Weekly Newsletter, Oct. 21, 2026: An Electric Night at CSL
IT’S WEDNESDAY
I got to attend the College Swimming League's Match 5 in Walnut, CA in person for the first time this week, and it might be the most electric a swim meet has ever felt to me — for an in-season dual meet, in October, no less.
Rylee Erisman opened her collegiate career there with a lifetime-best 1:48.74 in the 200 back, and I walked away with a few thoughts on where this sport's TV future is headed (more below).
Also on deck: The Longview Longshot just landed a release date, and I'm already half-packed to be on the road next week for LA28 Partner Summit and the Short Course Worlds Trials in Westmont, IL.
In today's newsletter, we'll look at:
This week's biggest client news: Rylee Erisman's electric collegiate debut at College Swimming League Match 5
A personal story: what Olympic sports can learn from the best show in sports
Cejih's Corner: the unglamorous habit that actually built CG Sports
CG Sports Publishing: The Longview Longshot gets a release date
CG Sports Client Events
This week's biggest client news
Huge congrats to Rylee Erisman, who opened her collegiate career this week at the College Swimming League's Match 5 in Walnut, CA — a gutsy 200-yard backstroke in 1:48.74, a lifetime best right out of the gate. She had a full slate of races that day, but that one stood out. (I was in the stands for it — more on that below.)
Also this week: Phoebe Bacon, Kieran Smith, Kristen Romano, Mitchell Schott and Lamar Taylor raced at the UVA Pro Classic in Charlottesville, VA. Always fun to see our pros put up fast times and enjoy what they do.
And I'm heading to Westmont, IL for the 2026 Short Course World Championship Trials, October 28–31 — the last major domestic step before Beijing Short Course World Championships in early December. If you're a swim nerd like me, keep an eye on the psych sheets this week as entries firm up.
Personal Story: My Recap of College Swimming League Match 5
Okay, I have to tell you about this one. I got to attend the College Swimming League's Match 5 in Walnut, CA in person for the first time this week, and it might be the most electric a swim meet has ever felt to me — and I've been going to these things since before some of our clients were born (kidding... mostly).
Picture Olympic Trials energy, the California mountains as a backdrop, and close to 2,000 people in the stands genuinely losing their minds — for an in-season dual meet in October. That's not supposed to happen. I got to catch up with CEO Rob Kent, watch our athletes race, and talk shop with half the swimming industry, which is basically my love language.
Hats off to Rob and Kyle Sockwell, because they've figured out something that's eluded this sport for decades: how to package swimming so it's actually watchable. Here's the thing nobody wants to say out loud — sitting in the stands watching a swim meet is a great time. Pointing a camera at that same meet and calling it television is usually not. People don't tune into Trials and NCAAs by accident; they tune in because there's context, stakes, and a story they can attach themselves to. Rob and Kyle are starting to bottle that for college swimming, and if they keep it up, it lifts every boat in this sport.
The other thing I noticed: nobody in that building was talking about raw times. They cared about who touched the wall first and how many team points were on the line. Smart move, because times are basically unreadable to a casual fan — and this format has figured out how to make you care anyway.
Which, zooming out, might be the whole lesson for every Olympic and Paralympic sport: the VP of marketing at VISA does not know the difference between a 50 free and a 200 fly, and — brace yourselves — never will. What they do respond to is a story, a mission, a reason to care. That's the actual job on our side of the table: giving these companies context by helping them connect to an athlete's story and purpose. That's how you build a connection to a customer, and that's how sponsorships actually get born.
Cejih's Corner
The habit that helped build CG Sports: 30 calls before lunch.
Early in my sales career, I had a problem a lot of us have: mornings would slip away. Coffee, small talk, inbox triage — and suddenly it's 10am and I hadn't made a single call. The longer I waited, the heavier the whole day felt.
A VP gave me a line that changed how I worked: "You don't have to feel good to get started, but you do need to get started to feel good." So I built a rule — I didn't eat lunch until I'd made 30 cold calls. That's it. No exceptions.
Here's why it works, and how to steal it:
Dial first, settle in later. Skip the warm-up lap. The first call is always the hardest — get it out of the way before resistance has time to build.
Pick one concrete number. Not "a lot of calls" — a specific target you can actually hit and know you hit.
Tie it to a real reward. Lunch isn't a metaphor. Make the reward something you'll actually miss if you skip the work.
Trust the momentum, not the mood. The second call is easier than the first. The tenth is easier than the second. You don't need motivation — you need to start.
I discovered I was good at cold outreach, and actually liked it, because I gave myself no room to talk myself out of starting. That discipline is a big part of why CG Sports exists today.
Read the full post: Building Momentum: The 30 Calls Before Lunch Rule
CG Sports Publishing
The Longview Longshot just got a release date: Friday, November 27. Sam Perley's biography of former pro basketball player Michael McDonald has been three years in the making — Sam first connected with Mike back in 2023 for what was going to be a short piece for Hornets.com, and it turned into something much bigger. The team is already building buzz with basketball media and insiders ahead of launch, so expect to hear a lot more about this one between now and Thanksgiving.
Becoming Uncommon: The Student-Athlete's Guide to Leadership and Life — Dan Freschi's debut, officially out as of Tuesday. It's not another motivational read; it's data-backed, practical leadership instruction built from Dan's own years developing leaders at the youth and collegiate level.
The Hardest Comeback — Scott Spiezio's memoir has been out for a few months now and keeps building momentum, with new media hits and a growing readership. If you haven't picked it up yet, now's a good time — especially with Scott's Field of Dreams appearance alongside his son and former teammates putting it back in the spotlight this week.
CG Sports Client Events
Oct 27, 2026 (Bloomingdale, NJ): Keynote at Walter T Bergen Middle School, Jack Wallace.
Oct 27, 2026: Speaking engagement at West Ridge Elementary School, Jack Wallace.
Oct 28-31, (Westmont, IL): 2026 Short Course World Championship Trials, Cejih in attendance.
Nov 3–4, 2026 (Colorado Springs, CO): USADA Athlete Panel, Jack Wallace.
Nov 7, 2026 (Mesquite, TX): Clinic with Rodeo Aquatics, Lilly King.
Nov 15, 2026 (Bay City, MI): Clinic with Bay City Aquatics Club, McKenzie Siroky.
Nov 18, 2026 (Baltimore, MD): Speaking engagement at Bryn Mawr School, Emily Oberst.
Dec 3, 2026 (Wilton, CT): Leadership keynote & Captain's Workshop at Wilton High School, Elizabeth Beisel.
Jan 10, 2027 (Issaquah, WA): Clinic with Issaquah Swim Team, Hali Flickinger.
Apr 10, 2027 (venue TBD): Clinic with Border Swimming LSC, Phoebe Bacon.
May 1, 2027: Beyond the Blocks 2027, Ohio Swimming.
That's the week. See you next Wednesday.
Cejih and The CG Sports Company
