We sat down with 2008 Olympian and NCAA champion Caroline Burckle . Caroline has a very unique perspective when it comes to swimming. While her brother Clark will tell you that he was always focused on times and stats , Caroline set goals in a much different way. She saw herself at Olympic trials, or winning the NCAA meet, but never had a time in mind for her races. Burckle just knew what she wanted to do and worked toward it until she got there. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Cli...
Oct 30, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 314
12-time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte is firmly in Coach Gregg Troy 's clutches. This is positive. The recipe is old, well proven, and Lochte's training with a world-class crew which includes Caeleb Dressel , arguably the most talented swimmer on earth. Lochte gets real in this GMM takeover of the SwimSwam podcast, and I'm bullish on Lochte's prospects next summer after talking with him. We covered a lot of territory, so there is much to unpack here. "At this point, with all of the work I'm doing...
Oct 29, 2020•42 min•Ep. 315
We sat down with Torri Huske , the #2 recruit in the class of 2021 and one of the fastest 18-under butterfliers in history. We got into what Torri has done in and out of the pool since quarantine began, including talking about "high-rev" training, where Huske focuses on getting her tempo as fast as possible. She also dissects some of her races she has swam since quarantine, including a 100 fly from a dive (off the side of the pool) where she went 1:00. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spoti...
Oct 29, 2020•37 min•Ep. 313
We sat down with Mariah Denigan , the #13 recruit in the nation for the class of 2021 . We talked about her success in the pool and open water so far in her career, from the world jr champs to the Pan American Games. Denigan shared the story of how she won a bronze medal at the 2018 World Jr Championships even though she led the entire field, minus the last 3 swimmers in the race, off course. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click...
Oct 28, 2020•35 min•Ep. 312
We sat down with the head coach of the undefeated Cali Condors, Jonty Skinner . Skinner breaks down what really makes the condors work and why they have so much team chemistry together. He also shares what he saw in match #1 that he thought they could improve as well as what he's looking forward to in match #2 for the 'dors. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and sub...
Oct 28, 2020•23 min•Ep. 311
We sat down with Tim Connery , our #3 Recruit in the Top 20 NCAA Recruits for the Class of 2021 . Connery recently made headlines by recommitting to Texas and we address that , bringing up how the recruiting climate has shifted to committing when you're much younger than years past. We also address Connery's versatility and Connery surprised me by saying his favorite stroke actually rotates throughout the year. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on A...
Oct 27, 2020•31 min•Ep. 310
We sat down with Beryl Gastaldello , the ISL MVP for Match #3. Beryl won every individual race she competed in during this match, which included the 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly, 100 back, and 50 free skins, and contributed in the women's 4x100 free and medley relays. Beryl talks us through how she gets through tough sessions like these and how she's managed life in the ISL bubble. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to liste...
Oct 26, 2020•23 min•Ep. 309
We sat down with Tom Shields , the experienced veteran who has scored a lot of points for the LA Current so far in this ISL season. Shields notes the importance of racing this much in the fall, saying historically he feels he's had his best springs/summers when he's raced well and a lot in the fall. He also gets into how to stay in your own lane, especially when going up against heavy hitters like Caeleb Dressel and Chad le Clos . Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to liste...
Oct 26, 2020•15 min•Ep. 308
We sat down with Louise Hansson, who in her very first ever ISL race was victorious, taking first in the 100 fly for the Toronto Titans. Louise talked us through how the ISL bubble has been in terms of training, racing, and navigating through school. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to...
Oct 25, 2020•15 min•Ep. 307
We sat down with the #6 recruit in the class of 2021, Micayla Cronk . Micayla is a true Floridian with deep swimming roots, having been coached by Kristin Lochte, Ryan Lochte's sister, in her formative years. Micayla says Kristin broke barriers for her and was able to push her outside of her comfort zone in ways that would pay off in her swimming career later down the road. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and...
Oct 25, 2020•31 min•Ep. 306
We sat down with NCAA, Olympic, and World champion Blake Pieroni right before he flew to Budapest to make his ISL debut with the Toronto Titans. Blake opens up about travel situations and what a training trip (like the one happening now in Budapest with the ISL) actually looks like. Pieroni even shares some fun stories from the 2016 Olympic training camp, which was the first time he was on a team with friends like Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Held . Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click...
Oct 24, 2020•48 min•Ep. 305
We sat down with NCAA champ Joao de Lucca , who recently announced his retirement from swimming . Joao talked us through his career and what motivated him throughout, including his reasoning for wanting to be an NCAA champion... which turned out, at least for a time, was to get his picture hanging in the Louisville pool. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscri...
Oct 23, 2020•37 min•Ep. 304
We sat down with Olympic icon Kirsty Coventry , the most decorated Olympian from Africa of All-time. Kirsty describes how winning at any level is important as it shows you the hard work you put in as an athlete is finally paying off. Kirsty also talks about her role now as the Minister of Youth, Sport, Art, and Recreation in the cabinet of Zimbabwe and as the chairperson for the IOC Athletes' Committee. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Pod...
Oct 22, 2020•47 min•Ep. 303
I sat down with 14-year-old phenom Daniel Diehl and his coach, Brian Dowling. Daniel has been on a NAG tear ever since returning to racing after the COVID-19 shutdown, breaking 13-14 national records in the 200y Free and 100y Back . Diehl has also gone the #2 13-14 time all-time in the 100 free TWICE, the second time coming within just .1 of Michael Andrew's record of 43.90 . Diehl turns 15 on October 26 and will give it one more go on October 25 to try and crack the elusive barrier. Click here ...
Oct 22, 2020•24 min•Ep. 301
We sat down with Nulo Pet Food CEO and founder Michael Landa , who has deep swimming roots. Landa has been swimming since he was 7 and recalls going 3rd on an 8-under relay, only to flip at the wall and pass the anchor leg of the opposing team. That got the attention his coach. "Early on," Landa explained, "I discovered an outlet for winning and feeling relevant. It felt good. And not only that, but I found an extended family in the swimming community – from my teammates and their ever-encouragi...
Oct 21, 2020•39 min•Ep. 302
I sat down with NCAA and World Champion Zach Apple , who impressed by going sub-46 4... count them, 4 times in 2 days during his first 2020 ISL match with the DC Trident. Apple explained that he and his coach, John Long, decided the plan for him was to try and go as fast as possible at every ISL competition, as well as to try and get faster as the season went on. ZO far, it looks like Apple has hit that goal pretty well. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subs...
Oct 21, 2020•13 min•Ep. 300
I sat down with NCAA champion turned Loughborough grad student Andreas Vazaios, who is also one of the newest members of the London Roar. Vazaios gives a candid look at life in the ISL bubble, what he likes and dislikes about the situation, and what he's learned from being on the London Roar so far. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click her...
Oct 20, 2020•23 min•Ep. 299
We sat down with David Popovici , the newly 16-year-old Romanian sprinter who recently made waves by swimming faster than Caeleb Dressel at 16. Popovici seems like a very grounded kid who really enjoys swimming. You can hear that he has lofty goals, which he shares openly, but he's not cocky. He also talks about his training group in Romania, going for an Olympic A cut, and the struggles of having great hair. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on App...
Oct 20, 2020•29 min•Ep. 298
We sat down with Brendon Smith , 1 of only 2 Australian swimmers who decided to make the journey to Budapest after Swimming Australia announced they weren't condoning this ISL season . Brendon took us through what it's like to train with Australia's best, how he's developed into an elite himself over the past couple of years, and what he's looking forward to in his first ISL season. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to l...
Oct 19, 2020•27 min•Ep. 297
We sat down with Beata Nelson , one of many NCAA stars who has now transitioned to the ISL. This is Nelson's first major international travel trip and being in a bubble for 6 weeks is a little different than most meets abroad. However, Nelson is taking it in stride and breaks down how she's dealing with different food, recovering from injury, and still finding a way to perform at her best for the recently victorious Cali Condors. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen...
Oct 18, 2020•19 min•Ep. 296
We sat down with two All-American's from the University of Southern California, Jemma Schlicht and Latisha Transom. The two trojans walked us through what training has been like under the new USC coaching staff (although there hasn't been much yet). They also delved into last season's roster, where they had less than 20 women on the team and at a dual meet in January, where many women were sick, they only had 8 women compete and still pulled off a win. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spoti...
Oct 18, 2020•33 min•Ep. 293
We sat down with the Lilly King , Molly Hannis , and Jason Lezak of the Cali Condors, who handed Energy Standard their first loss in ISL history. King described what she expected in her return to racing, saying she mainly just wanted to win and that the condors have a great team chemistry. Hannis echoed King's sentiments and told us of her travel dilemma when first getting to Budapest. Lezak gives us an inside look into the "ISL Bubble" and what managing a team of pro athletes has been like. Cli...
Oct 17, 2020•15 min•Ep. 295
We sat down with Olympic champion Tyler Mcgill , who took us through his entire career from winning championships at Auburn to winning gold on the biggest stage. McGill gives so many behind the scenes insights, from the secret sauce of the 2007 NCAA champion team to what set him apart heading into the 2012 Olympic Trials. Before those trials, McGill and training partner Mark Gangloff were able to go compete at the French Olympic Trials, where they not only got valuable racing in, but also saw th...
Oct 17, 2020•44 min•Ep. 294
We sat down with Olympic champion and World individual medalist Jimmy Feigen . Jimmy, a San Antonio native, reveals early in his conversation that he had NO intention of going to the University of Texas when he was going on his recruiting trips. Jimmy wanted out of the state of Texas and was looking at Arizona and Southern California as his top choices. However, when his parents made him take a trip to UT, fate got in the way of his plans to get out of the Lone Star State. Click here to listen a...
Oct 16, 2020•45 min•Ep. 292
We sat down with BBC's Nick Hope, who will be covering the entirety of ISL Season 2 for the BBC. Hope is also a swimmer himself, having been a captain on his university team as well as recently going to masters world championships. Hope and I take you through what we're looking forward to for this upcoming ISL season. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe ...
Oct 15, 2020•43 min•Ep. 291
We sat down with Olympic Icon Amy Van Dyken, who gave an exceedingly candid narrative of her experience at the Olympic Games. Even though she amassed 6 golds over 2 Games, it wasn't smooth sailing for Amy. She breaks down getting extreme leg cramps behind the blocks, and while Mel admits he ripped her on for taking up too much screen time, Amy fires right back and agrees she would rip them too: "easy there jr nationals, head on back!" Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to l...
Oct 14, 2020•44 min•Ep. 290
We sat down with Aiden Hayes, SwimSwam's #1 recruit in the class of 2021. We went through his whole swimming career, from the time he met Cody Miller, Josh Davis and more at a pro meet on Omaha to his infamous 1:41 200 fly at the 2018 Winter Junior meet. What many may not know is that at the national select camp in the fall of 2018 Aiden had a turning point. And by that, I mean Aiden had to be moved to another lane because he was struggling so much for 3 days of intense training. Listen to what ...
Oct 14, 2020•38 min•Ep. 289
We sat down with Olympic icon and first man under 15:00 in the 1,500, Vladimir Salnikov. Salnikov's career certainly hit some Olympic bumps in the road, with the US not competing in the 1980 Olympics, and then in his prime, Russia did not compete at the 1984 Games. However, in 1988 at the Seoul Games, after being leaving his longtime coach and being coached by his wife in the twilight of his career, Salnikov pulled off a big upset and captured gold in the 1500, 8 years after his 3-gold performan...
Oct 13, 2020•57 min•Ep. 288
We sat down with Olympic champion Anthony Ervin to talk about the lessons of sprinting. Ervin discusses how his training is not all 25's and 15's at max speed - he's actually quite accustomed to training pace 50's at 200 speed and going longer yards than 3,000 for a practice. Ervin gets into the lessons he's learned as a sprinter and what it takes to become a successful one on the world's biggest stage. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Pod...
Oct 13, 2020•48 min•Ep. 287
We sat down with John Mix , the Co-founder and CEO of FINIS . He tells us of FINIS 's humble beginnings and how the monofin influenced his Co-founder, Pablo Morales, to buy into the idea of starting a swimwear company. FINIS has since blossomed into one of the premiere suit companies on the market, signing Olympians such as Olivia Smoliga , Anthony Ervin , James Guy , and Lia Neal . Check out FINIS here. Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Po...
Oct 12, 2020•40 min•Ep. 286
