This week on the podcast I talk to BJ Kraemer. BJ is a veteran, a West Point grad, an entrepreneur, and he's also the President of the Jersey Wahoos Swim Club Board
We talk BJ growing up in South Jersey, swimming at Wahoos, his experiences at West Point and in the military. We also talk about Positive Psychology and the role of a successful board in a swim club. I think there's a lot in here, particularly for coaches who are on a board run team.
This week on the podcast I talk to Ricki Clausen. If that name is unfamiliar to you, I really hope you listen. Ricki is a coach I met during my time in Denmark, but we didn't really hit it off until I had one foot out the door back to the US
If you want to know what swimming is like in another country, if you're interested in hearing the strengths and weaknesses of another system, if you're interested in a discussion of professionalism in coaching, this is a podcast for you. Enjoy:
This week on the podcast I am pleased to welcome Katie Hoff Anderson and her husband Todd Anderson. Katie has a new book out called Blueprint, and she gets pretty personal about some of the ups and downs of her swimming career.
Todd was an elite athlete in his own right, and the two of them have launched a joint venture in the dryland/strength and conditioning space that takes a really holistic look at athletes.
Through Synergy, they are launching a virtual dryland program today! Listen here or subscribe on ITunes:
Hey all, we’re back! Listen to the first podcast back with Nico Messer here or on ITunes:
What was it like to be at Indiana at the dawn of the Ray Looze era? Where did I eat the best Danish æbleskiver of my life?
Those questions and more on this edition of the Swim Brief with Matt Leach, head coach of Washington State Swimming.
Happy holidays, enjoy this podcast with Hannah Burandt. Hannah and I met last year, and since i’ve become a huge fan of what she’s doing. We talk about her journey to becoming the head coach of Cleveland State University, who mentored her and how along the way, and how she learned that too much was good enough:
Happy Thanksgiving! Last week I called up Abbie Fish of Swim Like A. Fish. We talked about how her own experience as an athlete turned her away from the sport before pulling her back in as a coach.
We also talk about inventing a job that doesn’t exist and cover a couple of technique hot topics. Enjoy:
Kyle Johnson is a swim coach, I guess. I called him up and tried to get to the bottom of it. Listen to find out how I ended up interviewing who said that his big goal when he got into coaching was to be like Mark Schubert.
Have you ever listened to one of my many podcasts with Sarah Ehekircher and wished that she could ask me the questions? Well then I have the podcast for you. After many times getting her to bare her soul for all of you, this time she is the one probing.
We go all the way back to 2008, the first interactions I had with USA Swimming and what motivated me to pursue the topics I pursue.
Trever Gray asks a two part question that we take most of the runtime to discuss. What was one of my most-read books as a kid? Why were Duke Kahanamoku and Doc Counsilman ahead of their times? Was a John Naber interview the first time I felt the heat online?
That and more on this 100th episode with Trever Gray asking the questions. Plus, Olympic Darkhorse.
As part of celebrating the 100th episode of the Swim Brief, I allowed former guests to come on and essentially turn the tables. They guided the conversation, they asked the questions and I was on the hot seat.
In this edition, Nico Messer asks me about my recent trip to ISCA and what the whole point of this podcast is. Enjoy:
This week I am joined by Matt Sprang. Matt and I go about a decade back, and we reconnected in Florida last month. He was there to talk about coaching wellness, and I thought that he had a message worth amplifying.
We talk about his own journey to prioritizing his own mental and physical health while dealing with a pretty tough situation in his club:
Hopefully just in time for season start ups, a conversation with Trever Gray about some considerations you should take into account.
Also, a discussion of the wonderful filmography of Gerard Butler:
Welcome back to the podcast Sarah Ehekircher. After a long hiatus, Sarah and I get together to discuss a couple of pretty significant investigative pieces that are in the works.
We then follow that up by discussing conversations she’s had with a USA Swimming Board member, USA Swimming head Tim Hinchey and why neither seems willing to do the right thing.
As promised last week, here’s the podcast recorded with swimming agent and all around sport enthusiast Cejih Yung.
I think Cejih has a clear sense of what swimming is as a business, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. For the sport to thrive, the value of what we’re doing needs to be connected to those who can support it, and Cejih has done just that for a group of top level professional swimmers in the US.
Dani Bostick is many things. She’s a teacher, a parent, a former mental health counselor. She was also a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her swim coach. She’s a passionate voice for reform beyond sports.
We split the podcast into two parts. In the first, we discuss the recently released MAAPP, which Bostick has been sharply critical of. In the back half, we discuss the uncomfortable conversations that are necessary about the culture that enables abusers within an organization.
Last week USA Swimming’s Safe Sport Division released the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy (MAAPP). The release has been controversial, particularly among coaches who have additional responsibilities as a result of the policy.
I begin by assessing the major planks on their own- do they make sense and are they sound policies for preventing abuse? Then I get into a lot of the context surrounding the policies, with questions and commentary.
The lightning rod of international swimming, Michael Andrew, is going on a ketogenic diet. To discuss this startling development, I brought on keto dieter (and race pace trainer) Shawn Klosterman along with resident nerd Trever Gray to hash it out.
We discussed the synergy between the two, and some of the science behind it (and not behind it):
Nicolas Messer is always a good hang on the Swim Brief. This time he checks in from a brand new geographic location. We talk about how he ended up there and what his new job entails.
We also get into the topic of streamlines, and I put Nico on the spot on whether he has joined the anti-streamline coalition. Enjoy:
Nerd Alert is back with Professor Trever Gray, who’s here to school me on concurrent training. What does that even mean? We get into it on the podcast straight off the top.
If you’re a coach and you’re doing any kind of cross-training this is a must listen.