WEBVTT
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Welcome Santa Fe Public School Athletics family.
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We're happy to get in get into our third episode of the Santa Fe Public School Athletics Podcast.
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Today we have a legend in Santa Fe, Baron Abeta, Santa Fe Public School graduate, athlete, and sports primo owner owner.
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Pretty excited to have you on board.
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Baron, welcome.
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Thanks for the kind words, Nick.
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You know how to hype me up for sure.
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But I'll just add to that that I'm I'm also a Santa Fe Public Schools teacher, former coach, and also both my kids went through Santa Fe Public Schools K through 12.
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So I'm very proud of all that right there.
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Thank you.
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Thank you for adding that in there.
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And that's why you're a legend, Baron, because you have done a lot and you're continuing to do stuff here in Santa Fe.
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It's awesome.
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I appreciate it, man.
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You're awesome.
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Well, I'd like to jump into a couple questions, let you answer some stuff, let the let the fans know the man behind the voice that they hear during sports broadcasts.
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All right.
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Well, sports primo, I think we started in 17, 2017, I believe, December of 2014.
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Okay.
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December of 2014.
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We got a we got some our researcher here telling us.
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So um yeah, that's sports primo.
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And then I've been a broadcaster on uh on the radio since 2005.
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So it's been a long time, man.
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It's and it's gone by very quickly.
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Um it's been a uh absolute blast to do all of it.
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Like it's um something I didn't plan on doing.
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Gotta thank uh my brother for that for asking me to come on board and starting that radio broadcast stuff.
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And and then Sports Primo just kind of happened it organically, I think.
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It gelled my brother, my cousins, myself.
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We all just got on board, and here we are, man, just just like that.
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And having fun.
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Oh like, man, every time I hear you guys, you're always having fun.
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When I'm around for games, yeah, it's just fun to be around you guys.
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It's like it's like us growing up, it feels the same as when we were growing up.
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Well, yeah, that's kind of where it started, right?
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Like broadcasting, like doing play by play for tech mobile.
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Yep.
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In our our in our living rooms, and um, that's kind of where we started that play-by-play stuff.
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But and yeah, here we are today.
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So I do call the games just kind of like that.
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And I gotta give a big shout out to like Dick Vital.
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He was a big uh big influence on the way I call the games.
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I think he was exciting to to listen to, and he didn't care about showing emotions and all that, and I don't either.
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I I love I can't help it.
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It's it's just who I am when I comes to high school sports, especially the high schools um here in Santa Fe.
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Like I grew up here, I went to school at Capitol High School, I taught a lot of these students that I'm um broadcasting the games for.
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So I've I've got skin in the game to for for lack of a better word.
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I am emotionally attached to these games, to these kids, to their families.
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And so when they do good, I feel proud, I feel happy.
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Um, and when there's when there's uh a loss, a defeat, I feel bad.
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I I I empathize with that.
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I'm right there with them.
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So um it's been just something I've never dreamt that we'd be able to do for it for this long, too.
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So it's been awesome.
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I agree.
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It's been awesome.
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And it's a great example for our student athletes right now to see homegrown heroes basically helping them become successful in life and showing them successful paths.
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They can follow and emulate what you did and know that path to success if this is something they want to do, or in anything they want to do, right?
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Like, that that's right.
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I um, you know, I talk talk to my students about that where they ask me because about sports primo and stuff, and I tell them like, you know, I I found something that I enjoy doing, um, something that didn't feel like work.
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Yep.
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And it's um it's a blessing, and a lot of it, some of it is luck, but it's just like you do something good enough, you you put your effort, you put your best at something, and you know, usually you'll you'll you'll pay some dividends, you'll get something out of it.
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Um when we started this, it wasn't something that we thought that um would build into what it was.
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It was we were just doing we were we were just having fun.
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It was an opportunity to go to the game, it was an opportunity to hang out with family too.
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Yes, yep, right, to hang out with with Amado, to hang out with my brother.
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Um otherwise, I'm not sure how much we would see each other because of our schedules, because of our lives outside of it.
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And so that was also something that that kind of happened, is that we we have road trips to games that we we laugh all the way over there, uh talking about stuff about our our history with each other, our past.
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So I tell my kids that find something you're good at.
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Yep.
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Find something you're good at and um put your yourself into it, and that's that's what life can be.
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Yes, right?
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It can be enjoyable.
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That's what it can be.
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You know, you you they say the world is your oyster.
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You have to figure out a way to make it your oyster, right?
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Because the world can be many different things.
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It can be, exactly.
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And so you know, sometimes things don't work out the way you think it will, but um those are learning opportunities.
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100%.
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I think more than losses.
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Um that's what I used to tell my my team is that a loss is a learning opportunity for us to get better.
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And so I tell my students that as well.
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Um if they don't get something on a on a grade, I kind of create um not to pay attention to the grade, but to pay attention to the process, right?
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This is a learning opportunity.
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What can you do better?
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What did you do well?
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What can you do better?
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Right?
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What can you do to improve?
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And so that's that's uh a lesson I think when running a business, running your life, being a student, being a coach, whatever.
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I love it.
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I love how you're tying everything together in the classroom with what you do with Sports Primo, not just being an example for people to see, but showing them and tying it together.
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Because all those lessons you're teaching in the classroom, that's what's that's what's helped you get where you're at right now.
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You know, family obviously and everything that's around, but doing those things, your own advice that you're giving, you're giving them steps to success.
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It well, that it's I I with school the way it is now with students.
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Oftentimes I teach New Mexico history.
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They they often like always get every year I'll get the question, Well, well, how's this gonna help me in life?
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How is learning about Onyate gonna help me and get a job?
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And all and I'm telling, I so I start right from the beginning that while you're in school, it's to learn how to learn.
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Yes.
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To learn how to think, right?
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Like this stuff might not help you get a job, but learning how to learn this stuff will help you get a job.
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Learning how to think on your own, learning how to research on your own, learning how to critically think, that will get you somewhere in life.
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It'll enrich your life.
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And then before you know it, on the way, like they start knowing New Mexico history, they start seeing their city differently.
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They start seeing all the little stories that are at the plaza, and that happens on the way.
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And before you know it, they're excited about it.
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They're like, I got kids that are coming to me saying, Hey, guess where I'm going this weekend, Mr.
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Beta?
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I'm going to Fort Sumner to see Billy the Kid's grave.
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Oh, awesome.
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It's like, dude, that's awesome, man.
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So that's kind of the start, learning how to learn, learning how to think, and then eventually it's like your life becomes richer because you know things that you didn't know before.
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Yep.
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And knowledge is power, what whether it's power uh helping you accomplish something or knowing where you're from, because that's that's important.
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Absolutely.
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Yep.
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Yeah, that's that's something also that a lot of the families they'll the the students, they have families that have come they're been here for you know centuries.
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Yes.
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And they'll they'll come and tell me, like, hey, I'm related to this person, Mr.
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Abeda.
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My my grandfather told me this, or I I found out that I'm I'm uh I'm from San El Dafonso Pueblo, right?
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Like they'll just and so those are the types of things that make it all worthwhile, right?
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When it becomes something more than just a grade, it becomes part of their life.
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That's how you get them to learn it.
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Right.
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That's how you get them to learn it.
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You gotta relate to them.
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Yeah, exactly.
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Exactly.
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And kind of shifting gears a little bit, the teaching part you're very passionate about.
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I don't think a lot of people know that side of it, especially the ones who hear the broadcasts and and and they know of the Baron on with sports, and some of them even know the ball head back in the Capitol High School days.
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That's way back lower there.
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I'm reaching way back.
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Yeah, you've got you've got to know me from way back to know the ball head.
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Since you bring it up, I guess, like just to give the audience uh um that background.
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Yep.
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So bleacher creature.
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The bleacher creatures, uh freshman at Capitol High School, right?
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It was the first year Capitol High School was open, 1988 to 89.
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I was a freshman the very first year, and um I was a big college basketball fan.
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I loved college basketball, I still love college basketball.
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And so I would l I would actually record games.
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I have hundreds of games from the 90s and and 80s in my garage on VHS.
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And I love the crowds.
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I love the crowds, I love the the you know, being at the pit, of course, and then just seeing the crowds, the Cameron Crazies, the zoo crew, and all these different crowds.
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So I did not make the the the basketball team at Capitol High School.
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I got cut.
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And I was when I was walking into this building, this is the building that I got cut in.
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This is where they told me.
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This is where they told me that I was the last, it was between me, it was me and two other guys for one spot.
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And they they told me that I they wanted me to be the manager, but I didn't want to do that.
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But anyway, that's besides the point.
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But I wanted my a lot of my friends were on the team still.
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Buddy was on the team, Ovi Hill, Rick Padilla.
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They were all my friends.
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And so I still wanted to be part of the team.
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I still wanted to support those guys.
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So I I started to do what I knew how to do.
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I knew how to run a crowd.
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I knew how to start the chants and stuff.
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So um we I cut out, we I cut out a basketball.
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Yep, I remember and I painted it like black and silver, and I cut two holes in it.
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And very, very rudimentary.
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It was like it was not I I'm not an artist, I'm not a craftsman by any means.
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I thought it was awesome.
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I was young looking at it.
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I thought it was awesome.
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Well, I couldn't believe how it took off.
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Like it was just this really, really rushed, bad ball head that I cut and I put it on, and lo and behold, it I wore it for uh when Capitol High School, I think they played Albuquerque Academy, and Academy was was like ranked number one, and the New Mexican took a picture of us in the paper.
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The crowd.
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Like I'm not sure I've seen that in years where the crowd was in the paper.
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Not the game, but they actually and I have the clip still to and it said uh the the photographer asked us like who we were, and we gave him our names.
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And I said, We're the bleacher creatures.
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Yep.
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It's like we're we're the worst uh nightmare for opposing teams, and they put that underneath the the photograph, and I'm wearing the ball head in that photograph, and then all of a sudden it was like people were asking me about it.
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They wanted to touch the ball head and all this stuff.
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Just like, okay, it's awesome.
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So that's the story.
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That's the story.
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I never knew how it started, I only knew about it.
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And you guys obviously a little older than I was, and I I would see it at games when we go because crowds were just different at that time.
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But the bleacher creatures creatures have always had like a place in my heart.
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Obviously, seeing family out there and friends just rocking and rolling and and getting the crowd hype, man.
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Like there was nothing like that.
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Oh, the atmosphere was was amazing for for those Capitol High School games.
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And uh, we we went through all four years just being that way.
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Like walking out to Phil Collins with the lights, that's right.
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Dim down, and I just can't uh those are burnt into my mind as memories that I just never forget.
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It's so cool that it's still part of it, too.
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Like they come out to welcome to the jungle.
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We named it the jungle.
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Yeah.
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Like my my class named it.
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We had a sign that said welcome to the jungle in that photograph that they took in the paper that said welcome to the jungle.
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And then I remember our principal, I think it was Mr.
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Senna.
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We had an assembly and he said, I saw a sign that said welcome to the jungle.
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We were all in the gym.
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He said, So I'm gonna, we're gonna name this officially the jungle.
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Awesome.
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And so we we went crazy because we were we didn't know it at the time, but we were setting a tradition because we were the first four-year class that went through Capitol High School.
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And so, you know, it's cool to see those traditions still there.
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Yeah, even football comes out, they have welcome to the jungle going still.
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And right, yep.
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I I didn't even know that's where it originated from the city.
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That's where it came from, yeah.
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That's where it came from.
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So yeah, it's always cool to see.
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It's you know, that's part of like growing up and and staying in your community, right?
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Like um I it was so such a uh privilege to raise my kids here and to just stay in in Santa Fe and be able to contribute to it.
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Um I and some of the I taught some of my friends kids.
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Yep.
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You know, I'm at that age now where I'm teaching some of my students kids.
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Believe it or not.
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No, I I hear it.
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I hear it.
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So that's that's been an honor uh to to just be in my community and see all that go through.
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There was a time there from that I didn't pay attention to high school basketball here.
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I was living in California, I was kind of doing another thing, I got married, and then when I came back, that's what radio broadcasting did.
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I was able to get back into something that I I missed and I didn't even know I was missing it.
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Yep.
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Right.
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I didn't even know I was missing it, but then just going to the games every day, and then and then when there's a great like right from the start, we had great seasons to cover.
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Yeah.
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Capital High basketball, my goodness, in the early 2000s, an absolute powerhouse.
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Yeah.
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Coach, shout out to Coach Gomez, man.
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Yep.
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Early, early years, like we got to do the pit.
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We were, I'll never forget, broadcasting our first games at the pit.
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And then sitting courtside calling a Capitol High School basketball game, my goodness.
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And Santa Fe High made it to the state tournament, the final four that year, too.
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They played Hobbes, beat Hobbes in the pit, and then eventually lost to Manzano in the semifinals.
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Like covering those games, wow.
00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.759
I just I was like, I was sold, this is it.
00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:20.320
I'm doing this.
00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:22.799
Dreams coming true that you didn't even know you had.
00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:24.639
I didn't even know I had them, right?
00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:25.919
To be able to do that.
00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:28.159
And it's funny, like back in the day, too.
00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:30.480
Um, I used to record our football games.
00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:37.360
Carl Tuiba was doing the football games, and I would record them at at when, you know, uh, I'd have my dad record them.
00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:40.799
And so there's those tapes are there somewhere.
00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:45.679
Uh I still remember when we beat Socoro on a last second field goal.
00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:49.919
They were ranked, I believe, third, and we were ranked seventh.
00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:52.960
And they came to Capitol and we beat them on a last second field goal.
00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:58.799
Nate Segura hit the field goal, and I was actually in there, I was a sophomore, I was on special teams, that's where everybody starts.
00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:00.960
We all start on special teams, right?
00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:10.159
Um, and um yeah, I remember I they had this big guy on me, he was like six foot five, big Socorro dude, just and James Pearlman was next to me.
00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:13.919
Shout out to Pearl, he's the coach, he's a coach at Capitol High School now, too.
00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:18.080
And he was to the right of me, and I was like, Pearl, you gotta help me with this guy.
00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:20.159
He's like, All right, all right, all right.
00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:43.360
Um, well, he had to take on two guys, and so this guy came at me, and I just I went low and he fell on me, and I remember looking up and seeing the ball go through the the goalposts, and it was we had just beat the number three team in the state, and I was like, wow, this is this is awesome! I was on the field for it.
00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:47.840
And it and you did a key as a sophomore, you had a key part in that.
00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:49.679
That no one gives the credit.
00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:54.879
The hogs down on the line, and and the trenches just that's where it's won.
00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:56.960
The special, the special teams, man.
00:16:57.200 --> 00:16:58.559
And special, yeah, special teams.
00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:00.720
Coach Ludke used to say they're a third of the game.
00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:04.640
Coach Ludke, I I have not heard that name in a long time.
00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:07.279
He said special teams is a third of the game.
00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:10.799
Gentlemen, you're supposed to know that he'd always rile us up with that.
00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:14.640
And it did, it kept us dialed in, like it made us feel like we were part of the team.
00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:16.160
We were what we did was important.
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:17.680
There was no detail missed.
00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:20.160
And that that beat the number three team in the state.
00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:29.599
If you didn't do that, most a lot of people don't take it seriously, and a lot of athletes, for some reason, look down on it, and it's like you make a career doing special teams.
00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:36.000
You yeah, you can make a career, you can make memories, just like I I shared, and like we were talking about.
00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.720
Sometimes athletes want to start at the top, they want to start at the very beginning.
00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:48.559
But like when you're in a program, you want you got to find your niche, you got to find what's gonna contribute, you got to find what what is your role on the team.
00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:53.279
Um, that's something I would I would teach my my kids when when I was coaching.
00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:59.519
Like, pull pull aside a guy, and I'd be like, listen, I I've got five other guys that can shoot threes.
00:17:59.599 --> 00:17:59.759
Yep.
00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:01.279
It's like I don't need you to shoot a three.
00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:02.240
You know what I need you to do?
00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:04.079
If you want to get on the floor, you know what you got to do.
00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:05.920
You got to play defense and you gotta rebound.
00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:06.559
A hundred percent.
00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:07.680
That's what you got to do.
00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:10.240
And that right there would embolden this guy.
00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:18.400
He doesn't have to shoot like these great shooters, but if he rebounds and and defends, he'll be just as meaningful part of the team.
00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:22.400
You might not get the headlines, but he's gonna be a meaningful part of the team.
00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:27.279
And I think that's something that a lot of students, student athletes need to understand.
00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:31.519
Like, even practice players are are an important part of the team.
00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:36.160
And when you become a practice player, a good one, that's when you start to get playing time.
00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:41.039
I mean, again, that's kind of what happened to myself as well, getting on special teams first.
00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:51.119
I stood out in a practice, and Coach Ludke told me, he's like, You're gonna get on special teams, and I guess my face dropped, and he was like, Yeah, son, you're gonna get on the field.
00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.960
So that's a great message.
00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:18.079
That's a great message because nowadays it's easy to join a club team, it's easy to get on an AU team, everyone plays, everyone, you you you kind of get that false sense of security in a position or doing a certain being able to shoot or do something when it comes to high school sports, that's the beautiful thing about it.
00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:21.279
It and and middle school, it takes a team to win.
00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:22.319
Absolutely.
00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:30.640
And and I think I love club, I love AAU, I'll I'll put that out there because I think it's necessary for reps.
00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:39.680
Uh high school coach can't be with them all the time, and players need to develop, and and you get that that time there, and a little freedom where it's not so strict, you get to just play ball.
00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:44.799
But when it comes to high school sports, you said it best.
00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:49.200
Like you have to find what you can do to help the team, or else teams don't succeed.
00:19:49.359 --> 00:20:08.319
And I don't know, as an AD, as a as a coach for over 20 years, a lot of times, and I get it, parents they have to have the best outlook for their their their athlete, but I I don't think they always understand a coach is for that entire team.
00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:22.559
And a coach makes decisions that is gonna hurt someone because you only have five spots on the floor for basketball, you only have nine for baseball, you only have eleven for football, um, on each side of the ball, and then special teams.
00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:30.319
Like sometimes players are gonna be doing something that they're not comfortable with, but that they are good at and they can actually do to help the team.
00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:34.079
And I think that's a good message that parents need to know.
00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:49.680
Like some when it comes to high school sports, it's the memories, it's having fun, giving all you have for that, that your buddy next to you, the the blood, sweat, and tears that you have on the field or in practice, those are the memories you remember and winning.
00:20:50.079 --> 00:21:01.039
I think sometimes now we get too caught up on my name on a wall for athlete of the year, my uh name in the paper, my you know, you know, but that's not what it's all about.
00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:07.680
It really is about that family, that team moving forward, winning games, and there's nothing like it.
00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:25.039
I I only got to win district titles when I was in high school, placed in state and and in and wrestling, and did a couple things, but I remember the the district titles, and I remember the team achievements that we had that were just we did it together.
00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:25.759
That's right.
00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:32.880
And we still have a bond where I can Matt Reland helped my baseball team the entire time I was at Capitol coaching baseball.
00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:34.799
He'd come talk to our football players.
00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:37.599
Um he's he was always a go-to.
00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:52.799
Um I played semi pro football with I don't know why I did that, but I played that with Matt Seguda and and Freddie, and a lot of us still see each other and you answered your own question why you did it.
00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:56.960
So you can hang out with your and still play football with the guys you played with.
00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:58.960
Like that's you wanted that feeling still.
00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:00.720
And and you Crave that.
00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:02.160
I crave that in the military.
00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:05.200
That's what made the military easy for me.
00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:08.559
Like wanting to stay and do 20 over 20 years.
00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:22.720
I it was sports, you know, and just it it reminds you of family, like the times growing up, and you're telling stories and cuentos and just like having fun and broad doing broadcasts, playing tech mobile.
00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:27.680
Um just it's that family and those memories that you get.
00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:31.039
And I just want to take sports back to that time.
00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:40.799
And I love the highlights, I love the all-stars, but in Santa Fe Public School Athletics, as as the AD, and now talking to you, it's really hit me hard.
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:44.160
I just want us to get back to that team, that family.
00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:45.119
How do we do it?
00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:49.839
The parents behind you, pasta parties before football games the night before.
00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:50.640
That's right.
00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:56.079
And and everyone together, getting ready for that game the next day, and then the next day coming out and playing.
00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:58.160
And you didn't even have to get along with everyone.
00:22:58.319 --> 00:22:58.640
Yeah.
00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:05.440
But on the field, it was the world closed, like Coach Moon would say, nothing else matters outside this this field.
00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:06.000
That's right.
00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:07.680
The world stops everywhere else.
00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:12.720
All that matters is you guys working together, playing together, and getting after it.
00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:13.599
That's right.
00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:15.519
And that there's nothing like that.
00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:20.160
Like that feeling, I I to this day I still look for that feeling.
00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:24.240
Yeah, it's it's about being part of something larger than yourself.
00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:24.880
Exactly.
00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:25.359
Right?
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:28.079
And having a goal that's not guaranteed.
00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:29.440
Right.
00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:38.559
And as a matter of fact, there's um a lot of times where you're a team and you know like it's an uphill climb.
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:40.240
You know that it's gonna be tough.
00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:47.039
You're gonna be facing competition it that's um way above your head, but you do it anyway, right?
00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:50.720
Like you you roll that rock up the hill knowing that it's gonna come back down.
00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:52.000
But that what does that build?
00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:54.400
It builds character, it builds camaraderie.
00:23:54.559 --> 00:24:04.480
Um, and it it's it's a life lesson in that you can put yourself into everything, and sometimes it won't work out.
00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:04.880
Yep.
00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:06.720
But then what's the important part?
00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:10.240
It was that you put yourself into something that was larger than yourself.
00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:10.960
It's the process.
00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:13.279
Enjoying the process while you're in it.
00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:19.440
One of my one of my highlights of my broadcasting career is when we got to interview Coach Weir.
00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:21.920
He was the basket UNM basketball coach at the time.
00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:23.599
I think it was after his first year.
00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:25.759
So he was um it was after his first year.
00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:26.880
He had a really good first year.
00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:34.960
Didn't make the NCAA, but he he, if you remember, he um came into a program that was really bad.
00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:47.119
It was after Coach Neal, and it was and he brought in a bunch of new players and they played hard and they won a lot more than they lost, and they and really surprised a lot of people.
00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:51.759
So Coach Weir had um reached out, I think it was to Will Weber.
00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:55.839
Will Weber set this up and he said, Hey, do you guys want to interview Coach Weir?
00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:57.519
I was like, Are you kidding me?
00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:03.599
Like people that know me, I'm a UNM Lobo basketball, like they're my they're my top tier people.
00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:09.440
Like the the that team right there, they're my that that's my they're the top of the pyramid for me.
00:25:09.680 --> 00:25:16.000
So coach Coach Weir calls me on and he says, Where do you guys want to do it?
00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:19.359
I was like, Wherever you want, Coach, like he's like, Why don't you come to the pit?
00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:24.079
So uh we drive to the pit in the parking lot, it's completely empty.
00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:26.880
He drives up next to us and he says, Hey guys, how you doing?
00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:28.079
Introduce ourselves.
00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:34.240
And first time we'd met him in person, and he says, Well, come on in and opens up the pit for us.
00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:39.599
Like for anybody that grows up uh playing ball in New Mexico knows what a big deal this is, right?
00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:42.079
Yes, this is like hollowed ground, man.
00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:47.279
This is this is Notre Dame for you and for basketball in New Mexico, right?
00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:51.519
So we walk in there and he's like sets up the table for us on the court.
00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:54.319
We we did it in the on at the Davalo Center.
00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:56.160
It was just us and him.
00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:59.680
And um an amazing moment.
00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:00.720
I'll never forget it.
00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:01.440
So nice.
00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:08.000
There was no um in sports information director, there was no handler, it was just us and him.
00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:11.519
And I'll I'll do a little post script about that in a minute.
00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:23.599
Anyway, the reason why I bring it up is because I asked him about um culture, I asked him a lot of leadership questions because he had a kind of a at the time an alternative, uh, a unique perspective on it.
00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:25.440
And I talked to him about goals.
00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:26.799
What were the goals for the next year?
00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:27.759
And he says, you know what?
00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:29.680
We don't talk a lot about goals.
00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:32.480
It's like we don't talk a lot about goals here.
00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:38.559
We talk about process, we talk about step one, we talk about what we can do today.
00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:42.799
And we don't have a goal at the end of it.
00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:46.640
A lot of coaches would, and and you know, they have their own way.
00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:51.920
One thing about being a coach and a teacher, I think, and a human being is just being who you're who you are, genuine.
00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:55.599
And if you're a goal-oriented person, then you make that work.
00:26:55.759 --> 00:27:03.920
But this is an alternative perspective that he had to get his team beyond thinking about the goal and thinking about the present.
00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:06.559
What can you do now at your best?
00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:09.279
Details, 100% effort.
00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:12.319
Like what's today gonna be about?
00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:15.519
And I thought that I took a lot from that, right?
00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:23.279
Because there's a lot of times where you can put yourself into something and you can have these expectations and it doesn't work out.
00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:27.599
You know, Jack Kerouac says you didn't you didn't sign a contract with life.
00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:29.119
Yeah, you know what I mean?
00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:30.480
If you do this, you get this.
00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:30.880
No.
00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.000
Nothing's guaranteed.
00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:36.799
And so high school sports teaches you that too, sometimes that things don't always work out.
00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:46.720
Everybody has so many different experiences with high school sports, some really great, some not so great, and then everything in the middle, right?
00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:49.680
So what are you gonna get out of that?
00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:51.440
Why didn't it work out?
00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:52.240
Right?
00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:53.839
What what what was it with me?
00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:55.519
What were my expectations?
00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:59.440
Sometimes there's things out of your control, sometimes there's things in your control.
00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:03.440
The things you worry about that people should worry about is what's in your control.
00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.480
A hundred percent.
00:28:04.720 --> 00:28:04.960
Right?
00:28:05.599 --> 00:28:10.160
So getting back to the postscript though, with Coach Weir.
00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:12.799
So that we went, we did that interview the next year.
00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:14.400
We want to do it again.
00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:15.440
Right?
00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:16.960
This is after his second year.
00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:18.720
Second year didn't go too well.
00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:21.839
It went okay, but it didn't go as well.
00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:28.400
And uh we set it up for him, but this time we had to go through the sports information director.
00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:29.599
Right?
00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:31.200
This time there was hurdles.
00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:33.119
This time, what what are you gonna talk to him about?
00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:34.880
What do you what are you gonna ask him?
00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:38.880
Like all these things, and we're like, well, you know, just about the season and stuff.
00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:45.920
So then we get there, it's the day of um he's finishing up his his basketball camp, his youth basketball camp at the pit.
00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:50.960
And it's the day Anthony Mathis told him he wasn't coming back to UM.
00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:57.359
And so the SID pulls me aside, he says, Don't ask him about Mathis, he just found out.
00:28:57.680 --> 00:28:58.880
I was like, okay.
00:28:59.920 --> 00:29:01.279
I was like, all right.
00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:11.599
So this time it was my brother and myself, and I think Amada was in there with, but it was in his office, and there was two or three other people in there, right?
00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:16.000
And it was a completely different, it was atmosphere and and back and forth.
00:29:16.079 --> 00:29:19.039
It was still really cool, but it was it was just different.
00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:21.519
He had now had handlers, yep, right?
00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:32.559
And so that first one, that first interview where something spontaneous and or and organic happened, like that's those are things that that are really precious to me.
00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:37.119
Yes, yeah, because it's original, it's not scripted, it's not written out, right?
00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:37.680
100%.
00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:39.200
So anyway.
00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:39.839
Dang.
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:41.839
Well, thank you for sharing that with us, man.
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:45.440
Like that, that you've been doing it for a long time.
00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:52.000
And that special memory, anyone who loves the logos like we do, we do.
00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:53.200
We're still waiting.
00:29:53.279 --> 00:29:56.960
Yeah, we're still waiting for them to get to the sweet 16 at least.
00:29:57.279 --> 00:30:00.960
Like my daughter was telling me about what if they ever get to the final four, dad?
00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:05.599
I was like, well, I was like, I don't know what else, I don't know what else to do with my life after that.
00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:07.920
My kids.
00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:09.359
It's all downhill from there.
00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:12.960
My kids went to UNM so they could be Lobos because I didn't go to UNM.
00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:18.640
I I say I might get a second master's from UNM just so I could be a Lobo, because that's how much I love UNM.
00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:18.960
Right.
00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:20.160
It's part of who we are, man.
00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:23.759
I grew up like listening to the them play on the radio.
00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:27.920
I remember begging to watch games to stay up late because they were on late at night.
00:30:28.240 --> 00:30:30.079
Your dad took me to my first logo game.
00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:30.559
Did you know that?
00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:31.519
No, I didn't.
00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:31.759
Yeah.
00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:34.400
I went to my first logo game with your dad.
00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:35.759
No, I didn't know that.
00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:36.720
My dad didn't tell me that.
00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:39.519
He took Buddy and I, it was an NIT game.
00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:42.960
They played, I believe it was Oregon State.
00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:46.559
And so you didn't need season tickets for it or anything at the time.
00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:51.039
This must have been like 87, 86, somewhere around there.
00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:53.599
He took me to my first Lobo game.
00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:54.400
That's awesome.
00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:55.279
It was it was awesome.
00:30:55.440 --> 00:31:08.880
And then, of course, another memory I have with your dad is we um when the Lobos finally made the NCAA tournament for the first time in years, it was Dave Bliss that brought him and they had Luke Longley, I think he was a senior.
00:31:09.039 --> 00:31:10.799
Uh, we watched the game at your dad's house.
00:31:10.880 --> 00:31:13.759
They played Oklahoma State, and your dad is a diehard Lobo friend.
00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:16.160
Yes, yes, shout out to my dad.
00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:18.160
He was pacing back and forth.
00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:27.279
Oh, he was yelling at the TV, like they were, I think they were like the 12th seed or something, and they were playing this Oklahoma State team.
00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:31.759
They didn't have a chance, but anyway, we thought they did.
00:31:34.079 --> 00:31:35.599
And we always think they have a chance.
00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:36.160
Of course.
00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:37.599
So you're saying there's a chance.
00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:39.359
As long as you get there, that's all that matters.
00:31:39.680 --> 00:31:41.839
You get on the floor, there's always a chance, right?
00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:42.960
There's always a chance, man.
00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:43.519
100%.
00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:45.039
That is awesome.
00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:46.480
Baron, this has been fun.
00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:47.359
This has been fun.
00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:48.079
Yeah, man.
00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:48.559
This is awesome.
00:31:48.640 --> 00:31:49.200
Thanks for having me.
00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:55.279
We're definitely gonna do this again because like this is just like hanging out and dang, man, I learned a few things today.
00:31:55.440 --> 00:31:59.920
Like I always look up to you guys because I I I still to this day still learn from you guys.
00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:00.799
Thanks, Nick.
00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:01.279
Thanks, bro.
00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:04.400
I appreciate everything you do for our city.
00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:14.720
Um, just proud to see where you guys are, where Sports Primo is at, you know, and the dedication you put into when you were coaching at Milagro and Capshaw, it was, right?
00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:15.119
Yeah.
00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:22.160
And teaching, because it it takes a special breed to be able to teach for a long time because it it's tough.
00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:24.880
Those are some of the thankless jobs that are out there.
00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:27.440
Thank um appreciate everything, Baron.
00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:28.720
Thank you so much, man.
00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:32.480
If now that we're kind of closing up, is there anything you want to leave?
00:32:32.559 --> 00:32:37.440
I kind of jumped in there and started talking my piece of like as an AD, what we're looking for.
00:32:37.599 --> 00:32:47.119
But what what as a community member who gives so much back, what do you want to see from Santa Fe public school athletics and athletes?
00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:50.079
Like what we're partnering with with Sports Primo.
00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:50.319
Yeah.
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:56.400
So you guys are gonna be um acknowledging our athletes for each sport every month.
00:32:56.559 --> 00:32:58.240
It's gonna be pretty cool what we're doing.
00:32:58.400 --> 00:33:04.559
Um, so every sport will have an athlete of the month throughout Santa Fe Public Schools at the high school level at least.
00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:06.720
We're gonna try to work something out for the middle schools.
00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:14.160
Uh, but we're gonna try to get as much recognition and and let the community know about our student athletes who are just doing an awesome job.
00:33:14.559 --> 00:33:21.279
Um, so we're thankful for that partnership that we're gonna be working on, and it's gonna be great for all of our athletes across the district.
00:33:21.599 --> 00:33:30.720
But what what do you have to leave to them that, you know, because you're gonna be meeting a lot more now because we're gonna this will be a lot of this will be a lot of athletes that we're gonna be running through.
00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:34.559
So what what are you uh what message do you have for them?
00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:43.119
Well, I my message to I guess would be the same thing I would have to my to my teams when I was a coach.
00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:46.319
Like we're here to have fun and play hard.
00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:47.119
Right?
00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:52.319
Those are those are the two simple things that I was always tell my kids.
00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:54.160
Have fun and play hard.
00:33:54.640 --> 00:34:00.160
Um don't worry so much about the results.
00:34:00.799 --> 00:34:02.559
You know, when you win, be humble.
00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:04.559
Yes, yes, yes.
00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:09.840
When you when you lose, learn from it and and move on.
00:34:10.159 --> 00:34:15.519
Like don't find um reasons to blame anyone else.
00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:22.400
Like I I hope that um you know make establish those relationships with it, build a culture.
00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:27.519
Like we we put a lot of responsibility on the coaches to build a culture, and as we should.
00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:27.920
Yep.
00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:29.119
They're the leaders.
00:34:29.840 --> 00:34:37.920
Um, but also the athletes and the parents need to be willing to participate in that culture.
00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:41.599
Yes, be willing to be positive forces in that culture.
00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:52.480
And I know it's difficult, um, but remember these uh are just four years that these high school kids have to make these memories and to have fun.
00:34:52.559 --> 00:35:02.000
And I've seen a lot of kids get burnt out, seen a lot of kids that were really good athletes in middle school, and I come across them at the high school games, I'm like, how come you're not playing?
00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:02.400
Yes.
00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:08.800
It's like, well, they they have all these different excuses, and it's like afterwards they regret it, I think.
00:35:08.960 --> 00:35:09.840
They regret it.
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:11.440
So just have fun.
00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:13.599
Play hard.
00:35:14.239 --> 00:35:17.440
You be the you be the culture that you want it to be, right?
00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:20.320
You establish that culture that you want to be part of.
00:35:20.719 --> 00:35:23.679
Coaches teach leaders, because they're the leader of the team, right?
00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:34.159
Mentor those students to be leaders, and then allow them, show them what culture should be, be the example, and then athletes make that make that culture.
00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:36.079
Because the athletes make the culture, right?
00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:36.639
They do.
00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:43.519
They're the ones that are out there like doing it every day, the way they treat each other, the way they treat the adults, the way they treat the other team.
00:35:43.679 --> 00:35:44.400
That's it.
00:35:44.559 --> 00:35:46.960
And then just yeah, remain humble and grateful.
00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:47.440
Yes.
00:35:47.760 --> 00:35:48.960
Humility and gratefulness.
00:35:49.039 --> 00:35:53.039
I I I preach that all throughout the year in my my class.
00:35:53.280 --> 00:35:55.199
Be humble, be grateful, right?
00:35:55.280 --> 00:35:56.880
Because nothing is guaranteed.
00:35:57.119 --> 00:35:58.400
So those are two things.
00:35:58.480 --> 00:36:00.000
And then there's one more thing I just want to say.
00:36:00.400 --> 00:36:00.960
Oh, yes.
00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:01.760
Please do.
00:36:02.079 --> 00:36:04.480
I want the student sections to come out.
00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:05.199
Yes.
00:36:05.440 --> 00:36:06.639
Let's start that.
00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:08.159
Let's get these kids.
00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:11.679
I don't want to see them on their phones sitting back at games.
00:36:11.760 --> 00:36:12.639
I want them involved.
00:36:12.880 --> 00:36:13.119
Yes.
00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:13.599
All right.
00:36:13.679 --> 00:36:15.199
Let's get involved out there.
00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:17.599
All right, because you're part of the culture too.
00:36:17.840 --> 00:36:18.559
Yes, you are.
00:36:18.880 --> 00:36:21.599
I there's nothing like going to a game with a great student section.
00:36:21.679 --> 00:36:25.760
So, students, even if you're not participating in the sport, be a part of it.
00:36:26.079 --> 00:36:26.559
100%.
00:36:27.119 --> 00:36:30.719
Students, you now hear the message from a legend to me.
00:36:30.800 --> 00:36:36.559
And you're gonna always you're gonna see legends that come on this show from Santa Fe Public Schools, because that's that's what I believe.
00:36:36.719 --> 00:36:38.159
And and this is one right here.
00:36:38.239 --> 00:36:40.719
So let's let's do let's let's answer that call.
00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:44.400
Let's answer that call and have some great student sections this year.
00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:46.559
We have some community partnerships.
00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:47.840
I'll jump into that.
00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:51.519
We're gonna acknowledge some community partners throughout the season.
00:36:51.760 --> 00:36:55.519
Anyone who's interested in becoming a community partner, please reach out.
00:36:55.679 --> 00:36:56.880
You can reach out to us.
00:36:56.960 --> 00:37:02.880
Uh heck, email me for right now, nisalazar at sfps.k12.nm.us.
00:37:03.199 --> 00:37:04.320
That's a mouthful.
00:37:04.719 --> 00:37:12.320
But NISalazar at sfps.k12.nm.us.
00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:13.519
Reach out to me.
00:37:13.679 --> 00:37:15.039
We'll get you involved.
00:37:15.199 --> 00:37:23.119
Uh, we can acknowledge some of these athletes with your business um sponsoring certain events or SFPS as a whole.
00:37:23.280 --> 00:37:31.840
We have some great partnerships where we'll advertise for you and we'll get some really good um time for our students to be acknowledged.
00:37:32.079 --> 00:37:40.400
And we'll also be providing travel gear, paying for hotels, paying more money to allow them to eat when they're on the road.
00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:41.440
That's important.
00:37:41.679 --> 00:37:42.480
Yes, yes.
00:37:42.719 --> 00:37:44.880
We need to feed our athletes, that's for sure.
00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:49.039
So we're looking forward to this community partnership that we started up this month.
00:37:49.199 --> 00:37:56.079
Uh, sports Primo is gonna be in there acknowledging our athletes every season, once a month, with each sport.
00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:57.360
It's gonna be awesome.
00:37:57.599 --> 00:37:59.280
But again, I want to jump back.
00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:00.639
Thank you, Baron, for coming out here.
00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:03.280
Appreciate your time and just everything you're doing, man.
00:38:03.519 --> 00:38:04.559
Thank you so much, Nick.
00:38:04.800 --> 00:38:06.480
Just keep keep rocking.
00:38:06.639 --> 00:38:07.360
Right on, brother.
00:38:07.440 --> 00:38:08.400
Love you too, man.
00:38:08.559 --> 00:38:09.599
Appreciate it.
00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:12.639
Thank you, Santa Fe Public School Athletics Community.
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:18.320
Let's get those bleachers filled with bands and have some new bleacher creatures at Santa Fe High in Capital.
00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:19.839
Welcome Santa Fe Public School Athletics family.
00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:25.920
We're happy to get in get into our third episode of the Santa Fe Public School Athletics Podcast.
00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:38.880
Today we have a legend in Santa Fe, Baron Abeta, Santa Fe Public School graduate, athlete, and sports primo owner owner.
00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:40.640
Pretty excited to have you on board.
00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:41.600
Baron, welcome.
00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:43.359
Thanks for the kind words, Nick.
00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:46.719
You know how to hype me up for sure.
00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:57.280
But I'll just add to that that I'm I'm also a Santa Fe Public Schools teacher, former coach, and also both my kids went through Santa Fe Public Schools K through 12.
00:00:57.359 --> 00:00:58.799
So I'm very proud of all that right there.
00:00:59.119 --> 00:00:59.359
Thank you.
00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:00.560
Thank you for adding that in there.
00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:08.079
And that's why you're a legend, Baron, because you have done a lot and you're continuing to do stuff here in Santa Fe.
00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:08.560
It's awesome.
00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:09.599
I appreciate it, man.
00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:10.719
You're awesome.
00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:20.319
Well, I'd like to jump into a couple questions, let you answer some stuff, let the let the fans know the man behind the voice that they hear during sports broadcasts.
00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:21.120
All right.
00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:31.519
Well, sports primo, I think we started in 17, 2017, I believe, December of 2014.
00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:31.840
Okay.
00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:33.280
December of 2014.
00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:37.359
We got a we got some our researcher here telling us.
00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:41.040
So um yeah, that's sports primo.
00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:47.120
And then I've been a broadcaster on uh on the radio since 2005.
00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:49.920
So it's been a long time, man.
00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:51.920
It's and it's gone by very quickly.
00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:56.879
Um it's been a uh absolute blast to do all of it.
00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:00.000
Like it's um something I didn't plan on doing.
00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:05.920
Gotta thank uh my brother for that for asking me to come on board and starting that radio broadcast stuff.
00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:09.599
And and then Sports Primo just kind of happened it organically, I think.
00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:12.400
It gelled my brother, my cousins, myself.
00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:16.240
We all just got on board, and here we are, man, just just like that.
00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:17.360
And having fun.
00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:20.879
Oh like, man, every time I hear you guys, you're always having fun.
00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:24.800
When I'm around for games, yeah, it's just fun to be around you guys.
00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:29.680
It's like it's like us growing up, it feels the same as when we were growing up.
00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:32.479
Well, yeah, that's kind of where it started, right?
00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:36.080
Like broadcasting, like doing play by play for tech mobile.
00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:36.400
Yep.
00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:43.520
In our our in our living rooms, and um, that's kind of where we started that play-by-play stuff.
00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:45.840
But and yeah, here we are today.
00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:48.000
So I do call the games just kind of like that.
00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:50.639
And I gotta give a big shout out to like Dick Vital.
00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:54.159
He was a big uh big influence on the way I call the games.
00:02:54.240 --> 00:03:00.879
I think he was exciting to to listen to, and he didn't care about showing emotions and all that, and I don't either.
00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:02.960
I I love I can't help it.
00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:09.840
It's it's just who I am when I comes to high school sports, especially the high schools um here in Santa Fe.
00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:17.439
Like I grew up here, I went to school at Capitol High School, I taught a lot of these students that I'm um broadcasting the games for.
00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:21.039
So I've I've got skin in the game to for for lack of a better word.
00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:25.120
I am emotionally attached to these games, to these kids, to their families.
00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:29.199
And so when they do good, I feel proud, I feel happy.
00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:34.000
Um, and when there's when there's uh a loss, a defeat, I feel bad.
00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:35.439
I I I empathize with that.
00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:36.639
I'm right there with them.
00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:44.719
So um it's been just something I've never dreamt that we'd be able to do for it for this long, too.
00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:45.680
So it's been awesome.
00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:46.719
I agree.
00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:47.599
It's been awesome.
00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:59.199
And it's a great example for our student athletes right now to see homegrown heroes basically helping them become successful in life and showing them successful paths.
00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:06.479
They can follow and emulate what you did and know that path to success if this is something they want to do, or in anything they want to do, right?
00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:08.240
Like, that that's right.
00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:22.160
I um, you know, I talk talk to my students about that where they ask me because about sports primo and stuff, and I tell them like, you know, I I found something that I enjoy doing, um, something that didn't feel like work.
00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:22.720
Yep.
00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:38.800
And it's um it's a blessing, and a lot of it, some of it is luck, but it's just like you do something good enough, you you put your effort, you put your best at something, and you know, usually you'll you'll you'll pay some dividends, you'll get something out of it.
00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:44.720
Um when we started this, it wasn't something that we thought that um would build into what it was.
00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:47.360
It was we were just doing we were we were just having fun.
00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:50.800
It was an opportunity to go to the game, it was an opportunity to hang out with family too.
00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:54.800
Yes, yep, right, to hang out with with Amado, to hang out with my brother.
00:04:54.959 --> 00:05:00.879
Um otherwise, I'm not sure how much we would see each other because of our schedules, because of our lives outside of it.
00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:12.560
And so that was also something that that kind of happened, is that we we have road trips to games that we we laugh all the way over there, uh talking about stuff about our our history with each other, our past.
00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:16.240
So I tell my kids that find something you're good at.
00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:16.720
Yep.
00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:24.079
Find something you're good at and um put your yourself into it, and that's that's what life can be.
00:05:24.399 --> 00:05:24.959
Yes, right?
00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:25.839
It can be enjoyable.
00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:26.639
That's what it can be.
00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:30.959
You know, you you they say the world is your oyster.
00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:33.600
You have to figure out a way to make it your oyster, right?
00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:36.240
Because the world can be many different things.
00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:38.240
It can be, exactly.
00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:44.560
And so you know, sometimes things don't work out the way you think it will, but um those are learning opportunities.
00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:45.519
100%.
00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:47.439
I think more than losses.
00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:53.279
Um that's what I used to tell my my team is that a loss is a learning opportunity for us to get better.
00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:55.600
And so I tell my students that as well.
00:05:55.839 --> 00:06:04.560
Um if they don't get something on a on a grade, I kind of create um not to pay attention to the grade, but to pay attention to the process, right?
00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:05.839
This is a learning opportunity.
00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:06.959
What can you do better?
00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:08.079
What did you do well?
00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:09.279
What can you do better?
00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:09.759
Right?
00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:10.879
What can you do to improve?
00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:17.920
And so that's that's uh a lesson I think when running a business, running your life, being a student, being a coach, whatever.
00:06:18.240 --> 00:06:18.720
I love it.
00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:30.160
I love how you're tying everything together in the classroom with what you do with Sports Primo, not just being an example for people to see, but showing them and tying it together.
00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:36.800
Because all those lessons you're teaching in the classroom, that's what's that's what's helped you get where you're at right now.
00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:45.600
You know, family obviously and everything that's around, but doing those things, your own advice that you're giving, you're giving them steps to success.
00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:51.439
It well, that it's I I with school the way it is now with students.
00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:54.000
Oftentimes I teach New Mexico history.
00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:59.040
They they often like always get every year I'll get the question, Well, well, how's this gonna help me in life?
00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:01.920
How is learning about Onyate gonna help me and get a job?
00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:09.199
And all and I'm telling, I so I start right from the beginning that while you're in school, it's to learn how to learn.
00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:09.519
Yes.
00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:11.439
To learn how to think, right?
00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:16.319
Like this stuff might not help you get a job, but learning how to learn this stuff will help you get a job.
00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:23.680
Learning how to think on your own, learning how to research on your own, learning how to critically think, that will get you somewhere in life.
00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:24.959
It'll enrich your life.
00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:32.240
And then before you know it, on the way, like they start knowing New Mexico history, they start seeing their city differently.
00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:37.759
They start seeing all the little stories that are at the plaza, and that happens on the way.
00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:39.680
And before you know it, they're excited about it.
00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:43.839
They're like, I got kids that are coming to me saying, Hey, guess where I'm going this weekend, Mr.
00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:44.319
Beta?
00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:46.720
I'm going to Fort Sumner to see Billy the Kid's grave.
00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:47.120
Oh, awesome.
00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:49.040
It's like, dude, that's awesome, man.
00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:59.360
So that's kind of the start, learning how to learn, learning how to think, and then eventually it's like your life becomes richer because you know things that you didn't know before.
00:07:59.600 --> 00:07:59.839
Yep.
00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:08.000
And knowledge is power, what whether it's power uh helping you accomplish something or knowing where you're from, because that's that's important.
00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:08.720
Absolutely.
00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:09.120
Yep.
00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:17.680
Yeah, that's that's something also that a lot of the families they'll the the students, they have families that have come they're been here for you know centuries.
00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:18.079
Yes.
00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:21.839
And they'll they'll come and tell me, like, hey, I'm related to this person, Mr.
00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:22.480
Abeda.
00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:28.639
My my grandfather told me this, or I I found out that I'm I'm uh I'm from San El Dafonso Pueblo, right?
00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:33.679
Like they'll just and so those are the types of things that make it all worthwhile, right?
00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:39.519
When it becomes something more than just a grade, it becomes part of their life.
00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:41.120
That's how you get them to learn it.
00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:41.440
Right.
00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:42.480
That's how you get them to learn it.
00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:43.519
You gotta relate to them.
00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:44.080
Yeah, exactly.
00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:44.960
Exactly.
00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:52.399
And kind of shifting gears a little bit, the teaching part you're very passionate about.
00:08:52.480 --> 00:09:05.840
I don't think a lot of people know that side of it, especially the ones who hear the broadcasts and and and they know of the Baron on with sports, and some of them even know the ball head back in the Capitol High School days.
00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:07.120
That's way back lower there.
00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:08.159
I'm reaching way back.
00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:11.600
Yeah, you've got you've got to know me from way back to know the ball head.
00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:17.679
Since you bring it up, I guess, like just to give the audience uh um that background.
00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:18.000
Yep.
00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:19.200
So bleacher creature.
00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:23.039
The bleacher creatures, uh freshman at Capitol High School, right?
00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:27.519
It was the first year Capitol High School was open, 1988 to 89.
00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:32.000
I was a freshman the very first year, and um I was a big college basketball fan.
00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:34.960
I loved college basketball, I still love college basketball.
00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:37.600
And so I would l I would actually record games.
00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:43.759
I have hundreds of games from the 90s and and 80s in my garage on VHS.
00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:45.279
And I love the crowds.
00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:55.120
I love the crowds, I love the the you know, being at the pit, of course, and then just seeing the crowds, the Cameron Crazies, the zoo crew, and all these different crowds.
00:09:55.600 --> 00:10:00.960
So I did not make the the the basketball team at Capitol High School.
00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:01.519
I got cut.
00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:05.919
And I was when I was walking into this building, this is the building that I got cut in.
00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:07.440
This is where they told me.
00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:14.399
This is where they told me that I was the last, it was between me, it was me and two other guys for one spot.
00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:19.039
And they they told me that I they wanted me to be the manager, but I didn't want to do that.
00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:20.639
But anyway, that's besides the point.
00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:23.360
But I wanted my a lot of my friends were on the team still.
00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:25.840
Buddy was on the team, Ovi Hill, Rick Padilla.
00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:27.360
They were all my friends.
00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:29.759
And so I still wanted to be part of the team.
00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:31.440
I still wanted to support those guys.
00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:34.720
So I I started to do what I knew how to do.
00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:36.320
I knew how to run a crowd.
00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:38.639
I knew how to start the chants and stuff.
00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:44.960
So um we I cut out, we I cut out a basketball.
00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:49.679
Yep, I remember and I painted it like black and silver, and I cut two holes in it.
00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:51.200
And very, very rudimentary.
00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:55.600
It was like it was not I I'm not an artist, I'm not a craftsman by any means.
00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:56.799
I thought it was awesome.
00:10:57.039 --> 00:10:58.240
I was young looking at it.
00:10:58.320 --> 00:10:59.120
I thought it was awesome.
00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:00.879
Well, I couldn't believe how it took off.
00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:21.120
Like it was just this really, really rushed, bad ball head that I cut and I put it on, and lo and behold, it I wore it for uh when Capitol High School, I think they played Albuquerque Academy, and Academy was was like ranked number one, and the New Mexican took a picture of us in the paper.
00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:22.159
The crowd.
00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:29.279
Like I'm not sure I've seen that in years where the crowd was in the paper.
00:11:29.519 --> 00:11:38.240
Not the game, but they actually and I have the clip still to and it said uh the the photographer asked us like who we were, and we gave him our names.
00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:40.639
And I said, We're the bleacher creatures.
00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:40.960
Yep.
00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:53.600
It's like we're we're the worst uh nightmare for opposing teams, and they put that underneath the the photograph, and I'm wearing the ball head in that photograph, and then all of a sudden it was like people were asking me about it.
00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:56.320
They wanted to touch the ball head and all this stuff.
00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.200
Just like, okay, it's awesome.
00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:00.480
So that's the story.
00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:01.440
That's the story.
00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:04.240
I never knew how it started, I only knew about it.
00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:12.159
And you guys obviously a little older than I was, and I I would see it at games when we go because crowds were just different at that time.
00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:16.799
But the bleacher creatures creatures have always had like a place in my heart.
00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:23.039
Obviously, seeing family out there and friends just rocking and rolling and and getting the crowd hype, man.
00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:24.720
Like there was nothing like that.
00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:29.759
Oh, the atmosphere was was amazing for for those Capitol High School games.
00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:34.080
And uh, we we went through all four years just being that way.
00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:37.120
Like walking out to Phil Collins with the lights, that's right.
00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:43.759
Dim down, and I just can't uh those are burnt into my mind as memories that I just never forget.
00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:46.080
It's so cool that it's still part of it, too.
00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:48.000
Like they come out to welcome to the jungle.
00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:49.120
We named it the jungle.
00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:49.279
Yeah.
00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:50.799
Like my my class named it.
00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:57.440
We had a sign that said welcome to the jungle in that photograph that they took in the paper that said welcome to the jungle.
00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:00.399
And then I remember our principal, I think it was Mr.
00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:01.039
Senna.
00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:04.879
We had an assembly and he said, I saw a sign that said welcome to the jungle.
00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:05.600
We were all in the gym.
00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:09.039
He said, So I'm gonna, we're gonna name this officially the jungle.
00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:10.159
Awesome.
00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:19.120
And so we we went crazy because we were we didn't know it at the time, but we were setting a tradition because we were the first four-year class that went through Capitol High School.
00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:22.159
And so, you know, it's cool to see those traditions still there.
00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:26.080
Yeah, even football comes out, they have welcome to the jungle going still.
00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:27.120
And right, yep.
00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:30.159
I I didn't even know that's where it originated from the city.
00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:31.600
That's where it came from, yeah.
00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:32.799
That's where it came from.
00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:34.720
So yeah, it's always cool to see.
00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:38.480
It's you know, that's part of like growing up and and staying in your community, right?
00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:49.279
Like um I it was so such a uh privilege to raise my kids here and to just stay in in Santa Fe and be able to contribute to it.
00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:55.840
Um I and some of the I taught some of my friends kids.
00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:56.320
Yep.
00:13:56.480 --> 00:14:00.080
You know, I'm at that age now where I'm teaching some of my students kids.
00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:01.600
Believe it or not.
00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:03.360
No, I I hear it.
00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:04.000
I hear it.
00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:11.600
So that's that's been an honor uh to to just be in my community and see all that go through.
00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:16.720
There was a time there from that I didn't pay attention to high school basketball here.
00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:23.039
I was living in California, I was kind of doing another thing, I got married, and then when I came back, that's what radio broadcasting did.
00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:28.159
I was able to get back into something that I I missed and I didn't even know I was missing it.
00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:28.720
Yep.
00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:29.200
Right.
00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:39.600
I didn't even know I was missing it, but then just going to the games every day, and then and then when there's a great like right from the start, we had great seasons to cover.
00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:39.919
Yeah.
00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:45.200
Capital High basketball, my goodness, in the early 2000s, an absolute powerhouse.
00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:45.360
Yeah.
00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:47.440
Coach, shout out to Coach Gomez, man.
00:14:47.519 --> 00:14:47.759
Yep.
00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:50.799
Early, early years, like we got to do the pit.
00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:54.320
We were, I'll never forget, broadcasting our first games at the pit.
00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:05.120
And then sitting courtside calling a Capitol High School basketball game, my goodness.
00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:08.960
And Santa Fe High made it to the state tournament, the final four that year, too.
00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:14.399
They played Hobbes, beat Hobbes in the pit, and then eventually lost to Manzano in the semifinals.
00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:17.039
Like covering those games, wow.
00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.759
I just I was like, I was sold, this is it.
00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:20.320
I'm doing this.
00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:22.799
Dreams coming true that you didn't even know you had.
00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:24.639
I didn't even know I had them, right?
00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:25.919
To be able to do that.
00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:28.159
And it's funny, like back in the day, too.
00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:30.480
Um, I used to record our football games.
00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:37.360
Carl Tuiba was doing the football games, and I would record them at at when, you know, uh, I'd have my dad record them.
00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:40.799
And so there's those tapes are there somewhere.
00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:45.679
Uh I still remember when we beat Socoro on a last second field goal.
00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:49.919
They were ranked, I believe, third, and we were ranked seventh.
00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:52.960
And they came to Capitol and we beat them on a last second field goal.
00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:58.799
Nate Segura hit the field goal, and I was actually in there, I was a sophomore, I was on special teams, that's where everybody starts.
00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:00.960
We all start on special teams, right?
00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:10.159
Um, and um yeah, I remember I they had this big guy on me, he was like six foot five, big Socorro dude, just and James Pearlman was next to me.
00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:13.919
Shout out to Pearl, he's the coach, he's a coach at Capitol High School now, too.
00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:18.080
And he was to the right of me, and I was like, Pearl, you gotta help me with this guy.
00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:20.159
He's like, All right, all right, all right.
00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:43.360
Um, well, he had to take on two guys, and so this guy came at me, and I just I went low and he fell on me, and I remember looking up and seeing the ball go through the the goalposts, and it was we had just beat the number three team in the state, and I was like, wow, this is this is awesome! I was on the field for it.
00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:47.840
And it and you did a key as a sophomore, you had a key part in that.
00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:49.679
That no one gives the credit.
00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:54.879
The hogs down on the line, and and the trenches just that's where it's won.
00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:56.960
The special, the special teams, man.
00:16:57.200 --> 00:16:58.559
And special, yeah, special teams.
00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:00.720
Coach Ludke used to say they're a third of the game.
00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:04.640
Coach Ludke, I I have not heard that name in a long time.
00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:07.279
He said special teams is a third of the game.
00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:10.799
Gentlemen, you're supposed to know that he'd always rile us up with that.
00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:14.640
And it did, it kept us dialed in, like it made us feel like we were part of the team.
00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:16.160
We were what we did was important.
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:17.680
There was no detail missed.
00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:20.160
And that that beat the number three team in the state.
00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:29.599
If you didn't do that, most a lot of people don't take it seriously, and a lot of athletes, for some reason, look down on it, and it's like you make a career doing special teams.
00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:36.000
You yeah, you can make a career, you can make memories, just like I I shared, and like we were talking about.
00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.720
Sometimes athletes want to start at the top, they want to start at the very beginning.
00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:48.559
But like when you're in a program, you want you got to find your niche, you got to find what's gonna contribute, you got to find what what is your role on the team.
00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:53.279
Um, that's something I would I would teach my my kids when when I was coaching.
00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:59.519
Like, pull pull aside a guy, and I'd be like, listen, I I've got five other guys that can shoot threes.
00:17:59.599 --> 00:17:59.759
Yep.
00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:01.279
It's like I don't need you to shoot a three.
00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:02.240
You know what I need you to do?
00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:04.079
If you want to get on the floor, you know what you got to do.
00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:05.920
You got to play defense and you gotta rebound.
00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:06.559
A hundred percent.
00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:07.680
That's what you got to do.
00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:10.240
And that right there would embolden this guy.
00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:18.400
He doesn't have to shoot like these great shooters, but if he rebounds and and defends, he'll be just as meaningful part of the team.
00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:22.400
You might not get the headlines, but he's gonna be a meaningful part of the team.
00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:27.279
And I think that's something that a lot of students, student athletes need to understand.
00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:31.519
Like, even practice players are are an important part of the team.
00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:36.160
And when you become a practice player, a good one, that's when you start to get playing time.
00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:41.039
I mean, again, that's kind of what happened to myself as well, getting on special teams first.
00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:51.119
I stood out in a practice, and Coach Ludke told me, he's like, You're gonna get on special teams, and I guess my face dropped, and he was like, Yeah, son, you're gonna get on the field.
00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.960
So that's a great message.
00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:18.079
That's a great message because nowadays it's easy to join a club team, it's easy to get on an AU team, everyone plays, everyone, you you you kind of get that false sense of security in a position or doing a certain being able to shoot or do something when it comes to high school sports, that's the beautiful thing about it.
00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:21.279
It and and middle school, it takes a team to win.
00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:22.319
Absolutely.
00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:30.640
And and I think I love club, I love AAU, I'll I'll put that out there because I think it's necessary for reps.
00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:39.680
Uh high school coach can't be with them all the time, and players need to develop, and and you get that that time there, and a little freedom where it's not so strict, you get to just play ball.
00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:44.799
But when it comes to high school sports, you said it best.
00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:49.200
Like you have to find what you can do to help the team, or else teams don't succeed.
00:19:49.359 --> 00:20:08.319
And I don't know, as an AD, as a as a coach for over 20 years, a lot of times, and I get it, parents they have to have the best outlook for their their their athlete, but I I don't think they always understand a coach is for that entire team.
00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:22.559
And a coach makes decisions that is gonna hurt someone because you only have five spots on the floor for basketball, you only have nine for baseball, you only have eleven for football, um, on each side of the ball, and then special teams.
00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:30.319
Like sometimes players are gonna be doing something that they're not comfortable with, but that they are good at and they can actually do to help the team.
00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:34.079
And I think that's a good message that parents need to know.
00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:49.680
Like some when it comes to high school sports, it's the memories, it's having fun, giving all you have for that, that your buddy next to you, the the blood, sweat, and tears that you have on the field or in practice, those are the memories you remember and winning.
00:20:50.079 --> 00:21:01.039
I think sometimes now we get too caught up on my name on a wall for athlete of the year, my uh name in the paper, my you know, you know, but that's not what it's all about.
00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:07.680
It really is about that family, that team moving forward, winning games, and there's nothing like it.
00:21:07.920 --> 00:21:25.039
I I only got to win district titles when I was in high school, placed in state and and in and wrestling, and did a couple things, but I remember the the district titles, and I remember the team achievements that we had that were just we did it together.
00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:25.759
That's right.
00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:32.880
And we still have a bond where I can Matt Reland helped my baseball team the entire time I was at Capitol coaching baseball.
00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:34.799
He'd come talk to our football players.
00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:37.599
Um he's he was always a go-to.
00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:52.799
Um I played semi pro football with I don't know why I did that, but I played that with Matt Seguda and and Freddie, and a lot of us still see each other and you answered your own question why you did it.
00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:56.960
So you can hang out with your and still play football with the guys you played with.
00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:58.960
Like that's you wanted that feeling still.
00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:00.720
And and you Crave that.
00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:02.160
I crave that in the military.
00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:05.200
That's what made the military easy for me.
00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:08.559
Like wanting to stay and do 20 over 20 years.
00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:22.720
I it was sports, you know, and just it it reminds you of family, like the times growing up, and you're telling stories and cuentos and just like having fun and broad doing broadcasts, playing tech mobile.
00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:27.680
Um just it's that family and those memories that you get.
00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:31.039
And I just want to take sports back to that time.
00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:40.799
And I love the highlights, I love the all-stars, but in Santa Fe Public School Athletics, as as the AD, and now talking to you, it's really hit me hard.
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:44.160
I just want us to get back to that team, that family.
00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:45.119
How do we do it?
00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:49.839
The parents behind you, pasta parties before football games the night before.
00:22:50.160 --> 00:22:50.640
That's right.
00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:56.079
And and everyone together, getting ready for that game the next day, and then the next day coming out and playing.
00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:58.160
And you didn't even have to get along with everyone.
00:22:58.319 --> 00:22:58.640
Yeah.
00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:05.440
But on the field, it was the world closed, like Coach Moon would say, nothing else matters outside this this field.
00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:06.000
That's right.
00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:07.680
The world stops everywhere else.
00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:12.720
All that matters is you guys working together, playing together, and getting after it.
00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:13.599
That's right.
00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:15.519
And that there's nothing like that.
00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:20.160
Like that feeling, I I to this day I still look for that feeling.
00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:24.240
Yeah, it's it's about being part of something larger than yourself.
00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:24.880
Exactly.
00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:25.359
Right?
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:28.079
And having a goal that's not guaranteed.
00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:29.440
Right.
00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:38.559
And as a matter of fact, there's um a lot of times where you're a team and you know like it's an uphill climb.
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:40.240
You know that it's gonna be tough.
00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:47.039
You're gonna be facing competition it that's um way above your head, but you do it anyway, right?
00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:50.720
Like you you roll that rock up the hill knowing that it's gonna come back down.
00:23:50.799 --> 00:23:52.000
But that what does that build?
00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:54.400
It builds character, it builds camaraderie.
00:23:54.559 --> 00:24:04.480
Um, and it it's it's a life lesson in that you can put yourself into everything, and sometimes it won't work out.
00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:04.880
Yep.
00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:06.720
But then what's the important part?
00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:10.240
It was that you put yourself into something that was larger than yourself.
00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:10.960
It's the process.
00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:13.279
Enjoying the process while you're in it.
00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:19.440
One of my one of my highlights of my broadcasting career is when we got to interview Coach Weir.
00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:21.920
He was the basket UNM basketball coach at the time.
00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:23.599
I think it was after his first year.
00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:25.759
So he was um it was after his first year.
00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:26.880
He had a really good first year.
00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:34.960
Didn't make the NCAA, but he he, if you remember, he um came into a program that was really bad.
00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:47.119
It was after Coach Neal, and it was and he brought in a bunch of new players and they played hard and they won a lot more than they lost, and they and really surprised a lot of people.
00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:51.759
So Coach Weir had um reached out, I think it was to Will Weber.
00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:55.839
Will Weber set this up and he said, Hey, do you guys want to interview Coach Weir?
00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:57.519
I was like, Are you kidding me?
00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:03.599
Like people that know me, I'm a UNM Lobo basketball, like they're my they're my top tier people.
00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:09.440
Like the the that team right there, they're my that that's my they're the top of the pyramid for me.
00:25:09.680 --> 00:25:16.000
So coach Coach Weir calls me on and he says, Where do you guys want to do it?
00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:19.359
I was like, Wherever you want, Coach, like he's like, Why don't you come to the pit?
00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:24.079
So uh we drive to the pit in the parking lot, it's completely empty.
00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:26.880
He drives up next to us and he says, Hey guys, how you doing?
00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:28.079
Introduce ourselves.
00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:34.240
And first time we'd met him in person, and he says, Well, come on in and opens up the pit for us.
00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:39.599
Like for anybody that grows up uh playing ball in New Mexico knows what a big deal this is, right?
00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:42.079
Yes, this is like hollowed ground, man.
00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:47.279
This is this is Notre Dame for you and for basketball in New Mexico, right?
00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:51.519
So we walk in there and he's like sets up the table for us on the court.
00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:54.319
We we did it in the on at the Davalo Center.
00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:56.160
It was just us and him.
00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:59.680
And um an amazing moment.
00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:00.720
I'll never forget it.
00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:01.440
So nice.
00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:08.000
There was no um in sports information director, there was no handler, it was just us and him.
00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:11.519
And I'll I'll do a little post script about that in a minute.
00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:23.599
Anyway, the reason why I bring it up is because I asked him about um culture, I asked him a lot of leadership questions because he had a kind of a at the time an alternative, uh, a unique perspective on it.
00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:25.440
And I talked to him about goals.
00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:26.799
What were the goals for the next year?
00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:27.759
And he says, you know what?
00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:29.680
We don't talk a lot about goals.
00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:32.480
It's like we don't talk a lot about goals here.
00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:38.559
We talk about process, we talk about step one, we talk about what we can do today.
00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:42.799
And we don't have a goal at the end of it.
00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:46.640
A lot of coaches would, and and you know, they have their own way.
00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:51.920
One thing about being a coach and a teacher, I think, and a human being is just being who you're who you are, genuine.
00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:55.599
And if you're a goal-oriented person, then you make that work.
00:26:55.759 --> 00:27:03.920
But this is an alternative perspective that he had to get his team beyond thinking about the goal and thinking about the present.
00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:06.559
What can you do now at your best?
00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:09.279
Details, 100% effort.
00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:12.319
Like what's today gonna be about?
00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:15.519
And I thought that I took a lot from that, right?
00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:23.279
Because there's a lot of times where you can put yourself into something and you can have these expectations and it doesn't work out.
00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:27.599
You know, Jack Kerouac says you didn't you didn't sign a contract with life.
00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:29.119
Yeah, you know what I mean?
00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:30.480
If you do this, you get this.
00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:30.880
No.
00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.000
Nothing's guaranteed.
00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:36.799
And so high school sports teaches you that too, sometimes that things don't always work out.
00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:46.720
Everybody has so many different experiences with high school sports, some really great, some not so great, and then everything in the middle, right?
00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:49.680
So what are you gonna get out of that?
00:27:49.839 --> 00:27:51.440
Why didn't it work out?
00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:52.240
Right?
00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:53.839
What what what was it with me?
00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:55.519
What were my expectations?
00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:59.440
Sometimes there's things out of your control, sometimes there's things in your control.
00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:03.440
The things you worry about that people should worry about is what's in your control.
00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.480
A hundred percent.
00:28:04.720 --> 00:28:04.960
Right?
00:28:05.599 --> 00:28:10.160
So getting back to the postscript though, with Coach Weir.
00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:12.799
So that we went, we did that interview the next year.
00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:14.400
We want to do it again.
00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:15.440
Right?
00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:16.960
This is after his second year.
00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:18.720
Second year didn't go too well.
00:28:19.119 --> 00:28:21.839
It went okay, but it didn't go as well.
00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:28.400
And uh we set it up for him, but this time we had to go through the sports information director.
00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:29.599
Right?
00:28:29.920 --> 00:28:31.200
This time there was hurdles.
00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:33.119
This time, what what are you gonna talk to him about?
00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:34.880
What do you what are you gonna ask him?
00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:38.880
Like all these things, and we're like, well, you know, just about the season and stuff.
00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:45.920
So then we get there, it's the day of um he's finishing up his his basketball camp, his youth basketball camp at the pit.
00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:50.960
And it's the day Anthony Mathis told him he wasn't coming back to UM.
00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:57.359
And so the SID pulls me aside, he says, Don't ask him about Mathis, he just found out.
00:28:57.680 --> 00:28:58.880
I was like, okay.
00:28:59.920 --> 00:29:01.279
I was like, all right.
00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:11.599
So this time it was my brother and myself, and I think Amada was in there with, but it was in his office, and there was two or three other people in there, right?
00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:16.000
And it was a completely different, it was atmosphere and and back and forth.
00:29:16.079 --> 00:29:19.039
It was still really cool, but it was it was just different.
00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:21.519
He had now had handlers, yep, right?
00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:32.559
And so that first one, that first interview where something spontaneous and or and organic happened, like that's those are things that that are really precious to me.
00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:37.119
Yes, yeah, because it's original, it's not scripted, it's not written out, right?
00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:37.680
100%.
00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:39.200
So anyway.
00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:39.839
Dang.
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:41.839
Well, thank you for sharing that with us, man.
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:45.440
Like that, that you've been doing it for a long time.
00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:52.000
And that special memory, anyone who loves the logos like we do, we do.
00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:53.200
We're still waiting.
00:29:53.279 --> 00:29:56.960
Yeah, we're still waiting for them to get to the sweet 16 at least.
00:29:57.279 --> 00:30:00.960
Like my daughter was telling me about what if they ever get to the final four, dad?
00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:05.599
I was like, well, I was like, I don't know what else, I don't know what else to do with my life after that.
00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:07.920
My kids.
00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:09.359
It's all downhill from there.
00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:12.960
My kids went to UNM so they could be Lobos because I didn't go to UNM.
00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:18.640
I I say I might get a second master's from UNM just so I could be a Lobo, because that's how much I love UNM.
00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:18.960
Right.
00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:20.160
It's part of who we are, man.
00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:23.759
I grew up like listening to the them play on the radio.
00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:27.920
I remember begging to watch games to stay up late because they were on late at night.
00:30:28.240 --> 00:30:30.079
Your dad took me to my first logo game.
00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:30.559
Did you know that?
00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:31.519
No, I didn't.
00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:31.759
Yeah.
00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:34.400
I went to my first logo game with your dad.
00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:35.759
No, I didn't know that.
00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:36.720
My dad didn't tell me that.
00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:39.519
He took Buddy and I, it was an NIT game.
00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:42.960
They played, I believe it was Oregon State.
00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:46.559
And so you didn't need season tickets for it or anything at the time.
00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:51.039
This must have been like 87, 86, somewhere around there.
00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:53.599
He took me to my first Lobo game.
00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:54.400
That's awesome.
00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:55.279
It was it was awesome.
00:30:55.440 --> 00:31:08.880
And then, of course, another memory I have with your dad is we um when the Lobos finally made the NCAA tournament for the first time in years, it was Dave Bliss that brought him and they had Luke Longley, I think he was a senior.
00:31:09.039 --> 00:31:10.799
Uh, we watched the game at your dad's house.
00:31:10.880 --> 00:31:13.759
They played Oklahoma State, and your dad is a diehard Lobo friend.
00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:16.160
Yes, yes, shout out to my dad.
00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:18.160
He was pacing back and forth.
00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:27.279
Oh, he was yelling at the TV, like they were, I think they were like the 12th seed or something, and they were playing this Oklahoma State team.
00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:31.759
They didn't have a chance, but anyway, we thought they did.
00:31:34.079 --> 00:31:35.599
And we always think they have a chance.
00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:36.160
Of course.
00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:37.599
So you're saying there's a chance.
00:31:37.839 --> 00:31:39.359
As long as you get there, that's all that matters.
00:31:39.680 --> 00:31:41.839
You get on the floor, there's always a chance, right?
00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:42.960
There's always a chance, man.
00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:43.519
100%.
00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:45.039
That is awesome.
00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:46.480
Baron, this has been fun.
00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:47.359
This has been fun.
00:31:47.680 --> 00:31:48.079
Yeah, man.
00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:48.559
This is awesome.
00:31:48.640 --> 00:31:49.200
Thanks for having me.
00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:55.279
We're definitely gonna do this again because like this is just like hanging out and dang, man, I learned a few things today.
00:31:55.440 --> 00:31:59.920
Like I always look up to you guys because I I I still to this day still learn from you guys.
00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:00.799
Thanks, Nick.
00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:01.279
Thanks, bro.
00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:04.400
I appreciate everything you do for our city.
00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:14.720
Um, just proud to see where you guys are, where Sports Primo is at, you know, and the dedication you put into when you were coaching at Milagro and Capshaw, it was, right?
00:32:14.799 --> 00:32:15.119
Yeah.
00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:22.160
And teaching, because it it takes a special breed to be able to teach for a long time because it it's tough.
00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:24.880
Those are some of the thankless jobs that are out there.
00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:27.440
Thank um appreciate everything, Baron.
00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:28.720
Thank you so much, man.
00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:32.480
If now that we're kind of closing up, is there anything you want to leave?
00:32:32.559 --> 00:32:37.440
I kind of jumped in there and started talking my piece of like as an AD, what we're looking for.
00:32:37.599 --> 00:32:47.119
But what what as a community member who gives so much back, what do you want to see from Santa Fe public school athletics and athletes?
00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:50.079
Like what we're partnering with with Sports Primo.
00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:50.319
Yeah.
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:56.400
So you guys are gonna be um acknowledging our athletes for each sport every month.
00:32:56.559 --> 00:32:58.240
It's gonna be pretty cool what we're doing.
00:32:58.400 --> 00:33:04.559
Um, so every sport will have an athlete of the month throughout Santa Fe Public Schools at the high school level at least.
00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:06.720
We're gonna try to work something out for the middle schools.
00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:14.160
Uh, but we're gonna try to get as much recognition and and let the community know about our student athletes who are just doing an awesome job.
00:33:14.559 --> 00:33:21.279
Um, so we're thankful for that partnership that we're gonna be working on, and it's gonna be great for all of our athletes across the district.
00:33:21.599 --> 00:33:30.720
But what what do you have to leave to them that, you know, because you're gonna be meeting a lot more now because we're gonna this will be a lot of this will be a lot of athletes that we're gonna be running through.
00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:34.559
So what what are you uh what message do you have for them?
00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:43.119
Well, I my message to I guess would be the same thing I would have to my to my teams when I was a coach.
00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:46.319
Like we're here to have fun and play hard.
00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:47.119
Right?
00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:52.319
Those are those are the two simple things that I was always tell my kids.
00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:54.160
Have fun and play hard.
00:33:54.640 --> 00:34:00.160
Um don't worry so much about the results.
00:34:00.799 --> 00:34:02.559
You know, when you win, be humble.
00:34:02.880 --> 00:34:04.559
Yes, yes, yes.
00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:09.840
When you when you lose, learn from it and and move on.
00:34:10.159 --> 00:34:15.519
Like don't find um reasons to blame anyone else.
00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:22.400
Like I I hope that um you know make establish those relationships with it, build a culture.
00:34:22.559 --> 00:34:27.519
Like we we put a lot of responsibility on the coaches to build a culture, and as we should.
00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:27.920
Yep.
00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:29.119
They're the leaders.
00:34:29.840 --> 00:34:37.920
Um, but also the athletes and the parents need to be willing to participate in that culture.
00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:41.599
Yes, be willing to be positive forces in that culture.
00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:52.480
And I know it's difficult, um, but remember these uh are just four years that these high school kids have to make these memories and to have fun.
00:34:52.559 --> 00:35:02.000
And I've seen a lot of kids get burnt out, seen a lot of kids that were really good athletes in middle school, and I come across them at the high school games, I'm like, how come you're not playing?
00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:02.400
Yes.
00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:08.800
It's like, well, they they have all these different excuses, and it's like afterwards they regret it, I think.
00:35:08.960 --> 00:35:09.840
They regret it.
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:11.440
So just have fun.
00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:13.599
Play hard.
00:35:14.239 --> 00:35:17.440
You be the you be the culture that you want it to be, right?
00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:20.320
You establish that culture that you want to be part of.
00:35:20.719 --> 00:35:23.679
Coaches teach leaders, because they're the leader of the team, right?
00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:34.159
Mentor those students to be leaders, and then allow them, show them what culture should be, be the example, and then athletes make that make that culture.
00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:36.079
Because the athletes make the culture, right?
00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:36.639
They do.
00:35:36.800 --> 00:35:43.519
They're the ones that are out there like doing it every day, the way they treat each other, the way they treat the adults, the way they treat the other team.
00:35:43.679 --> 00:35:44.400
That's it.
00:35:44.559 --> 00:35:46.960
And then just yeah, remain humble and grateful.
00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:47.440
Yes.
00:35:47.760 --> 00:35:48.960
Humility and gratefulness.
00:35:49.039 --> 00:35:53.039
I I I preach that all throughout the year in my my class.
00:35:53.280 --> 00:35:55.199
Be humble, be grateful, right?
00:35:55.280 --> 00:35:56.880
Because nothing is guaranteed.
00:35:57.119 --> 00:35:58.400
So those are two things.
00:35:58.480 --> 00:36:00.000
And then there's one more thing I just want to say.
00:36:00.400 --> 00:36:00.960
Oh, yes.
00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:01.760
Please do.
00:36:02.079 --> 00:36:04.480
I want the student sections to come out.
00:36:04.719 --> 00:36:05.199
Yes.
00:36:05.440 --> 00:36:06.639
Let's start that.
00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:08.159
Let's get these kids.
00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:11.679
I don't want to see them on their phones sitting back at games.
00:36:11.760 --> 00:36:12.639
I want them involved.
00:36:12.880 --> 00:36:13.119
Yes.
00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:13.599
All right.
00:36:13.679 --> 00:36:15.199
Let's get involved out there.
00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:17.599
All right, because you're part of the culture too.
00:36:17.840 --> 00:36:18.559
Yes, you are.
00:36:18.880 --> 00:36:21.599
I there's nothing like going to a game with a great student section.
00:36:21.679 --> 00:36:25.760
So, students, even if you're not participating in the sport, be a part of it.
00:36:26.079 --> 00:36:26.559
100%.
00:36:27.119 --> 00:36:30.719
Students, you now hear the message from a legend to me.
00:36:30.800 --> 00:36:36.559
And you're gonna always you're gonna see legends that come on this show from Santa Fe Public Schools, because that's that's what I believe.
00:36:36.719 --> 00:36:38.159
And and this is one right here.
00:36:38.239 --> 00:36:40.719
So let's let's do let's let's answer that call.
00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:44.400
Let's answer that call and have some great student sections this year.
00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:46.559
We have some community partnerships.
00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:47.840
I'll jump into that.
00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:51.519
We're gonna acknowledge some community partners throughout the season.
00:36:51.760 --> 00:36:55.519
Anyone who's interested in becoming a community partner, please reach out.
00:36:55.679 --> 00:36:56.880
You can reach out to us.
00:36:56.960 --> 00:37:02.880
Uh heck, email me for right now, nisalazar at sfps.k12.nm.us.
00:37:03.199 --> 00:37:04.320
That's a mouthful.
00:37:04.719 --> 00:37:12.320
But NISalazar at sfps.k12.nm.us.
00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:13.519
Reach out to me.
00:37:13.679 --> 00:37:15.039
We'll get you involved.
00:37:15.199 --> 00:37:23.119
Uh, we can acknowledge some of these athletes with your business um sponsoring certain events or SFPS as a whole.
00:37:23.280 --> 00:37:31.840
We have some great partnerships where we'll advertise for you and we'll get some really good um time for our students to be acknowledged.
00:37:32.079 --> 00:37:40.400
And we'll also be providing travel gear, paying for hotels, paying more money to allow them to eat when they're on the road.
00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:41.440
That's important.
00:37:41.679 --> 00:37:42.480
Yes, yes.
00:37:42.719 --> 00:37:44.880
We need to feed our athletes, that's for sure.
00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:49.039
So we're looking forward to this community partnership that we started up this month.
00:37:49.199 --> 00:37:56.079
Uh, sports Primo is gonna be in there acknowledging our athletes every season, once a month, with each sport.
00:37:56.159 --> 00:37:57.360
It's gonna be awesome.
00:37:57.599 --> 00:37:59.280
But again, I want to jump back.
00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:00.639
Thank you, Baron, for coming out here.
00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:03.280
Appreciate your time and just everything you're doing, man.
00:38:03.519 --> 00:38:04.559
Thank you so much, Nick.
00:38:04.800 --> 00:38:06.480
Just keep keep rocking.
00:38:06.639 --> 00:38:07.360
Right on, brother.
00:38:07.440 --> 00:38:08.400
Love you too, man.
00:38:08.559 --> 00:38:09.599
Appreciate it.
00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:12.639
Thank you, Santa Fe Public School Athletics Community.
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:18.320
Let's get those bleachers filled with bands and have some new bleacher creatures at Santa Fe High in Capital.
