The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

Every race begins with a line—but have you ever wondered who puts that line there?

For the first time on the Gill Connections Podcast, we step behind the scenes with a professional track striper. Corey John of Athletic Marking Companies—better known as @TheTrackStriper on Instagram—reveals the remarkable precision, patience, and craftsmanship required to transform a blank track into a competition-ready facility.

Corey entered the profession with absolutely no track and field background. Today, he travels across the country, stripes approximately 80 tracks a year, and has become one of the most recognizable personalities in an incredibly specialized industry.

In this episode, Corey pulls back the curtain on a job most coaches and athletes never realize exists.

🎨 Why track striping is equal parts science, craftsmanship, and art

📏 How Corey measures a blank facility and creates an accurate 400-meter track

🔴 Why nearly 70% of the job happens before any paint touches the surface

🏟️ What separates a new track layout from a standard restripe

🌧️ How rain, sprinklers, leaves, surface types, and even birds can disrupt a job

🛴 Why a Segway helped Corey become a more efficient one-person crew

🚐 What life is like when you spend weeks traveling from one track project to another

📱 How @TheTrackStriper made an overlooked profession fascinating on Instagram

🤖 Why Corey welcomes automation and believes technology can make his work even better

Corey’s work is an essential part of our sport. Without accurate lane lines, hurdle marks, exchange zones, start lines, and field-event markings, competition simply cannot happen.

Press play for a fascinating look at one of track and field’s most important—and least understood—professions.

Follow Corey on Instagram: @TheTrackStriper

Dive into nearly 400 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois), Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on Twitch.tv, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more!

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📲 Stay Connected:

Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow on Instagram (@MikeCunninghamTF), email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or text 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍