The Samurai Shift

Baz Wedmeier has spent nearly three decades experiencing beach volleyball from almost every angle — player, referee, club president, event manager, State CEO and international event operator. In Episode 12 of The Samurai Shift , Baz brings that unusually broad perspective to the Australian beach volleyball ecosystem. We explore the difference between simply running a competition and creating an ev...

Australia has just secured both a men’s and women’s Olympic quota spot for LA 2028 — and for five-time Olympian and Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook, the result was significant enough to re-record our conversation. In Episode 11 of The Samurai Shift , Natalie reflects on what this moment says about the evolution of Australian beach volleyball and the decades of athletes, coaches, communities an...

Craig Carracher — Stewardship, Alignment and What Comes Next What does it take to lead a sporting system where everyone cares deeply, yet not everyone agrees on how the sport should move forward? In this episode of The Samurai Shift , Peter “Chico” Jones sits down with Volleyball Australia President Craig Carracher for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, stewardship and the future of Aus...

What does a sporting system lose when too few women are given the opportunity to coach at its highest level? In the final episode of The Samurai Shift’s Fracture Arc, Peter “Chico” Jones is joined by Lauren Soderberg — Australia’s first female Olympic beach volleyball coach and an internationally experienced high-performance coach, coach developer and consultant. Lauren’s journey has taken her fro...

Who looks after the people responsible for developing our athletes? For decades, conversations around high performance have centred on athletes. Their preparation. Their performance. Their wellbeing. But what about the coaches? In this episode of The Samurai Shift , Peter Jones sits down with two-time Olympian and high-performance coach Andrew "Schotty" Schacht to explore the evolving ro...

What happens when everyone wants the best for 'the sport', yet relationships still fracture? For nearly three decades, Allister "Big Al" Lyne has dedicated his life to growing beach volleyball in Victoria. As Director of Vic Beach, he's built one of Australia's strongest beach volleyball communities—not by focusing on results alone, but by consciously creating experie...

In this episode of The Samurai Shift , Peter "Chico" Jones is joined by renowned high-performance coach and coach developer Michael Nelson. Having coached Australian athletes through multiple Olympic campaigns before transitioning into national coach development with the Australian Institute of Sport, Mick brings a rare perspective on what it takes to build not only successful athletes,...

What is the ultimate purpose of a sporting system? In this episode of The Samurai Shift , Peter "Chico" Jones sits down with three-time Olympian, Volleyball Australia Board Member, and President of the FIVB Athletes' Commission, Louise Bawden. Having experienced sport as an athlete, leader, and international athlete representative, Louise offers a rare perspective on the pressures,...

In this episode of The Samurai Shift, Peter "Chico" Jones sits down with Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and Olympian Damian Schumann to explore a journey that challenged conventional thinking about talent identification and athlete development. Repeatedly told he was too short for Australia's high-performance pathway, Damian found another way forward. Supported by a passionate be...

What do our sporting systems actually produce? In this episode of The Samurai Shift , Peter “Chico” Jones sits down with Boris Georgieff — long-time President of Volleyball Queensland — to explore the realities of building and sustaining a state-wide sporting system. From grassroots participation through to representative pathways, this conversation examines how systems are structured, what they p...

What does it actually take to create opportunity in sport? In this episode of The Samurai Shift , Peter “Chico” Jones sits down with Nathan “Wombat” McLeod — whose journey through volleyball spans grassroots events, national tours, and international competition. From building local beach volleyball series to working across the national and global stage, Nathan offers a unique perspective on the un...

Where did beach volleyball in Australia begin? In this episode of The Samurai Shift , Peter “Chico” Jones sits down with Carl Graham — one of the founders of Australia’s first beach volleyball community on Sydney’s Northern Beaches more than 40 years ago. Long before formal pathways and high performance systems, the game was built through simple, community-driven experiences — portable courts, sha...

What is sport really for? In this opening episode of The Samurai Shift , Peter “Chico” Jones sits down with Sarah Maxwell to explore the thinking behind the podcast — and the question that has shaped his 40-year journey in sport. From grassroots beginnings to Olympic pathways, Peter reflects on the evolution of sporting systems and the growing tension between performance and human experience. Draw...