Perk At Pod

After a whirlwind summer, Joel Johnson left his post as Gopher Women's Associate Head Coach and became the new head coach of the newly aligned Division 1 program at the University of St. Thomas. Weeks later, Johnson was also named the head coach of the USA Olympic Women's hockey team that will compete at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. The Minnesota native joins Perk via zoom from Calgary where the US team is competing currently.

Carrie Tollefson shares her perspective on competing in the Summer Olympic Games. The former state champ in cross country and track from Dawson, Minnesota is still very active in the running community. She discusses the state of the sport and her joy for being an ambassador for fitness and wellness.

Kyle Soderman is an MVP in the emerging sport of World Chase Tag. The Lino Lakes, MN native is now out in California pursuing a career as a stuntman but also putting his extreme sports prowess to the test in World Chase Tag. Yes, like the same kind of tag we played as kids in the backyard.

She's the best in a sport that was once considered niche, but has grown into a mainstream sport with a tournament circuit, sponsorships and a considerable amount of spectators. Catrina Allen of Pipestone, MN is the current world champion on the Disc Golf Pro Tour.

Da Beauty League is a summer showcase of some of the best hockey players in the country. The charity tournament boasts many NHL stars and celebrates the state of hockey even during the offseason. One of the league's founders is Ben Hankinson, the former Golden Gopher and NHL player is this week's guest.

This pro bowl tight end spent a decade with the Minnesota Vikings and enjoyed great success. Now Rudolph takes his talents to the Big Apple where he's a member of the New York Giants. One thing hasn't changed though and that's his commitment to helping people in the community, particularly children. Rudy discusses his newest efforts with GENYOUTH and his fresh opportunity in New York/Jersey.

This native of Atwater, MN has been riding bareback ever since he got into the rodeo back in high school. Now, Tyler Berghuis is traveling then country, competing against some of the best cowboys and bucking horses in the nation.

The sport of Ultimate Frisbee has taken off in recent years. The AUDL is a pro league that features the Minnesota Wind Chill. They're in the middle of their season and near the top of the standings. One of the veteran players on the squad is Bryan Vohnoutka. The Eden Prairie talks all things Ultimate on this episode.

It's a sport that requires ridiculous amounts of athleticism, and Leif Sundberg doesn't just take part in the sport, he excels at it. Sundberg is about to appear in his fourth season of NBC's hit show America Ninja Warrior. How did the Minnesota native get involved with the show? And what does it take to get to the top of that warped wall?

She helped usher in the sport of girls hockey to an entire generation. After a storied high school career, Natalie Darwitz helped the Minnesota Golden Gophers win back to back National Championships, and then proceeded to help USA medal in 3 Olympics. She's now bringing the Hamline University program to national prominence.

Getting ready to go to his 3rd Paralympic Games, Chuck Aoki and the rest of Team USA captured a bronze at the London Games and a silver in Rio. This year in London, they're going for gold. The Minnesota native has such a passion for adaptive sports, especially the brutally tough sport of Wheelchair Rugby.

Tyler Miller is off to a very good start to the 2021 season. The Minnesota United goalie is very excited to start playing in front of a full capacity crowd at Allianz Field this season. He discusses the nuances of the unique position he plays.

Shane Wiskus is one of America's greatest hopes in the sport of men's gymnastics. Getting set to compete at US Nationals and then the Olympic Trials after that, Wiskus then hopes to punch his ticket to the Tokyo Games. The former Golden Gopher discusses growing up a gym rat, the demise of the program at the U of M, and what it's going to take to represent his country this summer at the Olympics.

Frank Ragnow is coming off a breakout season in which he was named to the 2020 Pro Bowl team. The Detroit Lions rewarded the center with a huge 4 year 54 million dollar contract extension. Frank is also an avid outdoorsman and hosts a show on YouTube called Grizzly Man Outdoors.

Sylvia Fowles has been a vital part of the Minnesota Lynx and their championship runs. The center is ready to return to Target Center for another WNBA season after missing most of last year because of calf injuries. The former MVP of the league is looking forward to playing in front of live fans and continuing as one of the leaders of the team.

It's the most exciting transition in the history of this storied and colorful minor league baseball franchise, and Derek Sharrer is overseeing the St. Paul Saints as they usher in this new era as the Triple A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

Perk catches up with one of the world's greatest snowboard halfpipe riders. The 2 time Winter X-Games Champion talks about his time on the podium but also discusses the harsh transition pro sports stars have to deal with when the spotlight goes out.

Nurk and Perk collide to discuss the Drone Racing League. Nurk, or Paul Nurkkula is the 2018 Champion of the DRL. He discusses the world of drones. How he got into them and what it's like to race them at the highest levels. He talks about the technology behind drones, their application and where he sees the future of them and the sport.

In the past year, the University of Minnesota cut three athletic programs including Mens Gymnastics. Coach Burns has fought hard to save his sport and even recently appeared in a prominent feature on 60 Minutes on the matter. Now he prepares for his team's appearance at the NCAA Championships hosted at the U of M.

The winner of the 2021 Spencer Penrose Award for the NCAA Division1 National Coach of the Year, Mike Hastings has taken the Mavericks of Minnesota State University of Mankato to the Frozen Four for the first time in school history.

The COO of Wise Ventures Esports talks about the constantly evolving landscape of the industry. He discusses leaving his NFL job for this new venture, the beginning of the Rokkr franchise in the Call of Duty League, and their recent expansion with Version 1 into Rocket League and Valorant.

He is the man behind the wildly popular Super 70's Sports Twitter account. Ricky has been able to satirize and celebrate the decade of the 1970's by hilariously capturing the spirit of it through a sporting and comedic lens. He shares what it takes to consistently crank out the side splitting content.

In 14 seasons as head coach of the Gopher Women's Hockey Team, Brad Frost has led his teams to 4 National Championships and 9 Frozen Four appearances. He discusses the state of hockey in the state of hockey, and talks about the amazing alums he's guided through his elite program.

The 6 Time National Coach of the Year in football joins Perk to talk about the success at the University of St. Thomas and the school's historic and unprecedented jump from NCAA Division 3 to Division 1!

The former American League MVP talks baseball and his amazing career with the Twins but also his blossoming career as a broadcaster. The Canadian discusses his love for hockey also, and so much more.

This Minnesota sports legend joins us to discuss her amazing college playing career with the Gophers, multiple WNBA Championships with the Lynx, playing overseas and at the Olympics, and eventually coming back to her alma mater to become a head coach.

Former Vikings Guard Steve Hutchinson joins us to talk about his hall of fame induction. He also discusses playing at Michigan with Tom Brady, blocking for Brett Favre, his skill on the grill, and his mega popular wife Landyn Hutchinson.

Minnesota Wild forward Nick Bjugstad comes from a hockey family. Growing up in Blaine, he became a star on the ice early on. Eventually, he became a Golden Gopher and soon after, he started his NHL career. After several years in the league, he finally came back to the state of hockey for what he hopes is the next successful chapter of an awesome run in the league and as a family man.

In this episode, the Gophers all time leading scorer talks to Perk about her competitive upbringing, her WNBA career which eventually brought her home to play for the Lynx, being raised by police officers, and so much more.

Eric Perkins brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod." In Episode 12, Perk interviews Minnesota Vikings safety Anthony Harris. They discuss his career as an NFL standout, as well as his work with the Vikings Social Justice Committee and other off field works. The chat ends with a rapid fire two minute drill. Don't forget to Like and Subscribe! 

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 11, Perk interviews 13 time X Games Medalist, Levi LaVallee! Don't forget to Subscribe! 

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 10, Perk interviews Head Coach of the Minnesota United FC, Adrian Heath! Don't forget to Subscribe! 

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 9, Perk interviews Fox Sports North reporter Marney Gellner who covers the Minnesota Twins, Timberwolves, and Lynx! Don't forget to Subscribe! 

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 8, Perk interviews American culinary expert, chef, restaurateur, television personality, radio personality, director, producer, entrepreneur, food critic, journalist, teacher, and author, Andrew Zimmern! Don't forget to Subscribe! 

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 7, Perk interviews former IBF Super-Middleweight Champion Caleb Truax (@GoldenCalebT)! Don't forget to Subscribe! 

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 6, Perk interviews Matt Birk (@BirkMatt), a former member of the Minnesota Vikings! Don't forget to Subscribe!  

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 5, Perk interviews BearDaBeast (@BearDaBeast23) of the NBA 2K League Champions T-Wolves Gaming! Don't forget to Subscribe!  

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 4, Perk interviews Bahram Akradi, the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Life Time Fitness! Don't forget to Subscribe! --- Eric teamed up with Zone Coverage in fall of 2019. He's the host of the podcast “Perk at Pod” which showcases candid conversations with some of Minnesota's biggest sports influencers. He also serves as the Sports Director at KARE 11 TV, the NBC affiliate in the Twin Cities. The Emmy award winning anchor also has a wife, three children and a dog named Dozier after the former Twins second baseman.

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 3, Perk interviews Mike Veeck, the President & Co-Owner of the St. Paul Saints! Don't forget to Subscribe! --- Eric teamed up with Zone Coverage in fall of 2019. He's the host of the podcast “Perk at Pod” which showcases candid conversations with some of Minnesota's biggest sports influencers. He also serves as the Sports Director at KARE 11 TV, the NBC affiliate in the Twin Cities. The Emmy award winning anchor also has a wife, three children and a dog named Dozier after the former Twins second baseman.

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 2, Perk interviews Manny Lagos (@Manny_Lagos) of the Minnesota United Football Club! Don't forget to Subscribe!  

Eric Perkins of KARE 11 brings his years of sportscasting experience to the podcast world with "Perk at Pod," the newest iteration of his legendary program "Perk at Play." With Perk at Pod, we get to really see Eric Perkins at play as he interviews sports executives and athletic champions. In Episode 1, Perk interviews Ethan Casson (@EthanCasson), the CEO of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Don't forget to Subscribe! --- Eric teamed up with Zone Coverage in fall of 2019. He's the host of the podcast “Perk at Pod” which showcases candid conversations with some of Minnesota's biggest sports influencers. He also serves as the Sports Director at KARE 11 TV, the NBC affiliate in the Twin Cities. The Emmy award winning anchor also has a wife, three children and a dog named Dozier after the former Twins second baseman.