Social Kick (w/ Bryan Lundquist)

What happens when two former elite swimmers reunite after years apart to discuss the dramatic evolution of their sport? You get an fascinating conversation about world records, training philosophy, and why today's high school swimmers might have beaten Olympic champions from just 15 years ago. In episode 172 of the Rule Your Pool podcast, host Eric Knight welcomes Bryan Lundquist, former Auburn swimmer, American record holder, and current host of the rapidly growing Social Kick podcast.

From Pool Deck to Podcast: The Social Kick Story

Bryan's journey back into swimming's spotlight began with a simple desire to maintain connections with the sport and fellow swimmers. After his competitive career ended, he found himself watching swimming meets with former teammates, sharing drinks and passionate discussions about the sport they loved.

It's always made me sad that people, when they finished swimming, they lost their relationship with the water, and I always knew that that wasn't going to be the case for me. So I got into a master swimming group, made friends through swimming, and became lifelong friends of mine. And we used to hang out and watch the live stream of swimming, NCAAs or the world championships, and just hang out, drinking beers and whiskey and talking about swimming.

— Bryan Lundquist, Rule Your Pool Podcast

The name "Social Kick" itself reflects this casual, conversational approach. In swimming terminology, a social kick is an easy, interval-free exercise where swimmers kick alongside friends during practice. It's a time for relaxation and conversation about anything - swimming technique, life updates, or what Bryan diplomatically calls "hot goss."

What started as friends staying connected across different cities has evolved into a platform featuring guests from teenage phenoms to world champions, with participants joining from around the globe. The podcast serves a dual purpose: maintaining lifelong friendships while celebrating their shared passion for competitive swimming.

Record-Breaking Memories: When Barriers Fall

Both Knight and Lundquist share a unique bond - they both set American records in the same pool at the University of Tennessee. Lundquist's story of setting the 50 butterfly American record is particularly memorable, not just for the time itself, but for the strategic disaster that followed.

Swimming the 50 fly as the first half of a 100 butterfly race, Lundquist went out in a blazing 22.9 seconds, shattering the American record. The problem? He still had another 50 meters to complete, and he was completely spent.

I set the American record to 50 butterfly while going out the first 50 as fast as I could in 100 butterfly at a sectionals in July of 2009. So I did the world's worst back half of 100 butterfly. I was out in 22.9 and back in 37... all I need to do is not break stroke. I just need to swim legal butterfly, which is a whole lot harder to do than you think it might be when you've gone up as fast as you can go with one breath.

— Bryan Lundquist, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This anecdote perfectly illustrates the mental and physical challenges elite swimmers face, and the sometimes comedic situations that arise when pushing human performance to its limits. The conversation also touched on the phenomenon of "piano falling on your back" - swimming terminology for when complete exhaustion causes butterfly swimmers to go vertical in the water, their technique completely breaking down.

The Fred Bousquet Moment: Witnessing Swimming History

One of the most compelling parts of their discussion centered on witnessing truly historic moments in swimming. Lundquist was teammates with Fred Bousquet at Auburn when the French sprinter became the first person to break 19 seconds in the 50 freestyle, clocking an incredible 18.7.

The significance of this moment cannot be overstated. The NCAA record had stood at 19.05 for approximately two decades, with Olympic and world champions like Anthony Ervin and Roland Schoeman unable to break through. When Bousquet finally shattered the barrier, he didn't just break it - he obliterated it by three-tenths of a second, a massive margin in sprint swimming.

I remember there's like a few moments I've been on a pool deck where the whole crowd stops. And it's like you could hear a pin drop. And I get chills even thinking about those types of moments. That's what that was like. Everyone in the pool said, okay, it doesn't matter what team you're on. That was amazing. And we all need to celebrate that.

— Bryan Lundquist, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This experience gave Lundquist firsthand insight into what it takes to achieve seemingly impossible performances and the communal nature of celebrating human achievement in sport.

The YouTube Generation: Why Swimming Got So Fast

Perhaps the most intriguing part of their conversation focused on why competitive swimming has become so dramatically faster in recent years. Knight proposed what he calls the "YouTube theory" - that current swimmers and coaches have unprecedented access to technique analysis through video platforms.

When Knight and Lundquist were competing in the early-to-mid 2000s, video analysis was extremely limited. Swimmers could only study Olympic footage, and platforms like Flow Swimming didn't emerge until the very end of their collegiate careers. Today's athletes can analyze the world's best swimmers frame by frame, studying technique with scientific precision.

Lundquist expanded on this theory, suggesting it's part of a broader trend toward knowledge sharing and professionalization at younger levels:

If your example of YouTube is indicative of greater knowledge share, more transparency than theory, because to me, that's sort of the macro theme is that, and this has been true throughout history, that sport evolves as new training methods are discovered. And then the path to elite level is also passed down.

— Bryan Lundquist, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This evolution includes better training methods, greater focus on quality over quantity, improved nutrition, and more professional approaches to rest and recovery. High school and college swimmers today operate at a level of sophistication that was previously reserved for only the most elite professionals.

Breaking Psychological Barriers: The Bannister Effect

The conversation also explored the psychological aspect of barrier-breaking performances. Lundquist referenced Roger Bannister's famous four-minute mile, noting that once someone proves something is possible, others quickly follow.

This phenomenon is clearly visible in swimming. After Bousquet broke 19 seconds, multiple swimmers soon joined the sub-19 club. The same pattern appears throughout swimming history - longstanding records that seem untouchable suddenly become achievable once someone proves it's possible.

Recent examples include Leon Marchand's stunning 1:52 in the 200 Individual Medley, which didn't just break Ryan Lochte's long-standing world record of 1:54 - it shattered it by two full seconds. Similarly, Lucas Martins finally broke the 3:40 barrier in the men's 400 freestyle, a record that had stood since 2009.

The Super Suit Era and Modern Speed

Both swimmers acknowledged how the sport has evolved beyond what they could have imagined during their competitive careers. The conversation touched on the "super suit" era around the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when swimmers wore full-body suits that were later banned for providing unfair advantages.

Remarkably, today's swimmers are now approaching and sometimes exceeding times that were set during that technologically-enhanced era, but they're doing it with legal equipment and superior training methods. This progression has reached the point where times that would have won NCAA championships during Knight and Lundquist's era wouldn't even qualify swimmers for those same meets today.

Practical Takeaways for Modern Swimming

The conversation between these two former elite swimmers offers valuable insights for anyone involved in competitive swimming today, whether as an athlete, coach, or parent:

• Embrace Technology for Technique Analysis: Modern swimmers should take advantage of video analysis tools to study elite technique and identify areas for improvement in their own swimming.
• Focus on Quality Training: The evolution toward more professional training methods emphasizes quality work over pure volume, proper rest and recovery, and attention to nutrition.
• Maintain Connection to the Sport: Lundquist's story shows how staying connected to swimming after competition ends can lead to new opportunities and continued personal fulfillment.
• Understand the Mental Game: Psychological barriers in sport are real, but they can be broken when someone proves what's possible.
• Appreciate Historical Context: Understanding where the sport has been helps appreciate how far it's come and where it might be headed.

The podcast also highlighted the importance of community in swimming, from the casual conversations during social kicks to the shared celebration of historic achievements, regardless of team affiliations.

For coaches and swimmers today, the message is clear: the sport continues to evolve rapidly, driven by better knowledge sharing, improved training methods, and the psychological impact of seeing new barriers broken. Success in modern swimming requires embracing these changes while maintaining the fundamental love of the sport that drives athletes like Lundquist to stay connected long after their competitive careers end.

As both swimmers demonstrated through their continued involvement in the sport - Knight through his technical expertise in pool systems and Lundquist through his podcast - there are many ways to maintain meaningful connections to swimming beyond just competing. Their conversation serves as both a nostalgic look back at swimming history and an optimistic view of where the sport is heading.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Reconnecting
• 03:30 The Social Kick Podcast Origin Story
• 08:15 American Records at Tennessee
• 12:45 Fred Bousquet's Historic 18.7
• 18:20 Why Swimming Got So Fast
• 25:10 Breaking Psychological Barriers
• 30:45 The Super Suit Era and Modern Times