Keep the Flame Alive

What's it like to pioneer a sporting tradition in your country? Irish skeleton racer Brendan Doyle joins us to talk about his efforts as a solo athlete (Ireland currently has no funding for winter athletes) to qualify for Milan-Cortina 2026 and become an Olympian.

Follow Brendan on Insta and X, and check out his website. Brendan has also founded BuildThroughSport, a non-profit that aims to highlight the character-building aspects of sport, show how taking up sport can build positive attributes that can contribute to success in all aspects of life, fund sports organizations and athletes so more people can participate in sport.

In our Seoul 1988 history moment, Alison looks Ireland's participation at these Olympics, including what happened in the boxing ring.

In news from TKFLASTAN, we've got the rest of the results from the Pan American Games, including an impressive medal haul and an Olympic qualifier!

In Paris 2024 hospitality house news, tickets are now on sale for Lotto Belgium House and Team GB House (open to the public for the first time!).

In Milan-Cortina 2026 news, the sliding track situation has truly turned into a novella (it's been so long since we've had one!)--and the IOC has some words for the Organizing Committee on what they should do.

Don't forget that our Kickstarter is live--help us get to Paris to give you the coverage of Paris 2024 that you deserve!

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Brendan Doyle.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Hang out with us online:

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Cricket is one of the sports that made it onto the program for LA 2028. It's one of the world's most popular sports....except in the US. We've decided to give ourselves a five-year learning curve to understand how the sport works, and to kick off that learning, Andrew Nixon, writer at Cricket Europe, joins us to explain the sport and its colorful, colonial history.

Check out Andrew's piece on cricket's Olympic inclusion, and follow him on Twitter / X and Blue Sky: @andrewnixon.bsky.social.

In our Seoul 1988 history moment, Jill has the story of the men's super heavyweight division in Greco-Roman wrestling, which had an Olympic first--and was the start of an Olympic legend.

In our visit to TKFLASTAN, we have news from:

• Shooter Tim Sherry
• Race walker Evan Dunfee
• Commentator Rob Snoek
• Curler John Shuster
• Author Andrew Maraniss -- if you have connections to the first Special Olympics at Chicago in 1968, contact him on Twitter / X. You can also contact him through his website.
• Para shooter McKenna Geer -- find her family's GoFundMe page here.

We also have news from Paris 2024, including:

• More details about those free Opening Ceremonies tickets along the Seine
• Protests in Tahiti
• Student housing issues
• New flights to Paris from Perth

Don't forget to support our Kickstarter that will pay for costs associated with our Paris 2024 coverage.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Andrew Nixon.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at http://flamealivepod.com

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This week we're delighted to have Olympic rower and podcaster Kristi Wagner on the show. Kristi competes in double sculls, finishing 5th at the Tokyo Olympics with Gevvie Stone. She now rows with Sophia Vitas and they won the world championships this year. We talked with Kristi about rowing, changing partners, and her new role as host of the podcast The Other 3 Years.

Follow Kristi on Insta and be sure to subscribe to her podcast--it's an excellent listen, and you'll learn so much about what elite athletes go through in the years leading up to the Games.

We have a Kickstarter to help us raise money for our work in covering the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics from Paris. Please support our efforts here.

In our history moment, Alison looks at the rowing competition at Seoul 1988 and what spurred Australia to invest in its women's rowing team.

In our visit to TKFLASTAN, we have news from:

• Taekwondo athlete Madelynn Gorman-Shore
• Shooter Tim Sherry
• Karate-ka Tom Scott
• Archery official Hannah Brown
• The dulcet tones of Jason Bryant
• Pole vaulter Katie Moon - vote for her in USA Track & Field's awards!

Plus we have news from Paris 2024!

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Kristi Wagner.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at http://flamealivepod.com

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The Paris 2024 Olympics will be notable for many reasons, but the International Olympic Committee wants to make sure you know that for the first time in Olympic history, the Games will have gender parity.

But what does that really mean? We talk with Dr. Michele K. Donnelly, assistant professor of sport management at Brock University in Ontario, Canada to get to the heart of the matter.

Find out more about Dr. Donnelly's research here.

In our Seoul 1988 history moment, Jill looks at the modern pentathlon competition--and how vastly different it was then compared to what we'll see in Paris next year.

In our Team Keep the Flame Alive Update, we travel to TKFLASTAN to hear from:

• Wheelchair rugby player Chuck Aoki
• Beach volleyball players Betsi Flint and Kelly Cheng
• Nordic combined athlete Annika Malacinski
• Commentator Olly Hogben -- catch him during the streams of the PanAm Games!
• Curler John Shuster

We also have absolutely (not) shocking news about the sliding venue for Milan-Cortina 2026, the official list of new sports for LA 2028, and news from the International Olympic Committee's Session in Mumbai.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Dr. Michele K. Donnelly.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at http://flamealivepod.com

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We welcome back Phil Andrews to the podcast this week to talk about his new(ish) role as CEO of USA Fencing, how governing this sport is different from his last role at USA Weightlifting, how he's dealt with the Alen Hazdic situation, how to get more women and para athletes involved with the sport, and what he's looking forward to in Paris.

Follow Phil on Insta and LinkedIn!

In our history moment, Alison looks at the fencing competition at Seoul 1988.

In our visit to TKFLASTAN to see what's up with Team Keep the Flame Alive, we have news from:

· Paddler Luuka Jones

· Beach volleyball players Betsi Flint and Kelly Cheng

· Wheelchair fencer Ellen Geddes

· Archivist Teri Hedgpeth

· Filmmaker John MacLeod

· Plus, the TKFLASTANIs representing Team USA at the Pan American Games later this month—streaming coverage will be at panamsportchannel.org.

Also, there's Paralympic news from Paris 2024, and LA 2028 has announced the five sports it would like to add to the Olympics in 2028. We've got the lowdown, including the heated discussions and negotiations that apparently went on behind the scenes!

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Phil Andrews/USA Fencing.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at http://flamealivepod.com

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We're headed to the beach this week to talk with pro beach volleyball player and Olympic hopeful Betsi Flint. We talk with Betsi about the dynamics of partnerships in the sport--she currently partners with Julia Scoles--and some of the little details to look for when you're watching. Betsi is also married and has a daughter, so we get into the dynamics of balancing training and competing with parenthood.

Follow Betsi on Instagram and learn more about her at her website. She's also playing in the Beach World Championships this week — follow along here!

In our Seoul 1988 history moment, we have another Olympic first–it's the debut of the free condoms! This is a popular story every Games (sex sells, you know), but there's a health reason for why Seoul made them freely available for all.

In our TKFLASTAN update, we have news from:

• Shooter Tim Sherry
• Former fencer Olya Abasolo Ovtchinnikova
• Beach volleyball player Kelly Cheng

Lots of news from Paris 2024, including a lot of civic projects — on the Seine, on the Champs-Élysées, and perhaps with the bedbugs. Also, the International Paralympic Committee's membership has voted to allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete. It's a complicated story, and we'll break it down. And you can help Team New Zealand get to the Paris 2024 Paralympics through their One Team to Paris program.

Finally, more Athens 2004 legacy issues in the news….and this time it's not so good.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Unrivaled Group.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at http://flamealivepod.com

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Note: This episode does contain discussion of abuse.

While having great athletic skills is key to being an Olympian, mindset also plays a major part in being able to compete with the best of the best. In this episode, we talk with Olympian Erin Aldrich-Shean about the journey she's taken from elite athlete to becoming a coach and consultant to help others attain an Olympic mindset.

We talked with Erin about her athletic career--part of which involves an abusive relationship with a coach--her time at the Olympics, and how she now helps people achieve their goals.

If you'd like to learn more about Erin, check out her website, and follow her on Insta, Facebook, and TikTok.

In our Seoul 1988 history moment, Alison looks at the men's volleyball competition, with some upsets on the podium.

In our weekly visit to TKFLASTAN, we hear from:

• Paddler Luuka Jones
• Para archer (and drag racer) Matt Stutzman
• Race walker Evan Dunfee
• Artistic swimmer Jacqueline Simoneau
• Ski historian Tom Kelly
• Speed skater Erin Jackson
• Commentator Olly Hogben
• Luger Shiva Keshavan

In Paris 2024 news, more hospitality packages are up for grabs, and there's a slew of not-so-great headlines to discuss.

Plus, we have some venue legacy news from Athens 2004 that's actually good for a change!

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Erin Aldrich-Shean.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at http://flamealivepod.com

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Cue our History Moment music and our Book Club music because Book Club Claire is on hand for a discussion about Richard Moore's The Dirtiest Race in History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the 1988 Olympic 100m Final (affiliate link). The title pretty much says it all--this was a doping scandal for the ages, and the book uncovers the history of the competitors in this race and all of the complexities about steroids and doping at the time.

If you've read the book, we'd love to hear your thoughts about it!

Don't forget to follow Claire on Insta and X (fka Twitter)!

In our visit to TKFLASTAN, we have news from:

• Pole vaulter Katie Moon
• Race walker Evan Dunfee
• Paddler Luuka Jones
• Short track speed skater Ryan Shane
• Curler John Shuster

In our Paris 2024 update, Old El Paso's getting around and Team GB jewelry is a thing. Paris 2024 has released details of Paralympic Day, which will be held on October 8, 2024, as well as details about tickets for the Paralympics, which go on sale October 9. Plus, there's a new sustainability initiative that's very interesting.

We also have news from the World Games. Chengdu 2025 has released most of the disciplines that will be contested at the Games. We've got the details!

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

***

Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at http://flamealivepod.com

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We're excited to share with you the second part of our interview with freelance sports journalist and commentator Blythe Lawrence (if you missed part 1, go back to episode 300). Last time we focused on rhythmic gymnastics, and now we're checking out what's up in the world of artistic gymnastics.

Follow Blythe on X/Twitter and Insta. She's also been commentating the Invictus Games with fellow TKFLASTANI Olly Hogben!

Jill's recent visit to the York Barbell Company's Weightlifting Hall of Fame inspired this episode's Seoul 1988 History Moment, in which she looks at the first gold medal victory for Olympic legend Naim Süleymanoğlu, aka the Pocket Hercules.

In our visit to TKFLASTAN, we have news from:

• Boccia player Alison Levine
• Speed skater Erin Jackson
• Sports historian Dr. Victoria Jackson
• Former biathlete Clare Egan
• The dulcet tones of Jason Bryant
• Book Club Claire - check out her tour of Tokyo's National Stadium!

In news from Paris 2024, there are concerns about flying taxis, the French diocese has opened a sports chapel, air traffic control is in control for the Games, and we have an update on the corruption investigaion.

In news from Milan-Cortina 2026, the mayor of Innsbruck has a proposal, and the short track speed skating minimum age is going up!

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Blythe Lawrence.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Intern: Annalee Deabel

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

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Author Stephen Lane talks with us about his new book Long Run to Glory: The Story of the Greatest Marathon in Olympic History and the Women Who Made it Happen. It's about the development of women's marathon as a sport, how it became included in the Olympics, and the very first Olympic marathon at LA 1984.

Stephen's book is a great read, so be sure to check it out. We have it listed on our Bookshop.org storefront (affiliate link)

In our Seoul 1988 history moment, Alison goes into "what happened next" for the women's marathon in its second foray as an Olympic event.

In our weekly visit to TKFLASTAN, we have news from:

• Shooter Tim Sherry
• Boccia player Alison Levine
• Nordic combined competitor Annika Malacinski
• Wheelchair fencer Ellen Geddes
• Beach volleyball player Kelly Cheng
• Author David Davis

In news from Paris 2024, the Paralympics countdown clock is on, and Australian fans can look forward to a local partnership with Old El Paso.

Plus, the International Paralympic Committee has released its 2022 annual report, and we have a hot take!

For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Stephen Lane.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralympics with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

Hang out with us online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

Newsletter: Sign up at http://flamealivepod.com

VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348