Varsity Catholic Podcast cover art

Varsity Catholic Podcast

Varsity Catholic Podcast

By: FOCUS
Listen for free

About this listen

 Where Athletes Become Leaders. Discover that sport is more than a performance - it's a place to grow in purpose, inspire teammates, and shape culture that lasts beyond the game. Listen to our hosts and amazing guests, to find out how you can make an impact longer than the season.FOCUS Christianity Spirituality
Episodes
  • Hockey as a School of Holiness

    Hockey as a School of Holiness
    Dec 29 2025

    In this episode of the Varsity Catholic Podcast, Brady Steir speaks with Ry Godde and Jared Spooner — former D1 hockey player, FOCUS missionary, and current college coach — to explore how hockey becomes a school of holiness.

    Jared shares his journey from having his entire identity wrapped up in being a hockey player to discovering that the game could form him far beyond the ice. Through Bible study, prayer, and learning to see suffering as redemptive, Jared began to understand that competition isn’t opposed to faith — it can actually train us for it.


    In This Episode You’ll Hear:
    🏒 How hockey shapes virtue through sacrifice, discipline, and perseverance
    ✝️ The moment Jared realized he was more than just a hockey player
    📖 Why “run so as to win” (1 Corinthians 9) changed how he viewed faith and competition
    🔥 How team Bible studies and prayer transformed locker room culture
    💪 Seeing workouts, losses, and adversity as opportunities for holiness
    👨‍🏫 What it looks like to coach athletes as human beings, not human doings


    If you’re an athlete trying to integrate faith and sport — or a coach looking to form the whole person — this episode will challenge you to see the game not just as something you play, but as something God uses to shape who you become.


    Hit follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode!


    LISTEN & FOLLOW US EVERYWHERE:

    Listen on Spotify →⁠⁠ ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4vnHBKphp6xEBUsJNerBdT?si=59poYSVvQVOzj8TOIaHPaQ⁠⁠⁠

    Listen on Apple Podcasts →⁠⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in/id1831854757⁠⁠⁠

    Listen on YouTube→⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@VarsityCatholicPodcast⁠⁠


    CONNECT WITH FOCUS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

    Instagram →⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/?hl=en⁠⁠


    HAVE A QUESTION OR GUEST SUGGESTION?

    Email us at ⁠⁠varsitycatholic@focus.org⁠⁠⁠ or leave a comment!

    Join Our Email List → ⁠⁠⁠seekreplay.com⁠⁠⁠

    For more original content and early releases, please visit ⁠⁠⁠seekreplay.com⁠⁠⁠

    The Varsity Catholic Podcast is a production of FOCUS. ⁠⁠⁠www.focus.org
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • More Than a Game: Why Sports Should Be Making Relationships, Not Breaking Them

    More Than a Game: Why Sports Should Be Making Relationships, Not Breaking Them
    Dec 15 2025

    In this episode of the Varsity Catholic Podcast, host Brady and regular guest Ry dive into why sports should build relationships—not break them.

    Whether you're an athlete navigating the wildness of college sports or simply curious about how competition can strengthen your relationships with teammates, coaches, parents, and God, this conversation invites you to live boldly and place Christ at the center of your sport.

    What You'll Hear:

    🤝 The heart of a true teammate — Brady and Ry explore how growing in virtue and embodying the same relational qualities can define great teammates across every sport.

    ❓ Which sport makes being a good teammate hardest? They debate individualized sports, the unsung roles like offensive linemen on struggling teams, and the unique challenges sometimes found on women’s teams.

    🙏 Practical ways to glorify God in your sport — from offering up your toughest moments (yes, even that 50th burpee or those 800-meter repeats) to turning daily sacrifices into prayer for others.

    Hit follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode!

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    LISTEN & FOLLOW US EVERYWHERE:

    Listen on Spotify →⁠ ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4vnHBKphp6xEBUsJNerBdT?si=59poYSVvQVOzj8TOIaHPaQ⁠⁠

    Listen on Apple Podcasts →⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in/id1831854757⁠⁠

    Listen on YouTube→⁠https://www.youtube.com/@VarsityCatholicPodcast⁠

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    CONNECT WITH FOCUS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

    Instagram →⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/?hl=en⁠

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    HAVE A QUESTION OR GUEST SUGGESTION?

    Email us at ⁠varsitycatholic@focus.org⁠⁠ or leave a comment!

    Join Our Email List → ⁠⁠seekreplay.com⁠⁠

    For more original content and early releases, please visit ⁠⁠seekreplay.com⁠⁠

    The Varsity Catholic Podcast is a production of FOCUS. ⁠⁠www.focus.org
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • What It Means to Be a Varsity Catholic: Faith, Sports, and the Pursuit of the Imperishable Crown

    What It Means to Be a Varsity Catholic: Faith, Sports, and the Pursuit of the Imperishable Crown
    Dec 1 2025
    In this episode of The Varsity Catholic Podcast, host Brady Steir is joined by regular guest Ry Godde to kick off the first episode by diving into their shared love of the Catholic faith and their love of sports, asking the big question: What does it even mean to be a varsity Catholic?.They break down the appeal of competition and debate the best sports movies of all time, sharing their personal picks like Blind Side, Rudy, Moneyball, Miracle, Sandlot, and Remember the Titans. They discuss the power of transformational coaching, using the example of Coach Carter who sought to teach life lessons, discipline, and excellence, not just win basketball games. Ultimately, they explore the central concept that sport should be a tool that serves us, helping us grow in virtue and leading us toward eternity.In This Episode You’ll Hear:🍿 A debate on the "Mount Rushmore" of sports movies, focusing on stories that tug at the heartstrings versus those focused more on the sport itself. 🐘 Personal stories about what first hooked Brady and Ry into sports, including a pink baseball glove and playing baseball with an elephant at the fair. 🧠 Why the stories behind sports—such as family drama and life lessons—are often what make sports movies so beloved. 📈 The key difference between striving to win a perishable crown (trophies) and an imperishable crown (heaven), and the importance of making Christ the center of your life. 🔥 The legacy of Coach Carter, who demanded excellence from his team in the classroom, in their discipline, and in honoring contracts, even if it meant forfeiting games. 💡 The concept that sport is meant to serve us by fostering discipline and excellence, rather than us serving sport, even when that means experiencing humility by being on the bench.If you're seeking to understand how your love for competition can deepen your faith, or you want to hear stories about coaches who successfully teach excellence both on and off the field, this episode is your guide to how sport can bring us to the masses and lead us to the cross.Hit follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes!----------------------------------------------------------------------LISTEN & FOLLOW US EVERYWHERE:Listen on Spotify → ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4vnHBKphp6xEBUsJNerBdT?si=59poYSVvQVOzj8TOIaHPaQ⁠Listen on Apple Podcasts → ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-in/id1831854757⁠Listen on YouTube→https://www.youtube.com/@VarsityCatholicPodcast----------------------------------------------------------------------CONNECT WITH FOCUS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram → ⁠https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/?hl=en----------------------------------------------------------------------HAVE A QUESTION OR GUEST SUGGESTION?Email us at varsitycatholic@focus.org⁠ or leave a comment!Join Our Email List → ⁠seekreplay.com⁠For more original content and early releases, please visit ⁠seekreplay.com⁠The Varsity Catholic Podcast is a production of FOCUS. ⁠www.focus.org
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.