Previewing the 2019 Season with Bridget Sloan
Samantha Peszek is on a mission to connect athletes, coaches, and parents with the best resources the gymnastics world has to offer. Utilizing Samantha’s gymnastics network, (she really does have cool friends) guests will be experts in their field and shed a light on hot topics, tips for improvement, and inspiration. Listeners will have the opportunity to learn from some of the sport’s greats, participate in giveaways, and apply relevant tips to everyday life, in and out of the gym.
Welcome to Season 2 of the I Have Cool Friends Podcast! 2018 was such a special year, as Sam details in the opening of this episode. The podcast has already surpassed 100,000 downloads spanning 100 different countries and is the number one podcast in the college and high school sports category! It recently broke into and top 100 in the overall general sports category, as well. Today, Sam welcomes back recurring guest, Bridget Sloan. Bridget was one of Sam’s former teammates from the 2008 Olympics and is currently an analyst for ESPN’s SEC Network. Bridget’s gymnastics accomplishments include nine-time NCAA champion with The University of Florida, 2008 Olympic silver medalist, and 2009 World Champion in the all-around.
In this episode, Sam and Bridget recap the 2018 NCAA Gymnastics season from UCLA’s dominant season, to individual champions, including Maggie Nichols, Mykayla Skinner, and Christine Peng-Peng Lee. Bridget and Sam talk about their roles as gymnastics analysts for the SEC and PAC12 networks, respectively. They discuss the state of collegiate gymnastics and the new postseason format for the 2019 season. Sam and Bridget also break down the top twelve teams from this past season and analyze their potential for the upcoming season. Everything from recruiting classes to players graduated, to new coaches is discussed in this jam-packed episode. Finally, Bridget shares one piece of advice that college gymnasts can utilize to get better every day.
Listen to a Preview
Key Takeaways
- Welcome to Season 2 of the I Have Cool Friends Podcast
- Sam shares some highlights from Season 1
- Sam shares some positive audience comments
- Sam thanks her sponsors, Tumbl Trak and Destira, for renewing their sponsorship for the second season
- Sam announces the new theme for Season 2: Collegiate Gymnastics
- Introducing today’s recurring guest, Bridget Sloan
- Bridget’s career accolades
- The last time Sam and Bridget saw each other
- Bridget and Sam discuss their careers as gymnastics analysts
- How exposure to college gymnastics has changed since Sam and Bridget were younger
- Recapping the 2018 NCAA Gymnastics season
- Bridget debunks a myth about the University of Florida
- The secret to gymnastics success
- How Bridget preferred to be coached when she competed
- Bridget discusses her initial disdain for group assignments
- Bridget and Sam talk about the top 12 teams in college gymnastics
- Bridget talks about the dominance of the Southeastern Conference (SEC)
- Bridget and Sam break down the individual champions from the 2018 season
- The importance of lineups in college gymnastics
- Sam explains the changes to the NCAA postseason format for 2019
- Sam takes a moment to thank her sponsors, Tumbl Trak and Destira
- Bridget shares her thoughts on the new NCAA postseason format
- Previewing how the Top 12 teams from 2018 will fare in 2019
- Previewing Kentucky
- Previewing Washington
- Previewing Arkansas
- Previewing Cal
- Previewing ‘Bama
- Previewing Georgia
- Previewing Nebraska
- Previewing Utah
- Previewing Florida
- Previewing Oklahoma
- Previewing UCLA
- Final thoughts: Who will be the Final Four on the Floor?
- Bridget reveals one thing college gymnasts can do to get 1% better each day
Tweetable Quotes
Maybe it’s just an NCAA thing that every NCAA team is a big huggy team.
I think the middle of the season in college gymnastics is the hardest part.
