Social Kick

Kyle Sockwell. CEO of Swimming Twitter.

Self-proclaimed CEO of Swimming Twitter and Intern at Swimming Youtube, Kyle Sockwell (@Sockwell) has become a star as a swimming content creator on the socials. Before his time speaking truths to the swimming community about all the currently relevant topics of the day in swimming, he was a breaststroker and IMer at ASU, while also side hustling the development of a successful marketing company.

Like, bro. What? Full of opinions and ideas, Kyle Sockwell shared some well-articulated thoughts with us on every topic we covered.

If you haven’t come across his work yet, check him out on Youtube @Sockwell and everywhere else @KyleSockwell.

If you enjoy Social Kick, you’ll for sure enjoy his stuff too.

Enjoy!

Olympic Medalist Isaac Cooper is focused on what makes him happy and fast

Australian Olympian and World Champion Isaac Cooper does things differently. Having tried a typical training program for swimmers, Isaac Cooper realized the norm is not for him. He doesn't keep up with results and happenings in swimming. He doesn't know the names of many of his competitors or the elite swimmers in the world today. He just likes to swim fast and for short distances.

Isaac Cooper incorporates a lot of non-swimming activities into his program where he builds strength and aerobic fitness outside of the pool, and while he does some very hard training in the water, he doesn't swim a lot of volume. Seems to be working really well.

This conversation is packed with nuggets of wisdom Isaac drops on us. One of our favorite conversations on the pod.

Enjoy!

Nathan Adrian - Multiple Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer is not defined by Swimming

Olympic Champion and Team USA legend Nathan Adrian returns! Life looks different than the last time Nathan Adrian joined us on Social Kick.

Nathan Adrian is an entrepreneur, managing a pool and swim lessons business, while also serving as an ambassador for several brands he trusts in the swimming space. Nathan shares with us some ways he's incorporating innovation into teaching young swimmers the fundamentals.

One of these methods is his use of the FINIS Smart Goggle, and we had a fun chat talking about the role of tech in swimming.

What exists now, and where there is potential in the future. Enjoy!

Life is good for Olympic Gold Medalist Abbey Weitzeil

Abbey Weitzeil. American phenom. Olympian and American Record holder while she was in HIGH SCHOOL! Baller. Goes to Cal. Racks up points for the Bears. Wins an NCAA title. Then makes another Olympic team.

That’s a hell of a resume. But she’s back for more after a down year where she missed the USA World Championship team. In 2023 she destroyed the field all season in the Pro Series meets. Her fastest in season swims ever. She’s engaged. Swimming under the new Cal staff.

Life is good.

 

BW Still photo Courtesy ISL / Mike Lewis

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Our money is on Olympic Gold Medalist and Multiple World Champ Olivia Smoliga this summer.

She’s the type of person who says “Yo!” in a text message when you’ve never met her. That’s Olympic Gold Medalist and many time World Champ and medalist Olivia Smoliga, who sat down with us for the 2nd time recently to talk swimming and tell us about her life training at Arizona State, things she’s working on as a 6ft 2in tall elite backstroker & freestyler, and even a humble brag about how many pull-ups she can do. (Spoiler alert: it’s more than you can do!)

Olivia Smoliga is the 2nd tallest Olympic Gold Medal winning swimmer of all-time and she’s also the most decorated swimmer ever at a single World Championship meet from her 8-medal haul at the 2018 Short Course World’s which surpassed the record once held by Michael Phelps.

Olivia Smoliga enters this World Championship season looking to rebound after missing the US team last year in 2022, and based on how things are going for her and her new training group in Arizona, our money is on her at Trials in Indy.

Enjoy!

Backstroke World Record Holder Hunter Armstrong Seldom Trains Backstroke

It’s World Championship hunting season for 50 backstroke World Record holder Hunter Armstrong. The aptly named backstroke and freestyle specialist, Hunter Armstrong, has continued to elevate his strengths and once again enters this championship season as a legit contender for multiple world titles.

On the back of a strong Pro Series season where he racked up several wins, we sat down virtually with Hunter Armstong to hear about his move to Cal, being a very late bloomer in the sport, and the magician himself even blew our minds with an impromptu magic trick.

Cal Swim Stars Destin Lasco and Hugo Gonzalez ready for the International stage

The Cal Bears rolled through NCAA Swimming Championships once again this year and we caught up with two of their biggest point scorers, 200 backstroke champion Destin Lasco and the 2022 400 IM champ Hugo Gonzalez.

Life is changing a bit for the training partners, as Hugo Gonzalez has finished his collegiate eligibility and will now split time between training environments in Berkeley and his native Spain. Destin Lasco comes off yet another ridiculous short course season, having estabilshed himself as arguably the second best swimmer at the meet behind Leon Marchand, and turns to the long course pool where his event schedule may look entirely different.

How is it that two training partners who both race the short course 200 IM and 200 backstroke swim completely different events in long course? Listen and find out!

Is Gretchen Walsh about to dominate women’s swimming?

At some point in time, the great swimmers cease competing against the field and ascend to a level where their performances are works of art, solely focused on what they can make their bodies do in the water.

At 2023 NCAAs, we witnessed the transcendence of Gretchen Walsh. She became the fastest 100 yard backstroker ever, by a wide margin, with her ridiculous 48.26. Even her sister Alex (Olympian, World Champion) said she didn’t think that time was possible.

Gretchen Walsh also nearly took down Simone Manuel’s 100 free record which hasn’t had anyone come near it since it was set in 2017. We caught up with Gretchen and share lots of laughs in this very casual hangout episode.

Enjoy!

2023 Men’s NCAA Swimming Championships Battle with Kos, Jett & Burns

2nd Annual Men’s NCAA Championship Recap Show featuring Gabriel Jett (Cal), Brendan Burns (Indiana), and Hubert Kós (Arizona State).

The dust settled after Cal’s successful title defense in the storied Minnesota pool, and some of the highest point scorers in the NCAA sat down for a cross-team chat about the meet and about college swimming. They dished on their coaches, talked about life in general, and we laughed. Brendan Burns scored 46 individual points, highlighted by his ridiculous 43.61 win in the 100 backstroke.

That’s two years in a row the Hoosier Junior has won a NCAA title - in different events and strokes! Gabriel Jett also scored 46 individual points, a byproduct of making 3 A-finals and finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 6th as a Sophomore for the defending champion Golden Bears.

Hubert (Hubi) Kós arrived at Arizona State mid-year as quite a weapon. The 19 year old Freshman walked on deck as the defending European champ in the 200IM and he backed up his reputation with 37 points at his first NCAA Championship meet and was one of many Sun Devils that delivered BIG for 2nd place ASU, the highest finish in school history!

World champion Trenton Julian has always been on a mission for greatness.

Most good swimmers get asked the same questions: How tall are your parents? Do you play basketball/volleyball? Were your parents athletes?

In Trenton Julian’s case, he has quite the validating answer: yes, my parents were both world-class swimmers. His mom Kristine (Quance) Julian was one of the best swimmers in the world in the 90s, a multi time Olympian and gold medalist, and his dad, Jeff Julian, an All-American and Pac10 conference champion (a 200 butterfly title that Trenton himself would replicate 24 years later).

Now it’s Trenton’s turn. He’s a world-class butterflier and freestyler known for going out quickly and holding on.

Trenton Julian is a veteran of Team USA relays and a key component to the US hopes of recapturing Olympic gold in the 4x200 in Paris.

With many lessons to learn from his mom’s Olympic Trials experiences, Trenton can lean on her wisdom and his own experiences as he shoots his shot a the highest-pressure meet in the world next summer in Indianapolis.