The SwimSwam Podcast

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Lydia Jacoby Breaks Down First-Ever Double Taper for the 2020 Olympic Games Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

We sat down with the Olympic champion in the 100 breast, Lydia Jacoby. Lydia took us through her experience at her first Olympic Games, from moving through the 100 breast rounds and ultimately taking the win to losing her goggles in the mixed 4x100 medley relay. With the mixed relay, Jacoby sees it as a learning experience (because let's be honest, who hasn't lost their goggles off the blocks at some point?), one that resulted in Adam Peaty calling her a badass after the race.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

2020 Olympic Medalist Bruno Fratus Unpacks His Sprint Swimming History Aug 15, 2021

Show notes

Bruno Fratus has dropped a 21 second 50m free performance over 90-times in his career. He alone owns that astounding metric---which is probably why he is loved the world over. He's been in the hunt in the men's 50m free since 2011--always among the top elite swimmers fighting for a podium position.In this swimswam #podcast Bruno unpacks his sprint free history, the highs and the lows, and he restates his intentions to race until he is 35 years old at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

The SwimSwam Breakdown: Analyzing This Week's Top Stories in Swimming Aug 14, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of the SwimSwam Breakdown, I sat down with SwimSwam Co-Founders Braden Keith and Mel Stewart to analyze what happened in this post-Olympic week of swimming, which was surprisingly a lot

SWIMSWAM PODCAST LINKS

Elizabeth Beisel Gives In-depth Look at the Olympic Games as an NBC Broadcaster Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

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

Bowe Becker on Going From Essentially Retired in 2020 to Olympic Champ in 2021 Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

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

Erica Sullivan Explains Let Down of US Trials, Fulfillment of Olympic Medal Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

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

Zac Stubblety-Cook Talks Progression from 10th at Comm Games to Olympic Champ Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

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

Kyle Chalmers Discusses Titanic Battle with Caeleb Dressel in 100 Free Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

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

Cesar Cielo Analyses Olympic Schedules of Sprinters Caeleb Dressel, Emma McKeon Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

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

Kylie Masse, Maggie MacNeil Discuss Finding Fun in Swimming During Olympics Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

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

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