Off The Blocks Swimming Podcast

Back again for another week of the podcast and this week we are talking City vs Country Teams. Would it work as a concept? And we discuss the contribution country clubs and programs have made to the Australian team over many years.

We read out a listeners email, and discuss the importance of knowing you've worked hard and can be proud of yourself.

We talk cyclones, retired swimmers, song of the week and a whole lot more

They said we wouldn't make it, but we are here this week as The Shannon Rollason Podcast records it's 100th episode.

To mark the special occasion we have enlisted the help of podcast favourite and one of Australia's best coaches Justin Rothwell to help us go through the Top 10 Greatest swimmers of ALL time as per an article that Shannon stumbled across recently. The list is up to November 2023, so excluding some of our current superstars.

From 10 to 1, we go through the very best, and have some healthy discussions around how the list could look a little differently if we put ours together.

Set of the week is back and of course song of the week. Great episode to bring up 100

Thanks to all of our listeners for sticking with us and making 100 episodes possible

This week on the podcast we go back 25 years to 2000 and compare the coaching, the athletes and so much more to the now in 2025.

What has changed?

What has stayed the same?

We look at interesting trivia from the year 2000, as well as set of the week and your favourite, song of the week.

All that and a whole lot more

This week on the podcast we are joined by special guest, Olympian from Sydney 2000 and CEO of NSW Swimming Kirsten Thomson.

In this podcast we discuss Kirsten's amazing swimming career and her Olympic experience, as well as challenges she faced in the pool along the way.

We discuss her transition out of the pool and her decision to become CEO of NSW Swimming.

We talk about what she's proud of so far, what we can all do better, keeping coaches in the sport and a whole lot more.

Kirsten also takes the wheel for Set of the week, Quote of the week and Song of the week, it's a great chat with an amazing leader in our sport. Don't miss it

This week on the podcast Shannon and I apologies to our loyal listeners for not getting all of our facts right on the topics we discuss, as we are inundated with correction messages from the previous weeks podcast.

Shannon learns what Chat GPT and DM stands for, as well as his Beef of the week and no its not just with his cockatoos outside ruining his tree lol

Set of the week is back, we read out one of our listeners DMs with an interesting story to go with it and Chat GPT gives us the top 5 toughest races to do on a swimming program.

Song of the week and plenty of laughs 

Shannon is back for another week and we are discussing Process v Outcome mindset and how important it is for our athletes to stop chasing PBs.

We discuss Australian Open Water results from Busselton and give flowers to the clubs and athletes that performed well in WA last week.

Thanks to the help of one of our loyal listeners we finish our 10 Australia coaches currently on deck in Australia who have Olympic games experience.

Set of the week returns, song of the week as always and so much more

Back and ready to go The Shannon Rollason Podcast returns for 2025 and get straight back into the big topics around Australian Swimming right now.

We discuss Michael Bohl's big move to China, we get Shannons thoughts and what Australian Swimming needs to do to make sure we are keeping our top coaches.

We talk about the massive Channel 9 deal Swimming Australia have signed making 9 the home of swimming until 2034.

New Years resolutions, Australian Open Water Champs in Busselton, Shayna Jack in the Jungle and of course song of the week is back for 2025

On 15/04/2022 We were fortunate enough to sit down with 4 time Australian coach of the year, and one of the best in the business Stephan Widmer, this is part 2 of our chat.

In this part two podcast Stephan talks to us about some of the amazing swimmers he has had the pleasure of working with like Libby Trickett, Christian Sprenger, Melanie Schlanger and Jess Schipper among many others.

We also get into his time with Swimming Queensland and helping mentor coaches, as well as many other great pieces of advice from one of the sharpest minds in the swimming business.

Don't miss our awesome part two chat with Stephan Widmer

On 15/04/2022 we had chat with 4 time Australian coach of the year, and one of the best in the business Stephan Widmer.

In this part one podcast Stephan talks to us about last years Tokyo 2020 Olympic games and how he saw the swimming in the pool, as well as Joseph Schoolings performance following his Gold medal in 2016.

We go through his early days in Switzerland as a swimmer and then transitioning into a coach and how his thirst for knowledge and competitive nature lead him to Australia in 1997, and the rest they say is history. We discuss his early days learning from Scott Volkers and other legendary Australian coaches upon his arrival.

We talk coaching philosophies as well his thoughts on Australian swimming when he arrived, and his thoughts on it today in 2022. Stephan also gives us a great insight into his thoughts on training speed in Freestyle, his training sets and programs as well as what he looks for technically.

Don't miss part one of my chat with one of the sharpest coaching minds in the world of swimming and a man with so much knowledge and experience that we don't hear enough from these days.

On 17/08/2020 we had a chat with one of the greatest swimming coaches of all time, a man who has mentored over 68 Olympians during his career so far, the one and only coach Gregg Troy.

While we take a break through the holidays, we thought it was a great time to look back and listen to one of the great coaching minds we have had the fortune of having on the podcast. Even if you heard it the first time i guarantee you will learn something again today.

In this podcast we discuss Gregg's keys to being ready for next years Olympics, his early days in coaching and lesson's he learnt, his work with Ryan Lochte, Elizabeth Beisel and Caeleb Dressell, as well as many discussions around programming and mentoring athletes to be the best they can be. So many words of wisdom in one podcast you will want to have your pen and paper ready.