NO HOLDS BARRED

We spoke with them by Skype Sunday.

The Sumo Kaboom podcast offers a unique and entertaining take on the ancient and still thriving sport of sumo. Mixing discussion about the latest bashos (tournaments) in Japan with sumo history, new developments in amateur sumo in the U.S. and elsewhere, and, of course, comedy, this weekly podcast is both an introduction to the sport and an education in it. And it keeps your interest from start to finish, regardless of how much you know or don't know about sumo. 

Laurie Collins, joined by her sister Leslie who both often talk over each other and laugh as they each speak, explained about the reasons they started a podcast on sumo.

"Initially it was just an interest. And we started this podcast earlier this year," in March, said Laurie Collins. "I sort of pitched it out there to Leslie because I was like, 'I need a creative project.'"

Their choice of a topic for the podcast was obvious: "Sumo is just incredibly fascinating to me."

At this point, Leslie Collins chimed in.

"I would never have gotten it done. She's more of the person who has an idea and follows through. And she actually gets things done. I was like, 'Sure I'll do it.' But then things fall apart. It was mostly her," Leslie Collins said, as they both laughed.

Laurie Collins described more on their decision to do a sumo podcast.

"Let's do this. Let's do it weekly. It might be absolutely ridiculous. But you know what? The more I look into the sumo coverage out there in America, there's not as much as I would like. I have a lot more questions about sumo that are not being answered. So, let's answer them," she said. "And I think I only found one other female voice in the sumo media, which was Sumo Mainichi [from Australia]."

Thus, ergo, and therefore, they reasoned, "Why not? Let's try this thing. And if it fails, if it doesn't go anywhere, that's fine. But at least we're going to have fun trying, and we're going to learn something in the process."

We discussed more on their fascination with sumo and the wrestlers, discussing the sport while in the U.S. and during the coronavirus pandemic, how their travel and jobs as performers and comedians helped prepare them to embrace and cover sumo, the Japan Sumo Association and the International Sumo Federation, the need to expand the role of women in sumo at all levels, their emphasis on the culture and history of sumo and not simply analyzing the matches, how they are not experts on sumo but fans, thoughts on how to grow sumo in the U.S., and much, much more.

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The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow. 

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