I Have Cool Friends

Sam welcomes to the podcast 1993 and 1994 world all-around champion, 1996 Olympic balance beam champion, 1995 Pan American Games all-around champion, and member of the gold-medal winning Magnificent Seven team at the 1996 Olympics, 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 US Olympic Hall of Fame twice, as an individual and as part of a team. In this episode, Sam and Shannon chronicle Shannon’s Olympic career, from meeting the Dream Team and winning three bronze and two silver medals at the ’92 Games in Barcelona to winning two gold medals at the ’96 Games in Atlanta. Shannon speaks to the incredibly successful post-athletic career she’s had, which includes broadcasting, starting a business, and writing an autobiography. Shannon opens up about her diagnosis and subsequent battle with ovarian cancer. She shares how the lessons she

Sam welcomes to the podcast 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. In this episode, Sam and Cody chronicle Cody’s journey as an athlete, from overcoming a serious health condition when he was young to winning a gold medal alongside his lifelong idol, Michael Phelps. Cody shares his experiences as an elite Olympic athlete as well as life lessons he’s learned along the way. Among the most important things he’s learned, Cody stresses the importance of taking a moment to self-reflect and appreciate the moment. Finally, Cody shares the golden rule he tries to utilize every day. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s3e7

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. In this episode, Sam and Karsta talk about Karsta’s journey as an athlete, from walk-on at UCLA to qualifying and medaling at the Olympics. They discuss her time playing abroad in Italy and overcoming challenges like the language barrier. Karsta shares some of her fondest memories from the Olympic village the emotional experience of representing her country in 2016. Finally, Karsta speaks to her confidence level and the importance she places on aligning her thoughts and her actions to ensure success. Full show

Sam welcomes to the podcast 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 who qualified for the upcoming Olympics Games in Tokyo for 2020. This will mark Haley’s third Olympic Games. Haley’s already won an Olympic silver medal in 2012 and was the first American to earn a medal in open water swimming. In this episode, Sam, Alyssa and Haley discuss the culture of USA Swimming, the mindset required to be a successful Olympian, and the power of resiliency. Alyssa and Haley break down the difference between open water and pool swimming competitions as well as how they get pumped up before big races. Finally, Alyssa and Haley talk about Imposter Syndrome and the importance of overcoming your own self-doubts to achieve greatness. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s3e5

Sam welcomes to the podcast three-time Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist, David Boudia. Perhaps the most impressive of David’s Olympic accolades, he was the first American male diver to win Olympic diving gold in the ten-meter platform competition since Greg Louganis in 1988. David has competed in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and plans to compete yet again at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. In this episode, David and Sam discuss fears, obstacles, and other challenges David had to overcome on his Olympic journey. They share some stories from their experiences at the Olympic village. David opens up about how his mindset and attitudes matured throughout his Olympic experience and humbled him to a new level. Finally, David talks about his goals for 2020 and beyond, including his desire to remain in Lafayette, Indiana and pursue a coaching career at Purdue University. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s3e4

Sam welcomes to the podcast All-Around Champion at the 2004 Olympic Games, Carly Patterson. Carly is truly a trailblazer for the United States as she was the first American woman in twenty years to win the All-Around Olympic Gold medal since Mary Lou Retton in 1984. Since her victory, the U.S. has won every consecutive all-around gold medal. In addition to her gymnastics accolades, Carly is a successful singer/songwriter and motivational speaker. In this episode, Carly discusses her journey to the Olympics and the unique factors that led to her success. Carly shares some stories from her own experiences the Olympics, including how Ashley Simpson got her pumped up before each competition. Sam and Carly open up about their identity struggles post-Olympic Games. Finally, Carly provides her insights on confidence, community, family and what it takes to become an Olympic champion. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s3e3

Sam welcomes to the podcast two-time Olympic medalist and decorated track and field hurdler, Dawn Harper. Dawn took home the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, making history as a hurdler in the process. In this episode, Dawn recalls her journey to the 2008 Olympics, including stories of her inspiring coach, overcoming a knee injury, and the moment she realized she took home gold. Dawn speaks to her decision to step away from track and field (for now) to start a family and become a mother. She talks about her daughter, Harper, and her husband, Alonzo who has supported her career through all the ups and downs. Finally, Dawn touches on her decision to train and compete to represent the U.S. yet again in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s3e2

Sam welcomes to the podcast two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup Champion, Lauren Cheney. Among her stellar career accomplishments, Lauren was the first player in National Women’s Soccer League history to have her jersey retired by the league. She also set multiple school records at UCLA, including most points, most game-winning goals scored, and tied the school record for most goals scored. In this episode, Lauren talks about her journey to the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and the indescribable feeling of representing the United States. She shares her experience at the 2015 World Cup and recalls the moment she scored the third goal in the Final to help the United States claim back the title. Lauren opens up about her harrowing experience learning that she had a brain tumor while pregnant with her daughter. Finally, Lauren talks about her recovery from brain surgery and provides advice on how to gain and maintain confidence. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s3e1

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. In this episode, Sam and John break down the performances of the Four on the Floor: Denver, UCLA, LSU and Oklahoma. They share their thoughts on scoring, individual champions, and the first year of the new postseason format. Finally, Sam and John discuss the retirements of two gymnastics legends, UCLA Head Coach Miss Val and Utah Head Coach Megan Marsden. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s2e17 Podcast production by FullCast: http://fullcast.co/cf

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.  Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s2e16 Podcast production by FullCast: http://fullcast.co/cf

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. In this episode, Tanya discusses her team’s accomplishments this season as they prepare to compete at Nationals. She shares her coaching insights on mindset, motivation and success. Finally, Tanya details how she is planning for the continued success of her gymnastics program.   Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s2e15 Podcast production by FullCast: http://fullcast.co/cf

Sam welcomes to the podcast not one but two cool friends, Norah Flatley and Margzetta Frazier. They are both former national team members, competing across the country and internationally for Team USA. Additionally, they are both freshmen at UCLA and are crushing it for the Bruins this season! In this episode, Norah and Margzetta talk about their shared experiences with Elite gymnastics, balancing academics and athletics, and their plans for the remainder of their collegiate careers.  Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s2e14 Podcast production by FullCast: http://fullcast.co/cf

Sam welcomes Olivia Karas to the podcast. She is currently a senior at the University of Michigan where she contributed to their 2019 Big Ten Championship. Olivia was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2016 and she has scored a 9.925 or higher on every single event, so far, of her career. In this episode, Sam and Olivia talk all about the peaks and valleys of Olivia’s collegiate career, from a devastating Achilles injury to competing in the Flip for Chip memorial meet. They preview the 2019 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Regionals, which will be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan this year. Finally, Olivia shares her fond memories of attending the University of Michigan as well as her plans for after graduation. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s2e13 Podcast production by FullCast: http://fullcast.co/cf

It was alumni weekend at UCLA and Sam has two very special guests on the podcast to celebrate. First, gymnast, dancer and film actor Ariana Berlin Rotstein joins the show to discuss the flash mob sendoff she and the other UCLA alumni gave to Miss Val at her last meet as Head Coach. Next, international gymnast, Danusia Francis shares her favorite memories of Miss Val and discusses her plans to compete and qualify for the 2020 Olympics. Both Ariana and Danusia talk about their experiences competing for UCLA and give their predictions for which teams with be the Four on the Floor. It comes as no shock that both picked the Bruins to represent and compete for a championship! Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s2e12 Podcast production by FullCast: http://fullcast.co/cf

Sam welcomes McKenna Kelley to the podcast. McKenna is currently a senior at Louisiana State University (LSU) where she recently scored a perfect ten competing in her latest meet. In this episode, Sam and McKenna talk about McKenna’s collegiate gymnastics career, from overcoming a devastating Achilles injury to the possibility of competing in a fifth year. They discuss their thoughts on the new postseason format and their predictions for which teams with be the final Four on the Floor. Finally, McKenna shares her dream of becoming a motivational speaker and writer after graduating college. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s2e11 Podcast production by FullCast: http://fullcast.co/cf

Sam welcomes head coach of the women’s gymnastics team at the University of Alabama, Dana Duckworth. Dana’s relationship with Alabama has spanned over two decades. She was a former student athlete and worked under Sarah Patterson as an assistant coach for the women’s gymnastics team for fifteen years. As an athlete, Dana earned five All-American accolades and won the individual SEC and NCAA national titles in balance beam in 1992 and 1993. She also aided the university in winning a National Championship in 1991. In this episode, Dana breaks down Alabama’s latest meet and her team’s individual performances against their bitter rivals, Auburn. She discusses the ways in which she experiments with different routines and lineups in order to get the best out of her athletes. Dana also brings awareness to the Collegiate Gymnastics Growth Initiative, an organization that raises funds to promote and support women’s collegiate gymnastics programs so that more women may have the opportunity to compete at the highest lev

Sam welcomes Kyla Ross, the first female gymnast ever to win Olympic, World, and NCAA Championship gold medals. Kyla is a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, 2014 World Championship gold medalist, and 2018 NCAA team champion. In addition, she is an eleven-time All-American, five-time World Championship medalist, and was the 2017 NCAA bars and beam champion. Kyla currently competes for the UCLA Bruins, and is widely considered one of the premier athletes in the sport of gymnastics. In this episode, Sam and Kyla break down UCLA’s latest meet against the University of Utah, specifically their performance on bars. Kyla shares some insights into how she prepares prior to collegiate meets and how she got the nickname Kyla ‘Boss’ Ross. Kyla talks about the peaks and valleys of her Elite gymnastics experience. Finally, Kyla discusses her goals for the current season, which include achieving a perfect ten on floor and winning another national championship at UCLA. Full show notes: http://ihavecoolfriends.show/s2e9

Sam welcomes 2004 Olympic silver medalist and individual bronze medalist on bars, Courtney Kupets Carter. In addition to her Olympic accolades, Courtney was a member of the 2003 gold medal-winning World Championship Team and a two-time Elite National Champion. She helped lead the University of Georgia to four National Championship titles from 2005 – 2009. Individually, she won eight SEC event championships, nine NCAA titles, and was a fifteen-time All-American. She is the only NCAA gymnast ever to win an individual championship on all four events and the all-around title. She currently holds the position of head coach of the women’s gymnastics team at the University of Georgia. In this episode, Sam and Courtney talk about Courtney’s illustrious gymnastics career spanning Elites, collegiate, and the Olympic Games. Courtney talks about the peaks and valleys of her Olympic experience, as well as the tour she went on post-Olympics. As the head coach at her alma mater, Courtney describes the unique dynamic of work

Sam welcomes four-time U.S. National Team member and collegiate gymnast, Trinity Thomas. Although just seventeen, Trinity is already a supremely accomplished gymnast, having been a member of the gold-medal winning team at the 2018 Pan-American Gymnastics Championships. There she also won an individual silver medal on bars and in the all-around. She is currently competing as a freshman at the University of Florida and ranks third overall in the all-around of NCAA women’s gymnastics. In this episode, Sam and Trinity discuss Trinity’s experience so far as a freshman on the University of Florida women’s gymnastics team. Trinity breaks down her performances at the latest meets against Auburn and Oklahoma. Sam and Trinity discuss the differences between Elite and collegiate gymnastics. Trinity describes her fellow freshmen teammates and gives out superlatives to each of the girls. We also hear about her pursuit of other sports, including track and diving. Trinity stresses that there is more to her than just gymnast

Sam welcomes decorated gymnast, Jessica López. Jessica is an international gymnast who has represented her home country of Venezuela in three separate Olympic Games from 2008 through 2016. In 2016, she qualified for the uneven bars final, becoming the very first Venezuelan gymnast to do so. She also placed sixth in the all-around final, her country’s best all-around finish ever. She competed collegiately at the University of Denver from 2006 – 2009, earning five All-American honors across three NCAA national championship appearances. In total, she has won eighty-three individual titles during her career. Today, Jessica is a gymnastics coach at her alma mater, The University of Denver, and is mulling over the possibility of competing at a fourth Olympics! In this episode, Sam and Jessica talk about Jessica’s incredible career as a gymnast, from the Elite and Olympic levels to the collegiate level. Jessica shares how she has managed to stay motivated throughout a career of such longevity. She also recounts the