Eric Radford Interview
An exciting interview coming your way today as we sit down with two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medallist Eric Radford to talk about his amazing Figure Skating career and just why he isn’t done yet. Eric goes over how watching the 1992 Olympics spurred him on towards his future career and the process that was involved in getting into the sport. He also goes over the influences that helped him along the way, getting paired up with Meagan Duhamel and the success that pairing brought as well as just what that moment was like when he finally realised his dream of making it to the Olympics. Added to this some great stories around his many many artistic talents and just why he decided to come out of retirement to give the Olympics in 2022 another crack, it’s an interview that you simply can’t afford to miss!
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Please note this is an automated transcript that may contain errors.
COLIN HILDING: Welcome back to Off The Podium, for another exciting interview, as we're gearing up for the Beijing Olympics. We're getting cold, we're getting chilled, we're getting icy and ready for ice skating, and talking to ice skaters, because it's exciting to do that in the lead up to Beijing. And what's really exciting here is that we're not only talking to somebody who has a great history, sometimes we bring you an interview with somebody who has this incredible Olympic history, multiple medals like our guest today, and sometimes we bring you an interview with somebody who's getting ready to do something new and compete in the Olympics. And this time we've got both. We're talking to Eric Radford, who is a Paris figure skater who has a complete set of medals, gold, silver, and bronze, with his former partner Meagan Duhamel. And he's also getting ready for his next Olympics in Beijing, which is going to be with a brand new partner Vanessa James. We get to talk to him about a lot of that stuff. And this was a really fun chat. Don't you think Ben is here as well, and he can kind of chime in and give me his opinion? This is a really fun chat. Eric's a fun guy.
BEN WATERWORTH: I just was sitting back and not having to talk in an introduction for once. I've been doing a lot of these lately, so I'm like, sweet, I can take some moments off. Yeah, it's a great chat. And from the Australian perspective, it's sort of a sport that obviously is not very well covered here. We see it at the Olympics every four years. That's about it. So it's always fascinating for me to be able to be on one of these interviews, learn a lot about the sport, learn a lot about the journey and getting there. Obviously, we've learned a lot of that in the past with a couple of Australians and the Canadians we've had on the show. So yeah, it's definitely a fascinating chat to learn. And also his skills outside of skating. I mean, this guy has got about 50 different careers that I can do there. So for Eric, I mean, he's set for life with everything that he's talented at. So yeah, it's a great chat to learn all of these many, many talents that he does have from skating through to all the artistic ones he has as well.
COLIN HILDING: Yeah, so stay tuned for the entire interview all the way through our final questions. We'll get to a question about all of his skills outside of figure skating, and they are many. So everybody can just sit back, relax, enjoy this fantastic chat with three time Olympic medallist, two time Olympian, Eric Radford. We are thrilled here to return to the great sport of figure skating for the first time, I think, in over a year since we had Jamie Soleil on here. And we get to talk to a person who has, I guess, a full set of medals across several Olympics here. We are talking to Olympic gold medallist in the team event, Olympic silver medallist in the team event, Olympic bronze medallist in the pairs, the one and only Eric Radford, Canadian triple medallist. Eric, thanks so much for joining us today.
ERIC RADFORD: Oh, thank you for having me.
COLIN HILDING: We always start off these interviews just by finding out how somebody got into the sport that they're in and they compete in. And I'm gonna assume, like most Canadians, skating is just something that comes naturally. Most Canadians, but me, sadly, but how did you, I guess, stumble into figure skating specifically?
ERIC RADFORD: I saw it on TV during the 92 Olympics. And when I was a kid, I was obsessed with planes and flying. And it was like one of the sports that came as close to that as could be. And I just, after watching it on TV, I used to try to emulate it in my living room. And I would just jump and try and turn as many times as I could. And that's how it really all started. And looking back, though, I think I realised that I was even more enamoured with it because it was one of the only sports done to music. And I didn't know it at that time yet, but music was going to be a big part of my life.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which I love hearing those sort of inspirations when you watch the Olympics, and particularly when you're saying you wanted to do it as much as you could. I mean, I think we've all got stories of watching sports and trying your best, but figure skating is one of those ones where it's like, yeah, that's the one you want to try doing, doing all the kind of the spins and the jumps and everything and going that way. Did you know how to skate at that point? Was it an easy case of then transitioning that from your living room and, hey, I can skate, I can do this? Or was it, mum, dad, take me to the local rink, I need to learn to skate to make this even better?
ERIC RADFORD: I actually had an outdoor rink across the street from my house growing up. So I used to, in my living room, I would do the jumps and then I would put my skates on. And I wasn't that strong of a skater, but I had taken learned to skate lessons and some hockey skate lessons when I was really, really young. And then I would go and I would try and do it on the ice and jump and turn and kill myself and fall and try and balance on one foot and do all the things that I saw on TV.
COLIN HILDING: So were you kind of like self-taught in the beginning, or did you get into classes? Like at what point did you start to get professionally trained?
ERIC RADFORD: I kind of, I told my parents, I was like, oh, I wanna be able to do what they do. And then my mum put me in what are called can skate lessons. And that's sort of like the learned to skate program through Skate Canada, which at that time was actually called the Canadian Figure Skating Association. So I was in those sort of group learned to skate lessons. And then the coach at the time kind of saw that I was learning very, very quickly. And then she was the one that suggested I go into private lessons or into the competitive stream. So, and that all happened very quickly from what I can remember. And then that's when it really started. That's when I was really learning to figure skate rather than just learn to skate.
BEN WATERWORTH: And in terms of getting inspired by watching the 92 Olympics, not only getting inspired to pick up the sport, but does that ultimately then go, okay, not only do I love this sport, I want to try it, but I want to go to the Olympics one day. This is now my goal. I'm going to become an Olympian one day.
ERIC RADFORD: That's exactly it. And you know what, even before that moment, on my old, on my parents' old Commodore 64, I think, on one of the floppy disks we had, there's a really old Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics video game. And they had all the different sports, gymnastics, figure skating. And of course, figure skating with like the music was one that I loved so much. And all you could do, you could only do like a spin and you could jump, and that was it. But I just remember, and like the music and they had the opening ceremonies, and there was something about it, the Olympics from, you know, when I was like four or five years old.
COLIN HILDING: And when you started getting into it competitively, I mean, did you start as an individual, like a solo skate, because I knew you'd eventually transition into pairs. And I think it was Jamie Salaise, she was talking about how they paired her up very early. Like it was a young age when it was sort of, okay, you're gonna be dancing or you're gonna be skating with somebody. At what point did you, I guess, become a pair with anybody?
ERIC RADFORD: So yeah, I mean, in general, in skating, you tend to start as a single skater. And then, you know, if single skating isn't what you like, then you usually move either into pairs or dance or synchro or, you know, there's lots of other sort of facets there. But I was approached to do pair skating when I was like 15, 16. And I had this amazing coach at the time, Dennis Silverthorne, and he gave me one of the best pieces of advice. And he said, learn to skate, then learn to skate with somebody else. And that was like, you know, of course, looking back at my career, that was a big key to my success because it was, you know, Meagan and I's ability as a strong single skaters that really propelled us through the ranks more quickly. And so it wasn't until I was 18 that I got, I had, I started skating with my first partner.
BEN WATERWORTH: When it comes to that advice of learning to skate with someone else, what's the biggest thing you need to take skating with someone else versus skating solo besides the obvious of you got someone there? I mean, in terms of the strategy, the routines and everything along those lines, I mean, what's the biggest thing, I guess, to overcome from going solo to then skating with someone else?
ERIC RADFORD: You know, it's funny that you put it like that because when I started skating with somebody else, it actually became a little easier because when you go out, say, for a competition, you're there sharing the experience. You're not by yourself on the ice. And I feel like in pair skating, there's so many different types of technical elements. So, you know, in single skating, it's jumping, spinning, and then footwork and choreography. And in pair skating, you have desk spirals, lifts, throws, jumps. There's just so many, pair spins, side-by-side spins. There's just more to do. There's just more variation. And I actually thought it more exciting and fun. But I think that in terms of things that you need to overcome as a pair team, as you start to compete, and as you start to train every day, it's like any relationship. Like any time that you spend a lot of time with somebody else, you're gonna start getting on each other's nerves, and then it all breaks down to the same things as any other relationship. Communication, communication, communication.
COLIN HILDING: I also wonder with pairs, figure skating, ice dancing, whatever it is, if you're a figure skater, I mean, it's very gruelling on your body. You're taking a lot of risks, but then when you add a second person to the mix, the first time that you're paired up with somebody, do you have any of that nervousness? Like, oh, I'm doing a lift for the first time. Like, what happens if my hands slip? What's it like going into that when you first start out knowing, now I'm only putting my body in line, but I'm actually got another person to worry about too.
ERIC RADFORD: Definitely the first time you do some pair elements, it's nerve wracking, which is why you usually start by doing them off ice. So you usually learn your basic lifting technique off the ice before you do it on the ice. But I would say, I mean, you know, in the skating world, it's said that, you know, pair girls are the craziest athletes of them all, because they're the ones that are flying way up in the air. They put all, they put not all, but a lot of their trust in their partner. And we have, you know, as the pair boy, a lot of responsibility to make sure that they stay safe. And one of the first rules that we kind of learn as a pair boy is, you know, it's save the girl. So if, you know, if she's above my head and I start falling or something, it's making sure she's okay, and then I can deal with myself afterwards. But the amount of trust between the partners in both pair skating and in ice dance, it's immense, you know, because you both have to be doing your job. And when it comes to some of the elements, it's split second timing that needs to be perfectly synchronised. You know, that's, it's a lot of, it's a lot of trust and a lot of perfect timing between two people.
BEN WATERWORTH: It kind of reminds me of the whole heroes in the 2006 Save The Chilli To Save The World. It's sort of like save the girl. I kind of like that sort of.
ERIC RADFORD: That came to mind, that came to mind, yeah.
COLIN HILDING: I just want to say, I'm also imagining as you're saying you practise off ice, dirty dancing, you're on the log above the water and stuff.
BEN WATERWORTH: Wow, so many connections to that. When it came to that period, obviously, going into pairs, that, if my master correct with your age, that would have been just after the gold in Salt Lake from Jamie and David as well. So I can imagine then as well, Canada's a bit boosted by the fact that they've gotten that breakthrough gold in pair skating again. So does that something then too, once you've seen that, you get into pairs, it kind of boosts your confidence a little bit and go, wow, okay, this is great now. This is gonna do great wonders for Canadian skating.
ERIC RADFORD: Well, I remember watching David and Jamie. I remember I was in the living room, I was living and billeting with another skater and their family. And I remember being so excited and jumping up and down and seeing that moment and thinking one day maybe like, I'm gonna be able to do that. And it inspired, anytime like a Canadian athlete wins an Olympic medal, it inspires generations of other younger athletes that have an interest in that sport and beyond that sport as well. And definitely that had a huge impact on me.
COLIN HILDING: How does the process work about the pairs coming together? We talked about during Tokyo, completely different sport, but beach volleyball. And sort of wondering why, okay, these two people were paired up last time, not at different pairs. And I don't know whether this is something where the skaters, they have the complete say, if you just simply say, hey, I want a new partner who's out there. Are there coaches involved? Is there an Olympic body that's involved that kind of puts people together or tries them out?
ERIC RADFORD: So it's the coaches most of the time, because they'll have like a bird's eye view and go to different competitions and see, oh, there's a girl in Novice that could fit really well with one of the boys that trains at the club. And that was kind of the case with Meagan and I. It was our coach who suggested that we skate together. Meagan and I would have never considered skating together with one another because of our difference in height, our difference in style. But our coach had that vision and put us together, and the rest played out so well. But without that vision, without them being able to see it from the outside, I don't know if it would have ever happened.
BEN WATERWORTH: In terms of when you are then partnered up, I'm sure you're familiar with each other having seen each other skating in other competitions and everything along those lines. But when you go, okay, this is gonna be a thing before you get out on the ice together, is there kind of just like a, let's go out for drinks, let's sit down and watch Heroes or something like that, just kind of bond a little bit more if that's something that you maybe can already have a friendship with Meagan before you then start competing?
ERIC RADFORD: I think sometimes that could happen, and sometimes it's more like technical. Like Meagan and I skated in the same rink, but we were with different partners. And then when her partner retired and I didn't make the 2010 Olympics, we were both at a crossroads figuring out what we wanted to do. So it was kind of this natural timing of putting us together. I think in other cases, usually what is, like usually what happens is a tryout is set up. So, and sometimes it's done through the skaters or through the coaches. So the guy may contact the girl and then they'll be like, oh, let's do a tryout. And then you'll go and you'll skate for a day or two and you see how it looks, how it feels, a little bit about how you connect with that person. And then you'll decide from there whether it's something you want to pursue or not, which is what's happened with all of my partners. They all started with a tryout. And then we decided together, oh, okay, this is what we want to do. We make a good match, and then we move forward from there.
COLIN HILDING: You had mentioned just a little bit earlier about the height difference. And that's always been the thing that's stood out for you and Meagan to me. I can remember watching Sochi and even heading into Pyeongchang being like, oh yeah, that's the tall guy and the small girl. You know, even before this interview, I mean, how do you describe who's Eric Radford? Oh, Eric Radford was the really tall guy with the really short partner. But you really don't see that often in figure skating. I mean, I don't know whether that is it, you kind of alluded towards the fact that, you know, there's a bit of a challenge with that, but it's not just the fact that you are, I guess, maybe a little bit tall for a male figure skater, but I mean, she is probably five feet, maybe a little bit less than that. What are the challenges that go along with the height difference?
ERIC RADFORD: Well, Meagan's 4'11 and I'm 6'2. And I mean, there's always a height difference in pair skating, it would be kind of impossible without it. But we had quite a big height difference. And on some elements, you would think, oh, it must be so easy because she's so small and you can just throw her around. But it's actually a little bit deceiving because some of them, I need to get underneath in order to be able to lift up. She can't jump up on top of my head. So that means that I would have to get a lot lower, which, and if you've ever tried to do, say, like a squat jump, there's a point where if you squat past, you kind of lose all of your explosive power. So that was something that we had to work on. And that was something that was, I think, surprisingly challenging because from the outside, and even when we started, it's like, oh, this is gonna be so easy. But at the same time, I think that the height difference works in different ways. It made our lifts really spectacular. Meagan was so consistent on the landing of the throws. And I think her strength and her size was a part of her ability to be able to do that so well and so consistently. And then the other challenge would be choreographically. We always had to be very careful not to just have me sort of standing and towering over and making us look like just too different and too far apart. But our choreographer was the one that really took care of that. And I think that we always did a pretty good job of blending and hiding that extreme difference.
BEN WATERWORTH: You mentioned just before about not making the 2010 Olympic team. I mean, how close were you, I guess, to making it? And how was that to overcome not making the team, particularly because it was also a home games as well, would have made it a little bit extra special to make your Olympic debut in front of a home crowd?
ERIC RADFORD: Well, I mean, for me, I was in the Olympic team is decided at the national champions before the Olympics. And I was in eighth place at that national championship. So I was kind of far from making the team. But Meagan, there was two spots and Meagan came third. So she missed it by one spot, which was pretty devastating. And after, at that point, I had been with partners that would struggle with the sort of individual elements. They weren't the strongest jumpers and they had trouble with the throws. And I always felt that I had the ability to try to push for the top, but I just never found the right partner yet. And that's another challenge in pairs that you don't have to worry about in singles is that you begin to rely on this other person for your success. And at that point when I didn't make it to the 2010 Olympics, I started looking into different universities, how I was going to move forward on with my life from figure skating. And at the same point, like a week after that was when I had my first tryout with Meagan.
COLIN HILDING: And then eventually you're gonna get to Sochi. I mean, did you have a moment along the way between Vancouver and Sochi where you realised this is a possibility now? Because if you're adding up the math here, you're actually one of the few people who has said, I wanted to be an Olympian and not just, oh, I was in a sport and they said I was good at it. So now you're at like 20 something years. When did it become real? Okay, I have a chance. I can make the Olympics here.
ERIC RADFORD: What was so interesting about those first four years with Meagan is like how our success really, like we had a lot of success pretty fast. You know, our first year at Worlds, we were seventh, then we were fifth, then we were third. Like we really stepped up every single season. And, you know, we started off being like, our goal was to make it to the 2014 Olympics. And then the year going into the Olympics, we were world bronze medallists. So all of a sudden it shifted from, oh, it's from making it to the Olympics to trying to medal at the Olympics. And that all happened in such a short time. And, you know, it was so exciting because it was everything that Meagan and I had dreamed of. And it all was like happening. And you always like, you know, after watching, you know, like Scott and Tessa or Jamie and David, like, you always just assume it was meant to happen for somebody else. Like it was just part of their destiny. Like, and when you're living it, you realise that you've had to make it happen. You've had to fight every step of the way. And nothing was handed to Meagan and Meagan. It was hard work and performing under the highest pressure and, you know, hitting our programs at the right moment. And, you know, we did it. And it was really, really exciting to kind of go from this fresh, new team to Olympic medal contenders in those first four years.
BEN WATERWORTH: What is that moment like when you 100% know you're Olympians? When you have qualified, you're there, you're off the ice. I mean, do you just take a moment with Meagan and just pinch us? Like, this is real. This is happening with everything. As you said, all that effort you've done to work towards that moment, it's officially happening.
ERIC RADFORD: The moment that comes to mind is, it was our first... We arrived in Sochi at midnight, so it was our first day, and we took the bikes and we were just biking around the grounds, and we went to the cafeteria, and then as we were biking back, we were both just biking next to one another, and we were looking around, and then we looked at each other, and we were like, I can't believe we're here right now. And I just remember electricity going down my back, and Meagan was like, oh, it's so amazing. I already want to do another one.
COLIN HILDING: Eventually you would, right?
ERIC RADFORD: And eventually we would. We didn't know it at that time, but yeah.
COLIN HILDING: For the experience at Sochi, you competed in, if you want to call it individual, but pairs individual, and then as well the team event, you go on to, I think the silver, and it was Sochi and the team, right?
ERIC RADFORD: Yes.
COLIN HILDING: For you, what was it like to actually be able to get that medal, to have it hung around your neck, and you're like, okay, I'm here, I didn't medal in one event, but I've got this other one, and now you go home and you've got a medal, like you've got a silver medal. Was it, you know what, I want to do better, I want to come back with the gold next time?
ERIC RADFORD: What was really interesting and a little bit funny about that Olympics is, the team event was right at the very beginning. So we had all this excitement and we won the silver medal, and I was holding like this Olympic medal in my hands, which was like a big dream come true. And then we had to kind of reset for the individual event, which we didn't perform our best. And so we were disappointed. And when I left Sochi, I remember feeling like the high of winning the medal and the low and the disappointment kind of met in the middle. And I left feeling a little bit numb. Like I was really, I was happy, but I was disappointed. It was a strange feeling. But what was interesting is when I got back to Canada and you have an Olympic silver medal, nobody cares. Like all they care is like, wow, you won a silver medal. And everybody thinks it's cool. I had so many, I was in Vancouver after tour, and I brought my medal with me. And I was with one of my best friends, and he wore it. And we went out to all these different bars, and we got to go like right into the front of the line. We didn't pay for any drinks, like it was like this like magical power, you know? And it kind of put things into perspective after that, you know, that. Even not to let yourself be too disappointed at any time, because there's always like those good moments that are gonna carry you.
COLIN HILDING: I'll say you just made Ben very happy, because he's been waiting for a long time. One of our questions we have at the end is, but did you ever use the metal? What do you do with the metal? Have you ever used the metal? And he's been waiting so long for somebody to say, you know what, I got something free with my metal.
BEN WATERWORTH: I love hearing it. It's like, it's powerful. I just, I want to think you can use it for so many free things, but like, I mean, clearly you can, you just gotta wear it all the time.
COLIN HILDING: Yeah, not have it in the sock drawer, right?
BEN WATERWORTH: Which on that, just while we're on the topic, we may as well ask a question now. I mean, where do you have your metals? Do you have them on display? Are they in the sock drawer? Kind of like, what do you do with them?
ERIC RADFORD: That's so funny, in the sock drawer. Some of them are actually in like a big fluffy sock so that it doesn't get scratched. I do keep them on hand though, because if I ever need to go and do an event, or, you know, I can bring them with me quite easily. But I think eventually I will, I don't know, maybe get them a safe or something, put them in a safer spot.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which I always like, because the sock drawer is funny, because so many of our guests say like, yeah, they're just in a drawer on that. But I think it's almost inspiring when you go to get a pair of socks. Okay, starting my day, all right, let's get dressed. All right, socks off, wimpy gold medal. Cool, I feel pretty positive today. On go the socks. And you're like, it's a booster. It's a confidence booster.
COLIN HILDING: Now, for the transition between Sochi and Pyeongchang. Now, I don't necessarily follow everything, but I knew that you guys were coming back, you were gonna be competing, there were hopes for you to medal. But what do you think changed? Like, was it really that nothing changed and that Sochi, it just wasn't the same best night? Or did that four years have any changes between you guys as a pair where you pushed harder or you had a different strategy going in and maybe just the success coming into it gave you a bit of a boost, anything?
ERIC RADFORD: It was the four years to Sochi and then the four years from Sochi to Pyeongchang were a completely different story arc. The season after Sochi, we had an undefeated season. We won every short program, every long program. We have a perfect set of gold medals from that season. And it was when I think Meagan and I let go of all of the expectation that was on us. And we really started skating for ourselves. And that was when we won our first world title. In Shanghai in 2015. And then the following season, we won our second world title. And then the following season, I was injured and we dropped to seventh, which was like, it was a huge, it really shook our confidence. And I mean, I learned so much about myself. I remember going into that final world championship. And I was, I had, we were the reigning world champions for two years. And I was like, if we don't win this third one, then what am I if I don't get to be a world champion anymore? And so much of my identity got tied into it. And looking back, I just feel like it's so ridiculous because I know that it's not that way in my mind, but the way you feel, you can't control it. And when we ended up in seventh, it felt like the whole world was ending. And the thought of trying to get a medal at the next Olympics just seems impossibly far away. And then we found our groove, that season heading into Pyeongchang. And we found, and Meagan and I really connected through that season. And our career ended better than I think we could have imagined with that gold and with that bronze. And when I look back at the entire season in those four years, it's just again, you know, hindsight's 2020, but it has just taught me so much about learning from the difficult times and then just enjoying the good times and how much more you learn from the difficult times than the good times. Because when we came off the skates where everything was perfect, then you have to repeat it and you don't even really know how. But then when you make mistakes, you're able to like create a clear target for yourself and then climb towards it.
BEN WATERWORTH: With all that success in the lead up to the Olympics and everything you were talking about though, does pressure spur you guys on more, like going into it? Like with all these medals, all these world championships, success, obviously there's a lot more attention on you than was in Tsochi, but some athletes no doubt thrive on that. Were you both the type of athletes who are like, okay, we're thriving on this pressure. People are expecting something from us now. So we're gonna use that to our advantage and go out there, kick ass, take some names and get a medal.
ERIC RADFORD: Well, Meagan and I always performed our best when the pressure was at its highest. Like when all the best teams were there, and usually at the world championships and at the Olympics or in the 2018 Olympics. Looking back, what I think was perfect is that, we were two time world champions and then we were seventh. So it's like we kind of fell off the radar. So we were metal contenders, but kind of from the outside. So I think that there wasn't as much pressure on us as if we had won that third world title and we were going into the Olympics as three time world champions, that expectation would be so high. So it kind of, it worked out really well because we went into the Olympics and we were really able to just not have any expectations because we were like, whatever happens here, it's good. Whereas if you're a world champion going in and you're like, well, if I don't win, which I know I can, then I'm going to be disappointed. So I think it worked out in the best way possible.
COLIN HILDING: And ultimately you and Meagan would retire, well, I guess briefly, well, we'll touch on that a little bit later, but some exciting stuff going on. I think we were talking to Tessa Versha. She was saying when they went into Pyeongchang, they knew that was our last game. They're like, this is our last games and we have no choice. We have to medal in this one. Did you have, even if it was just sort of something in the back of your mind, did you have kind of an exit strategy or was it really just, you know, once you win the medal, once you come in with a double medal, you complete your set in Pyeongchang, then you decide, you know what, this is as good as it gonna get, we're gonna move on from here.
ERIC RADFORD: Meagan and I were the same as Tessa and Scott in that regard. We knew that Pyeongchang would be our last competition, that we wouldn't even do the world championships afterwards. But that didn't like prevent us from, you know, giving it our all. But I do remember a moment of being backstage. We had just gotten off our warmup for the long program. So for our final skate, and I was looking around and I was like, I'm not gonna miss this. And at that moment, you're feeling like you're about to die. Like you're so nervous. You know, the biggest moment of your life is about to happen. And I remember telling myself, nope, I'm not gonna miss this at all. I was 100% ready to be done in that moment. And then we went out and we had a great skate.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which I rewatched it last night, and the song, Hometown Glory Adele, just such a beautiful song, gives me chills even watching it. But I remember when we had Jamie Soleil on and I talked to this about it. The moments I always love watching figure skating at the Olympics is the moment when it's over. You realise you've nailed it. You've done everything you can. And just the emotions on both yours and Meagan's faces there and just the crowd is going up. Remember crowds, people, they were fantastic, weren't they? Just everything through that. I mean, is that one of those moments that will just live with you forever, Eric? Just kind of that you've nailed it. You've done everything you can. You're in Olympic games. This was your dream as a kid. And here you are right now, and you've done everything you possibly can at that moment.
ERIC RADFORD: Those are some of the best moments of my entire life. And the feeling, you know, the best part of it is just the satisfaction in knowing that you did your best in the most difficult moment. And I remember hitting the ending position with Meagan, and I feel like I'm always a little bit more internalised than Meagan. And Meagan shows her expression right away, and it always takes a little while for me to realise, oh, wow, we just had a great skate. Because I knew that the triple Lutz wasn't perfect, but then we hit a great throw quad, then we did the side-by-sides out, and the rest of the program was really strong. And so when I got to the end, I was like, oh, wow, that was a really good skate. And then it slowly started to hit me, and I was like, wow, we just had a great skate at the Olympics. And of course, then we got to the score and it was confirmed. But, and then combined with like the satisfaction of doing your best, the relief that it's over. And like, and then also that when you have a great skate, like that's stuck in time forever. It's not like we need to go and do it again, or repeat, or, you know, we have to do two Olympic vaults where, you know, there's the first one that you did great, and then, oh, now I have to go and do it again. And, yeah, the satisfaction in the reef is indescribable.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which on that, how many times have you rewatched it since 2018, is it something that if you're just having a crap day, you're like, oh, bugger, I'm gonna watch my performance from Pyeongchang, because that's always gonna spur me on today.
ERIC RADFORD: It really, I've watched a lot. And what I love is knowing the outcome. And I know that, you know, aside from like the little stumble on the Lutz, like go back and I watched that throw quad, and, you know, that's like a little piece of history that Meagan and I made there, if I've been the first and only team that's done it. And sometimes I'm just like, wow, I can't believe that's me. It almost feels like it happened to somebody else. Yeah, it definitely, it's always something that's gonna like pick up the mood if you're not feeling great.
BEN WATERWORTH: And on that too quickly, you were the first Canadian pear to medal in pairs since Jamie and David. So, I mean, did that add a little bit of extra, going back to when you were watching that in your living room and cheering to all of a sudden realising that you were the first Canadians to kind of do that since they did that. I mean, did that add a little bit of extra sort of weight to that medal win?
ERIC RADFORD: Oh, for sure. Yeah, like I know that they inspired me and then being able to be the one that can inspire the next generation. It's something that always gave me a lot of pride, gave Meagan and I a lot of pride.
COLIN HILDING: Just going a little bit back before, you get to that moment where you realise, okay, these are our scores. It's never occurred to me that we've never asked anybody this question. That very long drawn out process of, you're waiting for the scores to come in and the camera is right there front and centre.
BEN WATERWORTH: The kiss and crying.
COLIN HILDING: Yeah, I can't imagine how brutal it, and I honestly have a theory that they drag it out for dramatic, pause for dramatic effect, you know? They have to, I mean, it makes great television. But like, do you have to train yourself to, okay, you gotta smile, and then when those scores come out, and when it's a day where it's not Pyeongchang, you know, it's a seventh place finish, do you have to practise and rehearse? Oh, you gotta smile, gotta look pleasant.
ERIC RADFORD: I think, well, Meagan for sure never had any problem showing how she was feeling. And I think that, like I said, it always took me a little bit longer, but I think in the moment, Meagan and I, we were already kind of analysing the skate and going over things and just kind of debriefing after everything that just happened. I mean, there were a couple of moments when the scores came up and it was like, it feels like somebody stabbed you in the chest. You know, you feel like you can't breathe and it's like, okay, stay calm. You know, and then you know that the next, as soon as they announce the next skater, the camera is off of you. So there was a couple of moments where I think that we needed to control ourselves. But for the most part, I think that we were, you know, we always had pretty good results and we were usually happy and ready to show it.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which in terms of just Pyeongchang in general for Canada, I mean, such a successful games in the whole Olympics, but of course in skating as well. I mean, you're obviously part of the gold medal winning team that did the team event. Tessera and Scott got the gold in the ice dance and Caitlin, of course, got the bronze in the singles as well. I mean, what's the camaraderie like of an entire Canadian skating team, just that, and then leaving? I mean, I can imagine that you're all basically got big massive smiles on your face and kind of, well, this is a pretty decent return that we've left this. And for yourself and Meagan and Tessera and Scott, of course, for your last Olympics, I mean, even better games to kind of leave around with a couple of medals around your neck.
ERIC RADFORD: It was so special because skating is not really a team sport. And it was just so special to be able to be part of a team in that regard in Sochi and in Pyeongchang. And in Sochi, it was like the new event. And everybody was kind of just looking at it like this extra. And I think going into Pyeongchang, we had an idea that we could win. And at the time, you know, Tess and Scott were training at the same gym as Meagan and I. And we would see each other and be like, okay, like coming up with strategy and talking about it a bit more and building a team atmosphere before we even got to Pyeongchang. And I think that that lifted the whole, you know, everybody that was on the team, it really, really lifted us up to have our best performances. But, you know, aside from ending the program, one of the highlights of my life will be jumping up onto that podium and singing the National Anthem with some of my best friends and winning that gold medal.
COLIN HILDING: Not necessarily we're breaking news here. I mean, it's kind of a big deal, and there's a lot of people talking about it, but the retirement, it's, I guess, officially over now. You're back. Eric Radford's back on the map, and he's getting ready for Beijing. You want to tell us a little bit about, I guess, your decision to come out of retirement? Was it the appeal of you want to go back to the Olympics? Because you have a new partner as well now, Vanessa James. So did you just sort of meet her and realise, hey, we might be able to do something interesting again? How did that all happen?
ERIC RADFORD: It all kind of started just for fun. Vanessa and I were doing this TV show called Battle of the Blades where figure skaters and hockey players team up and compete against one another here in Canada. And we did like a stroking pattern. This was two years ago. This was in 2019, and that was the first time we saw ourselves skate with one another, and we were like, wow, we look really, really good together. And then at this past, after this past, in 2020, Battle of the Blades, Vanessa was already in Canada, so she came to Montreal and she skated. We skated together for, I think, two sessions. But we could kind of see that there was something there, like the way that our bodies matched and our lines, and there was a very natural match there that usually takes years for teams to develop. And I think that was what kind of sparked the idea of, oh, like, let's maybe skate together. And at the beginning, I was thinking maybe it would just be for shows because Vanessa had contacts for shows in Europe that Meagan and I never had and we never got to do. And then Vanessa came back up like three weeks later. And after five days of skating together, we were able to do a throw triples and a triple twist, which is normally like a triple twist took me and Meagan about six months to learn. And that was when we were like, wow, I think we could be, this could be something, like this could be something special. And one of the main reasons that I really made the decision to come back was the way I feel when I skate with Vanessa and, you know, Meagan and I, our strength was our technical. And, you know, we achieved amazing things and we did things that no other team could. And we accomplished incredible results with that side of our skating. And with Vanessa, I feel like it's, I just have like flipped the card over and now it's like the artistic side. And for me as a skater, I feel like my range has been opened and I get to express a whole lot more and in different ways and different dynamics and on different levels, that I just, I didn't think I would ever get the opportunity to do that. And you only live once, you know, this opportunity has manifested right before me without putting too much thought or energy into it. And I decided to run with it.
COLIN HILDING: So I would have to imagine that after essentially a decade of skating with one person, and you're at the highest level and you've come home with all these medals, I mean, it must be kind of unusual at first, just to think, to wrap your head around, okay, I'm gonna actually skate with somebody else. But then, so was it really just the chemistry that you had with her that was sort of the deciding factor? And did you ever think you would have that chemistry with another partner again?
ERIC RADFORD: No, like I really did not expect to be trying to skate for another Olympics. Like I would have never, ever, ever imagined it. But like I said, I feel like it's like a one in a million or like a one in a billion chance that everything fell into place the way that it needed to. And that like Vanessa and I's style and just our energy in general matches so well. I think it's incredibly rare. And that's again, part of the reason why I think that we needed to take this opportunity and at least give ourselves the chance to show the world what we might be able to accomplish together.
BEN WATERWORTH: You mentioned relating it to sort of a relationship before when you are in pairs. Is that an awkward phone call then when you ring up me and you're like, hey, FYI, I'm just trying for another Olympics. You might see this on the news. Kind of how does that phone call go?
ERIC RADFORD: It was awkward, you know, it's like breaking up with somebody in a way. And it's a strange sort of relationship because we don't... It's not like a real relationship where we owe each other anything. Like we decided to retire. We were planning on doing shows, you know, kind of as long as possible. But, you know, in the end, it's my life and my career. And I haven't signed any sort of contract stating that this is like I'm legally bound to do this. So, you know, and I knew that it wasn't going to be an easy conversation, that it probably wasn't going to be an easy process. But like I said, I only live once and I'm not going to stop my life and not pursue something, an incredible opportunity like this.
COLIN HILDING: And what are the steps that you're going to go through now before you know for sure that you and Vanessa have made Beijing?
ERIC RADFORD: So the team is normally decided at the Canadian Championships, which will be in January just before the Olympics. So we won't know if we've made it until then. But right now we just want to get out and compete as much as possible. We have a competition coming up in four weeks here in Montreal. It'll be our first international. Then we'll do one other smaller international, then we go on to the Grand Prix Circuits. So it'll be kind of a competition every three or four weeks from now until Beijing. And we've done it before. We kind of know. You build, you compete, you see what works well, what didn't work well, you make changes, and you slowly kind of polish the program in hopes that it'll be at its peak for the Olympic Games.
BEN WATERWORTH: Eric, we've got a series of fun questions to end off the interview with in just a moment, which I'm extra excited for, because they're questions that you've already answered, which we'll explain in just a moment.
COLIN HILDING: Just one sec, before you just get to the final questions, one other thing I just want to quickly ask.
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, I wasn't going to ask them, Colin, I was going to ask one more question before that.
COLIN HILDING: Go ahead.
BEN WATERWORTH: We work very well here. See, we wouldn't be good at pair skating because we don't talk. He'd be on his ass, basically, and all that kind of thing. But I was going to ask, you mentioned before about when you were inspired by the Olympics, music was a large part of it. And you're doing some great work with music, composing music, you've had some of your pieces used for some of your teammates and everything. And I watched an interview with you where you said that maybe it could be a goal for you to win an Academy Award for best original score. And I loved your sort of quote where you said, well, you know, sounds crazy, but so does winning an Olympic medal. So why not? So after Beijing, you come home with a couple more gold, let's be honest. Is it then pure focus on, hey, let's go out and get that Academy Award and bugger it, let's get two, let's get three. In 10 years time, we're going to be speaking to five time Academy Award winner Eric Radford.
ERIC RADFORD: If that ever happens and we have that interview, it'll just be such like a wild ride to think back to this moment. I think it's really hard to know what's going to happen. I think that's what makes has made all of this process so exciting is that I never known what opportunities going to come up next or come out of the blue. All I know is that what I can do is kind of put my head down and work as hard in music as I did when I was in skating, because that's really what got me and gets kind of all athletes to where they are. What I am looking forward to, though, because when an athlete retires, it's a huge change and a lot of athletes can go through depression and stuff like that because your identity is wrapped up in what you've been doing every day for your entire life up until that moment. But I feel so much better prepared this time. And I think I'm going to enjoy this process a whole lot more and especially enjoy my second retirement a whole lot more as well. But I'll definitely still be composing. I'll be doing that throughout the rest of my life. But we'll see what happens. We'll see how the season goes. And maybe there'll be new opportunities that I don't even know about that I'll be able to follow that new path. And maybe there'll be musical or maybe there'll be something else.
COLIN HILDING: And you did mention Battle of the Blades. I have to ask, we asked Jamie the same question where she was on. You got to tell us a little bit about Battle of the Blades. It's a great show. Anybody who's not in Canada, imagine dancing with the stars. But ice skating. And you had two partners on there, both of which I'm very envious that you got to even just meet. I mean, Amanda Kessel is not only a gold medallist, but her brother, Phil, the one hockey jersey I own is Phil Kessel jersey. And then Jennifer Boderill, I didn't realise you as well are from Winnipeg. I'm from Winnipeg. So here she's like a goddess, Jennifer Boderill. You skated with both of them. Do you have any good experiences from Battle of the Blades and specifically which one between Amanda Kessel and Jennifer Boderill is a better partner?
ERIC RADFORD: You're going to make me choose. They were both experiences were so different because one was pre-COVID and one was in COVID. So I'd say the first year was like a lot more fun. And me and Amanda, we had a connection like this. Our choreographer, who is actually my coach now, Julie Mercat, she found it bizarre because I have never met somebody who was so alike me as Amanda. She was like me, but in a small female body. So we had so much fun and she was willing to try anything and we had a blast. And she's just like an amazing human being and the whole cast kind of fell in love with Amanda. And Jennifer is, I think, one of the most impressive human beings. And when you use the word goddess like that, it's so true. She is eloquent, she's beautiful, she works so hard, she picked things up so quickly. I was just inspired by her every day. And I can't choose. It's apples and oranges. It really, really is. And I mean, Jen and I had a blast as well. And I think that we had some really beautiful moments in the actual competition. I think we created some really beautiful moments together. It's such a unique and amazing experience. And you know, what I love is all the, you know, my worst enemies growing up were the hockey players, you know, the guy hockey players. And so to kind of connect with them and like the guys who have been at the top of the NHL, it's really nice, you know, and they always, all of them are like, well, figure skating is way harder than hockey. So that's always like a nice little confidence booster to hear them say that.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which we had a couple back in the 2000s in Australia, they would do the celebrity sort of skating shows, but it was obviously the talent pool in Australia with skating is a little bit different. So it was more of a, let's get the morning news reader out there on some skates. And they actually got Torval and Dean to come here and do one at one point. So I think they threw a lot of money at them to come be on TV in Australia. But yeah, I know in a lot of interviews after those shows, a lot of the celebrities said, yeah, probably the worst thing I ever did. I didn't realise how hard skating was, and I'm going to stick to reading the news.
COLIN HILDING: And probably harder than composing as well, I'm going to imagine. Yeah, now Ben mentioned our final set of questions. Now, I don't know whether this will be something you remember or not, but we actually borrow this from the Olympic dossier website. What they did was they had all the athletes, they did it for two games, Rio and Pyeongchang, fill out a questionnaire in your own handwriting and answer some Olympic related questions. And so I'm not. Do you remember this at all?
ERIC RADFORD: Oh, I might have an idea of what you're going to ask. I do remember, I do remember.
COLIN HILDING: Yeah, well, it'll jog your memory. You're only the second athlete, I believe only the second athlete we've had on that's had their own. Yeah, because usually we get people. Yeah, we get people who have never filled these out before. So you're going to be the second one. We get to see how many of these are repeat questions for you. So Benji, you want to kind of alternate these back and forth?
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, and I'll just say that when we gave these to Scott, he got, I think about 70% of them right. So he remit like he didn't remember doing it, but then he was like, oh, giving the same answers to what he did back in Pyeongchang. So maybe things there. But this one, I reckon, could have changed. The first question is, your favourite Olympic moment is, and this was done before Pyeongchang, so maybe this could have changed what you wrote here.
ERIC RADFORD: Favourite Olympic moment? Well, now it's standing on top of the podium with my friends and singing the national anthem.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, you had written, skating a clean short program in the team event in Sochi. That's what your previous answer was, yes.
ERIC RADFORD: That would have been it, yeah.
COLIN HILDING: Very acceptable that it changes. Second question, if I could have any superpower, it would be?
ERIC RADFORD: Oh, to fly.
COLIN HILDING: Previously, you wanted... Previously, you wanted molecular telekinesis, so I like flying better.
ERIC RADFORD: See, but you could fly with molecular telekinesis, like you could still make yourself fly, so...
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, that works. I like the combinations there. What is your favourite sports movie?
ERIC RADFORD: Sports movie. I mean, does Bloodsport count? Is that a sport? I count it.
COLIN HILDING: That's my kind of answer. Nice.
ERIC RADFORD: I mean, when I was a kid, I used to watch that movie once a week, I think. I just loved it so much.
COLIN HILDING: Did you ever practise the splits? I mean, I'm sure every kid who watched Bloodsport tried to do the splits at one point.
ERIC RADFORD: I used to be in gymnastics, and I could do the splits on two chairs.
BEN WATERWORTH: Your previous answer, by the way, a million dollar baby, so...
ERIC RADFORD: That was a complete opposite.
BEN WATERWORTH: I'm glad you don't answer like Blades of Glory or something like that, too. Also, just quickly, Colin, before you get to the next one, I'm probably preempting you here, but draw a picture of yourself. This is kind of obviously what you do in there. But can I just say, this is maybe the best drawer picture of yourself I've ever seen on this website. It's actually a good drawing, Eric.
ERIC RADFORD: I don't remember what it looks like, but...
COLIN HILDING: We'll have to send you the link. You do several pictures in here, and it is like forget about composing and skating. I mean, you've got a career in art now, too. Is there anything you can't do, Eric? I'm getting very jealous here.
ERIC RADFORD: I'm terrible at golf, so...
BEN WATERWORTH: No Paris 2024 in golf for Eric Radford.
COLIN HILDING: This one actually will have a follow-up question, regardless of what you answer, but your funniest childhood memory is?
ERIC RADFORD: Funniest childhood memory. I don't know, I mean, if by funny, you mean like laughing really hard. I used to watch Mad TV as a kid, and I used to laugh so hard. But off the top of my head, I don't have like a funny one that's popping out.
COLIN HILDING: Well, you previously put watching Mad TV and laughing till you cried, so it hasn't changed.
ERIC RADFORD: There we go, yeah.
COLIN HILDING: But the funny thing is, you started to write something else and scratch it out, so you second guessed yourself. I was gonna ask though, what your funniest Mad TV sketch is? Like, what was the one that you just always remember as that's what made you laugh hardest?
ERIC RADFORD: It was Lorde Expectations, which was like these dating videos, and York was on it. You know, it was so random and just so funny, and it still makes me laugh to this day, yeah.
BEN WATERWORTH: Love it, love it. What is your favourite pump-up song?
ERIC RADFORD: So right now, it's Hypnotized by Purple Disco Machine, and I think back then, maybe it would have been like Hapipala by Sagaras or something.
BEN WATERWORTH: That's the one I'm seeing here.
ERIC RADFORD: Yeah.
BEN WATERWORTH: Nice. And which is, I mean, the beauty of your sport though is that obviously you are working to music as well, but I guess it's kind of, there's a difference with a pump-up song to going out on the ice and then skating to a dell versus doing something along those lines too. Do the air pods go in to pump you up just before you go on the ice? Is that something that you both do?
ERIC RADFORD: No, because I wouldn't want to disconnect myself from Meagan or from Vanessa. I always like to be able to talk to one another. A funny story about that though is, to know that was, what is the song that you listen to to get ready to compete? Or what was your favourite song or something? And it was Both Sides Now by...
COLIN HILDING: Joni Mitchell?
ERIC RADFORD: Joni Mitchell, like the new version. Because it kept me really, really calm. And then somewhere I read, what was your pump up song? But they put Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell. It's like the slowest song ever. And I was like, they got that mixed up.
BEN WATERWORTH: I don't listen to that around the wrong way.
COLIN HILDING: That's a pump up song for golf. Like that'll work for golf. Now this next question, I'm going to assume has changed unless you have not watched any television in the last four years. The most recent TV show I binge watched is?
ERIC RADFORD: I think it was... Well, right now, I'm watching Veep. Oh yeah. But I'm in the middle of that. And I think the last complete one was Halston.
BEN WATERWORTH: Nice.
ERIC RADFORD: I'm in Netflix.
COLIN HILDING: Four years ago, it was House of Cards and The OA.
ERIC RADFORD: The OA, yeah.
COLIN HILDING: Oh, OA. I've never watched it.
BEN WATERWORTH: I thought that was the OC there for a moment. Can we talk about the OC? It's been a while. Also, so the last two here, you've got your drawings. I just want to say, so you've got, if you were an animal, which would you be? You've drawn here. I would be an eagle. I love to fly and feel complete freedom. Again, amazing drawing here. This is pretty epic. And draw a picture of one of your teammates. You've drawn a picture of Piper Giles, is it? A lovely picture again.
ERIC RADFORD: Oh, Piper.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, seriously, as Colin said, you've got some skills here. I hope when you release your first album, you've got to draw the cut work here, Eric, I think. You should be doing that.
ERIC RADFORD: Actually, I'm looking at them right now. I'm looking at them right now. I'm like, wow.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah. I think you need to share these on your social media. You're like, hey, look how good of a drawer I am. Like, by the Olympics.
COLIN HILDING: Have you ever thought of designing logos for podcasts? We could use your services.
ERIC RADFORD: I'll give it a shot, but.
BEN WATERWORTH: Just on the level of social media, Eric, where can people follow you sort of in the lead up to Beijing? And also, with any of your music, can people listen to it on Spotify, YouTube, any of those channels as well?
COLIN HILDING: Yeah.
ERIC RADFORD: All my music's on like across all the streaming platforms, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube. You can follow me on Instagram. I'm at ericradford85, and Twitter, which I'm not so active on, I'm at rad85e, I think. But yeah, I think in the lead up to the games, probably Instagram is the best.
COLIN HILDING: And yeah, I mean, we're going to be watching, we're going to be very excited. We went into, we'll just state this now, we went into our Pyeongchang Olympics with a very low success rate of people we interviewed meddling. And then coming out of Rio, we had this big explosion of people we interviewed securing medals. So we have big hopes for you and Vanessa now. We no longer have an Off The Podium curse, we are going to bless you with our Off The Podium blessings here. So we'll be watching for you in Beijing and it'll be exciting to see. I guess it's always exciting to see you back skating, especially when we thought it wouldn't happen again. But it was great to have you on the show here today and feel free to come back any time, maybe do some commentary with us.
ERIC RADFORD: Yeah, I'd love to do that. Thank you so much for having me.
COLIN HILDING: And thank you again for Eric being on the show today, and thank you for making Ben and I feel so inadequate with your many skills. Like, I am 100% positive, if Eric Radford decided tomorrow he's gonna start a podcast, it's gonna be 10 times better than Off The Podium and get 10 times as many downloads.
BEN WATERWORTH: And clearly one of our skills is not remembering our guests on this show. Apologies to Tessa Virtue.
COLIN HILDING: I was gonna mention that in the intro, but yes, I do say in there-
BEN WATERWORTH: You can't even remember it in the intro.
COLIN HILDING: So, fun little off air story here. So, we do the interview, and I mentioned that, you know, oh, I think the last time we had a figure skater, you know, was Jamie Soleil. And Ben's nodding and like, yeah, that's right. And then both of us, as soon as it ended, we're like, so we both forgot that we had Tessa Virtue on after that. So I said, fine, I'll mention it in the intro. And what did I forget? This is why Eric Radford should take over this show.
BEN WATERWORTH: That's like, if all of a sudden we've got a hockey player on and we've previously interviewed Wayne Gretzky and then somebody else before that, it's like, ah, so I think you're the last, you know, hockey player we've had on since, I don't know, Paul Correa. And then all of a sudden we're like, yep, yep, that's true. And then all of a sudden, we interviewed the great one. Like, it's kind of what's going on. So apologies to Tessa there. I feel like we've offended an entire community. How did we forget we had Tessa Virtue on the show?
COLIN HILDING: She has a fan base. But the next time we have a figure skater on here, we will remember to say, you're the first one we've had on since Eric Radford, the man of many talents.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yes, exactly. Which again, I agree with you. I think kind of Eric, like, we'll start a podcast, I'd listen to it, but at the same time don't, because we don't want to lose both our listeners, which we have today, let's be honest. So you can, apparently they're coming across now to Off The Eric Radford Podium, drawing and musical skills all at once. It's the Swiss Army Knives of podcasting.
COLIN HILDING: Ben, I don't know exactly where our schedule's at. Do we have anybody to announce this next guest? Do we have a slew of people to announce? Are we not even sure where it's gonna land at this point? We got so, no joke, we have so many interviews lined up. At the time of recording this, we probably have a half a dozen to do in the next few days. Oh more. That's how many we have, more.
BEN WATERWORTH: This is, I mean, I've mentioned this on a few of the interviews recently, is that obviously our plan was to release an interview on an episode one a week between Tokyo and Beijing. It's actually gotten to the point, which obviously people realise by listening to this, by seeing we're releasing two a week now, that we're sort of getting so many that we can start releasing two a week. So yeah, I've sort of stopped Ford announcing guests just because as soon as I say this person's on next, I'll get three others that will happen before it. So therefore I've got to sort of loosely schedule them around. So just, we have plenty lined up, plenty, plenty lined up. And both winter and summer. And it's a lot of fun. We're loving bringing this here. And between those, of course too, we will be bringing Jarrod back into the fold and kind of talking about some other things as well. So very busy here on Off The Podium at the moment as well. And yeah, we're very excited to bring this here because there's some great chats, learning a lot, a lot about different sports and not just Australians and Canadians. We're obviously getting plenty of other athletes from other countries too. So that was always a goal of ours. Colin was like, yeah, okay, we're a Canadian, Australian podcast. We're gonna focus on countries, those countries, athletes from those countries, but why not spread it out there a little bit? So yeah, plenty, plenty to come. We're busy in the Off The Podium offices. We just need to learn how to communicate a little bit better as we turn that interview. So yeah.
COLIN HILDING: And I just wanna say this for all the listeners at home who listen through our Tokyo coverage, this is not a joke. This is 100% real. Today, this very day, Jarrod Gloat about this. No, no, no, I'm not even gonna mention that. I'll mention it now.
BEN WATERWORTH: I know you're gloating about the story you're telling. Yeah, but don't talk.
COLIN HILDING: I had somebody say to me today, they were 100% in agreement with me on the Penny Alexiak Athlete of the Day rant that I had. Tantrum, where I had to fight for it. They were 100% in agreement in it, and had some choice words to say about Ben and the message as well. But along with that, just to prove I'm a man of my word, this very day, Jarrod's box of multi-grain Penny Alexiak Cheerios is in the mail and on its way to Emu Plains.
BEN WATERWORTH: I'm just hoping my package got sent at the same time.
COLIN HILDING: Well, we'll have to talk off air because you're paying shipping on yours.
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, glad to see who's the favourite on this show. Jarrod's package is in the mail. Ben, we have to talk. So I see how it is.
COLIN HILDING: There have been a complication.
BEN WATERWORTH: Wow. I look forward to Jarrod's photo with him in Penny Alexiak breakfast cereal. So yeah, again, good to see. Good to see who is the teacher's pet on this show. So yeah.
COLIN HILDING: And we look forward to Beijing, which is creeping up a lot quicker than I thought it would. And maybe we'll have a nice box of apple cinnamon, Eric Radford's. I can give away on the show as well.
BEN WATERWORTH: He would probably make them himself, like with the skills he's got.
COLIN HILDING: Exactly.
BEN WATERWORTH: The skills of making breakfast cereal.
COLIN HILDING: After growing the oats.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah. After accessing them, he'd build the factory. He'd, the cardboard box factory.
COLIN HILDING: The distribution centre. The fashion, the carboard itself. I have seriously never been so jealous of a human being who's been on this show. And that includes Jarrod.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yes. Well, clearly.
COLIN HILDING: All right, so lots of fun stuff to come. As Ben said, episodes with all of us. Back to just talk Olympic stuff. Lots of interviews to come, and Beijing coming very quickly. Make sure to subscribe to us wherever you can find us, whether it be Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, wherever. Well, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Ben does a really good job with our Instagram. He's got some fun stuff on there. And I'm sure he's earning his wage well.
BEN WATERWORTH: I'm worth every cent we make off it. That's my dollar value in life. Everything on that service.
COLIN HILDING: And as always, thank you, Ben, for joining me for this interview.
BEN WATERWORTH: Thank you, Colin, for joining me for this interview. It's nice to have some help on one of these for once. So good job, well done.
COLIN HILDING: And thank you, everybody, for listening. And we'll be back in a couple of days for another one.
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