The SwimSwam Podcast

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Will Olympic Swim Star Ryan Murphy Compete Through LA2028? Nov 15, 2022

Show notes

Four-time Olympic gold medalist and Team Speedo athlete Ryan Murphy is focused on the 2023 World Championships. All work in the pool is through that lens, but in this SwimSwam podcast he allows us inside his head across a few topics.

Will he compete through the 2028 Olympic Games in LA? Ryan would love to compete in an Olympics on U.S. soil, but he’s got to weigh that against starting a career – starting his adult life. Ryan’s already prepping for a career beyond the pool, and he’s getting married next year. In sum, he’s thinking about it. (Watch the video, his answer, and tell me what you think in the comments.)

Short Course World Champs in Australia? Ryan’s not entirely sure how much he’ll rest, but he said SC Worlds falls over an ideal season midpoint, and he’ll rest due to the travel time alone flying downunder.

ISL vs World Cup? Ryan has opinions. Watch the podcast to hear them.

Bella Sims Unapologetically Loves Fly, Little Salty That Backstroke is Currently Her Better Stroke Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

We sat down with Bella Sims, the Olympian and world champion who most recently broke 2 world junior records in 12 minutes at the World Cup stop in Indianapolis. Sims breaks down how she managed her 200 free-100 Back double with such a quick turnaround and what led to her success in both. She did admit that while her backstroke has become arguably her strongest stroke outside of freestyle, her true love is butterfly and she doesn't even really like backstroke. Her success in Indianapolis raised the question of if she still plans to start at Florida in the fall of 2023, where she has committed. Sims reveals she is currently unsure of her plans moving forward, indicating that she may take a gap year to stay with Ron Aitken and Sandpipers in the lead-up to the 2024 Olympic Trials.

Beata Nelson Had No Expectations Heading into World Cup, Ended Up Overall Winner Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

SwimSwam sat down with Beata Nelson, who is coming off of a big win as the overall champion of the 2022 FINA World Cup. This was the first time Nelson had competed in the world cup at all, but it didn't take her long to get her feet wet, literally or figuratively. Nelson won the 200 back and the 200 IM (always both on the last night) at all 3 stops, plus notched 3 more wins and 3 2nd places finishes over the course of the series. Nelson explains how she was able to learn from and maintain her performances over the course of the 3-meet series as well as how the financial earnings will help her career in years to come.

SwimSwam Breakdown: Tom Shields Weighs in On World Cup, Trials, and NCAA Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

This week, Olympic champ Tom Shields joins the SwimSwam Breakdown and we discuss the World Cup, Olympic Trials, and NCAA Dual Meets.

What Will It Take to Pull Off the 2024 Olympic Trials aka ”The Meet of the Century”? Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

On the heels of the World Cup Series Finale in Indianapolis, SwimSwam sat down with USA Swimming's Chief Commercial Officer, Shana Ferguson. Ferguson was not only overseeing the World Cup stop in Indy, but also taking time to prepare what she deems "The Meet of the Century": the 2024 Olympic Trials, which will be held in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The CCO updates us on where USA Swimming is at in their preparation, including an artist's rendition of what the venue will actually look like with all 3 (yes, 3) pools inside.

SwimSwam Breakdown: Ledecky World Record, Texas-UVA, & Peaty’s Motivation Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss Katie Ledecky's 1500 free (SCM) world record, the upcoming Texas-Virginia dual meet, and Adam Peaty's new-found motivation.

The SwimSwam Breakdown: SCM World Records, NCAA History, and Simone Back in Action Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss 2 new world records, swimming in the NCAA, and Simone Manuel's return to racing.

UVA Coach Todd DeSorbo Tracks Swim Data Netting Dramatic Results Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

University of Virginia head coach, Todd DeSorbo, didn’t roll back on his heels after winning the 2022 Women’s NCAA DI Championships team title. DeSorbo, who is on the TritonWear Advisory Board, dove into swimming data. “TritonWear is powerful tech,” he said. “Increasingly we’ve been using it, and we used it a lot starting in the early spring with an eye on the long course season.” DeSorbo was a 2022 Team USA FINA World Champs head coach, but his goals spanned the summer. “Budapest, World Champs, was over in June, but we always intended to show up at Summer Nationals (in Irvine).” DeSorbo singled out Matt King as one example where tracking swimming data made a big difference. “He was a 49.9 PB in the 100m free. This summer he dropped to 48.33, and his stroke count was essentially the same.” Matt King dropped the 48.33 in the prelim. He touched in 48.44 in the final to tie for the U.S. National Title. King, only 5’11, swam big. DeSorbo noted stroke efficiency as the big gain, a TritonWear metric he tracked closely since early April. “He (King) was like a 22.6 PB in the 50m free,” DeSorbo said, “ and he won national with a 21.8, a big drop.” DeSorbo was an CPA at one of the biggest accounting firms in the world before he decided that career path wasn’t making his happy. “I could do it,” he said, “but it wasn’t the same as coaching swimming. That’s my passion. But, with my CPA experience, I know to respect the numbers--trust numbers.” What is DeSorbo’s go-to Tritonwear Metric? "Push-off Power," he said. “You’re never faster in a race than exploding off the wall. That starts your speed…speed you fight to maintain throughout the lap.” In recent news, FINA Technical Congress saw the passing of a proposed change to rule SW 10.8. As of Jan. 01, 2023: “The use of technology and automated data collection devices is permissible for the sole purpose of collecting data. Automated devices shall not be utilized to transmit data, sounds, or signals to the swimmer and may not be used to aid their speed.” This means wearable technology to collect data for research, education, and entertainment is legal. However, that data cannot be used in real-time – in swimming races – to aid a swimmer’s speed.

Stephanie Morawski on Supporting Harvard Women Through Foundation of Joy Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Harvard Women’s Head Coach, Stephanie Morawski, joined the SwimSwam Podcast early on in the Crimson’s season, which starts later than most on October 1st. Morawski talks about how they deal with the late Ivy League start and how Captain's practices create leadership within the team. It may seem obvious, but the Harvard women’s team is full of high achievers. Keeping a group of type A athletes in a good mental state is a big priority for Morawski and you can hear it in all the ways she tries to support her women. It starts with making practice a happy place for them. Morawski tells us how there are times when she has to trick them into the work, and gives a great example of an amazing race set that they did this season. The foundation of joy at practice is just the beginning of the athlete support. They have weekly team meetings and a speaker series, where athletes present on a variety of experiences that benefit the whole team. Morawski touches on recruiting, balance, and even a little bit on her own swimming at Harvard. This is a great interview, filled with usable information for coaches and athletes. Enjoy!

Why Has the Swims 3.0 Rollout Been Hard, and What is Patrick Murphy Doing About It? Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

USA Swimming support link: https://swimssupport.usaswimming.org/support/home
Since USA Swimming rolled out SWIMS 3.0 about two months ago, there has been mounting frustration among the membership over technical issues with the new software. For media, there have been a number of issues with related systems, like times lookups, not working.

But things are beginning to stabilize, and one-by-one the problems are clearing up.

Late last week, we spoke with USA Swimming’s Patrick Murphy, who is leading the effort to modernize the organization’s information technology resources. In this interview, we discuss what went wrong with the rollout, how those problems are being fixed, why the change had to happen, and Patrick answers the question: “Should USA Swimming be in the software business?”

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