This week Julie Bachman and John Bradley join to discuss the pending election for two new board members at USA Swimming. How does it work? Can we even explain it? What should you do to encourage good governance at your local level?
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.
Olympic Trials Mega Preview
Read the title. It is what it says it is.
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.
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?
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:
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:
Eddie Reese Retiring: Emergency Pod
You read the title, you know what it is about!
Joel and Erik: NCAA Men 1 Event, Women Wrap up and Recruiting
Joel and Erik are here once again for the Thursday pod where we talk NCAA swimming. We start by giving our snapshot analysis of the men’s meet, and then look back at the women’s meet the week before.
Finally, we discuss the morality of how much pressure is appropriate to put on kids at 16-17 years old in the recruiting process.
Dani Korman
Fresh off the 2021 NCAA Championships, I’m joined by Cal Associate Head Coach Dani Korman. Dani talks about the team’s performance at the meet, as well as what obstacles Cal had to overcome to have a successful season.
Finally, we turn to some talk of recruiting and what Cal’s doing differently than some of its rivals. Enjoy:
Men's NCAA Picks, Arizona NCAA Trouble, and EVF
This week I’m joined by Joel and Erik as we discuss the upcoming Men’s NCAA Championship. Then we pivot to explaining what the heck is going on in at University of Arizona.
Finally, we debut. a new segment “Explain Your Hate” where we all talk about the way we don’t like the way the concept of “Early Vertical Forearm” has made it’s way into swimming:
Jamie Fowler From the Poolside Pass
This week on the podcast I’m joined by Jamie Fowler. Jamie is the host of the wonderful podcast “The Poolside Pass” where he has interviewed many of the biggest names in coaching.
We discuss key insights from his interviews with Eddie Reese and Teri McKeever, as well as his most recent podcast with USRPT guru Brent Rushall:
Joel and Erik: Women's NCAA Predictions and Second Guessing Bob Bowman
Today on the Swim Brief we make our official NCAA Women’s meet predictions. Surprise, there was a lot of buzz about Virginia.
Before that, we revisited Bob Bowman’s decision to redshirt his entire ASU team: was it a good move or did his competitors get a leg up by going ahead this year?
Swim Brief Solo: Coaching Carousel, Lars Jorgensen and David Curtiss
This week on the Swim Brief I am going solo to talk about a few topics that are front of mind for me at this moment.
I talk about the lack of movement within college coaching ranks due to the pandemic. Then I turn to say “tilykke” to great Danish American swim coach Lars Jorgensen, before pivoting to naming the all-time Danish-American team.
Finally, I discuss the chances for David Curtiss to make the US Olympic Team:
Swim Brief: Rick Hall
Today on the Swim Brief I'm joined by English swim coach Rick Hall. Rick has most recently coached with Hackney Swim Club in London.
Rick and I discuss his upbringing in the coaching world, and how a lockdown both at home and abroad gave him the opportunity to put some ideas about how to teach swimming down on the page.
News: Sjoestrom, Meet Cancellation, Costs of Swimming
Today on the podcast I am joined by Joel Rollings and Erik Wiken to discuss the news. We talk about the recent news that Sarah Sjoestrom broke her arm, the cancellation of multiple college national championship meets.
Finally, we talk about the cost of club swimming and drinking coffee.
Matt Crispino
This week on the podcast I am joined by the Head Coach of Men's Swimming and Diving at Princeton University Matt Crispino. We talk about his time both as a swimmer and a coach at William and Mary, the fight to bring that program back, and his decision to step into a leadership position at Princeton.
We also discuss coaching trees and stick around for the end where I unveil my most devious lightning round yet.
News: Olympic Trials, NCAAs and Austin Surhoff
This week on the news, Joel Rollings and Erik Wiken join once again to talk through the biggest stories of the week.
We talk about the announcement of a split Olympic Trials, and the implications for swimmers, coaches and clubs.
Then we turn to Greg Earhart’s letter about the possibility of an NCAA championship at the end of the year.
Finally, we discuss Austin Surhoff’s recent podcast where he talks about the 45 minute workouts that have propelled him to lifetime bests in the 50 and 100 free: