I was so happy to have Lia Neal on the podcast this week because I’ve been curious about the new International Swimming League. If you haven’t heard, the ISL is an eight-team, professional swimming league with international rosters. Lia is a captain of the New York Breakers and explains how it all works, the impact of more racing early in the season, and some plans for the future. She also goes over her own training, what it was like to be on an Olympic Team (I love that she thought it was as great as she did), and seeking balance after graduating from Stanford and going pro.
At Stanford, Lia as captain, led the team to a NCAA Swimming Championship. She’s now preparing for the Tokyo2020 Olympics. She’s already been to two games (2012 & 2016) where she won bronze and silver medals in the 4x100 freestyle relays. Lia was the first woman of Black descent to swim an Olympic final for the US and she won a gold medal at the Junior World Championships.
A Few Lasting Impressions:
1. Currently Lia is cross training instead of traditional weight training. Just after talking to Lia, I interviewed a Strong Woman and strength coach who obviously is lifting heavy. It was interesting to consider the range of approaches to getting stronger. In my own training these days, I’m focusing on functional movements and combining multiple lifts in one exercise.
2. I love the phrase “shave and taper meets”.
3. Once again, hearing from an elite athlete shows us how single-minded these women are. What they are working towards is all encompassing. As you will hear, Lia is working to find greater balance in her life and what that means, she said, is going to a coffee shop occasionally and talking more often to friends and family on the phone. And tiny changes like this can make a world of difference.
4. It’s interesting that ISL could change swimmers’ training and also give ISL swimmers a leg up because of all the race practice they would get. Of course, it could end up the opposite -- too much racing at the expense of training. I’ll be following the league to see what happens as it expands.
IF YOU LIKE THIS EPISODE, try these:
🎤 Ep 33 Noelle Singleton, Swim Coach. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 28 Felice Mueller, Olympian. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep Alison Dunlap, Olympian & Mom. Listen Here.
🎤 Ep 3 HHS Glenville Kyarrah, Sees LeBron's Face Everywhere. Listen Here.
I'M READING (WATCHING) NOW
✶ An absolutely lovely swimming short, Chasing the Sublime.
✶ This book blew me away. Just the first chapter about not making the Olympics rang true and deep with emotion. You might need a hankie.
✶There are so many ways to make a career in sports. Jessica Mendoza, Sunday Night Baseball analyst talks about her path.
✶ USWSL lawsuit update.
Latest in Fast Track.
The new Fast Track just posted early this morning. It is a smidge longer than my self-imposed 20-minute limit. (Short seems to be harder for me than I expected.) This weeks' guest, Jessica Berman said so much great stuff I wanted you to hear.
Jessica is the new Deputy Commissioner and Executive Vice President of Business Affairs at the National Lacrosse League. She is the first woman to hold the title of Deputy Commissioner at any professional sports league in North America and she is now the highest-ranking woman in men’s professional sports leagues.
What's terrific about this episode is we talk about the National Lacrosse League as an emerging sports property like many professional women's sports, keeping self doubt in a box in the back of the closet, and how Jessica values her running routine. Jessica inspired me because she's known since high school she wanted to work in sports. Her reasons for that are worth the listen.
HOT TAKES FROM FAST TRACK
☄️"The most creative thinking happens for me when I’m running."
☄️"I think it takes confidence to admit vulnerability."