Keep the Flame Alive

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Gymnast Jake Dalton's Olympics Feb 07, 2020

Show notes

We're back in the gym with U.S. gymnast Jake Dalton, who tells us about his experiences at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics. We also learn about the strategy involved in the gymnastics team competition.

Follow Jake on Facebook, Insta and Twitter. Also subscribe to his YouTube channel for more gymnastics videos!

Our Team Olympic Fever Update, sponsored by PinCollector.com, includes the latest results from bobsledder Lauren Gibbs and speedskater Erin Jackson. Bobsled stud Josh Williamson is also in Team USA news.

In our Tokyo 2020 update, we succumb to coronavirus talk, and we have updates on the volleyball and baseball competitions. We also learn that the International Paralympic Committee might pull wheelchair basketball from the Tokyo 2020 program. What?!?!

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

Olympic Hopeful Mallory Comerford on Swimming Jan 30, 2020

Show notes

We're diving in the pool this week! Mallory Comerford, Olympic hopeful, US National Team member and swimmer for the International Swim League's Cali Condors, shares some tips on what freestylers are doing in the water, so we viewers can better figure out what's going on in the pool (beyond the drive to be the fastest swimmer).

Of course, since it's us, we also want the lowdown on swimsuits--Mallory's an ambassador for Arena, one of the big global swimwear brands--shampoo and shaving. We got the details for you!

Follow Mallory on Twitter and Insta!

The Technical Officials' uniforms for Tokyo 2020 have been released! There's nothing Jill loves more than a good official's uniform, and Tokyo has delivered once again!

Also, Gracenote Sports has released its forecasted virtual medal table – we'll keep an eye on the predictions.

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

Photo by Mike Lewis, courtesy of Arena.

Book Club Claire on "The Suspect" Jan 23, 2020

Show notes

Book Club Claire is back! We've got a rousing discussion of "The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle" by Kent Alexander & Kevin Salwen. The book covers the story of the bombing during the Atlanta 1996 Olympics and how the rise of the 24-hour media cycle contributed to getting the story wrong.

Claire also talks with Andrew Maraniss, the author of our next selection. Find out more about that book on our Book Club page.

Be sure to follow Claire on Twitter!

Our Team Olympic Fever Update, sponsored by PinCollector.com, features Samantha (Achterberg) Schultz, Clare Egan, and the newly christened bobsled stud Josh Williamson (we did not come up with that, honestly!).

We also delve into the International Olympic Committee Athlete's Commission's new guidelines on Rule 50. Rule 50 prohibits advertising—with some exceptions—but it also prohibits protests. We talk about what that could mean for Tokyo and beyond.

Olympic Hopeful Kelly Claes on Beach Volleyball Jan 17, 2020

Show notes

We're hitting the beach with Olympic hopeful beach volleyball athlete Kelly Claes. Kelly and her partner Sarah Sponcil are currently ranked 8th in the world….although that might not be enough to get them to Tokyo. Kelly tells us all about the sport and how they're dealing with the pressure of the upcoming Games. Plus, the Tokyo 2020 ticket design has been released, and we talk about who might be throwing in bids for the 2030 and 2032 Olympics.

Follow Kelly on Twitter and Insta (be sure to check out her videos!!) and visit her website.

A little housekeeping from the show: This past weekend, Jill saw Sydney 2000 Opening Ceremonies performers Human Nature in Las Vegas (note: that link conveniently starts on a John Coates shot). Also, congrats to Team Olympic Fever member Dr. Micheal Warren for his first journal publication!

Thanks to our Team Olympic Fever Update sponsor PinCollector.com. Collect Olympic pins? You need to be on PinCollector and take advantage of its great pin database! Enough said!

We also want to give a shout out to our Patron of the Week, Stanley Yang! Stanley makes a recurring donation through Patreon, and we so appreciate his support of our show! Thank you, Stanley!!

Film Buff Fran on "Chariots of Fire" Jan 09, 2020

Show notes

Movie Club is now in session! We welcome our newest contributor Fran Johnson (aka Film Buff Fran) to lead us in a discussion of "Chariots of Fire," the Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning story of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, British runners who competed at the Paris 1924 Olympics.

As mentioned in the show, there was a documentary produced in the run up to London 2012 that traced the real Chariots of Fire.

Also, Listener Don and his wife Liz are watching, eating and blogging their way through the Criterion collection of official Olympic films. They're taking on Paris 1924 soon--and Don says you can see some of the "Chariots of Fire" characters in the film! Be sure to check it out at Sprockets of Fire.

In our Tokyo 2020 update, the Organizing Committee has released the 20 commissioned art posters for the Olympics (12) and Paralympics (8).

Thanks to our show sponsor RR Auction. Register for its upcoming Olympic memorabilia auction, which features Olympic medals, diplomas, torches, tickets and more! Bidding starts TODAY and runs through the 16th. When you register, be sure to mention Olympic Fever!

Thanks also to our Team Olympic Fever Update sponsor PinCollector.com. If you collect Olympic pins, you must be on this site. Show off your collection and find pins you want to add to it. You can buy, sell and trade on the platform—all at lower rates than other online platforms.

"Next Olympic Hopeful" Winner Leah Fair Takes on Skeleton Jan 02, 2020

Show notes

Team USA recently aired Season 3 of its "The Next Olympic Hopeful" program in which it tests athletes from around the country to find potential talent that can fill out the development programs in some of the smaller sports on the Olympic program. Skeleton winner Leah Fair joins us to talk about her experience on the show, what it's like to hurl yourself down a mountain face first, and what she learned about custom fitting a skeleton helmet. Plus, there's a new chapter for both the Maranovela and the Hotelnovela, and a nice slice of TOFU!

Follow Leah on Insta!

Thanks to our show sponsor RR Auction. Register for its upcoming Olympic memorabilia auction, which features Olympic medals, diplomas, torches, tickets and more! Bidding starts January 9 and runs through the 16th. When you register, be sure to mention Olympic Fever!

Photo courtesy of Team USA.

Lightning Round with Zamboni Driver Adam Stirn, Gymnast Chellsie Memmel and Author Roy Tomizowa Dec 26, 2019

Show notes

Jill and Alison are celebrating the Christmas and New Year's holidays, so that means it's time for another Olympic Lightning Round episode where we hear from past guests. This time we have lightning round questions for ice technician and Zamboni driver Adam Stirn, gymnast Chellsie Memmel and author Roy Tomizowa.

Our show sponsor this week is RR Auction. Founded in 1976, RR Auction is a globally recognized and trusted source for Olympic memorabilia, and its January Olympic auction is online now, with bidding running from January 9th-16th. Need a belated Christmas gift? An Olympic torch will certainly do the trick! Visit RRAuction.com to register, and don't forget to mention that you heard about RR from Olympic Fever Podcast.

Olympian Jake Dalton Explains Men's Gymnastics Dec 19, 2019

Show notes

We're wading back into the gymternet because we need to learn some of the finer points of men's artistic gymnastics before we watch them at Tokyo 2020. Two-time U.S. Olympic gymnast and world medalist Jake Dalton walks us through all of the apparatuses and gives us more details about them. We also talk about The Dalton, sandpaper—and of course, biceps.

We'll have Jake back on the show in a few weeks to talk about his Olympic experiences at London 2012 and Rio 2016!

Follow Jake on Facebook, Insta and Twitter. Also subscribe to his YouTube channel for more gymnastics videos!

Our Team Olympic Fever Update, sponsored by PinCollector.com, includes the latest results from biathlete Clare Egan, freestyle skier Devin Logan, bobsledders Josh Williamson and Lauren Gibbs and speedskater Erin Jackson. Plus, a nice nomination for MCamp, an honor for Charlie White, and Brianna Decker on tour. And Laura Wilkinson is competing at the preliminaries of U.S. Winter National Diving Champs today – check it out here.

Plus, we've got news on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay runners. The national stadium is done – take this tour to be wowed.

Paris 2024 has selected its surfing venue, which rhymes with "Sahiti" and is located a fair distance from the City of Lights….perhaps a new novela in the works?

Catching Up with "The Next Olympic Hopeful" Winner Lindsey Mayo Dec 12, 2019

Show notes

It's a bad news, good news kind of week. First, the bad news: Russia's out of the Olympics for the next four years (pending appeal) due to the continued issues with doping. We've got opinions--and lots of sighs.

But the good news is great: We catch up with "The Next Olympic Hopeful" winner and Team Olympic Fever rugby player Lindsey Mayo to see what she's been up to in the year since her win. Let's just say we're surprised where in the world we found her.

Don't forget to follow Lindsey on Insta and Twitter to see more of her rugby adventures!

Season 3 of Team USA's "The Next Olympic Hopeful" airs on December 29 at 3pm ET on NBC.

Plus, we've got a slice of TOFU (sponsored by PinCollector.com) with Lauren Gibbs, Josh Williamson, Nick Cunningham, Clare Egan, Jimmy Pedro and Rich Perelman.

And Tokyo's got a new hotel opening up just in time for the Olympics! Maybe Jill won't have to sleep on Dan's couch!

Need a gift for the Olympics fan in your life? Become a patron or give a one-time $20 donation, and you'll get an Olympic Fever pin! For a limited time, we're also including a thank you note on a vintage Olympics card. Don't miss out—support the show today!

Our next book club selection is The Suspect – get more info on our book club page!

If you liked this episode, you might also like:

Episode 4: The Next Olympic Hopeful?
Episode 34: "Scouting Camp – The Next Olympic Hopeful" Returns!
Episode 63: "Scouting Camp: The Next Olympic Hopeful" Winner Lindsey Mayo
Episode 66: Touching Base with Bobsledder Josh Williamson

Photo courtesy of Team USA.

Team Canada Chef de Mission Marnie McBean Dec 05, 2019

Show notes

We often hear the title "chef de mission" mentioned during an Olympics, but what is it that a chef actually does? We get the scoop from Team Canada's chef de mission to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Marnie McBean.

Marnie is a multi-medal winning Canadian Olympic rower who competed at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, winning 3 gold and 1 bronze. A back injury sidelined her while at Sydney 2000 and led to her retirement. Tokyo 2020 will be her 10th Olympics – she's gone as an athlete, as a member of the media, and as part of Canada's chef team. With so many Olympics under her belt, she definitely has some great stories!

You can follow Marnie on Twitter and Insta, and be sure to visit her website.

Some of our Team Olympic Fever members have been published recently. Congrats to MCamp for his article in Sport Business Daily and Dr. Micheal Warren for his book review in the Journal of Sport History and new Team NZ blog post.

Also, Team Olympic Fever aerialist Emily Cook has taken a job with Classroom Champs, and the dulcet tones of Jason Bryant are announcing an Olympic trials this weekend.

The IOC Executive Board meeting took place this week, which means we have another chapter in the maranovela. The group made a lot of decisions together, and we've got the news on that.

There's no new news in the Paris 2024 hotelnovela, but there is a new development about the frontrunner to host the surfing competition. This is good--if you can't have another chapter in the hotelnovela, this development is definitely a good substitute. Keep this item in mind until....oh.....about September 2023.

Plus, we've got word on the 2030 and 2032 Olympic bid timeline.

Thanks, as always, to our TOFU sponsor PinCollector.com – it's the best site to catalog your Olympic pin collection, buy, sell and trade! It's free to join and transaction fees are low.

Photo courtesy of Marnie McBean.

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