The SwimSwam Podcast

Gary Hall Sr. is swimming royalty, a 3-time Olympian, U.S. Olympic Team Captain, Olympic Flag Bearer, father of a 10-time Olympic medalist (Gary Hall Jr.), World Record Holder, former President of the U.S. Olympians Association and the Head Coach / Chief Executive of the famous enterprise known globally as THE RACE CLUB (hyperlink: https://theraceclub.com Olympic icon Gary Hall Sr. makes me feel lazy—in the most positive way. He is a reminder of how to live your life daily with purpose. Case in point, during the pandemic Gary didn’t lose time. He made the most of the lockdown by penning his book - “Winning Life's Gold Medal: Ten Valuable Life lessons from the Olympic Games” - available NOW as an eBook on AMAZON (hyperlink: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Lifes-Gold-Medal-Valuable-ebook/dp/B08S9ZYJM7) Gary’s book is a must-have. It is a focused narrative and quick read. Each lesson is delivered with wisdom that only comes from experience and threadbare vulnerability. His book is memoir-esque, detailing intimate, behind-the-scenes stories. Most of Gary’s wisdom is from his life in and out of the pool. The stories are his own personal experiences from three Olympic Games, and they cover some of his son’s, like the first time Gary Hall Jr.’s met Alexander Popov in the READY ROOM. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Jonathan Maccoll, head coach of the swimming and diving program at Rutgers University. SwimSwam reported last week that Rutgers would be redshirting a significant portion of its team this year, and Maccooll was kind enough to explain the reasoning behind this. In short, because things are ever-changing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Maccoll says every athlete's situation is different and the decision to redshirt this season is extremely fluid for whether it makes sense for that athlete or not. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic champion Leah Smith, who was one of few national teamers who didn't attend a Pro Swim this past weekend. Leah was planning on attending the meet in Irvine, but as that one was canceled she opted to stay home and train. Smith details her last 10 months through the COVID pandemic, including prepping for ISL with Matt Grevers, being on a non-US based team for the ISL, and her newfound coffee love with all this time at home. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

As promised, we brought back Aussie legend James Magnussen for part 3 of his swimming story. Maggie brought us through the tail end of his career, post-2013 world champs all the way to the 2016 Olympic Games. Before his shoulder injury in 2014, Magnussen describes his plan for racing as much as he could and how he came to casually drop in-season 47s every time he hit the pool. It's worth a listen to hear this candid account of what being on top of the world can feel like... and how that feeling can bring you back down. James speaks to the fact that even though he could go 47 anytime, he was unmotivated by anything that wasn't Olympic gold. He was partying probably more than he should have to pass the time between the Comm games in 2014 and the Olympics, which as any swimmer knows is a long road. And then injury occurs. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

John Moffet is a renaissance man. In the pool he was a 1980 & 1984 Olympian, World Record Holder, World Medalist & Pan Pacific Championships Triple Gold Medalist. Beyond the pool, after graduating from Stanford, he built an impressive career in entertainment winning 3 Primetime Emmy Awards and a list of credits too long to detail here. (Google John Moffet producer director and go to IMDB.) Moreover, he's delivering all of that entertainment muscle to his new podcast SPORT LIFE BALANCE (see Moffet Podcast here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1465300). In this podcast Moffet bottom-lines "the moment" when he knew his chances for 1984 Olympic gold were over. After breaking the 100-meter breaststroke world record at U.S. Olympic Trials (1:02.13), he suffered an injury in the 1984 Olympic Games prelim heat--coming off the wall, a few strokes after his breakout. Hearing the vulnerability in his voice is heart-wrenching. Moffet's life is dramatic, a Hollywood film, and he was, in fact, among the stars of the famous award-winning doc film "16 Days Of Glory" that took you inside the lives of the most interesting 1984 Olympians. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with world junior champion Jade Hannah. She talked us through her quarantine, which included open water swims in lakes and the ocean, biking and running for hours, and doing dryland workouts at home. Jade also walked us through training at the HPC-Toronto, and what swimming consistently with the likes of Penny Oleksiak, Kylie Masse, and more has done for her maturity as an athlete. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with former world-record holder and Aussie breaststroke, Matt Wilson. Wilson took us through what his quarantine has looked like and some of the work that he's been doing in the lead-up to the 2021 Olympic Games. Wilson paces 30.lows in training consistently, indicating that we could see Anton Chupkov's 2:06.1 WR from 2019 go down come Tokyo. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Cal breaststroke Ema Rajic, who had a big month of racing in November. After coming right off of the US Open in San Antonio, she went back to Cal for a dual meet with Stanford, where she broke her own school record in the 100 breast and went a lifetime best in the 200 breast. Ema breaks down what her quarantine was like before coming back to Cal, mainly training in Austin, Texas with Austin Swim Club. See one of Ema's workouts with Austin Swim Club here. Rajic also throws some wisdom in at around the 10-minute mark about how swimming can be a lonely sport. She takes the approach of looking up to and making friends with her competitors, which has led to a fruitful experience for the college junior thus far. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with national Jr. team member and #8 ranked recruit in SwimSwam's Class of 2022, Matt Fallon. Fallon competed at the Tigershark Swim Team Santa Claws Classic in Belton, Texas in mid-December, where he went a 53.52 in the 100 breast and 1:52.87 in the 200 breast, the latter putting him at #7 in the 17-18 age group all-time. Fallon explained how he's been training through COVID, his emphasis on building his aerobic base, and why he likes warming up all the way until 1-2 minutes before he races at meets. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with national team member Phoebe Bacon, who we saw in action in November at the US Open. At the US Open in Des Moines, racing fellow national-teamer Regan Smith, Bacon dropped a 2:09.16 200 back, 1:00.18 100 back, and 2:16.05 in the 200 IM. Bacon broke down what training at her new home at the University of Wisconsin is like and how she got through quarantine, documenting her time training in a 15-year pool. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Matt Mauser, the musician who wrote the music for Kobe Bryant's podcast, Punies. Mauser's wife, Christina, coached Bryant's girls basketball team and was in the helicopter crash that took her and Bryant's life. Mauser candidly discusses the effects of losing his wife and enduring a global pandemic while trying to move through his career as well as raise and teach 3 children (ages 12, 10, and 4). One way he has been able to heal is in the pool, where he has a long history. Mauser picked up swimming late in high school but excelled enough to land a spot on a junior college roster and eventually a spot at Cal Poly, where he was an All-American in the 200 backstroke. After training with Mission Viejo for 2 years post-graduate and going lifetime bests, Matt pivoted away from swimming and started his career in music. In 2018, Mauser got back in the pool and started swimming with a masters team. He continues to find solace in the water today as swimming gives him a small distraction in the middle of his days and a task to complete. It also provides a friendly community that lends support through the journey of being a widowed parent. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Indiana University Head Coach Ray Looze unpacks the 2021 BIG TEN schedule, his plans for NCAAs, and proprioception (the perception of the position and movement of the body). I just call it Mind-Body Connection. Ray calls it the future of the sport and details his proprioception work at IU since 2015. Ray’s team (coaches and elite swimmers) are like an Aquatic Research & Development department innovating in eye-popping ways… Anyone who knows Ray should not be surprised… As a USC student-athlete, he was a standout in and out of the pool. He became the first non-football playing Trojan in school history to earn GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. In 1989, he was recognized as the school's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was also a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winner and received recognition as a finalist for the 1989 Rhodes Scholarship and the 1990 NCAA Walter Byers Award. Ray graduated USC magna cum laude in finance and earned a master's degree from the School of Education at the University of Texas Austin. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Catherine Breed, an NCAA All-American swimmer from Cal who was always a distance swimmer but now is seriously a distance swimmer. Catherine trains for marathon swims, which typically means swims that are over 20 miles in the ocean. In her most recent swim, the Monterey Bay swim, Breed broke the record for the fastest swim across the bay in a time of 2 hours and 53 minutes. Listen to Breed as she describes her training for events like this as well as some of her stories about swimming through jellyfish, in the dark, and in the same waters as sharks. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Aussie mid-distance ace Elijah Winnington. Winnington made headlines just last month at the Queensland State Championships where he dropped PB's of 3:43 in the 400m free and 1:45 in the 200m free. Winnington was recently in a bit of a funk with his swimming, including during the period when competed at the 2019 US national championships in Palo Alto, California, and changed his entire lifestyle in the lead-up to that meet. He explains how moving to a new program has helped him reignite his swimming as well as why he needed more distance in his training overall. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Matthew Marquardt is a senior on the Princeton swim team. Since the Ivy League canceled winter sports and he lost his season, Matthew decided he needed a new challenge. In fulfillment of a lifetime dream, Matthew is riding his bike across the country. By himself. He is on Day 10 now, and it’s expected to take 23 days total. To meet this time limit, he needs to cover over 100 miles a day. He started in San Diego and will end in Florida. His dad is driving the route crewing for him and staying with him in hotels each night. Matthew is riding to raise money for pediatric cancer treatment through St. Jude. His goal is to raise $23,000 over the course of his ride, $1000/day. You can follow Matthew's progress during this ride on Facebook Here and Instagram here. Click here to Donate and help Matthew achieve his goal of raising $23,000 for pediatric Cancer treatment. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Claire Adams, the University of Texas NCAA All-American who announced her retirement from swimming this past summer. Adams discusses her time at Texas and hits on the big learning curve she went through to make her senior season in particular so special. She also delves into her high school days at Carmel Swim Club in Indiana. Specifically, we discuss her 2016 Olympic Trials, a meet that heading into, she was a top contender to make the US Olympic team. However, she broke her hand days before the competition and wasn't able to match her top form. Adams sifts through the huge loss this was in her life and what it took to bounce back from that. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with SwimSwam's 2020 Female Swimmer of the Year, Kaylee McKeown. McKeown re-wrote half of the Australian backstroke record book last year, setting new national records in the 100 and 200 backstrokes long course and the 200 backstroke short course. That short course record of 1:58.94 was also the world’s fastest-ever swim in the event, breaking Katinka Hosszu’s 2014 world record of 1:59.23. At the 2020 Queensland Championships (LCM), McKeown threw down a 57.93 to become just the second person to ever dip under the 58-second mark after Regan Smith‘s 57.57 world record from last year. Being the second-fastest ever to an American means that the swim was good enough to set a new Australian, Oceanian, and Commonwealth record. McKeown takes us through her 2020, as well as her training style since the end of 2018, which doesn't go by weeks, but rather by 3-week periods. Within each 21-day cycle, Mckeown says she trains for 17 of those days in a row and then gets 4 days off. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Baylor Nelson, the #2 recruit in the high school class of 2022. Nelson tells us about his training during quarantine and his love for swimming that has been fostered since a young age. Nelson has had some phenomenal swims recently, most notably his epic battles with fellow North Carolina-native Sam Hoover in the 400 IM and 200 IM. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Maxime Rooney, the ISL newbie who made a big impact this season for the LA Current. Maxime breaks down the season in Budapest, detailing the ups and downs of competing in a 6-week bubble. He also shares about his personal day-to-day, including the importance of cooking, which he also documents on his Instagram as "Maxime's Meals". Rooney finishes by talking about racing under pressure, a topic in which he references an interview with James Guy about the dominance of his British teammate, Adam peaty. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Claudio Battaglini, the coach and father of age-group breakout swimmer Luca Battaglini. Claudio has been a coach of elite athletes for decades, originally training the world's top triathletes in his home of Brazil. He eventually got his Ph.D. and became a teacher and researcher, letting coaching go to the wayside a bit. However, as his son started to become a better and better swimmer, he started to get involved on deck and is now training a small group in North Carolina. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with World champion James Magnussen... again. We had already spoken with James before but only got through the first year of his career on the international stage. So this time we covered another couple of years, including the lead-up to the 2012 Olympic Games. After his big breakout at the 2011 World Champs, Maggie says he had no major racing until the 2012 Aussie Olympic trials, where he dropped a legendary 47.10, the fastest time swam in a textile suit at that point by a longshot. Maggie admits that this swim hid some of the doubts he had at the time about his Olympic prep and therefore he just continued on in the same fashion. Maggie also says that even though it wasn't his best race, he's extremely proud of his silver medal performance in the 100m free final in London. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Jr World and Pan Pac champion, Lani Pallister. Lani is just coming off a very successful short course championships where she broke the Australian record in the 1500. Pallister talks about how her recent move to train with Michael Bohl, along with her mom, has gone thus far and leading into those championships. Pallister has been coached by her mom from a young age and explains the ups and downs that can come with your mom being your coach. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Carle Fierro, the head coach of Westchester Aquatic Club. She explained her philosophy on training club swimmers, which might differ from a typical, high-yardage program. Carle has had successful age swimmers at young ages, including current Virginia super-star Kate Douglass and breakout 13-year-old Claire Weinstein. You can check out what a week of Carle's training looks like here. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with World, NCAA and SEC Champion Zane Waddell. Waddell recently announced his retirement, to the surprise of many, as the Olympic year is around the corner and he seems to be in his prime. Waddell discussed not being able to financially support himself with only swimming and why he wasn't able to make the trip to Budapest to compete in the ISL as he had planned. Waddell has stayed exceedingly optimistic throughout this process however and is embracing his new journey into the corporate realm of finance as his new challenge in life. He expresses extreme gratitude for everything swimming gave him, especially the relationships. Waddell is excited to give back to swimming in the future while wearing a different kind of suit. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Swimming's favorite Harvard swimmer, Dean Farris, along with the head and associate head coaches of the Harvard Men's swim team, Kevin Tyrrell and Sam Pitter. We started the conversation by getting a good look into what training has been like for the Harvard men this semester, which is very different than a lot of other college programs we've talked to. I think one of the most exciting parts about the Harvard swimming tradition is the HYP (Harvard-Yale-Princeton) tri-meet at the end of January, effectively the start of the 6-week taper for Ivy League Championships and NCAAs. Dean, Kevin, and Sam all give their take on what makes HYP such a fun and exhilarating event. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with National champion and Olympic hopeful, Ally McHugh. Ally documents what her training has been like in and out of the water since quarantine began when she was actually on a training trip at the Olympic Training Center. McHugh has become a student of the sport, trying to pick up tricks and tips in any way she can. This includes watching race video of her competitors, like Ariarne Titmus. McHugh describes what her takeaways were from Titmus and how she has implemented them into her training. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with swim-photographer extraordinaire, Becca Wyant. Becca has documented World Championships, US Nationals, and Pro Swim meets all over the country and photographed swimmers all over the globe. Becca's origin story is similar to many who now work in the swim industry: it started with swimming. But the rest is very unique in that Becca worked to follow her passions and carve her own path for herself, seeking fulfillment through creativity in whatever she was doing. This led her to a position at FINIS, one that evolved over the years and allowed her to get behind not only a computer screen but a camera as well. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Pavel Sankovich, the Belarusian swimmer who just had his 2nd child. Pavel takes us through how fatherhood changed his perspective on swimming as well as how he's tried to get back into the water the last several months. He's carried this new perspective into the pool as well as his teaching as he coaches young swimmers full-time. Sankovich also recalls highlights and stories of his career, detailing the intense training he put in while living in Europe and the US. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic hopeful and NAG record slayer, Claire Curzan. Curzan has been ON one this quarantine, dropping best times seemingly every time she hits the racing blocks. Most notably, she registered a 56.6 100m fly at the US Open site in Greensboro, becoming the 3rd fastest woman in the event in American history. Curzan breaks that swim down, revealing that she actually wrote down '56 100 fly in Greensboro' in her goal journal before the meet even happened. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic, World, Pan Pacific, Commonwealth, and basically any other major competition you can think of champion, Emily Seebohm. Emily has obviously had an illustrious career, one that started when she was only a young teenager, being a member of the Aussie national team at 14. Seebohm takes us through many paths of her career, including competing with Energy Standard in the last 2 ISL seasons, major ups and downs she has had throughout her career, and how trying to buy a bicycle almost lost her spot on the 4x100 medley relay at the Beijing Olympics. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

Chris Ritter, the founder and CEO of Ritter Sports Performance and SURGE Strength, is my go-to for dryland training. With holiday training coming up fast (aka Hell Week), Chris shares his insights and provides some FREE education assets for swimming coaches. Holiday training is always crucial, perhaps more so after the 2020 pandemic year. The work done, the base built, will determine whether or not swimmers hit their personal best times next spring and summer. Get ahead of the curve and arm yourself with the right dryland information here: SURGE Strength – https://www.surge-strength.com/ SURGE Strength Dryland Certification – https://www.surge-strength.com/certification/ SwimSwam Articles by Chris – https://swimswam.com/training/surge-strength-dryland-training/ SURGE Strength Podcast – https://wavve.link/rittersp?__s=x0dcybu65xrgfh0qi1st Swimmers and Coaches can get FREE access to the newest Dryland 101 Course in the SURGE Strength Academy: Dryland At Home. Chris Ritter is the CEO of Ritter Sports Performance, a SwimSwam partner. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with SEC champion Danny Kovac, who was back at Mizzou this semester throwing down some impressive times at their invite. We talked about Kovac's swimming, particularly how he balances it with his outside of swim life with activities like farming and socializing. What I didn't think I'd hear was about one day how last year, after NCAAs, Kovac decided to casually run a marathon. And did so that day. Or how, during his time at home in Colorado during the COVID-19 shutdown, he planned out and completed a century bike ride (100 miles). 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Olympic champion and now Lawyer Katie Meili. Meili took us through much of her swim journey, from summer league and high school swimming through college swimming at Columbia and into her pro career, where she really started to have a presence on the international stage. Meili also addresses something we in the swimming community don't always consider: life after swimming. She emphasized the importance of knowing yourself outside of just swimming and starting to formulate a plan of what life after swimming might look like well before you reach the end of your path. In this way, you're well prepared to transition from one passion to the next. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with NCAA All-American and USA national champion Shaine Casas. Casas has made headlines a lot since returning to racing in October, mostly for his historical swims. He started off by dropping a 1:36.54 200 Back in October (#4 all-time performer) and followed that up with a 1:39 200 fly (in a dual meet), 1:38.95 200 IM (#3 performer all-time), 43.87 100 back (#3 all-time performer at the time, now #4), and 46.33 100 IM (#1 all-time). He also posted a 1:36.6 200 back from a B-final in November after rolling his ankle the night before. Casas lends context to all of these sensational swims, describes what having COVID was like back in June, and more. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with NCAA All-American from Cal and 5-time Asian Games medalist Camille Cheng. Cheng is currently back in Hong Kong training for the 2021 Olympic Games, but didn't necessarily always think that would be the case. She takes us through the journey of swimming at Cal, having a great experience in her 4 years there (2011-2015) culminating in an NCAA team title. She stuck around for another year and went to the 2016 Olympic Games, where she didn't perform how she wanted to. Cheng thought that might be it for her swimming but eventually came back to it with a fresh perspective. Cheng explains that now, it's about having fun in training and racing, enjoying the process instead of focusing on the times as the end-all, be-all goal. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Veronica Burchill, a 20-time All-American for the University of Georgia and recent ISL champion with the Cali Condors. Burchill talks us through her decision to move from Athens, GA to Knoxville, TN to train with the University of Tennessee's postgrad group. She also tells us stories from her days at Carmel swim club & high school, the University of Georgia, and the ISL bubble with the Cali Condors. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Penny Oleksiak, the Canadian Olympic champion who is gearing up for another run at the Games in 2021. Oleksiak was put in a unique position few find themselves in: being a full-on celebrity at age 16. Penny opens up about dealing with this pressure in and out of the pool over the last quad and explains how relating to Michael Phelps about this position has been helpful. Penny also acknowledges why she chose not to participate in ISL this season after having been a member of Energy Standard in season 1 (one contributing factor: she hates short course). 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with ISL Final champion in the 400 free Tom Dean, who really hit his stride at the end of the season this year in Budapest. Dean describes his struggles at the beginning of the ISL season and how he and his coach were able to work through the 6-week training camp to end on a high note. Dean also divulges what practice has been like lately with his training partner James Guy and gives us an example of the work they've been putting in the bank for trials and the 2021 Olympics. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with Canadian national-teamer, NCAA All-American for Minnesota, and now Swammer Mackenzie Padington, who announced her retirement recently via Instagram. Padington takes us through her reasons for leaving the sport she's been in since age 4, including injury and being unhappy with her current training environment. Padington explains there was an event that happened unrelated to the swim team in Minnesota that left her wanting to leave. She ended up returning to Victoria and training at the high-performance center in Vancouver. She had even committed to swim for NC State after the Olympics. However, once lockdown started and Padington had to return home, things weren't really clicking for her until she ultimately made the decision to step away from swimming. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com

We sat down with world champion and freestyle legend James Magnussen. Mel and I geek out over James not because he's a great swimmer, but because he's a great swimmer that we happened to run into at a music festival in 2016. James was taking a vacation in the US and happened to end up in Austin at the time. Mel spotted him from 50 yards away through a crowd of people, and James was kind enough to take a picture with us. We spend way too long talking about that, but there is a positive that came from that story: James actually went to a Texas practice, without telling anyone, and watched the longhorns swim for nearly an hour before he was asked to leave the pool. After all that, we get into James' career, and his real breakout meet on the international stage: world championships in 2011. Magnussen tells us that not only did he have pneumonia 2 weeks prior to the meet, but in the ready room for the 4x100 free relay, there was a bit of a scuffle with the Russian team. Follow James Magnussen and what he's doing now here. 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 YouTube Click here to listen and subscribe on Listen Notes Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher Click here to listen and subscribe on iHeartRadio Click here to listen and subscribe on Amazon Click here to listen and subscribe on Pandora Music: Otis McDonald www.otismacmusic.com