WEBVTT
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Did you know it takes a drop of water 90 days to travel from Minnesota to Louisiana, the entire Mississippi River takes 90 days for a drop of water to travel that far.
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It's 2,340 miles.
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There is an aquatic theme there.
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And that's true for today's guest, Sophia Herzog Gibb.
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7:15.
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Do you have your coffee?
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I do.
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I have my coffee too.
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Yeah.
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Cheers.
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Cheers to the morning.
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Cheers to anyone.
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Are you at the um that like co-op place or yeah, co-working space?
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Nice.
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Yeah, it's good.
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I like that I don't have like a private office here.
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You can do that.
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But as a member, I can use the common space and I can just book private offices when I want, included in what I'm already paying.
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It's sort of the perfect balance for me of people working and people willing to chat and then sort of get back to what they're doing.
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Oh good.
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Yeah.
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So where are you joining me from today?
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What town?
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Um, I'm in Salida, so my hometown.
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Colorado, right?
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Where I live.
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Yep.
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Yeah.
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I imagine springtime is beautiful in Colorado.
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Yeah, it's about like probably high 70s right now, um, in the day, which is real it's like the perfect time before it gets super hot for for Coloradans.
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And I know you're a runner.
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Have you been getting out on trails or do you run in the hills there?
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Yeah.
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And I go out in the morning um because then the the dog doesn't get super hot.
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And yeah.
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What's your dog's name?
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Um Odie.
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Odie?
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Yeah.
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What kind is he?
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Um, he's a mutt, but he's uh a great pure Australian cattle dog, but he kind of looks like a black lab.
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Love it.
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Well, I met you on a mountaintop, but it wasn't in Colorado.
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It wasn't a Colorado, it was a Cortina mountaintop.
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And I still remember the first moment I met you, you were ready to go out and ski by yourself on the first day you arrived.
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And I thought, this woman has an adventurous spirit.
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I love that about her.
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Have you always had sort of a spirit for the wild?
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Yeah.
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And to enjoy the outdoors, and especially like, who knows if I'll ever get back to Cortina.
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So I I wanted to, you know, make the most of it.
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And you did.
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Yeah.
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And we can talk about that a little bit.
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But one of the places I sort of wanted to start today was you are a two-time paralympian in swimming.
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And I asked you when we were talking in Cortina how you got started swimming, because something that I'm kind of fascinated by is we see Paralympians and we see Olympians at their big stage.
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And we often don't know like what was their first entry into a pool?
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What was their first entry onto a mountain?
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And so for you, how did you get started?
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How did you get started swimming?
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Yeah, um, I got started.
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Uh my parents put me in lessons when I was about like three years old because they knew I couldn't stand in four feet of water until I was, you know, an adult.
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So they wanted me to have uh understanding of the water at a really young age.
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And then um I actually wanted to go for skiing and they didn't have a classification and um, you know, orthopedically, like my knees probably weren't gonna be able to handle that kind of pressure.
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And so I was swimming on a club team and I kind of got invited to uh a national slash local Paralympic talent ID thing, and um that's kind of where it was discovered.
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And then I tried out for the London 2012 team, was the first one off the team, and then they said, you know, if you graduate high school a year early, we'll save you a bet at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.
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I wasn't able to train the way I needed to train in Colorado, where I was living.
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And so I did that and I moved there in 2014 and I made the 2016 Games.
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And how old were you when you did your first games in Rio?
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I was 19.
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Oh my gosh.
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And you finished high school a year early to do this?
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Yep.
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So I graduated at um 17 and moved there.
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Talk to me a little bit about how you were supported from that first swimming lesson that your parents wanted you to take to finding sort of that set of railroad tracks that led you all the way to the Olympic training, Paralympic Training Center.
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I think it is sort of um a mystery for some people, how to find the avenue from their own small town to something like a Paralympic stage.
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What people and or organizations kind of helped you along the way to get from that first swimming lesson to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center?
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Uh, I think my parents, first of all, because you know, they they took me everywhere.
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Um, as, you know, especially at that age, you couldn't drive.
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And so they were taking me to all the trainings and swim meets, you know, and they invested a lot of time into me.
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And then my connection was through uh my dwarfism.
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And there was a couple girls that were probably in their early 20s that were, you know, Paralympic level that knew me, and they were the ones who invited me.
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And then, you know, via networking, I I met the resident coach and I lived a couple hours from the training center.
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So I, you know, kept in contact and told them, you know, this is something I want to do.
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And they were really understanding that I just didn't have the training where I was living as a kid, so they couldn't gauge what I was truly capable of.
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So they, you know, they they invested in me as well.
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So finding people that'll invest in you.
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Was it a pinch me moment when you started your orbit there?
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You're like your day today was at that training center, and you were looking forward, I guess, at that time, first to London, is it right?
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And then to Rio.
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Yeah, so I wasn't there for London.
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I was um still at home, but yeah, leading into Rio, I had uh year and a half, two years at the training center, and they just kept telling me that this is training aisle, you know, I'm not used to.
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And I mean, I had only swam like a handful of doubles before moving there, and I was swimming, gosh, three doubles a week.
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What do you mean when you say doubles?
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Um, like swim in the morning and swim at night.
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Oh.
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Swim twice a day.
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Got it.
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Yeah.
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And so what did that training look like for you?
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You swim, obviously, but I imagine that there's a lot of other elements, both I don't know, strength training, flexibility training.
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Can you just sort of talk a little bit about what that was like when you got there in terms of the training, in addition to the doubles and the triples?
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Yeah, I swam 10 times a week.
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Um, and it was long course training.
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So, what uh long courses is what the Olympic and Paralympic um pools are, so it's the 50-meter pools instead of the um standard US 25 yards or meters.
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Um, so I was already training what I would be racing, and then I was in the weight room three times a week.
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And in swimming, you don't have to be like lift super heavy because you don't want to be super like dense muscle in the water because you have to spend a lot of energy keeping that afloat.
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So it was a lot of dynamic stuff and a bit of strength training, but a lot of like mobility um stuff.
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And then we did sport psych work, like get get ourselves mentally prepared for for the games.
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And but the thing about the training center is is um all of your fees are covered, so you don't have to worry about you know working a job.
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So my room, coaching, all my food was covered.
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All I had to do was focus on training.
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And did you have your own room there?
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Were there roommates?
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How was that?
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Um, I had my own room and bathroom, and then I shared like a living room with another girl.
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And now take me to Rio.
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Your first time on literally on a world stage wearing team USA uniform.
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What was that like?
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Yeah, so it's it was really cool because I I we were doing before we left for Rio, we did some like practice rough runs, you know, where we'd suit up and see what we could do.
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And I I won a time that put me third in the world at that, like that off-kilter thing.
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And so that was like, whoa, you know, I could do this.
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And it the time didn't count, so nobody knew that I did it.
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So nobody was expecting me.
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So I went in with kind of a bit of confidence, knowing what I was capable of.
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But in Rio, uh that you know, it's a third world country, so you couldn't drink the water or eat any of the food that had been washed in the water, and that kind of threw me off and the team off because a lot of my diet was like fresh fruit and vegetables, and then that got cut out, and there wasn't a plan B down there.
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So I ended up texting my mom to like bring a ton of snacks down because I was like really hungry.
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And so your parents were able to come to Rio?
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Yeah, they did, and then my cousin came down as well, and yeah, so she brought me some snacks, um, which was really nice.
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Savior, yeah, and then one of my roommates or suite mates in Rio um was in a chair and it wasn't accessible, our rooms, and so they ended up coming in right before the Paralympics and ripping out the kitchenette and pretty much just sticking a hose in the wall, and then that was her shower.
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But every time she'd try and take a shower, it would flood because it was never uh it wasn't made to be a bathroom, and so it was not the thinking of this like you have no concerns except racing.
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Like, I there was a lot of obstacles that were I wasn't ready for.
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Um, but yeah, racing.
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I mean, I just remember walking, I walked the opening ceremony, so I did the loop and then I left.
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Um, and I remember we were like a half a mile away, and you could hear when Brazil walked in because it was just so loud.
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And they had a Brazilian swimmer who was really popular, and anytime he'd walked in, you could hear anywhere you were in the swim complex.
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It was just really cool.
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So you competed in what events there?
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I competed in the 100 brushstroke where I won my um silver medal, and then the 200 IM, and then I believe the 50 fly.
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And so for somebody who doesn't know, there's the sport, and then there's the event, and then in Paralympics, there's the classification.
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Can you explain what that means and what your classification is?
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Yeah, I'm um so in swimming, there's 10 physical classifications, uh, S1 through S10, S1 being most disabled, and then S10 being least disabled.
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And I'm an S6.
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Um, and they get this number by they kind of do like a physical out of the water, and then they do like a swimming test to see how your body reacts in the water.
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And then there's some visual classifications as well.
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Okay, and can you say that again, the one to ten?
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Um, S1 being most disabled and then 10 being least disabled.
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Got it.
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Okay, and so that was Rio.
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You came home with a silver medal, did you say?
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Yeah.
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Now, did you have the bug and you you were thinking already of Tokyo at that point, or what sort of goes through the mind of somebody who has won a medal, maybe their first medal at the Paralympics, and then you go home?
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Is there any come down from that when they did the psych work with all of you in advance?
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Do they prep you for that type of thing?
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Um, a bit.
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There's definitely the draw, they call it.
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Um, and I was like, Yeah, I was 19 at the time, and I didn't I didn't have like a college education, I I didn't have anything lined up um post-games.
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And so I kind of took the summer off and um figured out if I still wanted to train at the training center, um, traveled a bit, and you know, realized that I was gonna have to figure out my next moves.
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No one was gonna, you know, tell me what it was or offer me a job because I just won a silver medal.
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Um, so I ended up um, they had a partnership with Devry, and I got my undergrad through there, took, you know, the rest of the year off from Rio, and then uh went back to the training center for a bit.
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And what did you study through Devry?
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Um, I got my undergrad in communications, and then I got um a couple years later my master's in business.
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That's amazing.
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And did you do that remote then so that you could train?
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Yes.
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Mm-hmm.
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Well, you were doing remote before people were doing remote.
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I love it.
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I love it.
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So tell me about Tokyo.
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That was a completely different type of experience, obviously.
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In the aftermath of COVID, Tokyo supposed to live, you know, supposed to happen in 2020, was delayed a year until 2021.
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Um, what was your mindset after having had your first experience in Rio, you know, training all this time, and then approaching your next games, but with a very different world view because of what was happening with the pandemic?
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So in 2019, right before the pandemic happened, um my then boyfriend, now husband, and I decided that um he was a cyclist, paracyclist at the training center, that we were gonna um move to Salida and he was gonna retire, and I was gonna train privately um here, leading into what we thought was like eight months, six months um to the games.
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And at that point I had my masters and I was kind of getting set up, you know.
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I knew Tokyo was gonna be my last games.
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I was getting, you know, this was gonna be a good step to move on to my next chapter of, you know, getting a house and all that kind of stuff.
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And then the pandemic happened, and pools were kind of one of the first things to shut down, except the training center.
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So then I ended up moving back to the training center for extended periods of time when when it was allowable, because the training center ended up shutting down for a significant portion.
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And yeah, 2020 was kind of a weird year where I like did a lot of other training and tried to stay in shape the best I could.
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I I swam in the river here a couple times to keep like the feel of the water, and we adopted a dog at that time, so that kept me busy, and yeah, so my training looked way different than I was hoping, planning, or expecting leading into Tokyo.
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Um, but I did a significant portion at the end at the training center because of the whole bubble aspect, you know, leading into Tokyo, they wanted.
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So a lot of the team actually ended up doing that so we could just be one bubble together, which was nice.
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But it was really fun to train here in Salida for I I would say I got probably good eight months of solid training privately with a different coach and a different style of training.
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And yeah, yeah, it was very different, very different experience.
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So you mentioned your husband there, and I wanted to ask you, do you like to go by Sophia Gibb?
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Sophia Herzog?
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Um, in my sporting world, I go by Sophia Herzog Gibbs.
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So your maiden name is Herzog.
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Mm-hmm.
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Okay, got it.
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As a kid growing up and a person who I know has multiple sports interests, you mentioned that you're a runner, you swim, you ski.
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Were there any people who you look to as role models in any way that you admired them for what they were doing for sport or just who they were and how they lived their life?
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Um I mean, not anybody that like just comes to top of mind, but I think just like, you know the the game changers.
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Like I sit on the executive board for Women's Sports Foundation, so Billie Jean King, you know, for all that she's done for women's sports is is huge.
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And you know, she kind of went against the grain and um people thought she was crazy, and you know, she's she's changed the game for us.
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And um yeah, just just watching people be vulnerable and take the chance and be really good, you know.
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Yeah.
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I wanted to talk to you about Women's Sports Foundation.
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So tell me more about what that is and what your involvement is there.
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Yeah, I um so Women's Sports Foundation was founded by um Billie Jean King, and it ranges from getting girls access to sport, from you know, buying the equipment to sports bras to finding female coaches to uh leveling the playing field for equal pay for professional sports and making sure that's um, you know, equal rights there.
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Um so it's a it's a wide range that they're covering, and it's um I sit on the athlete leadership board and um I get to do some really fun things and go to events and learn a new sport with a bunch of girls, or the last thing I was at like a WN NBA event, you know, so super fun.
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Wow, and so I would imagine of all the people involved in that and all the different ways that people are involved in women's sports foundation, you must people that you looked up to before must be people who are your you're sort of your peers at this point.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Like my first women's sports, I sat next to like Donna Dave, Verona, just I mean, some serious powerhouses in the room, which is really empowering.
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And so why is it important for you to do advocacy work for people with disabilities, for adaptive sport, for women in sport?
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Why is it important for you to do that?
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And what do you want the outcome to be of your work?
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Um, I think it's important just to give back to the sport or just to the sporting world that has given me so much.
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And uh, I just hope to, I mean, not inspire, but give the idea to some little girl that anything is possible when you know she puts her mind to it.
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What can advocacy and sort of grouping of people who are like-minded in this way who want to grow and develop young girls and ladies in sport?
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What what's what's the power of a group?
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What can the group do?
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I think it's super powerful.
00:20:45.680 --> 00:21:01.920
I think, you know, especially in women's sports, there's like a ton of different um expert-minded people, and they're able to see all the different obstacles, and then the way to break down those barriers um to get the little girls into to sport.
00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:18.160
Like I've always lived in a really rural area, and we've gone into heart of New York City, and they've talked about half the girls can't aren't gonna do sports because they can't take the trains and they, you know, can't get rides and all that kind of stuff.
00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:23.680
And you know, that was never an option, you know, there's not even a train where I live.
00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:30.880
So um, you know, just just different thought processes and power and numbers and yeah.
00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:37.440
I've obviously never competed at the level that you have, but I grew up very active in sports.
00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:43.680
I was in diving, gymnastics, and track, and it was just a big part of my life, just at high school level.
00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:46.400
But it definitely shaped me.
00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:51.680
Um it shaped what I thought I was capable of.
00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:57.839
So I'd just love to hear from you as a person who has been so immersed in sport.
00:21:59.039 --> 00:21:59.680
I would love to hear.
00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:09.279
What it's meant to you and what it can do for a person beyond the sport and beyond the sort of the age of competition, if you will.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:26.079
Yeah, I think you hit it, you know, hit it on the head, whereas like in sports you build all these incredible um traits, you know, resiliency, discipline, communication if you're on a team sport, and hard work.
00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:30.400
And that translates into jobs and a lot of jobs.
00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:38.240
When I was looking for a job, you know, I had no experience, um, no work experience, but I had all these like incredible qualities.
00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:39.839
You know, I I knew how to work hard.
00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:44.559
I could put my head down for five hours and do something.
00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:49.920
Um, so it took the right person to like realize like, oh, she she'll be really good at this.
00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:55.920
She just dedicated her life when everybody else was getting internships and working entry-level jobs.
00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:57.759
Let's take the chance on her.
00:22:57.920 --> 00:22:59.440
So I think it's really good.
00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:03.839
You know, I know how to work in a high-pressure environment and handle stress.
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:10.240
And um, I think sports helps a lot of people grow up and learn those things.
00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:17.200
Do you think?
00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:21.039
Um, I think a a a big part, you know.
00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:38.319
I I I knew in my heart when I didn't have a good training block and wasn't gonna put up what I was hoping to put up, you know, and then I knew when I did, and I knew I was gonna surprise myself.
00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:39.279
I love that.
00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:46.960
Did you surprise yourself when you did that pre-Rio run and you realized you were third in the world?
00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:49.599
Yeah, that was that was a shock.
00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:51.039
Um, yeah.
00:23:51.200 --> 00:24:00.079
And then like training here in Salida, I had a couple shockers and it was just nice, like, oh, this is all the stars are aligning for me.
00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:01.440
This is working out.
00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:03.920
I'm making the right decisions here.
00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:04.880
Yes.
00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:29.440
And I think what you said about resilience earlier is really pertinent because it's it's easier to call up those qualities that a person learns, whether it's through sport or maybe they come up through the theater or whatever their thing is, it's easier to call them up, I think, when we have things going well, when we have the wind at our back.
00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:50.880
But if you could just look at it through another lens for a second, when things have been a little harder for you, um, or maybe you've been going through a time that is sort of less secure, or whatever it might be, in what way do you think the traits that you've picked up and cultivated as an athlete have come into play for you?
00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:55.519
Um, I think, you know, like for Rio, I was the hunter.
00:24:55.680 --> 00:25:01.440
You know, I was hunting for it for the medal, and you know, no one saw me.
00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:05.359
And then come Tokyo, I was the hunted.
00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:08.240
You know, I was the only returning medalist.
00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:10.880
People knew I was training somewhere else.
00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:13.359
They didn't know what I was doing.
00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:24.880
And so that put a lot of pressure, and it was pretty mentally hard, especially with the pandemic factor of I wasn't having consistent training, and that's a big thing.
00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:33.039
And I just had to be really kind to myself during those hard times, you know, that that I'm doing something incredible.
00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:39.680
If it doesn't shake out the way I want it to shake out, you know, I'm still I'm still doing something I love.
00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:50.319
To what extent do you think knowing how to win well and knowing how to lose well is important?
00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:54.720
I think it keeps you hungry, you know.
00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:58.319
Like, I mean, I what was it?
00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:06.799
Like 2017, I went to like a World Cup and I just I lost, you know, like awfully.
00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:08.960
And it was like a reality check.
00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:11.440
Like, this is not a cakewalk.
00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:22.480
There are new new bloods coming up, you know, they've watched you for who knows how long, and you gotta not train with fear, but train with gusto.
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:27.200
I had never heard that expression, the hunter and the hunted.
00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:29.200
Is that something that you guys talk about?
00:26:29.440 --> 00:26:30.880
You know, it's pretty cutthroat.
00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:40.960
You know, people are vying for medals, and if you're a returning medalist, people are are wanting to take you down, kind of, and you're wanting to sit to stay on top.
00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:44.480
That is super fascinating language to me.
00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:53.279
A very athlete athletic mentality of the warrior, the hunter, that type thing.
00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:56.319
Well, you do not shy away from challenges.
00:26:56.640 --> 00:27:06.079
You obviously have had an amazing athletic career, and then you decided to pick up a microphone on the world stage.
00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:07.599
Tell me a little bit about that.
00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:14.960
We met because you and I were working for NBC at the Paralympics in Milan, Cortina.
00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:21.200
We were in Cortina, and you were showing up as a first-time on-air broadcaster.
00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:23.680
And I thought this woman has guts.
00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:24.640
Tell me about that.
00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:24.880
Yeah.
00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:25.599
How was that?
00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:27.680
Um it was super fun.
00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:42.319
It's definitely like a fire hose to the face, you know, um, of just like all the talking and how fast it moves and trying to like feather into the main show back at the States.
00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:44.880
And um, but I loved it.
00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:50.079
It was like, I don't know, five hours of just complete chaos, but it was so fun.
00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:53.519
Um, what did you do to temper your nerves during that time?
00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:56.480
You know, your first, second, third, fourth live shots.
00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:57.519
What was that like?
00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:00.559
What did it feel like in your veins, in your body?
00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:04.480
Um, I actually liked the live better than the taped.
00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:11.200
Um, and that's probably the athlete mentality of, you know, the pressure's on, like you gotta pull it together, Sophia.
00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:41.279
Um and I think, you know, there's like a period of time when they finish and like we A knew they, you know, meddled or you know, they didn't and they were gonna come quick, but there was a period of time where um my producer Joey and I could, you know, like talk some questions through of like, okay, you know, maybe athlete A is probably not happy, so let's, you know, steer the questions here, or you know, this is what we want to talk about.
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:46.720
Um, and a lot of athletes in the skiing, because I was covering skiing, had some really fun stories.
00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:49.279
So it was fun to like lean into that.
00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:55.519
And then being an athlete, um, I had that respect and empathy when it didn't go well.
00:28:55.839 --> 00:29:02.799
So um I think that helped me as well, was you know, I I knew kind of what was going through their heads.
00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:17.680
I think that's a super unique perspective that only a select few of you have, only a select few people have been Paralympians and Olympians, you know, and you have a vantage point that is unique.
00:29:17.839 --> 00:29:31.039
And I think tell me if I'm wrong, because you've been on both sides of this, but I would think as an athlete, you might be more inclined to speak in a different way, perhaps to you than to someone else.
00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:31.759
Maybe not.
00:29:31.839 --> 00:29:35.119
You you just correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're right.
00:29:35.359 --> 00:29:39.759
I mean, I think like I had some prior, you know, friendships, you know.
00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:45.359
Um, Keith Gable, who was one of the snowboarders, uh, lived at the training center through the summers.
00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:46.799
So I got to know him.
00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:54.480
Um, and he told I was the first one he told that he was retiring, you know, at in Cortina, which was like what an honor.
00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:58.720
Um, so I think, yeah, it it helps.
00:29:58.880 --> 00:30:03.759
I don't I don't know if there's a switch in language, but I think there's a switch in trust.
00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:05.359
And there's more.
00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:17.039
Not only did you pick up a microphone, when you and I were sitting at wheelchair curling one night, you were sharing with me your next endeavor, current and upcoming.
00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:19.119
Would you like to share anything about that?
00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:25.680
Uh yeah, I'm running um currently for campaigning for uh county clerk and recorder.
00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:32.319
Um my boss is retiring and um I was second in line, so I'm running for it.
00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:41.279
And um, when you and I were sitting there, I got like the official nomination um onto the ballot, so which was super exciting.
00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:42.720
It was very exciting.
00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:46.079
And what role did your husband need to play in that particular moment?
00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:48.319
Um, he was my nomination.
00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:50.400
What does that mean?
00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:51.440
Tell me how that goes.
00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:52.559
What does that look like?
00:30:52.880 --> 00:31:03.519
So he had to get up and um like have a speech of of why I should, you know, why they should um vote me on to get on to the ballot.
00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:07.519
Um so he like nominated me and then they all took a vote.
00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:14.319
So um that was kind of not the original plan when I left, but my original plan kind of fell through.
00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:18.640
So I was really lucky that he um did that for me.
00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:19.920
That is great.
00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:24.799
You said you met, I didn't know this, but I imagine that you met at the training center.
00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:27.119
You sort of just sort of whipped by that.
00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:28.160
Yeah, yeah.
00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:30.000
We actually met in the cafeteria.
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:31.519
How did that go?
00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:32.720
If you want to share.
00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:33.920
Um, it was good.
00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:43.359
So I um I actually knew one of his teammates, um, and I had sought seen him around, and I said, Hey, you know, could you introduce me to him?
00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:46.240
And um, that's kind of where it started.
00:31:46.799 --> 00:31:48.319
And his first name is what?
00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:49.599
Um, Nick.
00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:51.599
That's so cool.
00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:57.599
I just think it's exciting that you um you're willing to continue to be the hunter.
00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:00.160
I'm gonna use this language.
00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:03.759
I like this language, which brings me to the idea of books.
00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:05.519
Are you reading any good books right now?
00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:07.359
Or have you read any lately?
00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:09.519
I'm in between books right now.
00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:15.279
I just finished um Heart, Heart the Lover, and then I'm about to start Wild Dark Shore.
00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:19.839
Um and yeah, Heart the Lover was good.
00:32:19.920 --> 00:32:21.440
I gave it four stars.
00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:26.240
Um man, what what's been my favorite book this year?
00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:29.839
I don't know.
00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:30.720
Let me look.
00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:33.440
What type of books do you like to read generally?
00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:34.559
Do you have a general?
00:32:35.599 --> 00:32:43.599
Um I kind of dabble in everything because the my the book before Heart the Lover was a memoir.
00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:45.759
Um and that was good.
00:32:46.079 --> 00:32:47.519
Um what was that?
00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:50.000
It was Stran uh Strangers.
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:53.039
It was a memoir on marriage by Belle Burden.
00:32:53.519 --> 00:33:04.400
Um, I think probably my favorite book this year has been um Becoming Madam Secretary.
00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:23.599
And that was about um it's based on true events, but it's fiction and it's about one of it's the first uh lady uh secretary of state in just her journey to it, and um that was probably my favorite book.
00:33:25.279 --> 00:33:26.640
I love like Kate Quinn.
00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:34.480
Um she's one of my a popular art uh author in my books I read.
00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:44.079
What is an act of kindness that you have experienced recently or ever experienced that you would like to share?
00:33:45.759 --> 00:33:49.920
Um it can be simple, it can be profound.
00:33:53.039 --> 00:33:54.000
Yeah, I don't know.
00:33:54.079 --> 00:34:09.760
I just I just think you know, just being nice, you know, just you know, being a disabled female, like I'm um sometimes I'm in the corner quite a bit, or I'm you know, I can walk into a room and everyone will, you know, drop what they're doing and stare at me.
00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:13.440
And so it's just you know, just being nice is is a huge thing.
00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:21.280
Um, I think is um treating people with respect and you know it's huge.
00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:28.559
I just want to ask you, based on what you just said, uh how do you deal with that?
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:32.239
How do you deal with walking in a room and people looking at you?
00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:33.360
You just said that.
00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:36.000
Is that something that you've gotten used to?
00:34:36.239 --> 00:34:43.840
Is there a certain thought process that goes through your mind that makes it I don't know, maybe less uncomfortable?
00:34:44.320 --> 00:34:48.559
I think um I'm used to it now with you know 29 years of it.
00:34:48.719 --> 00:34:54.159
Um, but I think, you know, everybody has a bad day and sometimes it just you know gets to you.
00:34:54.239 --> 00:35:10.079
And um, you know, I figured out things to not avoid, but um, you know, like I do a lot of um pickup groceries, so I just don't even have to deal with the grocery store.
00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:12.880
Um, so just figuring that kind of stuff out.
00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:20.159
But uh yeah, there's definitely some hard days where it's just you know, not worth it to go into public.
00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:29.679
And then other days where, you know, people are really kind and yeah, so it it that's I think just in itself is it.
00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:36.079
Well, before we close out, is there anything else that you wanted to talk about today that I haven't asked you about?
00:35:36.480 --> 00:35:38.239
Is there anything you're in the middle of?
00:35:39.360 --> 00:35:40.639
No, I think I'm good.
00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:49.360
And I wanted to ask you this, and this is a bonus optional, but do you want to sing any kind of a song and sing us out?
00:35:50.480 --> 00:35:51.840
Oh, I don't sing.
00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:53.199
I'm sorry.
00:35:54.079 --> 00:35:54.960
It's okay.
00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:58.960
I I think it's going to be my mission to just see if I can get people to sing.
00:35:59.039 --> 00:36:02.639
I think it'd be a nice way to end the conversation, just sort of sing out.
00:36:03.039 --> 00:36:04.400
If you were to sing.
00:36:05.119 --> 00:36:09.039
If you chose to sing, which you don't have to sing and you're not going to sing, then that's fine.
00:36:09.360 --> 00:36:13.360
But if you did, what song do you think you might like to sing?
00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:18.159
Like in your secret karaoke mind, like that's the one I would do.
00:36:18.559 --> 00:36:27.280
Like if I have enough liquid courage in me, I've been known to belt out Pink Pony Club by Chappelle Roan.
00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:33.440
I I'm no singer, but I was gonna just try whatever song you came up with to try to do it myself.
00:36:33.840 --> 00:36:38.480
But I think I only know those three words Pink Pony Club, but then I don't know anything more.
00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:40.239
I literally don't know any more of that song.
00:36:40.400 --> 00:36:41.039
It's a good one.
00:36:41.119 --> 00:36:45.440
That's I've been known to that be your song.
00:36:46.239 --> 00:36:46.880
Yeah.
00:36:47.519 --> 00:36:49.679
I can say that with confidence.
00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:53.280
I am going to put that on after this and figure it out.
00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:54.400
Are you a lyrics person?
00:36:54.480 --> 00:36:56.239
Do you lean toward lyrics?
00:36:56.639 --> 00:37:06.320
Kind of, but I just went to trivia and like one of the the sections was like they gave lyrics and then you had to name the song, and I didn't get a single one.
00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:10.639
Oh I want to come to that place.
00:37:10.880 --> 00:37:13.119
If I come to Colorado, can we go do that together?
00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:14.960
I think I would really like that game.
00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:16.639
Yeah, for sure.
00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:18.320
We could be a good team.
00:37:18.559 --> 00:37:18.960
Yeah.
00:37:19.199 --> 00:37:22.719
Anyway, you're gonna have me thinking about Pink Pony Club and a lot of other things.
00:37:22.960 --> 00:37:24.239
This was really fun.
00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:26.400
Thanks for inviting me.
00:37:28.159 --> 00:37:30.719
Come back for more conversations to connect.
00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:32.880
These are early days of this podcast.
00:37:33.119 --> 00:37:37.840
I love having these conversations so much, and I love sharing them with you.
00:37:38.079 --> 00:37:40.559
If you want to share it with a friend, please do it.
00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:44.320
The current name of this podcast is V O R E E N.
00:37:44.639 --> 00:37:46.000
It's my middle name.
00:37:46.239 --> 00:37:48.239
All right, have a good one.
00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:13.439
Did you know it takes a drop of water 90 days to travel from Minnesota to Louisiana, the entire Mississippi River takes 90 days for a drop of water to travel that far.
00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:15.759
It's 2,340 miles.
00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:18.239
There is an aquatic theme there.
00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:22.640
And that's true for today's guest, Sophia Herzog Gibb.
00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:36.320
7:15.
00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:37.920
Do you have your coffee?
00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:38.799
I do.
00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:40.719
I have my coffee too.
00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:41.600
Yeah.
00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:42.560
Cheers.
00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:43.759
Cheers to the morning.
00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:44.719
Cheers to anyone.
00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:52.159
Are you at the um that like co-op place or yeah, co-working space?
00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:53.119
Nice.
00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:54.799
Yeah, it's good.
00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:58.240
I like that I don't have like a private office here.
00:00:58.320 --> 00:00:59.520
You can do that.
00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:06.879
But as a member, I can use the common space and I can just book private offices when I want, included in what I'm already paying.
00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:15.599
It's sort of the perfect balance for me of people working and people willing to chat and then sort of get back to what they're doing.
00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:16.400
Oh good.
00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:17.359
Yeah.
00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:19.359
So where are you joining me from today?
00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:20.079
What town?
00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.519
Um, I'm in Salida, so my hometown.
00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:25.680
Colorado, right?
00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:26.239
Where I live.
00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:26.560
Yep.
00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:26.879
Yeah.
00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:30.480
I imagine springtime is beautiful in Colorado.
00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:42.879
Yeah, it's about like probably high 70s right now, um, in the day, which is real it's like the perfect time before it gets super hot for for Coloradans.
00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:44.959
And I know you're a runner.
00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:48.480
Have you been getting out on trails or do you run in the hills there?
00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:49.439
Yeah.
00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:54.879
And I go out in the morning um because then the the dog doesn't get super hot.
00:01:54.959 --> 00:01:55.840
And yeah.
00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:57.599
What's your dog's name?
00:01:57.840 --> 00:01:58.959
Um Odie.
00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:00.239
Odie?
00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:01.359
Yeah.
00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:03.519
What kind is he?
00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:09.520
Um, he's a mutt, but he's uh a great pure Australian cattle dog, but he kind of looks like a black lab.
00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:11.439
Love it.
00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:15.120
Well, I met you on a mountaintop, but it wasn't in Colorado.
00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:17.840
It wasn't a Colorado, it was a Cortina mountaintop.
00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:25.439
And I still remember the first moment I met you, you were ready to go out and ski by yourself on the first day you arrived.
00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:28.240
And I thought, this woman has an adventurous spirit.
00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:29.759
I love that about her.
00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:32.800
Have you always had sort of a spirit for the wild?
00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:33.840
Yeah.
00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:39.680
And to enjoy the outdoors, and especially like, who knows if I'll ever get back to Cortina.
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.400
So I I wanted to, you know, make the most of it.
00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:45.840
And you did.
00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:46.960
Yeah.
00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:49.199
And we can talk about that a little bit.
00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:56.000
But one of the places I sort of wanted to start today was you are a two-time paralympian in swimming.
00:02:56.319 --> 00:03:10.080
And I asked you when we were talking in Cortina how you got started swimming, because something that I'm kind of fascinated by is we see Paralympians and we see Olympians at their big stage.
00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:16.080
And we often don't know like what was their first entry into a pool?
00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:18.560
What was their first entry onto a mountain?
00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:20.800
And so for you, how did you get started?
00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:23.039
How did you get started swimming?
00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:25.759
Yeah, um, I got started.
00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:35.360
Uh my parents put me in lessons when I was about like three years old because they knew I couldn't stand in four feet of water until I was, you know, an adult.
00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:41.039
So they wanted me to have uh understanding of the water at a really young age.
00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:54.960
And then um I actually wanted to go for skiing and they didn't have a classification and um, you know, orthopedically, like my knees probably weren't gonna be able to handle that kind of pressure.
00:03:55.280 --> 00:04:10.000
And so I was swimming on a club team and I kind of got invited to uh a national slash local Paralympic talent ID thing, and um that's kind of where it was discovered.
00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:26.240
And then I tried out for the London 2012 team, was the first one off the team, and then they said, you know, if you graduate high school a year early, we'll save you a bet at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.
00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:30.800
I wasn't able to train the way I needed to train in Colorado, where I was living.
00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:37.439
And so I did that and I moved there in 2014 and I made the 2016 Games.
00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:41.199
And how old were you when you did your first games in Rio?
00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.639
I was 19.
00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:46.720
Oh my gosh.
00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:49.439
And you finished high school a year early to do this?
00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:50.000
Yep.
00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:54.319
So I graduated at um 17 and moved there.
00:04:55.680 --> 00:05:11.120
Talk to me a little bit about how you were supported from that first swimming lesson that your parents wanted you to take to finding sort of that set of railroad tracks that led you all the way to the Olympic training, Paralympic Training Center.
00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:24.879
I think it is sort of um a mystery for some people, how to find the avenue from their own small town to something like a Paralympic stage.
00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:35.360
What people and or organizations kind of helped you along the way to get from that first swimming lesson to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center?
00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:42.319
Uh, I think my parents, first of all, because you know, they they took me everywhere.
00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:45.439
Um, as, you know, especially at that age, you couldn't drive.
00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:52.319
And so they were taking me to all the trainings and swim meets, you know, and they invested a lot of time into me.
00:05:52.639 --> 00:05:58.319
And then my connection was through uh my dwarfism.
00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:10.000
And there was a couple girls that were probably in their early 20s that were, you know, Paralympic level that knew me, and they were the ones who invited me.
00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:16.959
And then, you know, via networking, I I met the resident coach and I lived a couple hours from the training center.
00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:21.839
So I, you know, kept in contact and told them, you know, this is something I want to do.
00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:33.360
And they were really understanding that I just didn't have the training where I was living as a kid, so they couldn't gauge what I was truly capable of.
00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.240
So they, you know, they they invested in me as well.
00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:39.680
So finding people that'll invest in you.
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:46.000
Was it a pinch me moment when you started your orbit there?
00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:53.839
You're like your day today was at that training center, and you were looking forward, I guess, at that time, first to London, is it right?
00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:54.879
And then to Rio.
00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:57.360
Yeah, so I wasn't there for London.
00:06:57.439 --> 00:07:08.800
I was um still at home, but yeah, leading into Rio, I had uh year and a half, two years at the training center, and they just kept telling me that this is training aisle, you know, I'm not used to.
00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:19.199
And I mean, I had only swam like a handful of doubles before moving there, and I was swimming, gosh, three doubles a week.
00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:21.519
What do you mean when you say doubles?
00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:24.000
Um, like swim in the morning and swim at night.
00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:24.879
Oh.
00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:26.399
Swim twice a day.
00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:27.120
Got it.
00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:27.839
Yeah.
00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:30.800
And so what did that training look like for you?
00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:39.439
You swim, obviously, but I imagine that there's a lot of other elements, both I don't know, strength training, flexibility training.
00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:47.519
Can you just sort of talk a little bit about what that was like when you got there in terms of the training, in addition to the doubles and the triples?
00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:50.399
Yeah, I swam 10 times a week.
00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:52.560
Um, and it was long course training.
00:07:52.639 --> 00:08:03.680
So, what uh long courses is what the Olympic and Paralympic um pools are, so it's the 50-meter pools instead of the um standard US 25 yards or meters.
00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:10.079
Um, so I was already training what I would be racing, and then I was in the weight room three times a week.
00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:21.600
And in swimming, you don't have to be like lift super heavy because you don't want to be super like dense muscle in the water because you have to spend a lot of energy keeping that afloat.
00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:28.399
So it was a lot of dynamic stuff and a bit of strength training, but a lot of like mobility um stuff.
00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:34.399
And then we did sport psych work, like get get ourselves mentally prepared for for the games.
00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:42.960
And but the thing about the training center is is um all of your fees are covered, so you don't have to worry about you know working a job.
00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:46.000
So my room, coaching, all my food was covered.
00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:49.279
All I had to do was focus on training.
00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:51.200
And did you have your own room there?
00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:52.320
Were there roommates?
00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:53.200
How was that?
00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:59.200
Um, I had my own room and bathroom, and then I shared like a living room with another girl.
00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:01.360
And now take me to Rio.
00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:08.960
Your first time on literally on a world stage wearing team USA uniform.
00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:11.200
What was that like?
00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:24.639
Yeah, so it's it was really cool because I I we were doing before we left for Rio, we did some like practice rough runs, you know, where we'd suit up and see what we could do.
00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:31.919
And I I won a time that put me third in the world at that, like that off-kilter thing.
00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:35.519
And so that was like, whoa, you know, I could do this.
00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:39.840
And it the time didn't count, so nobody knew that I did it.
00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:41.679
So nobody was expecting me.
00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:46.080
So I went in with kind of a bit of confidence, knowing what I was capable of.
00:09:46.240 --> 00:10:09.519
But in Rio, uh that you know, it's a third world country, so you couldn't drink the water or eat any of the food that had been washed in the water, and that kind of threw me off and the team off because a lot of my diet was like fresh fruit and vegetables, and then that got cut out, and there wasn't a plan B down there.
00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:17.039
So I ended up texting my mom to like bring a ton of snacks down because I was like really hungry.
00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:20.320
And so your parents were able to come to Rio?
00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:29.679
Yeah, they did, and then my cousin came down as well, and yeah, so she brought me some snacks, um, which was really nice.
00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:48.639
Savior, yeah, and then one of my roommates or suite mates in Rio um was in a chair and it wasn't accessible, our rooms, and so they ended up coming in right before the Paralympics and ripping out the kitchenette and pretty much just sticking a hose in the wall, and then that was her shower.
00:10:49.039 --> 00:11:05.840
But every time she'd try and take a shower, it would flood because it was never uh it wasn't made to be a bathroom, and so it was not the thinking of this like you have no concerns except racing.
00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:10.000
Like, I there was a lot of obstacles that were I wasn't ready for.
00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:13.039
Um, but yeah, racing.
00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:18.159
I mean, I just remember walking, I walked the opening ceremony, so I did the loop and then I left.
00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:26.559
Um, and I remember we were like a half a mile away, and you could hear when Brazil walked in because it was just so loud.
00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:36.399
And they had a Brazilian swimmer who was really popular, and anytime he'd walked in, you could hear anywhere you were in the swim complex.
00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:38.559
It was just really cool.
00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:41.279
So you competed in what events there?
00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:49.519
I competed in the 100 brushstroke where I won my um silver medal, and then the 200 IM, and then I believe the 50 fly.
00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:57.440
And so for somebody who doesn't know, there's the sport, and then there's the event, and then in Paralympics, there's the classification.
00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:01.360
Can you explain what that means and what your classification is?
00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:12.480
Yeah, I'm um so in swimming, there's 10 physical classifications, uh, S1 through S10, S1 being most disabled, and then S10 being least disabled.
00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:13.679
And I'm an S6.
00:12:14.159 --> 00:12:26.159
Um, and they get this number by they kind of do like a physical out of the water, and then they do like a swimming test to see how your body reacts in the water.
00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:29.279
And then there's some visual classifications as well.
00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:32.559
Okay, and can you say that again, the one to ten?
00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:37.440
Um, S1 being most disabled and then 10 being least disabled.
00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:38.480
Got it.
00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:40.799
Okay, and so that was Rio.
00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:43.600
You came home with a silver medal, did you say?
00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:44.559
Yeah.
00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:59.679
Now, did you have the bug and you you were thinking already of Tokyo at that point, or what sort of goes through the mind of somebody who has won a medal, maybe their first medal at the Paralympics, and then you go home?
00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:05.759
Is there any come down from that when they did the psych work with all of you in advance?
00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:08.240
Do they prep you for that type of thing?
00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:09.679
Um, a bit.
00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:12.080
There's definitely the draw, they call it.
00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:25.120
Um, and I was like, Yeah, I was 19 at the time, and I didn't I didn't have like a college education, I I didn't have anything lined up um post-games.
00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:43.120
And so I kind of took the summer off and um figured out if I still wanted to train at the training center, um, traveled a bit, and you know, realized that I was gonna have to figure out my next moves.
00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:49.360
No one was gonna, you know, tell me what it was or offer me a job because I just won a silver medal.
00:13:49.600 --> 00:14:02.159
Um, so I ended up um, they had a partnership with Devry, and I got my undergrad through there, took, you know, the rest of the year off from Rio, and then uh went back to the training center for a bit.
00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:04.559
And what did you study through Devry?
00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:12.960
Um, I got my undergrad in communications, and then I got um a couple years later my master's in business.
00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:14.320
That's amazing.
00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:17.039
And did you do that remote then so that you could train?
00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:17.519
Yes.
00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:18.159
Mm-hmm.
00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:22.320
Well, you were doing remote before people were doing remote.
00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:24.480
I love it.
00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:25.279
I love it.
00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:27.120
So tell me about Tokyo.
00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:30.720
That was a completely different type of experience, obviously.
00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:38.559
In the aftermath of COVID, Tokyo supposed to live, you know, supposed to happen in 2020, was delayed a year until 2021.
00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:55.519
Um, what was your mindset after having had your first experience in Rio, you know, training all this time, and then approaching your next games, but with a very different world view because of what was happening with the pandemic?
00:14:55.840 --> 00:15:25.279
So in 2019, right before the pandemic happened, um my then boyfriend, now husband, and I decided that um he was a cyclist, paracyclist at the training center, that we were gonna um move to Salida and he was gonna retire, and I was gonna train privately um here, leading into what we thought was like eight months, six months um to the games.
00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:30.559
And at that point I had my masters and I was kind of getting set up, you know.
00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:32.639
I knew Tokyo was gonna be my last games.
00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:41.039
I was getting, you know, this was gonna be a good step to move on to my next chapter of, you know, getting a house and all that kind of stuff.
00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:48.639
And then the pandemic happened, and pools were kind of one of the first things to shut down, except the training center.
00:15:48.799 --> 00:16:02.080
So then I ended up moving back to the training center for extended periods of time when when it was allowable, because the training center ended up shutting down for a significant portion.
00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:12.480
And yeah, 2020 was kind of a weird year where I like did a lot of other training and tried to stay in shape the best I could.
00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:29.279
I I swam in the river here a couple times to keep like the feel of the water, and we adopted a dog at that time, so that kept me busy, and yeah, so my training looked way different than I was hoping, planning, or expecting leading into Tokyo.
00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:40.240
Um, but I did a significant portion at the end at the training center because of the whole bubble aspect, you know, leading into Tokyo, they wanted.
00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:48.399
So a lot of the team actually ended up doing that so we could just be one bubble together, which was nice.
00:16:48.559 --> 00:17:02.240
But it was really fun to train here in Salida for I I would say I got probably good eight months of solid training privately with a different coach and a different style of training.
00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:06.559
And yeah, yeah, it was very different, very different experience.
00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:13.680
So you mentioned your husband there, and I wanted to ask you, do you like to go by Sophia Gibb?
00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:15.440
Sophia Herzog?
00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:19.279
Um, in my sporting world, I go by Sophia Herzog Gibbs.
00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:21.359
So your maiden name is Herzog.
00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:22.319
Mm-hmm.
00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:24.240
Okay, got it.
00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:33.759
As a kid growing up and a person who I know has multiple sports interests, you mentioned that you're a runner, you swim, you ski.
00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:46.880
Were there any people who you look to as role models in any way that you admired them for what they were doing for sport or just who they were and how they lived their life?
00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:58.240
Um I mean, not anybody that like just comes to top of mind, but I think just like, you know the the game changers.
00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:07.759
Like I sit on the executive board for Women's Sports Foundation, so Billie Jean King, you know, for all that she's done for women's sports is is huge.
00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:16.319
And you know, she kind of went against the grain and um people thought she was crazy, and you know, she's she's changed the game for us.
00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:26.160
And um yeah, just just watching people be vulnerable and take the chance and be really good, you know.
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:26.799
Yeah.
00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:30.640
I wanted to talk to you about Women's Sports Foundation.
00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:35.440
So tell me more about what that is and what your involvement is there.
00:18:36.400 --> 00:19:02.960
Yeah, I um so Women's Sports Foundation was founded by um Billie Jean King, and it ranges from getting girls access to sport, from you know, buying the equipment to sports bras to finding female coaches to uh leveling the playing field for equal pay for professional sports and making sure that's um, you know, equal rights there.
00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:21.680
Um so it's a it's a wide range that they're covering, and it's um I sit on the athlete leadership board and um I get to do some really fun things and go to events and learn a new sport with a bunch of girls, or the last thing I was at like a WN NBA event, you know, so super fun.
00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:38.400
Wow, and so I would imagine of all the people involved in that and all the different ways that people are involved in women's sports foundation, you must people that you looked up to before must be people who are your you're sort of your peers at this point.
00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:39.519
Yeah, yeah.
00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:49.039
Like my first women's sports, I sat next to like Donna Dave, Verona, just I mean, some serious powerhouses in the room, which is really empowering.
00:19:50.160 --> 00:20:00.480
And so why is it important for you to do advocacy work for people with disabilities, for adaptive sport, for women in sport?
00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:02.400
Why is it important for you to do that?
00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:06.079
And what do you want the outcome to be of your work?
00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:13.839
Um, I think it's important just to give back to the sport or just to the sporting world that has given me so much.
00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:25.359
And uh, I just hope to, I mean, not inspire, but give the idea to some little girl that anything is possible when you know she puts her mind to it.
00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:39.279
What can advocacy and sort of grouping of people who are like-minded in this way who want to grow and develop young girls and ladies in sport?
00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:41.920
What what's what's the power of a group?
00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:43.599
What can the group do?
00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:45.599
I think it's super powerful.
00:20:45.680 --> 00:21:01.920
I think, you know, especially in women's sports, there's like a ton of different um expert-minded people, and they're able to see all the different obstacles, and then the way to break down those barriers um to get the little girls into to sport.
00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:18.160
Like I've always lived in a really rural area, and we've gone into heart of New York City, and they've talked about half the girls can't aren't gonna do sports because they can't take the trains and they, you know, can't get rides and all that kind of stuff.
00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:23.680
And you know, that was never an option, you know, there's not even a train where I live.
00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:30.880
So um, you know, just just different thought processes and power and numbers and yeah.
00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:37.440
I've obviously never competed at the level that you have, but I grew up very active in sports.
00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:43.680
I was in diving, gymnastics, and track, and it was just a big part of my life, just at high school level.
00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:46.400
But it definitely shaped me.
00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:51.680
Um it shaped what I thought I was capable of.
00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:57.839
So I'd just love to hear from you as a person who has been so immersed in sport.
00:21:59.039 --> 00:21:59.680
I would love to hear.
00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:09.279
What it's meant to you and what it can do for a person beyond the sport and beyond the sort of the age of competition, if you will.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:26.079
Yeah, I think you hit it, you know, hit it on the head, whereas like in sports you build all these incredible um traits, you know, resiliency, discipline, communication if you're on a team sport, and hard work.
00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:30.400
And that translates into jobs and a lot of jobs.
00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:38.240
When I was looking for a job, you know, I had no experience, um, no work experience, but I had all these like incredible qualities.
00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:39.839
You know, I I knew how to work hard.
00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:44.559
I could put my head down for five hours and do something.
00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:49.920
Um, so it took the right person to like realize like, oh, she she'll be really good at this.
00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:55.920
She just dedicated her life when everybody else was getting internships and working entry-level jobs.
00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:57.759
Let's take the chance on her.
00:22:57.920 --> 00:22:59.440
So I think it's really good.
00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:03.839
You know, I know how to work in a high-pressure environment and handle stress.
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:10.240
And um, I think sports helps a lot of people grow up and learn those things.
00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:17.200
Do you think?
00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:21.039
Um, I think a a a big part, you know.
00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:38.319
I I I knew in my heart when I didn't have a good training block and wasn't gonna put up what I was hoping to put up, you know, and then I knew when I did, and I knew I was gonna surprise myself.
00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:39.279
I love that.
00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:46.960
Did you surprise yourself when you did that pre-Rio run and you realized you were third in the world?
00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:49.599
Yeah, that was that was a shock.
00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:51.039
Um, yeah.
00:23:51.200 --> 00:24:00.079
And then like training here in Salida, I had a couple shockers and it was just nice, like, oh, this is all the stars are aligning for me.
00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:01.440
This is working out.
00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:03.920
I'm making the right decisions here.
00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:04.880
Yes.
00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:29.440
And I think what you said about resilience earlier is really pertinent because it's it's easier to call up those qualities that a person learns, whether it's through sport or maybe they come up through the theater or whatever their thing is, it's easier to call them up, I think, when we have things going well, when we have the wind at our back.
00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:50.880
But if you could just look at it through another lens for a second, when things have been a little harder for you, um, or maybe you've been going through a time that is sort of less secure, or whatever it might be, in what way do you think the traits that you've picked up and cultivated as an athlete have come into play for you?
00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:55.519
Um, I think, you know, like for Rio, I was the hunter.
00:24:55.680 --> 00:25:01.440
You know, I was hunting for it for the medal, and you know, no one saw me.
00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:05.359
And then come Tokyo, I was the hunted.
00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:08.240
You know, I was the only returning medalist.
00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:10.880
People knew I was training somewhere else.
00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:13.359
They didn't know what I was doing.
00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:24.880
And so that put a lot of pressure, and it was pretty mentally hard, especially with the pandemic factor of I wasn't having consistent training, and that's a big thing.
00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:33.039
And I just had to be really kind to myself during those hard times, you know, that that I'm doing something incredible.
00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:39.680
If it doesn't shake out the way I want it to shake out, you know, I'm still I'm still doing something I love.
00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:50.319
To what extent do you think knowing how to win well and knowing how to lose well is important?
00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:54.720
I think it keeps you hungry, you know.
00:25:55.119 --> 00:25:58.319
Like, I mean, I what was it?
00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:06.799
Like 2017, I went to like a World Cup and I just I lost, you know, like awfully.
00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:08.960
And it was like a reality check.
00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:11.440
Like, this is not a cakewalk.
00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:22.480
There are new new bloods coming up, you know, they've watched you for who knows how long, and you gotta not train with fear, but train with gusto.
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:27.200
I had never heard that expression, the hunter and the hunted.
00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:29.200
Is that something that you guys talk about?
00:26:29.440 --> 00:26:30.880
You know, it's pretty cutthroat.
00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:40.960
You know, people are vying for medals, and if you're a returning medalist, people are are wanting to take you down, kind of, and you're wanting to sit to stay on top.
00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:44.480
That is super fascinating language to me.
00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:53.279
A very athlete athletic mentality of the warrior, the hunter, that type thing.
00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:56.319
Well, you do not shy away from challenges.
00:26:56.640 --> 00:27:06.079
You obviously have had an amazing athletic career, and then you decided to pick up a microphone on the world stage.
00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:07.599
Tell me a little bit about that.
00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:14.960
We met because you and I were working for NBC at the Paralympics in Milan, Cortina.
00:27:15.039 --> 00:27:21.200
We were in Cortina, and you were showing up as a first-time on-air broadcaster.
00:27:21.359 --> 00:27:23.680
And I thought this woman has guts.
00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:24.640
Tell me about that.
00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:24.880
Yeah.
00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:25.599
How was that?
00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:27.680
Um it was super fun.
00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:42.319
It's definitely like a fire hose to the face, you know, um, of just like all the talking and how fast it moves and trying to like feather into the main show back at the States.
00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:44.880
And um, but I loved it.
00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:50.079
It was like, I don't know, five hours of just complete chaos, but it was so fun.
00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:53.519
Um, what did you do to temper your nerves during that time?
00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:56.480
You know, your first, second, third, fourth live shots.
00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:57.519
What was that like?
00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:00.559
What did it feel like in your veins, in your body?
00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:04.480
Um, I actually liked the live better than the taped.
00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:11.200
Um, and that's probably the athlete mentality of, you know, the pressure's on, like you gotta pull it together, Sophia.
00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:41.279
Um and I think, you know, there's like a period of time when they finish and like we A knew they, you know, meddled or you know, they didn't and they were gonna come quick, but there was a period of time where um my producer Joey and I could, you know, like talk some questions through of like, okay, you know, maybe athlete A is probably not happy, so let's, you know, steer the questions here, or you know, this is what we want to talk about.
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:46.720
Um, and a lot of athletes in the skiing, because I was covering skiing, had some really fun stories.
00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:49.279
So it was fun to like lean into that.
00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:55.519
And then being an athlete, um, I had that respect and empathy when it didn't go well.
00:28:55.839 --> 00:29:02.799
So um I think that helped me as well, was you know, I I knew kind of what was going through their heads.
00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:17.680
I think that's a super unique perspective that only a select few of you have, only a select few people have been Paralympians and Olympians, you know, and you have a vantage point that is unique.
00:29:17.839 --> 00:29:31.039
And I think tell me if I'm wrong, because you've been on both sides of this, but I would think as an athlete, you might be more inclined to speak in a different way, perhaps to you than to someone else.
00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:31.759
Maybe not.
00:29:31.839 --> 00:29:35.119
You you just correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're right.
00:29:35.359 --> 00:29:39.759
I mean, I think like I had some prior, you know, friendships, you know.
00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:45.359
Um, Keith Gable, who was one of the snowboarders, uh, lived at the training center through the summers.
00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:46.799
So I got to know him.
00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:54.480
Um, and he told I was the first one he told that he was retiring, you know, at in Cortina, which was like what an honor.
00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:58.720
Um, so I think, yeah, it it helps.
00:29:58.880 --> 00:30:03.759
I don't I don't know if there's a switch in language, but I think there's a switch in trust.
00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:05.359
And there's more.
00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:17.039
Not only did you pick up a microphone, when you and I were sitting at wheelchair curling one night, you were sharing with me your next endeavor, current and upcoming.
00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:19.119
Would you like to share anything about that?
00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:25.680
Uh yeah, I'm running um currently for campaigning for uh county clerk and recorder.
00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:32.319
Um my boss is retiring and um I was second in line, so I'm running for it.
00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:41.279
And um, when you and I were sitting there, I got like the official nomination um onto the ballot, so which was super exciting.
00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:42.720
It was very exciting.
00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:46.079
And what role did your husband need to play in that particular moment?
00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:48.319
Um, he was my nomination.
00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:50.400
What does that mean?
00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:51.440
Tell me how that goes.
00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:52.559
What does that look like?
00:30:52.880 --> 00:31:03.519
So he had to get up and um like have a speech of of why I should, you know, why they should um vote me on to get on to the ballot.
00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:07.519
Um so he like nominated me and then they all took a vote.
00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:14.319
So um that was kind of not the original plan when I left, but my original plan kind of fell through.
00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:18.640
So I was really lucky that he um did that for me.
00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:19.920
That is great.
00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:24.799
You said you met, I didn't know this, but I imagine that you met at the training center.
00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:27.119
You sort of just sort of whipped by that.
00:31:27.519 --> 00:31:28.160
Yeah, yeah.
00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:30.000
We actually met in the cafeteria.
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:31.519
How did that go?
00:31:31.680 --> 00:31:32.720
If you want to share.
00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:33.920
Um, it was good.
00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:43.359
So I um I actually knew one of his teammates, um, and I had sought seen him around, and I said, Hey, you know, could you introduce me to him?
00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:46.240
And um, that's kind of where it started.
00:31:46.799 --> 00:31:48.319
And his first name is what?
00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:49.599
Um, Nick.
00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:51.599
That's so cool.
00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:57.599
I just think it's exciting that you um you're willing to continue to be the hunter.
00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:00.160
I'm gonna use this language.
00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:03.759
I like this language, which brings me to the idea of books.
00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:05.519
Are you reading any good books right now?
00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:07.359
Or have you read any lately?
00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:09.519
I'm in between books right now.
00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:15.279
I just finished um Heart, Heart the Lover, and then I'm about to start Wild Dark Shore.
00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:19.839
Um and yeah, Heart the Lover was good.
00:32:19.920 --> 00:32:21.440
I gave it four stars.
00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:26.240
Um man, what what's been my favorite book this year?
00:32:28.960 --> 00:32:29.839
I don't know.
00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:30.720
Let me look.
00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:33.440
What type of books do you like to read generally?
00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:34.559
Do you have a general?
00:32:35.599 --> 00:32:43.599
Um I kind of dabble in everything because the my the book before Heart the Lover was a memoir.
00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:45.759
Um and that was good.
00:32:46.079 --> 00:32:47.519
Um what was that?
00:32:47.839 --> 00:32:50.000
It was Stran uh Strangers.
00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:53.039
It was a memoir on marriage by Belle Burden.
00:32:53.519 --> 00:33:04.400
Um, I think probably my favorite book this year has been um Becoming Madam Secretary.
00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:23.599
And that was about um it's based on true events, but it's fiction and it's about one of it's the first uh lady uh secretary of state in just her journey to it, and um that was probably my favorite book.
00:33:25.279 --> 00:33:26.640
I love like Kate Quinn.
00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:34.480
Um she's one of my a popular art uh author in my books I read.
00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:44.079
What is an act of kindness that you have experienced recently or ever experienced that you would like to share?
00:33:45.759 --> 00:33:49.920
Um it can be simple, it can be profound.
00:33:53.039 --> 00:33:54.000
Yeah, I don't know.
00:33:54.079 --> 00:34:09.760
I just I just think you know, just being nice, you know, just you know, being a disabled female, like I'm um sometimes I'm in the corner quite a bit, or I'm you know, I can walk into a room and everyone will, you know, drop what they're doing and stare at me.
00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:13.440
And so it's just you know, just being nice is is a huge thing.
00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:21.280
Um, I think is um treating people with respect and you know it's huge.
00:34:23.119 --> 00:34:28.559
I just want to ask you, based on what you just said, uh how do you deal with that?
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:32.239
How do you deal with walking in a room and people looking at you?
00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:33.360
You just said that.
00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:36.000
Is that something that you've gotten used to?
00:34:36.239 --> 00:34:43.840
Is there a certain thought process that goes through your mind that makes it I don't know, maybe less uncomfortable?
00:34:44.320 --> 00:34:48.559
I think um I'm used to it now with you know 29 years of it.
00:34:48.719 --> 00:34:54.159
Um, but I think, you know, everybody has a bad day and sometimes it just you know gets to you.
00:34:54.239 --> 00:35:10.079
And um, you know, I figured out things to not avoid, but um, you know, like I do a lot of um pickup groceries, so I just don't even have to deal with the grocery store.
00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:12.880
Um, so just figuring that kind of stuff out.
00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:20.159
But uh yeah, there's definitely some hard days where it's just you know, not worth it to go into public.
00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:29.679
And then other days where, you know, people are really kind and yeah, so it it that's I think just in itself is it.
00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:36.079
Well, before we close out, is there anything else that you wanted to talk about today that I haven't asked you about?
00:35:36.480 --> 00:35:38.239
Is there anything you're in the middle of?
00:35:39.360 --> 00:35:40.639
No, I think I'm good.
00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:49.360
And I wanted to ask you this, and this is a bonus optional, but do you want to sing any kind of a song and sing us out?
00:35:50.480 --> 00:35:51.840
Oh, I don't sing.
00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:53.199
I'm sorry.
00:35:54.079 --> 00:35:54.960
It's okay.
00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:58.960
I I think it's going to be my mission to just see if I can get people to sing.
00:35:59.039 --> 00:36:02.639
I think it'd be a nice way to end the conversation, just sort of sing out.
00:36:03.039 --> 00:36:04.400
If you were to sing.
00:36:05.119 --> 00:36:09.039
If you chose to sing, which you don't have to sing and you're not going to sing, then that's fine.
00:36:09.360 --> 00:36:13.360
But if you did, what song do you think you might like to sing?
00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:18.159
Like in your secret karaoke mind, like that's the one I would do.
00:36:18.559 --> 00:36:27.280
Like if I have enough liquid courage in me, I've been known to belt out Pink Pony Club by Chappelle Roan.
00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:33.440
I I'm no singer, but I was gonna just try whatever song you came up with to try to do it myself.
00:36:33.840 --> 00:36:38.480
But I think I only know those three words Pink Pony Club, but then I don't know anything more.
00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:40.239
I literally don't know any more of that song.
00:36:40.400 --> 00:36:41.039
It's a good one.
00:36:41.119 --> 00:36:45.440
That's I've been known to that be your song.
00:36:46.239 --> 00:36:46.880
Yeah.
00:36:47.519 --> 00:36:49.679
I can say that with confidence.
00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:53.280
I am going to put that on after this and figure it out.
00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:54.400
Are you a lyrics person?
00:36:54.480 --> 00:36:56.239
Do you lean toward lyrics?
00:36:56.639 --> 00:37:06.320
Kind of, but I just went to trivia and like one of the the sections was like they gave lyrics and then you had to name the song, and I didn't get a single one.
00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:10.639
Oh I want to come to that place.
00:37:10.880 --> 00:37:13.119
If I come to Colorado, can we go do that together?
00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:14.960
I think I would really like that game.
00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:16.639
Yeah, for sure.
00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:18.320
We could be a good team.
00:37:18.559 --> 00:37:18.960
Yeah.
00:37:19.199 --> 00:37:22.719
Anyway, you're gonna have me thinking about Pink Pony Club and a lot of other things.
00:37:22.960 --> 00:37:24.239
This was really fun.
00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:26.400
Thanks for inviting me.
00:37:28.159 --> 00:37:30.719
Come back for more conversations to connect.
00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:32.880
These are early days of this podcast.
00:37:33.119 --> 00:37:37.840
I love having these conversations so much, and I love sharing them with you.
00:37:38.079 --> 00:37:40.559
If you want to share it with a friend, please do it.
00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:44.320
The current name of this podcast is V O R E E N.
00:37:44.639 --> 00:37:46.000
It's my middle name.
00:37:46.239 --> 00:37:48.239
All right, have a good one.
