Run Along

Chase Brannon had been pursuing the Olympic dream for over a decade. A serious shoulder injury in 2018 led the pole vaulter to decide that he would give it his all to make the 2020 trials, but that after, he would retire. That was the plan…until March 24th when the IOC announced Olympics would be postponed to next summer. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Every year, coaches welcome a group of student-athletes into their program. And every year, these coaches say goodbye to a group of student athletes leaving their program. They’ll do this hundreds of times in their career. Today, a high school football coach and a college basketball talk the sadness and fulfillment that comes with watching student-athletes walk away. Listen now on Spotify and Apple podcasts.

To what extent is the experience of retirement between para-athletes and able-bodied athletes the same? What support can be provided for some of the specific post-sports challenges athletes with disabilities face? No one really knew these answer to these Qs. That was until 2016, when a group of researchers conducted a groundbreaking study on this community. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Kathy Switzer will forever be known as the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entrant. Today, running is just as central to her life as it was over 50 years ago. It’s not the story of a retired athlete like previous episodes. It is the story of how to jump off from a big, identity-defining athlete experience and take the love of sport with you. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

For Aric Rodriguez, a big, burly high school powerlifter, cheerleading started off as a joke. Then it stole his heart. Going on to cheer at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, the sport ended up forever changing his life. Now, Aric is a firefighter. What’s it like to say goodbye to a sport as uniquely finite, aesthetic, team-centric and physically-demanding as cheerleading? Oh, and what’s it like when Netflix produces a wildly popular docuseries on your alma mater? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

Sean and Brittany met in college. Together, they were athletes. Together, they retired. Now, they’re married with careers. In what ways does a shared athlete experience matter (and not matter) in a relationship? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Jim Brown is widely considered one of the best to ever play the game of football. In 1966, at 29, he was in his athletic prime. So, when he announced his retirement, the country was shocked. Brown walked away to pursue something more, in one of the most critical and turbulent times in American History. While he did do a lot of good in his time after sport, he also abused his power and hurt many. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Content Warning: Sexual Assault

Lauren Hall, the diver. The athletic identity that had once provided so much confidence and strength became a source of insecurity as Lauren transitioned to her job as an investment banker on Wall Street. The move from wearing t-shirts and leggings to less-than-comfortable skirts and pantsuits also wasn’t helping her feel good. Then, late to work one day, her skirt ripped while running up the subway steps and she got an idea. Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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It’s January 28th, 2020 and that means the final round of CONCACAF Women’s Soccer Olympic qualifying is kicking off. 8 teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean will be battling it out for the next week and a half to see who will represent the region in Tokyo this summer. The far and away underdog of the tournament is St. Kitts & Nevis, ranked 127th in the world. At the helm of this tiny island’s women’s soccer program is Jené Baclawski. Her impact with this team so far has been remarkable. How’d an American coaching in Texas get here? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The parent-athlete relationship is simultaneously one of the most important and neglected issues in youth sports. The bond and what it comes to be based on is key in defining an athlete's sense of identity and attachment to their sport during a career...and after. Many athletes go on to be parents of athletes. What work can be done to establish a healthy parent-athlete relationship? Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.