Kicking Back with the Cooks | June 2024

In this summer episode of Kicking Back with the Cooks, join Coach Cook and Lauren Cook-West in the discussion of 415, the AVCA First Serve Showcase, and quizzing Coach on his Zach Bryan knowledge.

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introducing kicking back with the cooks presented by Woodhouse 18 Brands 16 convenient locations simplified car buying to save you time shop finance and buy online at woodhouse.com here’s head coach John Cook along with your host Lauren cook West welcome back another episode kicking back with the cooks happy summer and we are going to start off today’s episode with some major news which I’m sure a lot of you are already familiar with but coach Cook congratulations you’re coaching through 2028 brand new contract and a brand new horse really is that all a is that all a dream or is that for real it it’s for real it’s in print this is real you’re not dreaming I want the unedited full story of how this came full circle and how all of this happened all I know from the from the beginning alls I know is I found out uh uh how many people read The Wall Street Journal because the article was in there yesterday and a lot of people texted me that read the article in the Wall Street Journal so uh they did they found it a very interesting piece they they knew nothing about volleyball coaching Sports the Riders but or horses but they found the story fascinating and and ran it but uh so you were in the Wall Street Journal you were at Fox News I mean ESPN every major news source that some that don’t even cover sports are are heavily involved in the sports world like Wall Street Journal for example I mean that’s pretty incredible yeah yeah so anyway it’s well it’s a cool story but uh where would you like me to start Lauren from the beginning when when the wheels started turning on on this idea so the um when we were looking at horses uh mark who’s uh Mark Ray Performance Horses who’s when when is this back in this is all the way back in March back in March okay and I actually had been out this is he work he trains horses at the pitser ranch so it’s it’s kind of a big all all-in-one encompassing group out there so anyway I rode a bunch of horses your your brother rode a bunch of horses we were looking at and then when I went out late March Mark Ray brought out 4:15 and he goes I want you to ride this horse and I said okay and as soon as I got on him started riding and roping on him I’m like wow this this is a really good horse he goes I just want you to feel like what a really great horse does and and how it performs and you know how you have to do very little just let the horse do the work and and I was blown away and so anyway fast forward the pitser sale it was good going to be it’s a very expensive horse and anyway he ended up not selling it in the pitser sale he did this is in April this is in April April 27th and he did what’s called a no sale so I I have my theories on why he didn’t he no sailed it uh because he got the price was high and and but he decided not to no sale which the the sellers have a right to do that and this is a horse he got as a a one-year-old and raised it and trained it so it’s kind of you know one of his babies and so he’s got a lot of horses though so but but uh the 415 is a really good horse he just decided that he he wanted to keep it and and I told him I was very interested in the 415 but it was out of my price range and um you know and he’s a lot of horse and he’s got a couple quirks that you have to work through with him but once you get once it’s game time he’s good to go so we just got to do some VIs ization and some breathing with him and he’ll be great but so anyway uh when I was driving from Nebraska to Wyoming after our spring match that week I went out back to the pitser ranch this is in May this is in May Road rode 415 again I uh and and just rode him and appreciated him and I’m like man he’s I love this horse and so anyway that was it so when I was then I went to a couple brandings so I spent the week out there and then drove up to Wyoming to see you guys so when I was driving across the middle of Wyoming where there’s nothing out there uh Troy’s texting me about my contract you know some of the things in there and I was just thinking so I called a couple people because I thought you know what I I the stairstep thing and all that stuff it’s I just would really love to get 415 so so I just I you know again when you’re driving you think and you’re you know my imagination’s going wild and I I just I said hey what what do you think if we just get rid of the all the stairstep stuff and and put in a horse and Troy loved it and I said you’re going to make a lot of friends in western Nebraska so the Cowboys love it and um uh and anyway we got it worked out and um so that’s kind of the story and and it it was um you know it’s to me it’s a it’s also it’s a horse that connects me with western Nebraska more it’s a horse that connects me more with Mark Ray and what he does I think he’s an exceptional coach even though he’s training horses and and developing Ropers and different things he’s got two daughters that are great Ropers and Rodeo uh competitors and and then pitser Ranch and so now I can have kind of a horse here in Nebraska and I can go out there and continue to learn and get better and and and continue to work with these guys and Mark Ray is going to kind of help facilitate all this and help manage 415 and take care of him till he goes to Wyoming or or wherever uh but I can always bring him back to Nebraska so that’s kind of our relationship that we’ve built and kind of what why this horse would be a great horse to have and um but I’m really buying the team here it’s it’s Mark Ray team and and uh that’s really what I wanted that that’s really really important to me and those guys love it because it’s you know they’re getting a lot of recognition and people are appreciating what they do and and and their way of life and it’s it’s awesome and I cannot tell you Lauren how many people I have run into since this all happened that are from Erikson and know somebody from Ericson Bartlett brewwell uh or it’s unreal the connections out there to people like our one of the guys that’s a security guy in Dean he’s he taught three years at Bartlett he was telling me all about it yesterday he he uh one in his classes was one of the granddaughters of the Brinkman family that owns a pitser ranch so I mean it’s just it’s just like non-stop all the time I’m running into people with connections out there so it’s uh anyway there’s the story this is I feel like a win-win situation for a lot of different groups it’s for volleyball overall because you brought attention to just I mean even though you weren’t you’re it’s just a contract renewal and you’re added in a horse I mean look at some of the major news outlets that picked up this story and you’re bringing attention there you’re bringing attention to the western part of the state pitser Ranch horse world I mean you’re just you’re connecting all these worlds and you’re bringing so much attention to things that people like me for example had no idea about before and you know now it’s something I’m a little more educated about and know a little more about and it’s it’s really cool and I think a lot of people would agree with me in saying that you know you’re you’re helping to shine light on not just volleyball but now the horse world yeah I really the other reason that was kind of fun to do it was was kind of a test for Troy like Troy we like to think outside the box at Nebraska volleyball I mean we we do Stadium matches we we do crazy things in Dean we you know we’ve done took the first team to China just a lot of lot of crazy things and we try to think outside the box and to me this was another way of doing it and it was kind of a test for Troy and I I I think it’s really cool that he you know that’s what you want in an athletic director and a leader is somebody that is going to say well that that’s a great idea let’s see what we can do and how we can make it work and so I got to give him a lot of credit because it is outside the box and and that’s why it became kind of big news because how many coaches are doing that kind of negotiations you know um and so anyway it was and I think he’s you know we’re having fun with it and that’s that’s the most important thing is we got to continue to have fun around here and and push hard and but still have fun and enjoy the process so Troy passed the test tro Troy passed the test yeah that he didn’t even he didn’t even Flinch Lauren it was like oh that’s a great idea let’s do it I it now you had to get the lawyers involved you mean they got to work through all that stuff but U I ran into the governor he he just uh at a Larry the Cable guys a a get her done Foundation event the other night and he’s now going to buy two horses he said so I’m telling you it is it is a happening right now and people are want to be they’re in love with the the old western lifestyle they’re in love with horses and like I said chores and getting dirty and being out in the nature and uh just you know I don’t know it’s I’m I’m seeing this explosion of that world uh and you know I’m a part of it is this all in thanks to Yellowstone the show Yellowstone I think I think Yellowstone deserves a lot of credit I think Taylor Sheridan who produced Yellowstone and bought the 4 sixes Ranch and uh his just you know is coming out with the um the 1923 series I mean it’s it’s all about how America was settled and the West was settled and you see all these shows now and now now Kevin cner made a movie Horizon which is about settling the west and the West was settled on horses and uh and I think people are are just craving we want to get away from the electronics and the digital world and all that stuff it’s kind of just let’s just go back to the old days you know and and and revisit that and this is one way to kind of live in that world welcome to kicking back with the cooks where we talk about How the West Was settled well the yeah the other things I went on a couple brandings at some ranches out in in the Sand Hill it’s beautiful out there it’s awesome and it’s just Lauren I’ll just give you one example so the first branding I went to was at this Ranch and the the mom uh grandma mom is she is actually uh is a volleyball coach I didn’t know it so after we do The Branding she was making food for everybody and everybody came back there was probably 20 25 people we all sat around in a circle grabbed the lawn chairs sat outside and she had this you know big buffet and that’s what they do you work all day and then they make this great spread and so anyway um we sat there and talked for three hours I didn’t know I I didn’t know any of these people and for 3 hours we talked no cell phones it was all just telling stories and talking and relating and like when does that ever happen anymore you know when somebody’s not on their phone or checking phones now part of the problem is there the selfservice out there is not very good but uh the fact that people sat down for three hours and and all these guys are cattle guys ranchers and um I don’t know it was just really really cool you don’t even talk to me for three minutes without looking at your phone oh oh really yeah okay we’ll fix that I I want to go back to out of thebox ideas and Troy have you thrown any other ideas at him for this upcoming season or couple years in the future or you’re just starting one big idea at a time uh that that that was a pretty big idea we we haven’t really talked much about the season um you know we’re we’re pretty squared away I I think we’re doing um uh we’re GNA have a DJ this year in Dean I think that’s that’s what’s happening so why it’ll it’ll it’ll hype it up you you watch no it won’t no it won’t look go think about when I think it’s Indiana JB and I always talk about this I think when it’s when we go to Indiana or maybe it’s Maryland or maybe it’s both it’s Indiana Indiana does I think Maryland has a DJ as well yeah and maybe even Northwestern and it is it’s loud it’s excessive it’s music that you just well we’ll try we’ll try it out see how it goes but I I think we’re going to try to do some things like that um here’s what you should do send out a survey to Husker volleyball fans say would you like a DJ yes or no you do your Twitter thing to say yes or no DJ yes or no I’ll bet you a crispy that the majority says no okay let’s do it you do it you want to make a bet Shake on it shake yeah I got a I got a meeting with the marketing we’re trying to schedule it right now so are you allowed to place the bet with me is this legal oh yeah okay father daughter bet that works yeah okay I guarantee you the majority of the people will say no okay well we let’s see let’s see well speaking of Nebraska volleyball and everything going on behind the scenes can you give us any quick team updates coaching updates I know you’re recruiting you have camps you have players going into the USA Gym post or former players getting married give us all the the team updates oh my gosh that that is a whole show right there so okay nichan just got married Kenzie congratul Ken wait congratulations congratulations nichan congratulations Kenzie Kenzie got married a couple weeks before that Maddie gets married at the end of June destination wedding in Mexico I think I was not invited uh let’s see uh okay Kelly gets married next Jam January so that’s the wedding update that I think can think of off the top of my head right now um uh let’s see everybody’s here so Lila and Taylor are here so we finally had you know you see everybody together it’s like okay here’s our team so that’s really kind of cool um I H I have to tell you a quick story Madden always likes to look at the roster on a computer and she she knows pretty much Everyone by now she’ll go through and she’ll say you know that’s Merritt that’s Lexi that’s Papa that’s she even knows Jolene the trainer and so she goes through and and all of a sudden she gets to Taylor she goes who’s that and then she gets to Leila who’s that I don’t I don’t know them they’re not they’re not on the team so then we had to explain to her you know they’re new they they transferred in and so she goes oh I like them now and then her uncle my brother Taylor your son his his name’s Taylor and she um so then she was talking about how Taylor landfair and her T her uncle TT Taylor had have the same name and she was really intrigued by that so it’s just funny oh toddler’s toddler’s perspective yeah cute but um they’re all here um three of them are leaving next Tuesday to go to USA team older USA team that’s Merritt Lexi and Taylor uh so they’ll train and try to make that team and if they make that team I think they go to Dominican Republic to play and then 3 days after that uh let’s see um Lany Olivia Andy and Bergen all leave to go train in California and if they make that team they will go to Toronto Canada and play in a in a tournament so we’ll have one group in one place one group in another place and one group here so we’re going to try to have fun with the group that’s here you know kind of make it special we’re going to work really hard and and uh but we we’ll do some fun things to kind of team team Bond and build with those guys uh and uh so anyway that’s that’s kind of how our summer is we start camps tomorrow so the camps go here for the next eight or nine days then we go recruit and then we come back and we have our Dream Team camp and our team camps in July and then you know the other big news was just announced came out today was we’ll we’ll open the college volleyball season against Kentucky in Louisville three days before the regular season starts so we’ll do what’s called zero week they call it in football U like our football team I think it was last year played zero week they’ve played zero week before so we’ll actually start off college volleyball they got an exemption to do that we used to we used to do that back when you played um they had it was called the ABCA showcase and it would always be a week early to just kind of promote college volleyball so they’re trying to bring that back this is the first attempt of it it and it’ll be um us against Kentucky and then Louisville will play Wisconsin and uh at in Louisville and uh Lincoln Arnell or Jacob Padilla uh had a great line I saw it we should call it the John Cook Invitational because Wisconsin was you know my former old school and then of course Danny and Craig Skinner are at Louisville and Kentucky so it’ll be kind of a I thought that was kind of interes I never thought about it till I saw that but uh yeah it’s it’s not the John Cook Invitational but it’s it’s kind of kind of cool for me to you know those four programs uh there there’ll be a little more connection there with that so so we we we’ll really have to get it done this summer because we’ll have less days of train we start school that week so it’ll be um we’ll have to really be prepared and do a good job were you pushing for that earlier start date or for a match like is that a positive to you or is that a negative because you’re starting school that week you have to start earlier that means your season’s longer um no it’s uh I don’t I don’t think it’s a big deal but they actually moved up to start date this year five days from when we can start uh the season because um you know football plays after us a week after us and starts a couple weeks before us so it just hasn’t made sense so they actually granted volleyball five days more time to prepare because that way now you don’t have to feel like you have to do two a days every day you can space it out a little more you got more time to prepare um so I’m excited about that because usually it just feels like and again it all depends on if you start school early you’re at a disadvantage Stanford and those guys they don’t start school till the end of September so they don’t care I mean they can travel all over do go wherever they want um they have no school but there’s some schools that start in the middle of August so they’re they get a couple days and then they’re in school and once you start school it’s harder to train and watch video and take more time so I’m glad they started earlier I I really like that um so I think it’ll help us prepare for playing three days early so they pushed up your two day start time and then they pushed back the national championship dates I don’t know if you looked but if you make it to the final four you’re playing in if you make it to the finals you’re playing on December 22nd which is a Sunday and then holid I mean that’s right around the holidays it’s normally I feel like it’s a week or two before that but it’s it’s late this year Well Lauren you know I I’ve tried to move volleyball to the spring I know I know that’s a whole another episode that we could talk about that I think where we’re where it’s going to go is uh I think we’re going to continue to see volleyball start earlier and at some point we’re going to be ending earlier to stay away from that Christmas try to get early uh be you know um early December to stay away from NFL I mean there’s everything going on in December and then Christmas so right uh and that’s it’s a hard week to travel I mean that’s you’re right that’s really cramming it close to Christmas you know remember when the final four there’s also convention going on coaches come in so that late date could maybe impact that we you know I love games so we’re gonna play a fun little game and you love Zack Bryan so it has to do with Zack Bryan okay so you claim that he’s your favorite singer right now right now he’s he’s yeah we’re gonna see we’re gonna put you in the hot seat and see how well you know his songs oh my gosh so here here’s what we’re gonna do I I actually got this idea uh I don’t know if you know who Dave pornoy is he runs or owns barcol Sports he was on um with Alex Cooper from caller daddy who’s she’s up there with Joe Rogan and top podcast and she was quizzing Dave about Taylor Swift and so what I’m goingon to do is I’m gonna say a lyric in one of the it we’re gonna go through five different songs so I’m gonna say one lyric of the song and then you’re gonna have to say the lyric that comes next okay so if I get one of them you ow me dinner and also it doesn’t that Brian’s girlfriend work for barol sports she so she does a podcast with Dave um and another gentlemen I think it’s called like the BFFs podcast it’s pretty funny so that should be plus one right there for me that is that’s I’m impressed you knew that yeah do you know his girlfriend’s name no okay I think Bri Brianna all right well anyways are you ready to do you want to start are you ready to go I can tell you right now this this this we’ll edit this out probably no Nick please leave this in okay go let’s make it fast because it’s G to be hard do I remind you of your daddy in my 88 Ford um uh do I remind you of your daddy in your 88 Ford I remember everything oh my gosh that’s good okay that’s actually the song but the next line is Labrador hanging out the passenger door oh I’m not going to know that okay okay but that’s good you can you can give me a song name that’s close all night Revival that’s the only line I know all night it’s an allal we’re getting to that one okay but I miss you in the mornings when I see the sun oh that’s something in Orange yep yes I have no idea Lauren I’m I’m not I like I like music but I’m that’s why if I was good I would be playing I’d be in a band something in the orange tells me we’re not done yeah okay so so you got part of that because you said something in the orange don’t stop going going south no idea because they’ll let you play your music real dang loud yeah the the other I can just we’ll just go ahead the only other line I know is to say Hey Driver drive me on a windy road what’s that from Hey Driver or it’s called driver okay okay here I have two more for you it’s it’s our favorite song right now in the office Hey Driver by or driver by Zach Bryan yeah okay I’ll have to listen to it after I don’t know if I’ve heard that one yeah it’s he actually sings it with another guy I don’t remember who the guy is um now I need to look this up cuz I don’t think that’s the name of the song yeah driver by Zach Bryan yeah yeah well let’s see Lauren oh hey driver featuring the war in the and treaty it’s from his one of his newer albums right yeah okay and he’s got a guy he’s got a guy that sings it with him yeah the war and the treaty yeah all right two more songs Okay baptize me in a bottle of beam and put Johnny on the V vinyl okay come on that’s from Ral me yeah I don’t know I just well what come come on what comes next I don’t know I don’t remember no you you were giving uh hard night Revival yeah told you I’d get one you got one yes okay last one and plenty of nights under pink skies is that from Don no it’s his new pink skies his new song okay yeah I I don’t know that one well enough you taught it’s on my playlist how it’s a great song I know I know I just haven’t it’s on on my Zack Bryan playlist that I have on Spotify all right I owe you dinner because you got one right where do you want to go uh let me think about it okay I’ll take you to dinner a mfy coast a mie coast that’s that’s another poll I need to put out there please take me to Italy you just got a new contract you can afford it take us take us on a family vacation Fred Fred our basketball coach was just there you saw the pictures yeah Fred and Fred told you you got to go I know I know and I I’ve been there once I want to go back yeah I’m just yeah we let’s here’s where I want to go to dinner I want to go the Wagon Wheel out in Ericson Nebraska be a good experience for you the Wagon Wheel yeah I think they call it the Wagon Wheel to Spur wheel or Spar I don’t know something something like that jeez it’s where everybody goes it’s the only place out there there’s only one restaurant oh yeah is there a stoplight no no stop oh how many people live there not many where is this where the Hat making couple is more cows and people uh no the Hat making the bar nuns uh that’s by Thedford so okay okay different different place uh speaking of cows I’ll let this be your confession uh you should tell us a story of what happened the other night roping in the I think it’s called in the Shute in the Shute right there was a there was a big problem happening in the shoot and we Madden and I got to witness it yeah so new steers running them through and two got kind of Tangled Up and one late on the other one they wouldn’t they couldn’t get up so Madden got to see it we tried all kinds of things we tried pulling them out with the horses blah blah blah and then eventually we we had to take the boards off to just let them get out sideways as opposed to going through the shoot so it was that was Cowboy that’s cowboying you just got to figure it out try this try that go to the next thing and figured out and ended up taking the boards off got a crowbar and took the boards off and got them out and everybody was happy and and and Lauren I mean Madden was really interested in watching all this here here’s here two concerns number one the I don’t know what you call the poker but it’s a kind of a little shock thing it’s a cattle prod if I could use that in our gym I would I don’t I think that’s definitely gonna get taken out of this episode when our pastors back up I’d love to be i’ tell them like I’m going to go get my cattle prod then then they wouldn’t back up y I thought you want them to drop step yeah but not back up they back pedal you know 10 feet backwards there’s you know I Madam was very concerned that that was hurting the cows and I I agree with her yeah it I don’t like that it’s I’m sure it’s very normal it’s the same as a shock collar for dogs that they train dogs with just just just a reminder and then the other thing she was concerned about is uh juny who you were rope is a friend of yours in roping with he made a joke to Madden and said hey you you put the fence boards back on and we’re going to go have a beer so then she kept asking the whole ride home well where are they going to go have a beer and and you know how who’s going to take care of the horses and the cows if they go have a beer so another toddler thoughts yeah she she was a cowgirl that day she was just but still really concerned she asks every day how are the cows doing are they okay they’re probably traumatized she’s going to be going to therapy for that in 20 years yeah now they’re getting fat and happy right now uh any lessons oh Lauren uh lessons lessons lessons um probably uh one lesson that comes to mind is uh uh hearing our players talk about what’s really important to them uh because we we kind of had a meeting to get everybody organized who’s working camps all that stuff and we just we’re asking them because I wanted to to bring the new players in we T talked to them about the chain we’re building and those things but really really what the things I hear that most important to them is that one it’s it’s to make a great team you really got to put the team first and the way you put the team first is you be be a great teammate so uh that’s kind of our theme going into the summer is we’re going to be team a great team by becoming great teammates and great teammates it takes time and effort and build those relationships and so I’ve got a really cool group that is really into that and it makes a lot of fun and to see them how hard they want to work together and for each other so that’s my lesson of the day I have one for you okay if you can dream it you can do it yeah we did you’re always you’re always talking about dreaming big and I just I I know you always have big plans up your sleeve and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Nebraska volleyball yeah well I you know I I took stop in Wyoming driving across there and took a nap and dreamed you know 415 and now you’re getting another horse that you probably don’t need but the real question is everybody’s asking me what what are we going to name name him yeah and I’m going out of respect the Cowboys call him 415 so you can’t name a horse 415 we’re going to keep it at 4:15 so but maybe if Madden comes up with a name we’ll we’ll maybe adjust it and he looks similar to or he’s a Palamino yeah he’s a Palamino so similar to Bobby yeah or Bobs Bobs yeah Bobs I like Bobby better yeah that’s there’s another Twitter we can do what should we name 45 yeah you got all kinds of things let’s go laoren get on get on Twitter fired up I did see uh Emily eeman when the news came out she said I think coach Cook should name him Bucky why Bucky I think because Wisconsin I don’t know Bucky the badger Bucky yeah I don’t know that’s that’s what I was thinking when she posted but maybe she had a different meaning but anyway so so we need to do a poll for a horse name what what were the other polls but uh DJ and Dean yeah and there was one more what was it those are the only two I can think of okay DJ and Dean and horse name I’ll get those out maybe you should post it yeah no you do it you’re they they love it when you ask questions okay you have to repost it though because you have more followers send it to me I’ll repost well thank you so much for tuning in to this month’s episode of kicking back with the cooks we appreciate your support coach Cook thank you as always for your time Russ Brown for producing this Nick Burkhart for working on it and we will see you again next month July we’re gosh three months out from playing two months out your I saw I saw a few days ago it was a 100 days soes that sound about right yeah under countdown is on and it feels like you just ended your last season yeah but the other big news is uh they’re redoing all the weight rooms they’re they’re sick it’s really cool they’re beautiful uh updating the equipment so that was the other I got a tour last night I still haven’t been in the new facility training table and all that uh in fact you know we’re right next to it right now and they’re still working on it but um so it’s exciting time to be at Nebraska there’s great you know the facilities that part stuff is all getting new and um so uh got the teror flex down today both courts for camps and so just starting to feel like start feel it building all right well on that note new weit room new contract new horse you’re living your best life can you say go Big Red don’t b r red and say thanks thanks for tuning in thanks for tuning in okay thanks for tuning in later [Music] a