more than swimming

Making Swim Meets Better

Julie Bachman and John Bradley join to discuss a proposal that fell flat at USA Swimming for short, low official count meets for 14 and under swimmers. We discuss why it’s important to innovate in the swim meet space and find a way to bring new swimmers to the sport.

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From 2:19 200 IM to the Olympics: Ellen Walshe

Today I’m joined by the coach of Templeogue Swim Club Brian Sweeney. We discuss the qualification of Ellen Walshe to the Olympics at the 11th hour. We go all the way back to her beginning in the club, and further than that to the dream passed down from one coach to another to coach an Olympian.

Olympic Trials Wave: Paul Donovan

I’m joined by Jersey Wahoos Head Coach Paul Donovan to discuss his experience at Wave 1 Olympic Trials. We talk about the way USA Swimming pulled off a great experience, what they held onto despite Covid, and the positives of having a split meet.


Ryan Wochomurka Repost and Solocast

This week I am reposting my conversation with Ryan Wochomurka in the hopes that ITunes will remember to scrape it this time. Since that pod is nearly two weeks old, I follow it with some up to date thoughts from this past weekend of swimming and the state of the sport.

Sun Yang's Hammer, Transfer Portals and Workouts

Erik and Joel are back to discuss the potential of Sun Yang swimming in Tokyo. Then we talk about the NCAA transfer portal and share some of our workouts:

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Joel’s Set

400 Free IM
4 x 100
1) fly
2) 75 fly 25 back
3) 50 fly 50 back
4) 25 fly 75 back
4 x 25 fly kick out fast flat three cycles focus on breakout
200 Recovery

300 IM as str-fr-str by 25
4 x 100 same as fly round as back breast
4 x 25 back kick out smooth transition to surface tempo for 2 cycles
200 recovery

200 IM
4 x 100 same as breast free
4 x 25 breast pullout focus on break out and three cycles high hips
200 recovery

100 IM fast
4 x 100 free set interval to be able to do as all free at last 100 of 400 Im pace
4 x 25 fast free no breath first three hand hits. Focus on breakout
200 recovery

Jeremy Kipp's Kick, Brazilian Shenanigans and Athlete Expression

This week with Joel and Erik we get into the article about Jeremy Kipp purportedly kicking a water bottle into a USC Swimmer. We follow that with the wild Brazilian Olympic 4x100 relay selection, before using this article as a jumping off for touching on the red hot third rail of sports and politics.

Relationship Between Training and Performance

This week, I take some time to reflect after a meet weekend on the relationship between training and performance. What does it mean to create a training effect? How do you make sure your training is holistic? Finally, how can and should you evaluate performance?

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Poppell and Nesty. Mission Viejo and Practice Excuses. Plus: Brent Rutemiller is a Coward

This week Erik and Joel drop in to discuss the recent coaching moves within the SEC. We then go over some highlights of the Mission Viejo meet. Finally, we talk about the top reasons we’ve heard to get out of swimming at practice.

Listen to the end where I address the pathetic way Swimming World covered the departure of Garrett McCaffrey from Phoenix Swim Club.

The Return of Matt Leach

Hot off a season where he coached the program’s first ever PAC-12 Champion, I talk to Washington State Swimming Head Coach Matt Leach.

We cover the ups and downs of the finished season, how someone goes from 23.5 to 22.1 in the 50 free in college. We also talk about quality of life in coaching and some of the recent movement around the coaching landscape.

Nikki Kett Steps Away, Self Care and WORKOUTS!

In this one, we address the decision by Nikki Kett to leave coaching at the University of Michigan before turning to our own suggestions for taking care of yourself in a coaching career.


Stick around for the end where we go through the following workouts:

Erik’s Workout:

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Joel’s set:

Whitewater Pain Train

16 x 100 on 1:05. 

Four in a lane. 1st person leaves on 60 second and third five a part 

Four stays on side.  

On the next 60 1st person dives in, the original leader is now second leaving on the interval (:05) 2nd person goes on :10, third is :15 and last person hops out. 

Keeps repeating. Interval can change to whatever - math gets harder on those 

So more people in a lane less breaks

My Workout:

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Signe Bro

Signe Bro is a swimmer who has made an Olympic qualifying standard for Denmark and hopes to compete in Tokyo 2021.

We talk about the role her parents have played for her over her career as well as some of the ways she has learned to handle with nerves at big meets. We also talk about how she's learned to deal with more people giving her opinions on what she should do as she rises in the ranks, and pro swimming in the ISL: