Social Kick

Mona McSharry Irish Olympic Swimming Medalist Episode 200

Irish goodbye? More like Irish hello! Ireland made its presence known in the pool at the Paris Olympics with a huge swim for a bronze medal in the 100 breaststroke from two-time Olympian Mona McSharry, delivering Ireland's first medal of the 2024 Olympic Games. Along with compatriot Daniel Wiffen, Mona McSharry and team Ireland had La Defense Arena rocking as Irish flags dominated the crowd at moments throughout the epic week of racing.

A highly accomplished junior swimmer, Mona McSharry had an impressive resume with international medals before arriving at the University of Tennessee. In Knoxville, she continued her rise as one of the best swimmers in the NCAA, helping the Vols to key relay and team points.

For this conversation, Mona joins us from the camper van during an epic road trip across the USA that she's taking and enjoying some well-deserved time away from the pool

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

Greg Meehan On Coaching Torri Huske Stanford and Katie Ledecky Episode 199

The NFL and swimming are not the same. In a world where coaches have a very short leash, a team that has a couple down years of performance along with some key high-profile athlete departures can be enough to sound the alarm. Thankfully, perhaps because its a sport based on longer term success over a 4-year period or greater, we were not robbed of the ultimate triumph we witnessed in Paris.

For Greg Meehan, the last few years have been anything but easy. The longtime Stanford Head Women’s Coach has been at the helm of some of the greatest NCAA teams ever assembled with names like Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel, Maya Dirado and Ella Eastin. But following the dominance of that unprecedented era, the program naturally regressed a tad. Some elite swimmers elected to find a change of scenery (Ledecky) and then other big names came to The Farm, only to leave early with medium results (Regan Smith and Claire Curzan). That put a lot of pressure and negativity on the Stanford program with many questioning its future, including its leader Greg Meehan. But great coaches have ups and downs just the same as athletes. Every team they coach is not the same. Every year comes with a new set of challenges and circumstances - and opportunities. In Paris, Greg Meehan and his star pupil Torri Huske celebrated.

Huske’s dramatic 100 fly victory over world record holder Gretchen Walsh, along with her other individual and relay performances culminated in Huske becoming the winningest American swimmer at the Games. And with that, Huske and Meehan put all the doubts to rest, and one of the best coaches in the world today has yet another Stanford gold medal for recruits to hear about so he can keep building the machine.

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David Johnston US Olympian Determined for LA 2028 Gold Episode 198

Could you imagine having mononucleosis and COVID-19 at the biggest competitions of your life? What about missing the Olympic team by one spot in arguably your best event? How about missing the team by two spots in your next best event? With his back against the wall, David Johnston dropped over 10 seconds and finished second in the 1500 - meters to make his first Olympic team.

David joins us to share his remarkable journey to make his first Olympic team, but also his journey which has included numerous obstacles, which have shaped him, not shaken his self-belief. It may seem he has come out of nowhere, it didn't happen overnight, as David also reflects on being a 16-year-old kid who didn't have a sectional cut. He talks about how he used that as motivation, along with setting goals and having belief in his coaches.

Join us for a motivating and powerful conversation, a must listen to for any 16-year-old who wants to be better and anyone looking to overcome obstacles!

Katie Grimes Double Olympian Heading To College Episode 197

Two time Olympian, by the age of 18, Katie Grimes joins us in the latest episode of Social Kick. Katie talks us through the experience of swimming at the 2024 US Olympic Trials, having already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the 10k. Was there less pressure? We talk Paris, from the river eels to the 1500 and 400 im swims in the pool. How did Sandpipers of Nevada Coach Ron Aitken prepare her for all of this?

We end on her talking college and her next choice.

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

Carson Foster Couldn't be in a Better Place Episode 196

2x Olympic Medalist Carson Foster returns to chat about making his first Olympic team, his performance in Paris, and how he’s adjusting to Bob Bowman workouts. Last time we spoke to Carson a couple years ago (Ep. 112), he was coming off a breakout meet winning individual silvers in the IMs at the 2022 World Championships and the stage was being set for his redemption after narrowly missing the Tokyo Olympic team.

Fast forward to 2024, the IM races at US Trials were Carson’s to lose, and he delivered by winning the IMs and adding a new credential to his name - Olympian.

While Carson’s performances in Paris were good by any objective measure (an individual bronze and a relay silver), he wants more and knows he has potential for more. The good news is, Carson is getting a new coach at the perfect moment. Following the retirement of legendary coach Eddie Reese, Bob Bowman has taken over the training program for Carson Foster and will bring with him the 4x Olympic gold medalist Leon Marchand and 200 backstroke Olympic champ Hubert Kos, giving Carson the excitement of a new, proven training program and an opportunity to chase people at practice instead of being chased all the time.

They love to hunt in Texas, and that’s exactly what Carson is ready to do.

James Magnussen and The Enhanced Games Episode 195

Ever wonder how fast someone could swim if some of the rules were lifted? Nike believed someone could run a marathon under 2 hours, which Eliud Kipchoge achieved with the help of pacers, drafting, and carbon plated shoes.

A similar event took place in triathlon, with Olympic Champion Kristiaan Blumenfelt completing an Iron-distance triathlon in under 7 hours. In this episode, 2x 100 freestyle Swimming World Champion James Magnussen joins us to share his current pursuit - breaking the unofficial WR in the 50 freestyle in the Enhanced Games.

This time, a team of experts is testing the limits of human potential yet again, but with one additional restriction lifted, the permitted use of substances that are banned for use in Olympic and elite International competitions. While the permitted use of PEDs makes the Enhanced Games quite controversial, James Magnussen explains how the team behind the Enhanced Games and their expert medical staff are prioritizing athlete health and safety well above and beyond anything he experienced during his career as the best in the world competing for a storied and well-funded swimming nation in Australia.

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

Alex Shackell High School Olympic Gold Medalist Episode 194

While she was only 8 years old when she chose her Instagram handle @alexandrathebeast, it’s clear now how a young Alex Shackell foresaw a bright future. In this episode, teenage Olympian Alex Shackell tells us what it’s like to return home to high school as an Olympic Gold Medalist.

Already a relay member of the World Championship team last year, Alex Shackell shared with us how her training changed over the last year that led to her earning an individual Olympic spot on Team USA in the 200 fly, and how that training and swimming at Trials in front of a hometown crowd gave her the confidence to be super relaxed and laughing with Regan Smith in the ready room before the final.

Alex Shackell also shares what it was like to share her first Olympic Games experience with her brother Aaron on the team in Paris, but she also tells us how she holds Aaron accountable in practice and is not afraid to show some tough love to anyone who needs to be kept in line, including family. 

Michael Andrew A Candid Conversation. Episode 193

In this episode, Michael Andrew joins us and reflects on the disappointment of not making the US Olympic team and explains what he feels led to that outcome - one of the best swimmers in the world for many years unexpectedly sitting at home instead of racing in Paris. Having given time to reflect on the necessary changes to get back on the right track to realizing his potential, Michael Andrew has made the difficult decision to change coaches for the first time in his life.

A hard enough decision for any swimmer-coach pairing that achieves Olympic success, this one hits differently because Michael Andrew has always been coached by his dad, Peter Andrew. The dynamic duo, and really the entire Andrew family, has marched to the beat of their own drum. Embracing training methods like USRPT, thought by others to be a gimmick not suited for elite success, since Michael Andrew first made headlines by turning pro at age 14 they have continued to prove the doubters wrong - all the way to winning an Olympic gold medal and becoming the first man to final in all four 50-meter events at the World Championships. While USRPT will remain part of his program, and he’s not quite ready to share publicly who his new coach will be, we know that Michael will now be training with a group, doing some different sets and workouts than he ever has.

And for everyone wondering if he’s adding the 200 IM back to his event schedule - he’s not ruling anything out.

 

Big changes ahead. Get your popcorn ready and don't forget to subscribe for weekly podcasts and daily shorts!

Regan Smith Returns, now with 8 Olympic Medals: Episode 192

In this episode, Regan Smith returns with her latest medal haul from the Paris Olympics, where she picked up her first Olympic golds, a few individual silvers, and came home with another World Record (Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay).

Reflecting on her 2nd Olympics, her first under coach Bob Bowman, Regan Smith reflects on how proud she is of her performances, while also speaking to the juxtaposition of being proud of silver medals while still wanting gold. The last time Regan Smith joined Social Kick (Ep. 107) was in 2022 from her Stanford dorm room. Since then, a lot has happened. She navigated a move away from college swimming to join the pro group at Arizona State and found a home in Tempe.

In doing so, she also returned to her peak form and has seemingly been on fire. Then earlier this year, Bob Bowman accepted the head job at Texas, complicating life for the swimmers who train under him.

So now, after months living out of a suitcase, Regan is in the process of completing her next move as she migrates to Austin for her new training home. Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe for weekly podcasts and daily shorts!

Thomas Heilman USA Olympic Medalist Episode 191

In this episode, we chat with teenage swim phenomenon and Team USA Olympic swimmer Thomas Heilman after his first Olympics in Paris. At age 17, Thomas secured his Olympic berth with a decisive win in the 200 butterfly at the 2024 USA Olympic Trials, and put an exclamation point on the week in Indy when he finished 2nd in the 100 fly, earning him a 2nd individual event to swim in Paris with a new personal best time 50.80 behind legend Caeleb Dressel.

Thomas talks with us about it all in this one: his Paris experience, what he does in training that has led to his unprecedented success at such a young age, how good the chocolate muffins were at the Paris dining hall, celebrity sightings, and assimilating back into normal high schooler life as an Olympian.

 

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