Gregg Schmidt

Head XC/Track and Field Coach. University of Bridgeport. Palmyra,NJ native. Philly sports for everything.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

@shanemcmahon Only time I’ve sat front row, still have my chair.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

@DanhausenAD

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

@SamRobertsSXM Hey caller, What is an “80 pound year old”

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

@DanhausenAD Danhausen’s trying to curse me and the toaster’s been laughin’ at me!

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

@TarynNHatcher We are playing so pensive right now! Letting them walk through the slot etc

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

@DanhausenAD @OfficialEGO @starkmanjones @ShawnMichaels Make sure to stop for Andy Williams.

[Gritty @GrittyNHL]

tick tock, little bird

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

Athletes advertising going in the portal the same way is just as absurd as this and you’ll never convince me otherwise.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

“I want to thank Susie for the opportunity of being married for the last 3 years, it is a time that I will forever cherish and remember fondly. That being said I am officially in the dating pool portal again, attached is a highlight reel of me in my relationships of the past”

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

@TheRock @KevinHart4real Shovel size spoon to Kev is an actual shovel so the story checks out.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

To be somewhat self-congratulatory right now, as a track and field coach the demands of our job insist we are the best educated in collegiate athletics in terms of biomechanics, program design, nervous system training, exercise science, and individual performance evaluation and development. That’s why it’s disheartening when you see job postings for our sport (head and assistants alike) for pennies on the dollar when compared to team sports.

The argument in the other direction would be stating those sports are revenue generating, however what is revenue? Aside from large institutions that reap the benefits of March and fall seasons (believe you know who I’m talking about) other institutions don’t draw close to that revenue and rely on general enrollment fees and enrollment fees from Olympic sports such as track and field. Wouldn’t it be prudent to pay coaches in our profession well enough to support our student-athletes so that the whole department can grow?

Looking at postings for cross country/track you see things like “masters’ degree required, assistant track and field coach. 5,000/year”. As coaches we need to value ourselves first if we want to change the ongoing trends.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

Hearing about another athletic department, this time NAIA, closing down it made me reflect about a conversation I had at BU Valentine Invite with one of my best friends in coaching.

We were reflecting on a strategy that is common across all institutions that have been forced to make cuts or, worse yet, close their doors. The push for maximum enrollment through ultra inclusive admissions (in terms of high school GPA, test scores). While it sounds noble on paper, it’s often a short-sighted trap.

By prioritizing quantity over quality, institutions risk stagnant endowments and long-term financial fragility. While we were talking, he touched on an idea that is completely true. Those institutions that are never in financial peril are those that attract top-tier students; those with stellar academics and driven student-athletes who not only elevate the campus culture but also become loyal alumni donors. Elite programs thrive because they focus on value, not blanket discounts. They assess what families can truly afford and build finances around that, drawing in committed scholars willing to invest in their future.

The whole term “recruiting” means investing not in the short term of the institution, but the long term. Not just the long term of the institution but of the students’ success so that they become a valued alumni donor for the rest of their lives, helping to build a legacy. It’s a virtuous cycle: quality in, excellence out, and sustainable growth for all.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

“Coach ‘em down”

One of my best friends in coaching taught me this phrase. He would say it whenever a coach would constantly bombard their athlete(s) with feedback. In something like field events, this happens when an athlete will take a first attempt, maybe it goes OK. Then the coach gives them 12 things to correct. The next attempt is worse. Then more feedback. The last attempt is even worse.

This happens as well in team sports. A team is in a slump, the coach thinks “I need to break them out of this. Let’s go over every single thing they do wrong”. What happens? The athletes are anxious, and even worse, dependent on the coach’s feedback. Practice is for practice, the game, meet, competition is for performance. Coaches sometimes need to realize having an athlete completely dependent on ‘hand holding’ stops their development and hurts their performance.

It’s easy to pick out every single flaw. Part of coaching is letting the work you’ve done during practices adequately prepare the athletes from competition, and in the competition manage their emotions and create an environment conducive to athletic performance.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

I don’t know what capers are and at this point I feel I’m too old to ask.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

International Olympic sports athletes choose USA colleges because it’s unique, systems like this don’t exist in many countries in Europe and other continents. Athletes here can pursue a high-level degree while competing at an elite level and developing in the sport they love.
However, NIL deals, business interests increasingly overtaking higher education (at both the macro level and within individual universities), and the gradual removal of “student” from “student-athlete” are potentially crippling Olympic sports in this country.

Once these non-revenue Olympic sports disappear or are severely cut, it won’t just be American-born student-athletes who suffer. International students,who often rely on these programs for scholarships, visas, and the chance to earn a degree while competing ,will lose those opportunities too.

The academic outcomes highlight the disparity: NCAA data shows revenue-generating sports like football and basketball consistently lag behind Olympic sports in graduation rates.

Using the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR), which adjusts for transfers and excludes athletes who leave early in good academic standing (e.g., for the NFL or NBA draft): Overall Division I is 90%. FBS football is 84%, men’s basketball 85%. In contrast, many Olympic sports (e.g., gymnastics 99%, swimming 92-97%, track/cross country 84-92%, soccer 89-96%) exceed the overall average, often in the mid-90s or higher. When you remove those who leave early for NBA, NFL draft the disparity is even larger

The stricter Federal Graduation Rate (FGR), which does penalize for early pro departures and doesn’t adjust for transfers, shows an even wider gap: Overall Division I student-athletes ~68%. FBS football and men’s basketball are notably lower (historically in the 40-60% range for these sports in older aggregates, with football around 64% in prior reports), while Olympic/non-revenue sports pull the overall average higher (typically 70-75%+ as a group). This shows that student-athletes in Olympic sports not only complete their degree at much higher rates but also stay with their initial institution throughout their college academic careers at higher rates.

These trends underscore how revenue pressures can undermine academic focus in big-money sports, while Olympic sports often maintain stronger emphasis on education alongside competition.
We need to protect these programs to preserve the unique U.S. model that benefits athletes worldwide.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

@CecilyTynan Up where I am now in CT is sounding like it’s gonna get it bad. Hearing 12-18”.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

Why ain’t peanut butter itself a meal? Like, why can’t you just put peanut butter in a bowl, and like, eat it. I don’t get it. I should mention I’ve had early morning practices 5 days straight, get to sleep past 3am tomorrow and am enjoying it.

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

@AdrianneCurry Born in 82. I claim “Xennial”. Dunno if that’s a real thing but I saw it online so works well enough for me!

[Gregg Schmidt @GreggSchmidt]

For those unfamiliar with who was arrested. Here is a brief synopsis. Put info myself but grok AI amazing at formattinf better for me!

2000 Elected to the National Assembly as part of Hugo Chávez’s emerging Bolivarian socialist movement.
2005–2006 Serves as President of the National Assembly, advancing Chávez’s socialist institutional reforms.
2006–2012 Appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, promoting socialist Latin American integration via ALBA while strengthening anti-imperialist alliances.
October 2012 Named Vice President by Chávez as his endorsed socialist successor.
March 5, 2013 Chávez dies; Maduro becomes interim president, vowing to deepen Chavismo socialism.
April 2013 Wins special presidential election narrowly as PSUV candidate, emphasizing continuity of socialist Bolivarian Missions.
2013–2017 Implements socialist price controls and social programs amid growing economic crisis, shortages, hyperinflation, and protests; accused of corruption in PDVSA oil embezzlement and siphoning billions via complex financial schemes.
2013–ongoing Nepotism scandals emerge, including family members (e.g., nephews of wife Cilia Flores arrested in 2015 for drug trafficking linked to regime funding).
2014–2017 Security forces accused of extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests during mass protests; reports document thousands of deaths labeled as “resistance to authority.”
2017 Convenes controversial Constituent Assembly to rewrite constitution, bypassing opposition National Assembly and consolidating power under socialist banner; faces accusations of authoritarian repression.
2018 Wins re-election widely criticized as fraudulent; U.S. sanctions intensify over corruption and human rights abuses.
2018–2020 U.S. indictment (March 2020) charges Maduro with narco-terrorism, leading Cartel de los Soles (military-led drug trafficking network), partnering with FARC to flood U.S. with cocaine, corrupting institutions for personal/family gain.
2019–2024 Faces international sanctions, partial abandonment of strict socialist controls due to crisis, but retains Chavismo ideology; accused of money laundering, gold exploitation by regime insiders, and using CLAP food program for bribery.
2020–2023 UN reports implicate Maduro in systematic crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial executions (thousands documented 2015–2020), torture, enforced disappearances by security forces.
July 2024 Disputed presidential election; regime declares Maduro winner with ~51% of vote, but opposition parallel tallies (from 80%+ of voting records) show opposition candidate Edmundo González winning ~67–70% (Maduro ~30%); widely condemned as largest electoral fraud in Latin American history, with refusal to publish tallies.
July–August 2024 Post-election protests met with repression, including at least 25 presumed extrajudicial killings, thousands arrested, and ongoing human rights abuses.
January 2025 Inaugurated for third term amid non-recognition by many countries and continued fraud allegations.
2025 U.S. escalates pressure with maritime strikes on alleged drug vessels linked to regime/cartels (Cartel de los Soles, Tren de Aragua, ELN), killing dozens; reward for Maduro’s arrest raised to $50 million; new indictments target family in corruption/drug schemes.
January 3, 2026 U.S. launches large-scale military strike in Venezuela; Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores captured and flown out of country (to USS Iwo Jima, then toward U.S. for trial); unsealed indictment charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, weapons offenses, leading corrupt narco-state that enriched family/regime through decades of drug trafficking, institutional corruption, and alliances with cartels/terror groups.

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