The Quarantined Coach Podcast: Recent Episodes
Warren Nickell
Hour-long interviews of exceptional people who have overcome tremendous obstacles to be successful. We will explore their responses to the unexpected, in hopes to help navigate what we may be facing in the coming months due to Covid-19
Nick Zieziula is currently the Head Men's Tennis Coach at Binghamton University where he lives with his wife Amy and two children Anika and Willem. Nick and I have had a very interesting start to a great friendship when I was named the Head Men's Tennis Coach at his Alma Mater over him in 2009. After some rocky interactions due to my insecurities, I realized that he was one of the most genuine and giving individuals I have ever met. Even though we are competitors now, I still go to him for advice whenever I can. He has been all over the county as a college tennis coach, and his experiences will help any young assistant coach learn how to navigate this crazy profession of college coaching.
Gordy Sage is our third guest on The Quarantined Coach Podcast. Gordy served our country as a Marine in Desert Storm, and is now a licensed optician that works as the Optical Supervisor for Fichte, Endl and Elmer Eyecare in Buffalo. Before joining the marines, Gordy was one of the best high school basketball players in New York State, playing with his good friend Christian Laettner from age 8 through high school. His stories are hilarious but poignant; Gordy's life has been extraordinary, and his sense of humor and ability to tell stories could have kept me going for hours. An avid tennis player and Bulls supporter, Gordy is a role model for me and my team.
My second guest is one of the hardest workers I have ever met in my career. Jason Shkodnik goes by many names: Yev, Bru, Bru-Bru, Genetic Anomaly, and so on. His family moved here from Kiev Ukraine when Jason was 8 months old...They had less than 1000 dollars in the bank. Jason picked up tennis at the age of 10, and two years later he moved to IMG Academy in Bradenton Florida (The home of Nick Bollettieri) while his family stayed in New York. From taking greyhounds to play tournaments, playing football to pay for high school, and becoming an Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award Winner at the University at Buffalo, Jason's story is an inspiration for anyone who listens.
George Tibil is our first guest on The Quarantined Coach Podcast. George currently is the Assistant Vice President for Model Risk Validation at M&T Bank, but the pathway to his career was anything but conventional. George's ability to overcome any obstacle placed in his way is an inspiration, and with Covid-19 wreaking havoc on our view of the future, I knew that George's story could provide insight into how to handle these unexpected hurdles we all are facing. A former player and associate head coach at UB, George has become one of my best friends over the 11 years I have known him. I appreciate his honesty and learned how important it is to evaluate all options when facing the unexpected, and use the confidence from these evaluations to make the right decision.