I Have Cool Friends

Sam welcomes 2016 NCAA Balance Beam Co-Champion, 6x All-American and 2012 Olympic alternate, Danusia Francis. Danusia discusses the unique experience representing two separate countries in Olympic qualifiers. Danusia opens up about her training regimen, meeting Olympic legend Usain Bolt, and balancing life while working to qualify for the next Olympic Games. Finally, Danusia talks about the lessons she has learned throughout her gymnastics career, her views on confidence, and her post-retirement plans.

Sam welcomes to the podcast two very special guests, Olympians Madison Kocian & Kyla Ross. Madison is a 2018 NCAA Team Champion, a 2016 Olympic Gold & Silver Medalist, a 3x World Champion and a 7x All-American. Kyla is a 2018 NCAA Team Champion, a 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, a 2014 World Championship Gold Medalist, an NCAA record holder with 14 Perfect 10s in 2019, and a 19x All-American. These amazing women are seniors at UCLA, where they’ve experienced some of their most memorable gymnastics moments.

Sam welcomes to the podcast two-time Olympian and professional volleyball player, Matt Anderson. Matt is currently a member of the Italian club Modena Volley and the United States men’s national volleyball team, with whom he was a participant of the Olympic Games, 2014 World League and 2015 World Cup.

Sam welcomes to the podcast two-time Olympic swimmer and four-time Olympic medalist, Kaitlin Sandeno. Kaitlin is a world champion, former world record holder, and has won a gold, silver, and two bronze medals throughout her career. Since retiring, Kaitlin has gone on to lead a successful post-Olympic career as a sports commentator, motivational speaker, coach, philanthropist, author, and GM of a professional international swimming league.

Sam welcomes 1993 and 1994 World All-Around Champion, 1996 Olympic balance beam champion, 1995 Pan American Games all-around champion, and member of the 1996 Olympic gold-medal winning Magnificent Seven team, Shannon Miller. Shannon is the second most decorated gymnast in U.S. history and the thirteenth most decorated gymnast from any country by her individual medal count. She is the only woman in any sport to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame twice, as an individual and as part of a team.

Sam welcomes Olympic champion and eight-time American record holder in competitive swimming, Cody Miller. Cody is also a self-proclaimed movie buff, puppy enthusiast, food assassin, YouTuber, and Water Jedi. Sam and Cody chronicle his journey as an athlete, from overcoming a serious health condition to winning a gold medal alongside his lifelong idol, Michael Phelps. Cody talks about becoming an elite Olympic athlete and stresses the importance of taking time to self-reflect and appreciate the moment.

Sam welcomes to the podcast decorated professional volleyball player, Karsta Lowe. Karsta won bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games, playing a key reserve role. Coming off the bench, she provided 41 points, highlighted by a 13-point performance versus Serbia in semifinal and 12 points against Italy in pool play. Outside of her Olympic experience, Karsta was a member of the team that took gold at the FIVB World Grand Prix where she was awarded MVP. She currently plays for a professional team in Busto, Italy.

Sam welcomes two very special guests, Olympic swimmers and sisters, Alyssa and Haley Anderson. Alyssa became an Olympic gold medalist in 2012, and Haley was one of the first USA athletes to qualify for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo 2020. They discuss the culture of USA Swimming, the mindset of a successful Olympian, the power of resiliency, the difference between open water and pool swimming competitions, and Imposter Syndrome and the importance of overcoming your own self-doubts to achieve greatness.

Sam welcomes three-time Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist, David Boudia—the first American male to win Olympic diving gold in the ten-meter platform since Greg Louganis in 1988. David competed in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and plans to compete again in 2020. He discusses fears, obstacles, and other challenges he overcame on his Olympic journey, opens up about how his mindset and attitudes matured throughout his Olympic experience, and talks about his goals for 2020 and beyond.

Sam welcomes All-Around Champion at the 2004 Olympic Games, Carly Patterson. Carly is a trailblazer for the U.S., as the first American woman to win the All-Around Olympic Gold medal since Mary Lou Retton. The U.S. has won every consecutive all-around gold medal since. She is a successful singer/songwriter and motivational speaker. Carly discusses her journey to the Olympics, factors that led to her success, and her insights on confidence, community, family and what it takes to become an Olympic champion.

Sam welcomes two-time Olympic medalist and decorated track & field hurdler, Dawn Harper. Dawn won the gold medal in 2008 in Beijing and won a silver medal in 2012 in London, making history as a hurdler in the process. Dawn recalls her journey to the 2008 Olympics, including overcoming a knee injury and taking home gold. She discusses her decision to step away from track and field to start a family, and finally, her decision to train and compete to represent the U.S. again in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Sam welcomes two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup Champion, Lauren Cheney Holiday. Lauren was the first player in National Women’s Soccer League history to have her jersey retired by the league. She also set multiple records at UCLA, including most points and most game-winning goals scored. Lauren talks about her journey to the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, her experience at the 2015 World Cup, learning that she had a brain tumor while pregnant, and recovery from brain surgery.

Sam welcomes to the podcast decorated Olympic gymnast and former member of the University of Minnesota men’s gymnastics team, John Roethlisberger. In addition to being a three-time Olympian, John is a four-time U.S, National all-around champion and a four-time U.S. National pommel horse champion. He also won back-to-back American Cup titles in 2995 and 1996 and was named Sportsperson of the Year six times throughout his illustrious career.

Sam welcomes to the podcast former University of Michigan gymnast Evan Heiter. Evan was also Sam’s co-host for the USAG Webcast for multiple years and is a huge NCAA gymnastics super fan. In this episode, Sam and Evan break down team performances from Regionals and look ahead to both upcoming Semi-Finals. They identify the secret weapons, keys to victory and storylines to watch for each team. Finally, Sam and Evan give their predictions on which teams they believe will be the Four on the Floor. 

Sam welcomes to the podcast Oregon State University women’s gymnastics head coach, Tanya Chaplin. Tanya’s experience in the gymnastics world is quite extensive. As an athlete competing at UCLA, she was a six-time All-American and a two-time PAC-10 Gymnast of the Year winner. She also competed in the 1983 World Championships in Budapest and competed in the 1984 Olympic trials. Over the course of her twenty-two year coaching career, she has earned PAC-12 Conference Coach of the Year five times.