Social Kick • Swim Culture & Stories

Dive into the fascinating world of Russian butterfly sensation, Andrei Minakov! 🦋 As an NCAA champion and current Stanford University swimmer, Andrei shares his journey into the sport, offering insights into the unique world of swimming in Russia. Join us as he discusses his experiences, the challenges he's overcome, and his perspective on Russians competing at the highly anticipated 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Don't miss this exclusive interview with one of the brightest stars in the pool! 🌟🔵 #AndreiMinakov #RussianSwimmer #ButterflyChampion #Paris2024 #SwimmingInterview SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLbmxjdMDo4UHcB9bEUWsQg LISTEN: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-kick-podcast/id1478682639 FOLLOW: https://www.instagram.com/socialkickswim/​

Dive into the world of lightning-speed swims with Jack Alexy, currently hailed as the fastest American swim sprinter! In this exclusive video, witness the incredible feats and achievements that have crowned Jack as a powerhouse in the swimming world. 🥇 Unleashing Speed and Skill Join us as we explore Jack's unparalleled sprinting prowess, breaking down the techniques and strategies that make him stand out in the pool. 🏆 Record-Breaking Moments Relive some of Jack Alexy's most awe-inspiring races and record-breaking moments that have solidified his status as a force to be reckoned with in American swimming. 👀 Behind the Scenes Get a sneak peek into the dedicated training routines and behind-the-scenes glimpses of Jack's journey to becoming the fastest American swim sprinter. 🔥 Champion Mentality Discover the mindset and determination that drive Jack Alexy to achieve greatness, both in and out of the water. What does it take to be at the top of the sprinting game? Find out in this must-watch video! 🗣️ Exclusive Interview Don't miss our exclusive interview with Jack Alexy himself, where he shares insights, challenges, and future aspirations. Get to know the person behind the speed and learn what motivates him to keep pushing boundaries. 📈 The Future of American Swimming Explore the impact Jack Alexy is making on the landscape of American swimming and what the future holds for this rising star. 🚨 Hit Like, Share, and Subscribe! If you're a fan of swim sprinting, speed demons in the pool, or simply want to stay updated on the latest in American swimming, this video is a must-watch!

Lydia Jacoby shocked the swimming world by winning the 100 breaststroke at the 2020 Olympics. This win cemented her as one of the most interesting American swimmers, but how well do you know Lydia Jacoby? From humble beginnings in Alaska, where she was part of a folk band, Lydia now attends the University of Texas in Austin and continuing her success by winning the 100 breaststroke at NCAAs. She is enjoying the larger team environment, lifting weights and doing breaststroke kick on her back to help her continue to catch other breaststrokers at the end of the 100 breast. We discuss why no one says “that is a beautiful breaststroke” and if we should be saying Lydia has the most beautiful breaststroke of all-time. Do you think Lydia has the most beautiful breaststroke of all-time, or is that an oxymoron? Enjoy!

How Dare you doubt him! Dare Rose has arrived. Summer 2023 was a breakout year for Dare Rose. The New Jersey native and Cal Bear stud saw his window of opportunity at the US Trials and secured his first spot on the top team for USA. T hen he turned up to the World Championships and with the calm resolve of a seasoned veteran, put together a consistent set of podium worthy performances beyond his years and experience. But that seems to be how the Jersey Boys roll - the peculiar large group of Garden State natives that comprised a substantial portion of the men’s Team USA roster and made a name for themselves with their hardware haul. Will there be a rendezvous for the Jersey Boys at the Olympic Games in Paris? Enjoy!

We hear about the influence of data and science in sports every day. You can’t watch an NFL game without hearing “the analytics say this is the right decision.” So it should come as no surprise that the world’s best swimmers work with experts to find speed anywhere possible. Enter Nick Smith and the field of “movement science.” He’s worked with Cam McEvoy in his ascent to the top of the sprinting world, as well as other Aussie swim stars like Ariarne Titmus and Shayna Jack to name a couple, with the objective of understanding how the body moves through water, where in the race there is room to improve, and helping craft that improvement. Nick Smith is an expert and is part of why Cam McEvoy told us in Episode #150 about his target time to 15m being a huge priority and how he was able to achieve it en route to his World Championship title in the 50m Freestyle. Check this one out to learn how Nicholas Smith, Queensland Academy of Sport and Team Australia are leveraging science to achieve results in the pool. Enjoy!

Olympic silver medalist and perennial Team USA member Rhyan White decided to shake things up going into 2024 by leaving Alabama and joining the Wolfpack Pro squad at NC State alongside NCAA champion and World Championship gold medalist Katherine Berkoff and rising NC State star Kennedy Noble. Together forming arguably the best backstroke group in the world, Rhyan White is betting that the rising Tide (wink) will lift all boats and deliver success yet again next summer at Trials and the Olympic Games in Paris. But Rhyan White and her new teammates have a difficult path ahead, as the women’s backstroke events might be the most difficult to make the USA team, but since we’re betting Rhyan will again provide Team USA with veteran experience, we’re also betting she steps onto the podium and makes 2024 a year full of hardware. Enjoy!

Men’s distance swimming is having a moment, and Irish super swimmer Daniel Wiffen ( @WiffenTwins ) is one of the key players making the long races as exciting as ever. 2022 Commonwealth Games silver in the 1500 followed by matching 4th place finished in the 800 and 1500 at 2023 Worlds, Daniel Wiffen keeps delivering higher finishes and faster times as he has ascended to the elite group alongside reigning World Champ Ahmed Hafnaoui, reigning Olympic Champ Bobby Finke, Gregorio Paltrinieri, 400m World Champ Sam Short, Lukas Martens, and Mykhailo Romanchuk, all of whom seem to have a legit chance to win when they step behind the blocks at major championship meets right now. Could Daniel Wiffen become the first Irish Male swimmer to win an Olympic medal in Paris? Sláinte, Daniel! Go get it!

Ask yourself - would you move across the country as a young teenager to pursue your dream? World Championship team member Claire Weinstein did, as she moved from New York to Las Vegas to join the guru of coaching high schoolers, Ron Aitken and the Sandpipers of Nevada. Training alongside other standout swimmers like World Championship silver medalist and Paris Olympian Katie Grimes, Tokyo Olympian Bella Sims, and World 200 butterfly 4th place finisher Ilya Kharun, has boosted Claire Weinstein to the next level, proven by her defeat of G.O.A.T. Katie Ledecky in the 200 free at the 2023 USA Trials. Coming fresh off a huge life decision, Claire Weinstein recently committed to swim for the Cal Golden Bears, but she can’t look too far ahead since there’s this thing called the Olympics to focus on next summer. We now know why people said we should talk to Claire Weinstein and they were right, she IS awesome. Enjoy!

Raise your hand if you want to swim a mile breaststroke. Any takers? If so, you are in good company with World Championship Bronze Medalist Matt Fallon saying he would add that event to his program. While secrets abound about how Matt Fallon trains, off the grid relative to most of his Team USA teammates as he trains at University of Pennsylvania, we pulled a few tips and tricks out of him. If you want to learn more about closing speed and are curious how Matt Fallon channels emperor penguin energy to swim fast breaststroke, this is the episode for you.

If you don’t know his name yet, you will soon. Ilya Kharun just started college and is already a 4th place finisher at the World Championships, and now he is joining forces with Bob Bowman, the mastermind behind current World Champions Léon Marchand and Hubert Kós. How is Ilya Kharun so fast at this young age? Well, his parents were Cirque du Soleil acrobats and he’s also trained at the best club team in the country, the Sandpipers of Nevada, which has produced several Olympians and World Championship team members in recent years. In this episode, we hear from Ilya Kharun himself to find out what’s between his ears and learn what makes him tick. Look out for this guy.

Swimming needs a little personality and World Championship medalist Katharine Berkoff is happy to provide it. With arguably the funniest walkout video at Worlds, Katherine Berkoff likely distracted a few competitors from what they should be focusing on - her ridiculous backstroke speed. With a lineage of underwater prowess, her infamous dad David Berkoff literally changing backstroke and swimming forever with his legendary “Berkoff blastoff,” Katharine Berkoff is taking the family name to new heights as the former NCAA record holder and first woman under 49 seconds in the 100yd backstroke takes aim at an Olympic berth in Paris and more medals for Team USA in what perhaps will be the most competitive event at the USA Olympic Trials in Indianapolis in 2024. Katharine Berkoff is a riot. Enjoy!

Get strong. Sprint a lot. Go fast. World Champion Swimmer Cameron McEvoy joins the show to tell us how he did it. How he came back from retirement and previously being known more for his 100 free to drop a 21.0 and win the title world’s fastest man. This one gets pretty sprint nerdy as Cameron “The Professor” McEvoy takes us to school on how he trained for this season which is quite unconventional to most anyone who has ever turned up at the pool to swim some laps. We bet this one will make you use the power rack more, or think about getting one if you don’t have one. Enjoy!

Never stop learning. Be a good person. Have fun. Sometimes improvement and excellence are born from the simplest actions. Josh Huger, coach of World Champions and Olympic Medalists, exemplifies these core tenets of coaching greatness which has led him to the next stop on his impressive coaching journey, as the new Associate Head Coach for the Cal Bears. Josh Huger arrives in California with a stellar resume as one of the world’s best sprint coaches, and his new athletes have been quick to pick his brain. We had a ton of fun hanging out with Josh Huger, hearing about his coaching journey and experiencing his energetic style first-hand. Who wouldn’t want this guy to coach them? Enjoy!

The respect and admiration of your peers means more to many athletes than athletic accolades. How you show up matters more than what you achieve. But then there are those rare athletes who have both the HOW and the WHAT, like Natalie Hinds. Natalie Hinds is an Olympian and TeamUSA captain. Having had great success as a college swimmer at Florida, she headed to her 2nd Olympic Trials with legit skills to make an Olympic team, but it didn’t happen. So she retired. A couple years later, Natalie HInds got the itch to swim again, this time in a new training group at Georgia, where she found her swag and her speed. She went on to win her first US National title and made her first Olympic team for Tokyo where she collected some hardware for TeamUSA. We ask every guest who they recommend we talk to next on the show. No joke, half of our guests suggested Natalie Hinds. Watch and find out why.

Self-proclaimed CEO of Swimming Twitter and Intern at Swimming Youtube, Kyle Sockwell (@Sockwell) has become a star as a swimming content creator on the socials. Before his time speaking truths to the swimming community about all the currently relevant topics of the day in swimming, he was a breaststroker and IMer at ASU, while also side hustling the development of a successful marketing company. Like, bro. What? Full of opinions and ideas, Kyle Sockwell shared some well-articulated thoughts with us on every topic we covered. If you haven’t come across his work yet, check him out on Youtube @Sockwell and everywhere else @KyleSockwell. If you enjoy Social Kick, you’ll for sure enjoy his stuff too. Enjoy!

Australian Olympian and World Champion Isaac Cooper does things differently. Having tried a typical training program for swimmers, Isaac Cooper realized the norm is not for him. He doesn't keep up with results and happenings in swimming. He doesn't know the names of many of his competitors or the elite swimmers in the world today. He just likes to swim fast and for short distances. Isaac Cooper incorporates a lot of non-swimming activities into his program where he builds strength and aerobic fitness outside of the pool, and while he does some very hard training in the water, he doesn't swim a lot of volume. Seems to be working really well. This conversation is packed with nuggets of wisdom Isaac drops on us. One of our favorite conversations on the pod. Enjoy!

Olympic Champion and Team USA legend Nathan Adrian returns! Life looks different than the last time Nathan Adrian joined us on Social Kick. Nathan Adrian is an entrepreneur, managing a pool and swim lessons business, while also serving as an ambassador for several brands he trusts in the swimming space. Nathan shares with us some ways he's incorporating innovation into teaching young swimmers the fundamentals. One of these methods is his use of the FINIS Smart Goggle, and we had a fun chat talking about the role of tech in swimming. What exists now, and where there is potential in the future. Enjoy!

Abbey Weitzeil. American phenom. Olympian and American Record holder while she was in HIGH SCHOOL! Baller. Goes to Cal. Racks up points for the Bears. Wins an NCAA title. Then makes another Olympic team. That’s a hell of a resume. But she’s back for more after a down year where she missed the USA World Championship team. In 2023 she destroyed the field all season in the Pro Series meets. Her fastest in season swims ever. She’s engaged. Swimming under the new Cal staff. Life is good. BW Still photo Courtesy ISL / Mike Lewis @SocialKickSwim SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLbmxjdMDo4UHcB9bEUWsQg LISTEN: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-kick-podcast/id1478682639 FOLLOW: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialkickpodcast/​

She’s the type of person who says “Yo!” in a text message when you’ve never met her. That’s Olympic Gold Medalist and many time World Champ and medalist Olivia Smoliga, who sat down with us for the 2nd time recently to talk swimming and tell us about her life training at Arizona State, things she’s working on as a 6ft 2in tall elite backstroker & freestyler, and even a humble brag about how many pull-ups she can do. (Spoiler alert: it’s more than you can do!) Olivia Smoliga is the 2nd tallest Olympic Gold Medal winning swimmer of all-time and she’s also the most decorated swimmer ever at a single World Championship meet from her 8-medal haul at the 2018 Short Course World’s which surpassed the record once held by Michael Phelps. Olivia Smoliga enters this World Championship season looking to rebound after missing the US team last year in 2022, and based on how things are going for her and her new training group in Arizona, our money is on her at Trials in Indy. Enjoy!

It’s World Championship hunting season for 50 backstroke World Record holder Hunter Armstrong. The aptly named backstroke and freestyle specialist, Hunter Armstrong, has continued to elevate his strengths and once again enters this championship season as a legit contender for multiple world titles. On the back of a strong Pro Series season where he racked up several wins, we sat down virtually with Hunter Armstong to hear about his move to Cal, being a very late bloomer in the sport, and the magician himself even blew our minds with an impromptu magic trick.

The Cal Bears rolled through NCAA Swimming Championships once again this year and we caught up with two of their biggest point scorers, 200 backstroke champion Destin Lasco and the 2022 400 IM champ Hugo Gonzalez. Life is changing a bit for the training partners, as Hugo Gonzalez has finished his collegiate eligibility and will now split time between training environments in Berkeley and his native Spain. Destin Lasco comes off yet another ridiculous short course season, having estabilshed himself as arguably the second best swimmer at the meet behind Leon Marchand, and turns to the long course pool where his event schedule may look entirely different. How is it that two training partners who both race the short course 200 IM and 200 backstroke swim completely different events in long course? Listen and find out!

At some point in time, the great swimmers cease competing against the field and ascend to a level where their performances are works of art, solely focused on what they can make their bodies do in the water. At 2023 NCAAs, we witnessed the transcendence of Gretchen Walsh. She became the fastest 100 yard backstroker ever, by a wide margin, with her ridiculous 48.26. Even her sister Alex (Olympian, World Champion) said she didn’t think that time was possible. Gretchen Walsh also nearly took down Simone Manuel’s 100 free record which hasn’t had anyone come near it since it was set in 2017. We caught up with Gretchen and share lots of laughs in this very casual hangout episode. Enjoy!

2nd Annual Men’s NCAA Championship Recap Show featuring Gabriel Jett (Cal), Brendan Burns (Indiana), and Hubert Kós (Arizona State). The dust settled after Cal’s successful title defense in the storied Minnesota pool, and some of the highest point scorers in the NCAA sat down for a cross-team chat about the meet and about college swimming. They dished on their coaches, talked about life in general, and we laughed. Brendan Burns scored 46 individual points, highlighted by his ridiculous 43.61 win in the 100 backstroke. That’s two years in a row the Hoosier Junior has won a NCAA title - in different events and strokes! Gabriel Jett also scored 46 individual points, a byproduct of making 3 A-finals and finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 6th as a Sophomore for the defending champion Golden Bears. Hubert (Hubi) Kós arrived at Arizona State mid-year as quite a weapon. The 19 year old Freshman walked on deck as the defending European champ in the 200IM and he backed up his reputation with 37 points at his first NCAA Championship meet and was one of many Sun Devils that delivered BIG for 2nd place ASU, the highest finish in school history!

Most good swimmers get asked the same questions: How tall are your parents? Do you play basketball/volleyball? Were your parents athletes? In Trenton Julian’s case, he has quite the validating answer: yes, my parents were both world-class swimmers. His mom Kristine (Quance) Julian was one of the best swimmers in the world in the 90s, a multi time Olympian and gold medalist, and his dad, Jeff Julian, an All-American and Pac10 conference champion (a 200 butterfly title that Trenton himself would replicate 24 years later). Now it’s Trenton’s turn. He’s a world-class butterflier and freestyler known for going out quickly and holding on. Trenton Julian is a veteran of Team USA relays and a key component to the US hopes of recapturing Olympic gold in the 4x200 in Paris. With many lessons to learn from his mom’s Olympic Trials experiences, Trenton can lean on her wisdom and his own experiences as he shoots his shot a the highest-pressure meet in the world next summer in Indianapolis.

No one has ever repeated as Olympic champion in the 200 free. Will Tom Dean be the first? Even if Ariarne Titmus defends her title, the men’s 200 final happens before the women’s. To accomplish a feat not even the likes of greats like Ian Thorpe, Katie Ledecky, nor Michael Phelps has done, Tom Dean will need to fend off some serious challengers like super phenom David Popovici, the current 100 meter freestyle world record holder, and British countryman Duncan Scott, among many others. But swimming fast in an Olympic final is something few people know how to do, and Tom Dean has proven he is one of those people, so you better believe that come 200 freestyle day in Paris, we’ll order up some Bangers & Mash and have a few pints to cheer on this jolly good fellow. Until then, we’ll keep up with him on his podcast, The Weekly Freestyle. Cheerio. (They do say that, right?) Enjoy!

On the heels of the best season of his career, World and Commonwealth 50m Freestyle swim champ Ben Proud is getting his mind and body right for the next 18 months before the push to Paris. What better place to do that than immersed in the ohana of Hawaii, with Aloha Aquatica sprint guru Elliot Ptasnik? Ben, Elliot, and 2x Olympic Champ Anthony Ervin spend their days on Oahu sprinting 8-15 meters at a time, nothing more, and building feel for the water and reducing load on their bodies by swimming in the ocean. Now, that’s the ultimate sprinter life, and we are SO here for it. Enjoy!

In the mid 2000s, Olympic Swimming Champion Roland Schoeman was on top of his game, winning several world titles, breaking world records, and being the first person to legitimately scare the iconic 50m freestyle world record of the great Alexander Popov. Roland Schoeman made a lengthy career as an elite sprinter, and changed the game for many others with his legendary start, a skill we go into in depth in this conversation. Roland Schoeman also tells the story of what led to the South Africans dominating win in the 4x100 freestyle relay at the Athens Olympic Games, one of the greatest moments in Olympic history. He may not be finished yet, as he recently swam 19.2 in a 50 yard freestyle at the age of 42! Enjoy!

Olympian and World Championship Silver Medalist Backstoker Phoebe Bacon is after those marginal gains to win medals as one of the world’s best backstrokers. Phoebe Bacon represented the USA at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing 5th in the 200 backstroke, then turned around the next year and nearly won a World Championship title in the same event but was barely touched out for gold, still 1.5 seconds faster than her Olympic swim. J ust a junior in college, Phoebe Bacon is shining under the tutelage of legendary coach Yuri Suguiyama, known for developing Katie Ledecky into an Olympic champion. No surprise to see Phoebe’s success and we expect more is on the way. Oh, by the way… too many national teamers said we should talk to Phoebe because she’s just awesome, and they were right! Enjoy!

Not many swimmers, or athletes for that matter, are willing to speak their mind publicly. Olympic Champion Lilly King, however, has generated headlines for years, and not just based on her insane resume of swimming accomplishments as one of the best breaststrokers of all time. Lilly has spoken openly against performance-enhancing drugs and competitors who have tested positive, unafraid of the spotlight her comments would bring upon her, and the subsequent pressure to perform well. See, Lilly King is a straight shooter, and she thrives in the highest-pressure situations. What might faze others seems to bring out the best in Lilly King. This is one of our favorite conversations ever on the podcast. Enjoy!

In the late 90s and 2000s, the road to an NCAA title went through Auburn. From 2003-2007, Auburn men and women won 9 out of 10 possible team championships. While that dominant era seems like the distant past, this year’s team, led by Aidan and Nate Stoffle, is out to prove Auburn is headed back to the promised land - ahead of schedule. Enter Ryan Wochomurka. In year two at the helm of his alma mater, Ryan’s Auburn Tiger men jumped from a 6th place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championships in 2022 to a solid 2nd place finish this year behind perennial winner Florida. Aidan and Nate Stoffle are prime examples of just how Auburn is rebuilding - developing solid, but not superstar-level, prospects into consistent finalists in multiple events and contributing to top-3 relays. The Stoffle brothers say Auburn is coming. Get your popcorn ready. Enjoy!

The Texas men never seem to have down years - they just reload. Their legendary coach Eddie Reese continues to develop NCAA point scorers. Jake Foster and Luke Hobson, both high school standouts that were destined to rack up points for the Longhorns, have certainly delivered on that promise. Jake Foster is a stalwart in IM finals, and in the past year has seen his breaststroke develop into a legitimate weapon, no longer just a “fun” event. Luke Hobson is an NCAA relay champion and 2022 500 free 3rd place finisher who seems to be on a similar improvement path to so many of the great Texas freestylers - he recently swam a 1:31.8 200 yard freestyle in a dual meet! Fast swimming is already here, and with Jake Foster and Luke Hobson, it's about to get even faster at the championship meets. Hook ‘em!

Heading into the 2023 championship season, the Georgia men’s team looks very different at the top than in 2022. Gone is NCAA and Short Course World Champion Matthew Sates, and following a shoulder injury suffered mid race at the Indianapolis World Cup last fall, the Dawgs are without NCAA & American record holder Luca Urlando. That’s a lot of points to replace, but 2021 NCAA 500 free Champion Jake Magahey will lead this UGA men’s team and both Jake and Luca Urlando are confident in the ability of the rest of the squad to step up, as evidenced by the level of training they showcase in Athens on a daily basis. Jake Magahey will look to take advantage of the absence of both Sates and Florida star Olympian Kieran Smith in the distance events. Luca Urlando is at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado doing rehab and preparing his body for a push toward the 2024 Olympic Trials. While many miles apart, these roommates stay connected and speak of the great impact Luca Urlando still has on his UGA teammates while he’s away. Enjoy!

A child of athletes and with close ties to the greatest Australian Olympian ever, Lani Pallister was destined to become a World Champion, a title she earned 4x in 2022 at the World Short Course Swimming Championships in front of a home crowd in Melbourne. Lani Pallister has dealt with a steady stream of setbacks in the past few years: heart surgery, eating disorder, and missing selection to the famed Australian Dolphins senior team by one spot for 4 years in a row. Lani Pallister could have easily fallen back on her roots as a world-class athlete in competitive Lifesaving (yes, it’s a sport, and she still holds a youth world record in it), but instead she has emerged as a legitimate medal threat in the swimming distance events in Paris. Enjoy!

Last year Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh won every event they swam at NCAAs. Alex went on to win the World Title in the 200IM last summer, and Kate raked gold medals at the World Short Course championships in December (Alex won her share there too). Superstars of swimming, Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh head into the college championship season ready to carry the momentum into perhaps a 3rd straight championship for the Virginia Cavaliers. Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh share about their versatility in swimming seemingly any event and how differently they train from one another even though they are teammates. Kate and Alex also recount their epic 200 IM battles from the 2020 Olympic Trials and the Tokyo Olympic final, tell us about their NIL experiences, and lament being teased about middle names. Enjoy!

The most consistently fast swimming sprinter of all-time, measured by an astounding 100+ swims under 22 seconds in the 50m freestyle long course, Tokyo Olympic Bronze medalist Bruno Fratus shares what he’s up to now. Bruno Fratus has dealt with several shoulder injuries and surgeries throughout his career, and is now almost back to 100% following the latest shoulder surgery; the side effects of training and racing sprint freestyle using a straight arm technique that is widely used by all the top sprinters today. We talk about a lot in this episode with Bruno Fratus: sprint freestyle technique and training, Olympic paper weights, and how the Olympic 50m free champion (Caeleb Dressel) isn’t really a sprinter.

Coming off perhaps the most impressive dual meet performances ever, including Leon Marchand breaking the NCAA 400 IM record, Leon Marchand and Grant House of Arizona State tell us what’s in the water in Tempe that has ASU swimming so fast right now. The Sun Devils are a decade removed from the program being cut and later reinstated - few could have foreseen this success. Legendary Coach Bob Bowman is building a high performance factory at Arizona State as the college team is among the best in the NCAA and some of the best professionals in the world have flocked to swim under his tutelage. Double IM World Champion Leon Marchand shares what its like to swim in an IM group with a combined 10 Olympic and World Championship medals, and Grant House, a 1:30 short course yards 200 freestyler who finished 2nd at NCAAs explains the mentality and the team chemistry that is the foundation for the success ASU is having right now. Enjoy!

As the first man in nearly 100 years to win Olympic medals in the 200, 400, and 1500 freestyle events, which he achieved in Atlanta in 1996, Daniel Kowalski is one of the greatest mid-distance / distance swimmers ever. A star in swimming-crazed Australia, in perhaps the golden era of Australia’s rich swimming history, it would be easy to think that after he won gold on the 4x200m relay at the Sydney Olympics that Daniel Kowalski would retire from swimming with zero regrets. But Daniel Kowalski battled depression as he struggled with a feeling of failure for his silver medal in the 1500 in Atlanta, developed an eating disorder, and endured the life of a closeted gay man still years away from coming out. In the years since, he’s been able to oust that negativity and is involved in swimming as a member of the Australian Olympic Committee and World Aquatics Athlete Commission where he serves the betterment of the sport and its athletes. Enjoy!

College championship season is around the corner, so we’re checking in with the teams who will tell the story of conference and NCAA championships in 2023. NC State is looking to build on their 4th place NCAA finish in 2022, led by NCAA 100 backstroke champion and newly minted Short Course World Championship Bronze medalist Kacper Stokowski and 2022 team high-point scorer and Tokyo Olympian Nyls Korstanje. Nyls and Kacper share thoughts on their season so far and their individual and team goals for NCAAs. Kacper was part of the controversial errant false start in the 50 backstroke at Short Course Worlds and shares his take on that craziness. We did our best to peek behind the curtain on some of NC State’s team secrets, including the meaning behind their signature diamond on the chest at meets. Enjoy!

How would you feel if what you love to do most might be taken from you? Christie Raleigh Crossley faced that potential when a traumatic brain injury changed her life forever. An accomplished swimmer with big goals, and a mom to boot, following her injury she returned to the pool with a different set of physical tools and abilities than she once had. But the sport that shaped her life would prove to be foundational for Christie, as she found a new community, and immediate success, as a para swimmer. Now, her sights are set on the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, and so are ours. Enjoy!

Team USA distance swimmers Charlie Clark and David Johnston know each other well, having raced since juniors and now against the best in the world. Today they join us from Melbourne, Australia ahead of the Short Course World Championships, where they’ll team up and go for a USA 1-2 finish against the likes of Italy’s distance legend Gregorio Paltrinieri. Both are coming off steady progressions to the elite level, Charlie having represented USA at the 2022 Long Course World’s, and David recently setting the American Record in the 800 SCM, good enough for 4th-fastest all-time. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to swim as fast as these guys do for as long as they do, listen. Might make your head explode. Ours did. Enjoy! Photo Credit Getty Images www.socialkickswim.com SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLbmxjdMDo4UHcB9bEUWsQg LISTEN: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-kick-podcast/id1478682639 FOLLOW: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialkickpodcast/​

After winning so many crowns at the World Cup, Beata Nelson seems to have next year’s Halloween costume dialed. She’s also buying dinner after cashing giant checks worth $150k. But wait, there’s more. Her fiance locked it up with a proposal to cap the month of a lifetime for Beata Nelson, one of the best short course swimmers in the world, maybe in history. And with no more short course meets on the schedule, Beata Nelson turns her attention to long course, eyeing a spot on the US World Champs team next summer, but not before hanging out with us to share some laughs and the secret sauce behind the 200 back/200 IM double on day 3, for 3 weeks in a row, winning every race…. umm, what?

Before Magic5, the biggest innovation in goggles was…. goggles. Niklas Hedegaard is the co-founder of Magic5, the goggle brand featured on Shark Tank that is reimagining fit and performance by leveraging modern facial scanning technology and robotics to deliver personalized goggles custom molded to YOUR face! Finally! No more raccoon eyes or headaches, just comfort, so you can focus on the workout. Niklas and his co-founder Rasmus Barfred are former international-level swimmers who know all too well how personal goggle choice is to a swimmer. Ever tried to borrow your friend’s goggles because your strap broke? Instant leaks and that dizzy feeling adjusting to the new view. They started Magic5 to solve this problem and create the perfect goggles. Luke has been a fanboy of Magic5 for a while now and after learning World silver medalist Kasia Wasick (Ep. 113) wears Magic5 too, we had to, ahem, expand our view and learn more about this company. Enjoy!

Few have achieved success in so many different roles in the sport like Brett Hawke. A 5x Olympian who ushered in an era of Australian sprinting prowess, Brett would have had his place in history when he hung up his suit and goggles as the Aussie record holder, Commonwealth medalist, and Olympic finalist. But things were just beginning, as Brett would go on to coach the greatest sprint group of all time at Auburn and cement his legacy as an expert on world class speed. Today, he hosts the wildly popular and insightful podcast, Inside with Brett Hawke. Enjoy!

For many people, “doing a 10k” is an achievement on foot accompanied by a race bib and a finisher t-shirt. For Joe and John Zemaitis, however, it’s a sometimes 3x daily open water swim that takes an average 3 hours to complete! The Swim Brothers recently completed the “Ultimate Swim-a-thon” to raise awareness and money to promote water safety, drowning prevention and competitive and open water swimming. It was a double victory for the duo whose open water achievements include the English, North, and Catalina channel crossings to name just a few. The Brothers exceeded their fundraising target of $10,000 in partnership with the USA Swimming Foundation, and completed the monumental swim effort 5 days ahead of schedule by swimming an open water 10k in every US state in just 25 days! If that doesn’t make you feel lazy, we want to hear your story! Enjoy! @socialkickswim www.socialkickswim.com SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLbmxjdMDo4UHcB9bEUWsQg LISTEN: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-kick-podcast/id1478682639 FOLLOW: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialkickpodcast/

He’s the Olympic Champion, World Record Holder, World Champion and now Commonwealth Champion. Seems like the perfect mic drop moment for a 23 year old to swim like a frog off into the sunset. But while we’ll never understand the stroke, this guy loves swimming fast breaststroke, and he’s keen to take the WR even lower. Somewhat surprisingly, it may be his freestyle training that gives him the fitness to close faster than anyone in the field. Also, why is freestyle the only stroke that has events longer than 200m? Zac thinks he could be world champ at the 300m or even 400m BR. Sounds like a promoter needs to make this happen. There’s the challenge. Any takers? Enjoy our chat with Zac! SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLbmxjdMDo4UHcB9bEUWsQg LISTEN: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-kick-podcast/id1478682639 FOLLOW: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialkickpodcast/​

“Hey Matthew, where’s the fire?” Olympics. Check. World Cup wins. Check. NCAA champ. Check. Goes pro. Check. Sure feels like Matthew Sates’ is on a mission to do it all quickly, and he pretty much has. The past year has been a whirlwind. He’s had 5 different training squads, and now he’s touring more as he learns from the best and makes a plan for his build toward Paris 2024. Why the moves? How fast does he think he could go in a 500yd free if he took it out? What’s his 400 free race plan for Commonwealth Games? Listen and find out! Enjoy! @socialkickswim www.socialkickswim.com SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLbmxjdMDo4UHcB9bEUWsQg LISTEN: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-kick-podcast/id1478682639 FOLLOW: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialkickpodcast/

If we could go back and buy stock in Brooks Curry, we’d be rich. Fewer swimmers have a hotter hand right now. Makes Olympic team (wins gold on relay). SEC champ (beats a Dressel meet record). Pulls the double at NCAAs 50/100 free. Earns individual swim at Worlds (makes final, 5th, goes 47). He just keeps getting faster, and is proving time after time to have great swims when it matters most. So, what’s the secret to Brooks’ success? Will LSU become a powerhouse? What inspired his infamous mullet? Listen as we go into the mind of Brooks Curry. Enjoy

The 50 free is the hardest race in swimming. Why? Details. No room for error. To be the best in the world, training for the 50 means knowing how to truly go ALL OUT. Over and over. Sure, we are biased sprinters. That’s why we asked Kasia Wasick what it takes to win a silver medal at Worlds at age 31 (after 4 Olympics and 1 retirement!). Let’s also give some love to masters swimming for helping Kasia find the sport again after retirement, and the ISL for extending so many careers like Kasia’s. Enjoy! @socialkickswim www.socialkickswim.com SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLbmxjdMDo4UHcB9bEUWsQg LISTEN: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-kick-podcast/id1478682639 FOLLOW: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialkickpodcast/

So many young phenoms burn out, but every so often, one of them becomes a star. After years of breaking national age group records, Carson Foster has arrived at the very top level of elite swimming. Safe to say he has more blue ribbons than anyone in history, but now has his sights set on medals. The World Championships were a breakout meet for Carson, winning silver in both IMs and gold on team USA’s 4x200 free relay. He’s arrived, but seems to be just getting started.

For the past two summers, Annie Lazor has delivered dramatic finishes during qualifying at US trials, first by coming 3rd in the 100 breast at Olympic trials, only to turn around and win the 200 breast and go on to earn bronze in Tokyo, then in 2022, finishing 3rd in her signature 200 at World Champs trials and coming back days later to finish 2nd and earn an individual swim in the 100. Talk about resilience. Annie’s story is one progress, but with many stops along the way (Ohio State, Auburn, retirement / Cal, then Indiana). That’s right! She once retired, and after some time off and inspiration from a friend, decided to jump back in the pool. Now she’s an Olympic medalist, and one of the best breaststrokers in the world. Annie is a great time, and is full of energy. We had so much fun with this one. Enjoy! @socialkickswim www.socialkickswim.com SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLbmxjdMDo4UHcB9bEUWsQg LISTEN: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-kick-podcast/id1478682639 FOLLOW: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialkickpodcast/