Joey Lye Interview
It's time to hit a home run with our next interview as we get our first taste of Softball and speak with Canadian Bronze Medallist from Tokyo Joey Lye about her amazing career and recent Olympic experiences! We learn from Joey just why a decision from her parents as a child helped steer her on a path towards an Olympic medal and what other sport she potentially could've gone to the Olympics in. We also find out a little more about the build up to Tokyo and why the Gold Medal win by Canada at the 2015 Pan Am Games was so important. Added to this we find out more about the rivalry between Australia and Canada in Softball and just what she has done with her medal now that she is home. It's a chat that will have you never striking out again, so get to listening!
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Please note this is an automated transcript that may contain errors.
BEN WATERWORTH: It is Off The Podium, An Olympics Podcast coming to you once again for another interview today, and an exciting interview for you as we, for the very first time, can talk about softball. That is right, softball. We have member of Canada's bronze medal winning team from Tokyo 2020, Joey Lye, with us today. It's a great chat here, learning about her career, how she was involved in two different sports and ultimately made the decision to pursue softball a little bit more, and learning what it was like playing a sport for a large portion of the last decade that unfortunately wasn't on the Olympic program, and then what it was like when it was returned for Tokyo. The emotions and everything from competing at an Olympic games and how hopeful everybody is, of course, that softball does make a return to the Olympic program as early, hopefully, as 2028. And some other great insight here into Joey about her medal, what she does with it, whether she's got some free stuff. You know I'm gonna bring that up here, of course, on the line and Colin, who unfortunately isn't with us on this interview today, will be happy with at least one of her answers when it comes to sporting teams and a bit of a conversation around that as well. So here's our chat with Canadian softball bronze medal winner Joey Lye.
BEN WATERWORTH: I always get excited on Off The Podium when we can speak to an athlete from a sport that we have never covered before. And today is one of those days. We are going to learn more about softball today. One of my favourite sports at the Olympics. And I'm just saying this right now, because I'm gonna repeat this about 20 times in this interview, a sport that is robbed at the Olympics. It should be on the agenda still. We should be talking about it in three more years time. We'll cover that today. But she was a member of Canada's bronze medal winning team at the Tokyo Olympics, Canada's first ever medal in softball. And I'm so excited to be able to learn more about that experience and everything else in between. Joey Lye is with me now. Joey, first of all, welcome to Off The Podium. It's a pleasure to have you on the show today.
JOEY LYE: Thank you so much. I'm honoured to be the first ever softball player on your podcast here. So thank you very much for having me.
BEN WATERWORTH: We've got to start somewhere and we've got to start with the best, right? So it's that simple. We start at the top and then we can go to those others, you know, kind of, we'll never compare to today, right?
JOEY LYE: Well, let's set that standard.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yes, exactly. Because in all seriousness, as I just said there in the intro, we talked about it a lot during our Tokyo coverage, that we just cannot believe that after 12 years, 13 years, softball returns, and then straight away it's taken away again. Like it's ridiculous. Like, can we just spend an hour just calling this bullshit, please, Joey? Like softball should be part of the, and baseball too. Like why, why, why is this happening? We're angry, aren't we?
JOEY LYE: Yes, it is not the happiest topic in the softball world. And we were so honoured to be able to play in Tokyo and to put our sport back on the Olympic stage for the first time since 2008. And for players like myself who have been a part of the national team for the past 12 years, essentially since it was removed, this was a moment we never, we didn't know if it was ever gonna be here. And just to know that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and to have to keep our fingers crossed that the younger generation will have an opportunity of their own, it's a little disheartening, but we were so proud to have been able to perform the way that we did for our sport and for our country.
BEN WATERWORTH: Is it something that you've gotten used to when you are introduced that you are an Olympic bronze medallist? Do you just like hearing people say that over and over again, an Olympic bronze medallist, Joey Lye? I can keep saying it if you want. It sounds like it's got a nice ring to it.
JOEY LYE: Oh, my goodness. Yeah, I don't think I will ever get used to that. You know, it almost feels like it was a dream. Did it happen? You know, it's come and gone already. We have been leading up to the Olympics for so long and working for so long for those six games over seven days and in a blink, it was over. And I guess it happened. But yes, it is pretty amazing to hear that and it doesn't get old.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yes, well, seven more mentions at least in this interview. We'll see how we can go with that. I believe growing up, you obviously got involved in softball. Funnily enough, that's why we're here talking about you. But you also did a bit of hockey too. So you were kind of a bit of winter, bit of summer there. Sort of what was it that kind of ultimately led you to pursuing softball more over the hockey side of things?
JOEY LYE: I think that as a Canadian, hockey is near and dear to my heart, and I hope to return to the ice someday shortly. But it was post-graduation of college, and my parents actually signed me up for a Team Canada tryout. It was right after the 08 Olympics. I graduated in 09, and so they were having open tryouts. There had been a lot of turnover amongst the players. A lot of players retired. There was a brand-new coach in 2009, and so it was an opportunity that kind of fell into my lap thanks to the stars aligning and to mom and dad having some belief in their daughter. And I didn't want to go at first when they told me I had just graduated or I was about to graduate from a Division III, a small Division III school, where I played both sports and loved both. And of course, I would love to play sports for my entire life if my body would allow me to do that. But I didn't honestly have the confidence in myself that it was an opportunity worth pursuing. And thankfully, my parents convinced me otherwise. And it's insane how much my mindset shifted from the day they told me they signed me up to the day I was one of the final cuts that year. And that lit such a fire within me. And so I just worked my tail off and was able to make it onto the roster that next year.
BEN WATERWORTH: What was growing up playing softball and obviously hockey, were the Olympics something that you looked at. As a potential, like I would love to go to the Olympics one day?
JOEY LYE: Absolutely. I actually in grade three, our teacher had us write a letter to ourselves. And she actually mailed mine to me when I was about to graduate from high school and I opened it up and it was all about how I wanted to be a professional athlete when I grew up. And so I was able to go to the Olympics in grade 10, I had actually written an autobiography. I came across this in my parents' house and deep in the depths of a closet and a box a couple of years ago in grade 10, I written an autobiography titled Future Olympian. And so it's very evident that it was in, inside of me through my entire childhood, through high school and onward that I wanted to reach the pinnacle of sport. And so to think back to that moment where my parents told me that, there was an opportunity to try out and I was hesitant is mind blowing, but it's crazy how things can work out.
BEN WATERWORTH: What was any of that hesitation because softball was no longer an Olympic sport at that point? And that maybe that dream of being an Olympian kind of if you were successful at this might not be possible given the sport was no longer part of the Olympic program at the time.
JOEY LYE: It's possible that that was a reason. It's hard for me to think back now to have any reason to say no. You know, having had the experiences I've now had met the people that I've now met and been able to represent my country for so many years. But, you know, I don't know it is possible, but if I could go back and, you know, smack that 22-year-old upside the head and knock some sense into her, and knock that hesitation out of her, I would.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, exactly, exactly. What was the scene like, I guess, in softball in Canada around about that time, when you make it to the national team? I mean, sort of maybe people outside of Canada who maybe sort of weren't aware, I mean, kind of where Canada in the top sort of teams of softball at that point, was it sort of a development that you were building your way up to kind of where you would ultimately win a bronze at the Olympics, kind of give us a bit of a picture about where Canada was at at that point?
JOEY LYE: Yeah, the national team had just come off of 08 in a fourth place finish, and that was the best the team had ever done. And they'd always kind of been the underdog going into bigger competitions, always struggled with Australia when it came down to it.
BEN WATERWORTH: I was going to mention who beat you in Beijing for that bronze. I wasn't going to say it, but yeah.
JOEY LYE: Yes. No, but that plagued us for many years, even as I was a part of the program, too. We'd get into a big game, and Australia would have scouted us really well and just come out ready to go and upset us in moments where we would expect we would come away on top. And so it was a long build up to Tokyo that allowed us to reach the podium finally for the first time in history. And I think the pandemic year actually was a huge asset to our program. Every single player within our team took it upon themselves to take care of things that maybe in a competition year, they wouldn't make the time for or to just take a step back when they needed to and then hone in on the little things. And when we came back together after 10 months of being apart, it was unbelievable to see the change within each of the athletes. And so, without the pandemic, I'm not even sure we would have performed the way that we did. I think we would have put up a great fight, but it's just, I cannot get over how much our team improved through 2020 and into 2021.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which is, it's really fascinating hearing things like that now, because I remember doing some interviews with some athletes just after the games were postponed, and there's so much uncertainty. I mean, clearly at that point, you don't even know if the games are gonna go ahead and everything along those lines. And it's interesting now to hear so many stories about how the pandemic pretty much helped. It's like, well, this is a good thing. This has helped us. Obviously, it's not the same for everyone, but it's how quickly time has gone by and how quickly now that it goes into that mindset. But it's like, actually, I'm glad there was a pandemic for that reason, to give us an extra year to prepare.
JOEY LYE: Right, absolutely. Yes, I've said so many times I would never, ever wish a pandemic upon the world ever. But the fact that it happened was such a blessing for our team and for our development, for our individual development and our collective talent. And you hear so many stories across the board now, like you were saying, that I was able to completely and fully focus on rehabbing an injury, or I was able to tackle some small detail of my game or my sport or my skill that I never would have taken the time to do. And just to look at life a little bit differently and the self-care piece I think was huge as well. And so a lot of athletes and people in general have learned what they need as an individual to be their best self.
BEN WATERWORTH: In terms of your role on the team, maybe more so for some of our listeners, particularly in this part of the world, who kind of only see softball or baseball at an Olympics and maybe don't follow it. I mean, what's your position on the team when you are making the team and kind of how can you explain essentially a position to somebody who's not that limited, has limited knowledge, I guess, on the sport of softball?
JOEY LYE: Yeah, so I have a pretty unique position. It's called a utility player. And that means I can basically fill in wherever is needed on the field and might not have a specialty or have a set position. And it could be different one day to another. I could be at one position to help kind of push and battle against another player to help them improve and have some healthy competition, or could just get some reps kind of all over the field in case of injury or just performance ups and downs, whatever it might be. And so over the years, I've had various roles with the national team. I started as an outfielder and kind of a role player, pinch runner, and then moved into the infield, played a couple years at shortstop, year or two at second base, and have had a couple years as utility player as well. So there was a point in time I just wished and hoped that I could just have one spot to focus on. And this year just fully 100% was bought into the fact that I could do anything when needed, and took pride in being able to be thrown in a game or switched up positions from one day to the next and give the team my absolute best.
BEN WATERWORTH: How do you train for that? I guess if you're an outfielder, I'm imagining you're training differently if you're on a second base, but when you're a utility, is it just kind of just spreading it out a little bit, kind of doing a bit of training here and there if one day you need it in the outfield, one day you need it on the base? And how challenging is that to kind of be so, I guess, diverse?
JOEY LYE: It definitely has its challenges, but it's also exciting because it keeps it fresh and new each day. Some days at practice, I would be scheduled in with outfielders, and other days at practice, I'd be scheduled in with infielders. And if we were doing in our squad, maybe it's a little bit of both in a day. And so it was just kind of, you know, picking and choosing days to get reps in different spots, and to being at a point where I felt comfortable, maybe not like I had absolutely mastered everything about each position, but I could feel comfortable being in them.
BEN WATERWORTH: The one thing in Australia that often people will look at a sport like softball and baseball, obviously comparisons to cricket, which obviously we're very fond of here. And the one key difference that I always like to think about though is like, when you're in the outfield, you're only there for what, three outs, and then it's innings change, quick innings change. Cricket, depending on the format, you're kind of standing out there for multiple hours upon hours upon hours. And unless you're a wicket keeper or a bowler, it's pretty boring. So I kind of think that it's kind of interesting because I guess you're in the outfield, you've got a lot of responsibility, but at least you know you can kind of go sit down and have a rest and maybe have a bat very shortly rather than standing out there all day.
JOEY LYE: Yes, yes, absolutely. That's one of the things I love about softball is when you're on defence, it could be a seven-pitch inning, it could be a 30-pitch inning, hopefully not, but it could be. You could get a ton of plays or you could get none that inning, and then you get to run in and see the game from a different side, and maybe you're stepping up to the plate or running the bases or whatever, depending on your role, but there is that transition and the ability to have either a great play in the field or an amazing hit and then be able to switch to a different mindset and perform in that space, or the opposite, where you've just made an error in the field or you've just struck out at the plate, but it's time to switch that mentality and perform in another area of the game. So it's very exciting to think about all the work that goes into the mental side of the game as well.
BEN WATERWORTH: What's the longest you've ever been out there for? You mentioned a 30-pitch inning. Have you experienced that? Or what's the longest you've actually experienced?
JOEY LYE: I'm sure. I don't have a count on what the longest inning is pitch-wise, but I'm certain there have been 25, 30-minute innings when things are not going well. That's never great, but we try to minimise those.
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, because the thing I love about sort of the sport as well, I'm always a fan of sports where there's kind of no end time. You could technically go on forever until somebody calls time, go have a sleep, we'll come back tomorrow. I look at tennis players, for example, a sport which, again, doesn't have an end game, so there's a clock. And going on to that mentality, I guess you have to go into every match prepared for that, right? Because you might go into it thinking, oh, this will be done in seven innings, simple, but then all of a sudden it's, no, we're here for the 15th extra inning, basically. When's this gonna end? So I mean, I can imagine the mentality part of the thing, you gotta be prepared for anything in any match.
JOEY LYE: Absolutely. And I think the fact that we've played so many double headers in our lives as a softball player, because it's not a high impact, high cardio sport, having the ability to play two games back to back, we've all experienced that countless times. And so with a tournament like the Olympics, where you're playing one game a day, it almost feels so fast with how quickly the game goes by. So I think we were definitely prepared for that if there were to be extra long games, extra innings, whatever it might be.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which, because again, it's sort of one of these things that as an Australian, we look at our sort of sports and you have athletes who are complaining if they have to play, say Australian football, like, oh, we've only got a five-day break between a Sunday game and a Friday game. Whereas I look at, say, the MLB and what are they playing, like 140-odd games a year? How many games a week? Like, it's kind of like, I think we can look up to people in North America and go, like, you guys play a lot more sport, a lot more matches sort of in a short period of time. We've got nothing to complain about. And you mentioned double headers and just like absolutely insane, things like that. Going through, I guess, the lead up to Tokyo and sort of through the 2010s, obviously a couple of silver medals at the Pan Am Games. Gold in 2015, Toronto, home Pan Am Games was sort of... Is the Pan Am Games, given no Olympics at that time, the peak, the World Championships kind of like, what are the tournaments that you sort of really go towards, I guess, in softball when it's not on an Olympic program as the peak of the sport?
JOEY LYE: Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head there with the Pan Ams and the World Championships. Those were the two that were our focus, and especially through the time where we were just expecting we wouldn't be going to the Olympics, just hoping at some point we would, but our focus was 100% on bringing home the gold if we could at either of those tournaments. Having the Pan Ams in Toronto was a huge moment for us. There were a lot of players who are either from Toronto or the surrounding area, and myself having grown up in Toronto, getting to have so many friends, family, former teammates, former coaches in the stands, that is a memory that will never get old for me. And the World Championships as well, those tournaments were always exciting, and we took a lot of pride in preparing for them and trying to climb up that ladder of medals. Unfortunately, we never got better than a bronze, but we will still appreciate those moments and memories as well, and all the work that went into them.
BEN WATERWORTH: I can imagine too, that memory back in 2015, home Pan Ams, you beat America as well. I mean, come on, that adds a little bit of extra spice to that gold medal, doesn't it?
JOEY LYE: Absolutely, yes. That was an amazing moment for our team. You know, we had beaten them here and there throughout our careers, but never in a major tournament. And so to do that at a multi-sport games, on home soil, it was one to remember.
BEN WATERWORTH: Cause I can imagine that, I mean, any sport between the US and Canada, obviously there's that huge rivalry, but I mean, I remember growing up watching softball in the Olympics. I mean, the US were the team to beat. You know, Australia, I remember getting silver in Athens, kind of when you make the gold medal game and you're up against the US, you're like, well, at least we're gonna get a silver. You were kind of like, we're not gonna win this. But I mean, it must be just kind of added to that. As you said, you've sort of, you know, beaten them here and there, but to do it at such an event, home crowd, like it just, the stars seemingly align at that moment. And you're on that dais hearing, oh, Canada play, like it just, everything kind of just fits together perfectly.
JOEY LYE: Yes, it almost was like a storybook ending for us that summer. The night before, I love telling this story, the night before the gold medal game, we were falling asleep. It was lights out. You know, it had been quiet in my room. I was rooming with Jenna Kaira, one of our pitchers at that tournament, and 20 minutes, you know, she could have been sleeping for all I know. And I said, Jenna, she said, yeah. Said, we're gonna win tomorrow. She said, I know. And then no other word was said. We both just fell asleep, you know, dreaming of gold medals and woke up and did the job. So it was a pretty cool story.
BEN WATERWORTH: That definitely meant to be kind of that motivation, right? You go to sleep happy, you wake up happy, right? So I like that, I like that. Do you remember the moment when the IOC announced that it was coming back for Tokyo? I believe that was during the Rio Olympics, if I'm not mistaken, that they announced the five, six sports that were gonna be on the Tokyo schedule. And what was that moment like when going back to you saying you had a letter to yourself, Dear Future Olympian, that this now is realistic. You have every chance to be an Olympian at that point, four years' time.
JOEY LYE: Yeah, I think it was a mixture of disbelief, pure joy, excitement, and just determination to get to work and to ensure that now that that was a possibility to ensure that I would be able to be in a space to make that roster and to keep my body healthy. Being 34 this year, I knew it would take a lot of hard work in the off season. And so, yeah, I think there were a lot of things running through my mind at that point, but the biggest emotion was absolutely just joy and excitement that we'd waited so long and worked so hard and the possibility was finally there.
BEN WATERWORTH: Is there a, I guess, a peak age for a softball player? You know, so you're mentioning sort of your age in Tokyo, but I mean, is that standard age? Like you generally have a lot of people sort of playing well into their thirties or things like that, or is there kind of an age where sort of people and coaches will look at going, okay, you're sort of in that peak age right now?
JOEY LYE: I think honestly, most women in athletics have their own determination on when they step away because of other factors. You know, they want to have a family, they want to build a career, they want to do these other things, and there haven't been a huge number of female athletes who have broken those barriers. You know, on our team this year, we had two moms, and that was really, really cool. And for the younger generation to see that and to know that they could grow up and have kids, have a family and play athletics well into their 30s, I think is really exciting for athletes everywhere. But, you know, if I were to guess a peak age, I would probably say, you know, 27 to 32 or so for the best, you know, freshest body, but most mature athlete mind combination. But, you know, our roster spanned from early 20s through 39.
BEN WATERWORTH: Wow, big diverse age there. Wow, that's crazy. And I can imagine, too, that after that announcement sort of in that four-year period, did all of a sudden things get a little bit more competitive, all of a sudden now knowing that there was sort of an Olympics up for grabs in four years. And what was sort of that period like, I guess, sort of fighting for spots on the team or maintaining your position on the team, I guess, at least it was at that point.
JOEY LYE: Yes, it absolutely kicked up the competition a little bit. There were a couple of players who came back out of retirement, and a couple of younger players who were coming up the ranks at that time. And so up until earlier this year, we had 20 athletes still competing for the 15 roster spots. And that definitely kept it fresh. And I think was a was a huge factor in how much better we got throughout the pandemic, because every single one of those 20 players knew that there were only 15 spots at the end of the day going to Tokyo.
BEN WATERWORTH: In terms of the qualification for Tokyo, they cut it down to six teams as opposed to, I believe, eight at previous Olympics. Did that add extra pressure? I mean, how did the qualification work then for Canada to secure a spot? And had it changed, if you know, from previous Olympics where they had extra teams at the Olympics?
JOEY LYE: I'm not sure off the top of my head how the previous Olympics were qualified for. For us, we had an opportunity to qualify in the 2018 Worlds that were in Japan. And the top finisher from that World Championships, aside from Japan, because they were the hosts and already qualified, would make it to the Olympics. And so we narrowly missed that and, you know, played for the bronze medal as opposed to playing against the US for that opportunity for the gold medal and for qualification. And so we then waited until the next summer of 2019. We had the Pan Am Games in Peru. And then a couple weeks after that, we had a qualifier that was again on home soil. So it was really nice to be able to play in front of our home crowd there again. And at that tournament, there were two teams from the Americas who would qualify. And so we felt fairly confident. We were ranked third in the world and we had been playing pretty well. You know, 2018, we put on a good showing at the World Championships. And so we felt confident going into that qualifier in 2019. And we got to a game where we could qualify and we actually lost to Mexico 1-0. And so that put a little bit of added pressure on us. We had to turn around and beat Brazil the next day. And we ended up walking it off with a home run from our catcher, Kaylee Rafter. And it was really, really exciting to finish that tournament with a walk-off qualification, you know, a home run to seal the deal. And so it was a pretty exciting, eventful journey.
BEN WATERWORTH: I was going to say, it must be a pretty special moment to feel that. I mean, can you describe what that's like then? I mean, obviously then it's qualifying the team. You know, the squads are obviously announced a little bit closer to the games. But yeah, that's it. You're done. You know, Canada is going back to the Olympics in softball.
JOEY LYE: Yes, yes. That was a pretty emotional tournament and moment for our whole team. And specifically for myself and my family, my sister was getting married that week. And so I missed her wedding. And so I saw her get married, but I was not there. And that also meant that I had no family in attendance that week at the tournament and the you know, the rest of my teammates did. And so when we sealed the deal, all of the families came down onto the field to celebrate. And that was such a touching and emotional moment. And I kind of took it in. You know, I didn't have my family coming down onto the field. And so that that part was was not the happiest moment ever. But I was able to connect with some other people. And actually our head coach's wife came over and I just burst into tears with the the touching, amazing things that she said to me during that embrace. And so it was, you know, a moment like that I might not have had if my family were there. And and then looking forward into the Olympics in Tokyo where there were no fans, it. I used it as a positive for myself as well that, you know, I've experienced a big moment without my family there. And I know they'll be watching from home and cheering us on. And just as I build on on that topic, you know, having our whole team experience that at the Olympics, no fans, no family, that it was very strange. But I think it provided such a unique and bonding and intimate experience for the 15 of us to do that together and to have each other and to focus on one another, that it was pretty special for us.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which I can then imagine when you get back to Canada and you've got the bronze medal around your neck, it's sort of, as much as you would have liked your family and friends obviously to be there, it makes that moment more special when you do return home with a pretty nice piece of jewellery around your neck.
JOEY LYE: Absolutely. It has been pretty special to hear about and see on social media just everybody returning home and having the celebrations and getting reunited with their family and loved ones and being able to share those moments. And so although it was a very unique games, I think that did ultimately provide a lot of very special moments.
BEN WATERWORTH: What was that moment like when you were officially announced on the squad for Tokyo, when you knew at that point, I'm an Olympian, I'm going to the Olympics?
JOEY LYE: Oh, my goodness. I think it was another mixed emotion moment for me because I think I was pushing for a spot. I wasn't an athlete who 100% knew that they would be named to that roster from day one. And so on one hand, it was a sense of relief. On another hand, it was a sense of excitement. And yeah, there was a lot of emotions going on that day. And having been a part of the program since 2010 and having tried out for the first time in 2009 and having dreamed of being an Olympian for my whole life, it was a pretty overwhelming day. I didn't really have the words to describe it that day. For a couple of days, that announcement came out, and there were people reaching out and lots of excitement around it. And in the back of my mind, and I think the back of a lot of my teammates' minds as well, there was still a tiny seed of doubt, will these Olympics happen? And so there was a little bit of a cloud still looming in the distance in addition to all of the excitement that we were getting one step closer.
BEN WATERWORTH: So was it then that moment, first game out there on the field that all of a sudden that's the moment? Okay, well, they can't stop these now, surely. Here we are, we're playing, this is happening. Canada are all on me. I'm an Olympian now, this is happening.
JOEY LYE: Absolutely, and I think a lot of us shared in that moment too where, okay, we're here, we're on the field, the pitches have been thrown, we are in it. Yes, yes, it was a very exciting time.
BEN WATERWORTH: What was the confidence levels like in the team going into that tournament, sort of coming off, you know, bronze at the world, you're talking about being third in the world. I mean, was there that confidence that you would leave with a medal? Was that the goal? Essentially, we are not leaving unless we've got a medal around our necks. I mean, I guess you have to leave, but you know what I mean. You can still stay there if you really want to. I don't know if, you know, Tokyo would let you, but hey.
JOEY LYE: Oh no, they got us on a plane home real fast. But we, so our training, our, our journey, we, we titled it our gold medal mission. And the, the entire team was bought into the fact that we were chasing a gold medal in Tokyo. So I think our team's confidence was at its highest. It's ever been going into those games. We all believed that we could do it. When we lost the, the one nothing game to the US, we still believed that we would beat Japan later that week and make it into the gold medal game. And when we lost that one nothing game to Japan, we were devastated. I think that's the hardest loss that anyone on our team has ever felt. There were tears, there was frustration, and we had just been working every single day for years with a gold medal in our sight. And so we quickly had to rebound from that. But the confidence was there for sure. And so going into that bronze medal game, we felt that we would come out on top. And it was an exciting game. We didn't skate by Mexico by any means, a 3-2 finish. But I think from the moment we arrived in Tokyo, we had our eyes set on the gold medal. And as soon as that was unattainable, we were not, as you said, leaving that country without some hardware.
BEN WATERWORTH: Because the thing I always love talking about athletes in sports where you've got to play a bronze medal game, you make it to a gold medal game, of course you want to win a gold. But I guess in the back of your mind, you've got, well, if we don't, we've got a medal. You've secured a medal no matter what. The bronze to me is more do or die, right? Because at that point, you're not only overcoming the disappointment of not making it to that gold medal game, you know you lose your fourth. You're not even going with a medal. So in some way, I almost feel like that bronze medal game almost has a bit more, I don't know, weight on it in a weird way, because you know that it's all or nothing right now to walk away with a medal.
JOEY LYE: Absolutely. And I think the history of our program additionally would put some pressure on us. You know, it had been the story that Canada has always narrowly missed, and we'll make it to that bronze game, and especially on the Olympic stage, we'll come home with nothing. And so that for sure was in the back of our minds, but I think with how hard we had worked in the off season and how particularly we had prepared for every single opponent, we had the confidence on our side.
BEN WATERWORTH: And I'll say one thing as an Australian going to show our knowledge of softball is that we sort of looked at it like, we've medalled in every single one of these. Like, yeah, we're easy Canada, Australia, bronze medal, maybe, you know, we went into that with that notion. And then I remember we were on air during that game against Mexico. And one of my other co-hosts is Australian, Jarrod. And we were like, what's going on here? We're not even going to make it to the bronze medal game. So I don't know if that's just confident, cocky Australians getting a bit too ahead of ourselves, assuming we're going to walk away with a medal in a sport we'd never at that point not won a medal in.
JOEY LYE: Yeah, we were watching that Mexico-Australia game just wondering who was going to come out on top and being excited to play either team. I think the history between us and Australia, there was a little bit of us that was hoping it would be Australia so we could redeem ourselves. We would have loved to play them, but Mexico being the fierce competitors that they are, they made it a great game and challenged us to the end.
BEN WATERWORTH: I have to say, 7-1 win in the pool stage is a bit of sweet revenge, though, against Australia at the Olympics, right? You kind of can take away that. Like, ah, that's for not letting us get the bronze back in Beijing. 7-1, we'll take that.
JOEY LYE: That's a good way to look at it.
BEN WATERWORTH: What is that moment like then when you're on the dais, you've got the bronze around your neck? I mean, again, I'm sure it's something that you really can't put into words, but I mean, that goes right back to when you were dreaming of being an Olympian, and not only you're an Olympian now, you're an Olympic medallist, which kind of adds a bit of extra, as I said before, spice to it.
JOEY LYE: Yeah, earlier that week, one of my teammates, Erica Polidori, was talking about how we were going to be the first team sport that would be stepping onto the podium, and that we had the opportunity to set the tone for how that looked. And she said that she had been thinking about it and planning and envisioning herself putting my medal around my neck for me. And that was extremely special to hear, and we had had a few cool moments throughout our travels to Tokyo and through the Olympics, Erica and I. So stepping onto the podium next to her was an amazing moment. And on my other side, I had Jen Salling, and we had had a journey as well. She was my first roommate during tryouts in 2009, and we actually roomed together again this year and just had such an amazing time, amazing conversation, and just had grown so much as friends and teammates over the past 12 years. And so to be able to step onto the podium between those two women, and it turned out that I actually got to put the medal around Erica's neck, and then Jen placed mine around my neck, and we kind of set the tone for what that could look like as a team sport since there wasn't allowed to be an outside person putting that medal on us. And so they had said we were to do our own, but we decided to write our own story and continue to show, I don't think you realise this in the moment, but continue to show how much we love each other and how close we are as a squad. And so I think that moment is one I'll remember forever, and it's pretty indescribable with regard to the emotions that were flowing through me.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which that was the beauty of Tokyo, is that we did get to witness sort of the team sports, you putting your medals around each other's necks, which I'm assuming you never get to experience at any competition because it's usually done by the officials. So I kind of feel like it was such a unique touch. It's almost something I think they should just keep in, keep that in future Olympics, even if we're back to normal, hopefully by 2024, because it was just kind of the emotions there. I mean, just seeing that and seeing it in other sports too, where kind of even athletes were doing it to each other. Like it was just a nice little touch that kind of the pandemic brought to it.
JOEY LYE: Yes, I agree. It was extremely special. And I would love to see teams continue to do that moving forward, to share that moment with one another.
BEN WATERWORTH: Also, we love hearing, I guess, about the Olympic experiences. And as we keep saying about Tokyo, obviously, sort of a bit of a unique and different experience. But do you kind of have those moments that you take away from Tokyo, through the village, through everything else, you know, just interacting with other countries and players, that you're really soaking in what it means to be an Olympian at an Olympics?
JOEY LYE: Absolutely. I think because we weren't able to go watch other sports, it made the interactions in the village so much more important for that experience. And one of the most special moments for me was meeting up at the rings in the village with two other women who had gone to Williams College, where it's a small division three school. And to think that there are three women playing three different sports for three different countries who were united by their alma mater, that was a pretty special moment for me. Just getting to meet those women, hearing a bit about their stories, learning about their time on campus, and being able to share a picture and send that back to our sports info director and make his day. But yes, those moments were absolutely heightened because we weren't able to go watch other sports and because it was just a different experience as a whole.
BEN WATERWORTH: Do you get much into the pin trading? I always love hearing about sort of the pin trading going on because that just adds a bit of fun to it, doesn't it? Kind of going around, it's almost like collecting Pokemon. I'm going to get all these pins and trade everything around where I can.
JOEY LYE: Absolutely. So I would wear a few on my lanyard and happily trade if others were interested. There were a couple of players on my team who really got into it and were approaching anybody and everybody who looked like they might have some pins on them or in their pockets. And it is a pretty cool thing. And you get to go home and share some mementos with other people and just see the different designs that countries have made. And it does add some excitement to the village for sure.
BEN WATERWORTH: Do you have that friendly nature enough with the other teams there that you can maybe go up to the Australians and just like, hey, I know we just beat you 7-1, go ask, but can we trade a pin while we're here?
JOEY LYE: Yeah, I think the camaraderie between the teams is pretty high. And for us, we had a pretty unique situation where, so currently I'm working at Athletes Unlimited, a professional softball league in the US and I was actually fortunate enough to play in it a year ago, again, thanks to the pandemic and the delayed Tokyo Games. And there were players from the US from Canada, from Italy, and from Mexico who played last year, and again, many from those same teams and countries who are playing this year. And so to have had that experience in 2020 and get to know a lot of those athletes better than just as opponents was a pretty amazing experience to then travel to Tokyo and reunite and have those friendships that have been grown. And so there's a lot of friendly banter and friendships that have been created between softball teams.
BEN WATERWORTH: One of the things I absolutely loved after the medal win, your great coach Mark Smith, of course, retired, but sort of the plea that he was giving out there, like make this continue this in the Olympics and kind of push it out there, because I can imagine that is a weird feeling competing at an Olympic Games knowing that you can't compete in the next one. Like, and it's got nothing to do with ability or age or kind of anything along those lines. It's literally that the sport is not at the Olympics. I mean, what was that like kind of seeing sort of Mark just go out there on a bang and just be like, come on, like, come on, I see what are you doing? Like this is these athletes deserve to compete in the Olympics. Look how successful this has been. It must mean bittersweet, obviously, seeing him go, but at least seeing him go out with a bang, essentially, to show what it should be for.
JOEY LYE: Yeah, I think we're hopeful that our sport will have a chance again in 2028. And similarly to Japan, choosing softball and baseball as one of their sports to exhibit, we're hopeful that the US will do that in LA. And with it being only seven years apart from the Tokyo Games, perhaps that will help create more momentum within the Olympic level. You know, that's a dream. So I think there's still some hope out there that the Olympic momentum will continue. It is absolutely unfortunate that in three years' time, the game will not be displayed in the Olympics. But there's still hope. We're holding on to hope for 2028.
BEN WATERWORTH: As an Australian who has no sway over how the Brisbane Olympics will be held, but I'm just saying I will do what I can to make sure that Brisbane, if LA doesn't, that Brisbane will include it in 2032, all right? Like, come on. I'll do what I can, Joey. I don't know how much sway I have in this country anymore, but I'll try.
JOEY LYE: I'm going to hold you to that.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yes, good. You can. Please, please do with that. Just on a side tangent, a question that I've actually legitimately always wanted to know, and this has got nothing to do with anything that I usually ask. It's just that Ben Waterworth wants to know, is there male softball and is there female baseball? And if so, why do we not hear about it more? And why is it sort of so associated that softball is a women's sport and baseball is a male sport?
JOEY LYE: That is a very good question. And the answer is yes, there is women's baseball and there is men's softball. And it is actually so in the 2015 Pan Am Games, they had all four women's and men's baseball, women's and men's softball. And so that was really exciting to get to meet those players and see those teams perform. And, you know, Canada won three of those four gold medals. So that was also very exciting. And I think my guess would be that college sports, there's only women's softball and men's baseball. And so the desire for youth, at least in North America, to pursue the opposite is much lower. So I believe the men's softball game used to be much larger, and it's kind of died a little bit in recent years. But it is a very exciting game to watch.
BEN WATERWORTH: Because it's always fascinating to me. Obviously, it's great that in Olympics and Commonwealth Games and sports like this, they're obviously finally getting to a point where it's equal medals, equal events for men and women. But it's still kind of interesting how there are some sports that are so associated with one gender. And while there's clearly a lot of male sports like that, it always fascinates me with sort of these female orientated sports like a softball, or even something like synchronised swimming or rhythmic gymnastics, which are just, you know, there are men that do it. It just, it would be interesting to kind of see that. Netball is a very big sport in Australia, and there's male netball, even though it's sort of very much associated as a female sport. So it's just, yeah, it's always interesting to me to think that it's just such an association with gender when the sports are very similar. And yeah, just to kind of see if that was a thing. So thank you for clearing that up, Joey. I'm glad. I feel like I'm being educated. I like it. One thing I always need to find out too, from all our medallists on the show, and this is obviously very fresh for you, what do you do with the medal? Or if you haven't sort of got a place for it yet, what are you planning to do with the medal?
JOEY LYE: Well, I do have it right here with me. Oh, look at that. I have been travelling with it on hand because I actually one day, I forget where I was one day, but somebody asked, do you have your medal with you? And it was recently after I returned, and I said, oh, actually it's at home. And the disappointment that came over that person's face just crushed me. And so having learned how much joy it brings people to be able to hold an Olympic medal, see an Olympic medal, and ask about it and share stories, it has persuaded me to keep it close by while the excitement is still flowing.
BEN WATERWORTH: I love that. I mean, I've always said if I had ever won a medal, I wouldn't take the damn thing off. I'd be around my neck like 10 years later. It would be there. So the fact that you've got it there ready to go, it's perfect. It should be like your wallet, right? You always need your wallet. You always need your Olympic medal. You never know when it's going to come in handy, right?
JOEY LYE: The heaviest wallet I've ever had.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, exactly. I don't know if it would quite fit in one of the credit card slots. But have you tried to get free? I always ask this, do you try and get free stuff? Can you walk into a store with an Olympic medal around your neck and maybe get a better table at a restaurant or free fries or something like that?
JOEY LYE: So I have a couple of stories. I haven't tried to get free things with it, but there have definitely been some folks. My wife and I crossed the border. We went up to see my parents shortly after I returned from Tokyo, and our first stop was Tim Hortons. And we walked in, and she said, you have to wear your medal inside. And so we walked in, and the gentleman behind the cash register, his jaw just about hit the floor, and he was so filled with excitement. And after confirming that, yes, it was an Olympic medal, he said, oh, my goodness, whatever you want, it's on us, it's on us. And he turned to his associate, and he said, right, right? So that was pretty cool.
BEN WATERWORTH: Timbits, boxes of timbits.
JOEY LYE: Yes, absolutely. So yeah, to see the excitement in that moment was pretty cool. And there have been a couple of times where I've been out with some friends grabbing dinner, grabbing a beer, and my friends go out of their way to embarrass me and put me on the spot and make sure that the server knows that there's an Olympic medal and an Olympian in their presence. And so due to that, we have gotten, you know, a round covered or, you know, a freebie here and there. And so it's been a nice perk.
BEN WATERWORTH: I just think you're just being too humble, Joey. Just wear it. Go on. Just go to these places and just be like, yes, I would like a Mercedes. Thank you very much. This is an Olympic medal.
JOEY LYE: How polite of you to offer that.
BEN WATERWORTH: Hey, I mean, we joke on this show that a Canadian bronze is like a Canadian gold. So, I mean, hey, I'm sure that they're going to be throwing it out to you. So, you know, that kind of was. I've got some fake replicas, which maybe I need to try it, right? Like I can just wear it in Australia. I'll put on my Canadian Team Canada sort of stuff I got at the Bay and put on an accent like, yeah, I am a Canadian gold medallist. No one in this country would question me.
JOEY LYE: Well, perfect. You can be my test dummy and then let me know what works.
BEN WATERWORTH: Done. All right. I'll take a picture of you of me and my Mercedes. I'm like, hey, it works. There you go. You know? Phenomenal. Exactly. Before we sort of wrap up, Joey, with a series of sort of get to know you fun style questions, I guess from this point on, what now for you are you going to continue to play, kind of stick around on the national team, maybe another Pan Am Games or a World Champs or sort of what's in the books for you now?
JOEY LYE: Yeah, I think now is a good time for me. Well, it's never a good time. I think it is time for me to step away from the athlete side of my life and embark on a new journey. And I would love to stay involved with softball and get back involved with hockey. I have signed a contract with a company called Area Scouts, and what they do is it's a health-based sport platform. So youth athletes join the platform, and they get evaluated by their evaluator. And the first thing they do is go through a movement screen. And so if there are any red flags, those athletes are then directed to work through those issues that they have, those mobility issues, and ensure that there is no pain and that the mobility improves before sport-specific stuff comes into play. If the athlete passes the movement screen, then they're put through a sport-specific evaluation. And then they're provided feedback and given tons of videos with regard to the certain areas that they need to improve. And so I'm excited to grow with this platform. It's fairly new, and so I'll be involved with both softball and women's hockey. And so I'm pretty excited for that. And then I also actually just today launched my own website. And so I'm hoping to...
BEN WATERWORTH: Plug it, Joey. We can be able to check it out.
JOEY LYE: Go on. And I am excited to embark on a speaking career as well.
BEN WATERWORTH: Great.
JOEY LYE: And travel around and touch the lives of youth, companies, and everything in between and share my story and inspire leadership.
BEN WATERWORTH: I'm looking at it right now. It is a very nice website, I have to say. Thank you. As seen on CBC, ESPN, TSN, FOX, CBS, Sport, CETIC. Wow, this is incredible. Jeez, I feel like I need to redo the introduction now, Joe. I need to go back and re-edit this. You know, I see here you've got Outside The Shoot Podcast, Two's Talk Podcast. You can add Off The Podium Podcast if you want, you know, on Australian podcasts.
JOEY LYE: Yes, I will do that.
BEN WATERWORTH: Good. All right. I like that. Any extra promotion kind of works out there on that. Now, Joe, we wrap up every interview with a series of sort of fun Get To Know You questions, and this is actually from a Team Canada questionnaire that they gave athletes ahead of Rheon Pyeongchang. Did you get, like, I don't, you might be the first athlete I can ask these to because they didn't have it on their website this year. So I don't know, did you get a questionnaire before you left for Tokyo, kind of a Get To Know You style thing, or did they just not do it at all?
JOEY LYE: You know what? We filled out a lot of stuff. It feels like two years ago now, athletes who would potentially be there. So I'm sure there were some questions. I don't remember anything leading right up to the games about kind of Get To Know You questions per se.
BEN WATERWORTH: We're disappointed. I will, because we were a bit disappointed. Like, maybe they did do these and they just didn't get around to putting it on the website or something like that. But anyway, I will say I usually choose an athlete from the same sport. And obviously, unfortunately, in Rio, there was no softball. So I've gone with a golf athlete today. I thought ball, you're hitting it kind of in the same ballpark. So why not? Your favourite ever Olympic moment, and you are allowed to answer your own if you want to.
JOEY LYE: Okay, yes. I mean, I have to say stepping on to the podium with my teammates and taking in the fact that we had just made history for our country and continuing that celebration in centre field with, we call it our oxy circle, where we just come in as close as possible and have our arms around each other and just sharing that moment together.
BEN WATERWORTH: Great. I love it. If you could choose any Olympic host city, where would it be?
JOEY LYE: Wow, that is a tough question. Okay, I'm going to look like I'm sucking up, but I would have to say somewhere in Australia. I've always wanted to travel to Australia, and I never have, and that would be a great reason to, in addition to the fact that I have my wife's sister and her family live in Adelaide, so I've got to get over there at some point.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, exactly. Well, perfect excuse for both reasons. I mean, Adelaide's a nice city. I wouldn't say it's the best in Australia, but it's not the worst. I think that's on their slogan. Adelaide, not the best, but not the worst. Come visit us. It's a decent slogan. In your spare time, what do you most like to do?
JOEY LYE: The first thing that comes into my mind is the beach. I just cannot get enough of the water. So anytime I can get to the beach, I am there.
BEN WATERWORTH: Beautiful. And one thing I actually will say, living in Canada, I discovered the beach culture is obviously more of a lake beach culture, but I enjoyed it. It's not quite what I was used to here in Australia, but it does the job. I was like, Canada, beaches, you don't have this. That's like saying Australia's got snow, but it exists. So yeah, I like that. What is the weirdest instruction a coach ever gave you?
JOEY LYE: Weirdest instruction. I think, well, I've also done this to athletes. I, in my now previous life was a college coach, but eyes closed drills. So you're obviously never going to play your sport with your eyes closed, but attempting to either hit the ball off the tee or go through a throw or whatever it is that your body should have muscle memory to do with your eyes closed. Very strange experience.
BEN WATERWORTH: It would be scary then if you had a player who was so good at that, that they did close their eyes in a tournament because they played better with their... I don't know how that would work, but...
JOEY LYE: Yes, that would be very scary.
BEN WATERWORTH: Your coaching skills are a little bit too good then if all of a sudden they're doing that. Now, there is a... Again, this is optional. They did a drawing element to this questionnaire, so you've got to draw a picture of yourself. And I have to say here, Elena Sharpe is a golfer. We've got the question here. She's joined a lovely stick figure of her holding a golf club, and that's pretty much the skills I would have if I had to draw a picture of myself. So again, Joey, if you want to, you're welcome to send it in. We can put it on social media. Your favourite workout is?
JOEY LYE: Okay, so we, as a squad, we would always get tested with the trap bar deadlift, and a lot of my teammates now despise the trap bar, or at some point despised the trap bar. But I freaking love the trap bar deadlift. I could do that every single day. I mean, I haven't been in the gym a ton since we have returned from Tokyo twice actually, in the past three, four, five weeks, however long it's been. But trap bar is up there for me.
BEN WATERWORTH: Okay, I like it. Good to see you there. If you could have lunch with any one person, who would it be?
JOEY LYE: Wow, I think there are a lot of people that I would be able to put on that list, and to pick one of them, I might have to say Glennon Doyle. I love her books. I love her podcast. I love just the energy she puts out on social media. I love the rawness of her personal life that she and her wife Abby Wambach put out there. And I know that socialising isn't huge on her list, but I would be hopeful that a one-on-one lunch would be A-OK.
BEN WATERWORTH: I think you're up there now with that. Again, wear the medal. It's that stuff that you get, right? Olympic medallist, lunch, come on. Like, it's going to work. Speaking of lunch, what is your favourite sandwich?
JOEY LYE: Favourite sandwich? I think I would go with a turkey avocado club.
BEN WATERWORTH: Nice. Good choice there. Again, I said this year off there, I need to stop asking questions about food because it just makes me hungry. So I just shouldn't do it. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
JOEY LYE: It would be to freeze time, but where I would still be able to exist in my life. And, you know, I think there's a couple of reasons for this. One, I'm always running just on time. I do not give myself any extra minutes to do anything. And I like to say I have time optimism, where I can get way more done in the amount of time that I have than I actually can get done. So I think pausing time for that reason, but also there are moments that I would just love to kind of sit in and take in with more time than life gives you to do that. And just be able to kind of soak it up and enjoy those really special great moments.
BEN WATERWORTH: And surely the third option there is in softball. You could freeze it just as the ball's about to come to go. Okay, that's the positioning of it. I know this is what it's going to do. All right, get ready. And then unfreeze, swing, home run, right?
JOEY LYE: I hadn't thought about that, but that is an amazing added bonus.
BEN WATERWORTH: Hey, exactly. The fact that that's only your third option there, you know, that works. I like that. The best candy in the world is?
JOEY LYE: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
BEN WATERWORTH: Good choice. I like that. Doesn't get answered as much as I thought it should on this show.
JOEY LYE: Big peanut butter girl, big chocolate girl.
BEN WATERWORTH: The other drawing element to this, draw a picture of a Canadian animal. And Elena's drawn a, I think it's a beaver. I'm going to say it's a beaver. Now, I'm excited for this one, knowing that you're from Toronto. As a kid, who was your favourite sports team?
JOEY LYE: Toronto Maple Leafs. No questions asked.
BEN WATERWORTH: No hesitation at all. Now, I'm not a Leafs fan, but I do have a big soft spot for the Leafs. I'm a Flames fan, but you can hold that against me. But I'm a big Raptors fan, so I mean, you know, got to balance it out there. Your favourite sports movie is?
JOEY LYE: Ooh, again, there are so many good ones. I would have to go with Coach Carter. Oh, yeah. Yes, I just love the impacts that he has, the standard he holds his players to, and his unwavering standards, but also how much he cares for his athletes. There's just a lot of passion and a lot of growth in that movie.
BEN WATERWORTH: And Samuel L. Jackson, I mean, come on, right? Like that man can do anything. I always like to ask in terms of, you know, if there's any sports specific, like, obviously, I think of A League of Their Own as a women's baseball movie, but are there any softball specific movies that exist that you know of?
JOEY LYE: There is a movie that has Reese Witherspoon in it, and I cannot, for the life of me, remember the title in this moment. And there is, she gets cut from USA Softball at the beginning of the movie. And so there are some softball clips, but it is not about softball.
BEN WATERWORTH: Right, okay. I mean, again, I know it's baseball, not softball, but A League of Their Own, I mean, Tom Hanks, Madonna, Gina Davis, Rosie O'Donnell, I mean, God, like, come on. Sells itself right. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
JOEY LYE: I think right now, my wife and I are talking about moving to the Carolinas, possibly, so I would have to list that. You know, I know it's embarrassing that I grew up in Canada and I cannot deal with the cold, but we are looking forward to journeying south and being somewhere where we can spend more months on the beach.
BEN WATERWORTH: Does that mean that you have to become like a makeshift hurricanes fan or just kind of ignore that little aspect? I mean, at least you could watch the Leafs play a couple of times a year when they come to Carolina, right?
JOEY LYE: Yes, I will remain a Leafs fan until the day I die.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, Colin, our Canadian co-host, is a big Leafs fan, so maybe I'm glad he's not on the show right now, because I feel the entire conversation would have just switched to that right now.
JOEY LYE: Oh, yes, you would have been way outnumbered.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, I won't tell the Leafs jokes. I know it's all good. When you were little, what was something you always thought?
JOEY LYE: I always thought... I always... So I have this memory. I think it's the first memory I have. I have a terrible memory, but when I was six years old, my grandma asked me, what is your favourite age to be? And I looked at her and I said, six, as though that was the only answer that was possible. And I think just from a young age, I always loved being in the moment and being where I was at. And I appreciate that about my childhood and about my life. And I try my best to continue living life that way.
BEN WATERWORTH: Great way to look at it. I like that. Final question for you today, Joey. I mentioned the word joke before, so this kind of is poignant that we end on. My favourite joke to tell is?
JOEY LYE: Oh dear. I'm a terrible joke teller. So...
BEN WATERWORTH: Good to put you on the pressure for the last question.
JOEY LYE: Yeah, I honestly have nothing for you.
BEN WATERWORTH: You could just say Vancouver Canucks. I mean, you know.
JOEY LYE: Yeah. I hate to say it. The only thing coming to mind is that the Leafs are going to win the Stanley Cup this year.
BEN WATERWORTH: Hey, stranger things have happened. I'm trying to think of those. I mean, the Cubs won a World Series eventually, so that was 100 and however many years. It's only been about 40 or 50 or 60, right? So you'll get there eventually.
JOEY LYE: Maybe. I will say the most spoken sentence of a Leafs fan is maybe next year. So that's a little pun I'll leave you with.
BEN WATERWORTH: Just the one word of advice is actually win a playoff series first before you think about the Stanley Cup, right? You're going to get past that first round. OK, just yeah, I'm a Flames fan. You can rip into me. It's all good. Joey, before we let you go, you obviously mentioned your website, but social media, if people want to sort of stay up to date with everything else you got there as well, where can they find you?
JOEY LYE: Yes, Instagram is the best. I'm also on Twitter and Facebook. All of them, my handles are the same, at Joey1ye. So it looks like Joey Lye, but the L is a one.
BEN WATERWORTH: Perfect. Joey, it has been so fun chatting to you, learning more about softball and everything else in between. And as promised, I will start my pitch. No, pun intended. Actually, no, bugger, pun intended, for softball to be on that program in 2032, if it's overlooked by LA. And even if it's not overlooked, I'll make sure it stays on the calendar for the Brisbane Olympics.
JOEY LYE: Amazing. Thank you so much. It has been a pleasure sitting here with you tonight, and I guess it's tomorrow morning for you.
BEN WATERWORTH: I still think it's morning.
JOEY LYE: Wonderful. Well, thank you so much. It was an honour to be here with you today, and I look forward to following your podcast in the future as well.
BEN WATERWORTH: Wow. And a massive, massive thanks once again to Joey for her time. Such a fun, great chat there. And yeah, Colin, Toronto Maple Leafs, I know you're excited and happy to hear that. And I'm proud of myself that I didn't end that final joke actually with Toronto and I went with Vancouver. So hey, it's fun to do. And also great to see Joey literally had the medal right there. She held it up to the camera. So great to see that. And as she said, it sort of brings a bit of a smile to people's faces. My face may have smiled quite significantly when I did see that Olympic medal. So thanks, Joey, for sharing your experiences and also sharing the medal there as well. Plenty of great content still to come here and Off The Podium. Plenty of great interviews. We are obviously keeping very, very busy between now and Beijing. And not only keeping busy, but keeping you entertained. We also do have coming up our Ranking The Olympic Medal Designs episode, which we're very excited about. Colin, myself and Jarrod are gonna sit down and geek out for an hour or two as we rank our thoughts on all the Olympic medals from 1996 onwards. Actually, 94 onwards. We're gonna go from Lilahama onwards. As we've sort of explained before, it's more of a case of when the Olympic medals were sort of added a little bit more to the ribbon design. It wasn't just sort of a generic colour that they added. You know, you had the games sort of emblazoned along the ribbon and kind of what that means from along the way. So it's not gonna be a 10-hour long episode where we go back to Athens, 1896, and rank every single medal. We'd love to do that maybe one day when we maybe lose our lives and don't have a life and kind of have time to do that. But this will be more of a case of from 94 onwards, winter and summer. And I'm very intrigued to see how this will play out because I don't know how Colin and Jarrod think about the medal designs. I've got some thoughts in my head about what I think of the medal designs over the years, but I guess we will come to that very, very soon. And as I said, interviews galore to keep you entertained both winter and summer as Beijing 2022 gets ever closer. In the meantime, if you don't want to miss any one of these episodes, of course, subscribe to us on all the podcast channels. Search Off The Podium. Easiest way to get that into your speakers, get the episodes into your speakers. That makes more sense, Ben. And also social media, Off The Podium, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. You can follow us on their site today. We've all got posted. And give us a message. Let us know who you'd like us to track down. They're an athlete out there you'd really like to hear from. We can do our best and find them. So send us a message and we can do what we can to help you out dear listener out. Big thanks again to Joey, big thanks to everybody for listening to the show today. My name is Ben, this has been. Off the Podium and as always, go left.
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