OUTSWIM for Masters Swimmers

Jeff Commings keeps defying age as a Masters Swimmer. We learn his secrets and hear some of the best taper advice out there for Masters.  Jeff has been involved in swimming since his college days at the University of Texas at Austin. He won many awards during his time there and was an Olympic trials qualifier. His passion and drive for swimming are relentless and keep him performing on a world-class level. We learn about his training routine, how he tapers from an intense training block, why it is essential to stretch after a workout, the importance of keeping an eye on the competition, and what his best performance in the pool is. He also shares advice for people who want to switch from endurance swimming to sprint swimming, and how to bring more diversity to the sport. Want some of the MOJO that makes him a champion? Then tune in for this awe-inspiring conversation with special guest, Jeff Commings!

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Jeff maintains a balance between his passion for swimming and his personal life.
• His mental approach to pushing through the pain barrier during training or a race event.
• Ways in which he is able to maintain his speed as an older swimmer.
• We find out what his best performance and intervals are.
• Advice for switching from endurance swimming to sprint swimming. 
• What type of training he does outside of the pool and how he maintains his muscle mass.
• Details of his weekly training schedule and how he tapers from an intense training block.
• An outline of the common mistakes that swimmers make when tapering.
• Why it is essential to stretch after a workout.
• Whether he takes rest periods during a hard training block.
• Other routines and rituals he has outside of swimming.
• Reasons why he is not a full-time vegan and examples of what he eats.
• Some of the health benefits he felt when he was a full-time vegan.
• Jeff shares his opinion on how to encourage more diversity in swimming.
• Our usual fun sprinter round of questions for Jeff.
• We wrap up the show with Maria and Kelly’s favorite takeaways. 

Jeff Commings on Twitter 

Jeff Commings on Instagram

Jeff Commings on Facebook

Odd Man Out

USA Swimming

The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey on PodBean

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University of Texas at Austin

Episode 21: Putting Joy in your Life

Swimmers For Change

Champion’s MOJO 

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Kelly Palace on LinkedIn

Torpedo Swimtalk

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Olympic Champion Nathan Adrian's quick MOJO will have you looking at the details of what you do on a daily basis.  How can we maintain integrity?

LISTEN HERE to the full interview on Champion's Mojo podcast in episode #118

MORE ABOUT NATHAN ADRIAN

Earning five Olympic gold medals and 27 gold medals in international competition, Nathan  is referred to by many as the swimming sprinting G.O.A.T.  His heart stopping Olympic victory in the 100 meter free in 2012, by 1/100th of a second, is still one of the most memorable races in Olympic history. Then in 2016 Nathan was on the podium again twice individually for the 50 and 100 meter free races. 

Adrian is a professional swimmer, swimming for the L.A. Current and his main sponsor is Speedo. Collegiately Nathan was a multiple time NCAA champion at Cal Berkeley and impressively was recently their Winter Commencement speaker in 2018. He has recently battled back to the top of the health podium after getting a testicular cancer diagnosis after early detection. 

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

 

Does 100 years of age sound too old to start everyday with a dozen full push-ups? Or too old to be a swim champion, swimming 5 days a week, driving yourself, playing bridge weekly? How about traveling to Japan from the US?  Attending a podcast interview recorded on Zoom?  Too old for that? Or too old to be using an iphone? Well, if you said yes to any of these, you’d would be wrong.

In today’s episode, we speak to a true inspiration, Charlotte Sanddal, who turns 100 years old in August of 2022. Charlotte recently made news when she finished a 500-yard freestyle at the US Masters Spring Nationals while doing all flip turns, something many younger swimmers cannot even do. Charlotte entered the sport of swimming at age 72 as a member of the Montana Masters Team and  this year alone has won nine gold medals from two national meets, has over 400 Master races under her belt, and holds multiple national and world swimming records.

Wish Happy 100th Birthday to Charlotte at her GoFundMe Page.

In today’s conversation, we find out Charlotte’s secret to success and how she stays so fit and healthy. We start our conversation by learning more about her, the role swimming plays in her life, and why she first decided to start swimming later in life. We also talk about her mental approach to overcoming challenges, the importance of continually learning, how to live a long and healthy life, the role of friends and family in her life, and why morning push-ups are so important! Don’t miss out on a conversation with true inspiration and champion, Charlotte Sanddal!

Key Points From This Episode:

• We start our conversation by finding out how swimming helps her stay healthy.
• A rundown of her previous swimming experience before entering the sport.
• Reasons behind her decision to start swimming at the age of 72.
• We learn what Charlotte’s secret to staying fit and healthy is and how she starts her day.
• How she has been finding learning butterfly and why having a coach is so important.
• The age when Charlotte decided to master the butterfly stroke.
• Her perception of age and what getting older means to her.
• The best part about living a long and happy life.
• What she regards as the biggest challenges that she has had to face.
• The role and inspiration that her mother played in her life.
• An outline of the different milestones in her life and what she aims to achieve in the future. 
• Background about her professional career as a social worker.
• Lifestyle choices that have helped Charlotte to stay fit and live long.
• How her diet has been throughout her life and the vitamin supplements she takes.
• We get the insider scoop about what’s in her morning smoothy.
• A brief breakdown of her swimming and exercise routines. 
• Other routines or rituals that Charlotte has for keeping healthy and fit.
• Charlotte explains her mental approach to overcoming challenges in swimming and life.
• We find out about her swimming community and what she enjoys about it the most.
• Details about her upcoming 100-year-old birthday bash!
• Charlotte tells us what her swimming goals for the future are.
• Aspects other than family, friends, and swimming that are important to her.
• Commonalities and traits that champions share in her opinion.
• What she regards as the biggest obstacle in her life and how she overcame it.
• We find out about her life before swimming. 
• The biggest challenge as a 99-year-old: getting up in the morning.
• Advice that Charlotte has for younger and older swimmers.
• An always entertaining part of the show is our fun, rapid-fire questions.
• We wrap up with a listener favori

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Our special guest today joins us all the way from Melbourne, Australia! Want the scoop on all things Australian Swimming? Aussie Danielle Spurling is a FINA World Masters Top 10 Ranked pool swimmer, has had a life-long involvement in swimming, first as an Australian Age swimmer and then Open National medalist in her youth.  She is also an open-water enthusiast.  She's had a long career teaching swimming and physical education teacher. Danielle is the Founder and host of Torpedo Swimtalk, a popular Masters swimming podcast that she started during COVID lockdown in 2020 and has published over 80 episodes and chatted with some of the top masters swimmers around the globe. 

! Get the local insider scoop on Australian swimming culture and some Champion's MOJO from down-under with our special guest, Danielle Spurling!

Key Points From This Episode:

• We start the show by learning about the swimming culture in Australia.
• Danielle shares details about how her journey in swimming started. 
• She explains why swimming is a part of the school curriculum in Australia. 
• Learn about the competitive swimming scene in Australia.
• Who subsidizes and compensates competitive Australian swimmers.
• Whether competitive swimming is a respected sport in Australia. 
• A discussion about Masters swimming culture in Australia.
• What she has learned from interviewing a range of Master swimmers.
• An outline of the cross-training approaches of Australian swimmers.
• Danielle tells us what it was like returning to swimming after so many years.
• Details about her training and swimming routines.
• A breakdown of her training schedule and what her training goals are.
• Find out if there is a coach in her swimming club.
• Why Danielle and her team choose to train early in the morning. 
• The routines and rituals that Danielle thinks are important for champions.
• Her approach and mindset to overcoming challenges in swimming and life.
• Recommendations and advice for US swimmers who want to come to Australia.
• Something to remember about swimming in Australia: sharks!
• The fun sprinter round of questions for Danielle.
• We wrap up the show with Maria and Kelly’s popular Takeaways

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Danielle Spurling on LinkedIn

Torpedo Swimtalk

Torpedo Swimtalk on Apple Podcasts

Torpedo Swimtalk on Spotify

Torpedo Swimtalk on YouTube

Masters Swimming Australia

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Today’s guest believes that goal-setting is a part of what led to her success.  Hear the path this Olympic Champion took to now Masters Swimmer. In honor of the this summer's 50th anniversary of when she brought home three Olympic golds, today we are joined by Melissa Belote Ripley. Melissa represented the USA at the 1972 Summer Olympics at the age of 15. She was the Olympic champion in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke and was part of the 4x100 medley relays, setting world records in these events along the way. She also made her second Olympic team in 1976 before she went on to swim at Arizona State, where she won six individual National Collegiate swimming titles and led ASU to two national championships. Melissa has also had an impressive career as a coach for many years before returning to competing in swimming at the age of 60. She has since gone on to win three US Masters Swimming national titles and six more national titles. In this episode, she shares her journey with us. Tuning in you’ll hear what inspired her to start competing again at 60, what commonalities Melissa has recognized in champion swimmers, the importance of believing in yourself even when you do not see results, and Melissa’s advice for setting goals. If you want to discover Melissa’s secret weapon that led to her success and get some mojo from this inspirational champion, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to Melissa Belote Ripley and her impressive swimming career. 
• The success Melissa has had since she returned to competing in swimming the year she turned 60.
• In light of the 50th anniversary of Melissa’s Olympic victories, what this has meant to her. 
• How things in competitive swimming have evolved since the 1970s. 
• What inspired her to start competing again at 60.
• How an injury from her childhood is her greatest challenge currently.
• What consistent training looks like for her now.
• Melissa’s secret weapon that led to her success in swimming. 
• Why Melissa competes in master swimming, considering how few Olympians do.
• What commonalities Melissa has recognized in champion swimmers.
• Why goals should be stepping-stone goals, not far-reaching goals. 
• The importance of believing in yourself even when you do not see results.
• A key piece of advice for setting goals.
• Learn more about Melissa’s favorite things in the sprinter-round of fun questions. 
• A wrap-up of the top takeaways from today’s interview.

Tweetables:

“Consistency is the key to everything. You’ve got to be consistent.” — Melissa Belote Ripley [0:10:31]

“There wasn’t a day in my swimming career that I second-guessed what I was doing.” — Melissa Belote Ripley [0:15:15]

“I have always known where I’m going. Even from a very young age, I knew where I wanted to go to next. I knew how I wanted to get there. I had a path. I had major goals.” — Melissa Belote Ripley [0:21:38]

“I don’t have far-reaching goals, I have stepping-stone goals. And that’s the key!” — Melissa Belote Ripley [0:21:51]

“You have to believe in yourself. And when it gets really hard and you haven’t seen a best time in six months, you have to keep believing. You have to believe that you’re doing the work, that you’re putting the time in, and it’s going to turn around for you. ” — Melissa Belote Ripley [0:23:17]

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

We can all benefit from finding ways to fuel our heart and soul. Is surfing yours? Olympic Champion Michael Andrew talks about what he does to fuel his heart and soul outside of pool swimming.  Can you guess?

LISTEN HERE to the full interview on Champion's Mojo podcast in episode #118

MORE ABOUT MICHAEL ANDREW

Michael Andrew is a 2020 Olympic Champion, Professional Swimmer and  owner of the Michael Andrew Swimming Academy.  He first gained notoriety for breaking numerous National Age Group Records in his teens, currently holding more than 100 National Age Group records and besides being an Olympic Champion he is a multiple time US National Champion and World Champion for team USA. 

Coached by his father Peter Andrew, Michael credits much of his success to his training style, USRPT, aka Ultra Short Race Pace Training

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Today we have an amazing interview with a man whose life reads like a best selling novel. Our enchanting guest served as a Judge for over 50 years, the longest running judgeship in Florida history, presiding over mostly criminal cases. He was instrumental in starting US Masters Swimming, and he is credited with overcoming much of the early resistance to Masters swimming within the swimming community.  He has a swim meet named after him that has been running for 51 consecutive years, the longest in US Masters history! We are talking about none other than swimmer and internationally loved, 91 years young, Robert (Bob) Beach. 

During his high impact leadership career, Bob became an accomplished swimmer having earned multiple US Masters All-American honors,  set national and world record holder in Masters swimming. And he’s been selected as a USMS long distance all star over 10 times!  In 1974,  Bob was the "first judge" to swim from Alcatraz Island across San Francisco Bay, completing the swim in 33 minutes. He also attempted to swim the English Channel on his 50th birthday, but had unfavorable currents causing him to stop.  Bob has visited 140 countries, currently drives a red Porsche convertible and has some interesting rules that he lives by. We can’t wait for you to hear this interview!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introduction and background about today’s guest, Bob Beach.
• We learn about Bob’s swimming history and how he first started.
• The impact that Masters Swimming has had on his life.
• Whether Bob continued working as a judge while swimming.
• How Bob was able to be a judge for so long and how swimming kept him inspired.
• What Bob does to keep healthy and happy besides swimming: traveling
• Why he enjoys body-surfing so much.
• Some of his favorites out of all the countries he has traveled to.
• Bob shares some highlights from his career as a judge.
• How old Bob was when he retired.
• Ways in which Bob keeps his mind active and keeps busy.
• We find out what Bob’s rules are concerning dating.
• The routines that he has in his life that make him successful, besides swimming.
• What he does with all the medals he wins from swimming competitions.
• Bob tells us a funny story from the Masters Swimming meet he organizes.
• The traits that he thinks are common amongst champions.
• Who the people are that positively influenced his swimming career.
• His approach to overcoming challenges and obstacles in his life.
• Reasons why he decided to go to law school.
• A final takeaway message that Bob has for listeners.

Tweetables:

“It has had a great impact on my life. I cannot imagine my life without swimming.” — Bob Beach [0:06:37]

“Once you get into a routine like that you get things done.” — Bob Beach [0:17:38]

“I think you have to tell yourself, ‘This will be over some time and you have to not lose your confidence for the future.” — Bob Beach [0:23:00]

“I don’t believe there is another sport like swimming that gets to be that important in peoples’ lives.” — Bob Beach [0:26:23]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

In honor of the Month of July being US Masters Swimming's Try Masters Swimming promotion, Champion's Mojo Co-hosts Kelly Palace and Maria Parker debunk 10 common myths about Masters Swimming that may be holding you back.  If you've ever fancied the idea of joining an adult swim team, swimming for fitness in a group,  or just learning more about Masters Swimming, this show is for you!

Maria is a brand new masters swimmer and Kelly is one with 30 years of experience, so it's the perfect combo for Maria to voice the concerns, fears and myths about Masters Swimming and for Kelly to debunk them. It's a quick show, chocked full of great information.

MYTH #1: You have to be a fast swimmer, having swum in high school or college. Just like the word Master suggests, you’ve mastered it!

MYTH #2:  Masters must do swim meets or open water races.

MYTH #3:  To enter local Masters meets you have to have a qualifying time, or be a certain speed.

MYTH #4: Meets and races are hard to enter and are pressure filled! I’ll be embarrassed and/or humiliated! 

MYTH #5: You have to dive off the blocks.

MYTH #6: You have to know how to do all four strokes.

MYTH #7:  You have to have a fancy swim suit or tech suit.

MYTH #8: You have to swim everyday.

MYTH #9: Goggles always leak and swim caps are uncomfortable.

MYTH #10:  Swim equipment is for experienced swimmers only. 

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Can you and should you push past that pain threshold in practice? Should you eat before training? In today’s episode, we speak with Susan Ingraham, Head Coach of Masters of South Texas, a large and successful swim team with over 160 swimmers and the winners of many different prestigious coaching awards. Susan is also a successful competitive swimmer, with various competition podium finishes under her belt. In this informative discussion, we find out about Susan’s professional background, why she thinks coaching involves more than sport, and how she can work with different levels of swimmers, as well as the importance of a morning meal before training, why pushing through painful training sessions is important, and why a schedule is essential to improving. We also discover what it takes to be a champion swimmer and learn some useful advice for aspiring athletes! Tune in for this jam-packed episode with expert coach and champion swimmer, Susan Ingraham!

Key Points From This Episode:

• A brief overview of Susan’s professional background as an athlete and coach.
• Susan on why she believes that coaching doesn’t just involve sport.
• Details about her coaching approach and what levels of athletes she works with.
• How to manage differences in fitness levels and capabilities during training.
• Discover her team’s special goal for the one-hour swim.
• How Susan got 67 people in her team to swim butterfly-style for an hour.
• When she finds her own time to swim during her busy schedule.
• Advice has for the average swimmer who wants to improve.
• A walkthrough of some workout plans for people to improve and who have a busy schedule.
• Susan’s daily routine and how she maintains balance in her life.
• What she eats before a morning workout and why it is so important.
• A surprisingly simple tip for aspiring swimmers!
• An inspirational moment that had a lasting impact on Susan.
• The negativity that comes before a competition and how Susan deals with it.
• Why pushing through the pain during practice sessions can be important.
• Specific characteristics that Susan believes true champions share.
• Closing the show with the sprinter round of questions for Susan!

Tweetables:

“Having some structure allows me not to waste time and makes sure that everything gets in.” — Susan Ingraham 

“I worked really hard the last six months and I didn’t come here not to do my best. I don’t care who is in the pool.” — Susan Ingraham

“I completely appreciate the people that are national and world record holders. I know what they are doing. I am in awe of their work ethic that they put into the pool.” — Susan Ingraham

"Be a life-long-learner. Try something new and try to improve; everyone can be better at something.” — Susan Ingraham 

MORE ABOUT SUSAN:
Susan Ingraham is the Head Swim Coach of the Masters of South Texas (MOST) Coaching this large successful team, with over 160 swimmers.  Susan has many accolades as a coach, in 2017 Winning the Jesse Coon Inspirational Award and National Coach of the year in 2008. She’s been a speaker for the American Swimming Coaches Association and is celebrating over 40 years of coaching swimmers. 

While Susan is a great coach she is arguably just as good as a swimmer herself, earning a podium finish at each of the FINA World Championships since 2007 and winning several US Masters National titles in Long Distance swimming and #1 rankings. In 2000, Susan was named the head swim coach for USA Modern Pentathlon National Team, which sent three athletes to the Olympics, including the Women’s Silver Medalist. 

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Olympic Champion Ryan Murphy on how he's valued those that have come before him and what he gets from his role models. Who are your role models? 

Ryan  Murphy is a three-time Olympic gold  medalist and world-record holder in the men's 100-meter backstroke (long  course). At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Murphy swept the backstroke  events by winning gold in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. Murphy also  won gold in the 4×100-meter medley relay and his leadoff backstroke leg  broke Aaron Peirsol's former world record set in 2009.

LISTEN HERE to the full interview on Champion's Mojo podcast in episode #67

Email us and/or find out more about the host at www.KellyPalace.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.