We sat down with SwimSwam Editor-in-Cheif Braden Keith and SwimSwam senior writer Jared Anderson to take a deep dive into the 2021 ISL draft. We talk about what went well about the presentation, what didn't go so well, and what we'd like to see changed moving forward. We also break down what teams 'won' the draft and how much it might matter heading into season 3 of the International Swimming League. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and su...
Jul 02, 2021•37 min•Ep. 585
We sat down with 2021 Olympic head coach for the US men's team, Dave Durden . Durden is also the head coach of men's swimming at University of California and he took us through what he thought of the bears' showing at Olympic Trials. Dave is methodical and has been through this process many times, so I really enjoyed getting his perspective on how he moves through a process like Olympic Trials, going home for 1 week, then leaving again for the Olympic Games. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to ...
Jul 01, 2021•33 min•Ep. 584
We sat down with SwimSwam's Junior Swimmer of the Meet from the 2021 US Olympic Trials, Matt Fallon . Fallon had my personal favorite swim of the meet in the 200 breast semis, where he touched 8th at the 100 wall and then came home in 1:05.2, running down the entire field to touch first overall and break the 17-18 national age-group record at 2:08.91. Fallon breaks down his mindset during the meet and takes us through all of his races in Omaha. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and sub...
Jun 30, 2021•34 min•Ep. 583
We sat down with the head coach of the University of Virginia, and now Olympic assistant coach, Todd DeSorbo . DeSorbo wanted to make clear out of the gate that his athletes put him on the team and not the other way around. But no matter how you look at it, UVA swimmers were on a roll at the 2021 Olympic Trials as 4 athletes that train in Charlottesville made the US Olympic team and many more registered lifetime bests. DeSorbo breaks down the Olympic-qualifying performances of Paige Madden , Ale...
Jun 29, 2021•39 min•Ep. 582
We sat down with Olympic medalist, DC Trident GM and on-deck host for the 2021 Olympic Trials, Kaitlin Sandeno . Anyone who has ever encountered Kaitlin knows that she is an energizing personality who is easy to be around and can get a party started. This is exactly what she was doing every night in Omaha for the first 3 weeks of June. Sandeno breaks down exactly what her day-to-day entailed during Wave I and II trials as well as what to expect from her DC Trident in season 3 of the ISL, includi...
Jun 28, 2021•25 min•Ep. 581
Courtesy of Speedo , a SwimSwam partner. Today, Speedo USA unveiled its U.S. Federation Suit which will be worn by superstar swimmers Caeleb Dressel, Hali Flickinger, Jamal Hill, Becca Meyers, Ryan Murphy, Andrew Seliskar and Abbey Weitzeil during a huge summer of swimming. The U.S. Federation Suit colorway will adorn both of Speedo’s cutting-edge tech race suits, Fastskin LZR Pure Intent or Fastskin LZR Pure Valor, designed by combining 20 years of performance learnings with innovative technolo...
Jun 27, 2021•29 min•Ep. 580
Brent Nowicki, the new FINA Executive Director is young, only 42 years old. He grew up an age group swimmer, a breaststroker, in the United States and played DI lacrosse at Fairfield University before receiving his Juris Doctor degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. When SwimSwam captured this interview Brent had only been on the job eight days. Despite his youthful age, Brent is stepping into the chief executive position with respectable experience across many international fe...
Jun 26, 2021•15 min•Ep. 579
We sat down with world champion, Olympic medalist, and now Australian commentator James Magnussen , who was calling the races poolside in Adelaide at the 2021 Australian Olympic Trials. James gives us insight into what he saw from the Aussie team at Trials we all we his biggest USA vs. AUS matchups heading into the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. Magnussen's must-see in Tokyo is Ledecky vs. Titmus, where the two distance juggernauts will go head-to-head in 3 events: 200, 400, and 800 free. We also tou...
Jun 25, 2021•48 min•Ep. 578
One of USA's newest Olympians from last week's trials was Hunter Armstrong , the 20-year-old Ohio native who swims for Ohio State. Armstrong is a self-titled "late bloomer" and until high school would often be last in practice, getting beat by male and female teammates alike. Armstrong talks about his journey through this stage and eventually reaching the next level, his motivation being getting to go to a training trip with his team in Florida (Video from 2019 Summer Jr Nationals). Since then, ...
Jun 24, 2021•22 min•Ep. 577
We sat down with newly named Olympic coach Peter Andrew , father of Michael Andrew who also just made his first Olympic team. Peter walks us through the process of tapering Michael for Trials and how they decided on his event lineup in Omaha. He also talks about what went well in training for them in the months leading up to Trials and what they expect heading into the Tokyo Olympic Games. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on ...
Jun 22, 2021•35 min•Ep. 576
Day 6 was short and sweet, seeing a few new Olympians and quite a few doubles. Annie Lazor made her first Olympic team after taking a break from the sport in 2016-17 as did Natalie Hinds . Michael Andrew , Chase Kalisz , Ryan Murphy , and Lilly King all added their second events for their lineups. And newbies Bryce Mefford and Erika Brown added their names for the Tokyo roster. Oh, and Caeleb Dressel broke a US Open record , as he does. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe o...
Jun 19, 2021•2 min•Ep. 575
https://youtu.be/EDwkJz1KCNs Night 5 continued to bring surprises in Omaha, both elating and devastating. We saw 2 US Open records from Hali Flickinger (200 fly) and Caeleb Dressel (100 free) as well as Michael Andrew become the #3 American all-time in the 200 IM. We also saw Nic Fink qualify for his first Olympic team after narrowly missing out in the 100 breast as he took a dominating win in the 200 at 2:07.55. On the flipside, in the women's 100 free, we saw defending Olympic and world champi...
Jun 18, 2021•3 min•Ep. 574
We sat down with SwimSwam's Editor-in-Chief Braden Keith and SwimSwam senior writer Jared Anderson to break down the biggest races of the 2021 US Olympic Trials. We dive deep into the men's 200 IM, men's 100 free, women's 100 fly and who we think may surprise us in Omaha. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS 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 ...
Jun 11, 2021•36 min•Ep. 573
We sat down with Olympic Icon Maya DiRado to discuss how much of a roller coaster the lead-up to both the Olympic Trials and Olympic Games can be. Maya had one of the most successful Olympic performances of the 2016 Rio Games, taking home individual gold (200 back), silver (400 IM), and bronze (200 IM) while also earning gold on the 4x200 free relay. She recalls some of her best and worse moments in the weeks leading up to both Trials and the Games, from swimming in a Trials final to Olympic tra...
Jun 10, 2021•29 min•Ep. 572
Olympic swimming champion Caeleb Dressel is flesh and bone, and he battles nervousness like everyone else. Dressel shares insights into his experience on the run-up to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials and other major qualifying meets. He clearly has made peace with the mental tension learning how to manage it. Recently Dressel notched fast swims at the Atlanta Classic signaling he is on course for a great U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Dressel Atlanta Classic Times: 50 free - 21.82 100 free - 48.67 - ...
Jun 09, 2021•5 min•Ep. 571
Abi Liu is the head coach and owner of PEAK Swimming in Northern California. You may have noticed Abi on deck thanks to her styling kicks. In this sit-down with SwimSwam, Abi talks about her shoe collection and how it’s become a coaching tool. Abi also discussed all the obstacles of the past year and a half, including dealing with otherness. It’s an honest, informative discussion that we hope you enjoy! SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and...
Jun 09, 2021•44 min•Ep. 569
The 2021 Olympic Trials Wave I wrapped up in Omaha on Monday, with a whopping 15 athletes earning new qualifications for Wave II, by placing Top 2 in their event. From the 50 free to the 1500, there were exciting races on both the men's and women's side, with the last race of the meet, the men's 1500, coming down to the final meter. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbe...
Jun 08, 2021•2 min•Ep. 570
We sat down with 11-time Olympic medalist and International Swimmers' Alliance Manager Matt Biondi . Today marks the launch of the International Swimmers’ Alliance (ISA), an independent organization established by athletes, for athletes that aims to fight for swimmers’ rights and provide them with an independent global voice. Formed in response to the calls from professional swimmers worldwide for independent representation, the International Swimmers’ Alliance has a goal to improve personal and...
Jun 08, 2021•31 min•Ep. 568
We saw 10 new swimmers punch their tickets to Wave II Trials next week on night 3 of Wave I, while 2 swimmers earned themselves second events in Omaha next week. The energy was still electric in the stadium and the races themselves, especially the 400 free and 200 back, were all about strategy and who could edge out the gutsiest finish. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on P...
Jun 07, 2021•2 min•Ep. 567
Night 2 of racing at the 2021 Wave I Olympic Trials saw many more Wave II cuts from high schoolers and college swimmers alike, with 9 total Wave II cuts in the finals session. We saw names from last night such as Autumn Haebig , Patrick Sammon and Katie Trace place 2nd in events while new names came to the forefront in the form of Kate McCarville , Malia Rausch , and Liam Bresette . SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple P...
Jun 06, 2021•2 min•Ep. 566
Day 1 of the 2021 Olympic Trials Wave I saw a lot of swimmers take advantage of their second swims. 10 swimmers achieved Wave II cuts tonight, up from just 2 in prelims. We go through and give you some of my highlight swims from the first finals session, many of which were from 18-unders. Stay tuned every morning for a recap of the night before and new swimmers to watch for at Wave II. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Appl...
Jun 05, 2021•2 min•Ep. 565
SwimSwam sat down with International Swimming League ( ISL ) CEO Konstantin Koudriaev and ISL Technical Director Apostolos Tsagkarakis to unpack and demystify the upcoming ISL draft. This is a historic moment in our sport, the first professional draft in swimming history. Looking ahead keep these dates on your calendar; June 22nd, 29th, and 30th. June 22nd is Round I of the draft when ISL team coaches and general managers select the first 5 athletes from their 2020 teams. June 29th is Round II o...
Jun 04, 2021•44 min•Ep. 564
Tritonwear.com is largest data company in swimming, working swimmers, coaches, club team and national governing bodies around the world. Dr. Megan Holtzman is their Chief Scientist, the right person to help us breakdown why data matters in swimming , and how their 30+ data points per lap will make you swimming faster. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS 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 t...
Jun 03, 2021•29 min•Ep. 563
The University of Iowa has announced the hiring of Nathan Mundt as the program’s new head women’s swimming & diving coach. He takes over the program after the departure of 17-year head coach Marc Long , who declined the opportunity to continue as just the women’s head coach next season when the men’s program was cut. The 2021-2022 season will be Mundt’s first as Hawkeye head coach and it will be the school’s first in more than a century without a men’s swimming & diving program. The scho...
Jun 02, 2021•18 min•Ep. 562
Michael Andrew turned a lot of heads at the Indy Pro Swim, dropping: 58.6 - 100m breast 50.8 - 100m fly 1:56.8 - 200m IM I was surprised. Frankly, I didn't see Michael as the favorite in two events heading into U.S. Olympic Trials. I think, like a lot of swimming fans, I was lulled into a bit of a sleep after after his 2020 ISL season. I expected a little more from him last fall and winter. Now, in hindsight, that feels like a harsh judgment considering everyone reacted differently to the pandem...
Jun 01, 2021•6 min•Ep. 561
We sat down to talk with Matt Bowe , the once elite Loughborough swimmer who is now the associate head coach at Ohio State. We go through the transition from athlete to coach and moving to the USA smack dab in the middle of it. Bowe also gets into what makes the USA different from the rest of the world in terms of having a sporting culture that starts at a very young age. Bowe compares the USA to Britain and discusses differences in every stage of upbringing that ultimately lead to performance o...
May 31, 2021•43 min•Ep. 560
On April 6th, Andre Brasil and the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) announced that the Cologne Regional Court has ruled in favor of the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to reclassify Brasil as ineligible. This effectively ends Brasil’s 14-year-long Paralympic career. “We call this change in ranking one of the saddest episodes in the history of global paralympics,” the CPB wrote in their official statement. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Clic...
May 30, 2021•28 min•Ep. 559
Olympic hopeful Carson Foster turned heads in Austin, Texas dropping a 4:11 best time in the 400 meters IM three weeks out from the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. Carson has made big gains since NCAA championships, and he shared that his training has gone better than expected. He was a kid back in 2016, but he did get vital U.S. Olympic Trials experience. That matters. Olympic Trials in Omaha is a pressure-cooker, especially for swimmers competing in the 400 IM, which is the first event on the first ...
May 29, 2021•5 min•Ep. 558
We sat down with Dan Flack , the head coach of Baylor Swim Club and Baylor high school. We talk for over an hour, meaning we cover a lot of ground. Among our topics covered is Flack leading Baylor girls and boys to state titles (TN) during a pandemic and talking through what a virtual state championship looked like. Flack also discusses being on staff at multiple colleges while also coaching for the associated club team and the knowledge he was able to gain from being around so many high-level a...
May 28, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 557
Garrett McCaffrey sat down with Herbie Behm , the assistant coach at Arizona State. Behm talks about how the year went for Arizona State after head coach Bob Bowman made the decision to red-shirt the entire team. Behm said for the most part it went quite smoothly, getting a long block to focus on both long course and putting good work in during training heading into Olympic Trials. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Po...
May 27, 2021•58 min•Ep. 556
