What a special thing that one conference could produce so many NFL stars. Is there an athletic memory that sticks out like that right there explains why it's so special here? This is the hardest question I've had this year. I've had so many different Olympians. One of the things that we can get from this is that we are both true community people. Every school has been the elite of the elite.
What makes sports in Indiana special? People don't understand unless you go there. People care. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are, however you may be listening. Thanks for tuning in to the Get Indiana podcast network. My name is Dominic Miranda and I've been covering sports for nearly a decade.
Most of which right here in Indianapolis. This is the Get In Sports Podcast. We're going to be covering everything in the Hooser State, high school, college, pro, in the sports capital of the universe in the greatest state on planet Earth. Thanks so much for coming on this journey with us. Let's get into it. On today's episode of Get In Sports, a very special episode indeed.
Earlier in the year, we celebrated 30 years of Victory Field. Now, we keep the anniversary going, celebrating 30 years of one of the most historic conferences in the state of Indiana, the Metropolitan Intercolastic Conference, the Mick. And we have two guests for us today. Two guests on with us. Two for the price of one. We love it.
First time we got two in here at the same time. Caramel Greyhounds athletic director Jim Insky and Lawrence Central principal Franklin Bush. Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming in. This is awesome. It the season's here. Absolutely.
We're ready to rock and roll. Both of you have been involved in high school athletics and education for a long time. We're here celebrating the Mick. First, I want to hear just about both of your journeys to kind of where you got today and how you have all this experience with the Mick. Principal Bush, we're going to start with you. Okay.
So, you are the principal of Lawrence Central. Yes, sir. You went to Lawrence North. Yes, sir. Okay. I don't know about that.
I don't know. Did people trust her? I don't I don't know about that, but talk to me about how you got to where you are today. The uh the best of both worlds. So, I started off as a business major uh and went into banking. My wonderful wife convinced me I needed to get into education.
She just didn't see the passion and the drive that that she knew that I had. And so, went into Butler University, uh started my transition to teaching program. Uh and then from there received a got a job in Warren Township at Lakeside Elementary. Uh spent there four years there, Stony Brook Middle School, four years. I received my first administration job at Crescent Intermediate, and Lawrence called and said, "We'd love to have you come back home." Yeah.
Went to Fall Creek Valley for four years as assistant principal, two years as a freshman school principal at Lawrence North High School, my alma mater. And then my superintendent called me 3 days before the school year started uh at the 2017 2018 school year and said, "There's an opening at Lawrence Central." Yeah. Um we would love for you to be the principal. So then 10 years later, Wow. Um here I am.
Oh my goodness. What h how much have you enjoyed being a principal of a a high school like that with such history? You get the best of both worlds, you know, Lawrence North, Lawrence Central. I imagine there's you you have the experience of both. So, you can talk of both sides of the rivalry there. But what has that been like for you to leave that school?
You know, I I truly pinch myself every day. It's it's something that I didn't imagine, something that I wasn't sure that um it was capable for myself, but I I love every second of it. um the challenges, the the complications of it, the celebrations, um the winning um when we lose, getting to see our partners and shake their hands and tell them congratulations on their on their next their next game or match. But it is just a it's a joy because you have the opportunity to provide so many opportunities uh for for staff members and and you get to provide so many opportunities and put so many great things in place for our kids in our community. Right. So, my superintendent has taught me a long time ago that your community is as strong as your your public high school.
So, you're looking at two schools that are representative really of the whole Mick and you look at our thriving communities because of a driving force of of our of our public high schools. No question about it. Very rewarding to be around the youth, right? I mean, it's pretty energizing to be it's a really cool buzz when you get onto a high school or college campus. There's no question about it. Jim, you've been the athletic director at Caramel for number 26 for me.
26 years since 2000. Is that right? Count them like dogeared. So I don't want to tell you how long I see. Yeah. 26 years.
That's awesome. Started as athletic director in 01 02 and spent a year as assistant athletic director before that. And so um lot some similarities with um with Mr. Bush in a lot of ways because I I grew up in a um household. I my parents were public school teachers and administrators. My my dad was at North Central for 23 years as athletic director.
So, wow. I lived on that other side even though we lived in Caramel. I I had more black and red in my closet until I was a sophomore in high school than uh than anything else. So, um that that North Central Carmel rivalry still um is special within our our household with my brothers and moms. So, um, but no, I started off at the middle school level as well and was teaching at Caramel Junior High and and coaching there and, uh, spent four years there and came over to Carmel High School from there. But, um, like Franklin said, you're you're it's re refreshing to be around kids.
So, you get the school year ends and it's this long journey every year and then you get to like June and the air goes out. you know, the the hallways are dark and there's all sorts of projects going on and you don't see kids and you don't thrive off of interactions with staff members and it's like I didn't want to work in the business world. So, and I feel like I'm working in an office park at that point. And then middle to late July, things start perking up a little bit and you see all the faces and kids grew, you know, five inches over the summer and uh it's it's fun to have the noise back in the hallways and events and things to look forward to on the calendar. It's just so cool. There's just something about being involved in education.
I imagine it's just every single time on Friday nights I go to a school or if I visit a college, the buzz, you just you just can't describe it. It's it's very very energizing. But when I Jim, we'll start with you here. When I say 30 years of the Mick, what what comes to mind for you? This is such a cool celebration, such a rich history with this conference. Well, I I think it kind of tells the story of the growth of Indianapolis and the surrounding areas in a lot of ways.
I mean, this this conference got its start from from four schools that really were struggling to put together football schedules. and right um my dad at the time at North Central and Bob Britt at Ben Davis and uh Jerry Staer at um at Warren Central and um who am I leaving out? Oh, and and Lee Lonzo at Carmel at the time. I should remember that. Um but the four were really struggling with it. Caramel was in the Olympic Conference at the time.
Ben Davis, Warren, North Central had not been in a conference up to that point. And um I remember those schools playing Fort Wayne schools and going up north and just really struggling to figure things out there from the mid 80s to the mid 90s. Um especially as they were growing and having great programs and the better you are, the fewer teams want to play you. When right when you when you're not very good, you have the world is your oyster for scheduling. Everyone wants to get a piece of you. So it makes it a little more difficult.
But I I see the just the growth in those. And then um being in the conference when we had taken on um well we had a little transition there with Teroot North and Teroot South and Lawrence Central and Pike coming in and it it was a better fit for our schools and our communities and and for both of those schools to come in there in 2013 and um I think it's really good and obviously we're getting the band back together this year. Yeah, we're happy about that and it's it's the right place for all eight of us. Yeah. Uh, Principal Bush, you did you play sports during your high school career? I did.
I played football and basketball. Okay. So, you know what it's like to play in this conference, to be an administrator in this conference, 30 years of excellence, and Jim just mentioned kind of the evolution of Indianapolis, you know, step for step with the Mick. What have you seen over the past three decades of just that evolution of being a part of it in your youth and now a part of it in your adult life? I've a few different things. Um it is definitely a great example of of of excellence.
Yeah. Uh across the board. Um and it has become a staple for so many other conferences that want to compete and want to compete at a very high level um athletically, academically, performing arts, a lot of different things that the schools that that we offer. So it is great to be a part of of really what's been the staple for the for the city of Indianapolis and for the state. Um, you know, and and then the other piece uh for me is just watching it. It is there's there's there's not a day off, right?
If you're playing in the mixed schedule, uh there's not a there's just absolutely not a day off. Um and so sometimes the wins and losses don't tell the full story of the kids or the programs or the schools. Uh but you get to see the opportunities that our kids get to have after they leave the school. you get to see the universities um colleges career um uh workforce uh developments that want to come and grab our kids because of the competition that's in front of them all the time. And so we take a lot of pride, you know, in into that as well. Yeah.
And rightfully so. And Jim, you mentioned getting the band back together. What about a fiveyear hiatus for both Caramel and Center Grove? Yeah, about three years. Yeah. Or three years.
Okay. So, can you talk me through like the getting out and getting back in? I don't know if that's anything's taboo there, but just like what's Okay. Well, yeah. What What's that being back? I'm sure like you said, it's a good feeling.
I mean, what what a conference we're talking about, right? It is a great conference and uh we have so many great things amongst the eight schools and all eight schools are different in a lot of different ways. But the things that I love about that is just the collaboration. And so you you walk in the room with other schools and there's this brotherhood, sisterhood that relates there. And so you know that each school has great things they're doing and and I love getting together collaboratively with our other athletic administrators because I want to learn. I want to learn the things they're doing.
I want to know what makes their life more efficient. And then we want to do that. That's the thing. in administration and in athletics, it's a lot different than than when you're a head coach somewhere coaching football. You don't want to share your secrets. You know, I've got this great zone coverage.
I don't want anyone to know about it. But in our worlds, hey, I I learned how to do something really well and it's been more efficient and better for us. I'd like for you to hear about it. And you don't get that in a lot, even in the business world. You know, someone's doing something well. It's a obviously monetarily driven there, so you don't want to share all your secrets.
But in our world, we're all trying to do things better because in a lot of ways, like Franklin's talking about, it's about preservation. So, um, it's it's a very intense thing that you do in administration at these schools. So, you want to make each other better. So when you talk about, you know, what what kind of led up to and and kind of getting back in the last three years, you know, you know, sometimes in in families, you go through some rough patches and um you know, for Center Grove and Carmel, we were looking at our the totality of our programs and um but when you get right back down to it and you start talking with some other conferences, etc. , the Mick was was always home for us and and you've got these long-standing relationships and and Friday nights are very very special and um you know you want to be where you where you're wanted and then I think at the end of the day um these eight schools really um connect with each other and and again these communities are different and I think sometimes being different is a great thing, right?
It really is and I think that's what brings us together more than anything else. Yeah. Rising tide lifts all boats, right? it just what company to keep in this conference. You know, I obviously your mind always goes to football, but every single sport so highly competitive. When you think back in your experience with the Mick and Jim, we can keep with you here.
Is there an athletic memory that sticks out over the past just when you've been involved or just over the totality of the Mick that you're like that that right there explains why it's so special? I I love seeing, you know, every school that's been in it has had these these huge um periods where they've had a program that's just been the elite of the elite. And what I enjoy the most is everybody understands and and recognizes and respects that. You know, you're you're pulling for your own kids and teams, but you also recognize when there's this run going on how special it is. And and to me, it's special for the conference, right? because it just brings more positive light to what's going on.
So, you look at some of the just when I started off the Ben Davis Yeah. um girls basketball dynasty of the early 2000s with Stan Binge and then I remember the first year with James Banks at at at Ben Davis. What a dude. And and then you kind of fast forward a few years now. We've got the Lawrence North Dynasty in basketball with Mike Connley and Greg Odin and and we've only had three sellout crowds in boys basketball in my time there and that was the first of the three. Wow.
And so that was a really really special thing. You know something's happening when when you have a sellout way in advance of a basketball game on a Friday night in February which is really really neat. Um but you know there's just been other things that that have popped up. Warren Central had this run in football. Um, we've seen Lawrence Central in girls basketball. Everyone's had these different time periods which have been really special in their school and I feel like we get to to share in all of that.
And then, you know, you get down to other sports that may not get as much attention in the public, but this North Central Caramel tennis rivalry over the years, which a lot of people don't understand unless you go there, um, it's it's had its es and flows over the last 50 years, but it is it is the match. Yeah, it is something else. And um it's a little can be a little rambunctious at times, but it is uh people don't think of that in tennis. It's kind of the live golf of uh of of high school tennis. I love that. Okay.
Yeah. Yeah. Ollie, we'll still be around. Yeah. Right. Yeah.
That's funny. Yeah. Dealing dealing uh dealing with parents one of the perks of the job, I imagine. Right. No, everyone everyone handles themselves uh great. uh Principal Bush to you uh again just playing in this conference and that's such a good point Jim brings up about the different eras and the different sports and it's true.
I mean every team has had their their day, their sport, their era, their run. What sticks out to you as a as a as a memory or a moment just in being involved with the Mick? And maybe you have several different ones just because of your time playing and experience with, you know, Lawrence North and Lawrence Central. You know, I've been able to to be on both sides of the district. of the rivalry. I can't believe it.
Here to tell the tale. Um, you know, just to just to see, you know, everything um from Lawrence North's perspectives and also being at Lawrence Central and really having to dig into the history of the school of a school that you once just wanted to beat no matter what to all now developing and creating the programs to be, you know, one of the top schools to match with the Caramels, Ben Davis, U North Centrals and and be there. So, you know, I I agree with Jim. There's just so many moments. There's so many moments selfishly for for me. Uh Lawrence Central basketball.
Yeah. Winning a state championship a few years ago when we were um not we were one of the worst programs historically in the state for years. And so for for us to you know win five games was great, but for know coach Lampley and her staff, athletic director, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Connors to to put together a team and and a formula to to be able to do that and then stay competitive and now just to be able to stay in the mix. I think you know Jim would I would say that if you give yourself an opportunity just to be in this mix you give yourself an opportunity uh you know to win and potentially win it all.
And so uh it's just just so many great just so many great talents. We've know what Caramel has has has done has been uh the staple of of of excellence and winning in so many different ways. And um you know, he's right like we we we do a lot together. We do a lot together. Share on Friday Night Football. Halftime we're walking and checking out facilities and doing other things and talking and um but then we also look at to see what the recipe of their excellence is and and try to to try to match that as as much as possible.
Yeah. And so, you know, we love it. We we we kind we really want to consider ourselves like the Big 10 of of of high school sports. Yeah. Uh and just to create that competitive nature with with each other, but you know, we're very proud and supportive. So, one of us is out.
We are texting each other like, you know, do it for the Mick. Yeah. Do it for the Mick. I love that. So, we appreciate the, you know, the the family atmosphere that we've always had and continue to have. That's really awesome.
I maybe Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead, Dominic. You know, one of the things that I have enjoyed in my time period is seeing you go through this regular season, you know, we're talking about the basketballs, the footballs, and and sometimes the teams that make a run in the state tournament are not the team that won the conference. And I think that just speaks to how much, you know, I I put that a lot on the coaching staffs that continue to be consistent every day in their message, and this is everywhere across the Mick.
Um, but I remember so many years where there have been teams in the Mick that that finished third or fourth in football and then went on this big run and and won a state championship. And we've seen the same thing in in boys and girls basketball. And I think it just speaks to the depth of of the conference and I think it speaks to the consistency and the confidence that these coaching staffs build. you I love walking in to gyms and seeing the coaches from other schools too. And you you have these relationships with them at other schools as well. And I think that that says a lot about, you know, we're when you're between the lines, you want to fight like crazy against each other, but when you get outside of it, you know, there there are these relationships and it's it's not like sometimes you envision, you know, if you want to talk about being the Big 10 of it.
Yes. But, you know, in the Big 10, I'm not sure they're breaking bread afterwards. No, not that way. I don't know if there is eager for the other school's success there. I'm not not too sure about it. It's a great point you bring up too.
Not only the the difficulty of the conference and all sports, but for you two in particular, the schools you're at. I mean, the sectional is as hard as I pick a sport. The sectional is as hard as it'll prepare you for. I mean, the regional semi-state and state sometimes is a breeze when you get out of your sectional. I just think back to, you know, Brownsburg and Ben Davis for instance, not in the Mick exactly, but Ben Davis comes or, you know, Brownsburg blows this huge lead, Ben Davis goes on to win state and then vice versa the very next year. It's just insane to me.
Um, not growing up in Indianapolis, how competitive it all is. Both of you have had experience winning state championships. I mean, Jim, I I mean, girls swimming aside, okay, we can we can exclude that. It's probably been quite a few for you and you have the experience with the state championship. I want to ask this to both of you. What What is that feeling like cuz you're all chasing it all the time as a school, as an athletic department, as a team when you have a team finally reach that pinnacle and maybe you can remember your very first one that you were a part of.
What is that feeling like when you finally do it and you know the work the coaches put in, the time they put in, how much it means to the kids, the community. What's that like? Either of you can go first. I I think you um is different on our side of the fence because you know all the things behind the scenes that go into it, you know, the adversity that maybe a staff overcame or difficult situations and challenges that they had to overcome in a certain year. And um so I always think back to kind of that process with with the coaches and I I I enjoy that part more than anything else is seeing our coaches ecstatic in the euphoria and and the kids are really you know they're going to be ecstatic because they get to do it once. I always say you know even in in Caramel girls swimming this team is the only time that this team will be together.
This the only time that this group of senior girls Yeah. will be seniors in this program. And so, you know, sometimes you kind of you minimize that because it's the streak of 40 straight years, but you also think back to there, every team has its own, you know, uh, identity. Every team has its own um, character and all these things and culture that goes into it. But for me, when you get on these runs and you do things, and it is different in different sports, like going down and and and hugging Aaron McGrill at girls track this last two years, and and we'd go on a spell of 25 years in between state championships and girls track and Aaron and I ran cross country together. And so, you know, just knowing how much he had put into it and seeing, you know, knowing there have been some years where they've been right there and it and it didn't happen.
um that to me I I just love seeing our coaches be be happy and everything else is really important but we work so closely with the coaches on a daily basis and trying to get them the things they need and and um you know it's kind of like the the the Snoopy graphic where you know you've got um the the big box and they're giving the advice for 10 cents on the other side of it. I always think that's kind of what happens in our office a lot. you're you're giving these these conversations and listening and um offering feedback too. And I think that's, you know, that's part of education and leadership, too, is just helping to coach up teachers, helping to coach up coaches and everyone else to try to get through these rough patches and get them to figure figure things out on their own, but leading them that way. So, you see, and you see the the investment. I mean, some most people don't understand the the time it takes, especially when you're at the top of the top athletically and and again, pick a sport here in Indianapolis, like it takes a lot of time.
They're spending time away from their kids, their family, their wives. Um, and so it just that's a cool perspective of how rewarding it is. And for you, I mean, not only do you saw this this drought end in in girls basketball, something you thought maybe wasn't possible, and then you get the coach, the team, the elation, you know, the township, everything. You know, what what was that like for you to to w to witness? Yeah. One one part is just a big sense of pride.
Absolutely. And the another one is I talk to my staff and community all the time about belief. Yeah. Just believing. Um and sometimes um that is just just just the beginning point to get yourself to you know to have that opportunity. Um and so watching it all unfold um and just standing there uh you you you think about anyone who may have doubt it in a sense you think about the distractions and you get back to the point you just say you know the our recipe worked and this is what it needs to look like.
We don't have to entertain the distractions. we don't have to do some of the things that people are saying we can't and that just becomes a part of it. So I know all of our school communities are different which then means all of our team and the the little things about the teams where they where they need to be. What team needs to get over the that hill for the first time to go. Um and so for us it for myself it was just the the sense of pride and like okay here's a belief now we can do this we can do this and anything if we really want to put all the work in into it and make it happen and no distractions um and you know the piece of part of it too with leadership much of our joy is much of I enjoy it is that you just have to keep your peace in the midst of all this as well because if you don't keep your peace and and really love the up and downs of it like the challenge es of it and you get lost into uh too much of of the things that don't go the way you want to, then I don't think you'll have the ultimate success, you know.
So, I love what you said about the team who wins a conference doesn't always not the team who who advances and goes and wins. We've seen that so many times. So, just just enjoying the process as much as possible. That's so cool, man. Yeah. There's just some that's why I wanted to get involved in sports.
There's just something about it that just transcends a ball at a basket or scoring a touchdown. It's just the community aspect. I mean, that's I mean, geez, that's what keeps the lights on with Operation Football is just these these communic these communities coming together and how passionate they are. I think that's what makes Indiana different. The the the emphasis on high school sports. Would you I mean, would you agree with that?
I mean, I' I've been to different parts of the state. I don't know your experience in state or out of state but the emphasis it feels like that is put on not like added pressure but like really focus emphasis passion from the fan bases the parents the players the media do you see that do you feel that does that does that resonate with you 100% and I think it's just gotten bigger in the last 30 years um and I'm not just talking about the Mick I'm talking all over the state small communities mediumsiz large you're seeing this pride in the school. The school is the rally point in every community. And it is. And and I I think back this morning, I'm watching some of the um the the floods coverage. And here we are at Cambridge City.
They're having a meeting, a town meeting in the school gymnasium. Yeah. Talking about things that you can do to get involved. And and of course, those things happen at the school, you know, and and no matter what the size community you're at, it always comes back to the school. So it is we see this in high school sports across the board and and sometimes you get um you know it's the state softball state baseball and the 2A crowd is bigger than the 4A crowd because it is just this team that everyone is attached that wagon to and they are all in every week as it's keeps building up week to week. But you know what we're seeing is you know Friday Night Lights has become a huge thing more so than it was even 30 years ago.
And so I've always said it's it's much more of a community event and a a social event than it's ever been than anything else. Now obviously the play on the field's important too for a lot of people, but this this sense of community and people coming out especially early in the season is um it kind of signals the start of the the back to the school year. But I think it, you know, everyone talks about the single class basketball and the 50s and 60s and all these things, you know, as if that was the benchmark, but no, nobody was going to these other things like they are now, right? So there is a little bit of a transition in terms of what people are looking forward to. And I I think a lot of that has to do with it's it's one night a week, right? And I can put it on my calendar and you know, in the basketball world, it might be a Tuesday night.
It might be Saturday night and when when um folks like Franklin and I have been in a gym all day Saturday watching our kids play something the last thing you want to do is go watch somebody else's kids play on Saturday night. So it becomes a little more of a a difficult mix of getting people there but not in the fall. No, not not on a Friday night in football. And it's um your job Dominic is make sure the weather is good. Yes. We were so lucky for that.
Yeah. Last was awesome. Yeah. What what what do you what just I just feel and he he hit the nail on the head, too. You know, I I've seen it. I grew up around South Bend.
Just the way they value their high school sports in West Central Indiana and Teroot. I mean, at a game with 300 people at it, but they were going crazy in a 1A battle or Evansville or I mean, over in Richmond. I mean, it's just awesome to me. And that's what everyone I ask, you know, what makes sports special in Indiana? I'll ask you guys as well later, but they say the emphasis on high school sports, a lot of them. Do you feel that?
Absolutely. And and and your original question, I think it's uh it's it's needed and we appreciate it big time because we have a lot of talented kids and we and we need to and we need to talk our talk and we need to let our kids have the platform to show um you know who they are, what their school community is about, what the state is about, what our conference is about. So, we do absolutely appreciate the the coverage, the um it's fun to watch all the preseason uh things that are going on and the interviews uh that are happening with the kids and we just have very talented and dedicated coaches and there's people behind the scene that help and assist the coach and so it is a huge sense of pride and community aspect when we do get to see our kids be showcased and and celebrated in in so many different ways. So, I I can't thank enough, you know, for for everyone who who has a hand. I know there's a lot of work behind the scene that happens for that, but there's so many moving pieces uh in and in and digging in information.
Yeah. Uh to figure that out. So, it is it's beyond appreciated. That's good stuff. Yeah. I just I love that.
It's one of the things I mean, I look I so look forward to Fridays in the fall. It's like 20our days for 20our days for me, but I I can't get enough of it. Like, it's only 10 weeks. I tell myself I'll see my wife later. But anyway, all right. So, this here is all about celebrating 30 years of the mix.
All right. We're excited about that. Uh, just as far as conferencewide or your particular schools, what do we have planned? Anything celebrationwise or recognition wise as I mean, not just the the football season, but the whole year as a whole presses on. Do you have anything planned? Yeah, we do.
We have uh we have a lot of different events that we have coming up and and rolling out for for our students. Of course, we have uh the athletic events. We're doing the kickoff for the Center Grove and in Warren Central. Mick match up and so there will be that'll be our our May kickoff which will be great and we have different things that will roll out through the year. Caramel is is being a great host to our some of our student leaders uh next week. So we get to send uh each of our schools get to send 10 kids there to go through a a leadership opportunity and training and then we just have different events throughout the throughout um throughout the year.
Um so it's just a very proud um and caring and loving and competitive. won't throw out the competitive uh conference. Uh but we look to do different things from each other on each other's campuses so that our kids have exposure. Uh Lauren Central usually will host the uh the show choir camp and invite the other show choirs to come in and perform and have professional judges give feedback and they get to collaborate and and meet with each other meet each other. So, just some of the examples that we have, but we're looking forward to a great year of uh celebrating our kids and more and and absolutely winning. Yeah.
And Central Indiana wins as a result. And I that's what I love is is the support you guys both have talked about. But Jim, what Caramel have anything planned uh just as far as celebration or anything like that? Yeah, we're, you know, we're doing lots of little things, you know, and and for people to kind of understand this this 30 years of of history, right, more than anything else because I think when you get to these these landmarks, you have to kind of go back in time too to see some of the great things that have happened. And so whether it's just the conference growth or but it to me it's also these celebrations along the way. Um, at our 25th anniversary, we did a all Mick team for all of the sports, which was a really great collaborative effort between all the schools and and and coaches that had some some had retired many years before, but to find out like who in your mind in the late '9s, who were these people that were the best?
And so, those are some of the things that I'm sure we'll kind of bring bring back into the mix a little bit and making people aware of some of the landmark um performances and and individuals that are in there. But so many things have have evolved over the years. You talk like, you know, our our facilities have continued to improve, which I think just walk handinhand with the pride that communities take in their in their schools, etc. But we have a new video board that'll be at our football field. And so even last Friday night at our our home football scrimmage, being able to hype up the Mick with some videos that have been put together by the Pence group was just to me a special thing of seeing all eight schools represented in it and these different student athletes talking about their school. And um I want everyone to know when they walk into our facilities that that it is eight schools, but it's one conference that that they understand we're part of something else.
It's not just us sitting up on the north side in our our little cocoon up here and we can't can't get out of it. I mean, we are part of something bigger and and we need to celebrate that as well. So, there'll be stickers on the back of football helmets and all these all these little things um that you want. So, that's awesome. And okay, I love what you said about the history because I think you have to kind of maybe to some who don't know, explain why it is such a big deal that we're celebrating 30 years of the Mick. I want to ask both of you.
First of all, all I would love a little Mick all decades team or something like that. That'd be really cool in all the sports. I think that'd be a fun exercise. But to both of you, is there an athlete or athletes maybe one to three throughout your time that you're like, "Yeah, that's the one that's the one man or woman that really sticks out to me is like, okay, they were different." And that's the Mick produced them to what they became. It's tough.
Both of you have a rich history. I know. But I mean, I just found that interesting with the history piece that maybe you're like, "Oh, yeah. These are the ones." When you get down to the individual sports, it's it's, you know, everyone's got to be in their own little category. Oh, yeah.
But I I think of of um of Reese Humphrey that was a a state champion many years at Lawrence North. And Lawrence North at that time was the was the gold standard in wrestling in the state. And we've seen this in lots of different areas. And I go back to um some of these great teams that Pike has had in boys basketball where several players playing in the NBA. I think sometimes we lose track of the fact that what a special thing that one conference could produce so many NFL and NBA stars, but then I kind of get off to this other part where we've had we had so many different Olympians from the different schools, whether it's Lena Herby, whether it's I mean, we've just had all of these different different athletes that have been unbelievable. At our school, we we've had the Shackles and Oh, yeah.
Jake Mitchell and Drew Kibler. and to have our own head coach be a part of the Olympic swimming staff. We do offer swimming at at our high schools, but you know, it's it's it's different at different schools, right? There's different pockets of things that that the communities have gravitated to over the years. So, I just think of some of these these great individual performers that is just been amazing to watch. I mean, I I I never want to lose track of some of those things and and as a competitor, you walk in and you're like, I can't wait till they graduate, right?
You know, but you have you also embrace getting the opportunity to watch him. Exactly. You know, I mentioned James Banks at at um Yeah. And you know, you think about Trace Jackson Davis at Center Grove and some of these great players that we've had a chance to to see over the years, Eric Gordon and others. Um remember watching Eric Gordon as a freshman upset us in the boys basketball sectional and that early in my career. That was a hard one to get over because we really had visions of of going pretty far that year.
But high school sports great, right? Hopefully his success eased it a little like, okay, this guy was he's pretty good. Okay, he ended up okay, you know, we get a chance to watch performers that are just unbelievable. And then you get to see them after high school and then you really get a chance to understand how how great they were. And you know, it's it's some of the staples of these different coaching staffs and head coaches in different sports. I think when you look back on the history of the IHSAA in different sports, you'll say that these these best coaches in these different sports, so many of them had had their footprints in the Mick.
So many of them made their mark in in what we do here. So, and that that even predates 1996 as well, right? You know, Dick Delahan made central Indiana football. I mean, he made a lot of the culture of Carmel in the 70s. And I think a lot of people forget that. He left Caramel to go to go to Purdue and then ended up at at West Point with Jim Young, but then comes back to Ben Davis and builds this unbelievable special culture there and and what a run.
So, um, we we've had individuals like we're we're great to have Kevin Wright back and Kevin had an unbelievable run at at Warren Central in the early 2000s. So, you've seen a lot of that coaches at different schools in the conference and um it's it's it's a great thing. The best coaches definitely gravitate towards the Mick. I mean, just the names he was saying, but then you like Jeff Teague at Pike and then the Odin and Connley at Lawrence North. Like, what who sticks out? The list.
We could just go all day. This could be the podcast all day. This is the hardest question I've had so far this year. Obviously, I love it. You have me follow Mr. Ends as well.
I think one of the things that we can get from this is that we are both true community people, right? In a lot of different ways. And there's just so many angles on that. I I guarantee Mr. and can give you a time when he was in high school or college and he could say I remember being there. I it's really hard for me to pick any one and anything.
I will tell you I was the ball boy for Lawrence North's first state championship in '89. Nice. I was in fifth grade and so there's just so many there's I mean we can go through each school and we can just spend hours just talking about just the legacies and the impact and and a lot of different people. It's it's just it's just rich. And then what's it's what's fun about it, it's it's 2026 and we we are still seeing that that trajectory, still seeing that path of a lot of great kids and a lot of great teams. Um so I you put me on the spot with that one.
That's a difficult question. It's it's a good one though. I mean, it's a sweet exercise because truly it's and it's like every decade has their, like you said at the beginning, the runs and the teams and players and we we're still talking about them today, which I find fascinating and we'll never forget what they meant to Central Indiana and to the Mick and to their particular schools and how people latched on to them. And again, I just think that's what makes Indiana great. But well, Lawrence North was a great team in '89. And a lot of people forget too that was the one year that Bedford North Lawrence didn't reach the final four because Floyd Central had upset them in the regional with Pat Graham.
And so that was that was a big deal for them. I mean, they thought that was going to happen and Lawrence North at something else. Um, but Cooko was a great team that year as well. And I I think back to even predating the Mick. This the rich history of these schools like growing up in North Central Panther. I I grew up on Friday nights of watching Lars Tate and Gary Thurman and Ray Wallace and I thought those guys walked on water.
I they were the most amazing thing and and Lars Tate hurts his uh groin the week of practice in the regional when they lose to Washington back in 83. And that that that was the year for North Central football. I mean, that was the year he was the number one recruit in the nation. Oh my word. Goes to Georgia, follows Hershel Walker. I mean, was there was there a bigger stage than the running back at Georgia at the time?
I mean, no. No. Um, there's just you even go back before 96, all these schools have had some some great great things. And I think some people forget before there was Lawrence Central and Lawrence North, there was Lawrence, right? and and Lawrence Central obviously, but but back in like 75, North Central or Carmel and and Lawrence Central play in the old Caramel Stadium, which is now our soccer field behind the building there. And um the quarterback at the time that goes and plays at uh at IU, his name is escaping me right now, but but between he and Mark Herman, they throw for like over 800 yards.
And and as the legend has it, because I was one at the time, but as as the legend has it was there there were over 10,000 people with the stadium like up the hill and everything else. And it was a game that was um it ended up like 52 to 48. Oh my word. You can only imagine what was it Steve Rley? Is that is that right? Yes.
I say yes. Sounds right to me. But he played at at IU in basketball. So um unreal just the coolest stuff. I love going back in the time machine here and just like it it's just what makes this worth celebrating, worth noting, worth going back through for people to know, to reminisce, and I think that brings a lot of people together. But you mentioned this uh but principal Bush, we'll start with you, but how have you seen the conference change?
And I I wanted to explore that a little more. for him. He kind of mentioned facilities and things of that nature or just I mean high school athletics in general has changed a lot even recently but how have you seen the conference kind of evolve? I think one of the uh evolutions of it is just some of our programming some of things that we now offer that we didn't offer five six years ago from you know for for us you know boys volleyball um girls wrestling flag football which is just taking off. Yes. Very cool.
And so just the programming and the opportunities that we continue to provide, you know, for for our students and for our community. Uh facilitywise, absolutely. We've our superintendent has a huge vision and and he wants to keep up and if not keep up, be in front of providing great facilities uh for for our school community and more importantly just for our visitors who are coming in to make sure that they have a great experience as well. to see, you know, just just everything that is just up to date, modern, the video boards, the the intros, the celebrations, the turning off the lights before and and you know, the music. And so that has been a big part of us as well. And then the other part of the evolution too, a lot of people don't really get when it comes to coaching, it is almost I'm not saying that they that the coaches do, but the student athletes are are training or competing 365 days a year.
Oh yeah. So I watch kids who are coming in and their skill level, their athletic maturity, their strength, uh their ability just way different than, you know, than when I was in high school and and playing. And so there's been a lot of that too. And then you just as the competitive nature, you have to figure out how you keep up and how you maintain. Um so we talk a lot about consistency uh and then sustainability. Yeah.
Um and so you're just watching you watch that and then the access that they have to each other and how we have to each other through social media, right? Um yes, through everything else it is just put everything on a different platform for us right now. So we take a great pride at just trying to keep up with with that as well and just be one of the the staples of of doing it. Yeah, absolutely. How have you seen the conference evolve? Yeah, Franklin hit it right there.
the end of the games instead of like sometimes you're worried about the handshake line, but they're embracing each other because they play on the same travel team. And so, yes, when I grew up, we didn't know anyone outside of our town. You know, anyone that was from Noblesville, we we weren't allowed to talk to. So, but now like everybody knows each other and a lot of it is just this access to things 365 days of the year, but but the experience that kids are having, you know, that they're being provided year round and it's not just just the school itself, it is all of the other opportunities, whether it's their private lessons, whether it's their AAOU team, whether it's their travel or club team. And and those things are great because I think it really, you know, they're getting great coaching there, too. and they're getting to continue to hone their craft to whatever their goal is they want to be.
But one of the real advantages we've had and I think that I've seen seen all the schools in the Mick latch on to and and across the state here in the last 10 years is that there's something different about educationbased athletics. There's something different about the fact that all day long you are representing your school and your community. And as we talk at our school, you are representing the 5,200 families that are in our building, the 600 staff members, the alumni. So there there are eyes on you. And while maybe not everyone knows the result of your game last night, they certainly will know if something really negative happened, right? So you have to understand the responsibility you have to what you represent because if you're in a club tournament in Ohio, nobody knows what happened there, right?
But they do when you put on that uniform for your school. And um I think there's a lot of that when we can collaborate with a teacher to get you over a challenge in a class and and get you back on the right path. Yeah. And we can talk about either whether it's your attendance, whether it's your behavior, whether it's all these things that encompass the well-rounded kids. So when they get that diploma at the end of four years that when they're walking away, we have prepared them for the next step. And it may not be just athletics.
It is for life, right? It's about the time management. It's about problem solving. It's about working together and working through issues. There is conflict. Every team's going to have conflict.
If you didn't have conflict, it probably wasn't a very competitive situation, right? But but when you are invested in all the things that you're invested in, it is going to create conflict and in in trying to work through things. So, I love seeing that that um constant journey every year where we see our seniors in every sport trying to figure out what it means to be a leader and to lead other people because just because you cross over that threshold of junior to senior year doesn't mean that you have all the tools to be a leader, right? It's it's a lot easier to be a bad leader than it is to be a good leader. So, how do I embrace when there's a kid that's younger than me that's starting over me, but I'm expected to be the leader, right? So, that's such a good point.
It is. And those will be things that that you have in life. You may have done all the work behind the scenes at your job when you're 35 or 40 and there's someone else that takes all the credit for it, right? And that's just that's life in and of itself. So you got to got to figure that whole thing out and keep your emotions in check and move forward. So a lot of things to learn through it.
Life is nothing if not adverse at at times, right? And sports is such a beautiful microcosm of life. And I can't imagine going through my youth without being involved in sports and how much that prepared me. Things are going to go wrong. How do you navigate this? How do you keep a good attitude?
Right? You control your effort and your attitude in life. That's it. So, how do you how do you what better than sports? I mean, if you lose three straight, if you go into the playoffs three and six and rattle off five and win a state championship, like it can happen. That's why sports is great and that's why the belief is so important, too.
Um, as far as sports goes. Well, this has been awesome, guys. This has been super cool. I'm so excited to celebrate the Mick. Um, first or I guess two things to leave you with. First of all, Friday Night Lives is back this Friday.
Well, I guess the time you listen to this, maybe a little we'll be midway through the season, but what are we most looking forward to for your specific programs this year? Lot to be excited about, I would imagine. We'll start with you, Principal Bush. Um, you know, I'm I'm beyond excited for Coach Russ man. Yeah. Uh, his energy.
uh guard that man his energy u his excitement he's brought very very strong staff on as well um and he's taking over kind of a mixed team of some some youth and and a few veterans is as well so you know what does that look like week by week you know he's he I believe he's a mastermind and he'll have game plans put together and help the kids execute as much as possible so I'm just I'm I'm excited that we're not on the radar and let's see where where ends up. But I you know um as I always say I'm rolling with Russ and rolling with Russ and I'm excited about just the energy and um the engagement that he's brought to to Lawrence Central and our community in a very very short time. It was something that was much needed. So we're excited for for that. He's an energetic guy. There's no doubt about it.
I hope LNL LC is as excited as both matchups were. Yes. Last year. Surprised you didn't have to see your cardiologist after those. I mean, my goodness, unbelievable stuff. Especially that sectional that you were on the right side of.
Yes. So, that was nice. Uh well, I'll try as well. I'm trying to get him in some blue and gold. He's maroon, but his daughter plays tennis for us. Oh, is that right?
Very instrumental three single state championship team last year. Oh my goodness. How about that? and he had an unbelievable match against Center Grove in the state quarterfinals that that really was one of those matches that got us over. So, no way. But I got to get him into some blue and gold.
He hodgepodge of colors. I'm like, "Ain't nobody wearing maroon over here." Okay, so we're got to figure that out. But Russ is Reyes is a great guy and he's gonna bring great great energy to the the Bears this year. Yes. Um I just look to see like there's so many so many holes to fill every year.
Oh yeah. And and seeing all these these uh juniors that become seniors and they become kind of these monsters over the summer. You haven't really seen them much over two months and they come back and they've got these broad shoulders and it's like what have you been eating all summer? Uh but I just there's so much energy and enthusiasm right now and um I I just we we'll have a target on our back in football this year and we know that and uh that'll be a fun thing for us and we we've got some other fall sports teams that that all have some really really high um goals for themselves and uh our soccer teams boy soccer team is coming off uh state championship and Max Prep's national championship last year and we scrimmaged Brownsburg last week And uh we saw that people will be excited to play you and you better be ready to play is um that's that's one of the great parts about high school sports is um there is enthusiasm.
You got to bring it every night and and you know when you've got it on your chest, everyone's going to be excited to play you. And so uh you've got to bring that same energy as well. But we've got a newly renovated stadium. Yeah, I've been passing on the way to Colts camp. Looks good. It's uh it's going to be really an outstanding place and and we we needed some um improvements there.
We were we're it was built in 1991, so this is the 36th season of the And I think that's hard for a lot of people to understand that that facility is now 36 years old because it doesn't seem like it does not. Um but when you've got a concrete structure, concrete's not forever. We see that with driveways and roads and everything else. So um but we were putting a lot of lipstick on that pig on Friday night. So, uh, we're not no lipstick anymore. It's going to be really nice.
Um, and I think just the whole the whole fan experience for both visiting teams and and our community will be something that people can embrace and and roll up to on Friday night and say, "This is this is how it should be. This is great." It's pretty cool. Yeah. And having coach right back, I know that was a huge talking point last year, but I mean, just right back in the mix, that that feels good. That's got to feel good.
He's uh he's had some success. Yeah, I think so. He's been around the block and uh we're we're excited to have him at our place again. That's awesome. All right, fellas. I'm going to leave you with this.
I ask all my guests. Um either of you can take this one first, but what makes sports in Indiana special? History. For me, it just it is the history of it. It's the accomplishments. It's the kids that and the coaches that have come through the state of Indiana uh and then gone on to bigger stages and then do it again and then gone on to another big the biggest stage and then they do it again.
Uh, and so they they do that right here in a little bit of Indiana sometimes if they call us outside of the the state. But, um, you know, I think that part of it is is just it's just tremendous. And then again, it's 2026 and we're just going to see that repeat over and over again in in the landscape of competition, the landscape of everyone pulling your kids out of the school community. Try and they can go anywhere they want. And that happens sometimes. Some of our best kids go on other places and you just see that next kid step up and you're like, "We still have talent.
We still have tremendous talent and we're still going to compete at the highest level and that next kid is is going to that next level." And you just continue to to watch that out of out of Indiana high school sports. Yeah, absolutely. Jim, what do you think? What makes sports in Indiana special? People care.
Yeah. I mean, they they care and and it matters to them. And I think you see this collegiately across the board and and I'm a Purdue guy, but even I respect the IU football national championship round last year and um some folks that that are IU fans watched some of their first IU football games last year. So that was kind of fun too. But you know, it's to me I also said it speaks to me about the growth of that sport. Yeah.
Over the last 30 years in in the state. Um, but high school sports matter and and people take a lot of pride from where they're from and where they live and that's part of their identity. Um, no matter what it is, whether it was I was in the marching band and we worked our tail off for what seemed like 30 hours a week. um and everywhere, you know, everyone's got their own things and their story to tell, but it it matters. And I think people take pride in in where they went to school across the state much more than when you get to other states in other parts of the country. It's not where conversations start.
And in Indiana, it seems like every conversation starts with, "Oh, so where you from? So you went to XYZ High School?" "Oh, yeah. You were you were at J County High School?" "Yeah, I we went to J County. We were in the Olympic conference.
Yeah. I I I once killed 25 bees in your press box before announcing a game up there. Yeah, that is a true story, by the way. So, um but yeah, it's it's to me that's a lot about about the fabric of the state. I mean, people take pride in everything here. So much pride.
That's why it's great to be a Hooser, right? That's why this is exists is because just bringing light to what makes Indiana great. And you're so right. You went to this high school. Oh, you must know so and so. Oh, you remember when this guy or this girl played there in one state?
That was what a run that was. And it's just the best. I can't imagine a better state for it bias at least speaking. But anyway, okay, we got Caramel athletic director Jim Inskeep, Lawrence Central principal Franklin Bush. I appreciate both your guys' time. Thank you celebrating the Mick 30 years.
Be get out to a Lawrence Central or Carmel football game or watch anybody in the Mick. Honestly, it's going to be a fun football season. I mean, a lot of state contenders are coming from the Mick. could rattle off four or five off the top of my head. Really good stuff, fellas. Thank you so much for your time.
This has been Get in Sports, a special 30 anniversary episode of the Metropolitan Interscolastic Conference, The Mick. Keep it locked with us all football season long. We're in full swing now. Now we're going to have many more guests coming on the Get In Sports podcast with Don Miranda.