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Sergio López Miró, Olympic swimmer and coach

This is a guy you want to sit next to on the pool deck to listen to him talk. Olympic bronze medalist as a swimmer who went on to develop multiple Olympic gold medalists as a coach. He's worked with or swam for some of the biggest names in swimming history, and when it's all said and done, his may outshine them all. Sergio has a story about everything, and we were lucky to share a conversation with him to hear a few. 

Zach Apple on ISL and his stellar rise to the top of world sprinting

Fresh off his stellar 2nd season with the DC Trident, Zach Apple joins us and gives his take on season 2, the bubble, how much money he made, feelings about knocking our 45-second 100 freestyles, playing poker with Chad le Clos, and how to make the ISL more exciting for the average sports fan. 'Zapple' then brings us through his incredible rise as he only started swimming consistently while in high school, then rockets through the NCAA, Team USA, and is now one of the preeminent sprinters vying for Olympic gold. Enjoy!

E63- Week 1 Recap of ISL Season 2

After 2 matches and 4 great days of racing in Budapest, we get together to discuss a few things that stood out. Jackpots. Who faded the worst. Standout swims. Disappointing swims. Best Performance. Lose the 400s? Lose a relay? Diversity. Money.  Finally, we look at Latin American swimming with two guests on Instagram Live. One is Lane Four Podcast and the other a former Mexican swimmer.

Byron MacDonald on Canadian Swimming and the Toronto Titans

Legendary coach and former World Class swimmer Byron MacDonald joins the show. We talk about his swimming, his long reign as University of Toronto coach, give a lovely recap of the History of Canadian swimming and then we jump into the ISL and Toronto Titans as he serves as the Head Coach?  We run through the roster and look forward to the month of training, racing and circumstances the athletes will face. 

He is a former swimmer who competed for Canada in the 1972 Summer Olympics. He placed sixth in the final of the men's 100-metre butterfly

Byron coached University of Toronto swim teams to 24 USports National Championships — Fifteen women's, and nine men's including most recently, a women's and men's team competition sweep of the 2015-2016 national titles. Two of MacDonald's swimmers have won Olympic Medals — most recently Kylie Masse at the 2016 Olympic Games in the 100 metre backstroke.

He also works as a television commentator analyzing major competitions in swimming. He is a two-time recipient of the Gemini Award for sports play-by-play broadcasting in recognition of his swimming analysis on CBC.

Rowdy Gaines on opening more pools to help water safety - E#61

Hall of Fame swimmer and 3-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines joins the show! We talk about how COVID is affecting student-athletes who have trained their entire lives to play a sport only to now be sidelined and/or lose out on scholarships? We address the financial, professional and mental health repercussions, as well as the long-term effects on sports in general.

We also get into the delayed 2020 (now 2021) Olympics and what they might look like next year, with reference to him being unable to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics because of the U.S. boycott.

Additionally, Rowdy is head of community engagement for USA Swimming, and talks about the Aquatics Coalition they've launched to advocate for pools to remain open during the pandemic, arguing they are safe to use, and a necessary resource for swimming lessons and rehabilitation, particularly in low-income areas.

Bob Platt

Scottsdale Aquatic Club and ISL team DC Trident's Bob Platt joins the show to talk about the 2020 edition of the International Swimming League.   Bob talks about the upcoming camp and meets in Budapest, his team's philosophy and the make up of the roster and coaching staff.  Check it out for a wonderful and humorous insight to the ISL and DC trident in particular!

Monterey Bay Crossing

Former USA National team swimmer turned record breaking marathon swimmer Catherine Breed attempts to swim across Monterey Bay, California. A 25 mile crossing, in 56 F water known for Orcas, Great Whites and Jelly Fish. She decided to leave at 9pm with no moonlight. Why? What goes into her preparation? What is it like to be there with her before? As she stands at the start? The guys are on location to chronicle the swim right to the very end. We are inspired and in awe of her heroic adventure.

Charlotte Brynn

Bitten by a shark and kept swimming? For 11 more hours, then found the tooth in your hip?! Swam the Ice Mile, voluntarily?! All these stories and more by legendary Kiwi Marathon Swimmer Charlotte Brynn.  She joins the show to talk about her experiences training and racing open water endurance events.  Listen for for some great knowledge drop son best practices for racing as well as the toughest stories we have heard on competing. Charlotte was nominated as World Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year in 2013 and named one of the World’s top 50 Aquatic Adventurists in 2014, 2015, 2017 & 2019 by the World Open Water Association.
In 2018 Charlotte was named one of the top women open water coaches and mentors in the world and was inducted into the Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame in 2016. Charlotte has also achieved international recognition by completing some of the world’s most challenging marathon swims including the 28-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and the 20-mile Catalina Channel. Charlotte is a 2-time USMS Long Distance All American & New England Masters age group 1500 meters record holder. Charlotte is one of the few people in the world and the first New Zealander to swim an International Ice Swimming Association Ice Mile of 1 mile in water at or below 41F/5C.

Sonja Wieck

18 time Ironman and Participant in the 2020 Eco Challenge and World's Toughest Race Sonja Wieck joins the show. Sonja talks about preparing for the race with her Ironman background, learning to swim at age 27 and 7 years, almost becoming the Ironman World Champion at Kona. We dive into the physical and mental challenges of endurance and elite sport and offer guidance on overcoming both. Watch Sonja race on Amazon Prime's Worlds Toughest Race and follow her on www.gosonja.com.

Daniel Carr

In this episode, Cal backstroke stud Daniel Carr joins the show and we get into the mindset of the Cal men’s college team, some of the key workouts they do, and how Dave Durden structures season plans to peak at the right time. Daniel was a dual-sport athlete during high school and only went full time as a swimmer after his sophomore year, but he was still a highly touted recruit in the pool. Now a Pac-12 champion, NCAA finalist, and double Pan Ams gold medalist, his trajectory should have the backstroke establishment on notice. He says he’s “as fast as anyone in the world on top of the water” and is a clear threat for a backstroke spot on the US Olympic team next summer. We also have some fun chatting about ISL, the newly released rosters for the upcoming season, and get Daniel’s take on the league as a future potential ISL swimmer. Hope you enjoy!