The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - GOOD FOLLOW - WNBA Milestones, National Bring Your Dog To Work Day & More

Episode Date: June 23, 2024

This week, Megan and Katie highlight the accomplishments and milestones coming out of the WNBA from A’ja Wilson’s 8 consecutive 25+ point games to Aliyah Boston being named Eastern Conference Player of The Week as well as dive into Katie Ledecky qualifying for her fourth Olympic games. Then, Logan sits down with professional golfer Angel Yin as she discusses the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and her goals for the tournament. Later, Katie, Logan, and Megan highlight Olympic and Paralympic athletes and their dogs for National Bring Your Dog to Work Day. Lastly, Megan previews the upcoming NWSL weekend with her DraftKings picks of the week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Good Follow, I'm Megan Reyes. And I'm Katie Novotny. Katie, how is the week going? Week is going great. I'm riding high on my absolute killer Father's Day softball game. My dad would have been proud with how I played. Were you at Soldier Field?

I wish, I wish. In my head, I was. Well, I actually did take a break from surgery and did exactly what I said last week, watched some soccer. I'm so proud of you. Took a step back from my residency. We held true to what we said we were going to do. We did.

Look at us. Look at us. Setting goals, hitting them. Well, on today's show, we're talking athlete news around women's sports, Olympic swimmers making a splash. We sit down with Angel Yin from the LGPA Championships and arguably the hottest topic in news this week, National Bring Your Dog to Work Day.

And then we'll hear from League One volleyball player, Kelsey Robinson-Cook. This week, we also celebrate Juneteenth, a federal holiday to honor the freedom of enslaved Black Americans in the United States on June 19, 1865. We encourage everyone to make the effort to learn why this historic day is so important and how we can all contribute to a more inclusive world in sport and beyond. And that history ties into our current polarizing conversations and storylines that we still see in women's sports, most recently the WNBA, but certainly affecting leagues everywhere. There has been a lot of

coverage in the WNBA discussing the very real issues that black athletes still face today, and they're incredibly important to have. But because this league also brings us so much joy, we want to make sure that we're spotlighting and giving attention to all the accomplishments and the milestones that these women are bringing to the table. As of this week, can I get a drum roll, please, Megan? Yes, I can't roll my arms, but I can. I can use those fingertips. I can use those fingertips. Asia Wilson has eight consecutive 25 plus point games in WNBA history, which beats Tina

Charles's of seven games in 2021. Number two. Your gal, our gal, the world's gal, Diana Taurasi beat the man, the myth and the legend that is currently framed on that wall, Michael Jordan, with 21 games having over 20 plus points at the age of 40 and over. I mean- Goat. Yes. Age is but a number, my friends. Sometimes.

Sometimes, sometimes. Number three, Indiana's Aliyah Boston is the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, recording a double-double in all three games during the week of June 10th through 16th. And Chicago teammates Angel Reese and Camila Cardoso became the first rookies in the W to have a double-double in the same game this season.

Say that five times fast, I dare you. These are the W headlines we should be talking about. Like, this is happening week in and week out, and this is what I want to hear. Also, on the topic of rookies, shout out to my Google Pixel fam for my Cameron Brink slam shirt. Hold on, hold on, it gets better.

I even have the issues. This is not sponsored, kind of. However, two of my favorite rookies right now. You gotta love it. I had to rep today for the rookies. It's outstanding. It's outstanding. As a Chicago gal yourself, we need to get you the Angel Reese slam shirt. I think I need it. I think I need it. I would like it. Does it come in different colors?

I want it in all the different colors. When you find one thing that works and you just get it on all the different colors. H know, when you find one thing that works and you just get it on all the different colors. H&M, but for slam t-shirts. Correct, correct. Well, we also have big news in NWSL. Here are my three headlines for the week. We had our first expansion team matchup of the year between Utah Royals and Bay FC at home for Bay FC in San Jose.

And in the 89th minute, we're going to have to run this clip. Kate Del Faba had a beautiful header to put Utah up 1-0 and to win the game. They've been struggling a little bit this season, but to win on the road in an expansion team showdown is a big one. And in the last minute of gameplay, oh my god, there's nothing better. It's one of those like on a set piece 88th minute, like people are probably sent into the car to beat traffic. No, no, no. No, no, no, no, that's why you stay. That's why you stay. That's why you stay on your seat and that's why you wait till the end of the game

because you can't write shit stuff like that. I almost saw it. You can't write shit stuff like that. Also English defender Esme Morgan coming over from Manchester city, signing with Washington spirit, which then leads me to number three, Washington Spirit, Kansas City Curtain, Gotham FC, and Orlando Pride are four NWSL teams on unbeaten

streaks. So when people ask why I took a step back from residency, my surgical residency that I'm a part of, last weekend to watch what was going on in the world of soccer, this is why. There is a lot going on. There watch what was going on in the world of soccer. This is why. There is a lot going on. There's a lot going on. Some days, Grey's Anatomy surgery is more important than everything and more exciting, but other weekends, the soccer leaguers are going to take all your attention. They needed all your attention, to be honest.

Sometimes Shonda Rhimes can't write the drama that is women's sports. There it is. That's what I was trying to say. Oh my god. I have a favorite soccer story too. Did you see there was an actual miracle that happened over in Denmark? Which one? There were a few in Denmark. Which one? There were a few. Denmark. There's a lot of miracles that happen

in Denmark every day. But the Denmark men's soccer team refused a pay raise and accepted a pay cut in their insurance to ensure that their women's soccer team counterparts get equal pay and also a raise in their insurance coverage. Men. I know. And I just need the entire Denmark team to know

that we, on behalf of women everywhere, salute you. Yeah, we see you. Allyship. Allyship. That is what we're freaking talking about. And I would also like to say on my own personal behalf, my DMs are open. And I have a lot of airline miles. So. I also have a lot of airline miles. However, my DMs are not open.

You are taken. You are taken. Don't ruin this for me. This is Katie's moment and she's here for allyship, equal pay and free flights. Yes. Well, while we're over in Europe, we might as well go to Paris 2024. And there's a lot to be excited about. So here are some quick hits on what's going on in Olympic swimming. Gretchen Walsh set a new 100 meter butterfly record. And last November, I actually got to interview her at the Golden Goggles Awards.

And she was talking about how she has these dreams of making the Olympics. And she not only actualized that dream by qualifying for Paris 2024, but then she shattered the 100 meter butterfly record the night before with a world record of 55.18 seconds. Okay, the time it takes me to go to the bathroom. With number two, Katie Ledecky has officially qualified for her fourth Olympic Games.

If you want to talk about goats, she has six individual gold medals more than any woman swimmer in Olympic history and 10 medals overall, which includes seven golds. And Katie is 27 years old. I don't know how much you believe in astrology, but I looked it up. Katie Ledecky is a Pisces. She was born the day after me and it makes sense because she's in that water. Love that so much. I love that so much. Okay, I have one quick hit for swimming Olympics too. So we got Ledecky at 27 on the opposite side of the spectrum. We got Gabrielle Rose as our oldest qualifier at 46,

hitting her personal best in the 100 meter breast prelims and in the semi-finals at under a minute 10, finishing 11th overall. And I am just blown away by the fact that these women are doing such amazing things in about a minute because I can barely get up and down the stairs in that amount of time. Age is nothing but a number once again slash sometimes. Well coming up next, Goodfellow correspondent Logan Hackett sits down with Angel Yin from the LPGA Championship and most importantly, National Bring Your Dog to Work Day and we

talk the good doggos of the Olympians heading to Paris 2024. Well, Angel, thank you so much for joining us. We just want to get straight into your background and your career. So when did you start playing golf? I started playing golf when I was six years old. I turned pro when I was 17 and played a year on the European. And then when I was 18 I came over to the LPGA. Oh my goodness. What was it that you initially loved about the sport and how did you kind of get into

it? Just for me golf was pretty calming. I really liked it. And I just liked the feeling of it. And then hitting the golf shots, you don't really run around. I tried tennis. Didn't really like that because you had to run around just after the ball.

And so you're chasing at a ball in this game, although not a lot slower pace. So that was up my par more. And right now, you're actually at the Women's PGA Championship. What's the atmosphere like there? A lot of people. This is a lot of people. I think PGA throws one of the best majors all year.

I mean, there's, I think the three big for me is the US Open, the PGA, which is the KPMG, and the British. And then there's Evian, and then there's Chevron. I think PGA, like the way they set up the golf course, the way they like player services and everything is just so well done. I think it's always like my top tournament other than the USGA event too, because they also do a really good job. But yeah, it's just, it feels like a major.

Have you played the course yet? I have. I have. I walked nine on Sunday and then I played nine yesterday. How's it playing? It's actually playing quite normal to a golf course. It was, it's not, it didn't, nothing really stood out where it's like, oh, this is extremely hard, except for off the tee, like off the tee fairways have much tighter, very tree lined, but I love tree lined.

It's like I'm like a horse with blinders. I need to like to see where I'm going. Sometimes when the target's too big, I get a little confused. Yeah, I really, really like it. Tight fairways, tight tee shot, tight visualization, small greens. So just more demanding off the tee and ball striping this week I believe. What are some of your other goals that you're bringing into the tournament? I just kind of want to, well obviously playing well

and showing up, so obviously I want to play well because I haven't been playing well. I missed two cuts in a row for the U.S. Open and the C.B. tournament so that's been pretty sad mentally because it's not something that you want to carry into a major. So hopefully I can use this tournament to build up momentum for the rest of the year. And you mentioned missing the cut.

Is there anything that you're focusing on in your game right now? Yeah, I'm focusing on hitting my ball straighter off the tee. It's been pretty bad. It's like going off the planet bad. I managed to make it work within, you know, last few holds. It's just harder to hold on because the US Open is pretty challenging off the tee as well. You know, kind of slacked off there and then made a few mistakes course management wise at C-View the next tournament after.

So just trying to really like clean my game up. I haven't been playing a lot this year because of an injury. I broke my foot. How did you break your foot? I fell. It was, I was on vacation. I was on vacation first day in Austria and then I broke my foot.

It was a spinal fracture, I know. After the break of my foot, I feel, the body feels like it's disconnected with the world, especially since it's disconnected with the world, especially since it's a foot. So I don't really sometimes I feel a little off just because like the foot's been broken and trying to get back to like, it's like your body's constantly recalibrating. So that's what I'm trying to deal with. And hopefully this week I can get it right and then see and then just kind of learn more about how my body's reacting,

how it's going for the rest of the year. Let's talk about the growth of the LPGA. It's seen some tremendous growth in the past few months, maybe a few years. What do you think contributed to that? I think women's sports as a whole is growing, which is pretty exciting because it's not just one aspect. When you see everything grow together, you can see a huge community come up and I think we're

benefiting out of that as well in one small. And I have to say you've already dropped some jokes today you are so funny. Where do you get your sense of humor from? Where do I get my sense of humor? Pain. Pain creates laughter. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I got really dark. I don't know I was just I was actually a very serious kid and then one day I just flipped the switch and I felt like I Just held on to too many little things and I just let go of it and then that was it I let go of it and now everything is just in the moment and it is what it is. Just things happening just in the moment and it is what it is. Just things happening. Do you find that being able to laugh and make jokes on the golf course helps with your performance?

Yeah, but last year I channeled my anger again and then that has also helped me play good. I think we have a lot of emotions. I think we should embrace all the emotions because if we suppress one emotion it's just not healthy because you can't a person can't always be happy that's what I've learned too if a person is just numb they're also not be able to tap into some aspects of the words to reflect so yeah I really try to feel and express all my emotions these days because I think that's healthy and normal. Have you watched Inside Out? No, okay, I heard I need to watch it because the second film apparently is really well done.

Yeah, that's what I've heard too. Everything you were giving was like Inside Out, so I'm like maybe she just watched it recently. Oh, can you imagine? I just like read off her script. That would be really funny. I would totally do that. That's like a meme move too. Yes, literally. But when speaking about your emotional awareness, I'm incredibly impressed with just how where you are and in touch you are with your emotions and how I feel like you can handle them. Do you do any mindfulness practices or working on that? Well, I mean, I've always been my own coach in

many aspects. I try to learn, I try to listen, I try to communicate with others who are wiser and lives much more experiences in life. And I've had a lot of wise people speak to me constantly. And so I take from that and learn and then I try to use that onto myself and see how I feel. So I essentially everyone in this world that I've spoken to is like my therapist and not just one person and you know I was very sad at one point in my life. I was very sad and I've really tried to grow from that because I like to say I am a problem solver not a complainer. If I see a problem, I might complain about it for like two, three sentences. And then later on when I reconvene with this subject,

but immediately my mind goes, I need to fix this. So I think that has really helped me get to where I am. And mental health is important to begin with, but it's also very important on the golf course, especially when you're having round like bad rounds and having to come back from bad shots and everything. Do you have any tactics that you do on the golf course? I so what I've been experimenting because every day changes, but I've been experimenting is just getting it out. And then I feel like sometimes when I suppress it because of a bad shot it carries over So sometimes I really just need a minute

Yeah bad thing about this is that sometimes you don't have a minute because you're on the clock and you're running to the next T shot and I something like that hit me in the US Open where you know, I made it I think a stupid mistake it didn't really get to release it out and then the next one kind of carried over. But it was because we were on a clock and we were running and I can't run because my foot's broken. And so I'm limping across the golf course. And so you don't really have the time.

But right now, what I'm doing is releasing my emotions and then balancing it out and then seeing the shot that's in front of me and living in the present. And I want to know what your pre-round routine is because you seem like a very bubbly and bum person, but I know that some people like really slow down right before the round. Is that you? Yeah, I guess I don't talk as much. I talk more before the tournament and then after the tournament, but during the tournament I'm kind of quiet. I only like to speak to my caddy. I'm trying to be more relaxed these days and so it's not as bad, but in the morning I like to focus because I only use one hour to warm up. So I putt, hit and then putt again. When I'm putting, I like

complete silence. I'm also not a music listener. I like to listen to what's around me. That's a good one. I used to listen to EDM while warming up. Wow! Nice! Completely different. And my coach was like, you need to listen to classical if you're going to listen to music, but I prefer you to not. Yeah. Could not do the classical, but I think I ended up stopping. But I feel like that was a while ago.

Your EDM is like your adderall, huh? You just zone in. No, I take adderall too, so it's like double the amount. It was honestly, it was perfect. I think it's a trick, but but like hole 12 I'd be like just kind of on a downhill because I got too amped up too early. I used to be so ashamed to say like I play golf because everyone's always like oh so what do you do when you're not playing golf? Do you not get tired of it like at all? No I

don't unless I'm playing bad golf then I need two days off and I go to an escape room. That's my new Obsession I love escape rooms Do I love escape rooms? It's it's so fun. I'm so stupid at it Oh really? I feel like you have to go with the right people because I'm like I guess maybe I have a leader mindset or something But I love doing puzzles on the side like I wake up every morning and do brain puzzles, so that might be it. But if somebody comes in and they're not doing the

correct things, I'm like, I don't want to lead them. But at the same time, we need to get this done. The clock is running. That's my friend. So my friend who also works for me, her and I were smashing out escape rooms everywhere we go. Apparently Selena Gomez loves it too. Oh, whoa. Okay. Maybe we should all do one one day. I wonder how that would go oh my goodness. I know there's some really good ones in LA like really good ones. Oh I'm so jealous I'll have to do one when I come down. We've talked a lot about your golf career but we want to talk more about you. Is there a moment in your career that you're most proud of? I guess not quitting. Is there a moment in your career that you're most proud of? I guess not quitting.

I had an injury that was pretty bad a couple of years ago. I think it was 2022. My season was awful. I really wanted to quit. But obviously, I didn't want to quit that bad because I didn't quit. I continued to play, and I was able to get it together last year and really have success out of it and then have

my first one. And so I guess that's my proudest moment of my career. I was going to change the question to, do you have a best friend on tour or like another favorite golfer on tour? Oh yeah, I actually I do. I mean, Lizette's a great friend. Ever since my rookie year, we played soccerHound together, we got really close. And we actually lived pretty close to each other.

So we've been pretty close since 2017. It's always very hard to get together during tournament week, because everybody does their own thing. But we try to make time when we're like abroad or somewhere else. Who did I really like? I mean, I like Junyoung Ko since I was a rookie just because I felt like her game was so consistent and I think that people can win, but to be consistently good, like what Nellie's doing is pretty impressive and Junyoung was able to do that for a very long time to be consistently so good. So I've always valued consistency over anything

and I think that's more impressive. Let's talk about the growth of the LPGA. It's seen some tremendous growth in the past few months, maybe a few years. What do you think contributed to that? I think women's sports as a whole is growing, which is pretty exciting because it's not just one aspect. When you see everything grow together, you can see a huge community come up.

I actually went to my first WNBA game. Uh, I know it was pretty fun. It was, uh, Ellie Sparks versus the Aces, but you can see there's a huge wave. The stadium was completely packed and everyone was having fun. Everyone knew who was playing. It wasn't just like people just like going to watch. I can see how everything, all the community is just, I guess more accepting, seeing a different side of it, expanding the horizon and I think we're benefiting

out of that as well. And last question, we always end our interviews with asking our guests for their good follow on social media or pop culture whatever you're on who is your good follow? I mean I'm mostly on my for you page where I'm looking at dogs. I've been following a lot of the WNBA stuff so I guess that one's good WNBA and LPGA since I might be on it. Are there any dogs that you'd recommend as a good follow? It's a wiener dog. Winston the wiener, he's like really popular. This is one of my favorite pictures.

Oh my god, that is terrifying. I've never seen that dog. Have you seen the Chinese crested dogs? I used to want one so bad. No, I have not. Look it up. They're so ugly, but so cute. Okay, hold on, before I just to share, look at this.

What does it say at the top? Animorph. We know those books. Whoa. Like a trilogy, a sequel of Ed, Big Ed. You know the books that you used to read as a kid? How old are you? Maybe you're too young.

No, I'm 24. I don't exactly know who that is. Well, thank you so much for coming on. I really enjoyed having this conversation with you and good luck this week. I am so excited to watch you on my TV. Oh my goodness. And we appreciate you just taking the time to come join us. Thank you.

Thank you. Now we welcome in our social correspondent, Logan. Logan, thank you for joining us. And what a fun conversation with Angel. It was so great to sit down with her. She is so incredibly funny. And they're at a big tournament this week. So wishing her lots of luck.

Well, you're probably wondering the obvious what is on our laps, but we are celebrating National bring your dog to work day. All three of us are dog owners and I just have to introduce everyone to the queen of the house this is been yay and We are dog lovers here on good follow. She is made for stardom, doesn't want to be part of the show right now, but you know who does? The athletes who post their dogs. We are big fans of Blue, Alex Morgan's dog, and a fan favorite, Roosevelt's Wilma Jean Wrinkles, the bulldog who gets its own cutouts at games, okay? The star of the show. We also have Serena with Christopher Rafael Nadell,

which I think is so iconic. And then golfer Lexi Thompson has Leo, who her mom pushes around in a stroller at tournaments, and it is so cute. That's one of my favorite things I've ever heard in my life. We also have to shout out Lindsey Vonn with her trio of Lucy, Leo and Bear. They're so cute.

There's so many athletes with dogs that we had to specifically create a summer Olympics list or we'd be here all day. Some of my favorites are Simone Biles with her dog Lilo and Rambo, who have over 77,000 Instagram followers. Famous just like their mother, we absolutely love to see it. We also have Alissa Sealy, who has two, a current and former

service dog, Bentley and Mowgli, who is named after the jungle book, possibly. I think that would be where she got the name from. And as a little gift to herself for winning two Olympic gold medals, I think Mo got her pug named Bentley, which I think that's like the best gift ever. I might get myself another dog.

Do you want a brother? I can't afford a Bentley, so I'll get a dog named Betsy. Right? Jessica Long, who is a 16 timetime Paralympic gold medalist, like an icon, has her rescue dog Goose, which is just the cutest name ever. Olympic long jumper Tara Davis Whittle

and her husband Hunter Whittle, who is also a Paralympic track and field athlete, have their Malty Poo Milo, which shout out to the Malty Poo's. And Olympic gold medalist Sunna Lee is a dog mom to her Australian shepherd named Bean. That is the cutest thing I've ever heard. I have to say, I love when dogs are named

after like other animals. Yeah, Sidney LaRue has a dog named Chicken. Okay. Iconic. This dog is like this big and their name is Chicken. I love like the small dogs named bear too. It's like that it's not a bear or I've seen there's somebody in women's sports and she has a tiny tiny dog named tiger. Actually think it's Ari. Ari has a tiny tiny dog named tiger. Tiger is the star. I like dogs named after animals but this one was obviously named after a donut.

I like dogs named after animals, but this one was obviously named after a donut. My brother and I always wanted to get a beagle, a pair of beagles and name them Bagel. And I just, we thought about that when we were like four or five and it's still one of my favorite little anecdotes. Like I gotta make it happen. I have so many names for dogs that I would have a name for Bignes brothers and sisters, but I travel too much. I know. I feel that. Well, everyone hug your dogs because dogs are a treasure to this world.

They're the best. Love your dogs. Hug your dog. Celebrate National. Bring your dog to work day. And I just love how they bring us together. They can take over a conversation. I was saying I was on a plane and I was looking at pictures of her and the guy behind me tapped

me on the shoulder and showed me a picture of his dog because he saw I was the crazy lady looking at pictures of her dog on the plane. Oh my gosh, that would so be me. Especially like if the Wi-Fi is down, you're like going through all your pictures. Just look at the dog that you're about to go home to or you're leaving. Exactly. I had a party over the weekend and there was like four of us doing that. We were all trying to show up like find our favorite photo of our dogs and we just all got sucked in to the albums and it was just like quiet at the kitchen for like three minutes because we were just like

oh they are so cute and I don't have my my dog with me right now. She's back home in Chicago, but my mom did give me this animated stuffed animal dog as a replacement. It's Riley She does bark, which is psychotic. Wait, have you seen the video of, correct me if I'm wrong, is it of Aaliyah Boston when they're having her bark and she was like, that is what she sounded like. It's the best prop I've ever been given. Thank you for this. Thank you for bringing this joy to my day. Anytime, anytime.

Coming up next, Kelsey Robinson Cook talks volleyball and then we're going to take you through a couple things that'll make you say, wow, that's a big deal. But in like a good way, like it's real, it's a really big deal in a very fun way. So stay tuned. ["Sweet Home Alone"] Now we welcome Kelsey Robinson-Cook. Kelsey is an athlete, leader, and entrepreneur. She is a two-time Olympic medalist, including gold at Tokyo 2020 and bronze at Rio 2016.

Kelsey, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here. So Kelsey, I always like to know the genesis of a person's athletic career. What made you start playing volleyball? Yeah. So I originally came from a Midwest sport family and we did basketball and softball and volleyball was something new.

And my mom asked me if I wanted to try out as like cross-training for basketball. And I started playing and it was kind of like my second sport and finally dedicated myself to it around like 16 and 17. I got a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. I did that for three years, transferred to the University of Nebraska. And then after that, I went pro and I've been pro for the last 10 years and 11 years with the national team. Shout out mom.

Shout out mom for real. So you mentioned that you played at Nebraska, which is a powerhouse in volleyball, and it was your coach, John Cook, who said that you could play for the national team. Before that, had you ever thought about playing for Team USA? No, honestly, like becoming a professional volleyball player wasn't in, I guess, like my hopes and dreams and ambition as like a kid. The only time I saw professional volleyball was at the Olympics. So I didn't really understand that that was something you could do and also make a living.

So for me, my whole plan was graduate college and move to California and just figure it out. Do you remember watching like Misty Mae for the first time? Yeah, that was actually like kind of the first time where I was like, I want to be a professional volleyball player, or at least go to the Olympics was watching her and Kerry Walsh play. So but it was never really indoor. It was only beach that I had seen. Volleyball has grown so much since you,

I'm gonna say me, also when I started playing. We were all the same age. Yeah, when we started playing, it wasn't popular. It was hard to find. When you did find it, it was super expensive. So from there, all the way to seeing your alma mater have 90,000 people attend and watch you dominate, like how has that felt? What has it been like? What did you experience?

It was really special because I was overseas playing for my club team and everybody in Europe was talking about it. And it's special to see in the last couple years, this sport really growing. I mean, for a long time, we've all had to go overseas and there's only opportunities for really the very best. It can be like very, very difficult because not only do you have to be like some of the best Americans to get a spot on a team, you have to be some of the best like in the world because there's only three to four foreigner spots per team. And so it can be really challenging and really difficult. And so a lot of women who maybe could have developed in the sport never really had an opportunity to do that. And so to see where volleyball is today and that people

in Europe are talking about it and what's going on in America, you can really feel the impact. And that's why I'm just so excited for next season to come home and play for League One. So let's go to another high note. Your last season with Italy and winning your league for the sixth year in a row, how did that feel? You can tell she didn't say the name of your team. So could you say it for us? Because we don't speak Italian over here. I could try and I would get, people would be upset. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna put that in your hands. So I played for ImoCo Conigliano and it's just outside of Venice. So the thing about professional volleyball, which is actually pretty confusing is you play for a lot of cups within the season. So this season we played for four cups and three of them are within the Italian league.

And then one is the best of Europe. So we were fortunate enough to win all four and we only lost two games in like within the season. So it was an incredible season and to leave it in that way, I think it will always like carry a special place in my heart. You went out on a high note. You went out on a freaking high note. What's like, what's the gelato flavor

you're gonna miss the most? I am ashamed to say I'm not a huge gelato person, but they're like my pasta spots in there. I have my pasta spots and like steakhouse and we're also sponsored by Prosecco. So that's always like really fun after games to just get your little Prosecco and cheers and stuff like that. So there's little moments for sure. I'm going to miss. You'll have to bring the Prosecco tradition to to League one. Yes, exactly. You want to tell us a little bit about how love is different from other leagues? What makes it so important? What's why is it so different?

How is it going to pave this new way for younger volleyball players? It's basically the model is designed around like a grassroots mentality. So you have the love youth and then you have the love pro. And so what they've done is created a network of six, seven, eight youth clubs, and they all filter into the pro club. So I will be playing side by side and practicing with a lot of the youth players within whatever region or market you're playing in or city you're playing in basically. And it's why I'm excited is because it's this ecosystem of young athletes that come in that get to see their role models and get to learn from them every single day and then have that hope that maybe one day they'll be able to play at the highest level. And then for us, I get to have that connection with these young girls and help guide and teach and show, you know, what I know,

and also give back to the sport that's given me so much. And so I think the foundation and how they've created this league is going to last for a long time because they've taken the steps to make sure this is successful. And I think in America, it can be really hard to see a woman's league successful

because right now, a lot of the sports, you have the male and the female sport, but right now this is first, it's a female sport in America and then hopefully we'll start to get men's volleyball as well, but for the first time, I think it is that's what's challenging about it. It's the best way to bring women up along with you, right? There is no gatekeeping. It's there's no, I'm over here and you're over here. It's we're doing this together, which is why it just kind of leads into that team sport feel like we we are all, it's like if you're a bench player,

if you're a starter, it doesn't matter. You're all in it together. And it kind of brings that like unity together, which is why it sounds so fun. And I feel like it's just set up for success. Yeah. And I think the coolest part is that like, I've been with them now for three years and we have a founding athletes like council that they've regularly checked

in every month for the last like two years, three years to get our feedback, you know, the things we love about what we do, the things that are really hard, like how can we make it better? And I think getting that direct feedback from athletes that have been doing it a long time, that's what's going to make it successful. If you could bring yourself back to the moment at Tokyo 2020, specifically when Team USA won gold. And I think in hindsight, what that meant to you, what were your emotions? What was going through your mind in that moment? It was a long road. I mean, five years. It's definitely a long time to compete for that one moment. But I think we were super grateful to have that one extra year

because I don't know if we were quite ready for 2020, but we put a lot of work in as a team within the last year. And I think that just brought us closer. And so when we finally won, there were a lot of tears and a lot of emotions. But my favorite part of that win was just the group that we had and the women that we did it with. I think that's what stands out the most to me. So we now know that also aside from being an incredibly accomplished volleyball player, that you're also an entrepreneur. Can you tell us about your clothing line by the

sun? Yeah. So I was actually in China playing a professional season, but I had to do a two-week quarantine. So I was very bored. Bored. Like lockdown. And I love fashion. I love being able to express myself. And I've always been into like vintage and secondhand fashion and things like that. The problem is, is there's not a lot of things for tall people as far as like pants go or like sleep length. And I just have seen so many of my teammates like struggle to find really beautiful pieces that fit them. And then the other thing is that I just love to be comfortable. I love to have an elevated look when I'm just, you know, at the beach or going to get groceries or whatever it is.

I don't want to always be in sweatpants. So I put all of those things together to create by the sun. And it is a sustainable and ethically made loungewear and swim. And then the other little caveat we have is that we are working to become a zero waste company. So any of the inventory we have on hand, we dye and create different color palettes for another launch. So we're actually looking to launch our second colorway at the end of the summer, which is exciting. Why is sustainability important to you? I think within my life overseas and just traveling a lot,

you're really awakened to other cultures and other countries and other living conditions and what people are going through. And I think I have so much like empathy and also like you come face to face with just the fact that like in America, we have so much and ever, not everywhere else, but in a lot of places we it's there's very little. And so I think the impact we have in how we buy and throw away things and our waste. For me, I never want to make something that is going to harm somebody else. And it was really important

to me to make sure that the fabrics we were using weren't harming the environment and also they were going to be made by people that have good working conditions and are getting paid fairly and so I can just be really proud of the product that I'm creating. Do you have thoughts on how sport and volleyball could be more environmentally friendly? It's something that is really really hard and weighs heavily on me when, I mean, year in and year out, we're just given a million t-shirts, a million shorts, knee pads, shoes, backpacks, everything. And people just wear them for the season and throw them away.

Like how many shoes I see thrown into the garbage, how many knee pads, whatever. And so on a personal level, I try really hard not to open all my shirts and I always just give them back at the end of the year. Or I give them to little fans or kids or people that would love that stuff and just try to not use so much. You know, there's organizations like Players for the Planet that are doing a really good job to kind of mitigate, you know, the waste that is sport and whether that's like, they are going to big soccer clubs and, you know, big putting in reusable water stations where you're just filling it up with water bottle because the thousands and thousands and thousands of plastic water

bottles we get is almost sickening sometimes. So there are really good organizations. I think we just need more and we need to start, you know, as athletes, we need to start being more conscious of this. And it can't just be, you know, one or two athletes, we have really got to, you know, one by one start having a more mindful approach to what it is to be an athlete and play for a club or an organization. Kelsey, I have one last question for you. Considering we went to rival high schools from the Midwestern suburbs, do you want to do a rematch? I can get my whole Itter Mural

team and then just you. I feel like that could be potentially fair. I think you could cover every everything. Some of my teammates are. Let me just say I've called my dad about him. I don't know how to coach him into being better players. So I think if you have any tips to I'd love to hear them. No, I would be down for the rematch. We'll have to do it in like the football stadium like Nebraska did or something.

Oh, yes. That sounds perfect. We can sell tickets. We're sure we can sell tickets to that for sure. Well, Kelsey, thank you so much for joining us and sharing both your time and energy with Good Follow Show. Yeah. Thank you for having me.

It was fun to be here and excited to talk about all things volleyball. Kelsey Robinson-Cook everybody, a love athlete, an Olympian, and my personal favorite piece of information, a fellow original Chicago suburbanite. Since we talked to Kelsey, I did have a chat with my rec volleyball team and they have all agreed to quit their day jobs. So we can train

for the next six months in hopes to having a somewhat close match against her. I'm wishing you all the best. Thank you. We're gonna need it. We're gonna need it. Well we promised you all some big deals and here they are. No drum roll because I don't know how to do that. My big deal. The Seattle Sounders buy Seattle Reign, the NWSL team for $58 million to keep the team in the Pacific Northwest. The Sounders and a private equity firm have purchased the club from OL Group, who also own the French team, Olympic Lyonnais. Seattle is an underrated soccer city, and this is really exciting news for the fans of the rain

to know that the team are here to stay. I like that it's rain, because Seattle just has a lot of rain. Rain? I get it. I get it now. Rain? It's tight, that's tight.

My big deal is that the power of the dream is out now on Amazon Prime. So everyone go put it on your watch list because it's absolutely perfect timing for what is going on right now in the WNBA. It is a documentary that tells the story of how a group of WNBA players flipped the Senate in 2020 when they came together and backed Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. Let's check out a clip of the trailer. We're a league full of women who understand what's most important. 2020, we made a lot of noise. We absolutely want to dedicate our season to say her name and Black Lives Matter. This is like another opportunity where if we're doing this together,

it's just gonna have greater power, it's gonna go further. Our voices were more powerful than we ever imagined. There's no way that an owner like Kelly Loeffler is gonna work in the WNBA. No one has asked politics to come into sports. When Kelly made her statement, it was very disheartening knowing her role owning a team that is predominantly

black women. It felt like the ultimate betrayal. These women, they're not afraid of a fight with a senator. Players are mad. How can you redirect that energy? What can I do? What's action-based? Rafael Warnock, he's running in her seat.

Started researching him, because what do you stand for? It's really important that we hear him talk about these issues. They were laying it all on the line. Players wearing vote-worn-off shirts in support of voting against Senator Kelly LaFleur. This was a moment where it's bigger than basketball. You plan a scene and watch it grow. We will not stop.

We will go hard. Once we started wearing those shirts, this campaign shot to the roof. WNBA was standing together, and that was the most powerful message. It's in our fabric to see an injustice and want to step up for it. All odds are against you, but how do you find a way to win?

I'm excited for this one, adding it to my binge list. Coming up next, we have a big weekend in the NWSL, but isn't every weekend a big one? Stay tuned. We have another exciting weekend in the world of NWSL and the match I'm most looking out for, Portland versus Kansas City. KC Curran are currently top of the standings with 8 wins, 5 draws, and 0 losses. They also lead the league in goals with 33 total. And Portland are third with 25 goals.

So this game is a big one. Here are the players I'm watching out for. Sofia Smith is back from her suspension. She's leading the Golden Boot race with nine goals, and Portland are playing at home, so I wouldn't be surprised if she sets the pink smoke off. But Kasey's Temwa Shewinga is right behind her with eight goals.

Temwa has scored in Kasey's last two matches and is a dynamic player to keep an eye on. These picks are brought to you by DraftKings. Visit sportsbook.draftkings.com or find the DraftKings sportsbook wherever you get your apps. We wanna hear from you, our fans. Tell us who your Good Follow is.

Send us your nominations at at Good Follow Show and tell us why your Good Follow should be featured. That is all for this week. Thank you for joining us. Good Follow is brought to you by DraftKings and MetalArc Media. We'll see you next week. So So Bye!