We are back from vacation just in time to celebrate Tessa Gobbo Day. There's so much to catch up on that this week's show turned into one big update. First up, we talk about all of the Olympic and Paralympic movies we've seen during the break. The IOC Executive Board met, so there's some news from TBach and company. TKFLASTAN's been hoppin', so we've got tons of news from our Team Keep the Flame Alive and updates from Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, Paris 2024 and LA 2028. With all of this news, we definitely need some Oreos and a nap. Mentioned on the show: Movies: Athlete A, The Weight of Gold, Olympic Dreams, Rising Phoenix When TKFLASTANIs collide: Andrew Maraniss' lecture series featuring sports historian Dr. Victoria Jackson. Get some study tips from artistic swimmer Jacqueline Simoneau. LA 2028's dynamic logo. We want to make the show more accessible by offering transcripts, and we need your help to make that happen. Become a Patreon patron today -- when we reach 75 patrons, we'll have the means to offer transcripts. If you want to sponsor the show, please contact us for rates. Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!  

Olympic Fever

Episode 153: The Big Update Show

It's Labor Day weekend in the US, so we're taking a holiday this week. Never fear, we have new content for you (and even Alison) -- a Lightning Round featuring TKFLASTANIS Joe Maloy, Dr. Claudia Reardon and Andrew Rock. Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Episode 152: Lightning Round with Joe Maloy, Dr. Claudia Reardon and Andrew Rock

We're marking one year to go to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics with a look at how the sport of wheelchair basketball developed. David Davis, author of the new book Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from WWII Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation, joins us to talk about the fascinating history of this sport. Follow David on Twitter and get updates and get info about his other Olympic books at his website. In our Tokyo 2020 update, we mentioned that Australia has released its Paralympic kit. Check it out here. Be sure to check out everything that's going on in our Facebook group -- you can vote on which historical Olympics we'll cover next year and read Listener Manu's fascinating stories about the history of Helsinki's Olympic Stadium. Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!   Photo courtesy of David Davis.

Episode 151: Author David Davis on the History of Wheelchair Basketball

Film Buff Fran is back for another edition of our movie club! We've got a double-feature this time, looking at two biopics on 1972 Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine. "Without Limits" stars Billy Crudup as the confident athlete, while "Prefontaine" stars Jared Leto in the same role. Which movie was more accurate? Which actor was the better Pre? Listen to find out! Our next movie will be an Indian film called "Gold: The Dream that United our Nation," about India's field hockey team at the London 1948 Olympics. It was the first time this juggernaut in the sport could compete under the Indian flag—though a good portion of the team would compete for Pakistan, which was created after India gained its independence from Great Britain. You can find this movie on Amazon Prime and on YouTube, and we'll look for other options. Next meeting: November We also have a quick visit to TKFLASTAN and get the news on Tokyo 2020, which includes some surprising opinions from Australia's athletes on protests at the Games. Every year we look at some Olympic Games from the past. Next year we'll focus these episodes on one Games, but we need your help to decide which one. We lay out the options, and you can vote in our Facebook Group or email us at flamealivepod@gmail.com.   Thank you so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Episode 150: Film Buff Fran on "Without Limits" and "Prefontaine"

If 2020 was a normal year, we would've just said good-bye to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics--and many athletes would be making big decisions about their futures. Since many athletes retire after an Olympics, we wanted to look at how elite athletes transition out of competitive life. To help us understand this topic, we talked with Leslie Klein, an Olympian who most recently was the Director of Athlete Career and Education (ACE) at the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee until the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated her position. She told us about the efforts of Team USA and other National Olympic Committees to help their athletes plan for life beyond sport. In our visit to TKFLASTAN, we read Phil Andrews thoughts on leadership during COVID-19 and heard how Kikkan Randall plans comebacks. Also, Team Canada has released its Olympic kit (we definitely have some thoughts about this, which are hindered by Alison's attempt to be more positive), and the Hungarian Olympic Committee is now branding itself as Magyarock. A huge thank you to our Patreon patrons, who keep this show afloat. If you appreciate what we do, please consider becoming a patron. Can't do a monthly donation? We're set up for one-time donations as well. We love to hear from you! Leave us a VM at 208-FLAME-IT or join our Facebook group! Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Episode 149: Leslie Klein on Elite Athlete Transition from Sport

On the track, a relay team can make or break its race based on the quality of its baton handoffs. 2004 Olympic relay gold medalist and current Bethel University head track coach Andrew Rock walks us through the process of handing off the baton. And, we announce our virtual Closing Ceremonies meetup. You can follow Andrew's teams on social @bethelxctf and visit their website. As we mentioned on the show, the US women's 4x100 relay team had a tougher time qualifying for the finals at the Rio 2016 Olympics -- but check out this video, because the cameras really focus in on the handoffs, and you can see exactly what Andrew talks about. In our visit to TKFLASTAN, we check in on Kelly Claes, MCamp, Chellsie Memmel, Shiva Keshavan and Chloe Kim. Check out Shiva's interview with our next book club author Abhinav Bindra and Chole's interview on Just Women's Sports. In Tokyo 2020 new, the Paralympic schedule has been confirmed, and we have a short maranovela update. Plus, the USOPC has released its 2019 annual report, which means we get to see where all of the money goes. Thanks to all of our Patreon patrons who support the show. Please consider supporting us financially either with a one-time donation or ongoing support, as our expenses this year have greatly increased due to a forced rebranding. If you can't support us financially, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting app or tell friends about the show. Thanks for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!   photo: courtesy of Andrew Rock

Episode 148: Passing the Relay Baton with Olympian Andrew Rock

Book Club Claire is back to discuss 1964: The Greatest Year in the History of Japan: How the Tokyo Olympics Symbolized Japan’s Miraculous Rise from the Ashes by Roy Tomizawa. Also, we have found our nickname for John Coates--and we can't even take credit for it. Our next book is A Shot at History by Abhinav Bindra with Rohit Brijnath. There are a couple of versions - we’ll be reading the updated 2017 version. Look for your copy at bookstores and libraries, and we’ll discuss it in October. As mentioned in our visit to TKFLASTAN, Dr. Kristin Keim was on an episode of Koop Cast, and Dr. Victoria Jackson was on The Intercollegiate. Meant to coincide with Tokyo 2020, a bunch of documentaries are coming out this summer. They include HBO's "The Weight of Gold," about Olympic-related depression; "Rising Phoenix," a documentary on the history of the Paralympics that will air on Netflix; and Sky Sport 3's documentary about 100 years of the Silver Ferns, New Zealand's Olympic team. If you watch these, let us know what you think--and if you can help us figure out how to see the Silver Ferns, doc, please let us know! NEXT WEEK: Olympian Andrew Rock tells us how to pass the baton during athletics relays. Don't miss it! Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!  

Episode 164: Book Club Claire on 1964

We report back on what went down in the International Olympic Committee's 136th Session, which is the big gathering of all IOC members. We've got an announcement from TBach, news from Tokyo 2020, plus reports from all of the other Games on the docket. Today is also one year to go until Tokyo 2020 (in 2021), so the Tokyo Organizing Committee had a recognition celebration. It was a little more somber than last year's, but beautifully done. Grab your Puffs -- you'll need them when you watch it! Don't forget to join in our One Year to Go celebration -- we're Zooming together on Friday, July 24 at 12pm Eastern. Then at 8pm Eastern, dial up the Sydney 2000 official film on YouTube and meet us on Zoom again to watch it together (and marvel how it's been 20 years since Sydney). For Zoom links, email us at flamealivepod@gmail.com. With one year to go, there's a multi-day event happening on AirBnb Experiences, and you can hang with some of our TKFLASTANIs! Cook Indian food with Shiva Keshavan; be inspired by Lauren Gibbs; or take a rock climbing class with Josh Levin. We're super-excited to have some new out-going music! For the next year, through Tokyo 2020, we'll be featuring Archdale's song "Tokyo." Check out their website and follow them on Spotify and Facebook. NEXT WEEK: Book Club Claire is back for our discussion of Roy Tomizawa's 1964: The Greatest Year in the History of Japan.

Episode 146: The IOC's in Session

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the Moscow 1980 Olympics, which may be better known for the 66-country boycott of them. Our TKFLASTANI archivist Teri Hedgpeth joins us to talk about the boycott and a new exhibit she put together for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee that honors the US athletes who were affected by it. Follow Teri on LinkedIn! We are working on a side project about the 1980 boycott from a global aspect, so if you were involved or have historical context to present, we would be interested in talking with you. Please email us at flamealivepod@gmail.com and put “boycott” in the subject line, and we’ll get back to you to talk further. In our visit to TKFLASTAN, we learn that Clare Egan and the US women's biathlon team are having a Bonfire fundraiser to support the ladies' travel fund. New t-shirt designs go up every two weeks, so be sure to check it out (and don't blame us if you end up with a t-shirt drawer that's nothing but biathlon-themed shirts. Nothing wrong with that)! John Shuster and his curling team have been nominated for Team USA's Team of the Year. Fan voting is on through July 20. Did you catch our ice dancer Charlie White and his wife Tanith hosting the International Skating Union's inaugural ISU Skating Awards? You can watch a replay here. Thanks to our Patreon patrons for keeping our flame alive! If you enjoy the show, please consider donating. We love to hear from you! Email us at flamealivepod@gmail.com or call our VM hotline at 208-FLAME-IT. We’re flamealivepod on Twitter and Insta and Keep the Flame Alive Podcast Group on Facebook.        

Episode 145: Archivist Teri Hedgpeth on the Moscow 1980 Olympic Boycott

We welcome back our TKFLASTANI travel expert Ken Hanscom, COO of Ticket Manager, who tells us the latest on how to make plans to travel to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021. Follow Ken on Twitter and Insta. Follow Ticket Manager on Twitter. We also have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT about our plans to celebrate one year to Tokyo 2020 on July 24! Look for more details on our Insta, Twitter, Facebook Page and Facebook Group this week! Our TKFLASTANIs have been on a bunch of podcasts and in documentaries. Here are the links to the ones we mentioned on the show: Marnie McBean on the Connor Carrick Podcast Phil Andrews on Throw Big Throw Far Victoria Jackson talking about her Boston Globe piece on Global Sport Matters and ESPN Radio John Shuster in CurlingZone's doc "Anything Is Possible - An American Curling Story" Love the show? Keep our flame alive! Support the show by donating through Patreon. If you're interested in advertising on the show, leave us a VM at 208-FLAME-IT (you can also leave us a VM if you just want to say hi!). NEXT WEEK: Ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Moscow 1980 Olympics, TKFLASTANI archivist Teri Hedgpeth will be on to discuss the US boycott of these Games and a virtual exhibit she created to honor the American Olympians who didn't get to compete. Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Episode 144: Ken Hanscom on Tokyo Olympic Travel

This week is Canada Day and American Independence Day, so we're celebrating with a Lightning Round episode. This one features our TKFLASTANI archery official Hannah Brown, travel/tickets expert Ken Hanscom and 1976 Olympic luger Maura Grogan.

Episode 143: Lighting Round - Hannah Brown, Ken Hanscom & Maura Grogan

We need to cool off, so we're hitting the ice -- the curling ice, that is. On this episode we talk with Derek Leung, a graduate student pursuing a research master’s in geology at the University of Edinburgh. His focus is on the damage evolution of curling stones, so we wanted to hear what he's discovered about the rocks themselves. Derek has a YouTube channel called Minerals Rock! where you can see his slo-mo research in action. He also has a GoFundMe page to help defray the costs of studying abroad. Good news from our Gamesmaker TSKFLASTANIs! Teri Hedgpeth has published an article in Olympika: The International Journal of Olympic Studies. Sean Colahan won an Emmy for this story. And Lou Jones has an online exhibit documenting the pandemic in Boston. Be sure to check out the virtual tours at the National Paralympic Heritage Trust. Thanks so much for listening, and keep the flame alive!   

Episode 142: Derek Leung on the Geology of Curling Stones

Simone Biles and Michael Phelps are among the Olympians who have ADHD. But what is that disorder, and how does it affect elite athletes? Dr. Claudia Reardon, Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry of University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and co-chair of the International Olympic Committee's working group "Mental Health in Elite Athletes," joins us to talk about how athletes can manage and excel with this condition.

Episode 141: Dr. Claudia Reardon on ADHA in Elite Athletes

We welcome back 4x canoe sprint Olympian András Törő, and in this episode we talk about his Olympic experiences at Rome 1960, where he won a bronze medal; Tokyo 1964, where he defected; Munich 1972, which suffered a terrorist attack, and Montreal 1976. Also, we follow up on the latest developments in the IOC's and USOPC's efforts to acknowledge athletes' opinions and desires when it comes to making protests. Plus there's information from the IOC's latest Executive Board meeting, and some news from TKFLASTAN. Mentioned on the show: The IOC's statement on racism and inclusion. Gwen Berry's open letter. USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland's response. András' book Chronicles of an Olympic Defector. The McLaren Report on corruption within the International Weightlifting Federation and Weightlifting House's episode about it.

Episode 140: Canoeist András Törő's Olympics

It's been a tough week in America--and in cities around the world that are rising up against racism and social injustice. In hundreds of cities, people are banding together to make a statement about the brutal killing of George Floyd and to demand change. Because of the situation going on in the world, we wanted to take some time and look at protests that have occurred on the Olympic stage throughout its existence, even though Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter states, "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas." The IOC even clarified this earlier this year to prevent displays at Tokyo 2020. And while the IOC believes that sport and politics don't mix, we also note how that belief conveniently goes by the wayside when the IOC wants to promote a political agenda. The dulcet tones of Jason Bryant mercifully tell us how to pronounce TKFLASTAN, our land of former guests. In part of this week's update, we learn that ski jumper Sarah Hendrickson was on an episode of "Behind the Gold." Check it out here! We'd love to hear from you - email us at flamealivepod@gmail.com or call us at 208-FLAME-IT. Thank you so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Episode 139: Protests Throughout Olympic History

Olympic Fever is the podcast for fans of the Olympics. Each week co-hosts Jill Jaracz and Alison Brown interview athletes, Gamesmakers, historians and more to the greatest sporting festival in the world. Give us a call: 530-7-O-FEVER.

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Olympic Fever

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