Kayla Sanchez Interview
It’s time to return to the sport of swimming today as we chat with Canadian two-time Olympic medallist Kayla Sanchez about the sport and her amazing journey to getting to the Olympics! We find out just why her progression in the sport meant she had to switch to competitive swimming and which other Olympic sport she very nearly could’ve competed in instead. We also learn more about joining the Canadian squad just after the team’s success in Rio and how inspiring it was to be surrounded by Olympians at such a young age. Added to this we find out more about her experiences in Tokyo as well as the experiences of becoming an ISL champion. It’s an entertaining chat that you should be listening to already! So get to it!
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Please note this is an automated transcript that may contain errors.
COLIN HILDING: Welcome to Off The Podium An Olympics Podcast, as we have winded down our coverage of Beijing, I think. It was a great Beijing, wasn't it, Ben?
BEN WATERWORTH: I cannot believe that Tajikistan topped the medal tally. How did that happen, Colin? No one foresaw it, foresee it, forese. I can't even speak on that shock that they did it.
COLIN HILDING: I mean, it was all when they got Eddie the Eagle as a ringer to come in and compete in every sport.
BEN WATERWORTH: I know, and how they got Torvalen Dean out of retirement to just dominate figure skating. Just good on you, Tajikistan, well done.
COLIN HILDING: And the curse is alive and well, I'm just guessing. But anyways.
BEN WATERWORTH: This joke will not age well if all of a sudden it got a lot of medals for us on Off The Podium or, yeah.
COLIN HILDING: Ben's been doing most of our interviews. We know it's alive and well. Anyways, but I'm here today, so there's hopes for Paris because the athlete we're talking to today just competed in Tokyo, and we're crossing our fingers. We'll be there in Paris winning more medals as part of Canada's Swing Relay Team. Today we have Kayla Sanchez, who won both bronze and silver in Tokyo as part of two of the female relay teams, and has also won Commonwealth Games medals, and the inaugural season of the International Swimming League was on that. She's swimming all-star, and we have her here, her exclusive, here today.
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, exclusive might be a bit of a loose term, but fuck it, everyone else uses that term. So global exclusive on Off The Podium. Yeah, this is a great chat. Global. Global exclusive. You know, learning a lot about her time swimming, and sort of getting into the sport and everything. And I'm always intrigued when it comes to learning about the sport in a country like Canada, which obviously you guys are doing very well on the world stage. But I mean, I liken this to maybe if all of a sudden, I mean, even like when we interviewed someone like Britt Cox, like obviously when Australia does okay in the moguls, but like obviously it's more of a Canadian sport, you're more akin to it. So it's educational for me to learn how, you know, oh, you lesser folk in the world, us Aussie swimmers, you know, come on, we're going to speak to that. But I'm not saying Kayla's lesser. She's not. She's got Olympic medals. I'm talking right now. I've got fake Olympic medals behind me. So I just buy them off Wish. She spends years of her life earning them. Yeah, we're talking about somebody who sucks. It's me right now.
COLIN HILDING: Ben, just for that, you're fired. And you may find on this interview, Kyle is in as a new replacement. Listen to you to find out the context of that joke. So here it is. 2020 two time medallist, Kayla Sanchez.
COLIN HILDING: Well, back in 2016, Canada had such incredible success in the pool at the Rio Olympics that nobody saw coming, and we figured would never be surpassed again. And lo and behold, 2020 slash 2021 comes around. And pardon the pun, Canada blows themselves completely out of the water, partly thanks to our guest today, who was part of two medal wins that Canada had in the pool, two of the relays. Today we're talking to Kayla Sanchez, two-time Olympic medallist, two-time Goodwill, or Goodwill, sorry, Commonwealth Games medallist, and guest now of Off The Podium. So welcome to the show.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Thank you for having me. I'm super excited.
COLIN HILDING: We always like to start off just by asking, how somebody gets into a sport. I always find it funny when we're talking to runners or swimmers, because it just feels like, you probably don't remember. You're thrown in a pool with some water wings as a kid, but do you remember how you got into, I guess, swimming competitively as a sport?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yeah, so thrown into swimming to learn how to swim, and I got to the point where I couldn't progress because of my age limit. They told me I couldn't move up a level, so they recommended competitive swimming. I ended up joining a team, and I really liked it, and it fit into my schedule. It kept me honest with school and managing my time, and I started to get pretty good, so I just kept going.
COLIN HILDING: What age were you at at that point? Because I often, I used to live right next to the Pan Am Pool, it's here in Winnipeg. And I would walk to work like 5.30, six o'clock in the morning, and I would see lineups of kids getting in there at 5.30, six o'clock in the morning. I mean, how old were you when you were getting to the competitive teams, and what were the practices like at that young age? Because you had to balance around school, you said.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yeah, so I actually started with a competitive team when I was eight years old, but my parents decided for me at that point that they wouldn't let me do those 5:30 a.m. mornings. I didn't start to do those till I turned 12, and I really kind of understood why I was waking up and getting into that routine. And yeah, it's tough to have that in with school. And thankfully, I don't do that anymore. The earliest I have to get up is 6.45 in the morning. So I'm cruising.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which is always one of those things that's known about swimming. It's kind of one of those sports where it is sort of early starts, long laps, all those kinds of things. So I mean, by saying 6.45, I mean, that's fine. Who wants those 5.30 ones? But it's interesting you say you sort of get to a level where you can't progress, so it's like you've got to only go for that competitive side of things. Were you involved in any other sports at the time? Was sort of swimming it? I mean, did you have to sort of make a decision at that point that I have to focus on swimming and kind of put some of these other sports, if you were doing any behind you at the time?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I love that you asked that. I used to play volleyball and I loved it. At that point when I turned 12 years old and it was, okay, I need to figure out how I'm going to manage my time because at that point with school, it was just too much. I chose swimming and it would have been cool to see where I went with volleyball, but things are going great.
COLIN HILDING: It's not bad. I mean, no knock against our volleyball team, but I think you had a pretty good shot at a medal for swimming and maybe not as much for volleyball. Who knows? Maybe if you'd been on the team, we would have won gold there. But when you're 12 years old, is this a conversation that a coach has with you? Do you get pulled aside with your parents where somebody says, you know, we really think that she should invest some time in this, you receive her potential for her down the road?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: It's definitely a coach athlete parent conversation. And a lot of it is just being honest with yourself at that point. And yeah, I think for where I was in my life, I just needed to choose if I wanted to to really dive in, pun intended, to the swimming competitive side of things and just put everything I had into that.
BEN WATERWORTH: And was that, at that point, a goal, the Olympics, was that something that you would kind of always strive towards or was that something that sort of came to you the further you progressed in the sport?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Oh, totally. I dreamed of going to the Olympics. I didn't think it would happen so soon, but I think in the past years, we've all learned that life doesn't go as planned. So, yeah, I'm very fortunate that I was kind of put into the right position to make the Olympic team.
COLIN HILDING: And we've talked to a couple of swimmers on the show here, and I don't think we've ever asked about those early days when you're competing at that age, 12, 14 years old, maybe before you really get onto a junior circuit. Do you really have much of a choice as to, or does the coach even say, we want you to specialise in this? Or when you're doing these swim meets, is it just, you're gonna do a little bit of everything? Do you get to specialise that early at that young age?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I think you, at that point, you're swimming everything to try and figure out what you're good at. And at that point, you have conversations with your coach of, okay, what can we really eye in on and focus on in training? So you're kind of not spread out all over the place and you have a focus. But definitely when you're younger, it's about, hey, like, what can I try? And what can I do?
BEN WATERWORTH: Was there any for you that you liked that maybe your coach said to you, okay, backstroke isn't for you, or, you know, press stroke isn't for you. And was there any that you kind of look back on and go, oh, come on, coach, I might've been okay with that one. You should have given me a bit more of a chance at it.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Actually, no, not at all. But yeah, I was a backstroker when I was younger. And when I joined the group I'm training in now, I became a freestyler. So yeah, it changes and you evolve.
COLIN HILDING: At what point do you really start to, whether it be somebody approaches you or you even just in your mind, you're like, you know what? Olympics is possibly going to be something I could do down the road. Or is that even something you even thought about when you started swimming?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I definitely didn't. It was a dream. So I guess, like I couldn't picture it happening specifically, but it's just, I think, repeat your question.
COLIN HILDING: Well, was there any point where it sort of just became real where now that's something that you were working towards? Did somebody say to you, hey, we think you have potential where you could be in the Olympics? Or did you even think to yourself, you know what, if I push a little bit harder, I can be there?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: So I joined the High Performance Center of Ontario, which is where most of the medallists from the four by one trained. And that was when it sort of became real. I was in the right environment with intimidating people who really drove me to think, hey, I could get that spot on a relay. And with the help of my coaches and those teammates, it just, it sprouted into, hey, I'm going to make the Olympics this year, and let's see how fast we can go.
BEN WATERWORTH: Now, was that after or before Rio? I mean, were you kind of privy to these, you know, teammates that would become teammates sort of before everything that happened in Rio, or were you kind of joining this after Rio when they'd had the success that they'd had and you were kind of feeding off what had happened at Rio?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I joined after Rio, so it was September. I was terrified. I think, yeah, those are a lot of my role models to this day. And I remember walking, because I, Penny's in my group, and I remember walking into the change room and seeing her and thinking, oh, my goodness, I am so scared. So, but yeah, in the grand scheme of things, it just kind of helped me develop my own culture. And in into theirs, it was cool.
COLIN HILDING: I think that's what's interesting is that we we've had lots of athletes, whether it's your sport or a different sport, who have been on or said, you know, I saw this person at prior Olympics, the next thing you know, I'm a teammate, but you're coming in, what's that got to be like, four to six weeks after the Olympics? And really, as I said, at the beginning, nobody really was able to call the success Canada was going to have there, especially the level it was at. So you come in immediately afterwards, you know, for being able to train with those swimmers, like had it sunk into you, these are Olympic level swimmers yet, or were they just regular teammates here?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Mostly, holy crap, these are Olympic swimmers, and they have medals on their names. And part of it was, okay, I need to figure out what I'm doing and how I'm going to integrate myself into the group and watch what they're doing. And yeah, it was pretty crazy.
COLIN HILDING: And do you remember, you mentioned Penny, but do you remember any of the other swimmers as you were coming in? Not necessarily you're starstruck, but being like, oh, I could really learn something. Did anybody else kind of pull you aside, give you any advice, let you know what you were in for the next four years?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Totally. Michelle Williams, Sandrine Minville, Chantel, those were all swimmers that, well, Sandrine in the weight room was just insane. And I remember watching her, and not specifically asking her, but just watching what she would do and making sure I was doing things properly outside of the pool as well. And I think a lot of the guidance comes from the observance and kind of being immersed into the environment. Once I made my first national team with those ladies, we were standing up before the four by one free final, the world championships in Budapest. And they told me, just relax. You got this, you know what to do. Just rip it. And I did that with me. Two years after.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which is crazy to think that progression sort of in that period of obviously joining sort of that squad, the world junior championships, the year after the Commonwealth Games. And obviously, as you're mentioning, the world championships in 2019. Does that hit you at some point? Are you mentioning sort of being in the blocks at the world championships, but say, before that, when you're at, say, a world junior champs are at a Commonwealth Games sort of progressing up, that this is happening? You're mentioning sort of that Olympic ambitions that all of a sudden, this is the path I'm taking. I'm reading the Google Maps correctly. I'm going directly towards my goal, and this could be achievable.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Honestly, to this day, I look back at those meets and I'm still pretty surprised. Oh, I did that, and I was there, I think, because you're so focused on performance and trying to do things properly. And of course, you're trying to live in the moment, but it's just go, go, go. And it's nice to sit back at the end of the quad and just really appreciate all the growth that you've been through.
BEN WATERWORTH: I have to ask just about the Commonwealth Games, given they were in beautiful Australia, Gold Coast as well. Was that, I can imagine that it's not a common thing in Canada to swim in an outdoor pool. Was that your first time ever competing in an outdoor pool at an event like that? And if so, what was it like compared to competing in an indoor pool?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: It wasn't my first, but it was definitely my first time competing outdoors at such a high level meet. It was pretty crazy, the whole experience. That was my first multi-sport games. So that whole village experience. Oh, it rained a couple of days, but it was really cool to look up into the stands. Everyone would put on their plastic covers and then take the rain off. It was a really cool experience. I think that was the meet where I had a lot of growth in terms of race performance and watching the big guys like Kate Campbell and Bronte do what they can do so professionally.
BEN WATERWORTH: And did you get to experience much of Australia? Do you get sort of time after or beforehand that you maybe get to hang out a little bit and kind of see a bit of the Gold Coast or a bit of the country?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yeah, so we did our staging in Australia beforehand. So we had some time, but mostly I had a day after the meet where I wasn't competing. So we went to this bouncy water contraption thing that I've never experienced in my life. And it was such a good memory to just be in the ocean. And yeah, not take...
BEN WATERWORTH: That's the Gold Coast. It's all around the ocean and bouncy water things. That's just what they do there, very Gold Coast-y.
COLIN HILDING: You know, you mentioned earlier, you kind of turn to specialising in relays, or at least look to that. This is your in into it. You kind of have turned into like a relay specialist now. When you're starting out, is this what a swimmer looks at? Is this is my best chance to get on to a big stage like the World Championships or the Commonwealth Games? Or is that something that you just, you prefer to actually do the relays over the individual events?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I love relays. So a story, Ben Titley that is training us in Canada, he has helped develop the relays for Canada and really tried to instill in us that it takes a team and to be on that team is an honour. So, yeah, I've loved that I've been given the opportunity to prove myself on those relays and show that I'm a valuable member on that team.
COLIN HILDING: And when you are going into the games like the Commonwealth Games, how much heads up do you even get? I know with the relays, everything's always changing, you know? You've had events where you've been in the heats or you've been in the semifinals and not necessarily the finals, and sometimes it's the other way around. But when you're flying out there, are you at least told, hey, you know what, you're kind of on the short list for a relay, or do you literally get thrown in there? And they're like, you know what, tomorrow, get ready for a relay.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: There are certain situations where you are thrown into realise for different reasons if a swimmer's sick or if the plans change. But going into the Olympics at least, and most of the national meets I've been to, I've been given the idea that I would be on the floor by one, and I would of course need to prove myself for the four by two, because we have a pretty deep field in that sense, but yeah, with the trials, it kind of helps kind of just fortify the fact that, hey, I got that relay spot, I earned that, and it's a pretty big honour.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which is, does that make an event like the trials interesting because of course, I guess you've got a couple of levels there, don't you? I mean, you want to qualify, of course, you want to then potentially qualify for an individual event or two, and then also at the same time, have that as you're saying in the back of your mind, showing that I'm still good enough to make this relay team, which sounds to me like is maybe your goal there, that you enjoy the relay aspect so much that you just want to be able to prove that you are worthy of that spot.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I think as I grow in my career, I'm definitely striving for those individual spots and events, but Canada is so good at the relays and the fact that we got second in that four by one, it's just what can I put into the relay that will help all of us succeed versus kind of my own goals in that way.
COLIN HILDING: And I'm not gonna say it's not like this in other countries or the world, but even just looking at the media from the United States and other countries, there does seem to be something different with the Canadian relay teams, and maybe it is partly what you're saying, that it's something we have a lot of success and we take a lot of pride in. But there seems to be a big comradery, a real team feeling, especially when you see you guys in the interviews afterwards. You remember with the Commonwealth Games and everything, when I would watch the interviews afterwards, it was just like you guys wore the Toronto Maple Leafs. Or-
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, they won medals. They won things. That's not true.
COLIN HILDING: You're just like the Tampa Bay Lightning. You know, it's like you've worked for it the entire season. Are you guys really tight outside of the pool as well? Do you look forward to doing these relays? Is it something where it feels like more of a team effort?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yeah. I think you're right with that. Well, Canada, I believe, is in a pretty special situation because most of the sprint girls train in the same place. For example, pre-Olympics, we had Taylor Ruck come back and Rebecca Smith come back from college just to train with us the whole year. And we know each other so well. We've been together since we were very young. So we have that chemistry and that just, I don't know, we know, like I know exactly how Rebecca Smith is gonna come into the wall and touch it. So that the exchanges, which is another important aspect to realise that it just becomes so much easier and you want to do well for them. And I genuinely love all the girls.
BEN WATERWORTH: And on that, going back to your point about how you joined sort of the team just after Rio, as Colin mentioned, incredibly successful games, that leads up into Tokyo, another very successful games. Is this a case now where early on, it's still kind of recent after Tokyo, that now this depth continues, where you were at five years ago, now you've got girls joining the squad who are gonna be there in Paris, and it's just now the success is blossoming the next talent as it keeps growing and growing, and Canada continues to do so well on the global stage.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Definitely, there was a culture set in Rio, and whether or not we wanted to admit to ourselves, like, hey, we need to, we have to win a medal, and we all secretly want it, but you don't say it because you're locked into your performance and you obviously don't want to jinx it. It's just not something you talk about, but everyone wants it. And like with Summer Macintosh coming in and coming forth as a 14-year-old, like that's just gonna, you're throwing gasoline and like oil onto this like fire. And I'm sure it'll continue, which is a cut.
COLIN HILDING: Kind of getting into Tokyo, obviously the game is being postponed a year. I don't know exactly where you were at. Obviously you had been involved in the Commonwealth Games, but did you feel like that extra year benefited you just getting a little bit more experience? Do you feel like you would have had the exact same games if you had been there one year earlier and everything had gone down in 2020?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: That's a good question. So I actually, once the Olympics were postponed, I decided to have my shoulder surgery that September of 2020, which was supposed to happen post-Olympic Games, but we decided for training reasons, it would be better if I got it out of the way and started that recovery process. So I would be good for Tokyo. Yeah, it was a hard year of training a lot of their back, just crawling back into bed at the end of the weeks, but got to where we wanted to be, and it ended up being a really bonding year for a whole group where we worked really hard, and by the end of the Olympic Games, we were looking at each other like, what just happened? Like, it's over.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which does that then make it extra special, that moment when you get that nod that you're officially going to the Olympics, you're an Olympian, you know you're going to be on a plane to Tokyo?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: It really hit me when we went to our staging camp in Vancouver, and on our bed was one of the Canadian sweaters, and that was when I was like, holy crap, I'm going to the Olympics. And I think it's just because it's a lot of go, go, go, and get ready, and you don't realise what's happening until it's happening, but that's just me.
COLIN HILDING: Also, another thing that's interesting about these games is for you, somebody, this is your first Olympics being there. Maybe you've never experienced not having those fans in the stand, not having family there to support you. And I don't know, you can tell me, does it make it harder, knowing that it's your first games and knowing your family can't be there? I mean, obviously, there were efforts they had, like the big screen wall where you could see your family members afterwards and all that. But what was the experience like for you knowing, I'm going into this, there's not going to be a crowd, the family are not going to be there. But hey, I'm at Olympia.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Right. I guess I just didn't really know what I was missing, which was helpful. But yeah, it would have, I think just because in the past, I'm used to travelling without my family. It just made things a little more usual. But yeah, I had a great experience at the games. And I think just because I had been surrounded by my teammates the whole year, it felt like the right people were there for me, which was really special.
BEN WATERWORTH: Well, on that experience, we always love to find out about everything outside of the competitive nature of it, just the Olympic experience, the village. You know, you mentioned sort of seeing your team Canada, you know, swear to things like that. But I mean, what was that like for you around the competition side of things where you're just soaking it up and really kind of trying to take it in, what it means to be an Olympian at an Olympics?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: So I because the Olympics wasn't my first multi-sport games, I was able to get the lay of the land pretty good, knew where to eat, sleep. I was just really getting into the routine of things, and that allowed me to really enjoy it. I even with the the the glass, the clear plastic things in between. Yeah. And the regulations, it was great. Yeah, I it was cool. Actually, seeing the other athletes was really cool as well. I got to see some basketball players that I'm a huge fan of.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which is like, because I always like finding that out. Is it a case of trying to guess the athlete as well? Like obviously, if you're seeing someone like Kevin Durant, you're like, hmm, I think he might be a basketball player. But like, I love kind of hearing stories about, hey, I'm in the village and that weightlifter, maybe wrestler or like even if you're in the gym and kind of watching, like if somebody's pounding out a bike, I'll definitely a cyclist or something like that.
COLIN HILDING: Yeah, exactly.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: It's fun to guess the sports because, yeah, super tall people walk in and you're like, probably volleyball or basketball. You know, if they walk in in a group of 20, you're like, maybe that's the soccer team. So yeah, things like that are pretty fun and keep your mind off the stress and the nerves of the whole games.
COLIN HILDING: You mentioned earlier, one of the interesting thing about relays is just how precise something like an exchange has to be. And another thing I don't think we've ever asked anybody who's been in relays is how conscious you are of those little things, like having to have the cleanest exchange, the gap you might have to make up. Like when you're getting ready and maybe you're going second or third, are you really paying that much attention to, okay, I've got a proc, looking at the length of the pool here, I've got approximately three, four seconds that I could gain on this. Does it even enter your mind, the grand scheme of the entire event and not just your one leg?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I think, yeah. You definitely have blinders on. You're not really thinking, but you are. Just because in the training, you just know exactly how it's supposed to feel. And from the prelims, you usually can build off of that. But the things like exchanges are usually, for me personally, they're more natural, especially on our team. But the safe thing for relays, and what it was always said is, it's better safe than too soon, because you'd rather just be slower than be disqualified. But definitely blinders. Before the relays as well, you know if it's going to be a tight race, because you usually talk about it with your coaches, and you know the splits, you know the swimmers that you're going next to, so it's more about, hey, I need to do what I know to do, and it'll usually put you in the right spot.
COLIN HILDING: And just in comparison to something like track and field, where it feels like half the teams get disqualified by the end of it anyways, because they're exchanged, oh, you're just outside the line, just outside. It doesn't seem to happen as much in swimming, but I've got to imagine that it's happened to you at least once at some point. Have you ever had just, you know what, bad exchange, you just knew it, and does it happen often enough that there are disqualifications?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: It happens more often when you haven't rehearsed the exchange with the swimmer that is coming in. To be, like, I don't think I've ever been disqualified for an exchange, but I've been pretty close.
COLIN HILDING: Do you know you're close when it happens? You're like, uh-oh. Yeah, you kind of think so. You never watch it that closely.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: You have that thought mid-air, like, oh. I don't know. So the extra adrenaline helps. But yeah, it's pretty fun.
BEN WATERWORTH: Very famous one I remember for Australia was the 2001 World Champs when I can't remember if it was a 4x1 or a 4x2. Won the gold, world record time, and basically the team jumped in the pool to celebrate without realising that the 8th place finisher hadn't finished. So therefore there's this famous footage of them being interviewed pool deck, you know, congratulations, you're world champion, you broke world record, and all of a sudden, boom, DQ next to their name. And we spoke to Jan Rooney a while back about that. She was part of that team. But you mentioned before kind of about going into these events kind of obviously with, hey, it'd be great to come away with a medal. I mean, going into the Olympics, bronze medals Canada had won in the 4x1 and the 4x2 at the World Championships in 2019. So was it an expectation to leave Tokyo with a medal? Was that sort of what you were all gone in that mindset, like medal or nothing really at that point?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I think for me personally, I don't want to say yes, but yes. You know, like I think we all just kind of knew what we had worked on and what was all the work that was put into it that it was just like, if we don't podium, like we gave it everything we got and we all wanted it so bad. So we're so lucky it came together and it was pretty cool.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which I just wanted to add on that one with the 4x1, we were doing commentary on that event and we called it the Off The Podium double because basically, obviously, as an Australian, I'm going to be sitting here quite happy that a world record and a gold medal, thank you very much. But if I want somebody to get second, I'm going to want it to be Canada and particularly beating America as well. Which it's funny doing that sort of commentary, clearly because we're esteemed commentators on this show, but the joy that I've got as an Australian, but Colin was equally as happy with a silver medal. I love seeing that Canadian perspective of how much a silver medal meant sort of in an event like that. I mean, coming away with a silver, you're improving what you do then from the world championships. I mean, that medal mentality, but I mean, silver, that's a pretty good medal to have if you're going to walk away in Olympics with a medal.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Mm-hmm. No one was going to touch Australia. They had an unbelievable relay. Emma was insane. Such a cool person to watch swim. But yeah, I do believe that that was our gold medal. And when we look back, we could just really say that we gave it everything we had. And Penny worked really hard to make sure that that was silver at the end. It was a tough race, and it was pretty just no words still.
COLIN HILDING: And it's also interesting that you get to watch that as a spectator as well as a medallist, because unless you are the anchor, you're there cheering on your teammate, but you're like right poolside. So kind of take us through, were you able to be an advantage point where you could see, okay, I think we got this? All right, we're moving up to second. Were you able to really see the result as it was coming towards you?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I think from what I remember, I do. I remember looking and thinking, she's got this. She has so got this, and I think it's the point for anybody when they get to the flag. So five metres in, and you're just sweating, and you're screaming. Yeah, I knew Penny is a good closer, and she's a good person to have on the anchor, and she was just in the right spot, and she was strong, and yeah, it was a good touch.
BEN WATERWORTH: Just on that too, in the other two events, I mean, fourth in the four by two, but you still set a national record in that event. So obviously, I can imagine there's a bit of disappointment that you don't walk away with a medal, but does it kind of take a moment to realise, well, we are the fastest Canadians to ever swim this event, and you can take some pride away from that still, even though you didn't come away with a medal from that event?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yeah, I was super proud of everyone on that relay. Yeah, it was a crazy Canadian national record. I think, obviously, just because the medals are just something that you want really badly, we were able to kind of realise that, but just appreciate our performance. And we were one of the youngest teams out there, so we can just go for it the next time.
BEN WATERWORTH: And in terms of then the medley, what's that like swimming a heat and then what? It's an interesting thing in swimming, isn't it? You swim a heat and then if your team goes on to win a medal, you get a medal. And how do you get them? Because you're obviously not on the podium with them during the ceremony. Does an Olympic official just tap you on the shoulder the next day and go, hey, Kayla, here's your bronze. Thanks very much. Congratulations.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: So they actually give it to your team manager, and for your daily team meetings, our team manager awarded it to us. It's a very special moment. Yeah, watching that relay, well, that was my last race actually at the Olympics, was that anchor, and it was really special to me to anchor a relay. I usually lead off relays, and that's where I'm the most comfortable. But watching that relay in the final was, I think just because you're not in control, you're standing there, and you really feel what it's like to be a spectator. And Taylor was standing with me, and she also swam in the morning, and didn't swim in the evening, and we were just holding our hands really tightly. Because we knew China was going to gun for a medal as well, so nothing's confirmed, and you're just standing there.
BEN WATERWORTH: Wow, knowing that you're going to get a freaking medal. That's the best type of spectator. I've watched plenty of Olympics in my life, but no one's tapped me on the shoulder a couple of hours later and got, hey, Ben, thanks for watching 80 hours of Tokyo in the last three days. Here's a medal. I mean, I wish I could. If there's anyone out there who can, I'll gladly take it.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yeah, it's a tough life.
COLIN HILDING: Now, it's funny, before we did this interview, I told Ben, we're huge Olympic fans. Obviously, we have an Olympic podcast, but I was almost more excited to talk to you about the ISL than I was the Olympics, because I've gotten so into the ISL. I mean, there was really no TV coverage here in Canada the first season because we didn't have the team yet. And then last year, CBC had coverage every single weekend. I'm like, well, this is actually really interesting. This year, I was waiting week after week. I'm like, when is CBC going to start covering this? And then I realised they're not covering it because you've got to pay the subscription. I paid for the subscription. I got to tell you, I watch every second of every meet now. To me, this is as entertaining as an NHL season and playoffs. You're in the midst of it now. Because I'm the least fan. That's right. The Titans are the new Leafs. We have hope with the Titans, not the Leafs. But there's so many questions I just have about the league itself. Because we're three seasons in right now. You were there the first. You technically walked away with the equivalent of a Stanley Cup, I guess, the first season because Toronto didn't have a team yet. So how do you actually get involved in this? Do you have to try out for a team? Is it recruited only?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yeah, I'm happy you enjoy the ISL. You do get recruited. So you put in your times to a database, and there was a draft this past season. So that's kind of how they rounded up the swimmers and saw their times. And that was when the team started to pick who they would want onto their team. So unfortunately, not everyone gets chosen to be on the draft. But if your times are fast enough, or if a team specifically needs you for a certain stroke, then you're on.
BEN WATERWORTH: And is it... Please go ahead, Ben. No, please. I insist, Colin.
COLIN HILDING: Thank you.
BEN WATERWORTH: You are the anchor of this relay, so you please lead us off. Thank you.
COLIN HILDING: I was just going to ask, like, what do you get for, I guess, the season when you were on Energy Standard, where you're technically the champions? Do you get a ring? Do you get a trophy?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: We got a ring, actually. And which is interesting because a lot of the United States, well, the United States schools get rings, so I felt like that. I was like, wow, this is so cool. It was a one size only, so it's massive and it doesn't fit my fingers, but it's a one size.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which I always wonder when people win rings because, you know, it's a medal you can sort of wear. I mean, if I won an Olympic medal, I'd never take it off, but obviously you're probably not wearing it now, so I'm guessing you take it off every now and then. But like, I always wonder, like, I mean, I don't see LeBron James in interviews just with covered fingers, right? Like, Tom Brady just all of a sudden having his hands way down. Like, obviously it's something alikened to an Olympic medal where you would put it kind of, I guess, in a trophy case or something like that next to the Olympic medals or something along those lines.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yeah, my parents do a better job of it than me. They have a little glass case, and they just arrange things. I haven't actually gave them the ring yet, so it's still sitting in my room.
BEN WATERWORTH: Okay, then. But the medals, are they on display? Are they kind of already in the, you know, case?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I think my medals are in the box, in a bag. But my medals from the past meets our out.
BEN WATERWORTH: Work your way up to the Olympic ones, right? One thing I want to ask quickly to about is Thunderbirds, UBC, I believe you're set to go there. Now, how excited are you for that? And is that based in Vancouver? Is that based in Victoria?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: It's in Vancouver. And I suppose... I think I joined Ben's group HPC Ontario at the end of 2016, and I finished the quad, and I'm staying an extra year. I'm finishing this season, so World Champs and Commies coming up to start to move my life. And I think I just needed the comfort of the training I knew here to get through those two big meets. And then I'm finally going to in-person class next September. And I think I just wanted to start a new part of my life and to integrate into something different and have new teammates. And I'm very excited.
BEN WATERWORTH: And what are you studying sort of at the same time? What will you be the goal, I guess? And is that sort of future proofing yourself post-swimming to kind of set a different career path from that point?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: So I've been very interested in polysci. I will branch out a little bit my first year, just in case I want to see, or if I have any other interests, but so far it's my plan.
BEN WATERWORTH: Journalism is pretty good podcasting. You know, just saying, you know, we can recommend some people that might, I mean, I don't know of any good podcasts, but I mean, there could be at least one out there.
COLIN HILDING: We've been looking for a reason to replace Ben. So, you know, you get a degree like he has. Here I am. Sounds good. Now, you are going to finish out, I think you're saying, the season for the Toronto Titans as well, at least at the time we're recording this. The playoffs are around the corner. I mean, by the time people are hearing this interview, you probably already won. You've got your second ring. But is this something that is an option for you going forward while you're in school? And I guess at the same time, the Olympics for Paris and world championships and all that, is this something that you have the ability to work around a school schedule?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I hope so. It all depends on the timings of the ISL. And the recent way that they've been holding it, for example, we were in Italy for over a month, and that's kind of why I decided not to start school. So hopefully, in the upcoming seasons, it's a little more spread out, and we'll just have to see. I would love to keep coming to the ISL and to be around those people that are so good. And it just changes up your kind of site on the sport.
COLIN HILDING: It's probably a lot of the COVID protocols as well is one of the reasons for that, I'm guessing. I mean, are there, I don't know if there were already, but are there any Toronto Meats coming up? Have there been any this year where you were able to actually compete on home turf?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: That's the dream. But no, when the Toronto Titans team was originally announced and before COVID had hit, the plan was for a meat here. So hopefully in the future, it'll happen. And I do believe it well with the Toronto team.
BEN WATERWORTH: We're still hoping for the Australian team, just saying out there, ISL.
COLIN HILDING: Why is there no Australia? You got to wonder, there's 10 teams and Australia hasn't won.
BEN WATERWORTH: I mean, this to me is like, is if the NHL didn't have any Canadian teams. I mean, I would assume outside of the US that Australia probably should have some teams. I mean, I'm guessing it is a bit far to travel to Australia and current climate may be a little bit difficult. We close out with a set of series of kind of just get to know you questions in a second, Kayla. But I mean, touching on sort of what Colin said, into 2022, obviously, a World Champs and then barely what, six, seven or so weeks later, a Commonwealth Games as well. It's sort of a tightly packed schedule with how the calendar has been rearranged with COVID or that. I mean, do you, obviously, a World Champs, I can imagine, is maybe a higher precedence. But do you look at something like a Commonwealth Games, given that was your first multi-sport event, and look at that maybe a little bit differently now? You know what to expect, and you can go into it a little bit differently with a different mindset with the girls and push to beat us pesky Australians, if they're edging you out.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yeah, I think Worlds will be a good spot to kind of just prove what we can do again. And then Commies, we can enjoy Birmingham. And yeah, just like you said, be comfortable in the environment and have fun again, which is a good portion of loving your sport, is to just truly enjoy it. So Commies will be a place to do that, and it'll be fun to be in a multi-sport environment.
COLIN HILDING: Ben had sort of explained before our final set of questions here. We'll kind of go into more detail here. So this is actually taken from the Team Canada did this. This is olympic.ca website. They did this for Rio. They did it for Pyeongchang. They didn't do it for Tokyo. So I actually feel bad because this is something we could have had you fill up, but you can now submit this. And if they decide to bring it in for Paris, you've already got it. We'll try to match up your answers. What it is, is it's a series of questions that are, some of them are like serious sports related, and some of them are just goofy. There's pictures in here, which, you know, if you want to submit later on, you can. Ben always likes to say, we've had at least one athlete who submitted pictures later on.
BEN WATERWORTH: No Summer Olympian has ever done this, Kayla, so just no pressure if you want to be the first.
COLIN HILDING: I am going to say we're using Emily Overholt's that she did for Rio, kind of as our template here. And I'll drop a few throughout here, but I'm very curious if you ever talk to Emily, please find out if she filled this out on her own, if she had help, because we interviewed Kylie Mass last year and I told her Emily's answers are hilarious. And Kylie was like, I have a feeling she has some help with that. I don't think that those are Emily answers. Maybe you could find out for us or even give us your opinions to go along. But we'll start out.
BEN WATERWORTH: So we're learning that Emily's not funny. Is that what we're saying?
COLIN HILDING: She's like, yeah, I'm pretty sure. But first question, this one, not a funny answer, but maybe you have a funny one. The greatest Olympian of all time is?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Oh, man.
COLIN HILDING: You can answer yourself if you want.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I'm not that type of person. I would, but then I'd sit in my room later like, why did I say that? I'm going to say Derek Drewan. I read today on a sign that he's Canada's most decorated male athlete, so I will applaud him in that way.
COLIN HILDING: We interviewed him, was it about a year ago?
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah. Yeah.
COLIN HILDING: Good guy. We like him.
BEN WATERWORTH: Promptly. Yeah, we won't get into them anymore.
COLIN HILDING: And cursed him. Let's just say it.
BEN WATERWORTH: Don't say it. Don't do it, Colin. Don't do it. I never would do such a thing. I think I said, I guarantee you will win gold in Tokyo five months later. I am withdrawing from the Olympics. Now, this is a question that always makes Colin and I feel kind of old, so I look forward to your answer. The first Olympics you ever remember watching was?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: 2016.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yep. Definitely feel old.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I think I watched it. I 100% watched the 2012 Winter Olympic Games, but when I was really watching, watching 2016 for sure.
COLIN HILDING: You're sizing up the competition at that point. The next one, if you want to submit a picture later on, is draw a picture of yourself, but we'll skip that for now. Your favourite ice cream flavour is?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I would say mint chocolate chip, but I've evolved into a coffee nut type.
BEN WATERWORTH: Nice. I love the evolution that you would have evolved. Level 20. I can now eat coffee. It works that way. This question is interesting because you kind of do have walk up music in swimming now. The whole entry thing where you sort of walk out onto the pool deck. But the question is, if you were a baseball player, what would your walk up music be?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Baseball?
BEN WATERWORTH: Hmm. It could just be use of any. Like again, you're walking out in the pool deck, you're putting on a song, like it's your pump up jam essentially.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Wild For The Night by Ace Abaraki. It's just a great mix between rap and EDM, and there's so much noise, and yeah, it's great.
BEN WATERWORTH: Nice plan. And anyone who can use a dollar sign in their name, you could change your last name to have like the dollar sign on Sanchez.
COLIN HILDING: Dollar sign Anchez.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Oh, I'll be a baller.
BEN WATERWORTH: And that would be fun during the like, I mean, we like to talk during the Olympic set, particularly here in Australia, nobody could say Kylie's last name properly, you know, so like that would be fun during Paris to have like commentators going like, and here comes Kyla, dollar sign Anchez, as she touches, like that would be fun to watch. I would really want to see that.
COLIN HILDING: In a movie about your life, who would you be played by?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Someone, hmm. I'm gonna say, oh gosh, I watch movies, I promise. Like, I've really gotten into that, oh my god.
BEN WATERWORTH: I'm glad, I'm glad, that's good. Progression, you've levelled up.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Oh my gosh. Okay, I'd be, you know Chandler from Friends, I'd have him play me.
COLIN HILDING: Matthew Perry. I like that.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, Matthew Perry. I mean, he couldn't be James Bond, so like, you know, that, I like, that's, that's, I like it when you kind of have like an out of the, out of the box answer, that, that works. You know, I really want to see this now. Could I be wearing any more medals? Really suits it, great casting. Now, there's another drawing here. If you want to draw a picture of a Canadian animal, you're most welcome to. I'm seeing here, Emily's drawing a funny moose. Looks like it's a skull, like, with some horns, and I don't know what's going on there. Your guilty pleasure snack is...
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I love Cheetos.
BEN WATERWORTH: Ketchup, oh yeah, okay, yeah.
COLIN HILDING: You know what? I mean, that's such a Canadian thing. I mean, I don't mind ketchup chips, but it's like, it's not something that I go out of my way to get. But my wife found at the store spicy ketchup chips. I don't know if you can deal with a lot of spicy, probably can't, Ben can't, but they have a spicy, I don't know what the brand is, but a spicy ketchup chip. And I told her, I'm like, I'm like Dill Pickle for life. I'm like, you can buy the spicy ketchup chip anytime you want. So good.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: That sounds great.
BEN WATERWORTH: I did love the first time I ever went and stayed with Colin. You know, he's like, we're going to do the most Canadian thing ever. We're going to get the ketchup. We're going to get the like, we've had ketchup chips in Australia before. I do remember, I think it was maybe during the Melbourne or the Manchester Commonwealth Games. They had a Flavours of the World series of chips. So like they literally had a meat pie and sauce Australian flavour chip. I think like the UK was like a ham and mustard flavoured chip, but they had the Canadian chip and you would get the ketchup chip. I remember that vividly. So I'd had them before, but I mean, I lived in Canada for a bit and I didn't really eat a lot of chips, but I would go for the ketchup. I'd like to fit in, you know.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: All the people.
COLIN HILDING: If they make ketchup Cheetos, that would be something to try.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: They did, and yes, they're a thing. They're Cheetos and they're ketchup flavoured, and they're shaped like Canadian maple leaves. That's the most Canadian thing you've ever heard.
BEN WATERWORTH: I was going to say, going back to the channel, could they be any more Canadian, basically? If Justin Bieber handed it to you while pouring maple syrup on it and listening to Celine Dion and Wayne Gretzky were saying hello, I mean, while on a moose, I mean, just the cliches are all ticked off there.
COLIN HILDING: Let me see, what are we up to here? This one's always a tough one. So if you can't think about it, we can come back to it later or you could just say skip it. But I like when people do have answers to them. So my favourite song lyric is an individual lyric from a song.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Okay, can we come back to it?
COLIN HILDING: Sure, I'll see if you want to steal Emily's overvotes.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Work so hard, forgot how to vacation.
COLIN HILDING: Ah.
BEN WATERWORTH: Who's that far out?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Post Malone in his song Congratulations. And there's something about it where you listen to it and you're like, yeah, you know.
BEN WATERWORTH: I like it.
COLIN HILDING: I'm just gonna tell you, I am really starting to see why Kylie accused Emily of getting some help in her answers. Because I'm seeing the handwriting seems to change from one answer to the next. Her answer here was, what time is it summertime from the cast of High School Musical?
BEN WATERWORTH: You are right, the handwriting does change. That's something I've never noticed before. The most recent TV show that you binge watched was?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Well, right now I'm watching Time Out Your Mother again for the probably fifth time. So what's the last show?
BEN WATERWORTH: Is that literally to just try and work out that the ending is so shit that you have to try and...
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I totally agree with you. The first couple seasons are great, and then you just start paying attention.
BEN WATERWORTH: And you just watch the alternate ending on the DVD, right, which I think they ended up putting on there to appease the fans. Like, that's how it should have ended, right? Like, not this crap that they do at the end. I've seen that. Yeah, it's... It might even be on YouTube, but I think kind of the creators got so sort of like, OK, well, this is maybe how we should have ended it. Which I think, like, spoiler alert, if you're not saying how I meet your mother, I think it literally ends on him meeting her under the umbrella or something like that. So, like, I think that's kind of how it should have ended. I'm not angry about it.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: No, that was me a couple years ago, just... And then it's dissipated. I just, you know, I accept it.
BEN WATERWORTH: I like your resolve.
COLIN HILDING: What about... What is your biggest fear in life? And if you're like Emily Overholt, it's waking up with a spider on your face, but maybe you have...
BEN WATERWORTH: She's been to Australia...
COLIN HILDING: . a bigger fear.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: I'd say just not getting everything... Or not doing... Realistically not doing what I've intended to do. Which... Yeah, that sounds like it just might be a huge downer in coming years, but we'll see. Hopefully, we'll get...
BEN WATERWORTH: It works. I like that. Now, before I get to the last question, there is another drawing. What would the coolest Olympic medal look like? She's drawn a pizza on a medal, which says, pizza! Love heart, love heart, love heart. Don't know how that would go for a medal. Now, I also love her... I thought she'd written here, happing, but it's napping, I can see there. That's an N, Ben, not an H. I was like, what is happing? But the final question is, what is one thing you can't live without?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Ooh, probably lotion. It's not an odd answer, but you know what? Relatably, coffee.
BEN WATERWORTH: Okay, which you can progress. You evolve and get to it.
COLIN HILDING: Yes, it all turns into something. Winnipeg winter is probably like every place in Canada, especially Winnipeg winter is like, I can't live without lotion. So I 100% relate to it. I can't handle caffeine, so I relate to your lotion answer.
BEN WATERWORTH: Can I just touch on that? Where does lotion and winter come into play? Am I just a dumb, naive Australian? I lived in Victoria. We had two snows. To me, that's not winter. So lotion and winter, I don't get the collection.
COLIN HILDING: Dry, cold, your skin getting blasted by wind for the whole winter.
BEN WATERWORTH: Okay. So we call that sunscreen in Australia.
COLIN HILDING: Honestly, we only dropped below freezing temperatures for a few days last week, and I've already got dry hands. I need the lotion now.
BEN WATERWORTH: Put the lotion in the basket.
COLIN HILDING: This is a Canadian problem. Before we kind of say goodbye to you, Kyle, is there anywhere that people can follow you on social media? Follow what you're up to. How can they subscribe to the ISL as I did?
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Yes, I'm on Instagram, kylasanchez underscore. I'm working on my Twitter. I'll get there, and I'll start to think of inspiring things to say. But yes, for the ISL, it's isl.global. And everything's on there. You can see past seasons, and you can subscribe and follow along with the Titans. Cheer us on.
COLIN HILDING: And it's only 40, it's like 40 bucks too.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Actually, I did a giveaway, so I had some people on my Instagram win a subscription.
COLIN HILDING: I'll admit I didn't sign up at the beginning of the season because there were a lot of swimmers who were giving away those subscriptions, so I kind of waited for the contest to be over, and then when I realised I didn't win, then I paid. But I will pay for future seasons.
BEN WATERWORTH: I'm not paying $40, I want to win.
COLIN HILDING: There's always next year. It's been great having you on the show, and we're looking forward to seeing the rest of the Titan season, which people have already probably seen by the time we hear this. Looking forward to you at the World Championships, and then Paris. I guarantee we're going to see you there, and we're going to commentate you winning another medal.
KAYLA SANCHEZ: Oh, thank you so much, guys.
COLIN HILDING: And big thank you to Kayla. And you had sort of mentioned, Ben, at the beginning, during our intro, comparing this to Brit Cox and Moguls, you know, Australian, which should be a Canadian sport, and here, Canadian, I was gonna say, Australian sport.
BEN WATERWORTH: Good old Canadian. They also did well at the recent Beijing Olympics.
COLIN HILDING: It's all those- Ketchup Cheetos, that's what gets Canadian the success they have. But what I think is so interesting is, you know, we almost have lost it now, that we're two Olympics into Canada's success in swimming, but just being able to hear the fact that she came in literally weeks after Rio, which it wasn't like anybody could call the success we had in Rio. I mean, it came out of nowhere. And her coming in almost starstruck. And then a few years later, I mean, she's on every relay team we have. She's walking away with multiple medals. It's great to see what Canada can do with people like Kayla there and not people like me and them.
BEN WATERWORTH: Very true. You wouldn't want to ask on a team, that streak would end pretty quickly. But I mean, I find it really fascinating to learn there about the aspect there of getting a medal when you swim a heat. And I've always wondered that, about how do you get the medal? Just wake up, it's in your pigeon hole or something like that. Oh, hello, there's an Olympic medal. But it's fascinating, and it's always interesting to learn. And just the depth, too, that obviously Canada is going to have. I mean, she mentioned Summer Macintosh. We talked a lot about her during the Olympics. Last year, Penny obviously is still, what, only 21. So, you know, so much moving forward there. Kylie, of course, and just the depth. And, I mean, just saying this now, the Campbell sisters are on their last legs. So, who knows, come Paris. I mean, they're alive, they're not dying, as in like their swimming legs.
COLIN HILDING: And with your luck, you really gotta be more careful of your words.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yes, breaking news on Off The Podium today, the Campbell sisters are dying. We didn't do it. But they're towards the end of their career, which obviously when it comes to particularly the 4x100 relay, opens it up a little bit more moving forward. I mean, obviously we've got a couple of other good swimmers. I'm not saying it's all the Campbells. I mean, hello Emma McKean, like just, you know, our most decorated Olympian ever. Thank you. But it leads some great hope for Canada moving forward. So in all seriousness, I'm gonna look at Birmingham and all of a sudden, if we lose to like, it's all well and good to lose to like America. Like, okay, they're the best in the world. And we often say, oh, if you're gonna lose to anyone, lose to Canada, okay, fine. But we're not losing to Canada at a Commonwealth Games. We've got no fucking competition. Like, come on. Like, if we lose to other countries at a World Championship, but not Canada at our games, this is a Commonwealth Games. We should be winning every gold in the pool. So no, Kayla, don't win gold in Birmingham. Great interview, though.
COLIN HILDING: This is why the curse happens, Ben.
BEN WATERWORTH: It's a Commonwealth Games. Isn't this a Commonwealth Games curse on this show? You and I, I've got a Commonwealth Games bronze medal, and I just worked at the damn thing. They give them out to everyone.
COLIN HILDING: Best backstage roadie at the boxing event, or whatever your job was.
BEN WATERWORTH: I was more than a roadie. I made people get interviewed, so shut up.
COLIN HILDING: But that was, as you said, great. We're gonna be talking to lots more Olympians coming up. We've got so many interviews. We don't know what to do with them. We might just give them all away for free. That's what I'm thinking. Or if you wanna pay us, let us know.
BEN WATERWORTH: I was gonna say we'll pay $40 to subscribe to the O-T-P-S-L.
COLIN HILDING: The O-T-P-S-L, coming soon, next season.
BEN WATERWORTH: That'd be fun. You, Jarrod, myself, swimming in a pool.
COLIN HILDING: If anybody out there is willing to pay for it, I will do it. I will do a lot of things for money. I've heard. No, I don't mean to say.
BEN WATERWORTH: That's why you're a father.
COLIN HILDING: We know it stops at swimming. But yeah, plenty more interviews to come. And wow, Beijing was great. Can't wait for Paris.
BEN WATERWORTH: Literally, the subtitle on the review DVD. Wow. Beijing was great. Five stars.
COLIN HILDING: We'll put it out when we put out our own commentary DVD best out. But stay tuned. You can like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, maybe even YouTube. Possibly you may have been directed here after you can watch this on YouTube.
BEN WATERWORTH: We should have mentioned you can watch us on YouTube. If you want to watch this video, watch it on YouTube. As in this part, you're not going to watch. It's just the interview. Yeah, this part knows. The part where you want to hear Kyler.
COLIN HILDING: There's plenty of good stuff on YouTube that does not involve us rambling. Thank you for joining us. Thank you Ben as well. You're welcome.
BEN WATERWORTH: Just quickly a shout out to Jason Momoa as well.
COLIN HILDING: Alright, and eat ketchup chips and go left.
Comments