Social Kick

Jonny Kulow The Wyoming Freestyle Rocket Episode 220

The man, the myth, the legend: Jonny Kulow. We sat down with the ASU super sprinter and dug into his journey from a small town in Wyoming to become a freestyle rocket. We discuss his training secrets (or lack thereof!), his signature gym moves, and his favorite Wyoming State record.

Plus, we get the inside scoop on the ASU-UofA rivalry, relive the thrilling double swim-off against Adam Cheney at Olympic Trials, and hear Jonny's predictions for the upcoming ASU season, including which underclassmen are poised to make a splash.

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Owen McDonald is ready to smash NCAAs Episode 219

In this episode of Social Kick, we welcome IU standout swimmer Owen McDonald. We delve into his journey from Atlanta to Arizona State, and finally to Indiana University. Owen shares his training secrets, including his favorite event to watch (the 200 IM!), and reveals some hilarious stories about his teammates and coaches.

We also discuss his eating habits (hint: it involves a lot of food!), and his intense training regimen with his brother and legendary coach Ray Looze. Plus, Owen gives his predictions for the upcoming NCAA Championships, where he believes it will be a tight race between IU and Texas.

Don't miss this insightful and entertaining conversation with one of the brightest young stars in college swimming!

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The Best Swimming of 2024 Episode 218

In this special year-end episode, the Social Kick crew recaps the most memorable moments of 2024 in swimming. We discuss the best individual swims (including Jordan Crooks's historic sub-20 50 free and Leon Marchand's 4:02 500 free), the most thrilling relays (like the US Women's Medley and the Great Britain Men's 4x200 free), and the most exciting meets (including the NCAA Championships and the Paris Olympics). We also delve into breakout performances from swimmers like Gretchen Walsh and discuss the impact of records like Pan Zhanle's 46.40 100 free.

Join us for a lively and insightful discussion as we reflect on a year filled with incredible swims and unforgettable moments. Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe for weekly podcasts and daily shorts!

Rex Maurer Rocketing American Record Holder Episode 217

So that’s a thing now. Rex Maurer has shown the world that even college-aged swimmers can drop nearly 7 seconds in their best event as if he hit a growth spurt. Maybe he did.

The Texas sophomore is only a summer and fall semester into his time in Austin following his transfer from Stanford where he had a solid freshman year. But this Longhorn mid-distance crew is different. It is stacked with hitters, as demonstrated with Carson Foster breaking the American Record in the 500 about an hour before Rex decided he’d like that title on his CV. Maybe this reset the 500 freestyle has seen in recent years (see also Leon Marchand’s otherworldly underwater freak show 4:02 from 2023) will translate to the long course 400 and finally deliver the much-awaited sub 3:40 that has eluded the world’s greatest swimmers since Thorpee.

Rex Maurer, the son of an Olympic swimmer and head USC coach Lea Maurer, swam lifetime bests in the 400IM, 1650, and 200 freestyle, all at a mid-season invite, and he is now expected to haul in points for Texas at the 2025 NCAAs as one of THE swimmers to watch in March.

Linnea Mack & Mark Nikolaev Premier League Swimming Episode 216

Make Swimming Fun!

Premier League Swimming is shaking things up down under, with a new type of fast-paced swimming competition in a league format that maximizes the fun and eliminates the boring.

Established in 2018, this independent swim league created a swimming product to bring swimming communities together from all around the world to enjoy a pool swimming experience like no other, which includes world-class swimmers like Linnea Mack and Mark Nikolaev, who join us for a fun, laughter filled episode sharing how the PLS works and some brainstorming ideas, including how to improve our draft stock if the Social Kick team elects to make a comeback that no one wants to see.

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Rylee Erisman Teenage Sprint Sensation Episode 215

That’s what we love about these high school swimmers. We keep getting older. They keep getting faster. Record smasher Rylee Erisman, at only 15, is a national record holder, Olympic Trials finalist, and has already donned the sought after black American flag finals cap to collect some gold medals for Team USA.

Shortly after the Olympic Trials, she swam a time that would have put her on the Paris Olympic team, and she’s only a couple tenths away from surpassing World Record holder Gretchen Walsh as the fastest high schooler ever.

We put on our best GenZ impression to relate to this one who absolutely slays.

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Ryan Murphy BackStroke Master Episode 214

They say ‘the game slows down’ for the best athletes in sport. Maybe that’s why Ryan Murphy always seems to bring out his best swims in the biggest moments, which have made him one of the best swimmers in the world over the last decade.

Team USA’s stalwart backstroke ace, Ryan Murphy became a superstar in Rio where he swept gold medals in the backstrokes and broke the 100m World Record leading off Team USA’s gold medal winning relay, helping to deliver Michael Phelps his final Olympic gold medal. Since then, the young star has become the elder statesman, a perennial captain of the US squad and always adding to his trophy case with more medals collected this summer in Paris. But as time goes by, life evolves, and so it has for Ryan Murphy.

A soon to be dad, Ryan joins us for a chat during a period where his other life pursuits are taking priority, although he is still in touch with the water a few times a week.

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Yusra Mardini Talks Life After The Swimmers Episode 213

There’s enough space on this planet for everyone. Syrian refugee and 2x Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini had some of her life’s defining moments depicted in the Netflix film The Swimmers.

A member of the inaugural IOC Refugee team, Yusra has become a global figure advocating on behalf of refugees and displaced communities, and through her Yusra Mardini Foundation, helps advance access to sports and education for refugee communities around the world while also helping them excel as they rebuild their lives.

Yusra is now enrolled in film school at USC and while competitive swimming has taken a back seat to the many other priorities on her plate, she still makes time to stay fit and enjoy a conversation with some laughs talking about swimming and about life.

Kasia Wilk Wasick Is Not Slowing Down Episode 212

Five Olympics and counting! Sprint master Kasia Wilk Wasick returns for another episode to catch us up on the World Cup, where she took the crown for winning the 50m Freestyle at all 3 stops and in the process dialed in her short course race execution that she will carry in the upcoming Short Course World Championships in Budapest. Kasia also shares her experience at the Paris Olympics, where she hoped to win a medal following her bronze medal performance and first time under 24 seconds at the World Championships earlier in the year.

The disappointment of not achieving the goal is one many athletes and all humans can relate to, and Kasia provides a great example of how to use those times and benefit from them, as it forced her to reflect on why she swims and to realize the results are only one part of the joy she gets from being an elite competitive swimmer.

Kasia is yet another example of elite athletes peaking into their 30s and has no plans to slow down, telling us maybe she has 8 total Olympics to her name when all is said and done.

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Ilya Kharun - Double Olympic Medalist - Episode 211

Friend of the pod and now 2-time Olympic medalist Ilya Kharun returns to catch us up on his massive summer. Last time we spoke with Ilya a year ago he was making waves in his first college dual meets and training with Bob Bowman at Arizona State. A lot has happened since then.

The Sun Devils won their first NCAA team championship, Ilya became an individual NCAA champ in the 200 fly, then Bob Bowman left ASU for Texas, leaving Ilya among some of the prominent athletes that had to make a decision about their future during critical months ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Ilya decided to remain at ASU and train with now-Head Coach Herbie Behm, and he went on to realize his potential in a huge way at the Olympics, winning matching bronze medals in both the 100 and 200 fly in Paris, both in personal best times in the Olympic finals. Now Ilya is back on campus with the boys and the face of ASU swimming. With some major losses in the transfer portal (Hubert Kos, Owen McDonald, Zalan Sarkany) and the loss of Leon Marchand, many people are counting this year’s Sun Devils out, but Ilya and the squad are motivated and are out to prove the doubters wrong.

Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe for weekly podcasts and daily shorts!