The Jack Murley Sports Show

The One with Kirk Walker

It’s fair to say that Kirk Walker has a life that has been shaped by softball, over and over again.
The current head-coach at UCLA, Walker spent nearly two decades at Oregon State before returning to the place where he had previously been on the coaching staff between 1984-94.
Kirk has more titles and accolades than you can shake a stick at – with multiple NCAA Championships, over a dozen appearances in the Women’s College World Series, Coach of the Year awards, stints serving on the coaching team for Team USA through the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens… the list goes on and on.
Yet Kirk’s significance is also related to what he’s done as an advocate – including in 2007, when he shared his story with Outsports and became the first out gay male Division 1 coach.
Nowadays, it’s also related to his work with the Sports Equality Foundation, which promotes visibility, linking, opportunity and education for LGBTQ+ athletes – so it’s only natural for us to get him on the podcast.
This chat is a cracker for anyone who wants to find out more about what it takes to coach at the very top level, and how authenticity is such a crucial part of that – and we’re delighted that Kirk made the time to join us for it.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST?sportsequalityfoundation.org GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST:@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com

The One with Arthur Webber

When Arthur Webber was growing up, football was there for him in a big way.
A kid who tried a fair few different sports and an Arsenal fan during the glory days of Arsene Wenger, he loved nothing more than playing for his school’s football team.
But when he was forced to choose between being true to who he was and continuing in the beautiful game, Arthur stepped away from football – and it was years before he felt able to return.
When he did, he made up for lost time – firstly for LeftFooters FC, and then, as a history-maker with TRUK United as the skipper of the world’s first all-transmasc eleven-a-side team, captaining them in a match that made headlines around the world.
With a book on the horizon and a passion for football in the here-and-now, you can see why we wanted to get Arthur onto the podcast – and he’s a great guest that we think you’re going to love.
From the unique reason he ended up as an Arsenal fan to becoming a role model to others, this is a chat that has a little bit of everything in it – and we’re really grateful that Arthur made the time to join us for it.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST?@bernietranders on Instagram
WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST?@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com

The One with Grant Skene

If you follow Grant Skene on social media, as thousands and thousands of people do, you’ll know he's a man who lives and breathes rugby.
The Scot plays for inclusive team Aberdeen Taexali and, until recently, was the team’s coach too.
Through his platform, he’s helped hundreds of people feel welcome in the game and made them realise that their sexuality shouldn’t stop them running out on the rugby pitch -  and has done so, in large part, because he knows exactly how it feels to think that who you love would stop you from being involved in the game.
We’re delighted he’s with us on the podcast today to share his story – about how he got into the game, about his experiences in it, about helping others feel as if they belong in rugby his journey with his own sexuality, the importance of allyship and loads, loads more.
Grant is humble, honest, and modest about what he’s achieved – but there’s no doubt at all that what he’s done in rugby, just by being his authentic self, has helped loads of others do that as well, and we’re delighted that he’s with us for this one.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST:@grantskene
WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST?:@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com

The One with Eric Radford

In a glittering career, Eric Radford became the very definition of a legend in the sport of figure skating.
The Canadian has Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals to his name, along with two World Championships and more than half-a-dozen Canadian titles.
The accolades go on and on, including as a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community – as, in 2018 in Pyeongchang, Radford became the first out gay man to win a gold medal at a Winter Games.
He’s someone we’ve wanted to have on the podcast for ages, so we’re delighted that we’ve been able to make it happen with Eric.
It’s a fascinating conversation, this one – as we talk about everything from imposter syndrome to separating your sense of self from your sporting achievements, to why being an authentic role model at the right time was so important to Eric.
It’s honest, it’s powerful, it’s inspiring – and it’s a genuine pleasure to be joined by an absolute legend in the world of winter sports.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS?@Rad85E on Twitter@ericradford85 on Instagram
WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST?@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com
 

The One with Kate Christowitz

Kate Christowitz took up rowing at school because she thought it might be like Wind in the Willows.
She soon learned that the reality was different and, if anything, more exciting than anything she’d anticipated – and little did she know the journey that it would take her on.
There were events around the world, training in beautiful places and, ultimately, a place in the woman’s heavyweight pairs final at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
But to say the journey that Kate went on to get there was straight forward or ordinary would be a huge distortion of the truth – and in this episode, you’re going to hear from the woman herself about the story that took her into an exclusive pantheon of elite sportspeople who can call themselves an Olympian.
At times, you’re just going to want to listen to Kate’s story, as she describes the highs and the lows, the grit and the mental toughness, the finding of what sport meant to her and what she wants it to mean to others – honestly, it’s just a fantastic episode that we are privileged to bring you today.WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST?@kaatchristowitz@rowingsaWANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST?@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com

The One with Jaiyah Saelua

Jaiyah Saelua was just fourteen years old when she made her international debut for the American Samoa men’s national team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign – just three years after she started playing football in the first place.
There were further appearances in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, and in 2011, Saelua moved back from Hawaii to help her country try to qualify for the 2014 Men’s World Cup and the Pacific Games.
It was in that campaign that Saelua started her first-ever match, helping American Samoa to an historic 2-1 win over Tonga in a campaign that was captured on film in the documentary ‘Next Goal Wins’.
Saelua was one of the unexpected stars of that documentary, not least because she identifies as trans fa’afafine, a third gender that’s present in Polynesian society – and we are absolutely delighted to have Jaiyah on the podcast today to tell her story.
We talk about her love of the beautiful game, representing her country, playing in those World Cup qualifiers, finding fame as part of these films, her journey with her identity and so much more in an absolutely cracking conversation that we think you’ll love!
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST:@jaiyahsaeluaWANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST:@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com

The One with Dom Le Feuvre-Raeyen

It’s great when we get to introduce you to a brand-new sport on the podcast, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today with Dom Le Feuvre-Raeyen and the sport of tchoukball.
It’s something Dom discovered back in 2004 – and it wasn’t long before he began making his mark in it, competing at World and European Championships as well as at multiple Nations Cups.
He’s also coached the Britain Under-18s amongst many other accolades in the sport, and he’s now a passionate advocate for growing the tchoukball here in the UK, and getting many more people involved in it.
So, there are few better people to have on the podcast to explain all about it than Dom – who, full disclosure, I happen to know from my inclusive football team Stargazy FC, where he is one of our (many) goalkeepers.
All of which means you can expect a great conversation here today – about Dom’s love of sport, about discovering tchoukball, about representing his country, about some of his most memorable moments in it and looking to expand the sport, his journey as an LGBTQ+ person – all of that, and loads, loads more, including how he ended up carrying the Olympic torch in this very week in 2012!
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST?@TchoukballUK@domisthumper
GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST:@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com
 

The One with Francis Highton

To say that Francis Highton has sport in his genes would be an understatement.
A national-level swimmer as a teenager, he switched to rowing as a way to help with his conditioning – and promptly fell in love with it.
And it wasn’t just adoration for rowing that Francis found, but an aptitude as well – because his career on the water saw him compete for Britain on the international stage on a number of occasions, and become a former two-time Henley finalist.
Francis stepped away from rowing at a competitive level due to injury, but that hasn’t driven him away from the boat entirely – and with a charity expedition down the Zambezi already under his belt, and one coming up in Mozambique this summer, the sport is still very much in his blood.
So, when Francis dropped us a message, saying he’d love to come on to talk about his experiences – including why he didn’t feel comfortable coming out until after he’d left full-time sport, we were always going to say yes.
And this is a brilliant conversation about Francis and his experiences in rowing – making the national team, what rowing gave him socially, his journey with his sexuality, coming out, these mammoth rowing expeditions, how you navigate around hippos – it’s all in this conversation!
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST?@franco.hight on Instagram
WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST?@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com
SUPPORT FRANCIS AND HIS CHARITY ROW:www.rowzambique.com
 

The One with Tegan Vincent-Cooke

With a resume that includes public speaking, content creating, modelling and TV presenting, there are very few things that Tegan Vincent-Cooke isn’t capable of doing.
That includes in the world of para-dressage, where Vincent-Cooke represents Britain and recently completed her first CPEDI3* event - which is the equivalent of the Paralympics.
That, in itself, is an extraordinary achievement – and what makes it even more remarkable is the fact that Tegan is, to her knowledge, the first black rider to reach this level.
Tegan is also bisexual – and she’s an absolutely brilliant guest to have on the podcast with us today as we talk about her life, her career, and everything in between.
We chat about finding a sport that fitted for her; how riding makes her feel; the importance of representation in equestrianism; representing Britain; her TikTok stardom; her coming out via social media and loads more, all in a cracking episode!
It’s brilliant to get to chat with someone so young in their career who has already accomplished so much, and we think you’ll love this one.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST?tegan.vincent.cooke on Instagram
WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST?@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com

The One with Adam Bolt

Few people had a better 2023 in professional wrestling than Adam Bolt.
The Doncaster-based grappler headlined shows across the UK, including winning the first-ever WAW Pride Championship when he beat Mitchell Starr in what was later nominated as a QWI Match of the Year.
Throw in appearances for promotions like House of Pain, True Grit, Elevation and many others, and you can see why this man is one of the most sought-after talents on the UK scene.
But it’s not just wrestling that makes Adam stand out – but also his willingness to talk openly about his sexuality, his journey with his own body image and lots more besides.
Time spent chatting with Adam is always time well spent, so we’re delighted he’s on the show with us today for a long overdue catch-up.
We talk about using his platform to help others, how lockdown was the making of him, coming out and being a role-model in the industry, when he knows he’s had a great match, the reasons why 2024 is going to be a huge year for him – and loads, loads more.
It’s a cracker, this conversation – and we think you’ll love it as much as we do!
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR GUEST?@adamboltwrestler on Instagram@adam_bolt on Twitter
WANT TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PODCAST?@jack_murleyjack@jackmurley.com
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