One44One Performance

ALL-STATE EXCELLENCE‼️A well-deserved congratulations to these two AMAZING athletes, freshman Theo Smith and junior Peyton Brandt of Monett HS for a STRONG and RESILIENT performance at the Missouri Class 4 State Track and Field Championship last weekend in Jefferson City, MO.

Peyton Brandt, 8th Place🏅High Jump, All-State🏆

Theo Smith, 8th Place🏅4x400m Relay, All-State🏆, 9th Place🏅300mH

Theo and Peyton! I'm so happy for you in your accomplishments! Through the downpours and delays, you stayed focused on the goal, to be your best. Keep smiling, you earned!! 💜💪🏼🏆

Not every championship moment is captured in a single photo.

A couple weeks ago, Pierce City Lady Eagle standout, Emma Hunt, was featured in Ozarks Sports Zone’s “Photo of the Week” from the Class 2 Missouri State Track & Field Championships in Jefferson City. It was a picture of Emma doing what she always does — running with a huge smile on her face — and a community showed up in a big way as she overwhelmingly won the vote. 💚💪🏼

What that picture didn’t show were the countless hours she invested behind the scenes. The extra miles that nobody counted. The commitment when nobody was watching.

Bigger than her smile, is her heart. Her heart speaks for itself.

1600m
🏆Conference Champion
🏆District Champion
🏆Sectional Champion
🏆Missouri Class 2 All-State — 7th Place

3200m
🏆District Champion
🏆Sectional Champion
🏆Missouri Class 2 All-State — 6th Place

More gold medals than not throughout the spring season, and a young lady who represented her community with class, toughness, humility, and joy every single time she stepped onto the track.

That smile in the state meet photo wasn’t staged. That’s who she is. Awesomeness built long before the camera arrives.

Congratulations on an incredible season, young lady. Your work ethic, attitude, and perseverance are exactly what young athletes should aspire to become. Prayers for the next chapter ahead as you continue your academic and athletic career at John Brown University Cross Country and Track & Field this fall.

Keep smiling, make it fun. ALWAYS. 💚💪🏼🏆

DEVELOPMENT OVER DISLOYALTY‼️ Over the last couple weeks, I’ve watched athletes I’ve worked with compete on the biggest stages that their high school careers can offer.

State track and field. State softball. Championship environments. Pressure moments. Big-time performances.

And while I’m incredibly proud of those athletes and the work they’ve put in, I’ve also been reminded of something that continues to frustrate me deeply about youth and high school sports culture.

We still have too many coaches, programs, and administrators who treat outside development like a threat instead of an asset.

Read that again.

If an athlete wants to get faster, stronger, more explosive, improve mobility, learn corrective exercise and recovery, understand and implement smart nutrition, study movement, reduce injury risk, or simply work harder outside of practice. WHY would that ever be discouraged?

No math teacher gets angry because a student hired a tutor. No English teacher tells a kid to stop reading outside of class. If they do, they shouldn't be educating our kids.

So why, in athletics, do we sometimes shame athletes for wanting more development? Why is youth athletics operating from a mindset of control instead of growth? Ego, and it's gross.

A school sport coach is more than a practice organizer. A coach is an educator. A mentor. A steward of development. And development is NOT just sport reps.

Development is sleep. Nutrition. Movement quality. Recovery. Strength training. Mental resilience. Confidence. Understanding male and female athlete differences. Individualizing training instead of painting entire teams with one brush and hoping everyone magically adapts the same way.

Our young athletes deserve better than survival-mode coaching. They deserve full-spectrum development. They deserve our best.

Over the last five years, I’ve worked with athletes all the way through the future collegiate level, and one thing has become crystal clear:

The athletes who grow the most are the ones surrounded by coaches and adults willing to collaborate instead of compete.

This should never be about ego. It should never be about ownership. And it definitely should never be about protecting territory. It should be about the athlete. Always. If you are a coach and disagree, that's ok. But stop coaching. You aren't fit.

To our athletes:
Keep chasing growth.
Keep asking questions.
Keep seeking knowledge.
Keep doing the extra work when nobody’s watching.

To the coaches and administrators willing to evolve, learn, and truly support long-term athletic development and growth, thank you. Too few of you around.

Our kids need more of that. Not less.

STATE-BOUND‼️ Shout-out to my man Theo Smith of Monett HS, CRUSHING an individual PR and ticket punched to the Class 4 State Championship next week in two events!

Class 4 Sectional
3rd Place🥉300mH (PR)
1st Place🥇4x400 (1971 School Record)

Winning the days in-between! Nicely done young man!!! 💜💪🏼🔥🏆

🥉Freshman Theo Smith runs a huge PR 40.01 in the 300m hurdles and is going to STATE! We are so proud of you, Theo! 👏🏻👏🏻

Peyton Brandt of Monett HS doing what she does best, chasing excellence! Big congrats to you, young lady!

Class 4 Sectional, 1st Place🥇High Jump (PR)

SENIOR SUNDAY 🎓💪🏼 A big congratulations to our graduating Seniors and beginning the next step in life's journey, nicely done! If it were easy, everyone would do it. Go be your best!

A very special congratulations and thank you to these Senior student-athletes I was lucky enough to work alongside of in pursuit of athletic excellence. It was a blessing to share time, learning, and growing with you in your goals and the hard work you invested to accomplish those goals. Well done ladies!! Always pursue your best, in everything.

Ruby Smith, Monett HS to University of Missouri, Nursing ❤️💪🏼

Emma Hunt, Pierce City HS to John Brown University, Track and Field/Cross-country 🔥💪🏼

Gabriela Groomer, Purdy HS to Crowder College, Softball 🥎💪🏼

Marissa Freeman, Southwest HS to Culver-Stockton College, Volleyball 🏐💪🏼

Big smiles for you, young ladies. Go be awesome.

Track season may be ending for many school athletes…but summer opportunities are just getting started. 🔥💪🏼

I am offering opportunities for athletes interested in continuing competition through the AAU summer track season.

2026 AAU Competition Pathway:

📍 AAU Missouri Valley District Qualifier
🗓️ June 12–13
📌 Raymore-Peculiar HS — Peculiar, MO

📍 AAU Region 16 Qualifier
🗓️ June 25–28
📌 Wichita Southeast HS — Wichita, KS

📍 AAU Junior Olympic Games
🗓️ August 3–8
📌 Drake Stadium — Des Moines, IA

This is a great opportunity for:

• Track & field athletes
• Football skill athletes
• Volleyball athletes
• Basketball athletes
• Multi-sport competitors
• Homeschool athletes

Workouts will include:

⚡ Block starts & acceleration
⚡ Sprint mechanics
⚡ Jump development
⚡ Explosive power
⚡ Competition preparation
⚡ Mobility, recovery, and movement efficiency

Our sessions will be designed to help athletes continue building athletic performance after their school season while preparing for summer AAU competition opportunities.

AAU membership is required for competition participation but not the open workouts.

If your athlete is interested in continuing to train, compete, and develop this summer, feel free to message me directly for more information.

Send a message to learn more

NATIONAL CHAMPION‼️🏆 Some moments in coaching are bigger than medals.
The last several weeks had lots of them.

A STRONG shout-out to Lucy Elbert of St. Mary’s, Pierce City, Missouri — a 6th grade athlete who showed what commitment, consistency, and heart can accomplish.

After taking home 3 Gold🥇medals and a Silver🥈at the Missouri State Homeschool Championships last week, Lucy advanced to the National Homeschool Track & Field Championships at Lincoln University in Jefferson City this week and delivered an INCREDIBLE performance:

🥇National Champion – Long Jump (PR)
🥈High Jump 2nd Place (PR)
🥈100m Dash 2nd Place
🏅6th Place – 200m Dash

What most people see are the medals and podium finishes. What they don't always see are the extra reps, correctives, mechanics and jump work, recovery sessions, and the spirit to keep showing up day after day to improve.

Lucy earned every bit of this. But another important part of this story is the people around her. Her eagerness to train alongside those at the next level. Embracing challege and smiling at the end. That's winning, ALWAYS.

A special shout-out as well to Jay Brown of Pierce City — not only an accomplished sprinter himself, but the kind of teammate and friend every athlete needs in their corner. Jay joined weekly training sessions to help Lucy prepare for both state and nationals, pushed her to improve, and supported her throughout the meet by helping keep her fueled, hydrated, shaded, and encouraged the entire way through. WAY COOL! 💪🏼😎

Champions are rarely built alone. They’re built through faith, family, friendship, accountability, and people who genuinely care for the BEST.

I'm so happy for you, Lucy!!! Proud of the people standing beside you. And blessed to have been a small part of your journey thru the season. Big smiles, young lady! You EARNED it!!! ❤️💪🏼⚡️🏆

1000K + DISTRICT CHAMPION‼️🥎🏆 A well-deserved CONGRATULATIONS to Senior Gabriela Groomer and her Purdy Lady Eagles on their repeat DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP! It was even more special with G passing the 1000 STRIKEOUTS mark in the same game. WOW!!

G!!! I can't adequately describe just how happy I am for you, young lady. Since the day I met you, you knew what you wanted, and you've committed nothing short of excellence. You continue to own every season. Offseasons, school seasons, travel seasons, all of them. You shine in every challenge. You focused getting stronger in all facets of STRENGTH; spiritual, emotional, mental, physical. The weight you handled both in and out of the gym; both on and off the field. That's a CHAMPION. Big smiles for you. You earned this. ❤️💪🏼🥎🏆