July 26, 2024 • 28 mins
Reporter AJ McCord joins Sarah to discuss her new podcast, The PowHERful, highlighting Olympic and Paralympic athletes, plus the history of women’s surfing in Tahiti and the logistical challenges and thrills of reporting from the middle of the ocean.
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Check out AJ's podcast The PowHERful here
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we've already
carefully laid out our watching on the Couch outfits for
today's Olympic opening ceremony singular. Today on the show, Fantastic,
reporter aj McCord is going to tell us about a
few Olympic and Paralympic girlies to watch for in Paris
and Tahiti.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
But first, here's what you need to know today Winter
winner bald Eagle eight the African fish eagle for dinner.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
The US women's national soccer team beat Zambia three nil
in their Olympic opener, mal Swanson scoring two goals in
sixty six seconds, Trinity Rodman put the opposing d in
the spin cycle, scoring a goal of her own, and
Tierna Davidson, Naomi Germa, Kasey Krueger and the rest of
the American d kept the dangerous Barbara Band off the
score sheet.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Three points for the USA.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Unfortunately, we technically aren't even at day one of the Olympics,
and commentators are already tripping up when discussing important issues,
So we do have to set our Olympic days without incident.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Counter back to zero.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Soccer broadcaster John Champion began his discussion of Zambian coach
Bruce Moape, saying, quote, Bruce Mowape, who is many would
consider very fortunate to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
John did go.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
On to discuss the investigation into sexual misconduct and even
the fact that Moape had to take a taxi to
the game separate from his team. But we would prefer
a stronger opener to the discussion considering how messed up
it is that Wape is even allowed to be at
the tournament with the Zambian team. Remember how we told
you about drone Gate and the Canadians spying on New Zealand. Well,
(01:31):
Canada women's soccer beat the Football Ferns two to one
yesterday and Group A play behind goals from Evelyn Via
and Chloe Lacasse. Cheaters never prosper kids accept like this
one time. Funny moment though, when Canada Soccer tweeted out,
hey Canada, where are you watching today's match? From before kickoff?
(01:52):
My girls over at Galpal Sports responded about one hundred
feet off the ground, knock out blow.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well played.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
We've got some unfortunate news in US domestic soccer today.
The Chicago Red Stars announced that defender Sam Stobbs NWSL
season is over after she suffered a torn achilles tendon
in an NWSL lega MX Feminial Summer Cup matchup with
Gotham FC on July twentieth, Sam.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
We're sending you all the healing energies.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
More NWSL news, The Houston Dash of parted ways with
GM Alex Singer, who joined the club in August twenty
twenty two as its first ever GM. I'm sure we're
going to get some more context on that decision, but
for now, just another day in the NWSL, just another firing.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
The hell going on over there.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Athletes Unlimited's Pro Softball League starts up today sixty of
the most stellar softballers out there, like defending au Champ
Odyssey Alexander, Sidney, McKinney, and Moore. They compete for five
weeks at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois, which
totally makes sense because softball was born in Chicago and
Mount is right outside Chicago. If you didn't know, look
(03:02):
it up, y'all. Everything dope is from Chicago. Things kick
off at ESPN two tonight at seven pm Eastern, six
pm Central, So tune in some more softball news this
time in the college ranks. Raining NCUBA National Player of
the Year Nijerie Kennedy is transferring to Texas Tech. The
Athletic reported that Kennedy will receive a one year deal
(03:23):
worth over one million dollars with the Mattador Club and
nil collective for Texas Tech athletes. The previous high for
a softball pitcher believed to be one hundred and seventy
five thousand. The price is going up. Last season, Kennedy
helped Stanford make its third NCUBA Women's College World Series appearance.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Ever to hoops.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
The Chicago Sky has announced plans to build a new,
state of the art practice facility for the twenty twenty
six season. According to a Sky press release, the performance
center will feature multiple regulation sized courts, twenty four hour
year round access, and community partnerships with the Obama Foundation
and YMCA of Metro Chicago. And don't even think about it,
Aubrey Plaza. If anyone gets to be the first person
(04:04):
to tear their acl there, it's me. This news comes
at the midpoint of a season that started with the
franchise receiving a bunch of scrutiny for the setup of
Angel Reese's introductory press conference at their current center ie
no fans, few reporters, bad lighting, etc. And fans have
continued to take shots at their lackluster facility all season.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well feedback herd feedback taken after the break.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
We talk gnarly waves and Paralympic powerhouses. Stick around joining
us Now we've got a versatile reporter. She's covered everything
from professionals surfing to pickleball, Paralympics, Olympics and more on
outlets including ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports Network, and Portland
TV and radio. She's about to impress us by saying
(04:54):
something super complicated in Portuguese.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
It's AJ mccor to hit it with the RIAA.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
It is a joy to be with you. That means
thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
All right, all right, AJ, you're joining us because you've
got this awesome new podcast called The Power Full. And
you and I were at dinner in Tucson back in
October and you were like, I have this idea that
I want to do. I'm pitching it to my agents,
like I want it to happen. You wanted to highlight
women in extreme and outdoor sports a lot of the
sports that you cover, So what inspired you to pitch
(05:27):
it and how did you bring it to life.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
Yeah, so I grew up an extreme and outdoor sports athlete.
I was a surfer my entire life, and then my
competitive sport was gymnastics, and so for me, the Olympics
were always kind of the pinnacle of sport. Like I know,
for a lot of people, there's you know, super Bowls
and titles and all this stuff, but for me, it
was always the Olympics.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
That was always the end all be all.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
And then I was a whitewater rafting guide in college,
did a lot of backpacking, and so in my personal
life I kept getting drawn more and more to sort
of these extreme sports. Was I think tapped into what
I loved so much about gymnastics, which is like the
thrill of gymnastics is something that I was really drawn to.
And so for me, whitewater rafting was sort of it
(06:12):
was the job I had in college and it was
the one that really introduced me to outdoor sports and
outside of surfing, which wasn't in the Olympics up until
twenty twenty one. So for me it was just it
was so it's so a part of who I am
personally and that I was like, you know, I feel
like professionally I love telling the stories of people who
(06:34):
don't always often get their stories told, right, Like in
a locker room set. For me, there's always there's always
a group in Sarah, you know this sort of the
number of locker rooms you've been in, right, there's always
the ones who go very first to that superstar who
had the game, who did that, and you have to
check that box, especially depending on what you're covering. But
for me, it was always a person who maybe was
(06:55):
the assist or maybe had the standout night, like what's
going on in your life, what's happening that made you
have this night? And for me, that's always what I've
been drawn to because I think in sport it's so
much is a microcosm of our society. But there's also
a reason we're all drawn to sport, right, And it's
(07:15):
not just what these athletes are doing in their field
of play, on the court, in the ocean, whatever it is.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
It's about how they live their lives.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
And so when I really started finding my voice and
figuring out how I wanted to do that, and this
season of my career, which is freelancing for the first time,
I've been doing it for just over two years now,
and it was really the first time in my career
that I had the freedom to say, Okay, I get
to choose this path. I get to choose these assignments,
and it's not being dictated by the region that I
(07:44):
live in, or the station that I'm working for, or
even the teams that I'm covering. And so I decided,
you know what, I am so stoked. And again, Sarah,
you and I have been covering women's sports for a
really long time, and I'm so stoked that it is
having its moment right like fine, I know people are
looking at women's sports and not seeing a charity, they're
seeing a business, They're seeing amazing athletes, and we're getting
(08:06):
the coverage that we've worked so hard for. And so
I'm looking around, I'm going great, there's so much attention
on the WNBA, there's so much attention on the NWSL.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Who's not getting the attention.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
And it's my girls. It's my girls in the Olympic
and extreme and outdoor sports. And so these are the
ones that I've had the front row seat to get
to cover some of the most amazing moments in women's
surfing history in the last two years, and so I
was like, this is where I want to be.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
This is going to be my baby, my passion project.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
And when I was sitting down with you in Tucson,
I was just thinking about sort of the name of it,
and what kept coming back to me was powerful and
just how powerful these women are, not just in their
fields of play, because oftentimes they're competing against nature herself,
which we know Mother Nature is undefeated, but they were
also doing it with such grace and strength and confidence
(08:57):
in identity that to me, that is the powerful part,
Like that's the her part, impowerful. And so I named
it the Powerful spelled pow h r Ful because I
wanted to highlight these women's power and it comes from within,
it comes from the love of the game because for
so often, for so many times, these women have had
(09:18):
to not just do their.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Sport, but have like five other jobs to make it work.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
So that's sort of the long story, the long story short.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Of yeah, how it came to be.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Well, and you're the perfect person to bring us these
stories and also to get us fired up for this
upcoming Olympics and Paralympics, because you've spent so much time
talking to these great athletes, and so I asked you
to bring us a couple to keep an eye on.
And I want to start with the surfing because you've
been I love how you say front row seat, but
it's like front beach.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
It really is.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And when you say you know.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Whether they're doing it like on the court, on the field,
in the ocean, and I was like, oh my god,
it's very obvious. But it's so crazy to think that
someone's court is the ocean, the unpredictability of all of it,
other beings living where you're trying to win a medal,
you know's there's so many elements that make surfing so
fascinating and you've done such a great job of covering it.
(10:07):
And that has brought you Carissa Moore, who was the
first gold medalist in the Olympics when surfing was introduced
in the last Olympics. She'll be back in Tahiti to compete,
and let's start there. They're not even going to be
in Paris. They're competing in Tahiti and you.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Get to go there. So nice work, gig, thank you,
But tell us about Carissa.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Yeah, So Carissa is just one of those human beings
that has so much light, and you walk into a
room that she's in and you feel it, and for her, she.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Always calls it aloha.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
She's a native Hawaiian, really proud of her Hawaiian heritage,
and there's a whole story about how her being a
native Hawaiian and duke who was a Hawaiian really is
credited with sort of wanting to get surfing in the
Olympics way decades and decades ago. So it's a really
beautiful story that Carrissa, a Native Hawaiian, ended up being
the first Olympic gold medalist in surfing. But when I
(10:58):
brought her this idea, it was really cool because Ris
is somebody who has been so intentional and so honest
and so vulnerable.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
And I think that's the other thing that I'm.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
So grateful for in the extreme and Olympic and outdoor
sports world is that so many of these athletes have
never been asked the questions that are routine for athletes
getting in the w and the NWSL and the NBA,
NFL all this stuff, and so they're really willing to just.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Be honest with you.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
And so Carissa is one of those surfers and one
of those people, I should say, who just draws you
in and what she's trying to do at the wave
is called Chaa Hopo, which everyone.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Calls it chops. That's how it's been known around the
world for a long time. So feel free to go
either way.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
If you say chops during the Olympics, you're like, oh, yeah,
I'm an insider with surfing. But this wave is iconic,
and that's like almost putting it lightly. This wave translates
from Tahitian into basically like wall of schools or crasher
of schools because it is such a heavy wave that
it really is like when you say a dynamic field
(12:03):
of play, like the last thing the surfers are worried
about are the animals that are also surfing with them.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Instead, it is this massive slab.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
Of water that has the power to really do some
damage over a shallow reef and you're trying to somehow
ride it. And so for Caurisa, she is a five
time world champion, she's the reigning Olympic gold medalist. But
for her, her generation of women didn't necessarily have the
same incentive to practice on waves like this, on waves
(12:32):
like pipeline because they were not places that had women
surfing competitions, So from at Chopes from two thousand and
six to twenty twenty two, women were not having contests
there because it was deemed too dangerous of a wave
and it was a liability, which is a wild thing
to say that twenty twenty two was the first year
(12:53):
that there was a legitimate WSL sanctioned event at Tahiti
for the women, But even before that, like in the
two thousands, Kiala Kenney, Jesse, Miley Dyer. I mean, there's
so many women who were blazing the trail of women
surfing at these big, heavy waves like chokes like Pipeline.
But Carissa was coming up at a time when they
(13:14):
weren't having events there, So why would you go practice
in a place you weren't going to play? And so
Carrissa is taking this season, which is so cool after
she's been on tour for a decade plus and she
has these five world titles. She actually took this year
off from competitive surfing after Pipeline and she did not
compete in the rest of the WSL season up until
she was a wildcred at the Tahiti event to get
(13:36):
some practice in and so for her coming into the Olympics,
she's in a very different season of her life than
she ever has been because she's daring to ask herself
the question who am I outside of a competitive surfer?
And I think so many of us can relate to that,
and especially when we love our jobs, we love our careers.
So Carissa being the first guest was kind of perfect
(13:58):
because for me, it was also like I was asking myself, like,
who am I without this big brand behind me?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Right, whether it's CBS, Orius, Men, whoever. And so it was.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
Really beautiful to have that conversation with Ris And I
was so honored that she said yes because she was
my first yes, and.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
It was the one that was like, yeah, no, I've
believe in you, Aj and that meant more to me
than I know.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Okay, so we're definitely gonna listen to the Cariissa episode.
Side note, when you mentioned Duke, the first thought I
had was Lava Flows, which are the greatest drink that's
ever been invented that you get at Duke's, which is
named after that famous Hawaiian surfer. They're all over Hawaii,
but they're also in Malibu and other places and if
you have not had a lava flow, it is the
most delicious drink you'll ever have.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
In your entire life. You can count on it.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
But such a cool story for Carissa, that native Hawaiian
to be able to take that first medal.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
She'll try to repeat in Tahiti.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
We've got Sarah Adam also another episode of The Powerful
Wheelchair Rugby. Tell me more about Sarah and why we
should get fired up for this competition.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Okay, So, wheelchair rugby is the sport that I kid
you not is nicknamed murder ball.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
There was a two thousand and five documentary all about it,
and that is because these Paralympic athletes trick out their
wheelchairs to where they are battering rams. And wheelchair rugby
is one of the very few mixed gender sports in
the Olympics or Paralympics. And so Sarah Adam is actually
the very first woman to compete for Team USA's Paralympic
(15:25):
wheelchair rugby team. And so there have been women around
the world, I think four or five of them who've
competed in the Paralympics in the past, but she's the
very first member of Team USA to be a woman
and what's so cool is you talk to her teammates
and they're like, well, yeah, she's a woman, but like
she's so freaking good, Like there is no doubt, Like
there's no you know, like I think a lot of
(15:46):
times when you hear the first, right, there's almost that
fear if you are the first, that that's why you
got it, So you can be the first and like
sort of check that box. But all of her teammates
are like, uh uh, do not ding Sarah lightly. And
she is like in her early thirties and just like
this sweetish. She was an occupational therapist and she actually
volunteered for Wheelchair Rugby long before she ever knew that
(16:08):
she was going to sort of lose her mobility and
become a member of Wheelchair Rugby. And so she faced
out of Saint Louis and she's so sweet in person.
Then her episode, I was like, man, you're so kind
and so like, you know, she just gives off that
very like teacherly vibe. And then I watched her highlights
and I was like, oh my gosh, get out the way.
So watch out for Sarah because she is gonna be
(16:30):
making some her.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Story Wheelchair Rugby aka murder Ball already into it. I
remember seeing that documentary, didn't watch, but I remember seeing
all the publicity for it, and yeah, it's wildly physical. Okay, Well,
another episode we wanted to highlight Evy Leebfarth in kayak
and canoe. So tell us about Evy and why you
wanted to have her on.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
So Evvy, I mean, selfishly, this one was a little
near and dear to my heart because whitewater rafting and
canoeing and kayaking aren't all that far together.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
So we had a great.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
Time honestly sharing some pretty embarrassing stories about our most
humbling moments on the river. I don't know who wins
because mine wasn't training at hers was in the Olympics,
so I think technically she wins, but.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
You know whatever.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
And she's just a really beautiful soul who is not
only she's going to our second Olympics and she's in
her early twenties, so she's one of the younger members
of TMOSA to be a two time Olympian. She's competing
in three disciplines this summer, which is the first time
that any woman has ever done that in the for America.
In canoe and kayak and so she's actually competing in
(17:32):
a brand new discipline which is called kayak cross. So
I think snowboard cross in the Winter Games translate that
to like four huge boats dropping off of this ramp
and then bumping into each other and trying to go
through this course. It's the first time that it's ever
going to be in the Olympics, and she's going to
be competing in it.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
So she's really really sweet.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
But one of the reasons that I wanted to have
her on outside of her accomplishments, is just how honest
she's been about her journey of coming out and what
that cost.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Her early on, but what she learned through it.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
And I think as we talk about, you know, athletes again,
I am so much about highlighting the human being underneath
the jersey that I really felt like Evie had one
of those stories that is so so incredibly universal, and
yet she navigated it in such a beautiful and challenging.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Way that there were lessons to be learned.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
And I think that, you know, I'm never going to
go out and compete in kayak cross, although we did
promise to do like an exchange of sports next year,
so we see how that goes, but I can take
a lesson from how she handled sharing news about who
she is and what made her her that everybody didn't
necessarily agree with when she first shared it. And I
(18:48):
think that's what I want people to get from these
episodes is, of course I want the sponsorship money, I
want the attention to come to these women because they
a million.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Percent deserve it.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
But what I really believe was, like why I really
believe they deserve it is because.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
They are you and I. They have the lessons of
how they navigate life.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
They're so so universal and so beautiful and so Evy
was wonderful. She squeezed me in in Paris. It was
like six am my time working in Parisian time.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
I was like barely awake. And by the time she know,
she's like had four red bulls at that point.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
So she was another really great episode, And I just
I loved getting a chance to introduce again new sports,
like let's get behind these women who are making some history.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Well, I think we all know that once you have
a little bit of information, that's really all you need
to get interested in something. So I love that you're
on here giving us these names. We can go looking
for them. We can go looking for their events and
maybe introduce ourselves to an event or a sport that
we're not as familiar with and get super into it.
That's one of the best parts of the Olympics is
how they give us a little bit of the storytelling,
tell us the stakes and the rules, and then we're
(19:52):
all in. So you can check out all of the podcasts,
learn more about aj get excited about everything at the
Powerful dot com pow h E r f U. Well,
the Powerful dot com is where all the episodes of
the podcast live. Before we let you go. You're headed
to Tahiti to cover the surfing. So what is the
most exciting thing you've heard about going there? Maybe what's
the toughest part about covering surfing?
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Oh my gosh, I mean, pinch me. I'm so excited.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
I started my career covering tornadoes in Fayaville, Arkansas, and
now I get to go to Tahiti and cover Olympic surfing.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Like, are you kidding me? This is the dream?
Speaker 4 (20:24):
So I'm so excited to root on these athletes and
to get to bring everybody sort of the front row
seat to their stories. But I think if there's anything
sort of hard quote unquote about covering surfing. It's again
the field of play because obviously we're out in the ocean,
and so actually everybody who's covering the games are going
to be on boats in the channel. And so if
(20:47):
you've never sort of sat in the ocean, I don't
know how to describe it other than like, you know,
like a waterbed, Like, yeah, imagine a waterbed on steroids
and knowing that like five feet away from where you're
sitting on waterbed is like a twenty foot wave that
wants to just like pop you right off. But like
the channel is sort of this safe spot, but it
(21:07):
doesn't really feel that same because you're just like moving
up and down, up and down, and you're seeing what
the wave is doing like twenty feet away from you,
and you're just like, Okay, I trust the science that
I'm in the channel, and when I'm in the channel,
the wave is not going to break here. But like
you see it and it's so crazy. So I've sat
in a few channels around around the world where they
have these like big barreling waves, and it's something that
(21:29):
never ceases to amaze me because I just like I
feel like I'm a you know, I'm a confident, strong woman,
and then I get in the ocean and I'm like, nope,
I'm super humble.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
I will just sit here. I will mind my business.
I will not go where I'm not supposed to go.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
And let me get back to early. You're a lifelike steat.
I'm trying to I'm trying to picture.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Like the scrubs in like the Bear's locker room, trying
to like sit on a boat and do their job.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
It's incredible.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
It's like a whole other competition for your journalists just
to like stay in the boat and watch what you're watching.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
I love this.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
I'm so excited for your podcast. I'm so excited for you.
We can't wait to see you and follow your coverage.
Where can people follow you and support your coverage?
Speaker 4 (22:07):
Yeah, so you mentioned the Powerful the Powerful dot com
And then we also have a social media account where
I'm posting all of the clips for me to the episodes,
and I'm just really excited about some things that stood
out to me, some really funny moments. One of the
women we didn't talk about, but is the Pride of Alaska,
a love kelter who's going to be competing for rugby,
and she told me the story about how straight up,
growing up in Alaska, she confused a black bear or
(22:29):
a bear for a black lab.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
When she was a child, and so like these are
the things, these are the things that come up in
our podcast. We just it's so much fun.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
So anyway, the Powerful pow h E R f U
L on all social media platforms and then you can
find me AJ underscore record.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I'm going to be doing my absolute best to make
you feel.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
Like you are in Tahiti with me, because yes, you
please get it. It's a dream assignment and I want
you to feel like you're there.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
So we love that. That's where you can find it.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
We love it. Thank you so much, AJ, and have fun.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
Thanks Sarah, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
How awesome is she? So awesome? Love her.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
But now I kind of have double fomo because I'm
missing out on Paris and Tahiti. I'm just gonna pretend
it's not happening, gonna gonna surf the waves in my
mind during this break.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Be sure to come back though.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
Somebody done fucked around and found out tgif it's time
for freck around and find out.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Fridays and we're ready to be petty.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Today we're calling out the clown who tried to roast
Olympic rugby player Alta Mayor in her Instagram comments for
having a high BMI because first of all, mind the
business that pays you, and second of all, well let's
let Alana do the talking.
Speaker 5 (23:46):
I think you for this comment, I think you were
trying to roast me, but this is actually fact. I
do have a BMI of thirty well twenty nine point three.
Even more exact, I've been considered overweight my whole life.
In middle school, elementary school, high school, I was always
considered overweight. I remember, viv one time in high school
I did turning the physical to the office and right
at the bottom of the page it said overweight and
I was so embarrassed to turn that in andto to
(24:09):
have that written there. So my whole life I've been
this way. I chatted with my dietician because I go
off of you know, facts and not just what pops
up here, you know, like you do, and we talked
about BMI and we talked about how it really isn't
helpful for athletes. BMI doesn't tell you much. It just
tells you what your height and weight and what that equals.
(24:31):
I've said it before. I'm five to ten two hundred
pounds and I have about and it's this is an estimate,
but about one hundred and seventy pounds of lean mass
on me. Do that math in your head. You probably can't.
That's pretty crazy, right, And that BMI doesn't really tell
you what I can do. It doesn't tell you what
I do in the field, how fit I am. It's
just a couple numbers put together. Doesn't tell you how
(24:53):
much muscle I have or anything like that.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
So, yeah, I do have a BMI.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
I'm thirty, I am considered overweight, but alas I'm going
to the Olympics and you're not.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes commenter. And
by the way, BMI it played a key role in
the origins of eugenics. It allows insurance companies to sometimes
charge higher premiums for people with a high BMI, even
if they're perfectly healthy. And it makes absolutely no allowance
for the relative proportions of bone, muscle and fat in
(25:25):
the body. Bone is denser than muscle and twice as
dense as fat, so a person with strong bones, good
muscle tone, and low.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Fat, we'll have a high BMI even if they're fit
as hell.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
So until BMI starts taking into account the weight of
titty meat and a squat's built ass, we're not interested.
And for all the folks out there, we know athletes
come in different shapes and sizes. Fitness looks different on
and means something different to everybody. So whether you're actually
an Olympic athlete or the best fan of all fans,
we see you, baby, and you're perfect as is. We
(25:58):
love that you're listening, but we want you to in
the game every day too, So here's our good game
play of the day. I've been very sneaky, y'all. In fact,
I bet you underestimated my sneakiness. I have snuck an
Easter egg into every show since last Wednesday's premiere. That's
ten Easter eggs. What is the common theme and what
(26:21):
are at least three of those Easter eggs? Send your
answer to good Game at wondermedianetwork dot com, and one winner,
randomly selected from all the correct answers, will receive a
women's sports prize pack full of apparel and other goodies.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. It's easy.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Watch that one super long armhair that you notice in
the sunlight rating zero out of five stars. Review for
a second there you look over and you think you're
midway through transforming into teenwolf.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
How did it get so long? Why didn't you notice
it before? Thank God? The pluck is easy and satisfying.
In fact, I just spotted one today. Oh thanks for listening.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Have a great weekend, and we know you will because
there's a bonus Good Game episode with the best water
polo player on the planet, Maggie Stephens hitting tomorrow, Flavaflav
Horses and t Swift all making appearance.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
That's right, a Saturday episode. We're so good to you.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Good Game, aj Good Game, Elana Few torn achill Zzzz,
Sam Stobbs and Mine twenty years ago. 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, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
(27:46):
your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are
Alex Azzi and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett,
Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
And Emily Rudder.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Our editors are Jenny Kaplan, Emily Rudder, Brittany Martin Venas
and Grace Lynch. Production assistants from Lucy Jones and I'm
Your Host Sarah Spain
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we've already
carefully laid out our watching on the Couch outfits for
today's Olympic opening ceremony singular. Today on the show, Fantastic,
reporter aj McCord is going to tell us about a
few Olympic and Paralympic girlies to watch for in Paris
and Tahiti.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
But first, here's what you need to know today Winter
winner bald Eagle eight the African fish eagle for dinner.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
The US women's national soccer team beat Zambia three nil
in their Olympic opener, mal Swanson scoring two goals in
sixty six seconds, Trinity Rodman put the opposing d in
the spin cycle, scoring a goal of her own, and
Tierna Davidson, Naomi Germa, Kasey Krueger and the rest of
the American d kept the dangerous Barbara Band off the
score sheet.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Three points for the USA.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Unfortunately, we technically aren't even at day one of the Olympics,
and commentators are already tripping up when discussing important issues,
So we do have to set our Olympic days without incident.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Counter back to zero.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Soccer broadcaster John Champion began his discussion of Zambian coach
Bruce Moape, saying, quote, Bruce Mowape, who is many would
consider very fortunate to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
John did go.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
On to discuss the investigation into sexual misconduct and even
the fact that Moape had to take a taxi to
the game separate from his team. But we would prefer
a stronger opener to the discussion considering how messed up
it is that Wape is even allowed to be at
the tournament with the Zambian team. Remember how we told
you about drone Gate and the Canadians spying on New Zealand. Well,
(01:31):
Canada women's soccer beat the Football Ferns two to one
yesterday and Group A play behind goals from Evelyn Via
and Chloe Lacasse. Cheaters never prosper kids accept like this
one time. Funny moment though, when Canada Soccer tweeted out,
hey Canada, where are you watching today's match? From before kickoff?
(01:52):
My girls over at Galpal Sports responded about one hundred
feet off the ground, knock out blow.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well played.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
We've got some unfortunate news in US domestic soccer today.
The Chicago Red Stars announced that defender Sam Stobbs NWSL
season is over after she suffered a torn achilles tendon
in an NWSL lega MX Feminial Summer Cup matchup with
Gotham FC on July twentieth, Sam.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
We're sending you all the healing energies.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
More NWSL news, The Houston Dash of parted ways with
GM Alex Singer, who joined the club in August twenty
twenty two as its first ever GM. I'm sure we're
going to get some more context on that decision, but
for now, just another day in the NWSL, just another firing.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
The hell going on over there.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Athletes Unlimited's Pro Softball League starts up today sixty of
the most stellar softballers out there, like defending au Champ
Odyssey Alexander, Sidney, McKinney, and Moore. They compete for five
weeks at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois, which
totally makes sense because softball was born in Chicago and
Mount is right outside Chicago. If you didn't know, look
(03:02):
it up, y'all. Everything dope is from Chicago. Things kick
off at ESPN two tonight at seven pm Eastern, six
pm Central, So tune in some more softball news this
time in the college ranks. Raining NCUBA National Player of
the Year Nijerie Kennedy is transferring to Texas Tech. The
Athletic reported that Kennedy will receive a one year deal
(03:23):
worth over one million dollars with the Mattador Club and
nil collective for Texas Tech athletes. The previous high for
a softball pitcher believed to be one hundred and seventy
five thousand. The price is going up. Last season, Kennedy
helped Stanford make its third NCUBA Women's College World Series appearance.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Ever to hoops.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
The Chicago Sky has announced plans to build a new,
state of the art practice facility for the twenty twenty
six season. According to a Sky press release, the performance
center will feature multiple regulation sized courts, twenty four hour
year round access, and community partnerships with the Obama Foundation
and YMCA of Metro Chicago. And don't even think about it,
Aubrey Plaza. If anyone gets to be the first person
(04:04):
to tear their acl there, it's me. This news comes
at the midpoint of a season that started with the
franchise receiving a bunch of scrutiny for the setup of
Angel Reese's introductory press conference at their current center ie
no fans, few reporters, bad lighting, etc. And fans have
continued to take shots at their lackluster facility all season.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well feedback herd feedback taken after the break.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
We talk gnarly waves and Paralympic powerhouses. Stick around joining
us Now we've got a versatile reporter. She's covered everything
from professionals surfing to pickleball, Paralympics, Olympics and more on
outlets including ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports Network, and Portland
TV and radio. She's about to impress us by saying
(04:54):
something super complicated in Portuguese.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
It's AJ mccor to hit it with the RIAA.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
It is a joy to be with you. That means
thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
All right, all right, AJ, you're joining us because you've
got this awesome new podcast called The Power Full. And
you and I were at dinner in Tucson back in
October and you were like, I have this idea that
I want to do. I'm pitching it to my agents,
like I want it to happen. You wanted to highlight
women in extreme and outdoor sports a lot of the
sports that you cover, So what inspired you to pitch
(05:27):
it and how did you bring it to life.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
Yeah, so I grew up an extreme and outdoor sports athlete.
I was a surfer my entire life, and then my
competitive sport was gymnastics, and so for me, the Olympics
were always kind of the pinnacle of sport. Like I know,
for a lot of people, there's you know, super Bowls
and titles and all this stuff, but for me, it
was always the Olympics.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
That was always the end all be all.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
And then I was a whitewater rafting guide in college,
did a lot of backpacking, and so in my personal
life I kept getting drawn more and more to sort
of these extreme sports. Was I think tapped into what
I loved so much about gymnastics, which is like the
thrill of gymnastics is something that I was really drawn to.
And so for me, whitewater rafting was sort of it
(06:12):
was the job I had in college and it was
the one that really introduced me to outdoor sports and
outside of surfing, which wasn't in the Olympics up until
twenty twenty one. So for me it was just it
was so it's so a part of who I am
personally and that I was like, you know, I feel
like professionally I love telling the stories of people who
(06:34):
don't always often get their stories told, right, Like in
a locker room set. For me, there's always there's always
a group in Sarah, you know this sort of the
number of locker rooms you've been in, right, there's always
the ones who go very first to that superstar who
had the game, who did that, and you have to
check that box, especially depending on what you're covering. But
for me, it was always a person who maybe was
(06:55):
the assist or maybe had the standout night, like what's
going on in your life, what's happening that made you
have this night? And for me, that's always what I've
been drawn to because I think in sport it's so
much is a microcosm of our society. But there's also
a reason we're all drawn to sport, right, And it's
(07:15):
not just what these athletes are doing in their field
of play, on the court, in the ocean, whatever it is.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
It's about how they live their lives.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
And so when I really started finding my voice and
figuring out how I wanted to do that, and this
season of my career, which is freelancing for the first time,
I've been doing it for just over two years now,
and it was really the first time in my career
that I had the freedom to say, Okay, I get
to choose this path. I get to choose these assignments,
and it's not being dictated by the region that I
(07:44):
live in, or the station that I'm working for, or
even the teams that I'm covering. And so I decided,
you know what, I am so stoked. And again, Sarah,
you and I have been covering women's sports for a
really long time, and I'm so stoked that it is
having its moment right like fine, I know people are
looking at women's sports and not seeing a charity, they're
seeing a business, They're seeing amazing athletes, and we're getting
(08:06):
the coverage that we've worked so hard for. And so
I'm looking around, I'm going great, there's so much attention
on the WNBA, there's so much attention on the NWSL.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Who's not getting the attention.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
And it's my girls. It's my girls in the Olympic
and extreme and outdoor sports. And so these are the
ones that I've had the front row seat to get
to cover some of the most amazing moments in women's
surfing history in the last two years, and so I
was like, this is where I want to be.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
This is going to be my baby, my passion project.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
And when I was sitting down with you in Tucson,
I was just thinking about sort of the name of it,
and what kept coming back to me was powerful and
just how powerful these women are, not just in their
fields of play, because oftentimes they're competing against nature herself,
which we know Mother Nature is undefeated, but they were
also doing it with such grace and strength and confidence
(08:57):
in identity that to me, that is the powerful part,
Like that's the her part, impowerful. And so I named
it the Powerful spelled pow h r Ful because I
wanted to highlight these women's power and it comes from within,
it comes from the love of the game because for
so often, for so many times, these women have had
(09:18):
to not just do their.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Sport, but have like five other jobs to make it work.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
So that's sort of the long story, the long story short.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Of yeah, how it came to be.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Well, and you're the perfect person to bring us these
stories and also to get us fired up for this
upcoming Olympics and Paralympics, because you've spent so much time
talking to these great athletes, and so I asked you
to bring us a couple to keep an eye on.
And I want to start with the surfing because you've
been I love how you say front row seat, but
it's like front beach.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
It really is.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And when you say you know.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Whether they're doing it like on the court, on the field,
in the ocean, and I was like, oh my god,
it's very obvious. But it's so crazy to think that
someone's court is the ocean, the unpredictability of all of it,
other beings living where you're trying to win a medal,
you know's there's so many elements that make surfing so
fascinating and you've done such a great job of covering it.
(10:07):
And that has brought you Carissa Moore, who was the
first gold medalist in the Olympics when surfing was introduced
in the last Olympics. She'll be back in Tahiti to compete,
and let's start there. They're not even going to be
in Paris. They're competing in Tahiti and you.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Get to go there. So nice work, gig, thank you,
But tell us about Carissa.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Yeah, So Carissa is just one of those human beings
that has so much light, and you walk into a
room that she's in and you feel it, and for her, she.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Always calls it aloha.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
She's a native Hawaiian, really proud of her Hawaiian heritage,
and there's a whole story about how her being a
native Hawaiian and duke who was a Hawaiian really is
credited with sort of wanting to get surfing in the
Olympics way decades and decades ago. So it's a really
beautiful story that Carrissa, a Native Hawaiian, ended up being
the first Olympic gold medalist in surfing. But when I
(10:58):
brought her this idea, it was really cool because Ris
is somebody who has been so intentional and so honest
and so vulnerable.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
And I think that's the other thing that I'm.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
So grateful for in the extreme and Olympic and outdoor
sports world is that so many of these athletes have
never been asked the questions that are routine for athletes
getting in the w and the NWSL and the NBA,
NFL all this stuff, and so they're really willing to just.
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Be honest with you.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
And so Carissa is one of those surfers and one
of those people, I should say, who just draws you
in and what she's trying to do at the wave
is called Chaa Hopo, which everyone.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Calls it chops. That's how it's been known around the
world for a long time. So feel free to go
either way.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
If you say chops during the Olympics, you're like, oh, yeah,
I'm an insider with surfing. But this wave is iconic,
and that's like almost putting it lightly. This wave translates
from Tahitian into basically like wall of schools or crasher
of schools because it is such a heavy wave that
it really is like when you say a dynamic field
(12:03):
of play, like the last thing the surfers are worried
about are the animals that are also surfing with them.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Instead, it is this massive slab.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
Of water that has the power to really do some
damage over a shallow reef and you're trying to somehow
ride it. And so for Caurisa, she is a five
time world champion, she's the reigning Olympic gold medalist. But
for her, her generation of women didn't necessarily have the
same incentive to practice on waves like this, on waves
(12:32):
like pipeline because they were not places that had women
surfing competitions, So from at Chopes from two thousand and
six to twenty twenty two, women were not having contests
there because it was deemed too dangerous of a wave
and it was a liability, which is a wild thing
to say that twenty twenty two was the first year
(12:53):
that there was a legitimate WSL sanctioned event at Tahiti
for the women, But even before that, like in the
two thousands, Kiala Kenney, Jesse, Miley Dyer. I mean, there's
so many women who were blazing the trail of women
surfing at these big, heavy waves like chokes like Pipeline.
But Carissa was coming up at a time when they
(13:14):
weren't having events there, So why would you go practice
in a place you weren't going to play? And so
Carrissa is taking this season, which is so cool after
she's been on tour for a decade plus and she
has these five world titles. She actually took this year
off from competitive surfing after Pipeline and she did not
compete in the rest of the WSL season up until
she was a wildcred at the Tahiti event to get
(13:36):
some practice in and so for her coming into the Olympics,
she's in a very different season of her life than
she ever has been because she's daring to ask herself
the question who am I outside of a competitive surfer?
And I think so many of us can relate to that,
and especially when we love our jobs, we love our careers.
So Carissa being the first guest was kind of perfect
(13:58):
because for me, it was also like I was asking myself, like,
who am I without this big brand behind me?
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Right, whether it's CBS, Orius, Men, whoever. And so it was.
Speaker 4 (14:06):
Really beautiful to have that conversation with Ris And I
was so honored that she said yes because she was
my first yes, and.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
It was the one that was like, yeah, no, I've
believe in you, Aj and that meant more to me
than I know.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Okay, so we're definitely gonna listen to the Cariissa episode.
Side note, when you mentioned Duke, the first thought I
had was Lava Flows, which are the greatest drink that's
ever been invented that you get at Duke's, which is
named after that famous Hawaiian surfer. They're all over Hawaii,
but they're also in Malibu and other places and if
you have not had a lava flow, it is the
most delicious drink you'll ever have.
Speaker 2 (14:39):
In your entire life. You can count on it.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
But such a cool story for Carissa, that native Hawaiian
to be able to take that first medal.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
She'll try to repeat in Tahiti.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
We've got Sarah Adam also another episode of The Powerful
Wheelchair Rugby. Tell me more about Sarah and why we
should get fired up for this competition.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Okay, So, wheelchair rugby is the sport that I kid
you not is nicknamed murder ball.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
There was a two thousand and five documentary all about it,
and that is because these Paralympic athletes trick out their
wheelchairs to where they are battering rams. And wheelchair rugby
is one of the very few mixed gender sports in
the Olympics or Paralympics. And so Sarah Adam is actually
the very first woman to compete for Team USA's Paralympic
(15:25):
wheelchair rugby team. And so there have been women around
the world, I think four or five of them who've
competed in the Paralympics in the past, but she's the
very first member of Team USA to be a woman
and what's so cool is you talk to her teammates
and they're like, well, yeah, she's a woman, but like
she's so freaking good, Like there is no doubt, Like
there's no you know, like I think a lot of
(15:46):
times when you hear the first, right, there's almost that
fear if you are the first, that that's why you
got it, So you can be the first and like
sort of check that box. But all of her teammates
are like, uh uh, do not ding Sarah lightly. And
she is like in her early thirties and just like
this sweetish. She was an occupational therapist and she actually
volunteered for Wheelchair Rugby long before she ever knew that
(16:08):
she was going to sort of lose her mobility and
become a member of Wheelchair Rugby. And so she faced
out of Saint Louis and she's so sweet in person.
Then her episode, I was like, man, you're so kind
and so like, you know, she just gives off that
very like teacherly vibe. And then I watched her highlights
and I was like, oh my gosh, get out the way.
So watch out for Sarah because she is gonna be
(16:30):
making some her.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Story Wheelchair Rugby aka murder Ball already into it. I
remember seeing that documentary, didn't watch, but I remember seeing
all the publicity for it, and yeah, it's wildly physical. Okay, Well,
another episode we wanted to highlight Evy Leebfarth in kayak
and canoe. So tell us about Evy and why you
wanted to have her on.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
So Evvy, I mean, selfishly, this one was a little
near and dear to my heart because whitewater rafting and
canoeing and kayaking aren't all that far together.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
So we had a great.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
Time honestly sharing some pretty embarrassing stories about our most
humbling moments on the river. I don't know who wins
because mine wasn't training at hers was in the Olympics,
so I think technically she wins, but.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
You know whatever.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
And she's just a really beautiful soul who is not
only she's going to our second Olympics and she's in
her early twenties, so she's one of the younger members
of TMOSA to be a two time Olympian. She's competing
in three disciplines this summer, which is the first time
that any woman has ever done that in the for America.
In canoe and kayak and so she's actually competing in
(17:32):
a brand new discipline which is called kayak cross. So
I think snowboard cross in the Winter Games translate that
to like four huge boats dropping off of this ramp
and then bumping into each other and trying to go
through this course. It's the first time that it's ever
going to be in the Olympics, and she's going to
be competing in it.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
So she's really really sweet.
Speaker 4 (17:53):
But one of the reasons that I wanted to have
her on outside of her accomplishments, is just how honest
she's been about her journey of coming out and what
that cost.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Her early on, but what she learned through it.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
And I think as we talk about, you know, athletes again,
I am so much about highlighting the human being underneath
the jersey that I really felt like Evie had one
of those stories that is so so incredibly universal, and
yet she navigated it in such a beautiful and challenging.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Way that there were lessons to be learned.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
And I think that, you know, I'm never going to
go out and compete in kayak cross, although we did
promise to do like an exchange of sports next year,
so we see how that goes, but I can take
a lesson from how she handled sharing news about who
she is and what made her her that everybody didn't
necessarily agree with when she first shared it. And I
(18:48):
think that's what I want people to get from these
episodes is, of course I want the sponsorship money, I
want the attention to come to these women because they
a million.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Percent deserve it.
Speaker 4 (18:58):
But what I really believe was, like why I really
believe they deserve it is because.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
They are you and I. They have the lessons of
how they navigate life.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
They're so so universal and so beautiful and so Evy
was wonderful. She squeezed me in in Paris. It was
like six am my time working in Parisian time.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
I was like barely awake. And by the time she know,
she's like had four red bulls at that point.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
So she was another really great episode, And I just
I loved getting a chance to introduce again new sports,
like let's get behind these women who are making some history.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
Well, I think we all know that once you have
a little bit of information, that's really all you need
to get interested in something. So I love that you're
on here giving us these names. We can go looking
for them. We can go looking for their events and
maybe introduce ourselves to an event or a sport that
we're not as familiar with and get super into it.
That's one of the best parts of the Olympics is
how they give us a little bit of the storytelling,
tell us the stakes and the rules, and then we're
(19:52):
all in. So you can check out all of the podcasts,
learn more about aj get excited about everything at the
Powerful dot com pow h E r f U. Well,
the Powerful dot com is where all the episodes of
the podcast live. Before we let you go. You're headed
to Tahiti to cover the surfing. So what is the
most exciting thing you've heard about going there? Maybe what's
the toughest part about covering surfing?
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Oh my gosh, I mean, pinch me. I'm so excited.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
I started my career covering tornadoes in Fayaville, Arkansas, and
now I get to go to Tahiti and cover Olympic surfing.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Like, are you kidding me? This is the dream?
Speaker 4 (20:24):
So I'm so excited to root on these athletes and
to get to bring everybody sort of the front row
seat to their stories. But I think if there's anything
sort of hard quote unquote about covering surfing. It's again
the field of play because obviously we're out in the ocean,
and so actually everybody who's covering the games are going
to be on boats in the channel. And so if
(20:47):
you've never sort of sat in the ocean, I don't
know how to describe it other than like, you know,
like a waterbed, Like, yeah, imagine a waterbed on steroids
and knowing that like five feet away from where you're
sitting on waterbed is like a twenty foot wave that
wants to just like pop you right off. But like
the channel is sort of this safe spot, but it
(21:07):
doesn't really feel that same because you're just like moving
up and down, up and down, and you're seeing what
the wave is doing like twenty feet away from you,
and you're just like, Okay, I trust the science that
I'm in the channel, and when I'm in the channel,
the wave is not going to break here. But like
you see it and it's so crazy. So I've sat
in a few channels around around the world where they
have these like big barreling waves, and it's something that
(21:29):
never ceases to amaze me because I just like I
feel like I'm a you know, I'm a confident, strong woman,
and then I get in the ocean and I'm like, nope,
I'm super humble.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
I will just sit here. I will mind my business.
I will not go where I'm not supposed to go.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
And let me get back to early. You're a lifelike steat.
I'm trying to I'm trying to picture.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Like the scrubs in like the Bear's locker room, trying
to like sit on a boat and do their job.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
It's incredible.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
It's like a whole other competition for your journalists just
to like stay in the boat and watch what you're watching.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
I love this.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
I'm so excited for your podcast. I'm so excited for you.
We can't wait to see you and follow your coverage.
Where can people follow you and support your coverage?
Speaker 4 (22:07):
Yeah, so you mentioned the Powerful the Powerful dot com
And then we also have a social media account where
I'm posting all of the clips for me to the episodes,
and I'm just really excited about some things that stood
out to me, some really funny moments. One of the
women we didn't talk about, but is the Pride of Alaska,
a love kelter who's going to be competing for rugby,
and she told me the story about how straight up,
growing up in Alaska, she confused a black bear or
(22:29):
a bear for a black lab.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
When she was a child, and so like these are
the things, these are the things that come up in
our podcast. We just it's so much fun.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
So anyway, the Powerful pow h E R f U
L on all social media platforms and then you can
find me AJ underscore record.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I'm going to be doing my absolute best to make
you feel.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
Like you are in Tahiti with me, because yes, you
please get it. It's a dream assignment and I want
you to feel like you're there.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
So we love that. That's where you can find it.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
We love it. Thank you so much, AJ, and have fun.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
Thanks Sarah, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
How awesome is she? So awesome? Love her.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
But now I kind of have double fomo because I'm
missing out on Paris and Tahiti. I'm just gonna pretend
it's not happening, gonna gonna surf the waves in my
mind during this break.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Be sure to come back though.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
Somebody done fucked around and found out tgif it's time
for freck around and find out.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Fridays and we're ready to be petty.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Today we're calling out the clown who tried to roast
Olympic rugby player Alta Mayor in her Instagram comments for
having a high BMI because first of all, mind the
business that pays you, and second of all, well let's
let Alana do the talking.
Speaker 5 (23:46):
I think you for this comment, I think you were
trying to roast me, but this is actually fact. I
do have a BMI of thirty well twenty nine point three.
Even more exact, I've been considered overweight my whole life.
In middle school, elementary school, high school, I was always
considered overweight. I remember, viv one time in high school
I did turning the physical to the office and right
at the bottom of the page it said overweight and
I was so embarrassed to turn that in andto to
(24:09):
have that written there. So my whole life I've been
this way. I chatted with my dietician because I go
off of you know, facts and not just what pops
up here, you know, like you do, and we talked
about BMI and we talked about how it really isn't
helpful for athletes. BMI doesn't tell you much. It just
tells you what your height and weight and what that equals.
(24:31):
I've said it before. I'm five to ten two hundred
pounds and I have about and it's this is an estimate,
but about one hundred and seventy pounds of lean mass
on me. Do that math in your head. You probably can't.
That's pretty crazy, right, And that BMI doesn't really tell
you what I can do. It doesn't tell you what
I do in the field, how fit I am. It's
just a couple numbers put together. Doesn't tell you how
(24:53):
much muscle I have or anything like that.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
So, yeah, I do have a BMI.
Speaker 5 (24:59):
I'm thirty, I am considered overweight, but alas I'm going
to the Olympics and you're not.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes commenter. And
by the way, BMI it played a key role in
the origins of eugenics. It allows insurance companies to sometimes
charge higher premiums for people with a high BMI, even
if they're perfectly healthy. And it makes absolutely no allowance
for the relative proportions of bone, muscle and fat in
(25:25):
the body. Bone is denser than muscle and twice as
dense as fat, so a person with strong bones, good
muscle tone, and low.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
Fat, we'll have a high BMI even if they're fit
as hell.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
So until BMI starts taking into account the weight of
titty meat and a squat's built ass, we're not interested.
And for all the folks out there, we know athletes
come in different shapes and sizes. Fitness looks different on
and means something different to everybody. So whether you're actually
an Olympic athlete or the best fan of all fans,
we see you, baby, and you're perfect as is. We
(25:58):
love that you're listening, but we want you to in
the game every day too, So here's our good game
play of the day. I've been very sneaky, y'all. In fact,
I bet you underestimated my sneakiness. I have snuck an
Easter egg into every show since last Wednesday's premiere. That's
ten Easter eggs. What is the common theme and what
(26:21):
are at least three of those Easter eggs? Send your
answer to good Game at wondermedianetwork dot com, and one winner,
randomly selected from all the correct answers, will receive a
women's sports prize pack full of apparel and other goodies.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. It's easy.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
Watch that one super long armhair that you notice in
the sunlight rating zero out of five stars. Review for
a second there you look over and you think you're
midway through transforming into teenwolf.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
How did it get so long? Why didn't you notice
it before? Thank God? The pluck is easy and satisfying.
In fact, I just spotted one today. Oh thanks for listening.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Have a great weekend, and we know you will because
there's a bonus Good Game episode with the best water
polo player on the planet, Maggie Stephens hitting tomorrow, Flavaflav
Horses and t Swift all making appearance.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
That's right, a Saturday episode. We're so good to you.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Good Game, aj Good Game, Elana Few torn achill Zzzz,
Sam Stobbs and Mine twenty years ago. 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, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
(27:46):
your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are
Alex Azzi and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett,
Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
And Emily Rudder.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Our editors are Jenny Kaplan, Emily Rudder, Brittany Martin Venas
and Grace Lynch. Production assistants from Lucy Jones and I'm
Your Host Sarah Spain
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