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PODCAST

Keep the Flame Alive

Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown

Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You"ve found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz, for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes, coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don"t find anywhere else. Tune in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We"re your cure for your Olympics Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

sports sports news

All Episodes

01:01:21

Ryan Cooper on USA Cycling's Project 4:05

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/04/24

USA Cycling's Senior Data Analyst Ryan Cooper joins us to talk about Project 4:05, the quest to win the women's track cycling team pursuit gold medal at Paris 2024. The US wasn't considered much of a contender for the podium--defending gold medalists Germany and reigning world champions Great Britain were considered to be the main teams vying for the top prize. However, Ryan developed a process to uncover more with data analytics using machine learning and real-time analytics to optimize rider

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01:21:27

Paralympic Gold Medalist Elizabeth Marks

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/04/17

3x Paralympian and U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program member SFC Elizabeth Marks joins us to tell us about her experience in the pool at Paris 2024. Ellie competed in seven events, winning five silver medals. Ellie tells us what she thought about her third Games, including her thoughts on the infamous Paris 2024 chocolate muffins. We also discuss how swimming is an intellectual sport, how she's adapted to the sport throughout her career, and how she mentors other athletes. Learn more about the

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41:54

Sydney 2000-Set Sail with the Mascots

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/04/10

We sail back in time to Sydney 2000! Alison explores the origins of the official Olympic mascots, Syd, Millie, and Olly, and the Paralympic mascot Lizzie. But Sydney doesn't stop with the mascot fun--the hosts of the Sydney 2000 recap show The Dream brought us Fatso, who stole the athletes' and fans' hearts....and caused some controversy along the way. See one of Fatso's best moments here: https://youtu.be/dJZS6DdS9xI?si=BjalIj50J6EA4-WB Then Jill heads across Sydney Harbor to the sailing

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01:27:40

New IOC President Kirsty Coventry

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/04/03

Five-time Olympian Kirsty Coventry has been elected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee. She's the first woman and the first African to lead the organization. What's her story, and how will she shape the Olympics for years to come? We take a deep dive to find out. Plus, another chapter in the Milan-Cortina 2026 slidingnovela, updates (and concerns) for LA 2028, and Brisbane 2032 missed the Agenda 2020+5 memo. Looking for tickets to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics? Another

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59:24

2025 World Figure Skating Championships Recap

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/04/02

Alison went to the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston and has all of the behind-the-scenes details! Find out what you can't see on TV and how different the skater's performances were in person! Also check out our figure skating-themed Patreon episode this month! And get more scoop from Figure Skating Champs in our free Substack. For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive! ***

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No Show This Week!

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/03/26

Hello TKFLASTAN! Just a note that we won't be able to produce a show this week. Jill's been doing a lot of caregiving for her mother, which has taken a considerable amount of time and mental energy. We'll be back next week with hopefully two shows - one on the new IOC president Kirsty Coventry and Alison's report from Figure Skating World Champs. Thanks so much for your understanding, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

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58:22

Book Club Claire on Paralympian Sydney Collier's...

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/03/21

Book Club Claire is back for our first selection of 2025, which is by a TKFLASTANI! We're reading Beyond Expectations: An Extraordinary Equestrian Journey from Deadly Diagnosis to the Paralympic Games by Sydney Collier with Heather Wallace. For Sydney, a routine eye exam turned into a diagnosis of a life-threatening rare disease. She's defied all expectations--particularly in terms of lifespan--to become a Paralympian in para dressage. She overcame some pretty touch obstacles to earn her ticket to

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26:59

Sydney 2000: The Debacles of Women's Gymnastics

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/03/13

While the Sydney 2000 Olympics are generally considered to be one of the best Games of all time, yet they still had their fair share of issues, particularly in the gymnastics venue. In the latest installment of our year-long look back at Sydney 2000, Alison explores the numerous debacles during the gymnastics competitions, including a women's team competition that saw a podium change years later, and an all-around competition that forced a massive change in the vault starting with Athens 2004. For a

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40:55

Alison Levine's Paris 2024 Paralympics

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/03/06

Sometimes all of the training and preparation in the world doesn't get you to the Paralympic podium. Boccia player Alison Levine experienced that firsthand during the Paris 2024 Paralympics, when tournament bracket design forced her to face the other top player early on in the elimination rounds. Play didn't go her way, and she didn't get the results she wanted. It didn't get better in the mixed doubles tournament, when she and teammate Iulian Ciobanu lost to Thailand in the bronze medal match. Even

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46:08

Kenny Bednarek's Paris Olympics

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/02/27

We catch up with sprinter Kenny Bednarek and learn about his Paris 2024 experience running the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. He did bring home some hardware, but also had many learning experiences (and we're not just talking about dealing with the lack of A/C in Paris). We also look ahead to Kenny's 2025 season and how he's preparing for World Athletics' world championships. Be sure to watch Kenny's documentary series Road to Gold on YouTube. Also check out his website and follow him on Insta and

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01:01:53

Para Powerlifter Bobby Body's Paris 2024 Paralympics

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/02/20

We catch up with our para powerlifter Bobby Body and talk with him about his experience at Paris 2024, including: What it was like to compete on the final day of the Games Dealing with no-lifts that resulted in a 4th place finish What it's like to get Team USA kit when you've got a powerlifter's body--did Bobby hulk out of his ceremonies uniforms? We also have news from past and upcoming Games, including a Paris 2024 concert and Milan-Cortina 2026 ticket and torch relay news. The Slidingnovela has

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32:36

Sydney 2000: Glory and Disgrace on the Track

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/02/13

Runners Cathy Freeman and Marion Jones, two of the stars from the Sydney 2000 Olympics, could not have had more different outcomes to their experiences at these Games. In this look back at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Alison has the amazing story of Cathy Freeman, who brought Olympic glory to Australia and the Aboriginal people. Meanwhile, Jill unravels the complicated story of Marion Jones, who was the first women to ever win five medals in a single Games in athletics. Until she gave them

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01:02:50

Ken Hanscom's Travel Tips for the Milan-Cortina 2026...

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/02/06

It's one year to go until the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics! Tickets went on sale today, which means it's time to figure out travel plans--and because Milan-Cortina is really spread out across northern Italy, travel between venue clusters is going to be much more complicated. Not to worry though. Our Olympics travel expert Ken Hanscom is back to talk about traveling to Milan-Cortina for the Games. He shares: What to think about when buying tickets Why Milan will be a great host city for the

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01:14:14

Brazilian Cross-Country Skier Bruna Moura's Olympic...

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/01/30

Brazilian cross-country skier Bruna Moura joins us to talk about her continuing gritty journey to become an Olympian. A former mountain biker, Bruna took up roller skiing to help her recover from surgery. She found a love for the sport and transferred to snow to achieve her goal of representing her country at an Olympics. She was supposed to realize her dream in 2022 when she qualified for the Beijing Winter Olympics at the last minute. However, as she was riding to the airport to fly to China for

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01:04:36

Sarah Cookler on Ski Mountaineering

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/01/23

The one new sport on the program for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics is ski mountaineering (aka skimo). What is this sport all about, and why should you watch it? Sarah Cookler, Head of Sport for USA Skimo (USA Ski Mountaineering Association), joins us to talk about the sport, how it works, and how much fun its debut at Milan-Cortina will be. Follow USA Skimo on Insta and X! They're @usaskimo. Also on today's show: Massive problems with the bronze medals from Paris 2024 - this New

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38:42

Sydney 2000: The Bid and Opening Ceremonies

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/01/16

Welcome to our look back at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics! We asked which historical Games should get a deep dive, and your response was to take another look at arguably one of the best Olympics of all time. On this episode, Jill delves into how Sydney won the right to host the Games against a crowded field that included Beijing, Berlin, Manchester (UK) and Istanbul. Would Sydney win on merit, or was there something fishy going on with their bid? Then Alison looks at the Opening

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46:34

Movie Club: The Fire Inside

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2025/01/09

Movie Club returns to look at the 2024 biopic "The Fire Inside," which tells the story of Olympic boxer Claressa Shields and her journey to winning her first Olympic gold medal at London 2012. The movie also goes beyond her first victory to show what happens when the Games are over--and unfortunately, Claressa is one of the many Olympic athletes who do not see a financial windfall after the Games. Also on the show: News from Paris 2024 (how about those finances?!) News from Milan-Cortina 2026

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13:14

Chamonix 1924: Was Curling Really an Olympic Event at...

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2024/12/22

It's the final episode of our series on Chamonix 1924! Alison explores the controversial curling event, which had teams that didn't show up, players on multiple teams, and the designation of not being an official Olympic event--or was it? Listen to find out! 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 Olympics and Paralympics Fan Podcast with hosts Jill Jaracz &

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01:04:46

Rekindled: Randal Roark and Michael Dobbins on...

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2024/12/19

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38:33

Rekindled: Para Archer Matt Stutzman

Keep the Flame Alive ·

2024/12/12

We're closing out our year of podcasting with a new feature: Rekindled. This is where we bring back some favorite interviews we’ve had over the years. For newer listeners, it’s a great way to hear how we met some of our TKFLASTANIs. If you have heard it before, it’s fun to go back and listen to the interview now that we’re post-Paris 2024 and see how our original conversation played out. Alison chose to rekindle our 2023 interview with para archer Matt Stutzman. Matt has been a trailblazer in the

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