The SwimSwam Podcast

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In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

Episodes

Friday Aug 13, 2021

Elizabeth Beisel Gives In-depth Look at the Olympic Games as an NBC Broadcaster

Friday Aug 13, 2021

We sat down with 3x Olympian and now 2020 Olympic Analyst with NBC (I think this makes her a 4x Olympian), Elizabeth Beisel. Beisel gave us the FULL rundown of what life is like for the broadcasting team at Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games, sparing no detail and unafraid to get real about the physical and emotional toll these long days and weeks can take on you. To exemplify this, she recalls Rowdy Gaines DMing Airweave on Twitter and convincing them to bring 4 mattresses to the NBC trailer in Tokyo so the broadcast team could nap on them between sessions.

Beisel also spoke candidly on the hardship of losing her father a week after the Olympic Trials, having to process that as well as prepare for 17 days in Tokyo.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Thursday Aug 12, 2021

Bowe Becker on Going From Essentially Retired in 2020 to Olympic Champ in 2021

Thursday Aug 12, 2021

We sat down with Olympic gold medalist Bowe Becker, the sprinter who put Minnesota on the map and surprised many by making the 2020 Olympic team. Becker takes us through his entire process of Olympic Trials and the Games, from his mindset to his swims themselves and everything in between.

We then take it back to the beginning of the COVID pandemic, when Becker moved from Auburn (where he was training at the time) back home to his parents' house in Reno and didn't swim for 6 months. However, he was back in the pool once he got the call from Jason Lezak that he had a roster spot in the ISL for season 2. Becker goes through his entire comeback tour and how difficult it was to get back into shape for not only ISL but Trials as well.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Tuesday Aug 10, 2021

Erica Sullivan Explains Let Down of US Trials, Fulfillment of Olympic Medal

Tuesday Aug 10, 2021

We sat down with Erica Sullivan, the 1500 Olympic silver medalist and recently appointed "New Lesbian Supreme". Erica walks us through her summer, starting at the Olympic Trials where she was experiencing stress to the point of having trouble eating or sleeping. Even after making the Olympic team in the 1500, Sullivan admits it felt empty and unlike what she had expected this lifelong dream to be like.

After battling illness post-trials and getting back into the swing of things at training camp, Sullivan then takes us through her Olympic experience, which she describes as much more fulfilling. She was able to relax more, sleep better, and perform the way she wanted (minus getting a toe cramp behind the blocks during the 1500 final). Finally, she delves into the recognition she got once she had her press conference and showed the world the authentic personality that she had stayed true to for so many years.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Tuesday Aug 10, 2021

Zac Stubblety-Cook Talks Progression from 10th at Comm Games to Olympic Champ

Tuesday Aug 10, 2021

We sat down with newly minted 2020 Olympic champion in the 200 breast, Zac Stubblety-Cook. After talking about his obsessive coffee habits for the first 7 minutes of the pod (this guy does not mess around with his caffeine), we get into his swimming. He takes us through his Olympic performance, and specifically through his gold medal race in the 200 breast, but then we take it back. Zac goes all the way to 2017-2018 to his first senior international team and the pressure that brought. He explains how he crumpled in that first scenario and how he addressed this anxiety and pressure moving forward.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Monday Aug 09, 2021

Kyle Chalmers Discusses Titanic Battle with Caeleb Dressel in 100 Free

Monday Aug 09, 2021

We sat down with the 2016 Olympic champion and 2020 silver medalist in the 100 free, Kyle Chalmers to get his perspective on the 2020 Olympic Games. Chalmers starts with the lead-up to his trials which was riddled with injury, namely in both of his shoulders. Chalmers admits he couldn't even train at a full schedule until after the Australian trials.

However, once he was in Tokyo, he felt confident, especially after throwing down a 46.4 anchor split on the 4x100 free relay. Chalmers takes us through the prelims and semis of the 100 free and then gives us his expert analysis on the battle he had with Caeleb Dressel in the final. It was great to get Chalmers' perspective on this because although he obviously wanted gold, he recognizes how much he went through to get to this point and what an achievement like this means to not only him but the people around him who helped make it happen.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Friday Aug 06, 2021

Cesar Cielo Analyses Olympic Schedules of Sprinters Caeleb Dressel, Emma McKeon

Friday Aug 06, 2021

We sat down with the Olympic champion and sprinting savant, Cesar Cielo. Cesar starts by taking us through his Tokyo experience, behind the microphone in Brazil where he was commentating for a Brazilian TV station. He describes the long hours and lack of sleep that come with broadcasting, shedding some light on what our American commentators go through as well, including Rowdy Gaines, Elizabeth Beisel, and Michael Phelps.

Then we got to the good stuff. Cielo dives into what certain Olympic schedules look like for athletes, especially the behind-the-scenes recovery that you have to get to when you have a heavy schedule like Caeleb Dressel or Emma McKeon. Cielo shares what he saw from the sprint sensations and why he thinks there was something left on the table for next year.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Thursday Aug 05, 2021

Kylie Masse, Maggie MacNeil Discuss Finding Fun in Swimming During Olympics

Thursday Aug 05, 2021

We sat down with Olympic medalists Maggie MacNeil and Kylie Masse to get their perspectives on the 2020 Games. Both Masse and MacNeil speak about trying to find a place of fun before their finals races, not focusing on the pressure as much as swimming their own race. It seemed to work out for them, as MacNeil won gold in the 100 fly and Masse won double silver in the 100-200 backstroke.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Tuesday Aug 03, 2021

Olympic Champion Tom Dolan on Swimming the Perfect 400 IM

Tuesday Aug 03, 2021

Tom Dolan is a 400 IM beast, winning this race in 1996 and 2000. In 2000 Tom broke the World Record dropping a 4:11.76. Think about that! That was 21 years ago in a tiny, non-compression suit. Tom has high 400 IM swimming IQ, and he shares it here, breaking down the Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland gold and sliver medal Olympic performances. Daiya Seto just missed the final, and Caron Foster dropped a 4:08.4 at the Speedo Sectional Meet in Austin, Texas, 24 hours ahead of the Olympic final, a time that would’ve won the gold. There are a lot of layers to this analysis, and we air them out entirely.

For those who don’t know what’s going on with Tom Dolan post Olympics: He’s been a force in the learn-to-swim industry with his Tom Dolan Swim Schools. Recently he’s merged with Big Blue Swim School becoming their President of East Coast Operations. This is not a small swim business. Big Blue Swim School is a powerhouse with 130 franchises.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Monday Aug 02, 2021

Caroline Burckle Discusses Mental Health and Well-Being for Olympic Athletes

Monday Aug 02, 2021

2008 Olympian and Olympic medalist Caroline Burckle sat down to discuss one of the biggest topics of the 2020 Olympic Games: mental health for athletes. This was brought to the forefront of the Games when Olympic gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the team competition. Burckle emphasizes that when she was competing, it would have been helpful to merely have someone to talk to consistently about struggles she was going through in or out of the pool, and cherishes the times she did get to have those conversations.

Burckle is no stranger to lending that listening ear, having started RISE Athletes with Co-Olympian Rebecca Soni, a business that provides young athletes with mentors who have been at the top of their sport and know the ups and downs that come with it.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Sunday Aug 01, 2021

SwimSwam's Top 10 Races of the 2020 Olympic Games

Sunday Aug 01, 2021

For the last day of 2020 Olympic swimming, we broke down the Top 10 swims in Tokyo, halved into the Top 5 women's races and the Top 5 men's. For more, check out our full breakdown at SwimSwam.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS