Episode 219 of the show features Mariam Abdul-Rashid, a dynamic Canadian athlete whose life journey mirrors the hurdles she conquers on the track. From academic achievements to athletic triumphs, Mariam's story embodies resilience and ambition.
Travel with us under the Miami sun as Mariam shares her electrifying experiences, from hurdling in her family's hallway to setting personal bests in the 60-meter hurdles. Along the way, we celebrate the legacy of other incredible Canadian athletes and recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion in sports.
Discover the sheer work ethic and creativity required to excel, both on the track and in content creation, as Mariam inspires us with her unwavering dedication. This episode is more than just a conversation; it's a masterclass in perseverance and the power of chasing your dreams.
Powered by Perfect Sports Supplements use the code "AP20" at checkout!
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LinkedIn
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Produced by Rise Virtually
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Other episodes you might enjoy:
World Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper, Taylor Learmont (Little "T" Fitness), Bruce Boudreau (Vancouver Canucks), Rhonda Rajsich (Most Decorated US Racquetball player), Zach Bitter (Ultra Marathon Runner), Zion Clark (Netflix docuseries), Jana Webb (Founder of JOGA), Ben Johns (#1 Pickleball Player in the World)
Check out our Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Tiktok | Spotify | Apple | Google | Youtube
Episode 219 of the show features Mariam Abdul-Rashid, a dynamic Canadian athlete whose life journey mirrors the hurdles she conquers on the track. From academic achievements to athletic triumphs, Mariam's story embodies resilience and ambition.
Travel with us under the Miami sun as Mariam shares her electrifying experiences, from hurdling in her family's hallway to setting personal bests in the 60-meter hurdles. Along the way, we celebrate the legacy of other incredible Canadian athletes and recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion in sports.
Discover the sheer work ethic and creativity required to excel, both on the track and in content creation, as Mariam inspires us with her unwavering dedication. This episode is more than just a conversation; it's a masterclass in perseverance and the power of chasing your dreams.
Powered by Perfect Sports Supplements use the code "AP20" at checkout!
---
Want to see more of the AP? Subscribe to the AP YouTube channel.
---
Check out Mariam's stuff:
Tiktok
Instagram
---
Check out Dave's stuff:
Instagram
Twitter
LinkedIn
---
Produced by Rise Virtually
---
Other episodes you might enjoy:
World Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper, Taylor Learmont (Little "T" Fitness), Bruce Boudreau (Vancouver Canucks), Rhonda Rajsich (Most Decorated US Racquetball player), Zach Bitter (Ultra Marathon Runner), Zion Clark (Netflix docuseries), Jana Webb (Founder of JOGA), Ben Johns (#1 Pickleball Player in the World)
Check out our Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Tiktok | Spotify | Apple | Google | Youtube
Did the one practice crushed it and have been running ever since, 20 years later.
Speaker 2:You're the most decorated racquetball player in US history, world's strongest man, from childhood passion to professional athlete, eight time Ironman champion. So what was it like making your debut in the NHL? What is your biggest piece of advice for the next generation of athletes, from underdogs to national champions?
Speaker 2:This is the athletes podcast, where high performance individuals share their triumphs, defeats and life lessons to educate, entertain and inspire the next generation of athletes. Here we go. You just made the best decision of your life. This is episode 219 of the athletes podcast, and today we feature Mariam Abdul Rashid. She's a Canadian hurdler who just came back from Glasgow, met me down in Miami and we were able to have an amazing conversation. Earlier this year, she ran a personal best of 8.01 seconds on a 60 meter hurdles, recently putting up a 7.99 twice in Glasgow at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, and we were able to top it up afterwards.
Speaker 2:Some of the highs, some of the lows of what Mariam's experienced over her years, both as a undergraduate student who received her bachelor's degree in liberal arts and sciences from the University of Texas, as well as a master's degree in communication and media studies from the University of East London. As you folks know, this woman is incredible. That's why we brought her on the show. That's why she's doing the talking. That's why we also are working with her at Cookstark Management. Our goal is to provide female athletes the same opportunities that us men have been provided for decades. 15% of media coverage is now on women's sports. You simply clicking on this episode has supported women's sports even further, and for that I thank you for tuning into this episode. Mariam is an incredible human being. I'm super excited for you folks to listen to this episode. She also wanted me to mention the name, angela White, as another Canadian hurdler legend. She dropped a couple during this episode, but she wanted to make sure that she highlighted that.
Speaker 2:The other thing I want to highlight is the fact that this episode is brought to you by Perfect Sports. They make the best supplements on the market. They also have dropped a new supplement. It's called Hydro Splash. Athletes, if you are trying to stay hydrated and make sure that your electrolyte levels are as primed as possible, then you should be taking Hydro Splash. I take it every single day. Hydro Splash, one of the best supplements out there right now. Every single morning, I'm taking this. It's the only way to make sure that you're getting your minerals, aminos, vitamins, coconut water, caffeine free, non-gmo. It's got everything that you need.
Speaker 2:And, folks, I want to give one of these packages away to one YouTube watcher, one YouTube watcher, one YouTube listener, one YouTube subscriber, whatever it's called. Folks, here's the test, here's the homework. If you clicked on this episode and if you leave a comment, you're entered to win. It's that easy. I want to make sure that you're staying hydrated, so if you're watching on Spotify, apple, wherever else you're listening to the podcast, do me a favor head on over to YouTube, drop a comment and then that way you're entered to win your very own Hydro Splash. That's it. Let's get to the episode featuring Maryam Abdul Rashid. Thank you, folks, for tuning in again. I hope you're having a great day. Here we go. Maryam Abdul Rashid. Welcome to the athletes podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you Thank you for coming on Well overdue. First time we've actually formally met in person.
Speaker 1:Yeah, in Miami to meet. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:So nice. Yeah, I don't think there's any better way to wake up in the morning than with incredibly hot air.
Speaker 1:Yeah, palm trees and sun. So nice. Would it turn out to get like 30 hours of sun this winter?
Speaker 2:I was just in Vancouver. It's ugly.
Speaker 1:Canada's ugly. It's sad.
Speaker 2:You need vitamin.
Speaker 1:D Badly, it's important Badly. You might not be mentally ill, you might just need some sun.
Speaker 2:Yes, I grew up and I was like I didn't think I was like maybe depressed, but it's like there's seasonal depression.
Speaker 1:No bad yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:It's not even it's not talked about enough. Let's talk about you today, though, More specifically. I'm going to just fire off a couple of quick questions, just so that people learn a bit more about you, because you're a pretty incredible human being.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Originally introduced by Danielle Chow Leong.
Speaker 1:He's also an incredible human being. She is.
Speaker 2:We love her a lot. Actually, she's incredible and you just gave me the most insane 60 second bio of your upbringing. Where do you want to start? Because you started on a farm, oshawa, dragonfield, two degrees, no big deal. You're the expert in communications. I'm going to let you do the talking, because clearly I can't today. First question is the 1997 birth year.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The best in athletes history.
Speaker 1:Best in athlete history. I hope so, right.
Speaker 2:I think it is. I'm making a case for it, mcdavid, you me. I think we're there. I think so. I don't know. Do you not see 97s dominating at every level, wherever they are?
Speaker 1:Honestly yeah.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I've had enough of them on that. I'm going to make a case that in the 97 year there was something in the water that we were drinking.
Speaker 1:Maybe it was on your farm too, it might have been on my farm, I might have got all the way to Roseneath.
Speaker 2:Roseneath.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like right by Rice Lake.
Speaker 2:Tell me about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so honestly it wasn't super long in like farm years, because it takes a long Not that I first saw the bat in a farm years, but like I guess if you're trying to like build something big on a lot of land it takes years to develop you need the money to like buy all the animals and all that stuff.
Speaker 2:Are they decades? Are they like? Are we talking cat dog years? Seven, eight, what are we? What's the range? You got to give me something for farm years.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, this is human years, but like you need to like really know what you're doing, I guess so decades.
Speaker 2:They're probably talking in decades. I would say, yeah, human decades Okay that's cool, I just wanted to make it I feel like we planned to stay longer, but it just didn't work out that way.
Speaker 1:But I'll tell you why. So yeah, my family moved to Roseneath Rip by Rice Lake. We had like an 11 acre farm and my family is super athletic Like we've had Olympic runners in my family my uncle Lennox, my great uncle, my dad's brother, so not my great uncle, just like regular uncle. Why am I wearing this?
Speaker 2:God damn, ninth best hurdler in the world and you're wearing a lanyard like you're a college freshman. Maybe college was bad for both of us. I don't know.
Speaker 1:Maybe I'm trying to God damn In case anyone forgot who you were, you need to do name tags. Yeah, that's my bad, I should have.
Speaker 2:I do kind of told you a little bit.
Speaker 1:You were setting up and I should have like noticed the little things.
Speaker 2:It's gonna start.
Speaker 1:It's gonna make it in at some point.
Speaker 2:People are like why the hell is that guy wearing a lanyard? Continue.
Speaker 1:Yes, okay. So moved to the farm. We got 11 acres, long story short, lots of room for running around, just like being a kid, and all three of my siblings were like high energy, very athletic. So we're all running around. But my parents noticed that like okay, she's not just running around, but she's like kind of fast and like there's like some form here that you don't just like have, unless this running might be your thing. So we only got as far as like having a dog, a black lab, who's crazy to like us, and chickens and stuff.
Speaker 1:But all of us were in sports and the closest place to go do those sports was Oshawa. So after five years we're like we cannot keep driving like back and forth to drive all these kids to football practice, gymnastics, like track and field. It's too much, Y'all are doing way too much. So eventually we packed up, moved to Oshawa and I showed up to Durham Legion Athletics Track Practice with a woman named Sharon Wormke and my dad was like come on, like can you, can you let her join the team? And she looked at me and she was like because I was six years old and she's like she's too young, she's too little, I don't want to babysit, Come back in two years, basically and my dad was like give her one practice and then decide Did the one practice? Crushed it and have been running ever since, 20 years later.
Speaker 2:Okay, so many questions.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:How do you get into hurdles specifically?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So again, since we were a sports family, like we had all that kind of stuff on TV, and I distinctly remember in my first home in Roseneath the parents built that house and, lucky for me, they built like a super long hallway, or at least it felt super long and I was, when you're small, but long enough to start from the very end, put things in my way and jump over them. So I was trying to be pretty to Felicia, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I saw her and I was like that's sick, Damn. That's what I want to do Setting up, and then we had like a million other great hurdles after her and in the same time as her, with like Priscilla Loeb's sleep, and then Felicia George, Nikita Holder, Jessica Salinka there was like a million. So I was like I'm just going to go be one of them.
Speaker 2:It's insane how hard they are. People don't realize how easy you make it look when they're watching on TV. Yeah, that is something that I've noticed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and people come out to me all the time and they're like, oh, I could never do that. And I tell them, as long as you're not scared, you can learn how to hurdle, like the fear is the biggest part.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Like I feel like I could teach you how to hurdle and like, just like, give me like two hours. You just keep going over it won't be as pretty as like, like the pros, but that I'm still trying to make it as pretty as the pros. So that part takes some time, but just getting over it, you just got to get the fear out of your head.
Speaker 2:I feel like I have an advantage. I got long legs. Yeah, you got long legs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, especially for the men's. Who goes up to like here on me, 42 inches, yeah, you can't even be a men's hurdler unless you're tall.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what are the? Are the? Is there like prerequisites, typically, that they put in place?
Speaker 1:Um, no, so, but the men, since they go up so high you just they all the guys in it end up being tall unless you're just like really powerful and can like push yourself over. The girls is kind of fun because it all ranges. We have girls that are like five one, we have girls that are like five 11, like pushing six feet, and the short girls can get out of the blocks better and running between the hurdles faster and just more effortlessly. But the tall girls can get over the barriers easier, Like they're stepping over them and we're like pushing over them, but then we can run in between. So it's kind of it balances itself out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's an interesting dynamic. You don't see that often in sports, where there's like very different athletes who get the same or similar results. Sarah Mitten, same kind of.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, yeah, like she's small for a thrower, right yeah?
Speaker 2:Still putting up records.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like Canada was showing this past weekend in Glasgow. I was so sad I couldn't make it.
Speaker 1:I know Next time I was trying, I was trying I was doing my best, maybe Paris.
Speaker 2:I'm. You know we got some things in the works I got to tell you about afterwards so sick. We'll make some stuff happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we got. We got just some perfect sports. We're going to get all that fun stuff going. But did you also know, folks, that water is critical to health and vitality? Sadly, few of us drink enough of it. Let's face it. As good as it is, water just sometimes isn't that exciting.
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Speaker 2:Optimal hydration impacts your skin's appearance and boosts energy levels all day. Hydro splash is third party tested for water banned substances, featuring the official informed choice certification logo. Now imagine feeling fully hydrated while you are getting four essential vitamins, three amino acids all with concentrated coconut water, banana and apple, and with zero grams of sugar and only 10 calories. Hydro splash is the smart way to ditch those sugary sodas and sports drinks. Whether you're training hard, engaged in sports, seeking rehydration, recovery or simply looking for an alternative to water, hydro splash is a smarter way to hydrate. It's better than water. It's perfect. Sports Be great. Back to the episode. I want to talk about a couple things. First off, Canadian record at Boston University. You want to talk about that?
Speaker 1:I wish it was a Canadian record, was it not? Like I said, perdita was flying back then, so she heard. The Canadian record is like 72 over the 60 hurdles.
Speaker 2:Was the graphic wrong?
Speaker 1:there, the graphic wasn't wrong. It was a meet record.
Speaker 2:Oh, so that's the Boston University meet record.
Speaker 1:Yeah, boston University meet record and or the facility record.
Speaker 2:It was both. It was facility. That's why it was two things People don't know what facility means.
Speaker 1:Facility means it's the fastest run in that building Because there's different kinds of meets held in the building but within those four walls that's the fastest it's been run. And there's other Canadians who have facility records there. Just kind of cool.
Speaker 2:Let's maybe because you touched on earlier. You said your years in school maybe weren't as good as you would have liked.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so started at 6, really good like young kid career which transitioned into a really good high school career Up until like grade 12 is where things got a little like shaky. But then I was like it's okay, like because I signed my scholarship to Texas in grade 11.
Speaker 2:Okay, but like Canadian, obviously going down NCAA is like the girl everyone dreams of it yeah. Was Texas the only place you wanted to go. What was that decision making process like? Was it crazy? Parents involved Different opinions. Tell me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I actually just found one of my old diaries when I was younger and in it it says that I wanted to go to the University of Texas. Because the uncle I told you about earlier, him, his wife and my cousin. They all lived in Austin and they worked there and he would bring us home like swag from UT and I was like I want to go to Texas with Uncle Gabby and Auntie Amy and Zoe it's like in my diary which is pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Which.
Speaker 1:I didn't even remember because what I remember, when I was being recruited I was like Texas, like no, like not interested. When they called, I didn't answer the first time and then my high school coach was like are you okay? Like do you know who just called you? And I was like oh, Texas, Like I have these ideas that I thought Texas would be like. Some of them are very true, yeah, but Austin's a cool little bubble among some of the things that are very true.
Speaker 2:I've heard. I was only in there for a couple of days. It was amazing city. Yeah, it's fun. I am so jealous. I wish I was a longhorn also, maybe partially because of Matthew McConaughey, but that's another read. Have you read his book Green Lights?
Speaker 1:I haven't read his book Solid.
Speaker 2:It's good.
Speaker 1:I recently started reading again, so you can just send me a book list.
Speaker 2:You can just join the athletes book club. Yeah, katie Simonson, who we just had on the show the high rocks lawyer, she's starting it Cool. She already runs a book club. She's doing one for the athletes podcast. Cool Once a month.
Speaker 1:I saw the one you guys are reading right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, tribe.
Speaker 1:Tribe Okay.
Speaker 2:The New Zealand team.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, yes, the all blacks.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Super cool. Second podcast today. Five hours of sleep last night training session. I apologize, folks.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Watching, listening, I'm going to be better. Marion's pulling it out of me. She's carrying the show. It was crazy, though, because that book the highlight, so far at least, is just talking about how no one's too good to be in any position and no one is too good to fill the shoes or the role of the person that's at the bottom of the organization. So no one's too good to clean up the garbage. Ie example real life, new Zealand. All blacks, their captains, are the ones cleaning up the garbage at the end of every game, every match Nice. They come in, clean it up. They leave the place better than they found it. That's just like one example. I think that that's something that Canadians are known for to some degree as well. We're known as being good people. You get to travel around all around the world. What's been your favorite place to go to? Because I know sports brought you some crazy places.
Speaker 1:I love racing in the Caribbean.
Speaker 2:That would make sense.
Speaker 1:The fans love track. True, they love track.
Speaker 2:They do.
Speaker 1:Like so high. When I was younger we went to Gibson Relays in Jamaica, which is like a big relay meeting Like a big relay meet down there. You stay in bolt was like doing his thing and he came to the meet.
Speaker 2:What was?
Speaker 1:that like what?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's crazy, like crazy, and we would like go up to him and like we're like Mr Bolt, like do you mind? Like signing my autograph, and he's just like yeah man, yeah man, yeah man he signed it for us.
Speaker 1:And we're like, oh my gosh, like he signed it, like maybe I'll go back and I was like, well, mr Bolt, like since you signed the first one, like do you think you could sign this one for like my friend? And he was like yeah man, yeah man, yeah man, he signed it. And we're like we're like that worked too. Like Mr Bolt, do you think you could sign this one for? Like my friend's uncle's dad? Like he just whatever we asked, he was just like yeah, and signed it.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:And then ran the four by four and like hawked everybody down in a four by four, which I'd never seen him run that, because obviously he's a one, two guy.
Speaker 2:When was that?
Speaker 1:How old was I?
Speaker 2:That's probably one of the craziest stories I've heard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was. It was surreal and he took a picture with our group.
Speaker 2:You gotta find that, so we can click.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's on my Facebook, Okay perfect, thank you, that's.
Speaker 2:I've only had a couple of chances to see the goats in their respective sports. Yeah, I missed out on watching Serena Williams in Toronto.
Speaker 1:I will never forget that I don't forget myself for not seeing her play either.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe we'll figure out a way to watch her in some charity game together. We'll go. Yeah, We'll figure it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I got that. I'll hold that down, lebron. I got to see Sick who else have you seen?
Speaker 1:I went to the game in Boston against the Lakers and he pulled out like five minutes before the game started and I was like I just wanted to see you do that. Clap with the dust, with the cloud thing.
Speaker 2:It's crazy that that's what he's known for.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just wanted to see that at least Like, do that and then decide not to play. But he was on the sidelines and he was honestly still the presence, like he was in a sweatsuit with his hood up and we were like that's LeBron and I just felt like he was like, like you could just feel the presence that he was still not pulling strings, not orchestrating, but like, still like being a leader, like from the sidelines and a hoodie and like sneakers.
Speaker 2:We are witnessing greatness with what he does and people, unfortunately, are accustomed to seeing it every single year, for 20 years.
Speaker 2:And they've become numb to it. What a career he's done. I just saw a stat his first 10,000 points took him the exact same amount of time as his last 10,000, because he just hit 40K. Yeah, I think it was 328 games or something. So, anyways, I say all these stats about this person, You're gonna be setting all these records in a couple of years, even in Paris, for instance, glasgow, highlights from that event specifically and Saskatoon after that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, was it.
Speaker 2:Saskatoon. I went to.
Speaker 1:Saskatoon where did I go?
Speaker 2:You had a record there.
Speaker 1:I went to Saskatoon before.
Speaker 2:Glasgow straight there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll go to Glasgow. Glasgow highlight 799. Twice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no big deal.
Speaker 1:My first seven. Seven is like the magic number.
Speaker 2:It's my favorite number.
Speaker 1:Is it Sick yeah?
Speaker 2:It's the magic.
Speaker 1:It's the magic number.
Speaker 2:People think it's unlucky.
Speaker 1:I think it's the luckiest 13 is my favorite number for the same reason.
Speaker 2:Do you actively look for hotels that offer a 13th floor?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it only happens rare occasions.
Speaker 1:Very rarely.
Speaker 2:You gotta pay extra for that. I don't know where I was going with that Glasgow. Sarah Mittencrushed, you were obviously just missed hitting that finals appearance. Can you just tell me what it was like hitting 7.99 twice? We already talked about the fact that I can't do anything in under eight seconds, but how did that feel to eclipse that, knowing you belong with them?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So at the start of the season, coach was like want to see some sevens this year? And I was like, lol, like me too. But how are we going to do that? And then I started my first meet of the season off like pretty much tying my personal best, which at the time starting this season was 8.13. And I ran 8.14 to like pop off the season. So I was like OK, I'm like cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. And then I ran 8.1 like a bunch of times.
Speaker 1:And everyone says when you're really consistent, that's when something's going to drop. And I don't know if I guess that's true. Sometimes I just think you make things up to stay positive. But I was like ran 8.1 like a bunch of times. Now. And then by Miracle got into the Boston Grand Prix and ran 8.06. And I was like, ok, cool, like closer to seven. And then went to Clemson, ran 8.16, 8.03, 8.01. And I was like, ok, I were right there. And then first round of World Endurs in Glasgow 7.99. And I just knew that when I broke 8, I would run 7.99. I just knew it.
Speaker 2:That was such an interesting point about making things up to seem positive. Oh we're delusional.
Speaker 1:I think you have to be. You have to be Because, like, why? How could you keep going without some delusion?
Speaker 2:I've been doing this thing for four and a half years. We're still kicking yeah Somehow. Thanks for people watching.
Speaker 1:Thanks for having us.
Speaker 2:People like yourself coming on and willing to share their story, their wisdom, insights. I think that there's beauty in that delusion and I think you, being 12, at 6 years old, that you didn't even want to go to practice probably a tribute is the reason, or one of the many reasons, that you are where you are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I wonder if I would have had such a great practice if she wasn't like you're too young girl, we're not going to take you. And then dad was just like go for it, go do your thing. And it was a great. Like I remember it, it was a great practice.
Speaker 2:Do you remember most of your practices?
Speaker 1:There's just maybe there's been so many.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I was just curious about that. You mentioned that one in particular.
Speaker 1:I guess because it was literally the first one.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I just remember all the like sights and sounds of like walking into the building is the Auspacific and getting to the Auspacific track is like kind of a track and like you can do it with your eyes closed if you've done it enough, because there's distinct like sounds between the way the doors move, each section, getting to the track. The smells are different, like you can literally smell when you're in the track.
Speaker 2:We're going to have an Oshawa group chat. Pop off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all the Oshawa kids stand up.
Speaker 2:Rono's got like GTA People are. People love being able to say they're from the GTA.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we got athletes. Man, I mean most of the population's there. So like it makes sense, it makes sense. But like Ontario's got athletes and like GTA specifically had athletes, yeah, yeah, I'm sad I'm not in Toronto anymore.
Speaker 2:BC is beautiful though, beauty, population, proximity to people. Once we get established enough, once I can afford to just fly out to a private place in BC. We go work out for the weekend, do all that fun stuff. Yes, it'll be a perfect place Right now. I got to be closer. It's easier for like I got to be in Miami. I got to be in Toronto, LA, Like somewhere where there's lots of people close by coming in for sports, so I can do this talk with you right after World Indoor.
Speaker 2:It's kind of like what we're doing right now.
Speaker 1:Miami and LA are not the worst places to have to be, though. Like oh no, he says, I have to go to LA, I have to be in Miami for the week.
Speaker 2:I thought we were just trying to justify positive things. I thought that was what we were going to do?
Speaker 1:I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think that, hey, if I get to follow along incredible athletes like yourself, talk with them on a weekly basis, that's a pretty good gig. Yeah, if you ask me, I can do it, thanks to people like Perfect Sports, providing us with products, providing you with discounts if you use the code AP20, and then providing you guys stuff so that you can perform your best Everything helps, right, yeah, that's OK.
Speaker 1:Student life as an athlete.
Speaker 2:That is something that people don't talk about enough. Get raw about like it sucks. You have no money, You're grinding all the time. You want to take me through some Texas times.
Speaker 1:Dude. Like if I hear the word team meeting again, like I might just like go into a panic.
Speaker 2:How much. I'm just going to take a picture.
Speaker 1:There's just always something to do. First of all, I had a good time. My friends were great. I made sure to choose a place that I felt like I could see myself truly living in for four years, because then, if track doesn't go well, you still have to live there. I wish I could remember who gave me that advice, but that is my advice to anyone coming up now Choose a place where you can see yourself living, if the city is not cool. Choose a place where the team is just a vibe, that you can see yourself hanging out with these people, because you're going to see them all the time. And I don't know who or where it would be if I didn't have the teammates that I had, because they're still my friends to this day and they kept me saying not all the way, saying because I lost my mind a bit in college. I lost it, she was gone for a bit what year by the it was.
Speaker 1:I laughed because I was breaking the whole time, but broke on the fourth year, which is just so silly because get help earlier, man.
Speaker 2:Well, senioritis.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's nostalgic because now you're like the grown one on the team and you're helping all the younger kids. But also you're like my time is up and I didn't do what I wanted to do here. So it's just so much many emotions, but I finally got some mental health help.
Speaker 2:OK, what was that like? If you don't mind, Like literally necessary.
Speaker 1:Like yeah, I, because the high school career was so great that I thought I was going to be someone like the Braun, where you go into college, you do one and done Again delusional. But everything was going as planned. We kind of had a lot of family crises Brother was in a very severe car accident in grade 12, and that's kind of where it started that I thought I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine, everything's fine, everything's not fine, it was not fine. You do your first year and you're just trying to keep up. Friends were great, but in your mind you're like everything's fine, everything's fine. And you do that for and you're like you know what? It's just my first year. Your first year is you're adjusting to everything. It's okay that you're not running fast.
Speaker 1:that's how it's supposed to be, which is like true. It takes a while to adjust to a new training system, a new environment, trust the process. They say After the second year. You're like you know what Halfway through. That's how the first two years are supposed to be. And then by your third year, you start to panic a little bit and you're like shoulda, coulda, woulda, like who am I? And I really had to do all that. Like who am I if track isn't going well, which is good.
Speaker 2:Some may say essential.
Speaker 1:It's essential. Would I have liked to do it for fun, Like while I'm still running fast? Yes, I didn't want to have to run really slow and be really sad to have to find myself outside of sports, but it happened and I think I'm like a cooler person to be around because of it.
Speaker 2:One of the coolest. I'll clarify.
Speaker 1:Thanks man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know I haven't had this much fun in a long time. I can say that Aw man.
Speaker 1:No, this is good. I'm also really happy I'm in Miami. I'm like a good vibe when I'm in Miami.
Speaker 2:I told Evan this, I told Justin this morning. I'm like I can't be mad at you.
Speaker 1:No, literally, like I literally said, like nothing bothered, like I'll be in traffic, I'm just like it's really the sign it's weird.
Speaker 2:The vitamin D is crazy. Canadian dollar kind of sucks. I gotta figure out a way to get us both paid more that we're working on the dollar hurts the dollar hurts. That's tough Anytime in the States. I'm just like attack on 35%. It's tough yeah. We survive, we make do and everything happens for a reason. I think that's what I took from what you were saying Exactly yeah.
Speaker 1:So there's gonna be a timing in career where it's not going well. Mine happened to be college. Some people's were in their pro career, some people's are. When they were younger they're late bloomers, whatever. Mine was in college and then after college statistically would have made sense probably to retire. I was running like decent times but nothing that said like, oh, you're ready to be world-class like right now. But I just knew that being one of the best in the world was always the goal and I just knew that, even if I never became one of the best in the world, I just knew I had more to give and I just wanted to keep trying. I'm like it's too early to stop now. So, yeah, I went and did my masters in England for what was supposed to be a year, but it was six months because of COVID. So that was like a fever dream of an experience. Yeah, take a pause there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was just like I have so many questions. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's your 22,. 23, when you had to. You're done in Texas 24, let's see.
Speaker 1:I've graduated Texas in 2019.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you were 21, 22.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I finished. I was there from 2015, 2019. Same as me yeah, wasn't ready to go home yet, because at the time I thought going home meant I failed. I left the small town, went to the big city to pursue the dreams. If I go home, you're a failure, which is not true.
Speaker 2:I'm going through that right now literally and I'm like, sorry, continue.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm listening, it's not true.
Speaker 2:It's tough. Eh, that's the social norm. Society is like oh, once you move out, that's it.
Speaker 1:See you later. But honestly so I'll finish that in a sec. So I went to go keep running on another scholarship in University of East London in England. I met a super cool coach over there, but we only got an indoor season together because the world shut down. So I took a flight, had to come home, finished my master's degree from my basement.
Speaker 2:Socks to have that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And then the Olympics got canceled. Got to try skateboarding.
Speaker 2:How? Just pick that up casually. I mean, when you grow up in Osho, it's all around.
Speaker 1:But then when you're an athlete from six years old, you don't really get to do it. So I could ride from A to B, but I couldn't do any tricks. So now I have a couple of tricks under my belt. Ooh, okay, the kick flip, not yet. That's what everybody asks.
Speaker 2:But we need a live, live perfect sports sponsored event where you are teaching me how to kick flip hurdle and I don't know, run the hundred under 10 seconds.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would want nothing more and I would take that job so seriously.
Speaker 2:Yes, you bet.
Speaker 1:If you're asked, I'm gonna be the best kick flipper, so skateboarding.
Speaker 2:okay cool, was I just with the, with the fan.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just with the homies Like just the people I grew up with. Yeah, like, everyone from elementary school at my school is like still friends to this day. We had super small elementary schools who were just like this little like no one understands us but us.
Speaker 1:So we're all still friends, like as adults, and we like banded together and like started skateboarding and they were all much better than me because they've been doing it since they were kids. But skateboarders are very positive energy and you do anything and they're like yeah, so it's very easy to keep showing up.
Speaker 2:That is so sick. The ninth best hurdler in the world with struggling skateboarding in Oshawa. Like that is such a cool story to be able to share and like you're probably gonna just pick this. You're gonna pick so much stuff up out of this. I feel like you could do everything. What other sports did you play growing up?
Speaker 1:I played rep soccer for a couple years. And then in school I played like high school played volleyball, basketball and track.
Speaker 2:I told you guys, sorry, okay, so London Basement, masters degree, ideal experience there. What's going through your mind there? You said, statistically you should retire. Clearly the little engine that could kept on chewing.
Speaker 1:Right, but now I'm home so I wanna keep running, but COVID has sent me home, I thought. When I got to London then I was like okay, austin didn't work out to be the fastest person in the whole wide world to ever exist. Me, I'll go to London and be the fastest person to ever exist and everything is gonna be fine. And then I find myself in my basement, like back home, and I'm just like if I stay here, that means I failed, like I couldn't get it done. And then I just realized home is where I became who I am, so I can build myself back up here too. Like you lost yourself for a little bit. You had to learn who you were.
Speaker 1:Besides, out of sports, like you got the degree. So if you don't keep running, like you've got something to fall back on. The window for sports is so small. Keep going. You know how to run fast here in Canada You've done it before. You know the tracks. You have, luckily, the support from your family. You can get it done. And I hit up a coach who was retired and someone I like shake a little bit, cause it's like it's really nice to have people like believe in you still. And he's like yeah, like let's do it, let's get it done.
Speaker 2:So you were able to pull him out of retirement yeah.
Speaker 1:He was volunteering Well, not maybe volunteering at the time, not sure. But he was working with my old high school club, the speed Academy athletics shut up speed Academy and yeah, he was helping the high school kids there, but he was done coaching at like the elite level. But I called my high school coach to work with him again Cause I was like he got you the scholarship.
Speaker 1:He can help you in the pro life too. And he was like actually, he's like he's here now, like why don't you try working with him? He's like I don't do elite athletes, I want to stick with the high school kids. Why don't you keep working with him? And I was like, all right, and he coached. His name is Anthony McCleary. Anthony coached Priscilla Loops sleep, one of the hardlers I grew up like obsessed with. So I was like he knows what he's doing. And all the other girls Nikita, felicia, all of them. So I was like yeah, Damn.
Speaker 1:I found myself in good hands, and it's everything to find somebody who believes in you.
Speaker 2:You know who else believes in you, danielle.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:She's the reason we're here having this conversation. Yeah, right From, I can't remember what episode she was. I should know that. Anyway, we were in Toronto.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I love Danielle Chow Liyang. Check out that episode Incredible.
Speaker 1:She's great, she's the goat, she's one of the best.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and like also, I feel like you two just have such cool, calm, consistent, collected charisma, and I say that because, like you got so much swagger, you don't have to be, you're just so humble. You guys can do anything and you're like, yeah, we're just like going with the flow. Most athletes people in her positions are uptight or like very specific about the way they operate. Most athletes typically as well. You guys, both are just like.
Speaker 1:Pretty chill. I mean maybe because we've been doing it for so long.
Speaker 2:Yeah, is that what it is?
Speaker 1:Maybe I don't know how long we've heard just talking about it in Glasgow, but has she been working? She's been working with the national team, like traveling with the national team, for like over a decade. So, like you be like Danielle, like how does such and such work? She's like well, when I went with the team to this games at this time, it was like that, like she's been to every games, like ever, and I realized this year I'm like you've been doing this for 20 years. That's a long time and you're only 26.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a you know, four fifths of our life, yeah so I think, yeah, I think I, and especially now that I'm finding my like groove again, everything's chill.
Speaker 2:Working with a coach like that, where you're able to pull them out of retirement. What's that like? You got to be convincing as heck, I'm sure and you've obviously Won over Danielle Was it your parents that instilled this kind of do whatever it takes can do anything out of two.
Speaker 1:Yeah they. They definitely made me, they definitely helped me believe that I could do anything I wanted, like there wasn't a dream that they ever shut down, which was cool, so my brain could run kind of wild. My mom was really good at like teaching us how to be like good humans and like really humble along the way with whatever we did, and my dad was really good at being like the crazy athlete when he knows what it takes and like how much discipline it takes.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, it was a good combo any crazy dad stories you're willing to share on the show? Crazy dad stories Christian dire brought up when he's like his dad. His dad dumped like a huge bucket of water and ice right on his bed one week.
Speaker 1:Okay, so crazy dad story. I Don't remember what Olympic Games, maybe 2008, don't quote me on the year but I was very young, back on the farm again, saw Perdita for Lisa and like do her thing, loved her and my dad's teacher at the elementary school, like near the house, and they had all this stuff for team Canada athletes, like they had all these like billboards and like posters for them when they were like promoting the games to get the kids high. I wasn't even old enough to attend the school so I didn't see any of this stuff and After the games they threw everything out. And then he just comes home with this cardboard cutout that was like the size of me, of Prudita, and I was like yo, like where did you get that?
Speaker 1:He's like I dove into the green bin like dumpster at my school and brought this home for you. He's like why would they throw this out? And I was like I couldn't imagine why they would ever do that. And he, it's still in my room, my childhood room, to this day and somewhere along the line Prudita signed it. Whoa, yeah, she came in.
Speaker 1:Yeah she came to Speak at a school my dad was teaching at, like years later, and he was like dude, you got to come with me to school today. Like Prudita's gonna be there. Like bring the poster.
Speaker 2:That is yeah, that is a story, yeah, and.
Speaker 1:She signed it for me and I was in high school and I was like trying to be like like kind of cool like like yeah, like it's no big deal if you sign this, but I'm like no, this is everything if you sign this and and um, yeah, so then every once in a while he just sends me a picture of it, as if I forgot, and then it's there.
Speaker 2:That's so different.
Speaker 1:They do things that make no sense. He just like sends me a picture of it periodically.
Speaker 2:At least, it's just not mine.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we can watch out about. Yeah, we'll be convinced about dad's, it's a whole other topic. Yeah, there's probably others that have the same. Yeah experience randomly, out of nowhere you get a text, just a random text, no context, no context.
Speaker 1:I'm just like it's 2 pm On a Tuesday, like why did you? But I just know it's because he's at home Hype.
Speaker 2:He's thinking about you.
Speaker 1:He's thinking about me and like if anyone wants it, as bad as I do with that guy.
Speaker 2:Do you? Uh, how, what kept you from not retiring? Like, if you don't mind me asking, like obviously you had the mental stuff that you talked about, but like there's got to be that little internal switch or like internal dialogue, something that you were just like, hey, I need this, I want this. Was there ever that doubt?
Speaker 1:they crept in the doubt creeps in. But I didn't want to tie, I didn't want to retire until I became an Olympian, and I just knew that I had more to give. Yeah, so, and then, even if I didn't become an Olympian. I just knew I had more to give. I figured like if you were to retire right now, would you have any regret?
Speaker 1:and I would have yeah, and I felt washed, but I there was like one part of me that was like you're not washed up yet, you just like a one, and it only takes that little part.
Speaker 2:I guess you just need a sliver just a sliver of delusion you just need, and it's as little as having a poster in your bedroom or cardboard cut out. Yeah, look at every day. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we're pretty drama, so like that sort of thing. If he sends like Like sometimes that that shit like will make me cry and I just like, I'm just like yeah, like keep going, I keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going.
Speaker 1:Other crazy dad stories. I remember I used to go for dogs with him on like a Sunday and we trained three days a week with my club at the time. But he would take me out on like an extra day and Remember going for a run and he's like on his bike behind me like go, go, go, go go and we ran past the group of kids and I was so embarrassed at the time, ran past the group of kids that I then grew up to finally get to like skateboard with like they were all skateboarding and like doing cool stuff and I'm like outgoing for a run and I'm like this is lame. But then years later they're like teaching me how to like pop shove it and like go down a Quarter fight and you're still and I'm still running yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm still competing and you're still crushing it. Thank, you and it's only going up from here right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's the crazy part.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it feels like I'm just starting like all over again and I Am so grateful that I've been able to chat with you for the past 45 minutes, whatever it's been, because that message on its own is worth it and, like might help be how we start this, because I I as an athlete and many others at 1516 17 went through that exact same. I'm just tired, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's like You're 16 years old, or you're 18 years old, you're you're not even close to reaching what your maximum yeah, athletic abilities are. So, all that being said, I think people should look at you as a prime example of someone who, even at At 22, was do I look at this? And turned around like it is never too late, and I see people in their 50s trying to play NCAA football right now.
Speaker 2:And yeah, that is happening. Yeah, and People need to realize that if you are in your late teens or early 20s, you could still become an Olympian like that you literally can like. Obviously you had a lot of freaking crazy talent, so I don't want to like overshadow what you had before, but, like you said it yourself, you should have retired statistically.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That is something that people should realize that, like when you are at the best and you're going through that, you need someone to remind you sometimes that you are the one of the best in the world. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:You need to believe it first. I think that helps, because if you meet people along the way you don't believe in you, you got to be able to like keep going, but find your group of people that believe in you and just like keep going. Hold them close. Yeah, hold them close.
Speaker 2:And if people are telling you that you can't, you're on to something, yeah. Because, they're nervous Because, heaven forbid, you do something they couldn't.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And I just remember being young and just being like, yeah, I'm going to the Olympics. Like it was calm, like it was just like what do you want to be when you grow up? I'm like I'm going to go to the Olympics. And it was like when people were like going to Texas, like do you ever think about getting an NCAA scholarship, I'm like, of course, I'm like that was all that was the part of the plan. What wasn't part of the plan is not doing well in those four years. But yeah, you just keep that little sliver.
Speaker 2:That's okay and it makes the story cool.
Speaker 1:Like the story would have been kind of boring and everything just went according to plan we all are looking for good stories. Yeah, athletes podcast yeah, we love a comeback?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you wouldn't if you just showed up crushed. Canada won three gold medals at 14 years old in the first Canadian championships, no big deal, and had crushed at high school and it crushed at uni. You're like oh yeah, maryam Abdul Rashid, yeah, yeah, I know she's been crushing since she was six years old.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's a superstar, but completely unrelatable with like nothing yeah.
Speaker 2:You had a cool story. Thank you for coming on the show. I always like to give people the opportunity to like highlight whether it's things that they're doing, unique things about your training. I take my mouth at night.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Do you mouth tape at night?
Speaker 1:Someone taught me that in college. I swear the first time I ever did it, I had the best night's sleep ever.
Speaker 2:If you're listening right now and you don't tape your mouth at night you must know, yeah. It's a thing. It's the best sleep guaranteed.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you've done it ever since. I've forgotten about it, but recently remembered and I think I saw you got the special tape.
Speaker 2:Yeah, VO2 tape they're an Austin based company.
Speaker 1:I'm going to introduce you.
Speaker 2:They will send you product.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I can't believe I didn't do that already. You got to just be on me about this stuff.
Speaker 1:I know I saw you have it and I was like I think I just got out like you actually reminded me that that's a thing, that's like good. I got out like Christmas wrap box wrapped like the clear stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But yeah, maybe we'll get some good stuff.
Speaker 2:Sometimes people listen to the things that we say on the show and they put them into action. Now we have a clip of some actually doing it like this is great, yeah, it's going amazing. Vo2 tape. What else do you do, like cold therapy, sauna, any fun stuff like that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so they're a cold tub. You said fun stuff, yeah, fun, but feel better after.
Speaker 2:Do you do it after workouts? What's the regime? How are you incorporating it?
Speaker 1:I like it best, like before a race Perfect, thank you yeah. Like the night before a race.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 1:Okay, sometimes you get super sore, like during training blocks, and you don't want to, but then it helps. But yeah, before a race, I like Love that yeah.
Speaker 2:It's crazy how much it helps, like both physically and mentally.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I was discussing it beforehand. I'm like I would argue it's probably just as beneficial mentally, if not more, than it is physically.
Speaker 1:Yes, because you did a hard thing and then like all the science behind, like what's happening in your like body, yeah, you feel really good mentally, like once you stop like shivering, once you get past it super initial like shivering when you get in and when you get out it's, you feel very relaxed.
Speaker 2:It was the only time where I was okay doing a little bit of shivering. After it was like Turks and Caicos water Incredible. Nice warm, you come out after it. It's only just a second you just mentioned the Caribbean's. I had to mention Turks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like Never been there.
Speaker 2:We'll go, we'll get you in a bit there. We're going to host something there.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Let's just pull up which we call it, maybe some type of perfect sports, yeah. We'll make a meet in.
Speaker 1:Turks. Whatever you want, if it's there, I'll be there.
Speaker 2:Okay, done, we'll get bolted over there too. We'll be like hey, do you mind signing something?
Speaker 1:Thank, you, you pull up too. Yeah, yeah, we can make it happen. Yeah, we got enough people. He's chilling now he's retired.
Speaker 2:Six degrees of connection.
Speaker 1:One of them should work. Yeah Right For something we can pull on a couple of strings?
Speaker 2:Who would, if you could, put a meet together or put the ideal athlete together from like inspirations or people you've watched over the years? Is there like events that you would love to be able to try or that you wish? Like you've had a bolt speed, or like you know those ones that you've been able to dream of like?
Speaker 1:I am trying, with no luck, to start my long jump career.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, See, this is why I asked these questions. I love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when I was really young, I used to do it Okay and everyone's like. You were young and I was like I'm delusional, I still want a long jump. It just looks long. Jump in the field events. In general it's like such a performance and I think that's so cool, Like if they would put the whole thing on TV from start to finish. There's so much drama.
Speaker 2:We could go, we could do a whole podcast on this, and I want to like do it in the most respectful way, because it's like, but it's abysmal coverage. It's like this and a couple other sports. We need to figure out a way to fix it.
Speaker 1:People don't know what I like do.
Speaker 2:It's. It's such a shame.
Speaker 1:Like at all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and some of the best athletes in the world arguably the best athletes in the world and they're getting zero coverage because of time change. And like what is that? Why is that an excuse?
Speaker 1:I've been at the mall with like world record holders and people are like you look fit. It's like thanks, dude, I'm literally the best to ever do something. You just look like a fitness person.
Speaker 2:That's what we're trying to change. That's what Cookstar Management, lander and I are trying to do Like with. I'm at least in the female athlete. Us guys have had enough attention. Okay, you have, we can like. We can all agree on that. Yeah, what women are doing right now, the momentum of female sports is insane. Yeah, we still are only scratching the surface of what's being invested into women's sports, especially track and field as a sport. It's just like I now having kind of like, seen what it's like and trying to watch your stuff.
Speaker 1:I'm like, dude, it's hard, it's literally so bad. I'm like why am I signing up for like three different accounts, three different accounts and like maybe you'll still find it, if I really was in the long jump, you'd sign up for those accounts and then not see me jump. Like unless you're literally fighting for a medal, you don't get on the screen and it's like thanks, like made it all the way here and the parents can't watch from home.
Speaker 2:I think that there's got to be more people like yourself who are willing to talk about it. Yeah, it's like mental health. A decade ago people didn't talk about it. Fair, it's a conversation. Now that we're able to have put it on the internet, people are talking about it, right, I think, like for me at least, my thought is I'm going to bring up some uncomfortable things at times on this show. I might not be liked by everyone, but if you're at least trying to make forward progress, help out people in a positive fashion might piss off a couple, but in the grand scheme of things, you're trying to do good.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you as an athlete, Joe Schmoe as a long jumper, insert. Anyone else deserves that attention when you've put in your life.
Speaker 1:Literally your whole life, Like literally. And yeah, like someone retweeted a jumper, of course, because we in our own sport, like no, he was, like we've shown more of the we now have what they have in figure skating, like the, where they like wait to see their scores. Chocters incorporated that, which is very it's cool. It's like more drama. So you sit in the room and you wait to see if you made the final, but then they were showing more of that little room than they were of the people on the runway.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause it's dramatic.
Speaker 1:I guess so, but so was the story happening in the long jump.
Speaker 2:Come on, maryam, it's for the views.
Speaker 1:Like someone would like to view their, their daughter, jump into the sand.
Speaker 2:Trust me, it's. I'm like, I think it's. We're going to, we're going to make it happen, we're going to. You're going to get so much exposure, but not only you. The next generation of athletes, right? That's our goal here.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We're trying to inspire, we're trying to educate and.
Speaker 1:I do feel like before we kind of used to scream and like our own little like circles. But yeah, now people like yourself you were like getting on podcasts and like people are just starting to get fed up that people are talking about it.
Speaker 2:It's like like loud and not nicely either.
Speaker 1:Like people are, like I'm I'm pissed.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:As they should be as they should be right. Especially when so much of sports now is the marketing.
Speaker 2:It's everything it's. It's as crappy as it sounds. You could be the best athlete in the world. If you don't know how to make an Instagram or a Tik Tok reel, you're not going to be compensated for your work, yeah.
Speaker 1:And, on the one hand, it's nice that there's another way to make it Like if you don't have the stats, if you don't go to the big school, you can make your YouTube video like there's another way, which is cool. But then it becomes more important than the top ranked and when you're trying to be the absolute best at something, I don't have the time or the energy to edit a YouTube video. I'm like I'm tired and I'm trying to reduce my screen time.
Speaker 2:And it's a chicken before the egg thing too.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You're like okay, I know I need to make content, I need to create showing off the products that I'm using in my daily life, but I'm not an influencer, I'm an athlete. So, okay, I go about where my regular, normal work schedule go being an athlete, training, trying to eat properly. That costs more money. Okay. So now I have to try and incorporate getting hiring an editor filming all of this to send to the editor. Oh yeah, that editor is going to cost 500 to 1,000 bucks a month I'm already in a sport that doesn't pay me anything.
Speaker 2:I'm already having to lobby people to give me money.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, so now you're going to make me go sell more.
Speaker 1:All to hope that you then get the views to.
Speaker 2:Right and, all this being said, you do this.
Speaker 1:So this is why you grind.
Speaker 2:You put out crazy good content.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's why it was so easy. When Danielle's like yo, you need to talk with this girl, I was like, whatever Merriam wants, we're giving her.
Speaker 1:No, seriously, it's nice to hear.
Speaker 2:No. That's why I think it's important for people to realize how much work you put in. That's why I wanted to it was a priority to get you on the pod today. I think we put out a pretty good banger.
Speaker 1:It was a pretty good episode, I think, so I had fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what's important as long as you're happy. I'm happy the internet will do the rest of its good work. Any last words? We usually wrap up by asking our biggest piece of advice for the next generation of athletes. You've dropped like 24 karat gold gems here. You got anything else you want to leave the audience with?
Speaker 1:Your dreams are not too big. Find your circle. Consistency and discipline is everything.
Speaker 2:Don't do the Chris Rock mic drop.