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Episode 93: Book Club Claire on "Making Waves" by Shirley Babashoff Jul 12, 2019

Show notes

Book Club Claire is back to discuss our latest book club selection, Making Waves: My Journey to Winning Olympic Gold and Defeating the East German Doping Program by Shirley Babashoff with Chris Epting.

Our next book selection is Munich 1972: Tragedy, Terror and Triumph at the Olympic Games by David Clay Large. We'll be talking about it in November -- but get your book now (if you buy through the link, we get a commission, which helps support the show).

In our Tokyo 2020 update, we talk about test events -- if you're working on your spectator event, let us know how it's going! Send us pics of your viewing setup and your favorite Olympic snacks!

Speaking of snacks....Contributor Ben has been in the kitchen making recipes from a Team USA 1980 Moscow Olympic cookbook. This gem was released before the boycott was even an idea, and it's chock full of recipes from Olympic hopefuls. He's got a new dish every week or so, so be sure to follow him on Insta for that fun (or "fun," depending on the recipe).

In our TOFU update, we mentioned that our ice hockey referee Jessica Leclerc is doing Maine's Tri for a Cure this weekend. If you would like to support her fundraising efforts, click here.

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.

Episode 93: Book Club Claire on Shirley Babashoff's "Making Waves" Jul 11, 2019

Show notes

In our Tokyo 2020 update, we talk about test events -- if you're working on your spectator event, let us know how it's going! Send us pics of your viewing setup and your favorite Olympic snacks!

In our TOFU update, we mentioned that our ice hockey referee Jessica Leclerc is doing Maine's Tri for a Cure this weekend. If you would like to support her fundraising efforts, click here.

Episode 92: Olympic Fever Lightning Round 4 Jul 04, 2019

Show notes

It's Canada Day and Independence Day in the US this week, so we're celebrating by putting together a set of Lightning Rounds. We ask our Team Olympic Fever members five quick questions, and we love hearing how different everyone's answers are!

In this edition, we've got sports psychologist Dr. Kristin Keim, Team USA's "Team Mom" Sherry Von Riesen and gold medal diver Laura Wilkinson. Who hooked Kristin on the Olympics? What does Sherry think of the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center's food options? What's Laura's favorite exercise? Find out on this week's show!

Episode 91: Five Rings of Fun Jun 27, 2019

Show notes

Hope you had a great Olympic Day! Alison did some sport climbing; Jill did elements of a triathlon, and we both participated on Team Olympic Fever for Team USA's Virtual Race (we're currently sitting in 3rd place--wooo!).

We loved seeing everyone's celebrations -- if you haven't gotten your participation certificate, send us your proof of participation. We'll get a certificate to you!

It's that time of year when the International Olympic Committee members get together for their semiannual IOC Session, and this one was a big one!

First up, the big decision: Who will host the 2026 Winter Olympics? Spoiler alert (in case you haven't heard the celebrations all the way where you are): It's Milan-Cortina.

Jill watched the bid presentations, and boy, did Stockholm-Åre have a sound plan guided by the IOC's New Norm/Sustainability push. However, as Alison pointed out, Milan-Cortina had more support the whole way through, and they had the government guarantees. What do you think matters more to the voting members?

Also at the session, The IOC celebrated its 125th anniversary by inaugurating its brand new headquarters, the Olympic House. Speaking of sustainability, the IOC could not stop talking about how sustainable the building is--and we have to say, it is pretty cool. Check it out here. And check out the fancy guards here.

The additional sports for Paris 2024 are one step closer to being added to the program. They are:

Skateboarding
Surfing
Sport Climbing
Breaking

While we'll get to experience the first three at Tokyo 2020, Breaking will be a first--and sure, everyone's talking about that dance sport now, but what really grabbed our attention was where the surfing competition could possibly take place.

We've learned many other things during this IOC Session, including:

The bidding process for hosting the Games will change again
The IOC has its own broadcasting awards
AIBA, while not running the boxing tournament at Tokyo 2020, will be putting together the pool of officials. Anyone see a problem there?
WADA is going through the RUSADA samples they finally got a hold of. It's not going to be pretty.

Tokyo 2020 tickets are on many people's minds right now. Jill and Contributor Ben snagged a few of the ones they requested. If you didn't get everything you want to see, there will be more opportunities. One way to stay on top of them is to subscribe to this bot, which will email you whenever a flash sale occurs.

Also, the U.S. Olympic Committee has officially changed its name to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. This is a big, visible step to becoming a more inclusive organization--hooray!

Episode 90: Prepping for Sport Climbing at Tokyo 2020 with Josh Levin Jun 20, 2019

Show notes

Team USA sport climber and Team Olympic Fever member Josh Levin is back on the show to talk about his involvement with the sport since age 4 and training for the Tokyo Olympics. He also tells us which countries to watch out for at the Games.

One of the other topics we talked about was moving up from the junior to senior ranks, and Jill was surprised to hear that Josh thought it was less stressful for him once he moved up. Josh also lays on some good wisdom about assessing your involvement in the sport and having an identity beyond your sport.

Follow Josh online:

In our Team Olympic Fever Update, we mentioned that the dulcet tones of Jason Bryant have a new audio series called "Countdown to Nur-Sultan," consisting of 2-minute profiles of 100 wrestlers you'll see at the Senior World Wrestling Champs (held this year in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan). Jason told us that many of these people will also be at Tokyo 2020, so this is a great way to get to know the athletes (and hey, it's the dulcet tones of Jason Bryant--why else would you need to listen?).

This Sunday, June 23, is Olympic Day! Get out and do something sporty -- take a pic and post it on social with the hashtags #OlympicDay and #OFOD. We'll send you a participation certificate.

You can also be part of Team Olympic Fever Podcast on Team USA's challenge (open to anyone, anywhere!) -- sign up here, become part of our team and complete 3 miles by the end of the month to earn another certificate. We've got several listeners on our team and are doing well on the leaderboard, but we need you to continue our stride!

We also have a ton of news about Tokyo 2020, including:

The rowing facility is open
Look out for plastic bag fees
A very cool project called Flower Lane to make going through security more pleasant
Applications for Torch Relay Torchbearers are open! Let us know if you apply!
The USA Oreo Truck is on tour
Team GB has released a fun Travel to Tokyo program (some of us in the Facebook Group are doing it -- join us!)
Georgio Armani showed off Team Italy's track suits at a recent fashion show. What do you think of them? Alison has opinions.

Episode 89: Ken Hanscom on Traveling to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Jun 13, 2019

Show notes

It might still be a year away, but it's not too early to start planning your trip to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This week we're talking with Ken Hanscom, COO of Ticket Manager and a recognized expert in ticketing, corporate sponsorships, traveling to and experiencing the Olympic Games. Ken tells us about the ticketing process, when to start looking for flights and hotel rooms and what else you can do in Tokyo during the Olympics if you don't happen to get tickets (three word clue: Heineken Holland House).

We'll have Ken back on the show closer to the Games for some more Olympic travel tips. You can also follow him on Twitter and Insta, and his company is on Twitter as well.

Ken mentioned a Facebook Group for people traveling and offering tips. It's called Tokyo 2020 Olympics Planning - Summer Games - July 24 - August 9, 2020.

If you're looking for a hotel room, you might want to look to the seas. As we mention in our Tokyo 2020 Update segment, some cruise lines will have ships docked in the area and will be renting them out like hotels. If you stay in one, we'd love to hear about it!

Don't forget that Olympic Day is coming up! In the US, you can find activities near you through the US Olympic Committee's dedicated webpage. Everyone's invited to take part in the USOC's Virtual Race. We're doing it -- we'd love to see you sign up too!

You can also choose to do something sporty, take a photo of yourself doing it, use the hashtags #OFOD and #OlympicDay and post it on social or in our Facebook Group. We'll send you a classy Olympic Fever participation certificate via email!

Thanks as always to our Patrons -- listener financial contributions help keep our flame alive. We spend about 20-25 hours on each episode, and patron donations ensure that we can continue this effort and have the resources to do even more as we get closer to Tokyo 2020. Join now and get exclusive benefits!

Episode 88: Milan-Cortina vs. Stockholm-Åre for the 2026 Winter Olympics Jun 06, 2019

Show notes

At the International Olympic Committee Executive Board meeting a couple of weeks ago, the IOC Evaluation Commission for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 presented a report of its site visits. This large presentation shares details about each bid and sums up some of the important areas the IOC membership should consider when voting for a city (or in this case, region) to host the Games.

In the first corner, we Milan-Cortina, Italy. They're passionate! They've got the backing of multiple government entities that have promised the money! They've got experience hosting a lot of winter sport World Cups and Championships! They also have no sliding track for bobsled, skeleton and luge.

In the opposite corner, we have Stockholm-Åre, Sweden, a regional bid that includes the sliding track in Latvia (so they don't have to spend the money to build one) and a huge tradition and love of winter sports, but--and this is a big but--they aren't getting any government funding, and they haven't signed the Host City contract, which could be a very big deal for a group that abides by protocols.

This week we attempt to figure out which way the IOC will go. Will they choose passion (and perhaps an over-budget Games), or will they choose a bid that could be solid, but isn't quite as enthusiastic?

We'll find out on June 24, at the next IOC Session.

We've also got some Team Olympic Fever updates from Jacqueline Simoneau and John Nabor. Plus, some news for Olympics fans who live in Pittsburgh: The TV show "Manhunt: Lone Wolf," about the 1996 Olympic bombing, is looking for extras. Find out here how you can be cast.

As always, we'd like to thank our Patreon patrons, whose financial support goes a long way into keeping our flames alive. You can help us do more by joining the patron ranks -- click through to find out how.

Episode 87: Gender and Sex in Athletics with Dr. Victoria Jackson May 30, 2019

Show notes

Recently, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that women who compete in the 400m, 800m and 1500m in athletics (track & field) may not have testosterone levels above a certain limit. This limit seemingly targets runner Caster Semenya, a South African Olympic gold medalist in the 800m, who is a woman with elevated levels of testosterone and runs these exact 3 races.

Any woman who's been around a while knows this certainly seems like another way your gender is being kept down. So we decided to have a historian on to talk about this case and other ways gender and sex have been discriminated against throughout Olympic history. Dr. Victoria Jackson, a lecturer at the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at Arizona State University joins us to talk about the gender parades of the past; the line of thinking that believes extra testosterone only helps runners in these 3 races and no other track & field events; and the recent media discussions of elite athletes not being paid by sponsors when they have children.

Dr. Jackson also understands the world of athletics well, as she's a former NCAA champion in the 10,000m and competed professionally. She still holds Arizona State's record in the 5000m, which she set in 2006.

Follow Dr. Jackson on Twitter!

Some of the articles we talk about (or don't quite get to, but are great reading for this topic):

"The Decadelong Humiliation of Caster Semenya" - Dr. Jackson
"Starfish Girl" by Maureen McHugh - This is a sci-fi story about body altering in gymnastics
"How Should Officials Decide When Cutting-Edge Medical Interventions for Athletes Cross the Line?" - Dr. Jackson's response to this story
"I was sore about losing to Caster Semenya. But this decision against her is wrong." - Madeline Pape

The Caster Semenya case isn't over though--as we drop this episode, she's appealing the CAS decision with the Swiss Federal Tribunal. We'll keep an eye on this.

In other Olympic news, the IOC Executive Board is going to recommend that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics should have a boxing tournament -- but that the embattled, scandal-ridden AIBA not be the federation in charge of it. We've got the details on this ongoing saga.

Thanks, as always, to our Patreon patrons for making this episode possible. You too can become a patron and voice your support for the show!

Episode 14: Ski Jumping and Lady Parts
Episode 33: Cross-Country Skiing Olympic Gold Medalist Kikkan Randall

No uteruses were harmed in the making of this episode.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Victoria Jackson.

Episode 86: The Olympics and New Zealand's National Identity May 23, 2019

Show notes

We love the fact that we have listeners from all over the world, and while we do love Team USA, we are also really happy when we can bring a different country's perspective to our show.

Today we're talking about New Zealand and what participating in the Olympics means for its national identity. Our guest is Dr. Micheal Warren, an adjunct research fellow at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. We talk with Micheal about New Zealand's place in Olympic history--and it has a pretty prominent one for being a small country--how the stance "politics and sport don't mix" changes at one's convenience, and how a "disastrous" Olympic performance has changed the way the government funds athletes.

We also talked about the cultural elements within Team New Zealand and its "Earn the Fern" program. Micheal gives us some things to notice about Team NZ during an Opening Ceremonies and explains their symbolism. And we get into haka talk.

A haka is Maori war dance that's used in ceremonies, celebrations and as challenges. Most notably, the All Blacks, the national rugby team, are famous for their pre-match hakas. You might see them at the Olympics too -- Micheal tells us when to look for them. He mentions how Kiwi fans performed a haka for gold medalist Sarah Ulmer at Athens 2004. You can see her reaction here.

Now, Jill loves a good haka, so this episode has encouraged her to go down a YouTube rabbit hole. Here are some of her favorites (excuse her while she grabs a Kleenex--she gets pretty emotional watching them):

If you've got a favorite haka, send it to us! We're at info@olymfever.com (just don't send that wedding one -- that one really makes Jill cry).

But back to our guest. Micheal's dissertation about the Olympics and national identity is a great read. You can find it here. You can also follow him on Twitter to keep up with the news on New Zealand's Olympic efforts.

If you liked this episode, you may also like:

Episode 42: Montreal's Olympic Legacy
Episode 70: Archiving the Olympics with Teri Hedgpeth

Episode 85: How Horses Get to the Olympics May 16, 2019

Show notes

We've been working on getting into equestrian events and thought, Well, why don't we start with how horses actually get to the Olympics? In this episode we're joined by Martin Atock, Managing Director at Peden Bloodstock, the firm that's been transporting horses to the Olympics since Montreal 1976. Martin tells us the incredible amount of logistical work that's involved and what it's like for a horse to fly on an airplane.

You can learn more about Peden Bloodstock at its website, and its Facebook page has great videos showing them in action with the horses.

This episode is also chock full of fun facts, including Taiwan government ministers making promises of snacks if Taiwan gets 4 golds in Tokyo. We don't get it either (we obviously missed an earlier story that explains more), but we'd certainly be in line for them if it happens. Alison's on snack watch!

We also talk legacy -- Jill's got another Olympic swimming pool to put on her list, and we discuss what responsibilities international federations have in ensuring the legacy of Olympic venues.

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