The SwimSwam Podcast

https://feed.podbean.com/swimswam/feed.xml

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

Monday Dec 28, 2020

SSPC: What Ally McHugh Learned From Watching Race Video of Ariarne Titmus

Monday Dec 28, 2020

We sat down with National champion and Olympic hopeful, Ally McHugh. Ally documents what her training has been like in and out of the water since quarantine began when she was actually on a training trip at the Olympic Training Center. McHugh has become a student of the sport, trying to pick up tricks and tips in any way she can. This includes watching race video of her competitors, like Ariarne Titmus. McHugh describes what her takeaways were from Titmus and how she has implemented them into her training.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Sunday Dec 27, 2020

SSPC: Becca Wyant Details Carving her Own Path to Become a Swim Photographer

Sunday Dec 27, 2020

We sat down with swim-photographer extraordinaire, Becca Wyant. Becca has documented World Championships, US Nationals, and Pro Swim meets all over the country and photographed swimmers all over the globe. Becca's origin story is similar to many who now work in the swim industry: it started with swimming. But the rest is very unique in that Becca worked to follow her passions and carve her own path for herself, seeking fulfillment through creativity in whatever she was doing. This led her to a position at FINIS, one that evolved over the years and allowed her to get behind not only a computer screen but a camera as well.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Saturday Dec 26, 2020

SSPC: Pavel Sankovich on What Makes Swimming Sustainable for Young Swimmers

Saturday Dec 26, 2020

We sat down with Pavel Sankovich, the Belarusian swimmer who just had his 2nd child. Pavel takes us through how fatherhood changed his perspective on swimming as well as how he's tried to get back into the water the last several months. He's carried this new perspective into the pool as well as his teaching as he coaches young swimmers full-time. Sankovich also recalls highlights and stories of his career, detailing the intense training he put in while living in Europe and the US.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Friday Dec 25, 2020

SSPC: Claire Curzan Wrote Down '56 100 Fly in Greensboro' Before it Happened

Friday Dec 25, 2020

We sat down with Olympic hopeful and NAG record slayer, Claire Curzan. Curzan has been ON one this quarantine, dropping best times seemingly every time she hits the racing blocks. Most notably, she registered a 56.6 100m fly at the US Open site in Greensboro, becoming the 3rd fastest woman in the event in American history. Curzan breaks that swim down, revealing that she actually wrote down '56 100 fly in Greensboro' in her goal journal before the meet even happened.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Thursday Dec 24, 2020

SSPC: Emily Seebohm Shares Hilarious Story of Nearly Losing Olympic Relay Spot

Thursday Dec 24, 2020

We sat down with Olympic, World, Pan Pacific, Commonwealth, and basically any other major competition you can think of champion, Emily Seebohm. Emily has obviously had an illustrious career, one that started when she was only a young teenager, being a member of the Aussie national team at 14. Seebohm takes us through many paths of her career, including competing with Energy Standard in the last 2 ISL seasons, major ups and downs she has had throughout her career, and how trying to buy a bicycle almost lost her spot on the 4x100 medley relay at the Beijing Olympics.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Wednesday Dec 23, 2020

SSPC: How Can You Maximize Your Holiday Training Dryland?

Wednesday Dec 23, 2020

Chris Ritter, the founder and CEO of Ritter Sports Performance and SURGE Strength, is my go-to for dryland training. With holiday training coming up fast (aka Hell Week), Chris shares his insights and provides some FREE education assets for swimming coaches. Holiday training is always crucial, perhaps more so after the 2020 pandemic year. The work done, the base built, will determine whether or not swimmers hit their personal best times next spring and summer. Get ahead of the curve and arm yourself with the right dryland information here:

SURGE Strength – https://www.surge-strength.com/
SURGE Strength Dryland Certification – https://www.surge-strength.com/certification/
SwimSwam Articles by Chris – https://swimswam.com/training/surge-strength-dryland-training/
SURGE Strength Podcast – https://wavve.link/rittersp?__s=x0dcybu65xrgfh0qi1st

Swimmers and Coaches can get FREE access to the newest Dryland 101 Course in the SURGE Strength Academy: Dryland At Home.

Chris Ritter is the CEO of Ritter Sports Performance, a SwimSwam partner.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Wednesday Dec 23, 2020

SSPC: Danny Kovac Details Running a Marathon, Doing a Century (100 Mile) Ride

Wednesday Dec 23, 2020

We sat down with SEC champion Danny Kovac, who was back at Mizzou this semester throwing down some impressive times at their invite. We talked about Kovac's swimming, particularly how he balances it with his outside of swim life with activities like farming and socializing. What I didn't think I'd hear was about one day how last year, after NCAAs, Kovac decided to casually run a marathon. And did so that day. Or how, during his time at home in Colorado during the COVID-19 shutdown, he planned out and completed a century bike ride (100 miles).

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Tuesday Dec 22, 2020

SSPC: Katie Meili on Building an Identity Outside of Swimming

Tuesday Dec 22, 2020

We sat down with Olympic champion and now Lawyer Katie Meili. Meili took us through much of her swim journey, from summer league and high school swimming through college swimming at Columbia and into her pro career, where she really started to have a presence on the international stage.

Meili also addresses something we in the swimming community don't always consider: life after swimming. She emphasized the importance of knowing yourself outside of just swimming and starting to formulate a plan of what life after swimming might look like well before you reach the end of your path. In this way, you're well prepared to transition from one passion to the next.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Monday Dec 21, 2020

Shaine Casas on Having COVID, Rolling Ankle & Still Logging Historical Swims

Monday Dec 21, 2020

We sat down with NCAA All-American and USA national champion Shaine Casas. Casas has made headlines a lot since returning to racing in October, mostly for his historical swims. He started off by dropping a 1:36.54 200 Back in October (#4 all-time performer) and followed that up with a 1:39 200 fly (in a dual meet), 1:38.95 200 IM (#3 performer all-time), 43.87 100 back (#3 all-time performer at the time, now #4), and 46.33 100 IM (#1 all-time). He also posted a 1:36.6 200 back from a B-final in November after rolling his ankle the night before.

Casas lends context to all of these sensational swims, describes what having COVID was like back in June, and more.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Sunday Dec 20, 2020

SSPC: Camille Cheng on Reevaluating How You Approach Time Goals When Racing

Sunday Dec 20, 2020

We sat down with NCAA All-American from Cal and 5-time Asian Games medalist Camille Cheng. Cheng is currently back in Hong Kong training for the 2021 Olympic Games, but didn't necessarily always think that would be the case. She takes us through the journey of swimming at Cal, having a great experience in her 4 years there (2011-2015) culminating in an NCAA team title. She stuck around for another year and went to the 2016 Olympic Games, where she didn't perform how she wanted to.

Cheng thought that might be it for her swimming but eventually came back to it with a fresh perspective. Cheng explains that now, it's about having fun in training and racing, enjoying the process instead of focusing on the times as the end-all, be-all goal.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com