Going for Gold with Kerri Strug

Welcome back to Unleashed. Boy. This is a big week, you guys. This is a week we've been waiting for. I've been waiting for. I'm so excited. We have a new co host, my partner and crime. We're gonna be doing this every week. You're gonna be listening every week and you're gonna have a good time with us because we brought in funny man Janice Papas. You heard him a couple of weeks ago on the John Stamos episode. By the way, I hate to say it, that's been

my favorite episode yet for obvious reasons. If no one has listened yet, make sure you go back and listen and help me. Welcome in my new co host, Jana's Poppas. Thank you, Olivia. I'm excited about this. Yeah, yeah, goes wild. I'm sorry you guys couldn't get the real John Stamos, so I'll just have to do. You know, I'm the lesser of the two Greeks, and I'm a huge sports fan. I had a sports show back in the day that I loved. I love speaking athletes, and I'm a big

fan of you, big fan of your pops. He's my favorite announcer. He makes it exciting. And I'm a big fan of your husband. So I was rooting for them in the National championship game. Unfortunately it didn't go it didn't go their way, and also I lost a lot of money on that. Well, that's the perfect convergence for now our show, because you've got a decker, you've got sports betting, and we've got you. Tell us more about your comedy history because I'm always curious. Everyone thinks they're funny.

I think, when do you know you can be professionally funny? You know, there's not much of a difference. I would like to make him mysterious and be like, hey look, but it's like anyone could be funny. It takes a while, like you said, to be professionally funny. But I you I was funny from when I was very little, because

that's the only thing I was ever good at. Usually those two things go hand in hand, where it's like you're not good at anything except that, and that's the only thing I like to do is make people laugh. You know, you start doing comedy, just like with sports, you go and train our our training is the comedy clubs, and then you fail in front of people, which is what makes comedy unique. Like in sports, you go to

the gym, you're shooting alone, you're doing drills alone. If you're a basketball player, I imagine if you're a gymnast, you're on on pulse. You know. I don't know what they do at home. But comedy you go in front of people and people tell you right there you're no good. So it's like right there, You're like, I'm just practicing. They're like, no, this is a show for me. I paid for it, and you are no good. So you have to build up a thick skin, you know, go

to therapy. You know. I think the same is true of sideline importers, because you messed up in front of a national audience as well. I will tell you if I have ever messed up on national TV, my Twitter will let me know very quickly. No, you're right, and you know what, I what I of the show. I had a show and I was with two journalists who were used to like doing that type of thing. You if you're talking about like a serious story or you're

interviewing someone. When you're on TV, it magnifies everything. Like like if you scratch your face on television, people like, you know if I did that with you. Now on a podcast, it's much more relaxed environment. You're like, oh, you probably had a niche. But if we're on TV and like millions of people watching you like, is he

a crackhead? Is he doing drugs? Like what? It just makes everything so even when you stutter or and I always admired that about reporters, that they just don't even stutter or like drop a word or an article because otherwise people like she's terrible at her job, that she forgot and before a word? Yeah right, right. Well, now you are married to a beautiful woman. I saw her on Instagram. I hope we can all get together, maybe go on a double date soon when we can all

travel a bit. But you're married to a beautiful woman and you have a beautiful daughter. Tell us about your home life. Yeah, well, first of all, if we do a double day, I will remember to bring high chairs for me and my wife so we can all see each other. My wife is about five four. I mean, you guys are tall drinks waters right. It's great. She's um, she's supportive, she's great. At the beginning, she enjoyed my comedy. Now she's just sick of it, like she's heard it all.

And I just help. Yeah, I just help her with the baby. I'm just I come off the bench. She's the starting point guard. She calls all the shots, and if I'm lucky enough to be running a wing, maybe she'll dish the ball to me for a dunk. But other than that, like she just I hear Jannie and I know it's like I need to come do something. And enjoying raising his baby during COVID it was you know. That's kind of the silver lining is that we were home with her, So that's cool. Yeah, I'm just getting

ready to be told what to do. I have a female dog. I obviously have a female wife, and I have a female daughter. So it's like I am outnumbered and now I got a female co host. Hey, get any men to talk to me anymore? Must be unless it's John stay us lessons Johnston was I can get him to text me. Yeah, we text all the time. I love it. And we do have an incredible guest coming on in a bit. It is Olympics, so we are going to be talking with Carrie Strugs. She won

the gold medal for US A gymnastics. Her story is incredible. I cannot wait to talk to her. But you're honest. Since you are Mr funny man, I want to try to tickle your funny bone a bit with some Olympic headlines that made me laugh. Okay, there are a couple and I think everyone can agree already the years off of this year's Olympics, we're still calling in. You know, There's been a couple of weird things go on. So I wanted to see if you had heard about this

one the Argentinean night Simone Biles. It's just the trials, right though. They're just like she didn't have to bring it, you know, because I was watching and I was like, she wasn't very Simone Biles, like, so I bet she's gonna really bring it when it's time. Absolutely, that's such

a good storyline too. And again Carrie will probably have some good insight for us because watching it is kind of tricky to watch and say, well that doesn't look like an Olympic you know, performance or game face or whatever. But yeah, she'll break it down for us. She's like, the Willis Reed of gymnastics. Now, I like that, Are you going to tell her that? Yeah? If I remember to. Yeah. So did you hear about the Argentinean fencer. I didn't hear what happened? Oh this is good. This is so good.

Maria bellin Perez Maurice. She lost. So following the loss, she was doing her media postgame interviews. When her coach proposes to her, she said, yes, I probably should have said that a little quicker. Yes. This was her quote after and this is kind of where I chuckled. She said, I forgot everything. I was like, oh my god. We are very happy. We are very good partners. Of course we have fights, but we enjoy each other's time. First of all, I wouldn't get in a fight with my

fencing wife. Yeah, she says. We love each other so much and we want to spend our lives together. We're going to celebrate in Buenos Areas with a big barbecue. Ah. Yeah, because they are Argentineans. So like they that they're vegetables are just meat. Next to meet, Yeah, you drained a beef stew. Yeah yeah. Wow. So he proposed to her. We won fencing right America one. I think we won

the gold. Yes, we won the gold. So it's like, here's an Argentinian trying to upstage the gold getting proposed to. That was probably his movie. He was like, if we don't win gold, we gotta get on that wheaties box. Maybe I don't know what the Argentinian wheaties equivalent is, maybe it's a or whatever. It's like, look, if we don't win the gold, I'm proposed in to her, and that way we could make headlines and try to steal it from the USA. But make no mistake the USA,

we are number one at fake fighting scene. Well, when I first read the story, I was like, oh my gosh. As a woman, I would not have liked to have been proposed to on a day with my athletic dreams kind of crumbled in front of me. But I later saw that he said she was so sad and he wanted to make this bad day a good day, and if she had one, he would have waited. So that made it a little bit more romantic. I thought, right, yeah, a little bit. Um, How did how did you get

proposed to? Well? I seeing my husband and I kind of go back and forth on this because I am very extra like I wanted like the band, the fireworks, the photographer that blah blah. It could not have been more low key. And my husband said, I just didn't think you wanted all that. Do you know me? You know I would have done very sweet. If I was him, I would have been like this, what's that over there? And then you would have turned back and I would

have went right between the eyes. I'm sorry. It's one of my favorites from you, pops. I apologize that was good. I would have just handed you the ring like that. Yeah. I proposed a Christmas proposals like mine. I nailed it. I gotta be honest. I nailed it. Okay, she wanted it like in front of her whole family. She like alluded to it and like it's weird because comedians we were off stage, like I'm not I'm like kind of quiet, and I just kind of like a boring dude. And

so I was sitting there on on Christmas Eve. It was on Christmas Eve, her whole family was there, and I started getting resentful. I was like, I'm not doing this in front of her whole family. It's embarrassing, So I waitedful. I was resentful. I was. I almost had the felm in Louise moment where I was like, I'm just gonna get in the car and drive off the side of the earth. I don't believe the earth is flat.

I'm just kidding. It's around. Sorry, Kyrie Irving. But after all her family left, I was like, I'm not gonna do it that way. After her family left, I was like, I got this present. Few of course I had the fake present. It was like a little purse and I started opening it and she kind of knew I might propose that. She was kind of looking for it. And while she was like looking for in the purse, I pulled it out. She was on the floor. I was in a chair. Soon as she turned around, boom it

was eye level and bang it was perfect. Wait wait wait wait you got it back up? Yeah, you know the guy is supposed to kneel. You're telling me she was like perched uncomfortably on the floor and you're sitting in like a lazy boy. Right, Yeah, well I gotta be comfortable too, you know what I mean, Like, I'm I was comfortable. Yeah, you're right, she was Actually she was on the floor and I was sitting a Barbara. Yeah, because I'm the king of the castle. And that's how

I was like, it's this a Greek thing? What is you know what? I messed it up. Actually I handed her the card. She read the card and it said will you marry me? And then when she looked up from the card, I had the ring right there. So it was perfect, Just like I'd to forget exactly how he proposed, man, I married her making an important moment though it is an important moment. So yeah, fencing competition, she loses, she gets a ring out of it, not a medal. She might have wanted a metal more harder

to get. Yeah, that's kind that's kind of funny in the when you get the ring, you're really hoping, You're like, it's kind of tough when your engagement ring is a consolation prize, right right. Well, here's another one that has to do with couples as well. So this is very on brand. So there's a US softball player, Jane Reid. She's the starting left fielder. She's playing for Gold on

Tuesday night. This comes out on Thursday, so we'll know if the US Softball team won gold by then, but her husband is an MLB picture and he switched teams while she was in Tokyo. He made his major league debut earlier this month, but was claimed off waivers this week by the Tampa Bay Rays from the Dodgers. And I can't imagine getting that call. Also times O wise, probably middle of the night for her, she's getting ready for the Olympics, trying to win gold for USA. It's like, hey, honey, sorry,

we're moving. Yeah, honey, look, don't want to bother you. I know you're doing you know, I know it's like once every four years or whatever. But guess what I got College hunks that move stuff. What's that? You ever see that truck? It's like, I think it's college Hunks that Move stuff is the name of the company. And it's like, I guess college dudes that move you. And it's like, yeah, we're you know, yeah, we got we got a new house, got new people probably above that.

Are you sure you're not thinking of like two guys in a truck? Probably? Yeah. Yeah. If you're a picture, you're probably going a little higher level than college on your stuff. Yeah. Yeah, I mean I've gotten I know how she feels. I've gotten the call a couple of times for my husband. He was traded and then b

a four times. And I got that call um once when I was about to board a plane, and you know, you've got your digital boarding pass on your phone, and my husband's trying to call me to tell me he was traded from the Clippers to the Calves. And I'm boarding a flight in New York to go home to l A. So I got a long flight ahead of me, right, And I'm about to show the boarding pass to the fight attendant, scan it and get on my flight, and I get the alert like ESPN alert Sam Decker traded

to the Cavaliers. And I'm like, oh yeah, hang on, I'm gonna go back with the people in row four hundred fifty and make sure that this news is accurate. And I call my husband. I'm like, what the heck? Why did I just find out on a an alert? And he said I was trying to call you, and I said, I was trying to board a plane. I couldn't answer at my digital boarding house house. This is actually like the perfect show for you, because you can do it from Turkey. You can do it from Wisconsin.

You can do it from anywhere. So you got it perfect. That is something that you have experienced with it. I don't that's a crazy call probably to get your getting on it. It's like, by the way, I know, you just made a lot of friends. But yeah, yeah, we're headed to Uzbekistan. Don't bother like joining a book club or anything. Yeah yeah, hey, look you're gonna have to uh learn a new language and uh maybe change religions. But you know, I got a nice look condo, we

have fun and and Dakistan. Okay, I got one more for you. So there's a new sport this year at the Olympics. Actually there are six new sports. Is it's women trying to destroy each other with fake compliments? Because that's my favorite sport. Is that like gold medal activity in New York or what's that like? I would love to watch that, just like, oh my god, I love those shoes. And then judges South would clear out if we made that just a domestic competition. I went to

school at University of Georgia. I think the Georgians could do a good job. They can, They're good at it. Right, Oh my god, I love that draft. Oh god, bless her heart. Yeah, okay, no, but so of the new six sports, which is crazy that here we are adding sports, but one of them is women's street skateboarding. I saw this. Yeah, so guess who swept this year Japan? Guess how old? The star was nine, not far thirteen years old, and

the silver went to a thirteen year old Brazilian. Bronze went to a much much older gal wise beyond her years, really seasoned, wrinkles around the eyes. She was sixteen. She was from Japan. Now, guests, we've finished fourth. I'm hoping it's the USA. It is a thirty four year old American who's a three time X Games gold medalist. And look, she's got a master's degree from m I t think

about that field of competition. She could be their mother. Yeah, I mean that's you know what, It's kind of you know, we invented skateboarding. It's kind of like what's going on with basketball right now with the yeah, with the men and uh, you can if we don't meddle in skateboarding, I feel like we just Tony Hawk has to put on a wig and go out there. I mean, we can't.

Skateboarding is like that's like Americans losing losing a Nathan's Hotdog contest, like we lost, Yeah, you know when then we had chess not come back and bring it home. I mean that's us, That's what we do. Or losing an American football game. Yea. Yeah. Now, I don't know what you were doing at thirteen. And again when we talked with Kerry Will know what she was doing at thirteens. I guarantee we both look like major late bloomers and

maybe losers next to that. But when I was thirteen, I was getting my braces off, navigating politics of middle school hallways. Right. No, when I was there teen, I was smoking cigarettes, hiding it. Yeah I was. You are not a labor bloomer, you were advanced. No, yeah, back then you go in and I'd be like, hey, yeah, you know, hey, my dad's in the car outside. What's pack of Marlboros? And uh so I just pretended like I was getting from my dad. But yeah, man, so

they're really we need to train like a generation. We gotta get women into skateboarding so we can compete. I hope America. We got to motivate them somehow, like make a like give him like a TikTok deal. I don't know what you know, when the young American girls and it's like, look, if you win gold in skateboarding, we will instantly. You'll get to meet Addison Ray. You know. Whatever it is that motivate you'll get to meet Justin Bieber.

Is something to get these girls cooking. Okay, I would start skateboarding if I could meet Justin Bieber, I would start right now. Years old, I would be I would be an old gal. They'd be wheeling me on my skatebo word wheelchair. But yeah, there's gonna be some poaching going on in kindergarten classrooms coming up. Ready. You're right though, When you watch Olympics and you hear how some how young some of these athletes are, it really does make me feel like a loser. You're like, jeez, what was

I doing at Like I wasn't doing anything. I wasn't practicing anything. Well, that's a perfect transition to get into our conversation with Kerry, because I want to hear about how her career started, because I read that she started competing at a high level at four years old, So I'm not sure if that's true or not. We gotta ask her, right, I guess she was climbing in her crib and stuff like that, like in her parents maybe noticed it and kind on the edge of the crib. Yeah.

And being tiny is I guess a talent in gymnastics, right, because usually it's like being born tall for basketball and volleyball. I mean, I think she's like four ft seven. I don't know what that is in the metric system. I'm not smart, but she's small, So I mean it's either that or she's going to ride a horse if you're an athlete, right right right at that level, yeah, jockey or gymnast. But either way, she's coming on. Can't wait to stalk they We welcome in Carrie Strug. Now, she

was a member of the Magnificent Seven, won the nine gold for USA Gymnastics for the first time ever in very dramatic fashion. I know you've seen the video. People still talk about it today, twenty five years later. She reflects on the experience with us, now a true legend in the sport. Welcome, Carrie Strug, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for having me Olivia. It's great to be with you. You know, your Olympics story really started

one month before the nine Barcelona Games. You were the youngest, I believe fourteen or fifteen years old. I can't imagine what that was like mentally. Can any fourteen year old be ready for that? Well? I think as a young athlete you're used to being mentally tough. You learn how to focus on the test at hand, and you're constantly,

you know, pushing yourself past your comfort zone. And so you're taught from a young age too just focus on the routines and the actual skills versus everything around you. But obviously it's much easier said than done. And in the sport it's such a youthful sport that we've seen in the Olympics, especially when there's such a spotlight on it, it seems like that mental toughness is just ingrained at you all. When did you start competing really competitively in

my day and age? You know, way back then, um, three decades ago. You couldn't start competing until you were eight, and so that's when I started competing, and then by ten I was already beyond that national level, trying to buy for a spot on the national team. But everybody progresses differently. There's been some Olympians that didn't start until they were seven, and you know, by the time they're twelve,

they're amazing. You know, today it seems like the longevity is a lot different than a was back in the nineties. A lot of these women that we're gonna be watching over the next few days are in their twenties. You know, Oxana Chusavitna, she was forty six years old competing in her eighth Olympic Games. So I think with diet technology, learn how to train. We're not over training, but you

have these peaks and valleys. It's really assisting young women, you know, to stay in the sport that they love because you put so much time and energy into it. It is kind of disheartening when you only got one shot. Um, if you don't accomplish everything you'd like, be honest, what were you doing at fourteen years old? Were you getting ready for an Olympics or something like that. I was not getting ready for an Olympics at fourteen years old.

I was paying summons is for loitering at fourteen years old, and I was training for my private school basketball team to sit on the bench, which is always pretty hard. Yeah, routing is hard. You have to train to root, and I was that those members of teams are very important. We all need those, you know, positive reinforcers. You can come in at the last minute should they need to. I started learning cheers, and then the guys were like, you don't have to do full cheers, you can just collapse.

Did they call it after you did a couple of high kicks? Well carry, you win bronze in Barcelona. You know you're preparing. You know you still have a couple of Olympics left in you. At that point, you would think, what were the next years like preparing for Atlanta. Yeah, in all honesty, I was really disappointed with our results in Barcelona. But I think often times when you falter, that's just so much more motivation for many to then go full force, to sacrifice a little more so that

you can get what you want. And that's kind of how it worked for me. I had originally always thought, you know, after the Barcelona Games, maybe I just go to normal high school and then go to college gymnastics. But after taking a few weeks off, which gymnasts usually never do, I realized, you know, I still love the spot and I had a lot more in me, and so That's why I was willing to sacrifice another four years of my adolescence to vibe for gold in Atlanta.

I think for me, knowing that the Atlanta Games, the ninety SI Games were going to be in the United States was really special. I watched Mary lou Retton when I was just six years old at the Summer Olympic Games, and I don't know, I wanted my family to be there because they're a big part of your training and they have to deal with all the sacrifices and things like that, and so for me, that was a big motivating factor. Knowing that they were here in the States

and that everybody could participate. Gosh no, and what of sight that they all got. Everyone there that day. I can't imagine what was going through their heads. I mentioned earlier. It was just high drama the way you all won gold. And I please correct me on these numbers if I get them wrong, because it all fell on your shoulders. Mathematically, you needed to go on the vault. You were the last. I believe you needed a nine point four nine three

minimum for us to win. You know, I don't know the exact scoring either, after all these years, because everybody kind of has different takes on it. I think at the time the Russians were not done competing on the floor exercise. It takes longer than the vault, so at the time we thought I had to go, and then after the fact it turns out that we probably would

have won. Anyways, I don't think any Olympian when you're in a team competition, if you're not sure, there's no way under any circumstances, you're just gonna say, oh, what was me? Like? No thanks? So I think as the gymnast, but really as any athlete at that level. You know, you work through a lot of aches and pains, and you're used to dealing with adversity and if you fall down, you get back up and you do it again. You never just walk away if you're able to actually stand up.

This wasn't just any competition again, this is the Olympics Team USA. The women had never won a gold medal. This is something I had wanted for the majority of my life. So um, I think for me it was important to at least give it a try. I'm glad it all worked out because it definitely could have gone the other way, and I realized that there's so many athletes that work their whole lives and then they get on the Olympic stage and unfortunately they have a bad day.

I mean, that happens, you know. So for me it worked out and I'm forever grateful and very meaningful for me because as a gymnast, a lot of times I was known as the girl who was talented, but maybe it wasn't strong mentally, that always faltered in certain situations.

So to finally be in that situation where all eyes were on me and to pull through was very self satisfying and it gave me a new boost of confidence to say, you know what, like you never know, you always got to keep going, be your best advocate, and you know, always believe in yourself because it may take a while for you to get there, you know, right, And you became the poster child then for strength, So any rumor or anything that was about you then you

put to bed and you became the face of strength and stoicism. But can you walk our listeners through for anyone who's not so familiar with the story. After you under rotated on the first vault, you land your second one basically on one foot. But what happened in between, well, we had had an amazing competition starting on the uneven parallel bars. All the gymnasts on our team we're doing the best that they really could, and we were scoring great.

Back in the day, it wasn't that ten Usa just completely dominated and we could have little bob poles or falls and still win by a milestone. Um. You know, today it's a little bit different, but back then it was really tight with the Russians, the Chinese, the Romanians. But we went on from the uneven bars, where everybody did their very best onto the balance beam, which you know that's four inches wide and or beat tall. So if there's one event you're maybe gonna get, we'll have

some problems because you're a little bit nervous. That's the one. But again everybody went up. If the routine stuff there dismounts. The floor exercise, we were on the you know, home court per se and everybody was getting behind us clapp into the music. Then we go to the vault and right away there was problems in the warm up. They weren't moving the springboard and the mats, and so myself and my teammate Dominic Muciana, we couldn't warm up the vault,

that we would compete at that level. It shouldn't matter. You've done the VAULTI million times, But to this day I wonder like to that do something to our psyche because then she went up and fell twice, which is pretty uncharacteristic for any gymnast that trains under Bella Carol. Then I go up. It was like monkey see, monkey do and I fell and you know, of course I knew something was wrong with my ankle, but thank goodness, you know, there's no time to evaluate and know what's

really wrong. Kind of said a little prayer to myself, focused on the tax at hand. I said, you can and you will do this. You're gonna do this, you can't, you know, just positive affirmations, and then kind of went on automatic pilot. I was really lucky that my muscle memory had done this vault hundreds of thousands of times, and I'm very grateful that my coach made me do it when I was tired or when I didn't feel well,

because I think that's what helped me pull through. It's such an iconic, iconic moment in Olympic history, American Olympic history. You guys sacrifice so much at such a young age to be gymnasts. When you retire, do you just party? Do you just party all that miss childhood? Does it just kind of let itself out for a little stage. So I think everybody's a little different, you know, how they released, you know, pent up stress or um, you know,

regimented lifestyle that you've had for so long. For me, I've always aired more on the more serious, like stoic side. I think. You know, I did go to college right after it was culture shock. Let me tell you, I used to think it was really bad to have a brownie. I remember when I first started, my roommate was gonna go to a movie and it was a Thursday, and I was like, you're gonna go out on a Thursday? You know, you only do fun things on Saturday when

you don't have work out on Sunday. So it took me over a year or so to kind of acclimate to understand that not everybody lived on, you know, this training regime that I was used to. How how great can have some fun and you know it would be okay, how did that first brownie taste? When you had it? I would say, all of us on t Musa after the ninety six Games, indulged big time in every carbohydrate

that's out there. And you know, we're really petite, most of us, you know, five ft taller under, and so if you put on five it looks like a lot more. It's a challenge in that sense too, because you're used to being extremely lean and having a certain image of yourself, and then things definitely change when you're not working out eight hours a day and nor eating what you want. But it's you know, it all evens out, and I

think in time you realize everything in moderation. You know, you can exercise for an hour a day and that's sufficient and then maybe have a dessert here and there, but not at every meal and then something. So yeah, about an hour a day. Is that way you're putting in right now? Be honest, Yeah, I do. Uh yeah. I mean I'm a comedian, so sometimes I'll work like ten minutes at night and that's it, and training is just sleeping until the set. So it's a little different.

But I know you're Yeah. One time I had to get a seventy six to pass a course, and it felt kind of like your moment where you needed that score for the gold and uh, I didn't get it. So but I repeated the grade and uh and I passed a second time. So you know, Okay, well there you parents. That's the key. That's what we want to teach all our young people out there, right, you don't make it the first time, try to try again. So I think, you know, oftentimes the Olympics give us that

extra motivation. We see these stories of these athletes and what they've been through, and that's what I really like about the Olympics and what I'm trying to tell my kids this time around, because they're old enough to watch and kind of understand, oh, my goodness, they're the best in the world that what you're seeing in on that television screen is kind of the end of the story. What really should we should talk about is what's led up to that they didn't just get out there and

swim really fast like they've been training for years. And it's not just training. They're also you know, having a certain diet and they're doing lifting weights and there maybe running their cross training, and um, I'm trying to talk to my kids about all the elements that it takes to become an Olympian, not just Oh my gosh, they're so lucky they want Olympic gold. That's so cool, you know.

So I like watching stories and hearing about the child and tribulations that they had along the way prior to those Olympic Games. And I know I'm very biased because of my experience and whatnot, but for me, it's a lot of fun to see these athletes and learn more about them and what kind of invigorates them to keep going and do better, And hopefully it helps a lot of us out there in our own lives. That doesn't

have to be athletics. You know. It can be your career or being just a better person with your family, or you know, your academics or whatnot. But I think we all can do better each and every day. But it's hard to push yourself all the time. So it's to have a mentor or a coach. I know my kids don't think a parent always nagging you, but I want them to have that internal drive, but it's not

always there. It can't each and every day. So I think you have a strong support system or you know, a good team member by your side, it's a lot easier to achieve your dreams and achieving that dream. I can't imagine any sweeter feeling in the world than standing on that podium. But you work married off of the mat after you finally land that double vault to perfection, and the whole world was watching. Bella Caroli is carrying you off the mat your face and I was rewatching it.

I can't imagine anything feeling better. But you're also in pain. You're probably shocked, um, you're probably exhausted emotionally mentally. What what do you think your face was telling the world. Well, I think I had a lot of contrasting emotions like you just remarked on. For me, I always envisioned by Olympic experience to be like Mary lou Retten's my Idol. I'm gonna be so ecstatic and be grinning from you know, ear to ear and wave into the crowd and jumping

up and down. And obviously that wasn't how my story went down, but I think it's that much more memorable because it goes to show a lot of people like things don't always go as planned, but it can still be pretty amazing. And I think it stood as a metaphor for like what becoming an Olympian or achieving a dream is you know, there's pain, there's sacrifice, but there's also so much joy and self satisfaction. And I had all of that up there on the podium because it

was like, my dream is realized. But I hurt my ankle. I can't compete in any other events. I was hoping to buy for individual medals and that's over. So I'm sad, but I'm ecstatic that we won the team gold. And it's a complex thing and you have, you know, maybe five minutes up there on the podium. You always think it's gonna slow down like in the movies, and you're gonna have time to, you know, just really enjoy it.

It went quicker than I had thought it would, but I tried to just be in the moment as much as possible. But obviously, as a youngster, I'm still thinking, how could this happen? Why didn't you know, Why didn't I competed the way I should? Why am I injured? There's always those self doubts too. I think many Olympians that's what makes them great is you it's never enough.

You know, you get that one gold medal, then you want to you know, you win this there swimming, you know, freestyle, but now you you have to go on to the two hundreds. So it's those that are maybe never satisfied that it's you know, it's a catch twenty two because that's what makes you great, but that's what doesn't make you happy when you should be. So life is, it's always changing. You're always learning and trying to you know, enjoy the moment, but also move forward. Being a mom

now having husband. Um, when you have a fight with your husband, do you ever to win the argument? You let them know that, Like I'm an olympian and maybe you should. You know, you don't want to disrespect your country right now? You use it as leverage? No, I don't think so. Um. You know, I met my husband

many many years after the embits. Obviously, I'm very proud of what I accomplished and you know, try and implement it into my daily life in terms of being a hard worker, doing the right thing, understanding and I'm going to have challenges and falter, but I still have to keep moving in the direction I want to go. But yeah, no, we've you know, created our life together in a different terms, and like everybody, you know, we have our challenges here

and there, But overall, I'm really really lucky. It's been interesting though. I like to be in control, and so having two kids that also like to be in control, I've learned a lot. You know. I think I'm just used to doing what I think is right and following. You know, I followed directions and never questioned for better or worse. It's a very different thirty years later than it was when I was the youngest. Really good that are young people have a voice and that they're doing things.

But sometimes I don't know, I wish maybe they weren't so independent. My two I'm like, just you know, please, But they're great kids, you know. I feel honored to be their mom. But it's just different in terms of the way I was brought up through the cool system, per se. And now do you think your kids can handle the coroles or that would be that this generation couldn't handle that type of no, you know, and no, I would do it over again in a minute, but

I wouldn't want my kids to go through. So neither of them is involved in gymnastics. They love sports, sons involved in everything imaginable. I know we're gonna have to hone in and um focus on just one or two in the next few years, but for now he's having a great time doing ice, hockey, sock or tennis, baseball. You know, he does all of them in the different seasons and whatnot. We just like to get the energy out. And then my daughter's like most typical girls, like dance

and gymnastics and cheerleading. We put her in tennis as well. But they're definitely keeping me busy and well documented. The corole camp, the strictness being regimented, Um, you all were so mentally tough going into that and through that. Now, as a grown woman with kids in sports, how do you view your experience. I know you said you would do it again in a heartbeat, but is there anything left on the table that has resonated differently now as

an adult? Well, I think this team that's in Tokyo right now has shown that you can kind of do it on your own terms. There Um a little bit older, like we talked about at the beginning this interview, and I think many of them are extremely self driven. And that's not to say that they are not. They are working like very hard and they're very disciplined, but they also know if they want to have that longevity that they may be when they're a little bit injured have

to take a break. And under the old system, I think it was just the more repetition, the more you do. Then you know, we can wake you up in the middle of the night and you can perform that routine perfectly because you've done it literally hundreds of thousands of times. But I think science has grown to show, you know, on some level that you need to rest and recuperate, and that really helps with your performance and obviously with your ability to compete for a much longer period of time.

You know, was that ever done by the way to wake up in the middle of the night and perform your routine. Not in the middle of the night, but it would be it's six in the morning or nine at night, or in the middle of the day. It's just you need to be able to do this without any warm up and just be able to go kinda on automatic pilot. And I think for many that maybe aren't as mentally tough, it's extremely beneficial. It really is,

because you just go um. But there's many that I think still would have prospered even if we didn't work that way. So you know, each individual is a little different. Everybody on the Olympic level is talented, but I really truly believe it's who puts it together when it counts most.

And everybody works hard. I mean nobody gets a free lunch every right, just jymnasts, But those everybody you're watching on your television screen in Tokyo has worked really, really hard, no matter where they're from or what their sport is. It's a lifestyle and true commitment for not just a couple of years, but for many a decade or more. You know, it's pretty grueling, but they make it look easy when you watch them on your television screen. How

does this team compared to the Magnificent Seven? Did you guys take them? Oh? No, and we're very very different. I think the skill level today is much harder, but back in the nineties we had to do the compulsory actors this which was much more technical. It's when everybody did the exact same routines, but they graded you on you know, the amplitude and the precision, whereas now it's

much more focused on the difficulty level. They actually have the two scoring systems, where you know, one is based on difficulty and one is based on execution. But the skill is that these young girls are doing today. I'm glad that I'm watching because it is amazing. I just never thought that it was humanly possible to do some as these moves. So I'm in awe of these young girls and you know, their ability to push past their fears and then be able to execute them safely. Now.

USA gymnastics has had a rough couple of years. What are you hopeful about in this new chapter? You've mentioned that women are having voices. I think now learning what we have learned, there's so much respect for your generation of USA gymnasts. What are you hopeful moving forward in USA gymnastics? Well, I think what we've seen there's been a lot of changes, not just in gymnastics but in women's sports in terms of you know, equality and in

the voice and whatnot. So, you know, I think we have to grow and learn obviously from what transpired, and I kind of out of the mix, but I hope, and it seems like that's what has happened thus far. I think, you know, I have a young daughter, and I can't imagine how I would feel if you know, she was a victim, so I'm so glad that young women came out and discussed what happened, and that things are in place now that hopefully something like that will

never happen again. Really really unfortunate what transpired, But moving forward, I'm very hopeful we'll only go in the right direction. That's really well said. I think being a mother probably changes your opinion on most things. I always hear that I have, you know, siblings with children, and they say it changes the way you look at anything. Really, I'm curious if you watch the documentary athlete A and your thoughts on it. I did watch it, and you know, again,

I think for me, that was not Mike variance. I have not. I was so fortunate not to be a victim. I'm not a survivor, so I I just I'm not comfortable speaking on their behalf because I have no idea what that's like, and I feel sorry for everything they went through. But I don't like advocating on their behalf because I don't think I can even begin to comprehend.

I think I can, but I think until you're an actual victim, you have no idea what that recovery processes or what that impact it has on you, So you know, I commend them for coming out, and I think it's you know, crucial for these future generations that we don't forget and that we again implement safety measures to make sure not just the Olympians, but all athletes and whatever sport you're in are protected and that we can feel comfortable, because for me, I always feel like, oh, athletics is

so positive. You learn, you know about time management and perseverance and dedication and this with your self esteem. But after you know, learning about all this, it can be

detrimental for a lifetime. So I think it's important to educate even our youngsters, obviously in a different way, and then moving up the line to just remind everybody that you've got to advocate for yourself and make sure that you know, maybe you're intimidated by this coach or this person, but you know you have a right two to do what needs to be done. I appreciate you saying that. I'm sure it's very difficult to speak on and you are so eloquent, and you've been such a voice for

future generations. Now I know you do a lot of work around gyms around the country, and and speaking of families and gymnasts. So your your work is so credible. Thank you for speaking about that with us. Yeah again, Mom, I think it changes a lot of things, but I don't not having had the experience that, don't like to dwelf too far because I have a very peripheral view. You know, it's not in not in that climate carry I've been. I've been watching the Olympics with my wife

and like you said, it's watching people. These women do unbelievable, like superhuman things. I was watching Less Night and the Beam. How do you approach the fear of what could go wrong on the beam? Like I'm scared to go out on a terrorist because I'm scared of heights. How do you do that? Is that something that gets increasingly less scary or you are you just you just have no fear at the outset, you know. I think it's different for everyone. For me, I was really not a fan

of the Beam ever. Um, it was my least favorite. But there's other gymness out there that just feel very comfortable and they love it. It It was their favorite, and you know, with all that pressure, they're not intimidated. They just go out there and they rock their moves. They're solid they're right over the top. It's nothing, but when I was competing, it is the one where after I completed the beam successfully, it was a huge sigh of

relief for me. The floor exercise and the vault were always ones that I just felt much more comfortable from day one. I love flying through the air. I was much more powerful than graceful. Yeah, learning the tricks on the beam now it's a progression. You know. You obviously start on the floor and then you go to a

low beam and then a higher beam with a mat. Again, the skills these crowns are doing today, I'm very grateful I'm watching from my chair instead of having to perform them, because I think I would be shaking literally while I was up there right before I had to throw those skills. But like anything, you know, you do it enough times,

it becomes second nature. Karrie, can you give our listeners a little preview of what's on deck the next week for USA Gymnastics The women's team, Well, I know, um, you know, they had a few little bubbles here and there in the prelimbs, but it just goes to show you that they're human. I think we just become accustomed

to them. Performing perfectly pretty much every time. And you know, I think in this day and age where the media is running seven with the various formats, you know, we got to come up with certain stories here and there. But for me, they're extremely strong. They're going to do great. It's a competition against themselves pretty much. Team USA is spectacular, not only in their difficulty level but their ability to execute. And because they're performing these tricks that are just so

much harder than everybody else. You know, if they bobble here or there, that's still okay. They're still on top. Of course, we'd love for them to be absolutely perfect, but this is the Olympics. There's a lot of pressure. They're out there on the world stage. We can't all always be perfect. But they're pretty close. So I guess, you know, maybe for a story everybody'd like to say, oh, you know, it's gonna be tired. I don't know. Looking at the past decade or so, I think they're going

to be a okay and bring home many many medals. Well. I love the way you romanticize the Olympics, because us as viewers at home, we certainly do. And it's very cool to hear it from a former gold medalist saying that and the lessons that you've drawn from your experience um is immortalized. So thank you so much for sharing that. That was really fascinating me. Appreciate you coming on the show. Carry Yeah, let me just say I remember ninety six. I watched it. This was a great experience talking to

an olympian. And I hope Quentin Tarantino makes a movie Magnificent seven and you guys fight the hatefully and when you fly through the air and you win. It was it was an honor to meet you and speak to you, and thank you so much. Well, thanks you honest, Thanks Olivia. I appreciate your kind words. And go Team USA. Right, let's go. Ye. We love this segment. We bring in

our betting expert from bet MGM Peter Andrew, who we are just discussing, is a little bit Greek as well, so it's like immediate bromance with Joannice. What's going on, guys, Yeah right here? Good class Sagapo, Sagapo, I love you. He's married to a Greek. So also, Olivia, you referred to me as the betting expert, but I think you're actually the betting expert. Now according to a couple of my colleagues from last weekend in Detroit, Oh yes, I'm trying. Okay,

So here's the deal. I don't live in a gambling state. So when I went with our bet MGM family to stay at the MGM Grand in Detroit last week, I was really eager to go to our sports book in person and have fun on the app because before, you know, when I'm at home, I can't do anything. So every time we're talking gambling, I can see all the lines, but I can't. I can't put my money where my mouth is. That changed on Wednesday, and I did all right.

Um My. One funny story is I was going to meet our crew for dinner and I had just kind of gotten everything all downloaded on the app, and I'm wanting to put together a monster of a parlay for myself, and I do like five different outcomes on all the MLB games at night, and as I'm running out, you know, grabbing my purse but not my lip glass going downstairs, I accidentally add like forty Niners to win Week one in this parlay. So this is now the weirdest combination

of events. And I got down there. It's like, oh, shoot, because I wanted to like cash out this week, right, I wanted to do well, and now I've got to wait to weak one. Well. The good the good news is as an Honors fan, I know we played the lines week one, so you probably will play. I thought about that after, but I had a look. I was like, wait, who did they even play? Why did I do that? My my thumb did it. It's like when you have fat fingers and you text. This was that story in

my life. But I did all right, And then I was texting you yesterday, Peter. I was driving with my husband from Wisconsin to our house in Kansas City. So in Iowa, I gotta have a little bit more fun on the app. And so now I'm I'm pretty I'm pretty into it at this point. But I've made a lot of future bets so I can just every time I travel for work hopefully be able to put my money in my mouth this some more. But speaking of which basketball, now, we've been looking ahead at some of

the games coming up. After USA loss to France, how are you feeling about USA basketball for the rest of the games this week? Well, fortunately for them, I think they have Iran in the next game, which they are a forty one point five point favorite. They don't win that game, there's a bigger problem. I think Pop might get fired mid Olympics, going it was the first for everything. You know, five, it's a lot of points to cover. They're gonna win the game. They're gonna win it pretty handily.

But it's tough saying a team is going to win by forty two points. So I may stay away from that, but I do like the under, so under one sixty six and a half. I think we know Iran is just not gonna score many points. You know. It's It's funny though, because you had some of the USA players saying people in the Olympics they play differently. They Evan four ye is an example. These guys are playing with some heart. And then you have the USA guys that

are a little bit lazy. They obviously went through a full playoffs. They're they're tired, they don't have their legs under them. So the more you see that, the more they play a team like Spain or or in Argentina or a France, and those guys are gonna want it more. So it's gonna be tough for them. I'm putting money on Iran. I think they're thousands to one to win a game on Daddy needs a new pair of shoes, let's go. I like, honest, if he can even just

say anything, no punchline and like cracked me up. He just kind of looks. Because we are on zoom right now, we can see each other, and I love the way he just looks the camera and smiles and it just makes you laugh. And then USA plays Check Republic on Saturday. Same story. Yeah, I think the Checks are a seven and a half point underdog. I think they play France maybe in the next couple of days. It's going to be an interesting test for them if they keep it close.

I think you have to take you have to take the Checks to keep it close against the US. I think it's just, um, you got these teams that are fresh again. They just want to play. They want to meddle. USA is playing waysy until they prove otherwise. You kind of have to fade them, which is crazy because they're still we were talking about this offline. They're still a heavy favorite to win it all, win gold, so they gotta prove it to us. But France is a favorite

to win group a at minus five fifty. Would you take that? Yeah, I think that's a pretty big lock. They have a really good NBA team, they have four tum They gotta got a lot of decent guys go there, of course, so I think that's a pretty big lock. You have to put a couple of bucks on, but to me, that's a three hundred. Okay, I'm driving back to Iowa. Do you think also like chemistry problems for the US. I mean, it's like you've got two players on that team, they just went to war for seven games,

they got off a plane. How do they instantly become teammates after in a lot of instances they were covering each other? Yeah, And then I completely agree with that. And then you have, you know, grumblings today that people don't like this san it's on your offense that Pop is running. So you combine those two things. Guys that are exhausted, they're just not schelling. You've got guys like Durant and Lillard don't want the ball and need the ball.

They want the last shot. They didn't prove much of it because they were missing wide open threes and wide open eighteen footers. But all that that adds up, and then if you have an offense you're just not happy with or you don't like running and it's not the Shoshowsky offense they ran four years ago, that's all gonna make a difference. So I'm completely on board with that, and I think you have to look at it and say can they make it work? If not, then they're

gonna be in trouble. Well after the last of France, Papovich is six and three since taking over Team USA from coach k We mentioned they play I ran Wednesday. Check Republic Saturday. Check out the bet MGM app to place your bets now. Peter Golf starts Wednesday. What should we know? Yeah, so a bit of a crazy week so far. Dshambo tested positive for COVID and then John rom tested positive for COVID again after getting it a month ago at the Memorial, already having a vaccine, already

having COVID, So really, really terrible. But I think there's a couple of people you have to look at. Colin more Kawa is obviously and probably the best form of his life, just coming off an Open Championship win. He's seven to one to win gold. I think he's got a really good shot. Cameron Smith solely based off his new mullet that he put in uh for the Olympics. Today he's twenty two to one. But he's obviously been

a great golf for this year. He's had some really good finishes, top ten finishes on the tour and then last one Hideki mate Yama. Winning in your own country is huge. If he's able to win in Japan, that's obviously a huge honor. I have them plus four hundred just to metal, so Bron, Silver, Argal. But I think he's gonna come take this really, really seriously. A lot

of guys are having fun the experience. You got a guy like moncet Amo is pretty serious, and he obviously wants to win in front of his own, his own fans in his own country. Dude, do you think like it's in Japan so it's like I just remember that Roy Jones Junior fight in Korea where they gave it

that was like the biggest robbery I've ever seen. Do you think the Japanese they're very good with technology, so what they do with the drones, you think maybe they juice his ball a little bit with like a robot to go right into the hall. Yeah, no slice. I think they can pull it off getting an extra fifty yards on the drive. I wouldn't be surprised. I'm betting on him nine Iran right here, you heard, I'm betting on him, and I'm betting on Iran that part that

parlay might bankrupt. Thus, so if it hits, the Lord help us all. It's pretty bizarre that the golfers keep getting COVID right like the most individual sport, and here they are getting COVID. Why And also, I mean there's really no interaction with anyone except for your caddie, who if you have it, he's probably probably has it as well. I'm of the mindset of let them play, make sure they just don't handshake. They touched strong golf ball. They

don't have any interaction with people. It's really, really weird. But that's for our politics podcast for for third you're one. If they move it to they should just if they test positive for COVID, they should just move the golf to Florida and just let them have at it, you know, and no one gets it in Florida. It doesn't exists here. Yeah, Baseball and softball are two of the new sports this year.

There are six new sports. Baseball and softball kind of count as one to some people, and they have been Olympic sports before, but now they're back with baseball. And how strong Japan is as a country in the sport. What are you expecting there? Yeah, it's tough because the USA obviously all Major League Baseball players are playing in season right now. Any of those teams like a Japan that have a lot of their professional players playing, I think you have to go for it. You've got amateurs,

college players essentially playing for Team USA. I think the home favorites are are heavy favorite, rightfully so, so I think you gotta roll with them. A couple of the other sports pretty cool too. I love that skateboardings there now, and then um three on three basketball. I just feel like I'm watching basketball at the park. So maybe US three I'll get in for next Olympics in four years.

The bar is low. Well, Peter Andrew, thank you so much for joining us, thank you for your betting advice, and thank you for getting me so hooked, especially this last week. I'm loving the app. You told me. Give any feedback. The app is incredible. If you don't have it, make sure you get it, and next time you're on a road trip going through just about every other steak, you can go ahead in place of bed. Having a lot of fun with it. Peter, thank you, Thanks, good

luck on that parlor. Follow us everywhere at bet MGM and listen and rate review wherever you listen to podcast them BA