Pro Corner with Austin Surhoff

"What's you're deal?"  (you'll get it when you listen) 

This week, Laura Sogar stops by Pro Corner. Laura is an NYC-based stand-up comedian with Now & Then Comedy, and a host of the "She Does Stand Up Too?" podcast.  

The conversation begins after a solo intro from Austin. Scroll to 5:40 if you'd like to skip straight to Laura! 

As an athlete, Laura swam for Texas, both as a collegiate swimmer and a professional until her retirement after the 2016 Olympic Trials. During her career, Laura was an NCAA champion, US National Champion, World Championships Silver Medalist, and a perennial member of the US National Team.  

During her pro swimming career, she also found time to have a full-time job and take improv comedy classes - laying the groundwork to eventually be a stand-up comedian. 

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In the podcast, Laura & Austin discuss: 

Pro Corner Patreon Subscribers get access to exclusive bonus content with Laura - we do a deep dive on her process of improving her stand-up, complete with some casual neurological explanations for how it works. Sign up today! https://www.patreon.com/procorner 

Connect with Laura: 

Connect with Pro Corner: 

Connect with Austin 

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This week, Fike Swim Founder & University of Texas Swimming & Diving Alum James Fike stops by Pro Corner. James is the first Pro Corner guest from the business side of the professional swimming industry. He's also still swimming, and at 39 years old is still going personal best times.  

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After the solo introduction with Austin, the conversation starts at the 7:43 mark! 

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Fike Swim is one of the swimming industries disruptive young companies. On the product side, the company's motto of "Swim Different" is channeled through training tools like the Brick kickboard that aim to improve on designs assumed to be the "norm." 

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On the side of athlete sponsorship, Fike Swim finds ways to help their sponsored athletes like Aly Tetzloff & Maddy Banic grow their brand (along with putting some money in the pocket) by collaborating with them to design signature suits - exactly like Nike or Adidas designing signature shoes for basketball players. 

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In the podcast, the guys discuss: 

Connect with James & Fike Swim 

Connect with Pro Corner: 

Connect with Austin 

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For a very special 10th episode of the podcast, 4x Olympian & the GM of the ISL Champion Cali Condors Jason Lezak stops by Pro Corner (4:37).  

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 Jason is one of the greatest sprinters in history - a 4-time Olympic Gold Medalist, a World Record Holder, and still to this day the owner of the fastest relay split in the history of swimming - 46.0, which he performed to win the famous 2008 4x100 freestyle relay at the Beijing Olympics.  

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The two most notable facets of Jason's accomplishments are that he coached himself for the last six years of his career - from 2006 to 2012 -  making two Olympic teams in that time, and that he was 32 years old when he reached his apex in 2008. Both fly in the face of common swimming wisdom. By doing what he did, Jason showed a whole generation of swimmers that you can pave your own path to your goals, and there's never an expiration date on improvement. 

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Now, Jason is the GM of the ISL's Cali Condors. This episode was recorded mid-season, and since we recorded, the Condors went on to win the 2020 ISL Championship. He is now a champion in the pool and out of the pool. 

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 In the episode, the guys discuss:  

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 Pro Corner has a Patreon Page! Check it out to support the pod, and gain access to exclusive bonus content. 

https://www.patreon.com/procorner  

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 Connect with Jason:  

Instagram: @Jason.Lezak  

Twitter: @JasonLezak  

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 Connect with the Cali Condors:  

Instagram: @calicondors_isl  

Twitter: @calicondors_isl  

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 Connect with Austin:  

Instagram: @AustinSurhoff  

Facebook: @AustinSurhoff 

Twitter:  @AustinSurhoff  

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 Connect with Pro Corner:  

Instagram: @ProCornerPodcast  

Facebook: @ProCornerPodcast  

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 Like what you heard? Rate, Review, and Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

In the intro: a reminder from Austin about the upcoming Pro Corner Patreon Page, launching December 2nd. He also reveals a live show with Madisyn scheduled for next week - keep an eye out for the exact day and time being announced very soon!

If you wanna skip the intro, scroll to timestamp 5:52!

Today's Guest: Texas Pro & World Championships Gold Medalist Madisyn Cox stops by Pro Corner to talk about her life as a professional swimmer so far. Overcoming setbacks has been Madisyn's most important skill she developed these last few years. She has done so in stunning fashion, and has become one of America's best Individual Medley swimmers. 

In 2016, she experienced the deep disappointment of narrowly missing the Olympic team. She used that to fuel her best year of swimming ever - all the way to scoring an individual Bronze in the 200 IM and a Gold in the 4x200 freestyle relay at the 2017 World Championships. She discusses the incredible joy she felt when she got her hand on the wall to win bronze, and everything she did to prepare herself for that moment. Hint: hard work matters, but the mind matters the most.

In 2018, she tested positive for a banned substance, and for months had to navigate the process of finding out what tainted substance had triggered the positive & mounting an appeal. She was vindicated when an independent court of sport supported with her case that she had unknowingly taken tainted vitamins. What got her through this harrowing time? As she puts it, she never wavered on this mantra: "I did not do anything wrong. I'm not a cheater." Easy to say, harder to believe about yourself in hard times. Once again, the mind matters the most.

Madisyn also discusses:

- Her powerful use of visualization techniques (google images is a big help) 

- Her income as a professional athlete, including a sponsorship deal with Arena

- Mentors that showed her how to be a pro

- The importance of consistency and family in her success.

Connect with Madisyn:

Instagram: @Mad_Cox

Connect with Austin:

Instagram: @AustinSurhoff

Facebook: @AustinSurhoff

Twitter: @AustinSurhoff

Connect with Pro Corner:

Instagram: @ProCornerPodcast

Facebook: @ProCornerPodcast

Like what you heard?

Rate, Review, and Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Wanna chat? Have questions?

Leave a comment below, drop a line on Instagram @procornerpodcast, or via email at [email protected].  The best questions will be answered in a live in a mailbag episode!

Aly Tetzloff of the ISL's LA Current stops by Pro Corner to talk to host Austin Surhoff about her first two seasons as a professional swimmer, and everything she learned from the experience so far (5:55).  

The two discuss:

 - the choice to move from her college town of Auburn to a true "pro group" at Wolfpack Elite  

- how she puts together her income as a pro swimmer, including a nanny job she adores  

- being a FikeSwim ambassador  

- her love for the sport being tested by COVID lockdowns - and renewed resolve afterward  

- her visualization and goal-setting process  

- Fitter Faster Faves: Her favorite question she gets at swim clinics with the Fitter Faster Tour

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Connect with Aly:  

Instagram: @AlyTetzloff   

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Connect with Austin:  

Instagram: @AustinSurhoff  

Facebook: @AustinSurhoff  

Twitter: @AustinSurhoff   

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Connect with Pro Corner:  

Instagram: @ProCornerPodcast  

Facebook: @ProCornerPodcast 

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Like what you heard? 

Rate, Review, and Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!  

 Wanna chat? Have questions? 

Leave a comment below, drop a line on Instagram @procornerpodcast, or via email at [email protected].  The best questions will be answered in a live in a mailbag episode!

NCAA Champion & Cali Condors Pro Swimmer Tate Jackson stops by Pro Corner to chat with host Austin Surhoff about his experience as a professional swimmer. 

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The guys cover: 

- A day in the life of an ISL Swimmer on Margaret Island in Budapest, including training accommodations, the 90 minute outside rule, strange eating schedules, and COVID Marshals.

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- How he adapted his training plan to the #BudapestBubble, with input from legendary coaches like Jonty Skinner and Eddie Reese. 

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- The excitement of being signed as a free agent to the Condors in 2019 by his childhood hero, team GM Jason Lezak. 

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- Having zero concept of short course meters times (the ISL pool format) and how much he enjoys having no clue what his times mean. 

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- His income sources as a professional swimmer 

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- fun times in Las Vegas after last year's Championship match 

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Connect with Tate: 

Instagram: @brotateo 

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Connect with Austin: 

Instagram: @AustinSurhoff 

Facebook: @AustinSurhoff 

Twitter: @AustinSurhoff 

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Connect with Pro Corner: 

Instagram: @ProCornerPodcast 

Facebook: @ProCornerPodcast . 

Like what you heard? Rate, Review, and Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

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We're on YouTube! 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFrDPZ3c2U6YlA4ikM0FdaQ/ 

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Wanna chat? Have questions? Drop a line on Instagram @procornerpodcast, or via email at [email protected].  The best questions will be answered by Tate and I in a live in a mailbag episode!

BONUS POD! 

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Texas coach Wyatt Collins chats with Austin about everything he's heard about the first weekend of ISL competition in the #BudapestBubble. 

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The guys cover:

- Inside scoops from the swimmers in Budapest

- What life inside the #BudapestBubble is like

- Social distancing measures in place to protect the athletes

- How the teams stack up after the first weekend of competition

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The ISL experiment going on right now is a one-of-a-kind sports season, so there will be regular check-ins with Wyatt about it throughout the next month.

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Connect with Wyatt:

Instagram: @wyatt.collins and @sxswyatt

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Like what you heard?

Rate, Review, and Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

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We're on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFrDPZ3c2U6YlA4ikM0FdaQ/

.

Wanna chat? Have questions?

Drop a line on Instagram @procornerpodcast, or via email at [email protected].  The best questions will be answered soon in a mailbag episode!

Shane Ryan joins Pro Corner to talk with Austin about what it means to be a professional swimmer that represents both Ireland on the international swimming stage, and the ISL expansion team Toronto Titans in their inaugural season.

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We were able to catch Shane just before he left for the ISL season in Budapest. (Starting at timestamp 7:28). The guys discuss:

- Developing the explosiveness in the water that helped him become one of the world's best sprinters.

- The little details that go into the job of being a swimming pro - most notably how he puts together his income.

- The incredible support system in place for him in Ireland, and what it's like to train for a government-run national team.

- His experience at the Rio Olympics in 2016 as a rookie.

- What it means to now be Ireland's most visible swimming star.

- Growing the sport in Ireland and creating more opportunities for future swimmers.

- Joining an ISL expansion team as a free agent after a successful first season in the league.

- "Fitter Faster Faves:" his favorite question he gets when he runs clinics with the Fitter Faster Tour.

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Shane is an Irish swimmer that represented Team Ireland at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He won also Bronze for Ireland at the 2019 World Championships in the 50m backstroke, and is one of the world's fastest backstrokers both in the 50m and the 100m races. He is also a member of the ISL Toronto Titans.

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Connect with Shane:

Instagram: @shaneryanoly

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Connect with Austin:

Instagram: @AustinSurhoff

Facebook: @AustinSurhoff

Twitter: @AustinSurhoff

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Connect with Pro Corner:

Instagram: @ProCornerPodcast

Facebook: @ProCornerPodcast

.

Like what you heard?

Rate, Review, and Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

.

We're on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFrDPZ3c2U6YlA4ikM0FdaQ/

.

Wanna chat? Have questions?

Drop a line on Instagram @procornerpodcast, or via email at [email protected].  The best questions will be answered with a special guest in a live in a mailbag episode!