you to Christie Blasi and Sara Stratton Kaderly for helping arrange our special guests!

Episode 132 - September 4, 2019 Guests-Corey Bray, Hailey Diestelkamp, Connor Sechlor

In this episode, we continue to explore the mental side of the game in our Sports Psychology Series. We are joined by Drury University’s Director of Athletics Corey Bray, standout women’s basketball player, and NCAA Division II Player of the Year, Hailey Diestelkamp, and all-MVC and standout pitcher for the Missouri State University Bears baseball team, Connor Sechlor. Insights and discussion included mental preparation, dealing with anxiety, pressure, playing perfect, and tuning out negative voices. The positive message from the panel gave advice and guidance for athletes, coaches, and other contributors of athletic programs.

Episode 131-August 21, 2019 Guests-John Schaefer, Holly Hesse, Don Keeton

In this episode, we are kicking off a series on Sports Psychology. We assembled a panel of coaches to take us through their techniques for mentally training athletes for peak performance. We discussed visualization, using the mind’s eye, goal setting, dealing with anxiety, fear of failure, and many more. They gave out some excellent techniques and advice for athletes and coaches. We even talked about coaches holding their composure (which is not easy). My thanks to the talented panel that joined us including Coach Holly Hesse with Missouri State University Softball, Coach John Schaefer with Logan-Rogersville Boys Basketball, and Track and Field legend Coach Don Keeton.

Episode 130 - August 14, 2019 Guests-Don Louzader, Ethan Bryan

Our trusty baseball correspondents, Ethan Bryan and Don Louzader, joined us in studio to update us on the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals. We also congratulated Don on his Fun Acre Open Championship and Ethan for making the Grip and Rib Baseball League! Check them out on Sundays! Follow Ethan’s journey at www.ethanbryan.com. We also told some W.O.W. (WHAT or WHY?) stories, too fun! My thanks to Chris Adams for his stories that he sent in (not that I gave him a choice) and to Matt Wright for sending in his story.