Encore Episode: The Voice of Swimming…Rowdy Gaines

With the Winter Olympics just wrapping up, we thought this was the perfect time to revisit one of our most popular episodes from the archive — a conversation between Andy and one of the greatest names in Olympic swimming history.

In this episode, Andy sits down with his old college friend Rowdy Gaines — three-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time world champion, member of the Olympic Hall of Fame, and NBC's voice of swimming for eight consecutive Olympic Games.

Tune in to hear Rowdy share the story of his unique childhood in Winter Haven, Florida, and how he was cut from five different sports before trying swimming at 17 — a last-ditch attempt that changed the trajectory of his life. He opens up about the gut punch of the 1980 U.S. Olympic boycott, what it took to come back and train for three more years while working the overnight shift just to pay for food, and the razor-thin margins that separate gold from silver. You'll also hear what a 160-pound swimmer training 10 miles a day actually eats, and what it really means to stay consistently passionate about something even when you dislike doing it.

Connect with Rowdy Online:

• https://www.stepintoswim.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RowdyGainesNBC
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rowdygaines/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowdy-gaines-3a4b34171/
• X: https://x.com/rowdygaines