The SwimSwam Podcast

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SwimSwam Breakdown: 2023 US Competition Schedule, 2024 Worlds, & Euro Jr Champs Jul 14, 2022

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This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the USA's newly announced 2023 competition schedule, our reactions to FINA's dates for the 2024 World Championships, and standout swims and swimmers from the 2022 European Jr Championships.

Leah Hayes on World Champs Medal, Team USA, and Alopecia Jul 13, 2022

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We sat down with newly minted bronze medalist and world junior record holder in the 200 IM, Leah Hayes. The 16-year-old member of Team USA walks us through her experience in Greensboro, Croatia, and Budapest that all culminated with a 3rd place finish at the 2022 World Championships. Hayes explains her training style and how she focuses on all strokes to keep her IM and mid-distane-free sharp. Leah also dives into her Alopecia diagnosis and how she has embraced her lack of hair as a result. Hayes says our differences make us who we are and you can see the confidence that the young swimmer now has in and out of the pool.

Jack Bauerle, Coaching Mastery Earned Over 50 Years of Experience Jul 12, 2022

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I’ve known Jack Bauerle 34 of his 50 years at the University of Georgia. It’s been from the sidelines, and one hard fact has shone through. Jack’s always been invested in the future milestones and successes of the swimmers who have passed through his program. Success in the pool was just one part of the process, the relationship. This is evidenced by the University of Georgia’s swimming alums, who are impressive. (Chris Brearton, as one example, was a UGA breaststroker from the 1990s, and he's now the COO of MGM Studios and USA Swimming’s current Board Chair.) Jack has been a force in the sport and his recent retirement caught me a little off guard. I don’t like the idea of attending a meet and Jack not being on deck. I’m thankful Jack took the time to do this podcast. We do cover a lot of ground. Jack details his journey in the sport, the coaches who mentored and inspired him, and he hints at what his future might hold. For the unofficial Mayor of Athens it sounds like his experience and wisdom will be put to good use.

Elijah Winnington Plays to Strengths in Strategic Maneuvering of 400Fr World Title Jul 11, 2022

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We sat down with Elijah Winnington, the Dean Boxall-trained mid-distance star who won his first 400 free world title in Budapest. Elijah discusses what has changed for him by moving to St. Peters to train with Boxall at the end of 2020 both physically and mentally. He also breaks down his race plan for the 400m free final, which ultimately concluded with him clocking a 3:41.22 for the win.

Critically Acclaimed Book ”The Watermen” Details U.S. Swimming’s 1st Gold Medal Jul 09, 2022

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Author Michael Loynd has found narrative gold in his book, The Watermen: The Birth of American Swimming and One Young Man's Fight to Capture Olympic Gold.

The narrative centers around Charles Daniels, USA Swimming’s first gold medal winner at the Olympic Games. Charlies is a complicated athlete with a dysfunction upbringing. Once you dive into his journey you won’t be able to put the book down. The historical context of the 1904 and 1908 Olympics and what swimming did for our nation will surprise you.

Mollie O’Callaghan on World Champs, Aussie Sprint Culture, & Dean Boxall Jul 08, 2022

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We sat down with Mollie O'Callaghan, the Australian youngster who won 6 medals at the world champs in Budapest. She describes her experience last year in Tokyo swimming and how swimming on only prelims relays kept her motivated heading into 2022. O'Callaghan also reveals that she was not originally a freestyle specialist, her 100 and 200 only coming around to a world-class level in the past 2 years.

Lilly King Overcomes COVID to Win First World Title in 200 Breast Jul 07, 2022

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We sat down with Lilly King, the newest world champion in the 200 breast. King describes in vivid detail how she realized she had COVID just days after the world trials in Greensboro and subsequently had to take a week out of the pool completely. Throughout most of her career King has had easy speed, but getting back into the water this time it was her endurance that felt the most honed in. Moving through the championships, King found peace with where she was at, taking pride in placing a narrow 4th in the 100 breast and beating 1 competitor in the final of the 50 breast to take 7th. A strange sensation for Lilly, the 200 was where she felt the most confidence in Budapest. King describes her strategy for that final as "I was trying to out-race everybody".

Todd DeSorbo Sheds Light on USA’s Decision-Making for 2022 Worlds Relays Jul 06, 2022

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We sat down with Todd DeSorbo, the head women's coach for the 2022 World Championships team. DeSorbo takes us through the 3 weeks that began in Croatia with USA's "training" (taper) camp and ended with USA winning the most medals of any country ever at a single world championships. DeSorbo breaks down specifics on how he keeps his energy up through long 8-day meets, his role as a head coach, and relay selection for Team USA.

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What Is It Like Being the NBC On-Air Reported at the World Aquatic Championships? Jul 05, 2022

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We sat down with NBC's Nick Zaccardi, who interviewed most of Team USA's athletes at the world championships just seconds after they finished competing. Zaccardi, who almost exclusively works on the written side of news, was asked to step into this on-camera role last minute and welcomed the challenge. He explains how he moved through the week and what tips and tricks he was able to pick up along the way.

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Justin Ress on 50 Back World Title, Overturned DQ Saga, & Revitalized Career Jul 04, 2022

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We sat down with Justin Ress, the newly crowned 2x world champion in Budapest who went through a lot to earn those gold medals. Ress takes us through his perspective on getting DQ'ed in the 50 back final after touching first and then being told it was overturned after the medal ceremony. Ress also goes deeper into his swim history and explains that his senior year of college, he was not a health athlete outside of the pool and was close to retiring after the 2021 Olympic Trials. ISL is what kept him in the sport and motivated him to keep reaching for his goals and become a better athlete in and out of the pool. After just 3 months of training, Ress went all best times at the US Trials in April, then came to Budapest and walked away with his first (and second) world title.

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