Social Kick

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!

Clement Secchi. 2024 French Olympian's Journey To Bronze Medal: Episode 190

In this episode, we are joined by French Olympic bronze medalist Clement Secchi following his experience at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Clem tells us what it was like to experience the support of the home crowd as a member of Team France, including seeing all the hype behind other French swim stars like Leon Marchand, Florent Manaudou, and Marie Wattel. Clem surprised no one when he disclosed it was Flo Manaudou behind the now-infamous shirtless on-stage party at Champions Park and that humble Leon Marchand was the last to take his shirt off.

Clem also shares his swim journey with us, which has taken him from France to Montreal, Canada to Missouri, USA and back to Marseille France again as he’s ascended to become a world-class swimmer. We talk about his training influences including how he learns from the innovations of Olympic champion sprinter Cam McEvoy and is working on functional strength to apply it to the water in new ways.

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

Cam McEvoy, 2024 Olympic 50 Free Champion: Episode 189

In this episode, friend of the pod Cam McEvoy returns as the 50m freestyle Olympic Champion and reigning fastest man in the world.

The last time Cam McEvoy raced an individual Olympic final, he was the hot favorite to win the 100 freestyle following his then world textile best 47.04 from the 2016 Australian Olympics Trials. But in 2016, McEvoy’s speed from Trials did not make the trip to the Games, and he finished 7th in the 100 free and watched his teenage teammate Kyle Chalmers take home the gold medal.

Fast forward to Paris and a similar set of circumstances provided Cam McEvoy a shot at redemption - this time as a reborn pure sprinter with a new program focused entirely on top end speed for the 50 freestyle. Following his dominant World title in 2023, Cam arrived at the 2024 Olympics as the betting favorite for gold.

Consistent through the heats and semis, Cam was able to deliver the goods in the final with a narrow victory over Great Britain’s Ben Proud and finally stand alone atop the Olympic podium.

Kyle Chalmers: A man of the podium. Episode 188

Kyle Chalmers is often called ‘King Kyle’ since he ascended to the top of the world at 18 years old to win 100 free gold in Rio, but we prefer the moniker ‘Classy Kyle.’ No disrespect to the King. That’s a fair description for someone who never misses a 100 free podium.

But at the ripe age of 26 (yes, Kyle Chalmers is only 26), he speaks like a pro with decades of experience, always friendly and thoughtful with fans and media, including how he responded to recent negative comments from competitor Pan Zhanle during the Paris Olympics. Look no further for an example of sportsmanship. Age is not merely a number though. With multiple surgeries on his heart, shoulder, and ankle, plus myriad other physical and mental health challenges, Kyle’s body has lived a tough life, but we’re excited to hear there is no talk of retirement any time soon. I

n fact, he embraces the hardships he’s been through as proof that he can navigate difficulty and emerge stronger. You’d think experiencing so many disruptions to training would lead to inconsistent results, but you would be wrong, because Kyle has arrived and delivered at seemingly every championship meet for a long time, regardless of what he’s overcome that season.

So if there’s one prediction we can make going forward, it's that Kyle Chalmers will come back in 24 low in the 100 free. Count on it. Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe for weekly podcasts and daily shorts!

Bob Bowman talks Leon Marchand, Paris 2024 and Texas: Episode 187

In this episode of the Social Kick podcast, we sit down with legendary swimming coach Bob Bowman, renowned for his role in shaping the careers of many Olympic champions, most notably Michael Phelps, but more recently with the swimming star of the Paris Olympic Games, France’s Leon Marchand. Bob’s group had quite an Olympic Games - shocker.

Beyond Leon’s medal haul in front of his home crowd, several other swimmers from the pro group training under Bob Bowman delivered in Paris, including Hubert Kos winning 200 backstroke gold, Ilya Kharun reaching the podium in both butterfly events, Regan Smith adding 5 more Olympic medals to her trophy case, and Paige Madden with 2 medals including her 800 freestyle bronze medal performance. Earlier this year, Bob led Arizona State to their first national championship title, completing a decade-long rebuild effort in which Bob turned ASU into a powerhouse.

Then before he and the Sun Devils had even dried off after their victorious jump into the pool at NCAAs, Bob shocked the swimming world with a cruel April Fools non-joke by announcing his departure from ASU on April 1, 2024 to take the head job at Texas, stepping into some of the biggest shoes imaginable to take over for the legend Eddie Reese. One thing is for sure. Bob Bowman loves a challenge. And to swim for Bob, you better be ready to be challenged.

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