- [Will] Coming up on One Detroit, we'll meet a woman who helps the Detroit Lions players get ready for game days.

Plus, we'll look at what's being done to address a nationwide shortage of automotive technicians.

Also ahead, our political contributors weigh in on Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's, last State of the City address, and we'll tell you about some of the events taking place in metro Detroit this weekend.

It's all coming up next on One Detroit - [Announcer] From Delta Faucets to BEHR Paint, Masco Corporation is proud to deliver products that enhance the way consumers all over the world experience and enjoy their living spaces.

Masco, serving Michigan communities since 1929.

- [Presenter] Support also provided by the Cynthia and Edsel Ford Fund for Journalism at Detroit PBS - [broadcaster] DTE Foundation is a proud sponsor of Detroit PBS.

Among the state's largest foundations committed to Michigan-focused giving, we support organizations that are doing exceptional work in our state.

Learn more at dtefoundation.com.

- [Will] Nissan Foundation and viewers like you.

(bright music) - [Will] Just ahead on One Detroit, we'll examine the critical shortage of automotive technicians and what Ford is doing to help close the gap.

Plus one, Detroit's political contributors offer their opinions on Mayor Mike Duggan's, State of the City speech, and we'll tell you about some of the arts and culture events going on around town this weekend.

But first up, it's Women's History Month and we have the story of a local woman making major strides in the sports world.

Jill Costanza is entering her fifth season with the Detroit Lions as Director of Sports Science and Assistant Strength and Conditioning coach.

One Detroit contributor, Cecilia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ, sat down with Costanza to talk about her passion for sports and how she prepares the Lions for game day.

(gentle music) - So, Jill, do you think you can get me into some workouts?

- Let's go see.

- Okay.

- Let's move.

(Cecelia and Jill laugh) We're gonna go with three steps in each direction.

We're gonna do something different with our upper body each time.

- Okay.

- All right, so first thing, we're gonna step straight ahead and we're gonna big reach up and back.

- [Cecelia] Okay, let's try it one more time.

- [Jill] Okay, step up and back, good.

- Okay, that was better.

- Okay, now this time we're gonna step and we're gonna lean.

- Okay, step.

- Okay.

- Very good, bring it back.

And now this time we're gonna step and rotate, bring it back, - Step and rotate.

- Yeah.

- And bring it back.

- [Jill] You good with that?

- [Cecelia] Yeah.

- [Jill] Okay.

- So you've been here for how many seasons now?

It's going into my fifth.

- Fifth season.

- [Jill] Yeah.

- Working with the players, working with other coaches.

But before we jump into all that, goodness, take us back to, - Yeah.

- Basketball playing ninth grade, Jill with the lucky shoes on.

- You want baby Jill?

- Baby Jill, - Baby Jill, Yeah, baby Jill grew up loving sports and athletics.

Started playing softball when I was five.

Basketball, I mean, I, all year I was in sport.

My mom, God bless her, tried to get me to do ballet and I cried bloody murder, played basketball all the way through high school, decided I wanted to be a regular student.

- What's a regular student?

- Not having the responsibility of practice and games.

Honestly, I was burned out, playing basketball year round.

AAU in the summer, it really identified my identity, especially at a young age.

I didn't know who I was outside of sport and decided to step away and then I ended up missing it so much.

- When you stepped away, what did you discover about yourself?

- That I am a competitor and that I need that competition, being part of something bigger than myself.

I really miss that and it is something that I need in my life to thrive.

- So you went into sports marketing.

- I did.

- In college.

What was your vision for yourself when you entered into that field?

- Yeah, I thought it was gonna be a marketing director for an NBA team that, or Nike.

My dad was a high school football coach and always encouraged me to be like, you'd be a great coach.

You know, you just have a way with people.

You have a great way of explaining things and educating people.

Why aren't you get into coaching?

And at that time I just, I wanted the glitz and the glam of the NBA, but I listened to 'em and I was like, all right, you know, I'll get into teaching and coaching until I figure out what I wanted to do and well, I figured out what I wanted to do.

- Coach.

- Coach, yes.

- So where did you start coaching?

- So I was a PE teacher in a suburb of Houston, Alief ISD, shout out to my intermediate.

And then I was high school girls basketball coach at St. Agnes Academy and Bellaire, Houston and coaching our, especially our varsity girls.

I mean, we had an epidemic of ACL injuries.

And I started to dig deeper and found strength and conditioning.

I didn't even know it was a profession and decided I wanted to be a collegiate strength and conditioning coach for basketball.

- What was the importance to you at the time coaching young girls basketball?

- I think it really gives young women a confidence.

I know being on the court and it really instilled in me confidence to conquer any obstacle, even when you fail or you don't win or you take that shot at the buzzer, but it doesn't go in.

Even that, the feel of that disappointment is what drives you to keep going.

So those are some of the lessons that I learned being an athlete and trying to instill that in the girls that I coached.

- How did you matriculate into the collegiate level?

- So I ended up going back to school, University of Miami to get my master's degree in strength and conditioning.

They were one of the few programs at that time that wasn't just general exercise physiology.

They had a program dedicated to high level athletes.

- We talked about your transition from coaching high school teaching, being a PE teacher into the collegiate level.

Most people are also wondering, so how do you go from the collegiate level all the way to the NFL?

And you've done so many things in between, - Isn't it crazy?

- Yes.

Life has a funny way of working out.

So when I was at University of Texas, again, I was doing my graduate internship.

It was time to get a job and I saw an opening on the military side being a contractor and they were the first ones to call.

I worked at Fort Hood for three years in the Army Wellness Center.

So did that for three years, wanted to get back into a high performance environment and found a position.

Luckily got hired with the Air Force Special Warfare program in San Antonio and then spent two years transitioning into special forces, more on the kind of sports science side, utilizing technology to assess force readiness and helped the military reduce injuries and that's where I met and was worked closely with my boss.

Now, Mike Clark, our director of Player Performance, and he had a long standing relationship with Coach Campbell.

He was Coach Campbell's, strength coach at Texas A&M So when Coach Campbell got this job, he called up Mike Clark and then I was working with Coach Clark and he was like, "You want to come with me, be my sports science director?"

I was like, "Absolutely, let's go."

And was able to meet Coach Campbell and I got to meet some of the other coaching staff and the other staff that works here and it was just an incredible environment.

One of the best, just in terms of people and environment I've ever been a part of.

- Walk us through a day in the life of Jill and the Lion's den.

- Oh boy, it's a little different between now off season and when we're in season.

During the season though, we're ripping and running, so we'll use-- - What does it look like?

What does it look like?

- Yeah, well let's see.

You get here about 6:30, 7:00 in the morning, we'll have strengthening and conditioning session in the morning.

- Breakdown strength and conditioning.

- What we do is analyze the demands of the game from a movement, biomechanics, physiological perspective, and then we kind of work backwards from there and write training programs, whether in the weight room or on the field and conditioning to help better prepare guys for the demands of the game or trying to reduce injury and improve performance so that we can kick the other team's butts on Sunday.

- That's right, go lions, yes.

- Yes, amen.

- Were there any challenges prior to coming to Detroit?

- At first, until people get to know me naturally, an observer, I just kind of sit back and watch and wait for my opportunity to speak up, speak my stuff, you know?

So I would say maybe at first, I would feel a little bit the men taking over in rooms I was a part of and I waited for my opportunity and was able to educate and speak my truth and people like, whoa, okay, she knows her stuff.

- Who are some women who have paved the way for you to be where you are today?

- Yeah, I would say Sandy Abney, my first female mentor when I was at University of Texas.

You know, she really encouraged me to learn the technology and data side and that that would set me apart from my competitors 'cause it is a, a small field, very few opportunities, especially at this level and there's a lot of people vying for 'em.

And then MJ, Maral Javadifar down with Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

She was the first female strengthening-conditioning coach I saw at the NFL level.

- Where do you see the future of sports for women?

- Thanks to the women's college game, you look at March Madness this time of the year in the women's game last season, far outranked the men's tournament.

You got those players now like Caitlin Clark and the A'Ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, you know, they have their own Nike shoes, which is great.

You know, I mean, I grew up wearing Jordans, the Chris Webers, the Penny Hardaways.

We talk about being a sneakerhead, but I didn't have any women shoes.

I think Sheryl Swoopes was the only woman back then.

you know, who had her own shoe and her own clothing brand.

So I was part of the Michigan Girls Flag Football Coaches clinic, which was amazing.

And then to see how women's flag football is taken off and it's in the next Olympics, or it's only, it's hot and it's only gonna get hotter.

- [Will] Turning now to a future of work report about a significant shortage of automotive technicians over the next few years.

Ford Motor Company's philanthropic arm and its dealers are working to close that gap by offering scholarships to students pursuing careers in auto technology.

I got the details from Ford Philanthropy education manager, Alex Shelton.

(snappy music) (air whooshing) (air whooshing) According to the nonprofit Tech Force Foundation that helps young people find a technical education and career, the auto industry will need over 470,000 auto techs between now and 2028.

Currently the industry is not on track to have those positions filled, but Ford Philanthropy is working to remedy the ongoing shortage.

I met with Ford Philanthropy education manager, Alex Shelton, outside of Ford, Michigan Central to find out more.

- This isn't just, Ford has a shortage of technicians.

This is the auto industry writ large.

- Yeah, it's for the entire automotive industry.

So Ford philanthropy and our Ford dealers across the country came together to work at how do we address this gap, knowing that we can't solve it ourselves, but how do we address it?

How do we start to make an effort towards it?

And so we started with a $1 million program.

It grew to $2 million, and this year it's a $4 million program that'll provide 800 scholarships at $5,000 a piece.

What would you say to a person who's on the fence about whether or not this is for them?

Well, I think one of our scholarship recipients from last year sums it up.

He responded and said, "I have gotten so much outta the scholarship, it's way more than I've ever could have expected from a scholarship."

It was the money, but he's also now employed.

There is a student who's able to use this money to get back and forth and drive 45 minutes each way.

There are students who are working jobs and have aspirations of becoming the F1 tech, the NASCAR tech.

People who have it in their sites to make a hundred thousand plus dollars in this career.

People who are combining that love for technology, combining that love for vehicles.

So if you're curious, it's an exciting career path that we'd love for you all to check out.

- Even if everything goes perfectly and all the scholarships are taken up, is there still going to be a shortage?

- Yeah, we know that this scholarship program won't fix it itself, but we do believe that this scholarship has power to change perceptions about the industry, to share opportunities and also to help students get to school, through school and into their careers.

- What is different about being an auto technician today than, you know, the auto mechanics of the past, - Technology's a part of the entire vehicle, right.

And it's only becoming more and more technological.

Vehicles are getting updates via the cloud now.

- Right.

It's happening automatically and so the tools that individuals use to diagnose problems are different.

And actually one student just got asked the question, if everything's so technologically focused now, can't you just pop out one chip and insert a new chip?

And her response was like, yeah, you could do that.

It can be that easy, but also because it's all connected, one wire, one sensor, one piece, could the entire vehicle.

- If there continues to be this shortage, how is that going to impact the industry at a larger scale?

Or how would they be impacted by that shortage of technicians - If that that need isn't addressed, that is a longer wait time, potentially, it could affect people throughout the industry, right.

We know that this is one piece of the puzzle, that there is a lot of ways that Ford and others are addressing this, whether through technical training programs, whether through scholarships, through mentorship.

- Do we have any information or insight into why we're currently experiencing a shortage?

- There's a lot of reasons why this is happening, right.

It's for some, there's a retirement.

There's people who are retiring faster than it's being refilled.

The skill set is changing.

There's been a push the last 10, 20 years about every student should go to a four year college.

And while that's an amazing pathway that Ford philanthropy also supports, that's not the pathway for everybody.

(Mike speaking softly) - [Will] Detroit mayor Mike Duggan delivered his last State of the City address this week as he prepares to leave office at the end of the year for a run at the governor's seat.

The mayor reflected on the city's progress during his tenure.

When Detroit contributors Nolan Finley of the Detroit News, Stephen Henderson from American Black Journal, and Zoe Clarke of Michigan Public, gave their thoughts on the mayor's speech.

(gentle jazz music) - So I was really intrigued by this speech, because usually these final speeches tend to be a lot about legacy building.

But really, I mean, much like usual Stephen Henderson, this mayor was sort of into the nitty-gritty.

What did you make of Duggan's final State of the City address?

- Well, I mean, it was like most of the others, right.

I mean, he does like a lot of detail.

He loves slides.

He is the best friend PowerPoint has ever had in politics.

You know, every speech is a journey with him through all of this data.

You know, I have a lot of conversations these days with people about Mike Duggan.

People want to say, well, how did he do?

And do you think he should be governor?

And things like that, and I always answer the same way I say, there is not a way to interpret the last 10 years or 12 years in the city without noting all the things that have been changed and fixed.

And yet there are some people who still feel, you know, negatively toward the mayor or as if what he did didn't reach enough people.

And he will always answer that, again with these very specific examples.

I mean, he doesn't argue so much as he counterpoints that kind of stuff with the kind of data we saw during the speech.

I'll also note that this week I also had an interview with the folks who run Grow Detroit's Young Talent, which is the summer work program here in Detroit.

It's 10 years old this year.

This is a program that gets 5,000 young people a year placed in community organizations, you know, nonprofits and businesses to get work experience.

That's a program that's started under this mayor that's touched the whole city.

Incredible amounts of opportunity, wraparound services that include, you know, housing assistance and food for those families.

The mayor didn't even mention that during his speech, that's how much has changed.

That's how much has gone on in the city.

I think it's really hard to argue against it whether you like him or you don't.

- Yeah, Nolan, I asked the mayor about that actually Wednesday morning after the speech.

I spoke to him and I said, "Look, we always talk about this sort of the, the growth within the sort of city center versus the neighborhoods."

- Yeah - And, and he really pushed back quickly and said, "Well ask the 600 block captains what they think about it."

And so that is, and he does do that with data.

Nolan, whether it be data, whether it's gut feeling, what did you take away from the mayor's final state of the City address.

- Well, it clearly was a rehearsal of his stump speech for his run for governor.

It was very upbeat, and that's the message he's gonna try to bring to the governor's race.

He's convinced that Michigan voters are ready for a positive leader, a positive campaign.

So we talked a lot about his ability to work across the political lines and divisions, which, you know, he believes will sort of open the door for his independent candidacy.

He talked about, oh, we don't give corporate subsidies out.

We give discounts on tax revenue, we wouldn't otherwise have.

It was messaging designed for a statewide office.

And, of course, part of that is boasting of his accomplishments.

He's not gonna.

You know, he's got what year left or he's not going to be saying, oh gosh, we got this undone and that undone and that undone.

You know, he's talking about what they did and what they accomplished, and it's funny, about an hour after the speech, I got a phone call from George Jackson, who is the city's former head of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.

And he was livid to say the least, screaming in the phone.

"He's lying when he says that he opened the riverfront up to the public."

He said, "We did that before he ever took office.

We put that in place.

and he's taking credit for everything everyone else did."

And, you know, George took it very personally, and was, again, very angry.

But it's the kind of scrutiny these claims are gonna get when he takes 'em on the statewide campaign trail.

- Well, let's talk a little bit about folks working together, because as you noted, Nolan, Steven, the mayor, really talked a lot about folks working together and the difference, right from a decade ago.

He had a line where it used to be sort of the people who blamed each other the loudest, that was the workable strategy.

What do you think in a post Duggan Detroit world, can this positivity, this working together, whether it's business leaders, foundations, city council, can this continue or is it going to be a sizable change come next year?

- I think one of the key indicators of what the future might look like is unfolding now in the mayor's race to replace Mike Duggan.

You've got 10 candidates who have at least said they wanna run and the filing deadline's still a month away.

So we don't know if all 10 of them will make it, but they've already started to talk about what they want to do and talk about the distinguishing characteristics among them.

But more than anything, what you are not hearing is people say, you know, the city's headed in the wrong direction.

Things are awful and, and I'll fix it.

Or this candidate who is running against me doesn't understand these things or is, is out for them for themselves.

We've seen so little of that this time.

And I think that does suggest that the mayor's approach here has changed the politics at least, at least a little bit.

They are all praising his record.

All of the candidates say he's made tremendous progress and they acknowledge the things that are different.

They all say they want to keep building on that I can't think of the last race in Detroit where that was the tenor of the conversation.

Now, it's early and things could change, but I think things are different in some ways, at least right now.

- [Will] There are a lot of entertaining events taking place in metro Detroit this weekend, including some major concerts and festivals.

Dave Wagner and Cecilia Sharpe from 90.9 WRCJ have Today's One Detroit Weekend.

(jazzy music) - Hey there, Cecilia and I have some great events for all of you to check out this spring weekend.

Cecilia, take it away.

- You got it, Dave.

Kraftwerk brings their multimedia tour to the Masonic Cathedral Theater, March 28th.

The tour marks the 50th anniversary of Kraftwerk's groundbreaking album "Autobahn."

- Wow, 50 years, now that does seem unreal.

- The Ann Arbor Film Festival is now running through March 30th, where 112 selected films from over 2,500 submissions across 93 countries will show at the Michigan Theater throughout the festival days.

- Saturday, March 29th and Sunday the 30th, Totally Rad Vintage Fest is at the Huntington Place.

The event celebrates the fashion, culture and nostalgia of the 1980s, '90s, and 2000 featuring vendors offering clothing, accessories, records, toys, and more.

There are also some fun interactive displays like arcade games and a museum.

- I really don't know about the calling the '80's vintage, but if that's where we're at now, I guess.

On March 30th, the Ferndale Community Concert Band celebrates its 10th anniversary by playing at Orchestra Hall at 3:00 PM.

The band is comprised of 80 experienced volunteer musicians from all over the metro Detroit area.

- And, of course, there's so much more our city has to offer this weekend and beyond.

Stay tuned to see if anything else sparks your interest.

Have a great weekend, everyone (gentle electronic music) - [Will] That'll do it for this week's One Detroit, thanks for watching.

Head to the one Detroit website for all the stories we're working on.

Follow us on social media and sign up for our weekly newsletter - [Announcer] From Delta Faucets to BEHR paint.

Masco Corporation is proud to deliver products that enhance the way consumers all over the world experience and enjoy their living spaces, Masco serving Michigan communities since 1929.

- [Presenter] Support also provided by the Cynthia and Edsel Ford Fund for journalism at Detroit PBS.

- [broadcaster] PBS DTE Foundation is a proud sponsor of Detroit PBS.

Among the state's largest foundations committed to Michigan-focused giving, we support organizations that are doing exceptional work in our state.

Learn more at dtefoundation.com.

- [Will] Nissan Foundation and viewers like you.

(soft electronic music) (dramatic piano music)