https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/8/27/12/47f1be9c-f802-4e21-aca3-6b76292a33aa_johnson_perk_mixdown.mp3

After a whirlwind summer, Joel Johnson left his post as Gopher Women&#39;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&#39;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.

Joel Johnson - USA Olympic Women's Hockey Coach

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/8/20/15/c1dd897e-8bd0-4fda-8296-9bbe76f8599e_perk_tollefson_mixdown.mp3

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.

Carrie Tollefson - Former Olympic Track Star

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/8/6/13/f20b1b7b-6a57-4cb5-a1a7-7d438246f505_perk_soderman_mixdown.mp3

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.

Kyle Soderman - World Chase Tag

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/7/30/17/10cc2d03-6d86-43ea-973e-cbccf2ec9505_perk_allen.mp3

She&#39;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.

Catrina Allen - Disc Golf World Champion

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/7/23/16/5fc1c734-6060-48b6-affb-4aebc69c5093_perk_hankinson_mixdown.mp3

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&#39;s founders is Ben Hankinson, the former Golden Gopher and NHL player is this week&#39;s guest.

Ben Hankinson - Da Beauty League

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/7/16/13/d0d8515d-4422-4fd2-931c-da612bf5f2aa_perk_rudolph_mixdown.mp3

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&#39;s a member of the New York Giants. One thing hasn&#39;t changed though and that&#39;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.

Kyle Rudolph - New York Giants

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/7/9/17/35b04f29-8f18-4cf1-98a5-99d1b720d58c_perk_berguis_mixdown.mp3

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.

Tyler Berghuis - Bareback Rodeo Rider

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/7/2/19/4c27acf5-bdd1-4e17-8b1e-8dcb216f2022_perk_vanoutka_mixdown.mp3

The sport of Ultimate Frisbee has taken off in recent years. The AUDL is a pro league that features the Minnesota Wind Chill. They&#39;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.

Bryan Vohnoutka - Minnesota Wind Chill

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/6/25/15/54aba230-ece8-4c45-857a-5b0462da6fde_perk_leif_mixdown.mp3

It&#39;s a sport that requires ridiculous amounts of athleticism, and Leif Sundberg doesn&#39;t just take part in the sport, he excels at it. Sundberg is about to appear in his fourth season of NBC&#39;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?

Leif Sundberg - America Ninja Warrior

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/6/18/13/9f1226a4-ce7b-44d3-bed9-2099ba94c762_perk_and_darwitz_mixdown.mp3

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&#39;s now bringing the Hamline University program to national prominence.

Natalie Darwitz - Hamline Hockey Coach

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/6/11/14/e0fb276a-449b-4785-85bc-dc8dcc0626bc_perk_aoki_mixdown.mp3

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&#39;re going for gold. The Minnesota native has such a passion for adaptive sports, especially the brutally tough sport of Wheelchair Rugby.

Chuck Aoki - Wheelchair Rugby

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/6/4/14/18dd1e87-774b-44e4-a705-e93c59a1e187_perk_miller_mixdown.mp3

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.

Tyler Miller - Minnesota United Goalie

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/5/28/15/8013aba8-8a30-4858-827b-30033c51b4d0_perk_wiskus_mixdown.mp3

Shane Wiskus is one of America&#39;s greatest hopes in the sport of men&#39;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&#39;s going to take to represent his country this summer at the Olympics.

Shane Wiskus - Olympic Gymnast

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/5/21/18/3726974d-d42e-4eb8-80f8-4d7c5e391e00_perk_ragnow_mixdown.mp3

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.

Frank Ragnow - Pro Bowl Center

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/5/14/14/f3bad53f-c6c6-4953-9131-bd53f2a17479_perk_and_fowles_mixdown.mp3

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.

Sylvia Fowles - Minnesota Lynx

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/5/7/14/bbccd539-5d0a-45b1-9c76-9f5865e21e36_perk_sharrer_mixdown.mp3

It&#39;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.

Derek Sharrer - Saint Paul Saints GM

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/4/30/15/7da8a547-e4b6-4b4c-8061-8505a7b0893c_perk_fisher_mixdown.mp3

Perk catches up with one of the world&#39;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.

Steve Fisher - 2 Time X Games Snowboard Gold Medalist

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/4/23/14/dd6f6b9c-ed26-43a0-b18e-8dc8685d3552_perk_nurk_mixdown.mp3

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&#39;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.

Nurk -  Drone Racing League

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/4/16/14/7b2776e8-8210-4324-b310-3c176712d8c4_perk_burns_mixdown.mp3

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&#39;s appearance at the NCAA Championships hosted at the U of M.

Mike Burns - Gopher Mens Gymnastics Coach

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2021/4/8/14/c385710b-c9dc-484d-9cc7-7f6450508499_perk_hastings_mixdown.mp3

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.