The SwimSwam Podcast

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Bryce Mefford Unsure About Future in Swimming After Breakout Olympic Summer Feb 06, 2022

Show notes

Bryce Mefford is a 2020 US Olympian and NCAA champion for Cal in his 5th year as a bear. He sat out of competition at Cal this past fall to take a break from the water after the Olympic Games but is now back in competition. Mefford discusses why his break was necessary and how his return to racing has gone so far. He also tells his favorite stories from Olympic training camp and the Games themself in Tokyo.

Mefford is weighing his options in and out of the pool, and after his final collegiate season is unsure of what the future holds. He has newfound confidence in the pool after making his first Olympic team this past summer but also wants to explore the workforce and life away from the pool.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Michael Brinegar Gunning for 1,650 NCAA Title, Predicts ’Around 14:10’ to Win Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Michael Brinegar is a 2020 Olympian in the 800/1500 free and an NCAA All-American for Indiana. He sat down with us to speak about his experience at the SC World Champs (where he ended up leaving early due to potential close contact with COVID), training with Mark Schubert in high school and college, and making his first Olympic team last summer. Brinegar also looks ahead to the Big 10 and NCAA championships, where he looks to be in the hunt for a title (and American record) in the 1,650.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

World Champ Alia Atkinson Shares Memories, Mishaps, & More From 20+ Year Career Feb 03, 2022

Show notes

Alia Atkinson is a 5x Olympian, 4x world champion, and current world record-holder. She was a dominant breaststroke throughout the entire 2010s decade and made her mark in the world cup circuit, ISL, and on the world stage. Alia recently announced her retirement after the 2021 Short Course World Championships and sat down with SwimSwam to discuss her career, including ups, downs, and inbetweens.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Zach Apple Unpacks His Olympic 4x200 and How He Came Back in The 4x100 Medley Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

3-time World Champion, 2-time Olympic Champion and Team Speedo Athlete, Zach Apple, gets raw and real about his 2020 Olympic performance. Zach let’s us inside his head, inside the highs and lows of his Olympic roller coaster experience.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

SwimSwam Breakdown: ISL Season 4, Post Grads Moving, & Peaty 200 Breast Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the ISL announcing a massive Season 4 schedule, post grads having success with other programs, and Adam Peaty taking on the 200 breast.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Ryan Held Opens Up About Olympic Trials Disappointment, Training at ASU Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

We sat down with Ryan Held, who is hot off of a 6-medal performance at the 2021 World SC Championships, including 2 relay golds and 2 individual silvers in the 50/100 free. Held takes us through his last 6 months, starting at the lead-up to the 2021 Olympic Trials, when he was training with just Coley Stickels and Ali Khalafalla out of a pool in Birmingham and lifting in Stickels' basement. Held goes through the disappointment of placing 6th at Trials but then finding out he wouldn't be taken to Tokyo and processing that for the months to follow.

Held then gets into his move to Phoenix and new training home at Arizona State with Herbie Behm. Held likes the new training environment with the hungry college students as well as the small pro group made up of himself, Olivia Smoliga, and Hali Flickinger. Held also gives his thoughts on the "All-Ryan Relay" and how he thinks USA Swimming should handle the postponement of the 2022 World Championships.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Shaine Casas Openly Discusses Choice to Go Pro, Train with Eddie Reese Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

Shaine Casas is a 6x world championship medalist and 3x NCAA champion. His decision to leave his alma mater of Texas A&M to train with their rival Longhorns in Austin has turned quite a few heads, but today Casas sets the record straight. He takes us into his head through the whole process of trying to transfer and ultimately going pro. Few swimmers choose to put their degree on hold to focus on their athletic career, but we see it frequently in other sports. Casas says he wants to prioritize his swimming now and describes his new training environment at the University of Texas with Eddie Reese.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

Rhyan White on Going From 4th at The Olympics (Twice) to Winning a World Title Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

Rhyan White is a world champion, Olympic medalist, and NCAA All-American. She was the only woman from America to qualify for the 2021 Olympic Games in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. In Tokyo, she finished 4th in both events, just missing individual medals but still helping the USA to a silver in the 400 medley relay. White discusses managing her emotions through Trials, the Games, and afterword when she came back to Alabama to kick off her senior season. She talks about the new coaching staff in Tuscaloosa, led by first-time head coach Margo Geer, and the training habits she's developed since her first Games. White bounced back in a big way after Tokyo, winning gold in the 200 back at the Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi this past December.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

JOLYN CEO Mondy Herndon Explains The Upcoming Swim Collegiate Series Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

In this podcast, we learn more about Mondy, the Jolyn brand, and Jolyn’s on-going support of the sport. This year they launch the Jolyn Swim Collegiate Series. This series is not for the top 5-10% of swimmers that are recruited on “national times” alone. This series focuses on the 90-95% of youth swimmers that don’t have those top national event times. The Swim Collegiate Series serves as a “recruiting pipeline” for the coaches allowing them to spot talent 2-3 years down the road.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

SwimSwam Breakdown: World Champs Postponed, Ledecky Beats Grothe, Walsh AM-R Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the 2022 World Champs getting postponed, Katie Ledecky beating Zane Grothe in an exhibition 500 free, and Gretchen Walsh setting a new American record in the 50 yard backstroke.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

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