This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss USA Swimming canceling the Pro Swim in Knoxville, Emre Sakci's 50 Breast world record, and Adam Peaty's 'Project Immortal'. 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 listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to list...
Jan 04, 2022•44 min•Ep. 735
We sat down with Neil Harper (head coach), Vanessa Hermann (senior), and Anna Hopkin (alumni) of Arkansas women's swimming. We discussed where everyone is at in their season and what things look like in the immediate future. We also go back a bit and talk through the last 18 months and how each athlete got through being in lockdown. 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...
Dec 31, 2021•38 min•Ep. 734
We sat down Femke Heemskerk , one of the most decorated swimmers in Dutch history, who recently called it a career after winning the ISL season 3 championship with Energy Standard . Femke shares why she felt that this was the right time for her to step away from the pool, citing a lack of motivation when she was training and realizing she'd never felt that way before. Heemskerk reflects on her achievements in the pool, noting that she felt her absolute best at the 2014 SCM World Championships in...
Dec 30, 2021•45 min•Ep. 733
We sat down with Arizona State head coach Bob Bowman and associate head coach Rachel Stratton-Mills to discuss how the sundevils performed at the NC State Invite and what training has looked like this fall. Bowman goes into detail on the men's team, from the kind of work they've been doing to the exact amount of rest they got for Invite. Stratton-Mills speaks to the women's team, noting what their goals are moving forward into the rest of the season and what the addition of post-grad Olivia Smol...
Dec 29, 2021•38 min•Ep. 732
We sat down with Zoe Bartel , the NCAA champion from Stanford who recently announced a mid-season retirement in what was her senior season on the team . Bartel goes into detail about her relationship with swimming, starting when she was young and actually tried to quit swimming when she was 16. She reveals that skiing was always her true love, but she did eventually come to love aspects of swimming, like the hard work that came with training and her teammates. Bartel explains why this was finall...
Dec 28, 2021•32 min•Ep. 731
We sat down with Tennessee's associate head coach, Ashley Jahn . Jahn has been with the Vols for a decade now and it shows as she discusses her methodical approach to training. One big thing Jahn hits on that is unique about this season is the energy that the "COVID 5th year" swimmers bring to the pool deck. Jahn explains that getting that extra chance to improve has brought a lot of joy to those athletes, which in turn trickles down to the rest of the team. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to ...
Dec 27, 2021•48 min•Ep. 730
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discussed the 2021 Speedo Winter Junior Championships, the upcoming Short Course World Championships, and the prospect of Sarah Sjostrom being an NCAA swimmer. 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 listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Lis...
Dec 14, 2021•45 min•Ep. 729
Brent Nowicki’s been the new FINA Executive Director about six months. He’s young, only 42 years old, with an impressive resume. As expected he’s bringing a lot of energy and changes to FINA. Brent’s managing an extremely jam-packed calendar, and it appears he’s striving to package tentpole aquatic events as spectacles. The upcoming World Championships in Abu Dhabi will provided much needed data to determine if spectacle events can work—be a cost-benefit and be bigger driver of TV rights. Brent’...
Dec 13, 2021•51 min•Ep. 728
We sat down with Kelsi Dahlia , the Cali Condor's star who broke the world record in the 100 fly in the ISL final. Dahlia explains the pain of missing the Olympic team, how she processed that sense of loss, and came back to pool with a sense of purpose to get ready for the 2021 ISL season. Dahlia also talks about her current training plan, which has included 6 practices a week (1 per day 6 days/week, no doubles) in the Louisville sprint group. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subs...
Dec 10, 2021•34 min•Ep. 727
University of Pennsylvania senior Lia Thomas has been making headlines so far in this NCAA season, producing several record-breaking performances in what is her first year competing as a woman. Thomas, a trans woman, sat down on the SwimSwam Podcast to discuss everything from when she realized she was trans, what the transition period was like, and how she's been able to adjust to life both in and out of the pool. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to...
Dec 09, 2021•27 min•Ep. 726
In this podcast Mark unpacks what he's doing at SET Aquatics, and he dips back into his history discussing his coaching philosophy. I traveled the world with Mark for ten years on the USA Swimming National Team back in the 1980s and 90s, but I've never talked to him about his Mission Viego dynasty years. I was dumbfounded to learned he took over the program at the tender age of 23 back in 1973. Mark discusses his genesis story, nearly going into the legal profession, and how his father told him ...
Dec 08, 2021•41 min•Ep. 725
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ISL Final and the controversy that surrounded it, Thomas Heilman 's NAG record siege in Greensboro, and Daiya Seto training in Scottsdale. 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 listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes...
Dec 07, 2021•37 min•Ep. 724
We sat down with Blaire Bachman, the associate head coach at the University of Virginia. Bachman takes us through her thoughts on the hoos’ performances at the 2021 Tennessee invite, their mid-season rest meet, as well as how training has been for the defending national champions (on the women’s side) this fall. We then delve into Blaire’s coaching journey and she gives us key insights on what she’s picked up over the course of her 10+ year career so far. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to lis...
Dec 06, 2021•46 min•Ep. 723
Condor's GM Jason Lezak along with World record-holder Kelsi Dahlia and American record-holder Justin Ress sat down with SwimSwam to digest the ISL final. Cali was the defending champions from 2020 and came up just short of their 2nd team title, losing to Energy Standard in a back-and-fourth match by just 12 points. 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 ...
Dec 05, 2021•14 min•Ep. 722
In a razor-thin battle with the Cali Condors that saw the clubs trade the lead back and forth during the final day of competition, Energy Standard clinched the Season 3 ISL championship title thanks to the efforts of Ben Proud and Adam Barrett in the men’s butterfly skins. Energy Standard’s Sarah Sjostrom finished as the leading scorer in the final with 61 points, followed closely by Fink (59.5) and Cali’s Hali Flickinger (51.0). SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spoti...
Dec 04, 2021•11 min•Ep. 721
We sat down with two-time Olympic medalist and Team Speedo athlete Hali Flickinger . This Cali Condors swim star has been busy since Tokyo. In this podcast Hali dives into the past, detailing her journey to the Olympic podium since her days competing at YMCA Nationals. Hali's a workhorse, grinding in practice to compete on the biggest stage in sport in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM. The move to train under iconic swim coach Bob Bowman paid off, but she did not expect to train through a pandemic o...
Dec 02, 2021•46 min•Ep. 720
We sat down with Olympic bronze medalist in the 100 fly, Noe Ponti . The butterfly specialist is fresh off of breaking 4 new Swiss records at the Swiss SC championships . Ponti was public on his Instagram that winning his bronze medal was fairly life-changing and prompted him to depart from NC State after having been in the US for just a few weeks this fall . Ponti speaks on how being at home in Switzerland brings him happiness and will therefore be staying there for the foreseeable future. SWIM...
Dec 01, 2021•47 min•Ep. 719
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown we discuss the upcoming ISL Grand Final (Eindhoven), Minnesota Invite (Minneapolis), and US Open (Greensboro), where many, many swim stars will competing in one pool or the other. 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 listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and ...
Nov 30, 2021•44 min•Ep. 718
We sat down with Energy Standard's Siobhan Haughey and head coach Tom Rushton after their dominating win in Match 5. Haughey described her prep work for the ISL playoffs as well as her thoughts on her new Asian and ISL record in the 200 free . She even recalled Sarah Sjostrom telling her that she (Haughey) could break Sjostrom's world record in the 200 free. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to lis...
Nov 29, 2021•15 min•Ep. 717
We sat down with McKenzie Siroky , the now 2x defending Michigan state champion in the 100 breast. Siroky just made headlines last week by taking down the Michigan state record in the 100 breast at 1:00.48 , previously held by NCAA All-American Miranda Tucker. McKenzie explains why she's committed to playing DI hockey over swimming in college and what her daily life looks like during high school swim season (when she is still playing hockey). SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subsc...
Nov 28, 2021•50 min•Ep. 716
Arena signed 17-year-old phenom and Olympic breaststroke champion, Lydia Jacoby, the brand’s first sponsorship deal under the new NCAA NIL (name, image and likeness) rules that came into effect on July 1st, 2021. The day arena made the announcement, Lydia topped SwimSwam traffic, pulling more eyeballs than the ISL match and the college invite coverage. In other words, this Alaska native has real star power. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen...
Nov 24, 2021•45 min•Ep. 715
In this podcast Jim shares what wasn’t in PRIDE, his feature film. No disrespect to the filmmakers, but there was no way to include all Jim’s success in two hours. Jim needs a recurring Netflix series to unpack it all. We do our best in this podcast to dive into the history and finer details. I hope you enjoy it.Pictured with Jim is my friend, Trevor Freehand. Trevor’s portrayed n the film PRIDE, and Trevor’s brother. Tracy Freehand, is PDR’s current Lead Coach… Many thanks to Trevor, who helped...
Nov 23, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 714
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we cover the highlights from the first week of the NCAA Mid-season invites, the Finals picture after week 2 of the ISL playoffs, and what Lydia Jacoby signing with Arena means for the high school swimming community at large. 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 listen and ...
Nov 22, 2021•43 min•Ep. 713
Malmsten, INC. CEO Mikael “Mike” Orn is a 1984 Olympic Medalist from Sweden, and Vice President Simon Percy is a 1992 Olympian from New Zealand. Both are proud alums of ASU, a DI college program they helped to endow with the famous coach Bob Bowman at the helm. With strong roots in the sport of swimming and an established brand behind them, they are launching Malmsten, INC., delivering the Malmsten brand of lane lines and water polo gear to the North American market. See the Malmsten INC. websit...
Nov 17, 2021•36 min•Ep. 712
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ISL playoffs so far, what demographics of athletes are getting NIL deals and how much they're worth, and how swimming bumped Jim Rome's talk show. 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 listen and subscribe on YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on List...
Nov 15, 2021•47 min•Ep. 711
We sat down with Grace Ariola , the NCAA All-American and Big-12 champion from Texas who has been out of the pool for the last 2+ years and recently announced a medical retirement due to chronic fatigue syndrome. Ariola goes into detail on what her last 2.5 years looked like after getting a viral illness and never fully recovering, including how her mental health was affected just as much as her physical health. Grace offers a lot of perspective on not only what this dark place looked like for h...
Nov 12, 2021•39 min•Ep. 710
We sat down with 2x Olympian, 14x world champ Olivia Smoliga , who is currently in Eindhoven for the ISL season 3 playoffs. Just before arriving in Eindhoven, however, Smoliga made the move from Athens, Georgia to Tempe, Arizona, where she is training with Bob Bowman at Arizona State. 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 C...
Nov 10, 2021•31 min•Ep. 709
This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ISL playoffs starting this week in-depth, highlighting which teams are secured a spot in the ISL final, which are on the bubble, and which are on the outside looking in. We also assess the world records broken in Kazan at the SC European Champs this past week and look at what the Texas-UVA dual meet tells about both defending NCAA champions. SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe ...
Nov 09, 2021•35 min•Ep. 708
We sat down with 7x medalist from the 2020 Olympic Games and world cup series champion, Emma McKeon . Despite all these (and more) accolades, McKeon has managed to keep a steady head on her shoulders and takes us through her last 6 months with grace and humility. She emphasizes how much she's grown as an athlete and person through this Olympic cycle, noting her ability to stay present and appreciate where she's at in her athletic career. She also breaks down all of her individual swims from Toky...
Nov 08, 2021•33 min•Ep. 707
Today we have co-founders Karl Hamouche and Michael Peterson on the SwimSwam podcast to breakdown their talks at ASCA, CSCAA and NISCA. They dive into their books and downloadable education material (some of which is free). We also talk about their approach and innovation tackling swimming problems all coaches face. 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 ...
Nov 05, 2021•55 min•Ep. 706
