Anthony Ervin, the oldest individual Olympic gold medalist in swimming history, emerged at the Mission Pro Swim. Honestly, I wasn't sure if he had retired or not, but I was not surprised to see him in action.  We all know Anthony's different, following the warrior poet's path, racing for a higher purpose.  Now, rolling into 40 years old, his age at U.S. Olympic Trials, he has confirmed he's going for it.

Will he make the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team at 40?  I would love to witness that, but I don't think it's in the cards...and I'm not sure Anthony is judging his success this summer that way either. Anthony's already the oldest individual Olympic gold medalist, and I think he's enjoying his elder statesman status.  I believe him when he says he wants to be on deck to pass the torch to the next generation of U.S. sprinters. However, you'd be foolish to dismiss his dangerous sprint gear. When Anthony's flowing with the right rhyme, he's fast. Muscle memory could put him over the edge.

We sat down with Anthony Nesty, the newly appointed head coach for the Men's and Women's Swim/Dive teams at the University of Florida. The team was newly re-combined after Jeff Poppell left as the head women's coach for the University of South Carolina (see our conversation with Jeff here). Nesty brings a wealth of knowledge, having been on staff for a number of years at UF and heading the men's program for the last three. He's excited to take his successes from the men's program and carry them over to the gator women's team.

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Music: Otis McDonald

We sat down with Duncan Scott, the Brit who's coming off a huge performance at the 2021 British Olympic Trials where he set 3 national records in the 100 free, 200 free, and 200 IM. Scott analyzes each of his races in detail, telling the audience how he executed each to a tee. Scott then zooms out to break down each of Britain's Olympic relays, weighing eaches odds to medal in Tokyo.

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Music: Otis McDonald

We sat down with Jeff Poppell, the recently announced new head coach of the University of South Carolina. Poppell explains why he chose to leave his post at Florida, where he'd been having success over the last 3 seasons as head coach of the women's team. Poppell wanted to stay in the SEC, but the opportunity to coach men and women was enticing and he wasn't worried about making a "lateral move" in terms of his career.

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Music: Otis McDonald

We sat down with Hollie Bonewit-Cron, head coach of the men & women's teams at the University of Miami (OH). On the men's side, the host Miami Redhawks claimed victory at the 2021 Mid-American Conference Championship, defeating the defending champions, Missouri State, who finished in 2nd place. Bonewit-Cron goes into detail about the men's season and how they had run the numbers to dethrone Missouri State after a disappointing loss at the 2020 Conference champs. Bonewit-Cron also discusses the women's team, who placed 3rd this year after a 4th place finish last year, and the strides they've made as a program in the last 14 months.

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Music: Otis McDonald

We sat down with Terry Ganley, who recently announced her retirement from the University of Minnesota after serving as a coach for 44 years. During her tenure at Minnesota, more than 100 women’s student-athletes have earned All-America recognition, totaling 450. The Minnesota women were also a force in the late 2000s to mid 2010s, clinching Big Ten titles in 2008 and then from 2012 to 2015. That stretch made the Gopher women the first Minnesota team to win four-straight conference crowns. In 2006, Ganley and head coach Kelly Kremer were named Big Ten Coaches of the Year.

Ganley was an incredible swimmer herself, swimming for Minnesota in the 1970s. She was the first woman in history to earn All-America honors at Minnesota in any sport, her collegiate career including two Big Ten titles and four total All-America accolades. Ganley was inducted into the Minnesota Aquatics Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Minnesota Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1994.

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Music: Otis McDonald

Will 5-time Olympic champion Nathan Adrian make the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team? It's a fair question. He's on the march toward his 4th U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, and I'm bullish on his performance for two reasons:

1. Back at the 2019 World Championships, 5 months after recovering from cancer, Nathan anchored the men's 4x100 free relay with a 47.08 -- holding off Russia's Evgeny Rylov to help Team USA to World Championship gold.

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British Swimming's CEO, Jack Buckner, dropped in on the SwimSwam Podcast to discuss the successes and challenges he has had to face on the run-up to this summer's Olympic Games.

This interview was my first conversation with Jack. He's very likable, no-nonsense, and comfortable in his own skin--like a chief executive with experience and a world-class athletic background, which he has.

Jack was not a swimmer, but he does swim for fitness.  Back in the 1980s and early 1990s Jack was an athletics star (track and field for our U.S. readers). He earned 5k gold at the 1986 European Championships and bronze at the 1987 World Championships. He went on to represent the U.K at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games. See his athletics bio here.

Jack took the reins of British Swimming back in May 2017, inheriting a powerhouse.  British Swimming is, arguably, at the top of their game with a long list of stars.  Aside from global star and Olympic champion Adam Peaty, Duncan Scott and rapidly rising star Tom Dean are the topic of conversation for many swim fans right now. Scott and Tom will be leading Team U.K.'s 4x200 freestyle relay into the Summer Games as the clear favorites.

Jack covers a lot of topics, and he'll be back in the future. If you have questions for future pods, share in the comments.

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Three-time Olympic Champion and NBC Sports Voice of Swimming, Rowdy Gaines, has the dream job. Who wouldn't want a front-row-center seat at the Olympic Games?  The 2021 Olympic Games (and the U.S. Olympic Trials) will mark Rowdy's 8th turn in the chair.

What I want to know is what's it really like? I have an idea. I've subbed for Rowdy before, but only for small competitions.  I know it's intense, days starting at 5am and ending, sometimes, after midnight.  Thankful, ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Rowdy shares some details in this SwimSwam Podcast.

Rowdy also addresses the elephant in the room. Rowdy is well aware his commentary is not for us, the Swim Nerds. Rowdy's working for NBC. He's under direct instructions to call the races for the non-swimming audience, that fan that drops in once every four years.  "I have to have a moment where I explain the backstroke flags," Rowdy laughed.  "I do it on every Olympic telecast."

Rowdy, of course, loves the television gig and he shares a lot of insights:

• his day-in-the-life from the Rio Olympics

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Music: Otis McDonald

We sat down with Lydia Jacoby, the 16-year-old who made headlines at the Pro Swim in Mission Viejo by becoming the #3 all-time US 17-18 in the 100 breast (1:06.38). We discussed her ascension to becoming an Olympic contender, something she's certainly thought of but isn't putting pressure on herself about. Jacoby also discusses life as a swimmer (and human) in Seward, Alaska where she lives and how that has helped build her championship mindset.

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Music: Otis McDonald