I am hosting a brand new podcast from Global Athlete, and the first episode dropped today, June 15th! You can find it at the links below or by searching for ‘Global Athlete’ wherever you listen to podcasts.

The new podcast features in-depth conversations about international sport governance, athlete rights, and the future of the Olympic and Paralympic games. New episodes will drop weekly on Tuesdays.

The first episode, out today, gives an overview and history of international sport governance. I spoke with Professor Jules Boykoff of Pacific University about how athletes fit into the Olympic story, the IOC’s governance structure, how the United Nations addresses the democracy deficit of the IOC, and more.

If you enjoyed the conversations that I recorded on this feed, I am sure that you will enjoy the new show.

Listen on Apple Podcasts:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/global-athlete/id1571569907

on Spotify:

open.spotify.com/show/148GlnU3vkPmMDeo1UtYhu

on Stitcher:

stitcher.com/show/global-athlete

on sounder.fm:

globalathlete.sounder.fm/episode/overview-and-history-of-international-sport

In an effort to share my experience as an older undergrad at Brown University, I am introducing some of the people that I spend time with here in Rhode Island. The first person that I'd like you to meet is Jacqulyn Blatteis. Jac is a traditionally aged senior from Los Angeles, California. She is graduating in two weeks with a degree in neuroscience. She is the co-director of a student group called HOPE (Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere), and she is a remarkable human being. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as have!

I would love to hear your feedback about this conversation and this idea of sharing my experience through the people in my life. Please email me at [email protected] or get in touch via Facebook or Instagram.

I am currently in Beitostølen, Norway for the first races of the season. I just finished up a 10-day camp in Sjusjøen, Norway with Andy Newell, Erika Newell and Annie Hart. Today’s conversation is with Erika and Annie, two of the best female skiers in the U.S. who are not currently on the U.S. Ski Team. They both ski for the Stratton Mountain School Elite Team and primarily compete on the U.S. Super Tour circuit. Both have started a few World Cup races but neither has scored World Cup points. They both attended and graduated from Dartmouth College and have super interesting lives outside of skiing. In our conversation we touched on a wide array of topics including the long odds of Olympic qualifying for U.S. women racing domestically, sexism and sexual harassment, eating disorders in skiing, Annie’s political leanings and many other topics. Thanks for joining us!

A conversation with with Dexter Paine, the Chair of the Board of U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSA). Dexter also serves as a vice president and council member of the International Ski Federation (FIS). For his day job, he is a Founding Partner and Chair at the private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners, LLC which focuses on sustainable food chain investing and agriculture. He also serves as a Manager of ACS Media Income Fund. Previously, Dexter served as the Chair of the Board at Holderness School and was a member of the International Board of Directors of Right to Play.

I caught Dexter via Skype at his office in Midtown Manhattan. This is the second conversation that I’ve recorded remotely, and the sound quality is better than my first attempt, though not perfect. Also, Dexter requested, and I provided to him, the questions for this interview in advance. Enjoy!

A conversation with Nordic Combined Olympic Champion Billy Demong. Billy became the first and only American to win an Olympic Gold Medal in a Nordic sport when he won the 10 Kilometer Individual Large Hill competition in Vancouver 2010. He competed in five Olympics: Nagano, Salt Lake City, Torino, Vancouver and Sochi. Billy is now the head of USA Nordic Sport, a new organization that works to further Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping in the U.S. You can learn more about USA Nordic Sport at https://www.usanordic.org/

A conversation today with Tom Kelly, the vice president of communications at U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSA). Tom is preparing to depart USSA in June after 32 years. He also serves as the chair of the International Ski Federation PR and Mass Media Committee, the chair of the board of the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the chair of the board of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Because of Tom’s long history in the sport, I started by asking him to tell me about the evolution of the sport in this country. We then got into the system for managing athletes after they win Olympic medals, which I found very interesting.

A couple of days ago I had a chance opportunity to talk to Max Cobb, the President and CEO of the U.S. Biathlon Association or USBA. Max also serves as the Vice-President for Sport of the International Biathlon Union or IBU. Because I did not know I would be talking to Max, I did not prepare for this conversation. However, USBA has been a leader among winter sports in urging swift and decisive action against the Russian Federation for the systematic doping outlined in the McLaren report. Therefore, I decided to focus on that topic for the 10 minutes I had with Max.

with Luke Bodensteiner, the Executive Vice President of Athletics at U.S. Ski and Snowboard. I’ve known Luke for over a decade, since before I was on the U.S. Ski Team. Before joining U.S. Ski and Snowboard, he cross country skied himself for the University of Utah and at the 1992 and ’94 Olympics. At Utah he won two individual NCAA titles and one team title and he is a 3-time U.S. National Champion. He joined the administration at U.S. Ski and Snowboard in 1996 and became the cross country manager in ’97. In 2001 he took control of Nordic Combined and ski jumping as well when he became the Nordic Director. He was promoted to his current position, Director of Athletics, in 2008. Luke has also authored a book, titled Endless Winter, about his time racing internationally. This was one of my favorite conversations and I hope you enjoy it as well.

A conversation with Robert Lazzaroni, the Nordic Domestic Program Director at U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSA). USSA is the National Federation for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, including Alpine Skiing, Nordic Sports, Freestyle Skiing, Freeskiing and Snowbaording. Before coming to U.S. Ski and Snowboard, Robert spent 17 years as the Nordic Product Manager at Rossignol. He also served as the Manager of Nordic Programs for the Utah Olympic Park which includes the Park City Nordic Ski Club.

A conversation with Tiger Shaw, the President and CEO of U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSA). USSA is the National Federation for Olympic skiing and snowboarding, including Alpine Skiing, Nordic Sports, Freestyle Skiing, Freeskiing and Snowbaording. Tiger competed in Alpine skiing in the 1984 and ‘88 Olympics. He grew up in Stowe, Vermont and went to Dartmouth College. He came to U.S. Ski and Snowboard from Global Rescue in the spring of 2014.