Swim Lessons

Jaden Wahlund is an assistant basketball coach/teacher at Sheyenne High School located in Fargo, North Dakota. Jaden joins the podcast to talk about basketball, coaching, life, lessons learned along the way, and plenty more. This one goes far beyond X's and O's. We get into the people and experiences that shape you, the realities behind coaching, growing through different stages of life, and a lot of stories that had us laughing throughout the conversation. Subscribe to Swim Lessons for more conversations with athletes, coaches, creators, entertainers, and people with stories worth hearing.

Minot State football is building something, and Head Coach Ian Shields joins Swim Lessons the Podcast to talk about it.Coach Shields sits down for a real conversation about the direction of the Beavers program, recruiting North Dakota and the region, developing young men, competing in the NSIC, building a winning culture, and what Minot State football fans can expect going forward.

Ron Wingenbach is the head football coach of the Century Patriots in Bismarck, North Dakota. Coach Wingenbach joins Swim Lessons the Podcast to talk about Century Patriots football, building a winning culture, developing young men, the realities of North Dakota high school sports, competition, leadership, accountability, and what it takes to create a program that players are proud to represent. Follow/subscribe for more conversations with athletes, coaches, creators, and people making things happen across North Dakota and beyond.

Shann Schillinger is the head football coach at the University of Mary, a former NFL defensive back, and has one of the more interesting football paths you'll hear. Before taking over the Marauders program, Shann's path took him from a small high school in Montana to Division I football, the NFL, and eventually into coaching. In this episode, we sit down to talk about what football is really like at every level. The pressure, the locker-room culture, leadership, recruiting, player development, and what it actually takes to build a winning program from the ground up.

Scott Bethke is a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse jockey who has won 50 races this summer alone. He's also been the leading rider at Chippewa Downs and The North Dakota Horse Park. Scott grew up riding horses and eventually found his way into the world of horse racing, where every race is a mix of preparation, instinct, risk, athleticism, and pure competition. We get into what it's really like being a jockey, the physical and mental side of riding, growing up around horses, competing at tracks across the United State, the difference between Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, and what it takes to keep finding the winner's circle.

Luke Martinez joins the show to talk basketball, life, and the long road to redemption. We get into his journey from North Dakota gyms to Williston State, the jump to Wyoming, and how he carved out a decade of success hooping professionally in Mexico. It's a full sit down about talent, adversity, and what it really takes to keep going when everything feels like it's slipping away.

Jesse Roberts is stepping into a brand-new chapter as the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Minot North High School after spending years as a longtime assistant with the Minot High Majettes. That includes helping bring home a state championship. In this episode, we talk about the journey, the grind, basketball life, coaching, leadership, and everything in between. From winning at the highest level to building his own program, Jesse shares his story, mindset, and what comes next. If you love basketball, coaching stories, and real conversations about life beyond the game, this one is for you.

In this episode, I sit down with Dorion Cipriani, the founder and commissioner of the Dakota Basketball League (DBL). A brand new professional league being built from the ground up for North Dakota players 18 and older. No blueprint. No precedent. Just an idea, a state full of overlooked talent, and a guy who decided someone had to build it. The DBL won't tip off until 2027, but Dorion isn't waiting to start talking about it, because building a league isn't something you do quietly in the background and reveal when it's finished. It's something you build in public, with the people who are going to play in it, coach in it, and show up to watch it.