Keep the Flame Alive

Latest Episodes:

Episode 17: Snowboard! Party Time! Jan 11, 2018

Show notes

It's snowboard week on Olympic Fever! Jill talks with Alex Diebold, Sochi 2014 bronze medallist in snowboardcross, and Alison chats with halfpipe medal hopeful Chloe Kim at Team USA Winterfest. It's also time to prepare for your Opening Ceremonies party--we talk with Team USA's #1 fan Sarah Patton for party planning advice.

You can follow Alex Diebold on Twitter and Instagram. Chloe Kim is also on Twitter and Insta. Sarah Patton is on Twitter, but you might want to follow her dog Theo on Insta too. That's him in this week's show pic!

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.

Episode 16: Clare Egan Explains How to Love Biathlon Jan 04, 2018

Show notes

This week we are heading to the biathlon range, where contributor Ben Jackson talks with Team USA biathlete Clare Egan, who recently made the U.S. Olympic team and is heading to PyeongChang for her first Olympics!

You can read more about Clare at her website and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

No biathlon conversation would be complete without talking about the greatest: Ole Einar Bjoerndalen! The Norwegian, who has more Winter Olympic medals than any other athlete, will be heading to his 7th Olympic Games. At age 44, he's one of our heroes.

All this, plus trivia--and our first listener emails!

Episode 15: Talking Luge with Shiva Keshavan Dec 28, 2017

Show notes

After weeks of talking about India's greatest Winter Olympian, we have him ON THE SHOW! The one, the only SHIVA KESHAVAN joins us to talk about the sport of luge. We have a fascinating conversation with him that will help you better understand what you're watching when you tune in to a luge competition--and it starts with talking about one of his Sochi runs where he fell off the sled and managed to flip himself back on it.

We also talk about what it's like to be an Olympian with very little financial support, his five other Olympics and his insight as to what the Russian athletes will be facing in PyeongChang, as he had to walk into Sochi 2014 under the Olympic flag.

It's a great conversation--one you won't want to miss! Follow Shiva on Twitter and Facebook.

We also discuss doubles luge and how the team relay works (spoiler: it's gonna be cool), and trivia!

Episode 14: Ski Jumping and Lady Parts Dec 21, 2017

Show notes

Jill and Alison fly high this week as they talk about ski jumping -- and the fact that women were just allowed the opportunity to compete in this event at the Olympics in 2014. 2014! Why? Ski jumping was deemed medically unsafe to women's reproductive organs (we are not making this up).

Alison also talks with U.S. Olympic ski jumper Sarah Hendrickson about the sport and being the first woman to jump in Olympic competition.

No discussion of Olympic ski jumping would be complete without talking about Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards, Great Britain's famed ski jumper from Calgary 1988. We talk about his impact on the sport--and on the world of music.

Plus, Tokyo 2020 has released its three mascot finalists. We analyze them and try to figure out what they even are, exactly.

Episode 13: The "Old Athletes" of Slopestyle and Moguls Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

One of the great things about interviewing athletes is when they say they're "old." That makes us laugh because even though Jill and Alison are ageless, these athletes are nowhere near "old" to us. On today's show we've got some "older" Olympians. First up is Devin Logan, silver medalist in slopestyle at Sochi 2014, who at 24, is ancient in her sport. After that, we talk to Sochi Olympian Bradley Wilson, who at 25, is more of a middle-aged moguls skiier, but give him a knee replacement and he'll be fine. We've got some trivia too, which leads into some fascinating moguls stories from Olympics past.

Episode 12: BANNED! Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

Big news from the International Olympic Committee this week: The IOC has banned Russia from competing at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games--and a host of other sanctions--as a result of systemic doping. Join us through the cycle of grief as we work through this issue and its ramifications for this Olympic Games and beyond. Plus, Alison brings some happy Olympic trivia to the table.

If you'd like to read more about the IOC's decision, check out the special section on its website, which includes the decision and the report of the Schmid Commission, on which the IOC made its ruling (check out the appendices for even more reading!).

Episode 11: Watch for the Aerial Hurricane Nov 30, 2017

Show notes

This week we're entering the world of freestyle skiing and the sport of aerials. Contributor Ben Jackson chats with three-time U.S. Olympic aerialist and current coach Emily Cook about the technical aspects of this thrilling--and surprisingly quick--sport. Plus one fantastic trivia question and news/holiday gift ideas.

To learn more about Emily Cook, visit her website. Check out Luger Shiva Keshavan's contest here. Find the Criterion Olympic Collection here, and to get your balls, see USA Luge's website.

Episode 10: The Sochi Experience Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

Man, it seems like Sochi 2014 was forever ago, doesn't it? Yet, it's the most recent Winter Olympic Games. Before we go full-on feverish for PyeongChang 2018, we're going to take a look back at some of the stories from the Sochi Olympics.

First up is Nate Bartholomay, U.S. pairs skater, to give us an athlete's perspective of what Sochi was like, competition-wise. Then we talk to his sibling Jamie, who got to go to Sochi to cheer Nate on in person. Hear their story of the family/fan perspective--and find out what it's like to be the type of person who's not even supposed to exist in Russia.

Next we talk to our friend and Olympin president Don Bigsby, who got to see a part of Russia that most visitors don't. Luckily, he got back to tell the story.

Finally, remember how in Sochi the big story was that the athletes' rooms and hotels were kind of shoddy -- so much so that a bobsledder had to break through his bathroom door in order to get out? We've got the full deets, thanks to Nick Cunningham, who very well might've been the reason it happened in the first place.

All this, plus trivia!

Photo: Courtesy of Nick Cunningham

Episode 9: Curl This Way Nov 16, 2017

Show notes

The U.S. Curling Association Olympic Trials are underway, so we're talking curling this week! Will Alison take a spill on the ice, or will she land her rock on the button? Learn more about this great sport and how it's much more athletic and strategic than you might think (and why the Norwegians wear those great pants). We also talk with three-time curling Olympian John Shuster. Plus, curling trivia and news updates from around the world of Olympic sports.

Episode 8: Get to Know Bobsled Nov 10, 2017

Show notes

We're starting the first of our deep dives into specific Olympic sports--and yeah, we understand that this deep dive equals long podcast, but you're in for a great ride. We're talking bobsled, which for this Olympics is going to be especially interesting, as Team USA is going into the Games clouded by a shadow of tragedy. We also get into the finer points of the sport with US Brakeman/Olympic hopeful Lauren Gibbs and US Pilot/two-time Olympian Nick Cunningham. Plus, an update on our bobsledder Josh Williamson, the craziness that's happening in Team GB bobsled, and bobsled trivia!

If you're interested in the GoFundMe pages we mention on the show, here they are:

https://www.gofundme.com/joshs-rookie-season

https://www.gofundme.com/teammcneill

You can keep up with Lauren on Insta and with Nick on Twitter.

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