April 22, 2025 • 27 mins
Friend of the show Nikki Hiltz, the two-time reigning U.S. outdoor 1500-meter champion and American record holder in the mile, is back to talk their post-Olympics letdown, the tweaks they’re making to elevate their game, joining the inaugural season of Grand Slam Track, and what the recent influx of other pro running events means for the sport as a whole. Plus, a little reminder that Chicago > New York.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're in
New York City for the Business of Women's Sports Conference,
trying not to totally fangirl Chelsea Clinton and Laurie Hernandez.
It's Tuesday, April twenty second, and on today's show, we're
skipping the need to know and jumping straight to my
interview with the American mile record holder and twenty twenty
four Olympian, Nicky Hilts. I caught up with them last
week to hear how things have been since our last
(00:22):
visit pre Paris Olympics, chat about why they joined the
inaugural season of Grand Slam Track, get a peek at
the behind the scenes competition between competitions, and talk about
the impact of music and pop culture on their training.
That conversation's coming up right after this. We've got a
(00:43):
repeat champ here joining us for a second time here
on Good Game. They're the American record holder in the
mile and the two time reigning US outdoor fifteen hundred
meter champion. At the US Olympic Track Trials last year,
they clocked the second fastest time ever recorded by an
American in the women's fifteen hundred meter race and went
on to take seventh and the fifteen at the Paris Olympics.
They're part of the inaugural season of the Michael Johnson
(01:03):
founded Grand Slam Track and at the first event in Kingston,
Jamaica earlier this month, they won the eight hundred meter
race with a personal best. They competed collegiately for Oregon
and Arkansas. They founded the Pride five k charity race.
They've done the Charlie XCX Apple Dance on a bigger
stage than any of y'all, and they should not be
trusted with the vouvuzela. It's Nicky hilt.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Hey Nikki, Hey Sarah, how's it going good?
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I think you've got enough charisma and enthusiasm that we
do not need to hand you a horn. Based on
your Instagram and the voove azelas in Jamaica, I think
that was a bad idea for whoever did that.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I know I didn't they were loud. I didn't know
they were going to be that loud. But no, that
was so fun. I love that thing. I still have it.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Actually, do you do you remember? Are you old enough
to remember that there was a World Cup that they
started banning them because it was so annoying.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Oh I didn't know that, but that makes total sense.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Like during the soccer games, it was
the entire crowd was using the and it made it
like insufferable to watch and they ended up banning them
from being in the stands. So somehow they slipped back
into the track world, at least in Jamaica, which I
guess makes sense. So we spoke to you before the
Olympics last year. You were one of our first guests
on the show, and I just want to start there.
How has life changed for you? That felt like, you
(02:18):
know phrasing, but a coming out party for you on
the national and global stage of a different kind. How's
life been since then?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Oh it's been great. I mean definitely was like, yeah,
Paris was incredible. It felt like a ten day fever dream,
you know. But yeah, I think I definitely kind of
hit the post Olympics like I wouldn't say depression, but
just like low, like whoa like. And I think it
was because so much of last year was spent thinking
(02:45):
about the Olympics and then it happened and then it
was like what do I think about now? You know?
But it's been good. I mean I made some changes.
I have a new coach, which is awesome, but a
lot of things have stayed the same. Just it's like
I feel like, yeah, I'm entering a part of my
career where I'm really excited to compete more globally now.
(03:08):
And you know, I was seventh at the Olympics and
that was awesome for me. But I want to just
keep improving as athlete and I want you know, the
medals or are right there, and I want to within
the next four years the next Olympics cycle will be Yeah,
have kind of my eyes on the medals, so kind
of making the changes and little tweaks here and there
to kind of element my game a little bit.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
We love all of our guests here, but I have
to admit you're definitely one of our favorites. And I
don't think it seemed like anyone was having more fun
at the Olympics than you. Like you obviously were ready
for your race and prepping, and you went out of
you know, the area of Paris to train and make
sure you were in the right head space. But once
you got back, like just the selfies with everyone in
the dancing and everything, you really managed to bring your
(03:52):
whole self and your unique style to it instead of
getting too like tight, which was so fun to watch,
But that letdown is really common say that about things
like their wedding or things like the Olympics. Right when
there's that giant build up? Do you reset goals for yourself?
Because that dream of making the Olympics is such a
big one. Now is it about finishing a certain place
(04:12):
or continuing to just get better? Like what what have
you reset post Olympics?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah? I think the way I set goals, they're very
like process focused and like not really focused on the outcome.
Like my my goals for Paris were to number one,
have fun, and I think you saw that ye nailed it,
and then number two was run three fifteen hundreds that
I was proud of, Like that was just like my goal.
(04:39):
So it's not like I want to medal at the
Olympics or I you know, like it's kind of more
things that I can do. And so I think I
still have that same framework. Now it's just like a
new season and there's no Olympics on the line, but
we still have a World Championship and this fall in Tokyo,
and so yeah, I think just similar like I just
(05:00):
want to keep having fun. I want to grow and
I want to you know, get better. And like when
I think, like for me, when there's an area i'm
weak at or like there's room for improvement, I get
really excited because I'm like, oh, cool, I find master that,
then maybe that's what's gonna help getting to the next level.
Like I get really excited about kind of where I
(05:20):
can find inconsistencies or room for growth.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Yeah, because then it's like, oh, I'm going to unlock
something new and maybe do something else. You posted recently
just such an unhinged distance runner thing. You were like
when the thing you love doing is also your self care.
So I probably just needed a hug, but instead I
ran twenty two four hundred meters. It grows ghost but
obviously that's that's what makes you great. Okay, So tell
(05:45):
us about Grand Slam track. How did you get involved?
Was it like a phone call from Michael himself?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I wish no. It was an email from Kyle Murder
and he's the he's the one that like signs all
the athletes and.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
The lesser representative.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, Chris, you know, but I was shocked. I mean
because I knew the format, and I was like, oh,
I hope that one of them I could be a challenger,
you know. But to get that email to be like
do you want to be a racer? Was like awesome,
and I my agent, you know, emailed it to me.
It was like he knew that there was something that
I really wanted and I was just it was just
immediately yes, like yes, I want to be a part
(06:23):
of this league. And yeah, that was back in like
I think it was October, so a couple months after
the Olympics, and I was I was just on board
right away.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Can you tell us about the format the racer versus
challenger in the two events?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
I think a good way to explain it is that
this Michael Johnson says this, but it's like the Olympics
is the best going head to head once every four years,
and Grand Slam track is the best going head to
head four times a year. And so the racers are
people who are signed on for all four of the
Grand Slams, and there's four per event category and then
(06:57):
each Grand Slam four new people will come in as challengers.
So the one we just had in Kingston, you know,
the event group that I'm in is the short distance,
and so we all run an eight hundred and a
fifteen hundred, and then you know, challengers of racers race
each other and then the combined score the highest points wins,
(07:17):
and so I was I won the eight hundred, and
I was third in the fifteen hundred, and so that
was enough points to get second overall in my event
category and which was awesome. Like, so that's kind of
I think the breakdown. I feel like if you follow
Grand Slam Track on social media, they have a lot
of ways where they break it down that's probably probably
like more well spoken than I am, but that's like
the gist of it.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Yeah, so that's great for folks like you that can
excel at multiple distances. Do they have any plans for
the field event folks that aren't multi events, because you can't,
you know, if you're a shot put or you're not
just gonna like randomly throw a Jav'm planning on just
keeping it on the track for now.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I don't know. I mean, I know right now this
season is it's great slam track, like it's very track focused.
But yeah, I do think in the future there's there's
definitely like a possibility to get field events involved, because
you know, that is the beauty of track and field,
like we have both. But yeah, no, I think I
think just now the focus is on on racing on
the track.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
So you're saying there's an opening for Grand Slam field axactly,
all right, there's an opportunity obviously. You know, this is
one of a couple things that have started up in
the track space. Michael Johnson a name that people will
follow and people will get on board with. Did you
look up to him growing up or did you mostly
stick to watching and idolizing the middle distance folks.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, I mean I obviously knew of him, and yeah,
the legacy that he has in our sport, and I
think it's just really cool, Like I feel like he's
really brought whatever made him a good athlete, you know,
an Olympic gold medalist like multiple time. Like he's bringing
that same intensity and focus and drive to Grand Slam
(08:58):
and like it's just cool to see a fellow athlete
like and a lot of the people on you know,
the leadership of Grand Slam track are former athletes as well,
and it's just like, oh, this is why this is
so well done. You know, these people are good at
their craft and they're you know, maybe to some extent
like perfectionists or whatever it is that makes someone a
good athlete, Like they're bringing that same intensity to it.
(09:20):
And I really really admire his not only just like
entrepreneurship and like we're gonna do this, but like after
our inaugural Grand Slam and Kingslam, he tweeted, like, hey,
give us feedback, like how can we be better? And
it's kind of like what I was just talking about
of I just I just think that's a really admirable
quality of like where is their room for growth and
how can we do it? And I think that you're
(09:42):
gonna see Grand Slam evolve and grow because of that,
and like because of the athletes in charge. They just
like they just care so much and they know what
they're doing, you know well.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And there's obviously exceptions where the ego gets in the way,
but I think in general, across a lot of spaces,
that's a through line for athletes is give me feed
back and make me better. And so they're going to
apply that to themselves, like you said, where you're looking
for little things you can fix in your own racing,
and they're going to apply that after they're done competing
to whatever business they're in. So not only is he
bringing the excellence that he brought to the track, but
(10:13):
also now he wants to, like an athlete, be coached
up by everyone and hear how to make things better. Okay,
so you talked about the format. One of the most
striking things about it is the money. A total of
three point one five million dollars in prize money was
awarded just at that Jamaica event. Last place in every
event there took home as much as the regular season
(10:34):
Diamond League winners in the past. A couple Diamond League
events are paying a little bit more this year, I
think because Athlos kind of gave him a nudge and said, hey,
spend more money on the winners. But still the opportunity
to go to races like this and make a ton
more money than you're making elsewhere. Even if your last
no wonder you said, I'm in right away to be
a racer, right, that's four guaranteed paydays if you if
(10:57):
you compete right.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, no, exactly. The money is definitely a huge draw
for the athletes, especially in a sport like track and
field where we're not football players. Or basketball players like,
we don't make these huge incomes and so prize money. Yeah,
it's incredible, and the prize perse is it's hard to ignore.
And I think you're gonna see a lot of athletes like, shoot,
(11:21):
I want to be a part of this. I feel
like I think I was talking to Kyle murber A Browde.
He's like, I want really good athletes to be watching
at home and then be like, oh, I could have
won that, and then they come be a challenger the
next time, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Yeah, so Miami is the next one. It's happening in May.
Will you run the same races there? Are you a
racer in your two events for the entire circuit?
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah, I'm a racer for the short distance event category
for the whole thing. There's a few athletes like Gabby
Thomas who can kind of jump event groups. You know,
she can run a one to two and a four.
Right now, she's in the two four event group. But
I think for some she'll switch to like the one too.
But for me, yeah, I don't. I don't want to
move up. I don't want to be a part of
the three K five G group.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
No, And that was an interesting element of that first
event was and I'm forgetting the guy's name, but he
had such a lead in the first race that by
the time he got to the second he just had
to finish like top five or something to win. So
he coasted a little bit. And we're used to seeing
that in maybe like the Tour de France, where there's
multiple stages, maybe not so much on the track. So
something to think about in terms of the excitement. Also,
(12:26):
if you're better at the first event than the second,
it's harder to celebrate when you win the first one
because you still don't know how many points you might
need in the second one to win, Whereas if you're
leading in the first and then you perform well in
your second event, you kind of can celebrate the win.
How did you feel about that? That feeling of I mean,
of course you're going to celebrate your race and your time,
but when you finish being like, I don't know, was
(12:47):
that enough to get me enough when I get to
the next race. It's you don't usually pair things up
like that in racing totally.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, it's a brand new concept for a track, but
I really like it because I think it keeps the
focus on competing and not like oh, let's chase these
pace lights and run a fast time, like it's about
just head to head racing and like, Okay, what do
I have to do to be the overall champ? What
do I have to do in this race? What about?
You know, like who do I have to be? And
I think it's just people picked it up pretty quickly,
(13:17):
like yeah, you're talking about Grant Fisher, like he won
the five k and then I think he only had
to be third in the three k to secure the win.
And I think it's I think it's fun. I think
it's a new stratagy. It's something new for track, but
it's not new at the same time, it's just racing.
And that's the whole thing I think. You know, you see,
there's so many in all sports, but like track right now,
(13:38):
there's so much development in like technology, like the shoes
are insane. There's like we just have more knowledge than
ever on how to recover and like the training. Because
of the shoes, you can put in a lot more
training and recover quicker, like and so you're seeing and
the tracks are better surfaces right, like you're seeing the
fastest times we've ever ran. Of course, we are, like,
(14:00):
we're setting world records because we have the best technology.
So it's kind of like I hate that that's kind
of been the focus for the past few years of like,
you know, who can run the It's like, guys, the
point is racing. You don't ask the Olympic gold medalist
what time did you run? You're like show me your medal,
you know, Like, and I think that that's why I
(14:20):
was so attracted to Grand Slam, because that's how I've
always approached it, Like you can't compare our era to
like even ten years ago at this point because it
was so different than technology. So let's just stick to
the basics of like who in this era is competing
against each other and kind of just yeah, keep the
focus on competing, not chasing fast times.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Well, and that's like what racing always starts at is
in the backyard on the school track, Like who's faster
than who? That's what it is. Yeah, right, and you
get to have that feeling again. Also, by the way,
as a heptathlete, we've been doing that whole did I
do enough in this event to have to do enough
in this event? To do enough in this event? The
entire so now you guys are just understanding what it
feels like for us, For me, for instance, to suck
(15:04):
at the eight hundred and be like, it's all right,
I did enough in the javelin, I did enough in
the hurdles. What about the other racers. Obviously there's a
family of people you train with, people you see at
World Championships, Olympics. But is it a nice feeling to
have more of these events during the regular, like off
season of those major internationals so that you can hang
out with them. Are there racers that you're like, oh,
(15:26):
I'm so excited they signed up. I really wanted to
meet them or get a chance to hang out with them.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Yeah. I mean the racers in my event category are
the like the best in the world, and it's really
cool that I get to go up against them four times.
And you know, Jesshole is someone that I've competed against
for a very long time. We were I think a
year apart in college, and so you know, my senior year,
her junior year, she won and I was second by
(15:53):
like point oh two at the NCAA Championship. So we've
had like a long career of like, yeah, just going
head to head racing and and you know, Mary Morrow
is world champ in twenty twenty three, you know, in
the eight hundred, so it's really cool to I'm going
to be racing eight hundreds against a world champion in
that event, Like that's really special. Well, Tedgi is a
(16:16):
twenty two year old Ethiopian who is like just coming
into her own and she's you know, she's competed. I
think she's the only one that's competed out of world
champs in both the eight and the fifteen. So it's like,
I'm in really good company and I'm I really really
am excited that I get to race them, and then
the challengers that are going to come in are also
world class, so I'm just excited, Like this is just
(16:37):
what I love. And the people I think they're only
going to make me better because I'm I'm trying to
beat them and I'm like, well, shoot, I gotta get
better if I want to win.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah, we got to get like remember the old Mike
versus Mike. We need like a Hall versus Hilts. We
need like people to know your stats and how many
times you've raced and who's got the lead in the
heads ahead. We need to start marketing those rivalries the
way that we used to in the old days. Even
though I guess that one or was it Dave versus
Dan that was the one I'm thinking of, right.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yeah, yeah, I think Grand Slamchack has made a couple
graphics of those key matchups for sure. So yeah, we'll
see if there's a Hilts first whole one coming out.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
So well, tail of the tape, if you will. The challengers,
are they different every race or might someone come around
in Kingston then be back again in Philadelphia.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
I think for the most part, they'll be different for
each Slam, but if someone comes in and wins the
Grand Slam, then they get invited back if they want to.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
We got to take a quick break more with Niki
right after this. So Grand Slam Track, as I mentioned,
not the only circuit that has been added to this
elite racing opportunity world. We saw Alexis O'hanian's Athlos event
just for women and sprinters last year. Meg the Stallion
(17:57):
was performing you want to Tiffany Crown as part of
the winnings, like they made it really kind of a
cool event. And then Grand Slam Track arrives and for
such a long time. The Diamond League was like the thing.
Can you speak to how the pro running space has
changed and what that means for elite runners?
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, I mean it's really exciting. I love what Athlos did.
I think, you know, they raise the bar in prize
money and then also, hey, we could have like a
really cool musical performance, like you know, why not have
Mega selling there? And I think it's it's a really
cool that that track is like finally I think having
its moment and growing. Yeah, and it just makes me
(18:38):
really grateful to be an athlete during this time. And
I think it's only going to keep growing. Like we saw,
you know, the Olympics, Like I don't know the exact
stat but what twenty four million people tuned in to
watch tracks something like that. A lot of people tuned
in to watch track at the Olympics, and like, so
clearly there's a market for it. Clearly people want to
(18:59):
watch this sport. It's just like you ask people, hey,
when's the next time you're going to watch track, and
a lot of them will be like, oh, probably in
LA in twenty twenty eight, and it's like, no, we
have track all year round, every single year, like let's
just start getting some eyes on it. And I think
all those people, you know, at the people behind a flows,
people on Grantslamtrack understand that and they're they're feeling that
(19:20):
need of Hey, people like track and we have it
like watch it?
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
It feels like that's been a narrative for such a
long time though, and there hasn't been enough movement on
until this year and last year. I mean, the Diamond
League could have done this right with better sponsorships, with
more money, with some innovation and creativity that it's been
around since I think twenty ten, right, and you know,
there's only one Diamond League event that will be available
(19:47):
on TV in the US this year, the Prefontaine. Everything
else you have to find on flow Track. They don't
make it easy to find, and they haven't made it
kind of cool and flashy the way that Athlos and
maybe Grand Slam have. Does it feel like a missed
op opportunity for the Diamond League that they already had
this established circuit and if they had just made some
tweaks and then up the prize money using sponsors effectively,
(20:09):
they could have been getting some of the They could
have just owned it in a way that other like
the NHL, MLB, NFL they own that sport in this country.
Diamond League could have done that probably right.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Yeah, totally, and I think they still can. Like I
think there's room, like you said, like at the start
of this podcast, like they did up their prize money
this year for a first place, which is great. I
think what's tricky about the Diamondees that from my understanding,
there's each meat on the Diamon League circuit has a
very different like meat director and like it's not one
cohesive thing. It's like I think that that's an issue
(20:43):
for them. And then yeah, I don't want to like,
you know, hate on the Diamond League. Like there's a
time and place where and it's his own thing. And
like I was saying earlier, they are very focused on
running fast like and they're you know, at all their
Diamon leagues. They have pace lights and they have pacers
who come in and you know, run the first half
of the race and then step off to get the
(21:03):
thing going. And that's great, and I think that's awesome
and it's it's its own thing. But it's just I
don't know, I think there's room for both and all
of it, and but yeah, I do think that they're
kind of like, oh wow, these new ventures are coming
in and these new meets and these new leagues. Huh,
Like maybe we do need to step up our game.
(21:23):
And I think it's kind of challenging them. I think,
like a rise what is it like, It's not a
zero sum game.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
I think Rising Tide the cell ships, yes.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
And I think Grand Slam and Athlos are the diamond
it's going to help them.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
And yeah, well and I think also we always get
really excited about the flashy new thing and it needs
to be sustainable, right, Like it was just the very
first event for Grand Slam Track, but the crowds in
Kingston were super disappointing. In fact, Athlos and the Diamond
League both kind of took shots at the Grand Slam
Track launch, Like on the day of Athlos was taking
a subtle dig by posting about the crowds they had
(21:56):
at their event, and Diamond League announced their places the
most elite set of a and the one that's been around.
So there's a little bit of rivalry there, which to
your point, could be very good. It could inspire more
money and some changes. Is there any chance they'll cannibalize
each other. Is there a point where some athletes will
be at one event, some athletes will be at another,
they won't compete at the same and then it will
(22:16):
feel like you're missing out on the opportunity to have
this really high level competition that has all the stars.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Yeah, I think you kind of maybe see that a
little bit happening now, Like people you know are choosing
the Diamond League over Grand Slam or vice versa. I'm
definitely choosing Grand Slam over Diamond League this year, Like
I'm only going to do one, whereas like if Grand
Slam wasn't a thing, I probably would go to Europe
and race a lot more. But I don't know. I
think I hope that My hope is that, yeah, Grand
(22:46):
Slam just continues to grow because I think that model
is like what we need to get back to. It's
like head to head racing, pure racing. Like there's sure
if you want to go chase a world record, go
do it. But like this is a league and like
this is there are people, we all have contracts to
be a part of this league. Like we want this
is like other sports, right, Like we want to grow
(23:08):
the sport, and I think this is I don't know,
I just I'm biased, but I think Grand Slam is
the way to grow it. But I don't Yeah, I
don't want to say, like, let's burn down all the
other leagues, you know, Yeah, I don't know. I think
there's room for both for sure.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
It also feels like maybe a little time and place,
like you still want to get your best numbers, your
fastest races, you still want to hit those marks, but
there's a little bit of like tapering or training. We're
working on things that you can do at Grand Slam
where it's about winning and not numbers that maybe feels
like less of the goal at other events. And so
this allows you to keep competing and having the head
(23:44):
to head and having it be as much about the
win as it is about the number, and then time
and place for when it goes back to like this
is this is the goal and this is what everyone's
going to be talking about. Okay, So last thing, when
we talked to you last time and you were prepping
for the Olympics, a lot of Taylor Swift, a lot
of Charlie XCX, we saw a lot of TikTok dances.
Is what are we working on now? Do we have
any new dances in the works. Do we have any
music that's pumping through the headphones as we're running?
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Oh my gosh, I no, I mean I saw I
obviously didn't go to Coachella, but I feel like my
TikTok was all Aboutella and I heard Charlie XX like
her like that set was incredible, and then I Lady
Gaga set was also great. I don't know. I mean,
I'm so basic. Whatever's like, I'm into pop, you know,
(24:28):
whatever is popular, and so I don't know. Yeah, I'm
just waiting for the next new I guess dance trend.
I wish I had a better answer, But no.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
No worries. Nothing is broken through yet because it's not summer.
We're all pale and cold. We're waiting for the song
of the summer to hit so we can learn the
dance and get basic with it.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Have you listened to a lot of the New Gaga album?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Yes, like well like here and there, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Yeah, because if you like pop, she's just like. There's
actually a podcast I would wack commend called Switched on Pop,
and one of the recent episodes is all about Gaga's
new album, all the references to our own work, all
the references to other people's work. There's a song on
her album that's very Taylor Swift coded, which is kind
of shocking. It's Gaga doing Swift like definitely would recommend.
(25:17):
I'm gonna just shout out that podcast because it's such
a fun listen. So next time you're going for like
a long casual run and you want to like learn
while you're running, listen to the Gaga episode. They'll take
you through the whole new album. We always love catching
up with you. So excited that we get to see
more of you in these Grand Slam events. So we're
looking forward to Miami, and thanks for checking in.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Thank you so much, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Thanks so much to Nikki for taking the time. We
have to take another quick break when we come back.
That feeling when audio forms collide. Welcome back, Slices. We
love that you're listening, but we want you to get
in the game every So here's our good game play
(26:01):
of the day. Follow Nicki and follow Grand Slam track
on social media. We'll link to the accounts in the
show notes. You know, we always love to hear from you.
So hit us up on email. Good game at wondermedianetwork
dot com, and don't forget to subscribe. Rate and review
It's easy. Watch Switched on Pop rating ten out of ten.
Holy shit, this is interesting. Review you heard me tell
(26:23):
Nicki about it. Super cool podcast called Switched on Pop
that dives deep into one artist, one album, sometimes just
one song. There are so many good ones, but start
with the three to eighteen Lady Gaga episode, then the
two twenty seven and four to two Cowboy Carter Beyonce episodes,
the eleven nineteen Fleetwood Mac episode, and then the shockingly
(26:43):
interesting twelve twenty Santa Claus Is Coming to Town episode
Just trust Me. And if you can't get enough musical
deep diving, check out the Netflix show Song Exploder. There
are only eight episodes, but start with lin Manuel Miranda's
Wait for It and then The Killers When We Were Young.
Now it's your turn. Rate and review. Thanks to listen,
See you tomorrow, Good game, Nikki, Good Game, Grand Slam
(27:05):
Track prize money you trash bags on the street, Get
your literal shit together, New York. I know, I know,
it's just how they do it here. Yet another reason
Chicago is Superior. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,
(27:27):
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by
Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones.
Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan,
and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez,
and Grace Lynch. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and
I'm Your host Sarah Spain
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're in
New York City for the Business of Women's Sports Conference,
trying not to totally fangirl Chelsea Clinton and Laurie Hernandez.
It's Tuesday, April twenty second, and on today's show, we're
skipping the need to know and jumping straight to my
interview with the American mile record holder and twenty twenty
four Olympian, Nicky Hilts. I caught up with them last
week to hear how things have been since our last
(00:22):
visit pre Paris Olympics, chat about why they joined the
inaugural season of Grand Slam Track, get a peek at
the behind the scenes competition between competitions, and talk about
the impact of music and pop culture on their training.
That conversation's coming up right after this. We've got a
(00:43):
repeat champ here joining us for a second time here
on Good Game. They're the American record holder in the
mile and the two time reigning US outdoor fifteen hundred
meter champion. At the US Olympic Track Trials last year,
they clocked the second fastest time ever recorded by an
American in the women's fifteen hundred meter race and went
on to take seventh and the fifteen at the Paris Olympics.
They're part of the inaugural season of the Michael Johnson
(01:03):
founded Grand Slam Track and at the first event in Kingston,
Jamaica earlier this month, they won the eight hundred meter
race with a personal best. They competed collegiately for Oregon
and Arkansas. They founded the Pride five k charity race.
They've done the Charlie XCX Apple Dance on a bigger
stage than any of y'all, and they should not be
trusted with the vouvuzela. It's Nicky hilt.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Hey Nikki, Hey Sarah, how's it going good?
Speaker 1 (01:27):
I think you've got enough charisma and enthusiasm that we
do not need to hand you a horn. Based on
your Instagram and the voove azelas in Jamaica, I think
that was a bad idea for whoever did that.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I know I didn't they were loud. I didn't know
they were going to be that loud. But no, that
was so fun. I love that thing. I still have it.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Actually, do you do you remember? Are you old enough
to remember that there was a World Cup that they
started banning them because it was so annoying.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Oh I didn't know that, but that makes total sense.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Like during the soccer games, it was
the entire crowd was using the and it made it
like insufferable to watch and they ended up banning them
from being in the stands. So somehow they slipped back
into the track world, at least in Jamaica, which I
guess makes sense. So we spoke to you before the
Olympics last year. You were one of our first guests
on the show, and I just want to start there.
How has life changed for you? That felt like, you
(02:18):
know phrasing, but a coming out party for you on
the national and global stage of a different kind. How's
life been since then?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Oh it's been great. I mean definitely was like, yeah,
Paris was incredible. It felt like a ten day fever dream,
you know. But yeah, I think I definitely kind of
hit the post Olympics like I wouldn't say depression, but
just like low, like whoa like. And I think it
was because so much of last year was spent thinking
(02:45):
about the Olympics and then it happened and then it
was like what do I think about now? You know?
But it's been good. I mean I made some changes.
I have a new coach, which is awesome, but a
lot of things have stayed the same. Just it's like
I feel like, yeah, I'm entering a part of my
career where I'm really excited to compete more globally now.
(03:08):
And you know, I was seventh at the Olympics and
that was awesome for me. But I want to just
keep improving as athlete and I want you know, the
medals or are right there, and I want to within
the next four years the next Olympics cycle will be Yeah,
have kind of my eyes on the medals, so kind
of making the changes and little tweaks here and there
to kind of element my game a little bit.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
We love all of our guests here, but I have
to admit you're definitely one of our favorites. And I
don't think it seemed like anyone was having more fun
at the Olympics than you. Like you obviously were ready
for your race and prepping, and you went out of
you know, the area of Paris to train and make
sure you were in the right head space. But once
you got back, like just the selfies with everyone in
the dancing and everything, you really managed to bring your
(03:52):
whole self and your unique style to it instead of
getting too like tight, which was so fun to watch,
But that letdown is really common say that about things
like their wedding or things like the Olympics. Right when
there's that giant build up? Do you reset goals for yourself?
Because that dream of making the Olympics is such a
big one. Now is it about finishing a certain place
(04:12):
or continuing to just get better? Like what what have
you reset post Olympics?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah? I think the way I set goals, they're very
like process focused and like not really focused on the outcome.
Like my my goals for Paris were to number one,
have fun, and I think you saw that ye nailed it,
and then number two was run three fifteen hundreds that
I was proud of, Like that was just like my goal.
(04:39):
So it's not like I want to medal at the
Olympics or I you know, like it's kind of more
things that I can do. And so I think I
still have that same framework. Now it's just like a
new season and there's no Olympics on the line, but
we still have a World Championship and this fall in Tokyo,
and so yeah, I think just similar like I just
(05:00):
want to keep having fun. I want to grow and
I want to you know, get better. And like when
I think, like for me, when there's an area i'm
weak at or like there's room for improvement, I get
really excited because I'm like, oh, cool, I find master that,
then maybe that's what's gonna help getting to the next level.
Like I get really excited about kind of where I
(05:20):
can find inconsistencies or room for growth.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Yeah, because then it's like, oh, I'm going to unlock
something new and maybe do something else. You posted recently
just such an unhinged distance runner thing. You were like
when the thing you love doing is also your self care.
So I probably just needed a hug, but instead I
ran twenty two four hundred meters. It grows ghost but
obviously that's that's what makes you great. Okay, So tell
(05:45):
us about Grand Slam track. How did you get involved?
Was it like a phone call from Michael himself?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
I wish no. It was an email from Kyle Murder
and he's the he's the one that like signs all
the athletes and.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
The lesser representative.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, Chris, you know, but I was shocked. I mean
because I knew the format, and I was like, oh,
I hope that one of them I could be a challenger,
you know. But to get that email to be like
do you want to be a racer? Was like awesome,
and I my agent, you know, emailed it to me.
It was like he knew that there was something that
I really wanted and I was just it was just
immediately yes, like yes, I want to be a part
(06:23):
of this league. And yeah, that was back in like
I think it was October, so a couple months after
the Olympics, and I was I was just on board
right away.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Can you tell us about the format the racer versus
challenger in the two events?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
I think a good way to explain it is that
this Michael Johnson says this, but it's like the Olympics
is the best going head to head once every four years,
and Grand Slam track is the best going head to
head four times a year. And so the racers are
people who are signed on for all four of the
Grand Slams, and there's four per event category and then
(06:57):
each Grand Slam four new people will come in as challengers.
So the one we just had in Kingston, you know,
the event group that I'm in is the short distance,
and so we all run an eight hundred and a
fifteen hundred, and then you know, challengers of racers race
each other and then the combined score the highest points wins,
(07:17):
and so I was I won the eight hundred, and
I was third in the fifteen hundred, and so that
was enough points to get second overall in my event
category and which was awesome. Like, so that's kind of
I think the breakdown. I feel like if you follow
Grand Slam Track on social media, they have a lot
of ways where they break it down that's probably probably
like more well spoken than I am, but that's like
the gist of it.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Yeah, so that's great for folks like you that can
excel at multiple distances. Do they have any plans for
the field event folks that aren't multi events, because you can't,
you know, if you're a shot put or you're not
just gonna like randomly throw a Jav'm planning on just
keeping it on the track for now.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I don't know. I mean, I know right now this
season is it's great slam track, like it's very track focused.
But yeah, I do think in the future there's there's
definitely like a possibility to get field events involved, because
you know, that is the beauty of track and field,
like we have both. But yeah, no, I think I
think just now the focus is on on racing on
the track.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
So you're saying there's an opening for Grand Slam field axactly,
all right, there's an opportunity obviously. You know, this is
one of a couple things that have started up in
the track space. Michael Johnson a name that people will
follow and people will get on board with. Did you
look up to him growing up or did you mostly
stick to watching and idolizing the middle distance folks.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, I mean I obviously knew of him, and yeah,
the legacy that he has in our sport, and I
think it's just really cool, Like I feel like he's
really brought whatever made him a good athlete, you know,
an Olympic gold medalist like multiple time. Like he's bringing
that same intensity and focus and drive to Grand Slam
(08:58):
and like it's just cool to see a fellow athlete
like and a lot of the people on you know,
the leadership of Grand Slam track are former athletes as well,
and it's just like, oh, this is why this is
so well done. You know, these people are good at
their craft and they're you know, maybe to some extent
like perfectionists or whatever it is that makes someone a
good athlete, Like they're bringing that same intensity to it.
(09:20):
And I really really admire his not only just like
entrepreneurship and like we're gonna do this, but like after
our inaugural Grand Slam and Kingslam, he tweeted, like, hey,
give us feedback, like how can we be better? And
it's kind of like what I was just talking about
of I just I just think that's a really admirable
quality of like where is their room for growth and
how can we do it? And I think that you're
(09:42):
gonna see Grand Slam evolve and grow because of that,
and like because of the athletes in charge. They just
like they just care so much and they know what
they're doing, you know well.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
And there's obviously exceptions where the ego gets in the way,
but I think in general, across a lot of spaces,
that's a through line for athletes is give me feed
back and make me better. And so they're going to
apply that to themselves, like you said, where you're looking
for little things you can fix in your own racing,
and they're going to apply that after they're done competing
to whatever business they're in. So not only is he
bringing the excellence that he brought to the track, but
(10:13):
also now he wants to, like an athlete, be coached
up by everyone and hear how to make things better. Okay,
so you talked about the format. One of the most
striking things about it is the money. A total of
three point one five million dollars in prize money was
awarded just at that Jamaica event. Last place in every
event there took home as much as the regular season
(10:34):
Diamond League winners in the past. A couple Diamond League
events are paying a little bit more this year, I
think because Athlos kind of gave him a nudge and said, hey,
spend more money on the winners. But still the opportunity
to go to races like this and make a ton
more money than you're making elsewhere. Even if your last
no wonder you said, I'm in right away to be
a racer, right, that's four guaranteed paydays if you if
(10:57):
you compete right.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, no, exactly. The money is definitely a huge draw
for the athletes, especially in a sport like track and
field where we're not football players. Or basketball players like,
we don't make these huge incomes and so prize money. Yeah,
it's incredible, and the prize perse is it's hard to ignore.
And I think you're gonna see a lot of athletes like, shoot,
(11:21):
I want to be a part of this. I feel
like I think I was talking to Kyle murber A Browde.
He's like, I want really good athletes to be watching
at home and then be like, oh, I could have
won that, and then they come be a challenger the
next time, you know.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Yeah, so Miami is the next one. It's happening in May.
Will you run the same races there? Are you a
racer in your two events for the entire circuit?
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Yeah, I'm a racer for the short distance event category
for the whole thing. There's a few athletes like Gabby
Thomas who can kind of jump event groups. You know,
she can run a one to two and a four.
Right now, she's in the two four event group. But
I think for some she'll switch to like the one too.
But for me, yeah, I don't. I don't want to
move up. I don't want to be a part of
the three K five G group.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
No, And that was an interesting element of that first
event was and I'm forgetting the guy's name, but he
had such a lead in the first race that by
the time he got to the second he just had
to finish like top five or something to win. So
he coasted a little bit. And we're used to seeing
that in maybe like the Tour de France, where there's
multiple stages, maybe not so much on the track. So
something to think about in terms of the excitement. Also,
(12:26):
if you're better at the first event than the second,
it's harder to celebrate when you win the first one
because you still don't know how many points you might
need in the second one to win, Whereas if you're
leading in the first and then you perform well in
your second event, you kind of can celebrate the win.
How did you feel about that? That feeling of I mean,
of course you're going to celebrate your race and your time,
but when you finish being like, I don't know, was
(12:47):
that enough to get me enough when I get to
the next race. It's you don't usually pair things up
like that in racing totally.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Yeah, it's a brand new concept for a track, but
I really like it because I think it keeps the
focus on competing and not like oh, let's chase these
pace lights and run a fast time, like it's about
just head to head racing and like, Okay, what do
I have to do to be the overall champ? What
do I have to do in this race? What about?
You know, like who do I have to be? And
I think it's just people picked it up pretty quickly,
(13:17):
like yeah, you're talking about Grant Fisher, like he won
the five k and then I think he only had
to be third in the three k to secure the win.
And I think it's I think it's fun. I think
it's a new stratagy. It's something new for track, but
it's not new at the same time, it's just racing.
And that's the whole thing I think. You know, you see,
there's so many in all sports, but like track right now,
(13:38):
there's so much development in like technology, like the shoes
are insane. There's like we just have more knowledge than
ever on how to recover and like the training. Because
of the shoes, you can put in a lot more
training and recover quicker, like and so you're seeing and
the tracks are better surfaces right, like you're seeing the
fastest times we've ever ran. Of course, we are, like,
(14:00):
we're setting world records because we have the best technology.
So it's kind of like I hate that that's kind
of been the focus for the past few years of like,
you know, who can run the It's like, guys, the
point is racing. You don't ask the Olympic gold medalist
what time did you run? You're like show me your medal,
you know, Like, and I think that that's why I
(14:20):
was so attracted to Grand Slam, because that's how I've
always approached it, Like you can't compare our era to
like even ten years ago at this point because it
was so different than technology. So let's just stick to
the basics of like who in this era is competing
against each other and kind of just yeah, keep the
focus on competing, not chasing fast times.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Well, and that's like what racing always starts at is
in the backyard on the school track, Like who's faster
than who? That's what it is. Yeah, right, and you
get to have that feeling again. Also, by the way,
as a heptathlete, we've been doing that whole did I
do enough in this event to have to do enough
in this event? To do enough in this event? The
entire so now you guys are just understanding what it
feels like for us, For me, for instance, to suck
(15:04):
at the eight hundred and be like, it's all right,
I did enough in the javelin, I did enough in
the hurdles. What about the other racers. Obviously there's a
family of people you train with, people you see at
World Championships, Olympics. But is it a nice feeling to
have more of these events during the regular, like off
season of those major internationals so that you can hang
out with them. Are there racers that you're like, oh,
(15:26):
I'm so excited they signed up. I really wanted to
meet them or get a chance to hang out with them.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Yeah. I mean the racers in my event category are
the like the best in the world, and it's really
cool that I get to go up against them four times.
And you know, Jesshole is someone that I've competed against
for a very long time. We were I think a
year apart in college, and so you know, my senior year,
her junior year, she won and I was second by
(15:53):
like point oh two at the NCAA Championship. So we've
had like a long career of like, yeah, just going
head to head racing and and you know, Mary Morrow
is world champ in twenty twenty three, you know, in
the eight hundred, so it's really cool to I'm going
to be racing eight hundreds against a world champion in
that event, Like that's really special. Well, Tedgi is a
(16:16):
twenty two year old Ethiopian who is like just coming
into her own and she's you know, she's competed. I
think she's the only one that's competed out of world
champs in both the eight and the fifteen. So it's like,
I'm in really good company and I'm I really really
am excited that I get to race them, and then
the challengers that are going to come in are also
world class, so I'm just excited, Like this is just
(16:37):
what I love. And the people I think they're only
going to make me better because I'm I'm trying to
beat them and I'm like, well, shoot, I gotta get
better if I want to win.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah, we got to get like remember the old Mike
versus Mike. We need like a Hall versus Hilts. We
need like people to know your stats and how many
times you've raced and who's got the lead in the
heads ahead. We need to start marketing those rivalries the
way that we used to in the old days. Even
though I guess that one or was it Dave versus
Dan that was the one I'm thinking of, right.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yeah, yeah, I think Grand Slamchack has made a couple
graphics of those key matchups for sure. So yeah, we'll
see if there's a Hilts first whole one coming out.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
So well, tail of the tape, if you will. The challengers,
are they different every race or might someone come around
in Kingston then be back again in Philadelphia.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
I think for the most part, they'll be different for
each Slam, but if someone comes in and wins the
Grand Slam, then they get invited back if they want to.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
We got to take a quick break more with Niki
right after this. So Grand Slam Track, as I mentioned,
not the only circuit that has been added to this
elite racing opportunity world. We saw Alexis O'hanian's Athlos event
just for women and sprinters last year. Meg the Stallion
(17:57):
was performing you want to Tiffany Crown as part of
the winnings, like they made it really kind of a
cool event. And then Grand Slam Track arrives and for
such a long time. The Diamond League was like the thing.
Can you speak to how the pro running space has
changed and what that means for elite runners?
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, I mean it's really exciting. I love what Athlos did.
I think, you know, they raise the bar in prize
money and then also, hey, we could have like a
really cool musical performance, like you know, why not have
Mega selling there? And I think it's it's a really
cool that that track is like finally I think having
its moment and growing. Yeah, and it just makes me
(18:38):
really grateful to be an athlete during this time. And
I think it's only going to keep growing. Like we saw,
you know, the Olympics, Like I don't know the exact
stat but what twenty four million people tuned in to
watch tracks something like that. A lot of people tuned
in to watch track at the Olympics, and like, so
clearly there's a market for it. Clearly people want to
(18:59):
watch this sport. It's just like you ask people, hey,
when's the next time you're going to watch track, and
a lot of them will be like, oh, probably in
LA in twenty twenty eight, and it's like, no, we
have track all year round, every single year, like let's
just start getting some eyes on it. And I think
all those people, you know, at the people behind a flows,
people on Grantslamtrack understand that and they're they're feeling that
(19:20):
need of Hey, people like track and we have it
like watch it?
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
It feels like that's been a narrative for such a
long time though, and there hasn't been enough movement on
until this year and last year. I mean, the Diamond
League could have done this right with better sponsorships, with
more money, with some innovation and creativity that it's been
around since I think twenty ten, right, and you know,
there's only one Diamond League event that will be available
(19:47):
on TV in the US this year, the Prefontaine. Everything
else you have to find on flow Track. They don't
make it easy to find, and they haven't made it
kind of cool and flashy the way that Athlos and
maybe Grand Slam have. Does it feel like a missed
op opportunity for the Diamond League that they already had
this established circuit and if they had just made some
tweaks and then up the prize money using sponsors effectively,
(20:09):
they could have been getting some of the They could
have just owned it in a way that other like
the NHL, MLB, NFL they own that sport in this country.
Diamond League could have done that probably right.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Yeah, totally, and I think they still can. Like I
think there's room, like you said, like at the start
of this podcast, like they did up their prize money
this year for a first place, which is great. I
think what's tricky about the Diamondees that from my understanding,
there's each meat on the Diamon League circuit has a
very different like meat director and like it's not one
cohesive thing. It's like I think that that's an issue
(20:43):
for them. And then yeah, I don't want to like,
you know, hate on the Diamond League. Like there's a
time and place where and it's his own thing. And
like I was saying earlier, they are very focused on
running fast like and they're you know, at all their
Diamon leagues. They have pace lights and they have pacers
who come in and you know, run the first half
of the race and then step off to get the
(21:03):
thing going. And that's great, and I think that's awesome
and it's it's its own thing. But it's just I
don't know, I think there's room for both and all
of it, and but yeah, I do think that they're
kind of like, oh wow, these new ventures are coming
in and these new meets and these new leagues. Huh,
Like maybe we do need to step up our game.
(21:23):
And I think it's kind of challenging them. I think,
like a rise what is it like, It's not a
zero sum game.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
I think Rising Tide the cell ships, yes.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
And I think Grand Slam and Athlos are the diamond
it's going to help them.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
And yeah, well and I think also we always get
really excited about the flashy new thing and it needs
to be sustainable, right, Like it was just the very
first event for Grand Slam Track, but the crowds in
Kingston were super disappointing. In fact, Athlos and the Diamond
League both kind of took shots at the Grand Slam
Track launch, Like on the day of Athlos was taking
a subtle dig by posting about the crowds they had
(21:56):
at their event, and Diamond League announced their places the
most elite set of a and the one that's been around.
So there's a little bit of rivalry there, which to
your point, could be very good. It could inspire more
money and some changes. Is there any chance they'll cannibalize
each other. Is there a point where some athletes will
be at one event, some athletes will be at another,
they won't compete at the same and then it will
(22:16):
feel like you're missing out on the opportunity to have
this really high level competition that has all the stars.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
Yeah, I think you kind of maybe see that a
little bit happening now, Like people you know are choosing
the Diamond League over Grand Slam or vice versa. I'm
definitely choosing Grand Slam over Diamond League this year, Like
I'm only going to do one, whereas like if Grand
Slam wasn't a thing, I probably would go to Europe
and race a lot more. But I don't know. I
think I hope that My hope is that, yeah, Grand
(22:46):
Slam just continues to grow because I think that model
is like what we need to get back to. It's
like head to head racing, pure racing. Like there's sure
if you want to go chase a world record, go
do it. But like this is a league and like
this is there are people, we all have contracts to
be a part of this league. Like we want this
is like other sports, right, Like we want to grow
(23:08):
the sport, and I think this is I don't know,
I just I'm biased, but I think Grand Slam is
the way to grow it. But I don't Yeah, I
don't want to say, like, let's burn down all the
other leagues, you know, Yeah, I don't know. I think
there's room for both for sure.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
It also feels like maybe a little time and place,
like you still want to get your best numbers, your
fastest races, you still want to hit those marks, but
there's a little bit of like tapering or training. We're
working on things that you can do at Grand Slam
where it's about winning and not numbers that maybe feels
like less of the goal at other events. And so
this allows you to keep competing and having the head
(23:44):
to head and having it be as much about the
win as it is about the number, and then time
and place for when it goes back to like this
is this is the goal and this is what everyone's
going to be talking about. Okay, So last thing, when
we talked to you last time and you were prepping
for the Olympics, a lot of Taylor Swift, a lot
of Charlie XCX, we saw a lot of TikTok dances.
Is what are we working on now? Do we have
any new dances in the works. Do we have any
music that's pumping through the headphones as we're running?
Speaker 2 (24:07):
Oh my gosh, I no, I mean I saw I
obviously didn't go to Coachella, but I feel like my
TikTok was all Aboutella and I heard Charlie XX like
her like that set was incredible, and then I Lady
Gaga set was also great. I don't know. I mean,
I'm so basic. Whatever's like, I'm into pop, you know,
(24:28):
whatever is popular, and so I don't know. Yeah, I'm
just waiting for the next new I guess dance trend.
I wish I had a better answer, But no.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
No worries. Nothing is broken through yet because it's not summer.
We're all pale and cold. We're waiting for the song
of the summer to hit so we can learn the
dance and get basic with it.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Have you listened to a lot of the New Gaga album?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
Yes, like well like here and there, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Yeah, because if you like pop, she's just like. There's
actually a podcast I would wack commend called Switched on Pop,
and one of the recent episodes is all about Gaga's
new album, all the references to our own work, all
the references to other people's work. There's a song on
her album that's very Taylor Swift coded, which is kind
of shocking. It's Gaga doing Swift like definitely would recommend.
(25:17):
I'm gonna just shout out that podcast because it's such
a fun listen. So next time you're going for like
a long casual run and you want to like learn
while you're running, listen to the Gaga episode. They'll take
you through the whole new album. We always love catching
up with you. So excited that we get to see
more of you in these Grand Slam events. So we're
looking forward to Miami, and thanks for checking in.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Thank you so much, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Thanks so much to Nikki for taking the time. We
have to take another quick break when we come back.
That feeling when audio forms collide. Welcome back, Slices. We
love that you're listening, but we want you to get
in the game every So here's our good game play
(26:01):
of the day. Follow Nicki and follow Grand Slam track
on social media. We'll link to the accounts in the
show notes. You know, we always love to hear from you.
So hit us up on email. Good game at wondermedianetwork
dot com, and don't forget to subscribe. Rate and review
It's easy. Watch Switched on Pop rating ten out of ten.
Holy shit, this is interesting. Review you heard me tell
(26:23):
Nicki about it. Super cool podcast called Switched on Pop
that dives deep into one artist, one album, sometimes just
one song. There are so many good ones, but start
with the three to eighteen Lady Gaga episode, then the
two twenty seven and four to two Cowboy Carter Beyonce episodes,
the eleven nineteen Fleetwood Mac episode, and then the shockingly
(26:43):
interesting twelve twenty Santa Claus Is Coming to Town episode
Just trust Me. And if you can't get enough musical
deep diving, check out the Netflix show Song Exploder. There
are only eight episodes, but start with lin Manuel Miranda's
Wait for It and then The Killers When We Were Young.
Now it's your turn. Rate and review. Thanks to listen,
See you tomorrow, Good game, Nikki, Good Game, Grand Slam
(27:05):
Track prize money you trash bags on the street, Get
your literal shit together, New York. I know, I know,
it's just how they do it here. Yet another reason
Chicago is Superior. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,
(27:27):
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by
Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones.
Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan,
and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez,
and Grace Lynch. Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and
I'm Your host Sarah Spain
Host
Sarah Spain
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