We're back in PyeongChang (figuratively speaking) for a look at what's been going on with the Paralympic Games--and the hijinks of one of our favorite mascots, Bandabi. If you're interested in learning more about guides for visually impaired sports, check out VisionAware. 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 po...
Mar 15, 2018•40 min•Ep. 24
The Paralympics are almost here! Today's guest is World Para Nordic Skiing Sport Technical Committee Chair Robert Walsh, who explains how Paralympic XC skiing and biathlon work. Plus, there's a potential Olympic Fever knitting project in the works, Paralympic trivia, and another sad mascot story. 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 purpo...
Mar 09, 2018•35 min•Ep. 23
PyeongChang's not over yet! It's time for our 2018 Paralympics preview episodes. Three-time medalist Taylor Lipsett joins the show to discuss the sport of sled hockey. Plus, the Russians are back in the IOC's good graces, and Tokyo 2020's given us a new set of mascots to love! 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 Fev...
Mar 01, 2018•41 min•Ep. 22
Jill and Alison discuss the most obscure of obscure sports with U.S. Nordic Combined Olympian Bryan Fletcher. Plus news on future Winter bids, an invite to our Fantasy Olympian league and an update on our broadcast schedule during PyeongChang 2018. Now, you will notice that Jill makes a most excellent joke that our dear guest doesn't quite get. This commercial can't be that old, can it? DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (“USOPC”). Any use...
Feb 08, 2018•49 min•Ep. 21
Just about one week left before the PyeongChang Games begin!! This week we're on the long track with speedskating sprinter Erin Jackson. Erin's a world champion inline skater who recently transitioned to the ice and surprised everyone--even herself--by snagging a spot on the team in the 500m. Not surprising is that a last-minute trip from the US to South Korea's pretty expensive, so Erin's been doing some fundraising to get her father and two cousins to the Games. Check out her website and Faceb...
Feb 01, 2018•53 min•Ep. 20
Rockerskater.com's Jackie Wong was so great that we had to include his full interview here. He goes deep on figure skating--who to watch for, the scoring system, skating judges and the different disciplines....and he humors Jill while she waxes poetic about spirals. 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 ...
Jan 27, 2018•58 min
It's the week Alison has been looking forward to: Figure Skating Week! We've got three great guests on today's show: 2014 Olympic pairs skater Nate Bartholomay. Look for him on Twitter and Instagram . If you missed his and Deanna Stellato's amazing short program from U.S. Nationals, here it is . They also attempted a throw quad salchow on their long program , which is insanely difficult to do. He and Deanna are currently competing in the Four Continents Championships - here's the results of the ...
Jan 25, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 19
We're talking Women's Olympic Ice Hockey this week! First up, Jill is beyond excited to talk with one of the "other Olympians." That's right, the Games wouldn't be possible without officials, and women's hockey linesman Jessica Leclerc has proven she has what it takes to be an Olympic official. We've got her story, plus Jill's conversation with U.S. Women's Ice Hockey forward Brianna Decker. Then there's exciting news about North Korea and South Korea marching together, tough news for biathlete ...
Jan 18, 2018•52 min•Ep. 18
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...
Jan 11, 2018•37 min•Ep. 17
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...
Jan 04, 2018•53 min•Ep. 16
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 fina...
Dec 28, 2017•58 min•Ep. 15
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 ab...
Dec 21, 2017•41 min•Ep. 14
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...
Dec 14, 2017•43 min•Ep. 13
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...
Dec 07, 2017•54 min•Ep. 12
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 Lug...
Nov 30, 2017•51 min•Ep. 11
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-...
Nov 23, 2017•44 min•Ep. 10
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. DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of ...
Nov 16, 2017•35 min•Ep. 9
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 J...
Nov 10, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 8
This week we're in New York City for Team USA's Winterfest, which kicked off the 100 day countdown to PyeongChang 2018. Join us for the fun as we hear from the athletes, try out the Winterfest activities, eat the snacks and check out the mascots. Because these guys? Are the bomb! Put 'em with Spirit, Team USA's bear, and you're in for a good time! Speaking of PyeongChang, we learn that we've been pronouncing it wrong--but we'll get it down. The countdown is on--we're one step closer to the Olymp...
Nov 03, 2017•36 min•Ep. 7
The Olympic Flame is afire, and the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Torch Relay has begun, meaning our Olympic Fever is really starting to take hold. We talk about this week's torch lighting ceremony, and Alison gets into the history of the Torch Relay, including fennel's weird place in it (yeah, you read that right--fennel). We also talk to former torchbearer for the Salt Lake City torch relay Craig Perlow of Olympian Artifacts about his experience in the event. See more of his pictures at his website...
Oct 26, 2017•33 min•Ep. 6
Ever since the beginning of the modern Olympics, pins have been around--and every Games, they are a hot commodity to buy, sell and trade. This week, we crash the Olympin Pin Collectors Convention and meet some of the characters behind this incredibly popular hobby. Also, what do the Austrians think about holding another Winter Olympics? If you'd like to know more about pin collecting, check out Olympin's site at http://olympinclub.com/ We could use your help! Share our show with your friends and...
Oct 19, 2017•35 min•Ep. 5
Today we’re talking with Josh Williamson, one of the bobsled winners of the NBC SN show “Scouting Camp: The Next Olympic Hopeful.” You can watch Josh in action here , and if you're interested in applying for the next season of the show, you can find the application at nextolympichopeful.teamusa.org . Also on the docket: Remember the hullabaloo about Zika at Rio 2016? We've got an update on how the disease actually affected the athletes who attended the games. All this, plus trivia! This episode ...
Oct 12, 2017•45 min•Ep. 4
We're podcasting from Lake Placid, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games!!! Jill and Alison talk about their adventures (maybe geek out a little) and discuss Lake Placid as an Olympic Host City. Also, trivia, and we say good-bye to a pairs figure skating legend. 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 pod...
Oct 06, 2017•39 min•Ep. 3
Today we look at the bidding process--namely, the fact that Olympic bid cities have been dropping like flies. Will the IOC's Agenda 2020 solve the problem? Jill and Alison try to stump each other with more trivia, and in news from PyeongChang, we see what the 2018 medals will look like and ponder a potential boycott of the Games. All this and attempts at accents in this episode! DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (“USOPC”). Any use of OLYM...
Sep 28, 2017•37 min•Ep. 2
Welcome to the first episode of the podcast for Olympics fans! One important element of an Olympic Games is its mascot. Looking at Tokyo 2020's mascot contest, we explore how Olympic mascots came to be and why they're so important to an Olympic city. Plus, we have some Olympic Trivia, and a discussion of the new events that will be happening at PyeongChang 2018. DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (“USOPC”). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olymp...
Sep 25, 2017•39 min•Season 1Ep. 1
