This week visually impaired Paralympian Ness Murby is back to talk about how visual impairments work in his para athletics event, the discus. Ness told about the classification process, the importance of having a sports assistant, and who was more popular at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, him or his service dog Lexington. Ness and his assistant (and wife) Eva have qualified for Tokyo via the World Champs, but they have to get through team selection and hopefully automatic selection at the Canadian na...
Jan 15, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 171
This week we're kicking off our year of looking back at Atlanta 1996. Sarah Dylla is an Exhibition Curator at the Atlanta History Center , and she’s curated the museum’s new exhibit on the Atlanta Games called Atlanta ‘96: Shaping an Olympic and Paralympic City . We talked with Sarah about the exhibit, how the Games got to Atlanta and how they affected the city….and yes, we’ve got Izzy talk too. Follow Sarah on Twitter and the Atlanta History Center on Twitter , Insta and Facebook ! We also take...
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 170
2020's been a doozy for the Olympic and Paralympic world, so we put together a contributor roundtable with Book Club Claire and Superfan Sarah to talk about the biggest stories from this non-Olympic year. Read Claire's blog and follow her on Twitter . Follow Sarah on Insta and Twitter . That wraps it up for this year -- here's to hoping for a great Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Thanks so much for listening this year - we really appreciate you keeping our flame alive! *** Keep the Flame Alive: The Podc...
Dec 31, 2020•44 min•Ep. 169
We're on a boat! The last Lightning Round episode of the year features paddlers we've interviewed in 2020. First up is Andras Törő, 4x Olympian in sprint canoe. He's followed by kayaker Leslie Klein, who was chosen for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team and competed at the 1984 Olympics. Finally we have 3x Olympian and canoe slalom competitor Luuka Jones, who's earned the fern to compete for New Zealand in her fourth Olympics at Tokyo 2020. Follow Luuka on Twitter , Insta and Facebook. We have a new way...
Dec 24, 2020•36 min•Ep. 168
Every year we like to sprinkle in a few episodes about the history of the Olympics, and next year we’re going to focus those episodes on just one Games. We asked you on social media which Games we should cover, and to announce the winner and talk about these Games are Ruth Fitzpatrick and Chris O’Reilly from the brilliant podcast Olympipod . Find Olympipod on Insta and Twitter -- and be sure to listen to their LA 1932 Olympipod , featuring us! Another big announcement: We’re going to be removing...
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 167
This week we've got two conversations covering different elements of gender and sport. First up is Jackie Silva, 3x Olympian and gold medalist in beach volleyball, who is a driving force behind the #LetHerRun movement . This movement supports those women, including Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand, who've had their athletic careers cut short because they were deemed "not woman enough." Jackie talks with us about the irony of what these athletes would have to do in order to be allowed to compete ag...
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 166
The Velvet Voice of John Register returns, and this time we're talking about his Paralympic experiences. John tells us how he was on track to make the Olympic team until a horrific accident closed that door and opened a window into the world of the Paralympics. John talks about learning how the other half lives when experiencing the Atlanta 1996 Games, and how good hosts can create an exceptional Games, like Sydney did in 2000. Plus, an Aretha Franklin encounter! Check out John's website for mor...
Dec 03, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 165
We're celebrating U.S. Thanksgiving with an all-author edition of our Lightning Round series. Enjoy some hot takes from Stephen Wenn and Robert Barney, David Davis and Andrew Maraniss. Stephen and Robert 's book The Gold in the Rings: The People and Events that Transformed the Olympic Games is published by University of Illinois Press. Learn more about David Davis ' books, including his latest: Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from WWII Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability ...
Nov 26, 2020•34 min•Ep. 164
Film Buff Fran is back for the first non-English-language movie we're featuring in Movie Club: "Gold: The Dream that United Our Nation," on the 1948 Indian field hockey team that competed as an independent nation for the first time at the London 1948 Olympics. Will it move us? Will we break out into a Bollywood song and dance number? Will Alison show us her abs? You'll have to listen to find out! Our next movie will be "The Other Side of the Mountain," about skier Jill Kinmont who learns how to ...
Nov 20, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 163
When your Olympics is halfway around the world, how does your body clock affect your performance? We talk with researcher Renske Lok about circadian rhythms and the surprising way they can affect Olympians' competitions. Read about Renske's research on Scientific Reports: Nature Research . You can follow Renske on social: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Our TKFLASTAN Update includes news from: Chellsie Memmel Tom Scott Meagan Duhamel We also have Games Updates from Tokyo 2020, including news...
Nov 13, 2020•51 min•Ep. 162
It's part 2 of interview with Madeline Manning Mims, the multi-medal winning Olympian and trailblazer who became an Olympic chaplain. We talk with her about her experiences at 3 Olympics and her part in the 1980 American-led boycott, all of which paved the way for her calling in her gamesmaking role. You can learn more about Madeline's organization, the United States Council for Sports Chaplaincy at https://uscsc03.com . *** Keep the Flame Alive: The Podcast for Fans of the Olympics and Paralymp...
Nov 05, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 161
Legendary Olympian Madeline Manning Mims has the distinction of being America's first (and currently still only) female athlete to win the gold medal in the 800m run, which she achieved at the Mexico City 1969 Olympics. She added a silver in the 4x400m relay at Munich 1972, competed at Montreal 1976, and was selected for the Moscow 1980 that stayed home due to the US boycott of those Games. After her competitive career, Madeline found another calling: Chaplain. She's been a volunteer chaplain at...
Oct 28, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 160
Book Club Claire is back for a lively discussion of A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold and Beyond , by Abhinav Bindra, India's first individual Olympic gold medalist who competed in the sport of air rifle. Does it hit the bulls-eye as a good read, or does it miss the mark? Follow Claire on Twitter and read her blog. Our TKFLASTAN Update includes news from: (don’t forget links) John Naber Jackie Wong Chellsie Memmel The dulcet tones of Jason Bryant Meagan Duhamel Parc Olympiq...
Oct 23, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 159
Houry Gebeshian not only became Armenia's first female Olympic artistic gymnast, she also got a move named after her at the Rio 2016 Olympics! We talk about how she developed the Gebeshian, an uneven bars mount, as well as how she came to represent Armenia, and what it's like to be an Olympian from a country that doesn't have a lot of resources. Follow Houry online on Insta , Twitter and Facebook . Interested in getting help with college recruiting for gymnastics? Check out Houry's business Full...
Oct 15, 2020•54 min•Ep. 158
In our efforts to learn more about how para sports work, we talk with 1996 and 2000 Paralympian John Register about the mechanics of running blades (aka running legs). This is (hopefully) our first interview with John, who competed at the 1996 Paralympics in swimming and the 2000 Paralympics in silver long jump (got an American record of 5.41m), and 5th in 100m and 200m. He’s currently a keynote and motivational speaker does LinkedIn Live on Thursdays at 3:12 MT. John is taking part in a panel c...
Oct 09, 2020•53 min•Ep. 157
September 25, 2000 is known to Olympics fans as Magic Monday, where athletics fans got to see nine finals, including Cathy Freeman and Michael Johnson winning the 400m races. Nick Zaccardi, long-time Olympics editor at NBC Sports, joins us to talk about what made Magic Monday legendary. Follow Nick on Twitter and Insta , and read his many articles at NBC Olympics . What all happened on Magic Monday in Stadium Australia? Pole vault - women - inaugural competition Discus - men Triple Jump - men 40...
Oct 02, 2020•58 min•Ep. 156
What's it like to become the first Olympian for your country in the sport of skeleton? Israeli athlete AJ Edelman tells us about his experiences in the sport of skeleton and his current work in building up Israel's bobsled and skeleton team in hopes of competing at the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Follow AJ on Insta and Twitter! Follow the Israeli bobsled team and check out its website . TKFLASTANIS in action: Tom Scott was profiled by the World Karate Federation Marnie McBean's speaking this weekend ...
Sep 24, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 155
This week we're talking about how Olympians, Paralympians and elite athletes develop their personal brand. Athlete branding expert Vickie Saunders, president of The Brand Builders , a company that specializes in educating and training individuals and organizations about branding, takes us through how elite athletes figure out how to create a brand that's authentic to them. Follow Vickie on Insta , Facebook and LinkedIn ! Our TKFLASTANI Dawn Harper Nelson has a new YouTube channel called The Real...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 154
We are back from vacation just in time to celebrate Tessa Gobbo Day. There's so much to catch up on that this week's show turned into one big update. First up, we talk about all of the Olympic and Paralympic movies we've seen during the break. The IOC Executive Board met, so there's some news from TBach and company. TKFLASTAN's been hoppin', so we've got tons of news from our Team Keep the Flame Alive and updates from Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022, Paris 2024 and LA 2028. With all of this news, we de...
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 153
It's Labor Day weekend in the US, so we're taking a holiday this week. Never fear, we have new content for you (and even Alison) -- a Lightning Round featuring TKFLASTANIS Joe Maloy, Dr. Claudia Reardon and Andrew Rock. Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!
Sep 03, 2020•29 min•Ep. 152
We're marking one year to go to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics with a look at how the sport of wheelchair basketball developed. David Davis, author of the new book Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from WWII Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation , joins us to talk about the fascinating history of this sport. Follow David on Twitter and get updates and get info about his other Olympic books at his website . In our Tokyo 2020 update, we mentioned that ...
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 151
Film Buff Fran is back for another edition of our movie club! We've got a double-feature this time, looking at two biopics on 1972 Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine. "Without Limits" stars Billy Crudup as the confident athlete, while "Prefontaine" stars Jared Leto in the same role. Which movie was more accurate? Which actor was the better Pre? Listen to find out! Our next movie will be an Indian film called "Gold: The Dream that United our Nation," about India's field hockey team at the London 19...
Aug 21, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 150
If 2020 was a normal year, we would've just said good-bye to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics--and many athletes would be making big decisions about their futures. Since many athletes retire after an Olympics, we wanted to look at how elite athletes transition out of competitive life. To help us understand this topic, we talked with Leslie Klein, an Olympian who most recently was the Director of Athlete Career and Education (ACE) at the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee until the COVID-19 pandemic elim...
Aug 13, 2020•56 min•Ep. 149
On the track, a relay team can make or break its race based on the quality of its baton handoffs. 2004 Olympic relay gold medalist and current Bethel University head track coach Andrew Rock walks us through the process of handing off the baton. And, we announce our virtual Closing Ceremonies meetup. You can follow Andrew's teams on social @bethelxctf and visit their website . As we mentioned on the show, the US women's 4x100 relay team had a tougher time qualifying for the finals at the Rio 2016...
Aug 06, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 148
Book Club Claire is back to discuss 1964: The Greatest Year in the History of Japan: How the Tokyo Olympics Symbolized Japan’s Miraculous Rise from the Ashes by Roy Tomizawa. Also, we have found our nickname for John Coates--and we can't even take credit for it. Our next book is A Shot at History by Abhinav Bindra with Rohit Brijnath. There are a couple of versions - we’ll be reading the updated 2017 version. Look for your copy at bookstores and libraries, and we’ll discuss it in October. As men...
Jul 30, 2020•48 min•Ep. 147
We report back on what went down in the International Olympic Committee's 136th Session, which is the big gathering of all IOC members. We've got an announcement from TBach, news from Tokyo 2020, plus reports from all of the other Games on the docket. Today is also one year to go until Tokyo 2020 (in 2021), so the Tokyo Organizing Committee had a recognition celebration. It was a little more somber than last year's, but beautifully done. Grab your Puffs -- you'll need them when you watch it! Don...
Jul 23, 2020•58 min•Ep. 146
This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the Moscow 1980 Olympics, which may be better known for the 66-country boycott of them. Our TKFLASTANI archivist Teri Hedgpeth joins us to talk about the boycott and a new exhibit she put together for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee that honors the US athletes who were affected by it. Follow Teri on LinkedIn ! We are working on a side project about the 1980 boycott from a global aspect, so if you were involved or have historical context to prese...
Jul 17, 2020•54 min•Ep. 145
We welcome back our TKFLASTANI travel expert Ken Hanscom, COO of Ticket Manager, who tells us the latest on how to make plans to travel to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021. Follow Ken on Twitter and Insta . Follow Ticket Manager on Twitter. We also have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT about our plans to celebrate one year to Tokyo 2020 on July 24! Look for more details on our Insta , Twitter , Facebook Page and Facebook Group this week! Our TKFLASTANIs have been on a bunch of podcasts and in documentaries. He...
Jul 09, 2020•49 min•Ep. 144
This week is Canada Day and American Independence Day, so we're celebrating with a Lightning Round episode. This one features our TKFLASTANI archery official Hannah Brown, travel/tickets expert Ken Hanscom and 1976 Olympic luger Maura Grogan. 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 & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralym...
Jul 02, 2020•23 min•Ep. 143
We need to cool off, so we're hitting the ice -- the curling ice, that is. On this episode we talk with Derek Leung, a graduate student pursuing a research master’s in geology at the University of Edinburgh. His focus is on the damage evolution of curling stones, so we wanted to hear what he's discovered about the rocks themselves. Derek has a YouTube channel called Minerals Rock! where you can see his slo-mo research in action. He also has a GoFundMe page to help defray the costs of studying ab...
Jun 25, 2020•49 min•Ep. 142
