The SwimSwam Podcast

Chris Ritter , the founder and CEO of  RITTER Sports Performance  and creator of  SURGE Strength , drops in on the SwimSwam Podcast with Gold Medal Mel Stewart . Chris explains why now is a great opportunity for coaches to become  SURGE Strength Dryland Certified (SSDC) . Open Enrollment to Become SSDC goes through Tuesday, September 14th. ENROLL NOW TO BECOME SSDC Chris Ritter is the CEO of Ritte...

Mizuno , the global specialty sporting goods company, is entering into the collegiate and NIL conversations by signing their first collegiate swimmer,  Carson Foster . A sophomore at the University of Texas, Foster is a versatile swimmer skilled in the individual medley and middle distance events, and has been recognized at the NCAA swimming national championships and as an NCAA All-American. SWIM...

We sat down with Trenton Julian , who recently had a sensational showing at the 2021 Speedo Summer Championships, highlighted by a 1:54 200 fly personal best. Julian takes us through his last 6 months of racing from the NCAA championships (where he had more pressure as a leader and point-scorer on the team than previous years) to the Olympic Trials, where he made 3 finals and was on the cusp of qu...

This week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, we discuss the effectiveness of the ISL draft so far in the season, the Big 12 adding 4 teams as soon as this week, and Gary Taylor landing in Charlottesville. See our full list of topics below: ISL Season 3 looking lopsided after Draft implemented to try to even disparities between teams Big 12 Conference Could Approve 4 New Schools As Soon As Sept. 10 10 Nati...

We sat down with Maggie Steffens , the woman who not only won her 3rd Olympic title in a row in women's water polo, but did it while breaking the record for most goals scored during Olympic play in history. Steffens discusses the ups and downs of training for a delayed Olympics and dealing with the pressure of an extra Olympic year once the team was finally in Tokyo. SWIMSWAM PODCAST  LINKS Click...

We sat down with David Popovici , the 16-year-old who set the pool on fire this summer at a variety of meets, ultimately ending with personal bests of 47.3 in the 100m free and 1:44.6 in the 200m free as well as finaling in both events at the 2020 Olympic Games. Popovici dissects all of his biggest meets this summer, talking through his mental growth and how each opportunity set him up for the nex...

We sat down with Evan Stiles, the head coach of Arlington Aquatic Club. Stiles is a true swim nerd and a great storyteller, diving deep into Torri Huske 's preparation for the 2021 Olympic Trials. This includes Huske only being able to train in a long course pool once a week and how Stiles made the most of their time there. SWIMSWAM PODCAST  LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Clic...

We sat down with Bruce Marchionda , head coach of the TAC Titans, the club team that produced 2020 Olympian Claire Curzan . Marchionda takes us through Curzan's summer of training, from her May showdown at home with Torri Huske to the Olympic Trials and making the team. He reveals what they added into Claire's training and small changes they added to try and get her to the next level. SWIMSWAM POD...

We sat down with Alex Walsh , the NCAA champion who added 'Olympic Medalist' to her resume this summer. She talks us through her experience at both the Olympic Trials and Olympic Games, noting that at both meets before semi-finals she was in a less-than-ideal headspace. She walks us through her process of turning things around mentally and how she grew from both experiences. SWIMSWAM PODCAST  LINK...

We sat down with Stuart Coventry, the CEO of the new Australian Swimming League. Coventry breaks down why this endeavor was even taken in the first place and how he sees it can play in nicely with the International Swimming League as well. Reported by Loretta Race The Australian Swimming League ( ASL ) recently announced that its planned launch event slated for October will be delayed due to coron...

We sat down with the man, the myth, the mustache: Coleman Stewart . Coming off of his red-hot world record in the 100m back , Stewart breaks down his whole first ISL match of the season, where he also won the Match MVP title. He admits that he didn't know what to expect heading into his first race, but after the American record (48.91) set by leading off the 400 medley relay, he knew something was...

We sat down with Ohio State's Aislinn Walsh , who has been eating a vegan diet for the better part of a year now. Aislinn first adopted the diet during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and found that once she returned to full-time training in the fall, she was able to recover quicker between practices. This prompted her to stick with the vegan diet and starting her meal Instagram, @craisycupofcoffee...

Former Cal and U.S. National Team swimmers  Nathan Adrian  and  Will Copeland are expanding their swim lesson business into a full-fledged USA Swimming club. Adrian and Copeland, who are the owners of the AC Swim Club, will combine operations with the Westside Aquaducks, a USA Swimming team, on Wednesday. They’ll take over the program from retiring head coach Dea Ann, who founded the club in 2006....

We sat down with 2020 Olympian and silver medalist in the women's 400 medley relay, Claire Curzan . Curzan walks us through her summer, from her epic 3-event matchup with Torri Huske (both of whom would go on to make the Olympic team in the 100 fly), to Olympic Trials to Training camp to the Games themselves. Curzan also delves into what she did this summer to improve her first 15-meters, includin...

Caeleb Dressel owns seven Olympic gold medals now, picking up five from the recent 2020 Olympic Games. In this interview he unpacks a lot. Olympic 100 meter freestyle? It started hurting him at the 60 meter mark. Please note that the 100 free will be his first “Dressel Dissects” on youtube as soon as he settles in Naples, Italy for ISL Season 3 and gets some free time. ISL Season 3? Will he race m...

We sat down with Justina Kozan , the 4x event winner at the 2021 Speedo Summer Championships - West in Irvine. Kozan made SwimSwam headlines with her 200 IM victory, coming home in 29.75 (faster than anyone's freestyle split in the Olympic final of that event). Kozan discusses her experience at the Summer Champs as well as at Olympic Trials, where she made her first final in the 400 IM. SWIMSWAM P...

In this week on the SwimSwam Breakdown, the Olympics are over and ISL season 3 is coming in hot. Tune in to hear all about this week's Top stories. SWIMSWAM PODCAST  LINKS Click here to listen and subscribe on Spotify Click here to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts Click here to listen and subscribe on Podbean Click here to listen and subscribe on Google Click here to listen and subscribe on...

We sat down with Olympic bronze medalist and Oceania record-holder in the 400 IM, Brendon Smith . Smith takes us through his first Olympic experience, including the historic 400 IM prelims and finals, which saw surprising twists in both. Smith came out with a bronze medal behind Americans Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland, able to put together a solid race after earning first seed heading into the f...

When I was a kid my father wanted me to be Alex Baumann. In addition to his dominance in the 200 and 400 IM (winning gold and breaking world records in both events at the 1984 Olympic Games for Canada) Baumann was graceful and gracious. He epitomized the Olympic ideal of sportsmanship.     Baumann has spent his adult life as sport administrator at the high levels from Canada to New Zealand, and, m...

SUMMER SANDERS’   star burns bright. She’s been intimate with the Olympic experience since she earned her four Olympic medals back in 1992. Summer has been to nearly every Olympic Games, summer and winter, since her ’92 star-turn as a network commentator and/or ambassador.  We sat down with Summer to get her perspective on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and she had a lot of wisdom to share. Summer...

We sat down with Olympic champion and world record holder in the women's 400 free relay, Bronte Campbell . Campbell speaks on her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and how she managed her injuries with the extra year provided by the COVID-19 pandemic in the lead-up to the Games. Campbell also discusses her love for the water outside of swimming, her career path, and her preferred coffee order....

We sat down with SwimSwam's head of photography and man on the scene at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Jack Spitser . Jack breaks down the back end of covering an Olympic Games, from the commute to and from his hotel to the different venues, the hours he worked each day, and what he looks for when he's shooting a high profile event like the Olympic Games. SWIMSWAM PODCAST  LINKS Click here to liste...

We sat down with 7x Olympic medalist and 4x Olympian, Emily Seebohm (fun fact, she has won a medal at all 4 Olympics she's been to). Seebohm starts off with how her 2-week quarantine is going in Darwin, Australia. Personally, it has been interesting speaking with the Aussies about this, as usually you would come down from the high of the Olympics and keep yourself surrounded by people (family, fri...

We sat down with the double Olympic champion in both distance events, Bobby Finke . Finke takes us through both his Olympic Trials experience and Olympic experience, noting his experience from previous national teams had helped him feel ready to seize this moment. Finke gives a play-by-play of both 800 and 1500 from the Olympic Games, where he had monstrous last-50 splits to pass the field and tak...

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...