In theĀ SwimSwam PodcastĀ dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted byĀ Coleman Hodges,Ā Garrett McCaffrey, andĀ Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.
We sat down with newly minted 2021 Olympian Lydia Jacoby to discuss the 2021 Olympic Trials in Omaha and how training camp is currently going in Hawaii. Jacoby takes us through her first Trials and how she navigated the extreme high of making an Olympic team and dealing with the pressure of trying to swim her own race. She reveals that her mindset heading into the meet was focused on performance, knowing that if she didn’t make the team this go-around, she would still have a long career ahead of her.
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Music: Otis McDonald
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Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
Hi SwimSwam, could you have breaststroke experts comment on Jacoby’s breaststroke technique? A podcast on this topic would be great. It seems that she is doing the opposite of what all other world class breaststrokers are doing, especially her pull. Where is her efficiency and performance coming from? Dare any coach “fix” her?
Have you seen Leisel Jones??? They swim very similarly.
Yeah! The washed up version at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
So you didnāt see her win gold, silver and bronze medals in the 100 breastroke at 3 previous Olympics plus break world recordsā¦ā¦. How old are you? Plus grow up btw.
I do not think that they swim the stroke the same. Also, Leisel’s pull was evolving over the years. By the time of 2008 Olympics, her pull is a lot more vertical than before. Jacoby’s body is just so flat between strokes. Her breathing is like a butterfly breathing. Have you seen her under water STRAIGHT ARM pulldown? Even age groupers would not do that. I am just amazed and puzzled by her. I bet you that coach Looze is scratching his head to figure out this one.
She was very strong legs and extremely flexible ankles, so her breaststroke kick is off the charts.
I would love to hear input from Dave Salo.
I’ve heard coaches described breaststroke as 3 key parts – the pull, the kick, and the throw/undulation. All breaststrokers seems to be differently good at each of these and some rely on one part more than others. I think of Rebecca Soni and Molly Hannis being really based on the throw/undulation. In comparison, Jacoby seems to be really really kick based.
A high power, vertical oriented pull produces more momentum, and at the same time, also produces more resistance. The norm of these days is that the momentum produced outperform the resistance.
You see this across the board, Lilly King, Peaty, Lazor, Finnerty, Hannis. etc. This is especially true to the IU breaststrokers since Looze puts heavy emphasis on pull.
Jacoby is tall. So I have to assume that her kick is tremendous. The way she pulls does generate much less resistance. Her body spends more time around streamline. To take advantage of this less-resistance oriented pull, her timing between kick and pull has to be uniquely impeccable in order to make it in her favor. This type of breaststroke technique is hard to master through… Read more Ā»
Can you post the teenager video??
I been quiet on this a while but something needs to be said. Coleman needs to step it up or a better interviewer needs to be found.
āThat makes senseā – Iād be dead if i played a drinking game on these podcastsā¦
With this job, you gotta react and come up with interesting feedback or another question that opens the interviewer up and gets more to the root of who they are and where they come from. It shouldn’t just be a game of 20 questions.
I know Braden knows whats up, I peeped the body language on the ISL podcast recap thing.
Second, the obvious with this topic, where was the Lilly King ready room… Read more Ā»
After the initial defensive “WHAT?!” reaction, overall I think this is a fair assessment.
As Steve, Deep End and Durden noted, I need to work on my responses. To be honest, sometimes it is hard for me to process everything I just heard and I use “that makes sense” as a filler while I can gather my thoughts.
To be fair, I’ve only had “This job” (podcasting) for about a year and a half now. Pre-pandemic, I was only doing “20 questions” type in-person interviews that were 3-5 minutes where I edit myself out anyway OR on-camera stand-ups with Practice + Pancakes or meet recaps… long-form interviewing is so different, and for me, much harder. I have been trying… Read more Ā»
Great response Coleman. Iād feel happy if I knew you were interviewing my teenager ā¦. and that has to count for something.
I canāt blame you for sticking with a positive tone with your interviewees.
The last thing you want to do is blindside someone with uncomfortable questions that upset them.
Itās only swimming weāre talking about after all.
Why blindside an athlete who exceeded expectations at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials?
https://www.fina.org/swimming/rankings?gender=F&distance=100&stroke=BREASTSTROKE&poolConfiguration=LCM&year=2021&startDate=&endDate=×Mode=BEST_TIMES®ionId=all&countryId=
Coleman – I donāt see it the way deep end sees it. I think your laid back style is what swimmers can relate to. Many of the swimmers you interview are young and/not used to being interviewed. Sometimes it takes awhile for them to get comfortable. I always felt that you were exploring a topic together. You are first and foremost a fan of the sport and are in such wonder and respect of its athletes. You are hearing their views and processing them. Not assuming their thoughts. Bringing up Bradenās body language ā well to me that was hurtful. If Braden has something to say Iām sure heād tell you.
We can all do better as people and… Read more Ā»
Iāve noticed progression in your longer form interviews Coleman, and Iāve been impressed by the way you make space for athletes to share some really insightful and deep reflections. Your interviews with Ian Finnerty and Tom Shields come immediately to mind. Exploring the ways an elite swimmerās mindset and lifestyle interact with mental health and emotional well-being is a sweet spot for you, and thereās a ton of fertile ground there. Your compassion and empathy are palpable and serve your interviews really well.
Another interview where I think Coleman’s growth in his interviewing skills is evident is the one he did with Blake Hanna back in March.
Here’s the link: https://swimswam.com/cincinnatis-blake-hanna-goes-from-college-club-swimmer-to-di-ncaa-qualifier/
Coleman did a great job of letting Hanna talk, picking up the different crumbs that Hanna dropped, and letting Hanna’s story shine through. I thought he did exactly what Deep End was looking for in that interview.
It’s also worth remembering that Coleman does (or at least seems to do) dozens of these interviews every week. You’re gonna end up with some duds.
Overall, I really appreciate and enjoy Coleman’s interviews though, I think his laidback style allows the athletes’ personalities to shine through compared to… Read more Ā»
Well said. I also think there is a logic to your interviews. It doesnāt start with the most recent big event – most of the time. There is a built and logic. How did we get here? But I get it, some fans are looking to hear about the biggest moment first. And of course you want to give fans what they want but be true to your message. Maybe there is a way to pull out those segments (ie where Jacoby talks about trials for example) into a separate section as your interviews are definitely longer/ more cerebral and have a build. And yes, thanks for advocating for the mental health of our athletes. Your demeanor is why people… Read more Ā»
Coleman, I enjoy your podcasts. This forum tends to tear apart commentators (Hi Rowdy) so donāt let one commenter bother you!!
Coleman, I respect you so much for this. Everyone at SwimSwam loves you. Its clear how good of a human being you are and how genuine you are. I actually did notice that the quality fell off a bit through and after trials and there are obvious reasons for that and it is completely excusable. You guyās go hard to deliver great content for us and we appreciate it (especially that week every quad).
I think there is something to be said for how boring and repetitive swimmers and swimming as a whole can be, and I can imagine it is hard to bring a spark out of some dull characters.
You have a spark as a person and… Read more Ā»
Coleman “owning his weakness” is the way GREAT people become better!
You are early in your career. This is the time in life to develop skills.
An expert interviewer is able to take their subject on a journey. By the end of the interview the subject will often be willing to divulge more than they were willing to at the beginning, if they are made to feel comfortable.
With a 17-year-old, you have a responsibility to use kid gloves and an opportunity to learn a lot of things, because she doesn’t have much street smarts. A seasoned pro is more likely to just stick to his/her talking points.
The scrutiny should be reserved for Greg Meehan in reference to the debacle that was the Stanford Cardinal swim team at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
They probably didn’t want to put Jacoby on the spot. Everyone is always making them out to be enemies and trying to push them apart when they should be racing as team USA for 1 and 2.
In another interview made at last trials posted on the USA swimming YouTube channel I’ve hallucinated when she has said that she never trains in long course in Alaska.
At 5min55 in the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ-wpYBbXgs
That’s crazy to see her swim so fast knowing that. Sky is the limit for that young lady with all the things she can still improve in her race.
In Coleman’s first interview we learn that she belongs to two teams. With one team she has some access to long course.
She also said she rarely gets to train long course with that team. I believe she has to drive several hours to get to that pool.
The pool is also rarely configured for long course.
No she doesn’t. That was Short Course Meters not Long Course. Shes only been out of state for some camps
Wasn’t it also mainly the case for Kate Ziegler ?
What is it with these “Gingers” who kick a** in breastroke: Peaty, King, Jacoby?
Definitely a strong correlation..
Being ginger and a breaststrokerā¦. Double whammy
I missed out apparently. My breaststroke is/was pretty terrible.
The Gingers grow up knowing that they are different. The breaststroke group is always the ‘different’ group on the team. It’s a natural fit.
King and Jacoby don’t compare to Soni, who incidentally finished her Olympic career with three consecutive world records.
When is mauel gonna come off your username?