Swimming Through Challenges: Father-Son Champions Richard and Ian Neville Show Grit, EP 259
Get ready to be inspired by an extraordinary father-son duo! In this episode, we dive into the remarkable journey of Ian Neville, a recent Summer National Champion in the 100 breaststroke for men aged 18 to 25, and his father, Richard Neville, a National Champion and World Record Holder in the 65-69 age group. Both are members of the Lone Star Masters Team.
Ian opens up about the inspiration he’s drawn from his dad, and how their shared love for Masters swimming has not only kept them both at the top of their game but also strengthened their bond. Both Ian and Richard have incredible comeback stories, overcoming significant health setbacks to achieve personal bests.
You’ll hear about Ian’s intense training regimen, his dedicated coach, and the incredible support from his local swim community in Utah. Ian reveals how swimming played a vital role in his recovery from a rib resection and a blood clot diagnosis, restoring his strength and mobility. His journey is a powerful testament to perseverance and the importance of support from family and friends.
Richard’s story is equally inspiring. He shares how swimming helped him rebuild his strength after battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Whether you’re an aspiring athlete or someone who appreciates stories of resilience, the Nevilles’ journey will motivate you to face your own challenges with grit and determination. Don’t miss this uplifting conversation that celebrates the tenacity and drive of true champions.
Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.
You can learn more about the Host and Founder of Champions Mojo at www.KellyPalace.com
Welcome to the award-winning Champions Mojo hosted by two world record-holding athletes. Be inspired as you listen to conversations with champions and now your hosts, kelly Pallas and Maria Parker.
Speaker 2Hello friends, Welcome to the Champions Mojo podcast. I am your host, Kelly Pallas, and, as usual, I am with my co-host, Maria Parker. Hey Maria, hey Kelly, it's great to be with you here today. Yes, and Maria, this is a special edition of Champions Mojo from the Pool Deck and we have a great interview for you today. It's brief, it's short, but it's powerful.
Speaker 3Yeah, I wasn't there, but I was able to listen to the interview and some great takeaways.
Speaker 2Yeah, we hope you'll stick around and catch the takeaways. And here we go. I have an on-deck interview. We have a national champion here in the 100 breaststroke for the men's 19 to 25, 18 to 25.
Speaker 4Yeah, 18 to 25.
Speaker 218 to 25. Ian Neville and Ian, you're here with your dad. Did he get you into master swimming?
Speaker 4Yeah, basically I mean I've always swam, but I wanted to keep competing. And masters obviously it's kind of how you keep competing, and he was definitely my role model when it comes to that. So I plan on serving my whole life. So he started with Masters now probably His first Masters with me.
Speaker 2And what number is this for you?
Speaker 5Oh gosh, I've been Masters for me since 2006, 2005.
Speaker 2Okay, and you're a World Masters holding World.
Speaker 5No, I've won multiple national championships and I've been number one in the world in 50 and 100 breaststroking 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023. So when I aged up to I'm now 67.
Speaker 2So who's faster?
Speaker 5Who do you think?
Speaker 2It better be the other guy.
Speaker 5All right, he's faster, but I think if I've got like breaststroke pins on, I can compete with him on a 50 with a push start, never with a dive.
Speaker 2And what age group are you?
Speaker 5I'm 65 to 69.
Speaker 2Okay, so do you guys train together?
Speaker 4Well, we don't live in the same state, but when we're in the same state we do train together a bit, yeah, so what's your time in in the same state?
Speaker 2but when I, when we're in the same state, we do train together a bit, yeah. So what was your time in the hunter breast today to win your age person?
Speaker 4I was 107.4, which is my best by four tenths. That I swam like five years ago, so I'm happy with that so you went faster today than you did when you were 19 uh, yes, yeah very so what kind of training are you doing to get ready for a 107 breaststroke? I swim in utah just free master's practices at my local pools. So just swimming under my coach Will, he's great. Just at the Steiner Pool in Salt Lake City, he's tough. So, yeah, it's great.
Speaker 2So three times a week pretty much, Maybe like five-ish probably like five, I would say on average when did?
Speaker 4you start A couple months ago.
Speaker 2How long of a break did you take?
Speaker 4Quite a few months. I had a rib removed about a year ago. A year ago I was diagnosed with a blood clot. I had to get like four surgeries, three thrombectomies and a rib resection. So I was out of the pool for a while. I still kind of have trouble with my arm circulation. My left arm gets really puppy. So yeah, I was out of the water for a while but yeah, I started swimming back in, probably June, training like really training. So yeah, two and a half months.
Speaker 2Wow, I'm glad you're healthy now. Was swimming a part of your recovery?
Speaker 4Yeah, I mean I would say so. Luckily the surgery wasn't too invasive. I was able to recover pretty quickly from it. But yeah, it definitely helped, you know, keep the mobility and whatnot.
Speaker 5Yeah, I started back swimming because I had non-hydrocynism coma and I was like 30 pounds lighter and swimming has helped me gain a lot of weight and strength. I love it. So I try and swim every day, just even 20 or 30 or 40 minutes, just to get in some kind of aerobic activity and to welcome the storm.
Speaker 2Do you guys swim on the same team? We?
Speaker 5are on the same team. Well, it's our masters.
Speaker 2Are you going to be on relays?
Speaker 5Well, we were supposed to be on a relay today but I had a great injury. I'm going to have to see if I can compete tomorrow. So we'll be on a relay.
Speaker 4I was on the relay. Yeah, you were on the relay.
Speaker 2Okay. So what would you tell other parents trying to get their kids to swim Masters? What was the trick?
Speaker 5I think, just setting the example of being in Masters and how much you enjoy it and love it, and inviting them into the pool, back into the pool that they were former swimmers.
Speaker 4I love it. Well, thanks for being on the show and really appreciate you.
Speaker 1Good luck in the rest of the meet. Thank you so much. Thank you, stay tuned for the takeaways. Want to succeed like a champion? Five-time Olympic coach Bob Bowman. Coach of Olympic legend Michael Phelps, says Kelly's book Take your Mark Lead is a powerful addition to your personal improvement library and learners from all walks of life will gain key insights and enjoy this inspiring book. Take your Mark Lead debuted as an Amazon number one bestseller in five categories and is available online. And now the takeaways. And is available online.
Speaker 2And now the takeaways. All right, so our takeaways on the father and son team of Ian and Richard Neville Maria what's your first takeaway?
Speaker 3I loved how they talked about using swimming for rehab. I have not been a consistent swimmer, but I have always used swimming as a rehab sport and it's something really good to remember. It's probably the only sport that you can actually do and be fixing yourself instead of wearing and tearing on, you know, like knee injuries or neck or back injuries so many things. He talked about his surgeries that he's recovering from. It's a great rehab sport. That's my takeaway.
Speaker 2Yeah, it is. Ian was the young one who rehabbed with swimming. But you know, as aging athletes ourselves, the better shape you go into an injury or in a surgery or an illness, the easier you come out. So it's it kind of works both ways. So, if you can, once you're swimming and then whatever you have, then you can come out and rehab. I love that. So I take two things away here. We've said you're never too old for master swimming, but now we're going to add you're never too young either, almost. So if you're 18 and up, you know, recruit those young youngins to get in there and swim. It's just a great lifetime sport and I love that.
Speaker 2Ian said he was going to try to swim his whole life. Already he's 23 and he's planning to swim his whole life, which just expands my heart. I love it. And he's doing it with his dad. And he's doing it with his dad. So his dad gets a kudos for recruiting his son and it's just. It's a wonderful thing. Yeah, it is All right. Another great one, Maria. Love you. Love you too. Bye, Bye, Bye.
Speaker 1Thank you for listening to the Champions Mojo podcast. Did you enjoy the show? We'd be grateful if you would leave us a five-star review on iTunes to help others find us, and we'd also love to hear from you. We're on all social media platforms or you can reach us at championsmojocom.
