Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome.
[00:00:02] Speaker B: Cause you are now listening to from the CART Pass with your host, Trent Roberts, bringing you tips, support and player recognition and education with the experts for parents and junior golfers in Indiana.
This is from the CART Path with your host, Trent Roberts.
[00:00:25] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:32] Speaker C: And welcome to another from the CART Path podcast. My name is Lauren Smith, and I'm really pleased to be joined today by Dan Stanjevich. Hopefully I got that right. He is the head women's golf coach at Marion University. I've heard so much about you, Dan, and I'm really, really pleased that you can join us today.
[00:00:53] Speaker A: Thanks for having me, Lauren. Appreciate it.
[00:00:55] Speaker C: Of course, of course.
I want to start by getting to know a little bit about you.
And we'll get into Marion in a little bit, but tell me a little bit about your coaching journey and how you ended up at Marion.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: Yeah, so I played at Marion. So I was from Brownsburg here in Indy and went to Marion on Tennyson Golf and then ultimately graduated, got in the workforce and then was repping Nike Golf at the time.
And it was like my first sales job. So I went to the Marion coaches that I knew if I screwed up my sales pitch, they'd probably still buy from me because they killed.
And so I just asked the women's coach at the time because he was one of my professors, and I said, if you ever need help, let me know. He was like, I can't afford to pay anything. And I said this would be a great way for me to meet coaches, pounce on some business cards and help out as well. So that's kind of how it started. And that was four years of volunteering and just help him out. And then ultimately when he retired, they asked me to step in. And it was one of those, like, it wasn't really what I was had on my list. It wasn't on the bingo card.
But, you know, so much progress with that team and. And those girls, and we kind of started to turn a corner with some of the recruits, and it was one of those, like, you know, I don't want somebody else to take over just yet. So, you know, this is year eight now as head coach, so it's been a lot of fun.
[00:02:22] Speaker C: Yeah, you've definitely dove into it. Well, I was reading a little bit about you in your bio, and I think, you know, the success you've had as a coach there obviously says a lot about you and the person you are, but also the university itself.
So, you know, I'm located in North Carolina. I don't know a lot About Marion. A lot of people listening to this might know, as you know, more than me. But tell me a little about, a little bit about Marion and what draws kids to the university.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: I mean, I would say a lot of times people come in and they think it's Indy, right? It's Indianapolis, it's kind of big city. But when you get on campus, it's funny when you, when the parents come on especially, they look around and they're like, hey, you know, you wouldn't even know you're in Indy right now because there's a lot of trees, a lot of buildings, and it's, it's just nice. But I think they do love the access to having, you know, whether it's professional sports or having kind of the big city amenities that go with it.
And Mary's just a good quality school. And for our girls especially now, like, the golf programs has changed and that's been a big draw to them. But I think for those really, those things, it's, it's getting the girls to come and especially take visits because I think before a lot of people that weren't from Indy just kind of had that, like, that's in the big city. I don't know if I want, you know, downtown Indy, but in reality, we're really. We're not downtown indy, but we're 15 minutes away or 10 minutes away where they can get to go to a Colts game or a Pacers game or, you know, anything like that if they want to do anything sports related like that. We've got a lot to offer as a city.
[00:04:00] Speaker C: Yeah. Indianapolis. Sports in general, I think, are thriving. I come from North Carolina, where our sports teams are not doing so well, so. Yeah, but it's nice to follow the success of those teams. So. Yeah, I mean, I would see how that's a big draw for a kid and, you know, things to do off campus and what the big city has to offer in a small town, you know, small environment.
[00:04:21] Speaker A: So that's especially like the, the small schools, in my opinion, are, you know, it's a struggle.
It's, it's, it's new wave of universities and colleges in general, and small universities are, you know, I feel like you're either thriving or you're kind of going the other way. And yeah, I always tell parents when they come on, it's like, take a look around and you see almost a new building every two years. And so the university's thriving in that way and they're reinvesting into the university and not just sticking it into an endowment or something. They're for the, for the students and for us and my girls and student athletes to, to be a positive one when they, when they get out.
[00:05:01] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And I think, you know, something to be proud of too. And you can say you're an alumni of Marion University. So flipping over to the golf side a little bit and being more specific how, you know, with your success there at Marion, what would you describe or talk about the culture that you've created with the women's golf team in particular and what you see kind of for the future of the team as well.
[00:05:25] Speaker A: So for us it's always been, you know, like we recruit a lot of the ones that it's like hardworking and you know, we try to, we try to push the. Let's be together and help their teammates through whether it's classes. Like we just ran into one the other day, the first day of practice. Somebody had to join a class that maybe not what they wanted to have to take, but you've got some of the girls that, that's their major and it's like they're already talking to each other like, how do we, how can I help you out and help you through that? And that's a, that's non golf related. That's a school related thing for them and they're, they're willing to help and like that's, for me, that's the culture and that's what it's all about. Like we want, it's going to be, you got to work hard. We kind of act like blue collar mentality when it comes to that. Work hard, play hard.
But that's really the culture that we've tried to build is that we want you to be able to come in and be kind of instantly brought into the team and you're not like off in the corner, like race you. We're going to bring you in and you're going to be a part of, you know, the success or you know, I tell them like we celebrate the success and we were together for the, for the losses basically. And they're not always fun, but just being together, that's the biggest thing for me is trying to keep Everybody from running 20 different directions and kind of look back in together is the biggest thing for us.
[00:06:47] Speaker C: Yeah. And I think my time as a college coach and you probably agree you're, you're trying to allow these kids to not only grow as adults, young adults, but also kind of be a family away from home.
And I think that it's Important. And, I mean, when I was at Georgia State, we had kids from literally all over the world. And we'll talk about the kids that you recruit and stuff like that too, coming up. But I think anytime you can find a university that has that family culture and that you feel like you can ask a teammate, it doesn't have to be golf related specifically. It can be like, hey, you know, my. My dog's sick at home, or can we talk about it? It's something like that. It sounds like you're doing a great job of, you know, having the girls really rally around each other. Whether it's like you said, on the golf course or from the human perspective as well.
[00:07:33] Speaker A: A lot of it's. I guess it would be kind of non traditional, but I include our parents in a lot of what we do.
We go on the road. I invite the parents out to all the dinners.
Um, you can just kind of see it on the girls, like, after they played 36 holes or whatnot, just to kind of get that sense of home, I guess. And with that, like, the parents know too, like, whether it's their daughter or somebody else's daughter, they treat them like it's their own. And that part of it's been. It's like an extension of me when we're on a course. Because obviously, as you know, being around it, if you got one coach and you got five or six girls on the golf course, you can only be at one place at one time.
[00:08:13] Speaker C: Correct.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: Our parents pass along, you know, just offering a word of encouragement or whatever it is. Like, again, that's. I look at that as. Again. My wife was a D1 volleyball player, and she's always. At first, was kind of like, you'd let. You let the parents go to dinner.
[00:08:28] Speaker C: That's so unusual.
[00:08:29] Speaker A: It's. It's something that we've always done, and I think our kids appreciate it. Our parents, you know, they always say they appreciate it. And, you know, to me, I think it's one of those. Yeah. Do dinners take an hour and a half to two hours now? Yeah, but it's one of those, like, we'll. We'll pun on that and allow them in the program. And, you know, again, it's an extension of me. And it's. It's worked so far, whether right or wrong, I don't know, but it's worked for us.
[00:08:54] Speaker C: Yeah. Well, that. I mean, I think that's great. When I. I was a student athlete at Appalachian State University in the mountains, North Carolina, and we had a few international Teammates, but we also had local kids. And I think, you know, my parents who some of my other teammates who are local became the parents for some of the players, you know, whose parents weren't able to be there because of distance to campus or whatever. And I think, you know, obviously that's something that's important to your girls and you probably see them, you know, have more success maybe based off of that culture that you have created. So kudos to you and you're obviously recruiting the right people to want to be around the parents. And I don't mean that negatively to the parents that are listening, but I don't think sometimes the parents realize how, you know, involved that they are in the recruiting process. And you're not only recruiting their daughter, but you're recruiting them as well. And you know that relationship between the daughter and the parent. So kudos to you. I like that. I like that a lot.
So jumping over to, you know, the recruits and the players and the success that you've had, what do you look for when you're recruiting players? Cimmerian, you've, you've had a ton of success with Indiana kids too. Can you talk a little bit about that? Is that an intentional strategy that you have when recruiting locally?
[00:10:16] Speaker A: Probably not. I think it's just like trying to get out to tournaments and for, for us, you know, a little different than the division ones of the world. You know, I, I don't have the ability to necessarily go regionally or nationally to go try to recruit. And to me, I always feel like Indiana junior golf is, is, is as good as it gets. So to me, if I can, if I can get those top tier players out of Indiana and get them to buy into what we're doing at Marion, like, I, I feel like I don't need to go anywhere else. Yeah, but like, to your point, I think that when you do recruit, you are looking at parents and that's, that's a big thing that I, I look to whether it's often a distance or whatnot, I kind of see the interaction that they have with the parents and you know, there's some that, you know, you go like, hey, I've got these on my list. And you're talking to other coaches or talking to parents that have kids in junior golf. And you know, you'll hear the occasional comment of like, be careful of that, you know, type of thing. And so you watch for those type of things because, you know, if it happens there, it's going to happen at a bigger level. And so that with the parents. But then for the players, I'm a big relationships, you know, like, I own a business, we do sales. And so, like, to me, it's. It's the same strategy. It's connecting with those student athletes.
And if I can connect with them and they can connect with me. And I feel like I'm pretty brutally honest when it comes to our program, Whether you want to hear it or not.
I tell them how it's going to be, and again, it's going to be a lot of fun. But there's like, if we're not doing the right things, like, they're going to hear from. They're going to hear about it.
And that doesn't happen much with our group since we made kind of the switch a few years back.
But those are the type of kids that I want them to be able to be blue collar, like I said. And I want them to be able to take criticism and.
And I also want them to stand on their own two feet to come back to me and offer some suggestion to me because, you know, I know I'm not perfect. And I had that last year. I had one of our girls called and we had an hour and a half phone call after conference, and it was kind of back and forth, like what we could both kind of get better at. And like, that's the type that. That I want because they're ultimately their top competitors, and they're competitors, then they're going to compete in battle. They're going to do whatever it takes to be successful. And that's. That's the part, like, to me, it's. I look at person, character over talent.
Again, I always tell people that, give me the girl that's. That averages 82, that will work every day versus the girl that averages 74 that complains or, you know, whatever. So, like, again, I'm pretty honest with that stuff because we have spent a lot of time building that culture that I know. I know that one bad apple can kind of ruin the whole thing. And so I try to make it to where, like, they either know right away, like, yeah, this isn't the fit for me because, you know, I don't really like what he's saying right now.
[00:13:12] Speaker C: Right.
[00:13:13] Speaker A: Or that is me. And I love being pushed, and I love that we're going to have a chance to compete at a higher level.
[00:13:20] Speaker C: I love that it's.
And I think team culture from a coach's perspective is so important. And you work so hard on, you know, bringing the girls together or the guys on the guys side and trying to create something that's bigger than themselves.
And it sounds like you're doing a great job of that. What do you find that, you know, especially when you're recruiting kids in Indiana, I always say that the golf world is really small and you talk about parents, you know, the relationships and what, what specifically, you know, if you're going out to recruit a player from Marion University.
I know it's not just the golf, but what do you look for in a player like directly on the golf course that you know, say you haven't talked to them in person yet. Is there something that they do on the golf course that could really, you know, pique your interest in them?
[00:14:14] Speaker A: I mean, to me it's, it kind of goes back to just the blue collar mentality. Like I like to see them being able to grind through a, through a round and you know, score is great and score is something obviously that we have to look at in golf because that's what. It's a numbers based game.
But the thing about it is, is that I think that the way the girls grind out and they can get through rounds, like to me, I'd rather go and watch a girl shoot 82 than the girl shoot 68. Because 68, you're going to watch everything great.
[00:14:44] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:14:45] Speaker A: But I want to see the one that she won the day they shoot 80, because I want to see like, was it really meant to be an 85 and they got to 80 or was it really meant to be a 78 and you gave up halfway, you know, the last two holes or whatnot. You said 80. And so those are the things that I look at and I told you earlier, we played with British Columbia and they won the national championship and what a great team it was. And it was great for our girls to be, to be with them because I think ultimately it showed that we weren't really that far off. There was just a few things went the other way and 24 strokes over four rounds, like realize, you know, like, that's not. We didn't get blown out. Sounds like we did, but it's not. But that coach came up to me and he said, honestly, I had to google you guys the night before we got paired with you because I had no clue who you were now that we played with you. He was like, your girls never give up. He was like, the fact that like you're looking at it like there's a double or triple coming and they walk out of there with a par or bogey. He was like, that's the part that I love watching your girls after we repaired it for a couple of days. And so those are the girls that, like, I want them to be able to do that. Is it going to be great? All the time. We tell them, you know, or I tell them when we, when we get to the golf course, like, we can control. We can control. And if it's, if it's a bad day, like, let's. Let's try to shave the two strokes off of that bad day. To be an 80 versus an 82 or an 83.
[00:16:02] Speaker C: Yeah. And don't you think like that British Columbia coach, his comment to you is almost more rewarding than seeing a kid shoot 68 some days.
[00:16:11] Speaker A: Yep.
It was awesome to hear that. And that's again, when it's something that, again, we're just in middle United States and this is small program, and, you know, you say all these things, and when you hear a coach say that, it just kind of validates that not only are you saying the right things to your players, but it's also like the girls are doing exactly what they should be doing on a golf course.
[00:16:33] Speaker C: Well, and I think. And like I said, I don't. I don't know you. I've heard a lot about you, but I think a lot of credit goes to you as well. I mean, I think, you know, the.
When you put a group of girls out on the golf course, your number one priority is that that group of girls is representing your university and, and you as a coach. And I think there's nothing better than getting a compliment from a fellow competitor who's, you know, trying to win a national championship for themselves that's giving you a compliment on, you know, the, the grittiness of your team and the, the fight of your team. So that's.
I love that about college sports in general and team sports and all the stuff. So moving over to Marion, I think some folks that are listening to this, obviously who are in Indiana, might not know that Marion University competes in the naia.
That stands for the national association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Can you tell us a little bit about what it means to be in the naia and, and what, you know, you see as a head coach competing on that level.
[00:17:42] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I try to tell parents, and I'll, I'll speak like I'm kind of talking to one of the parents that are on campus. It's perfect. Nai is kind of like the redheaded stepchild, in my opinion, when it comes to everybody's goal and what they think Their goal is, is to go Division 1. That's kind of the, the pinnacle. And, you know, again, I, I think that you got to look at it in, in different ways. What is your goal when it comes to your experience when you leave or graduate college?
And for some of them, it's like, I just want to be Division 1 golfer, and I want to wear the logo on my chest and carry that bag, and whether I play or not, I don't really care, and that's fine. But for us, with any I like, I think you can get just as good a golf at the top level of any I that you'd see at a Division 1 or even D2. And for us, that's. It's getting them to buy into what, what Nai golf is and how good it really is compared. You know, again, Division 1 golf at the top, it's great as you get to the bottom tier, D1, you know, like, okay, same thing. Works with any, like any. I like the top, it's great. The bottom, maybe not so, so great. Maybe they're not competing with the, with the top.
And so for us, we've moved ourselves into a level to where I feel like we can compete, you know, and here I told you earlier, we were at the Butler tournament. We got. We tied for second with Butler, and it was an all D1 tournament this last fall. So here's a little NAIA school playing at the D1 distance, not our distance, but going to their distance, and we tie second in a 15 or 16 field event.
It just shows that, like, NAI is not just like down at the bottom, junior varsity type golf. It's. It's quality golf. And so it's just getting them to understand that. My biggest thing is, do you want to play for a conference championship and do you want to have a chance to play for a national championship? Yeah, well, it's pretty obvious to look at the Division one world on who gets to really play for a national championship.
[00:19:42] Speaker C: Yeah, there's a handful of schools, right.
[00:19:44] Speaker A: For us. Like, I feel like, you know, again, we're not. Not saying we're going to be in the top three or four every year, but, like, I feel like we're, we're getting the girls bought in even in the future, and the future recruits that have committed to us, like, we're going to be there and we hope we're going to be there for a long time. And that's, that's what I try to say about Nai golf is that the golf is, is comparable, but also for us specifically, we've got a shot to go play for a national championship. And that's, you know, it's all about the experience that they want to get.
[00:20:14] Speaker C: That's every kid's dream. I mean, you know, you dream about that as a kid playing for a national championship. And I think part of my job in, you know, working with, recruiting and the families is to let the families know that it's not always D1. Like, D1 is not the way for everybody. And we try really hard to open up their eyes to D2 Golf, D3 Golf, Junior College Golf, NAIA Golf. And I think there's so many levels available, and if the work is done correctly, there are so many options out there. What do you think are some misconceptions of maybe parents and kids that you're trying to recruit of playing at the NAIA level?
[00:20:58] Speaker A: I mean, you know, I think it's just that it's. They think it's junior varsity golf, and it's, you know, you play from the red tees. It's, you know, whatever. It's. I mean, we're playing from 58 to 6,000 yards, and D1's playing from 62 to 6,400, probably.
[00:21:14] Speaker C: Right?
[00:21:14] Speaker A: So, like, we're not far off. And I think it's. They think, too, that it's similar to maybe like a D3, where there's no scholarships available type of thing. Like, there's. It's all. In my opinion, it's a lot of negative up front.
[00:21:27] Speaker C: Right.
[00:21:27] Speaker A: We've had. We've had students come on campus with either mom or dad, and they were like, mom didn't really feel like coming. Well, they end up coming to Marion. And it's just kind of funny that when that happens, because. And I get it, like, we know who we are, and so it's just about trying the. The education process, educating them on what we. What Marion golf is, what NAIA golf is, and, you know, just letting them know that it's not just junior varsity golf and we play for the red tees and everybody gets a ribbon at the end and, you know, type of thing. Like, yeah, it's a real competition, and it's. It's real. So that's. Yeah, that's the biggest thing is just getting them to get past what they. Either they hear it's secondhand information from somebody. And then really, once they visit, once we have that communication or have that phone call with that student athlete and their parents on speakerphone, like, when you start to explain all that there is to offer it's like, oh, okay, I got it. It's different than what I thought it was. And so basically, it's like just getting their ear to listen to you and to explain it. And then once they do, then a lot of them kind of change the way they think about it.
[00:22:35] Speaker C: Yeah. And talking about some of the NAIA rules or maybe differences, we harp a lot about NCAA rules and what coaches can and can't do. Can you talk a little bit about maybe some of the advantages you have at the NAIA level and, you know, your ability to recruit earlier than a lot of those NCAA schools?
[00:22:53] Speaker A: Yeah, we always. It's kind of the. The running joke of, like, that it's. Or kind of the renegade side of things that we get to do what we want, within reason, obviously. But, yeah, we can start much earlier and we can start that communication process. And to be honest, I've used that a lot with just a lot of the people that I've got to know in the state in golf, and whether it's just being a resource with people or.
Or them actually wanting to come get recruited as a sophomore when they can't do that in the D1 world, and.
[00:23:24] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:23:24] Speaker A: Just gives them the glimpse into what it looks like because we, you know, they. I think Division one, it's maybe five official visits or whatnot. There's there. So for us, like, even if it's at the very beginning, like, hey, come, let's go through a recruiting visit and let you see kind of what the ins and outs of it looks like. And it doesn't take anything away if that's what you guys choose to do or even want to pursue.
But that's. That's a huge advantage to us is we're building a relationship with these. And again, it goes back. I'm a big relationships person.
[00:23:54] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:23:54] Speaker A: If I'm building a relationship for a year before a Division 1 coach can even get in the door, I see that as a big advantage to our program and to the NAIA coaches in general to be able to do that.
And you can build some rapport before the Division 1 coaches start calling in the summer.
[00:24:14] Speaker C: Yeah. And I think as a D1 coach who may be using the proximity of you there at Marion or any one D coach that coaches near NAIA school, I would feel a little threatened knowing that you can start building these relationships, relationships with these kids and these families, and knowing that once they can kind of knock on the door after sophomore year that you. You're already invited to the family dinner.
But, yeah, I think it's such an advantage at the NAIA level. And it's something that, it's one of those misconceptions that we try to help families with, with what we're doing. And you know, it's just, it's something that, it's like you said about Nai's golf in general, it's really competitive. And I think if you can find the right spot for you and a coach that fits what you're looking for, you can be really successful. What about you talked a little bit about scholarships and touched on a little bit. But does that surprise families that you have scholarships available and that you can, you know, offer what D1, D2 schools can?
[00:25:13] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, it's usually a lot of are kind of like, how much is this going to cost us? You know, because we are a private, small school, so it's cheap.
And so when we get to talk about it and you know, we can give really good scholarships for kids to come play. And once they see that, it's like we can get it really comparable to, hey, I'm just going to go, you know, D1 and walk on or, you know, go to a bigger school, like we can get it there or cheaper for them. And that part of it, I think it's refreshing to the parents or like they look at the, or the price tag shock or whatever. They look at it, they're like, oh boy, it's gonna cost this. But yeah, once we can explain that and we can get that down. And again, we're getting just great players. So we're giving great scholarships to these young student athletes. And for them, I tell them all the time, I turned away a kid one time because she was going to have to go five years at Marion per major. And I told her, I'm like, I'm not going to let you do this because I know what it costs and like it's, it's real money when you get out of here. And yeah, you know, and so she ended up going somewhere else. And you know, like, I try to put myself in their shoes because I've been in their shoes. I went to Marion. It wasn't as expensive back in 2004 as it is.
But I also know, like, even back then in 2004, it was a lot more expensive than the big schools in, in Indiana. And so I try to put myself in their shoes of like, okay, what is. What makes sense, you know, right now. And I try to kind of keep everybody because we're getting very similar, you know, talent wise student athletes that let's they're all going to get the same amount and that's, we're going to make it really, really affordable for them to come and to be able to, you know, continue their, their dream and their passion of playing golf at a higher level.
[00:27:04] Speaker C: I think that, you know, you even turn away that kid says so much about who you are as a person and knowing that it might put them in a really bad spot when college is over. So that's, that's so commendable for you. Turning over to the, you just talked about student athlete side of it. Talk about the student side of it. What, what kind of resources does an AIA school like Marion give their kids?
You know, I'm sure that a lot of golf programs that I talk to and the coaches that talk to a lot of their kids are really successful on the academic side of things. But talk, talk a little bit about the academic side of things. What you look for in the student athlete part of a recruit.
[00:27:48] Speaker A: So most of our students are student athletes are on, on my side as are they're four O students. And I kind of joke with them that that was two semesters added up to get to where they are in one semester. So they're a lot smarter than I ever was or wanted to be. So it's. When it comes to that, like it just helps and we, we go find. And again it goes hand in hand with the golf side. Like we want smart individuals because if they're smart here, like, you know, I, I expect they're going to make great decisions on the golf course and I'm not around. So that's the part that I look for and the resources of the university like Indy, being in Indy again, they're connected to so many business owners and things like that or, or companies depending on whether it's hospitals or Eli Lilly or you know, whether it's just a business. And we try to have the resources there. We have a ton of programs and co ops with those companies and a lot of them, the executives either came from Marion or have a connection to Marion, whether they're on a board.
And then myself just being around Indy and being, I would say, pretty connected in the Indy area, it's like we're always looking at how we can connect them with somebody. Like there's a recruit for next year that is looking at chemistry and said, well, actually my best friend that I came to Marion with from Brownsburg is the CEO of a company out in San Diego where it's robotics in the chemistry world. And so I've connected those two. And so we're gonna, when he comes back to Indy, we're gonna, and she's down here, we're gonna go grab lunch and just kind of solidify that connection so that she has somebody she can lean on. And this is somebody that went through, out of Marion and went through all the channels and ended up at Eli Lilly. And now he's the CEO of this company out in San Diego. So it's gonna be great. So those are the things that I tell them, like, life gets better as you, as you move on and golf right now is kind of the great thing that's, that's going. And as somebody that's done it now, married with three kids, like I could see that, you know, life does get better and continues to get better. And so it's like, how do we, how do we position you for a good, you know, a good place in your life when you graduate? And you know, how do we see that? Like, to me, I tell them like, you got me for life. You know, it's not just a four year experience. Like, yeah, help you along the way. And the school's the same way. They've got the resources there and connect with the students within their departments that they're in and their majors to, to connect them. You know, if they're, if they want that, then they're there to do that.
[00:30:17] Speaker C: So that's wonderful. I think, as you know, from my time as a college coach, it's like you said, you're, you're really building these young adults for the real world after school. And the fact that Marian has so many, you know, connections, really, if I was a recruit in your area, I'd definitely be looking at it like, hey, this is going to give me a one up on the world as I know it after, after college. And so because I think, at least for me, I don't know if you have the same experience, but I think at some point on, after coaching the D1 level, we get a lot of kids who may think that professional golf is in their future.
And then after maybe their sophomore year, they see that the writing's not on the wall anymore. And I think that sometimes it's hard to reel them back in and the side kind of leaves them. So I think that, you know, the fact that you're building life after college for them already, that they can see something for their future.
And that's. I really like that. It would definitely have helped me as a student athlete probably.
[00:31:19] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think that like on the golf Side, like, we have, like, I have enough connections, if that's what they want to pursue that. Definitely not as much as, like, a D1 that maybe deals with this on a yearly basis. But, yeah, I feel like I have enough connections in the golf world that if we wanted to go down that path, we can definitely connect them and they can have that conversation.
But, like, I tell them, I look at every year, I look how many girls from really any level are going pro and are making it, and it's slim. So, like, let's have.
Let's let that be, like, plan 1B.
[00:31:54] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:31:54] Speaker A: Plan 1A is like, let's set ourselves up and let's do the right things while you're here so that when you get out, like, you already are established and you're ready to go.
Yeah. If you continue and you graduate and it's like, hey, I've got a real shot. I think I can do it, and I can afford to do it, and I've got all the pieces in place to try it anyway. Then let's do it. We've got one that's graduated a couple years ago. She's actually the GA at Ottawa out in Arizona.
[00:32:21] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:32:21] Speaker A: She's pursuing a career in golf, and she's played some great rounds. She's struggled some. I would talk to her, you know, about it.
Like, I told her. She's like, this is an opportunity I have right now for the next two years, that I don't have anything holding me back. We can do it. You know, I've got this opportunity at Ottawa to be a GA and get my master's and then still do this. It's like, that's a great opportunity, and I think it has to fit, like, her situation and her scenarios was perfect for what she wanted to do.
Sure. But, yeah, I think that's the thing, is trying to be honest and upfront with with them. When they come to me and say, hey, this is what I want to do, and it's like, okay, let's sit down and talk it through. What are the next steps? Whether I connect them with it and they kind of figure it out on their own that, you know, okay, is this what I really want to do?
[00:33:10] Speaker C: Maybe it's not what I thought it was cracked up to be.
[00:33:13] Speaker A: Yeah. So, I mean, I've been around enough, and I've been teammates with some that have. Some have made it. For Seth Farah, he's a Indiana, went to University of Indianapolis, and he played for 12 years, and he called me a couple years ago and he was just like, if I never have to see a Monday qualifier ever in my life again, he's like, I'm retiring from the pro golf world and had a great run. And. But yeah, it's like pulling him in to be a resource and kind of explaining, like, what it takes. And a lot of times they'll figure it out themselves that, hey, I think I'm built for that. Or maybe I'm not built for that. Let's. I'm glad I already have this. This path paved for me that, yeah, it occur after I leave here.
[00:33:54] Speaker C: Right. And I think it's a, you know, during March madness with the NCAA, you see that commercial a lot. It's like 99 of us won't go on to play professionally in the sport. And, you know, it shows the kids and nursing gear, a chemistry lab or. Or whatever it might be. And I think that that's the part of the recruiting process that we try to help the K.
Although you're in high school right now, and it's golf, golf, golf, there's life after golf or life, including golf after college. So it's. Yeah, I really. I like to hear what you're doing there, and you're building successful young adults. And I think that, you know, as an athletic department, you couldn't ask for more in a program. And they're also successful on the golf course, which helps.
A couple more questions and we'll wrap it up. But what.
What, Dan, do you find is the most rewarding part of being the head woman's golf coach at Marion?
[00:34:52] Speaker A: I mean, honestly, I think it goes back to that comment that the. That Ottawa guy made was just that that's the type of group that, you know, like, when you go to practice, you lead practice, or you're texting with the girls, you know, about what their struggles are on the golf course or just how great they're playing right now. Like, when you hear that, like, that's the rewarding part, because I was. I don't take a lot of credit for what they do. And I always tell people, like, when they, when they call or they reach out, like, the girls themselves are the ones that are. They're putting the work in. Like, I tell them all the time, like, I could never show up to practice, and I think we would be just fine because of who they are and what they do.
And so. Yeah, but you.
[00:35:32] Speaker C: You've built that culture. So.
[00:35:34] Speaker A: Yeah, so. But I think, like, when I hear that stuff from that coach from Ottawa or from. From British Columbia, like, that was to me, that was. That was really cool and really special because you can't really. I don't know, you can't really teach that.
You can. You can yell at it and scream at it to get there, but doesn't always work. And so for that to just be a coach that was unsolicited, just brought that up to me, was just like, all right, like, this is pretty special to me in that group was pretty special. And, like, I always. I tell people all the time when they ask, like, we've got Maria, who's from Mount Carmel, which is just on the other side of Evansville, so where she's, like an adopted Indiana kid, basically, because she's on the other side.
[00:36:18] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:36:18] Speaker A: But when we first started this a couple years ago, we finished.
We got cut the first year of nationals, and we got fifth, and we left. You know, I told him, I said, fifth is great. Obviously your fifth in national championship. But there's five girls from Indiana. Like, we. We played with international kids everywhere around us. And I'm like, we've got. You know, I always joke around, but I'm like, we got five hillbillies from Indiana.
My golf course. And this is. We were able to accomplish. So on. It goes back to, like, full circle. It's like, those players were good. Are good enough to play at a higher level than we are, but they bought into what we're trying to do, and it kind of. It makes it full circle. But those are the things, to me that just. And again, Maria, last year, we get third. I mean, you take her as an adopted Indiana kid, you know, you got another group of Indiana girls, and they go finish third, you know, in the country.
Pretty awesome. And again, it's the work that they put in and that they want to do. And, you know, they want to. You know, I tell them, if I want it more than you, we've got problems.
[00:37:24] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:37:25] Speaker A: It just shows that they want it as much or more than I do to do that. But probably the biggest one was that comment. Like, that was.
That made it worth everything for me.
[00:37:36] Speaker C: Yeah, it kind of sends, like, chills up your spine a little bit. Like, hey, all the work, the, you know, sweat, blood, whatever that we've put into it, it's worth it. And you're obviously building that last. Last question for you.
And I really do appreciate your time. I've loved getting to know you today and learning more about Marian and the culture you've created there. But for these kids, have Marion on their list of schools that they're Looking at, what advice would you give a young golfer that wants to play for Marion and you one day?
[00:38:11] Speaker A: So I always tell, like, whenever I get reached out to quite a bit from all different talent levels and when I talk to those that are wanting to come, it's like you should, first and foremost, you should look at kind of the team and team environment and feel like, where do you fit in it?
Because if it's square peg, round hole, like, you're going to struggle and you're probably going to leave and it doesn't do you or the coach or the team any good for that.
But for us, I thought, where do you, what's your experience that you want it to be? Do you want to be pushed? Like, because I, I feel like anybody that we recruit, like, there's no clear cut number one, that I'm like, oh yeah, she'll play number one for us next year. Like, it's, we're going to compete for it. And so do you want to be pushed or is that, is that a good thing for you or do you want to go to a school to where maybe you just go number one and you don't have to worry about it for four years? Yeah, so those are the things that I, that I look at is I tell people I go where you can play. And not saying that you couldn't play here, you couldn't work hard and get to a spot, but like, I, I got people like, hey, I average a 96. And I reply, I reply back to all of them and I tell them, like, hey, I've got a list of schools here that I know that would, would, would definitely take a phone call with you and I'll send them the list of those schools so that they will help, you know, because a lot of these guys either I've sold to before, you know, in, in the job, or just got to be friends with through, you know, going to tournaments and things like that. So those are things it's like, do you, do you want to have a chance to play?
Do you want. Because I tell them, like, it's, it's fun to be a part of the team, but it's also, if you're playing number seven or eight and we're going to, like this year we got invited to West Palm beach to PGA National. If we go to PGA national and you're sitting in Indianapolis, like, is that fun for you? Is that okay for you? Like, what, what is your, what do you want this to be for you? So those are the things that it's more or less like kind of putting it back on them. Of like, would I take you? Yeah, I would take anybody because it makes me look great to the University to have 15 girls on the team that some of them don't play. But I don't want to do that to them. Like, I want them to understand what it's going to be like if they came here and also give them that out of like there's other places out there if this is a certain experience that you want that maybe you won't get here.
[00:40:25] Speaker C: Yeah, I wish I had eligibility and was younger because I would come play for you and I think that says a lot about you and what you're building. And like I said, I've heard so much about you and Marian in general. So it's been a pleasure to get to talk to you today and I hope that everyone listening to this considers, you know, the NAI route and hopefully we've opened some eyes to the competitiveness that you can see at that top tier level.
But thank you so much, Dan, for your time today and hope we see you down the road.
[00:41:01] Speaker A: Yeah, thanks. And we can't believe everything you hear from those people. So thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
[00:41:07] Speaker C: Of course, of course. Thanks so much.
[00:41:14] Speaker B: Thanks for listening to this episode of from the Card Path with your host, Trent Roberts. Please be sure to like and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so that you never miss an episode.
