MatTalkOnline's Jason Bryant returns to tell us about his adventures as the in-house English announcer for the wrestling competition at the Rio 2016 Olympics. It's a wild journey that goes through Uzbekistan, naturally. Follow Jason on Twitter and his network on Facebook for all the latest in the world of wrestling. We also have a slice of TOFU for you, as well as some insensitivity at a recent sailing test event. Wasn't us! We weren't there! Brand new: Join our virtual water cooler at our Faceb...
Oct 11, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 54
Did you know that the 2018 Youth Olympic Games is opening this weekend? Wait a second....there's a Youth Olympic Games? Yep. Jill and Alison spend this episode--and only this episode--talking about why the Youth Olympic Games exists and if it's worth the trouble. Olympic and multi-sport/multi-day event expert Rich Perelman talks them through the YOG and if it's a good thing for the Olympic movement. Rich is also the founder and editor of The Sports Examiner , a thrice-weekly publication that cov...
Oct 05, 2018•44 min•Ep. 53
Happy Anniversary to us! That's right--one year ago this week, we launched our very first episode (you want to go back and listen, right?.....Maybe not. We didn't really get into a groove until a few episodes in)! It's been a year of amazing adventures and fascinating Olympic stories, and this week's guest is no exception. We continue what seems to be a Montreal theme this year and sit down with swimming legend John Naber . John was the golden boy of the 1976 Montreal Olympics, winning four gold...
Sep 28, 2018•57 min•Ep. 52
On this week's show, the dulcet tones of Wrestling Hall of Fame writer, broadcaster and announcer Jason Bryant joins the show to explain the ins and outs of one of the oldest Olympic sports: Wrestling. Plus, Alison hatches a 10-year plan to compete at LA2028. You can find Jason online at Mat Talk Online -- and if you like wrestling (don't you?--or don't you now after listening to this episode?), check out his podcasts. Jason is currently announcing at the Jr. World Championships in Slovakia thro...
Sep 20, 2018•59 min•Ep. 51
Jill is back from the World Olympic Collectors' Fair, and she's got some great stories of touring the LA Coliseum and the LA84 Foundation. She also got to catch up with our Olympin friends, make some new friends and hear some great Olympic stories, like this week's interview with Joan and Sid Marantz. Joan and Sid have been Olympic fans and collectors for decades, and when the Olympics were in Los Angeles in 1984, they both volunteered with the movement. Joan worked in Youth Services helping put...
Sep 13, 2018•54 min•Ep. 50
It takes a village to house an Olympian, but what does it take to create that village? Yvan Dubois, Director General of the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games and Mayor of the Montreal Olympic Village tells us how it's done. He was one of the first to create the environment that makes the Olympic Village special and contributes so much to the magical experience of the Games. Plus, kudos to Sarah Gascon and the US Women's Handball team for winning their series against Canada for the right to go to the 2...
Sep 06, 2018•46 min•Ep. 49
You asked, we're delivering! In today's Listener Request episode, we scratch the surface on the world of handball. Jill and Alison talk with USA Team Handball captain Sarah Gascon about the sport and what is wrong with America because it doesn't have much visibility in our country (no, seriously--have you seen how exciting this sport is??). Once you've listened to Sarah, you can watch the basics explained by USA Team Handball. You can also watch Team USA compete this coming week at a Pan Am Qual...
Aug 30, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 48
We're on a boat! This week Jill and Alison get a rowing lesson from Rio 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tessa Gobbo, who won in the women's 8 competition. Learn when Tessa found out she was Olympic caliber, what training for the Games was like, how the water in Rio actually was and perhaps pick up some rowing tips. Tessa was honored in New Hampshire with a day in her honor. Tessa Gobbo Day is on September 9. Listen to learn how to celebrate it! DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States...
Aug 24, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 47
You ever have one of those conversations where you just don't want it to end? That's this week's interview with U.S. judo legend Jimmy Pedro. Jill and Contributor Ben Jackson chat with Jimmy about the sport, how it struggles to find its place within American sports/martial arts participation and its relationship with MMA. Plus we learn why 2x Olympic Gold medalist Kayla Harrison decided to start fighting MMA. Plus, the U.S. National Gymnastics Champs is in Boston! Are you around and going to it?...
Aug 17, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 46
Modern Pentathlon is the Olympics' own sport, developed by the founder of the modern Olympics himself, Pierre de Coubertin. Contributor Ben Jackson interviews 5-time U.S. Senior National Champion Modern Penthathlete Samantha Achterberg on how the sport works and why it's a must-see at the Olympics. Plus, Jill and Alison create their own versions of a modern pentathlon that may or may not be as good as the real thing. Follow Samantha!! She's on: Facebook Insta Twitter Website If you want to catch...
Aug 10, 2018•55 min•Ep. 45
We're reviewing our first Olympic Fever Book Club selection, which means Book Club Claire is back! Claire Natsis joins us for a discussion of The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, a moving take on the 1936 U.S. Men's Olympic 8-person rowing team. If you want to watch the related PBS documentary "The Boys of '36," go to its PBS site . It's streaming there, but you might have to be a Passport member to view it (although the trailer and tons of clips are free on that site!). This page also ha...
Aug 02, 2018•54 min•Ep. 44
We're reporting in from the Podcast Movement conference, where we're learning a ton of ways to improve our show and do more fun things with you, our listeners! Thanks to the listeners who donated during our PyeongChang 2018 donation campaign--some of those funds helped defray the cost of the conference, and we really appreciate your help because this week has been so beneficial to us! Also, welcome to our new listeners whom we met at the conference! This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Me...
Jul 26, 2018•49 min•Ep. 43
Montreal 1976 is the poster child for how not to build a cost-effective Games. The city went into a ton of debt (note: that's the city--we'll learn in a future episode that the organizing committee didn't go into debt), which infamously took 30 years to pay off. That must mean there are a lot of white elephant stadiums around, right? Not exactly. This week, Jill and contributor Ben Jackson go on a tour of the Olympic Park--or Parc Olympique. Their guide Cédric Essiminy, PR officer at the Olympic...
Jul 19, 2018•58 min•Ep. 42
In a nice display of transparency, the International Olympic Committee released its host city contract documentation . We read it so you don't have to--and we definitely understand why cities drop out of the Olympic bidding process. You won't believe what this contract calls for--or maybe you will. One really important thing in the IOC's efforts to lower the costs of hosting the Olympics: It does not yet have a mascot for its "New Norm" program. Maybe we can help them! Plus we've got an update f...
Jul 12, 2018•48 min•Ep. 41
Today we're delighted to have Canadian Olympian Jacqueline Simoneau to explain the sport of synchronized swimming (also known as artistic swimming). This sport is no joke - it requires stamina and strength and the ability to take a kick, perhaps to the head. Jacqueline explains it all, the sequins, the hair gelatin, and the amazingly complicated moves like stack lifts, spins and thrusts. It's nothing like that classic SNL sketch . Jacqueline competed in the duet competition with veteran Karine T...
Jul 06, 2018•54 min•Ep. 40
How did we celebrate Olympic Day? Jill and Alison are recovering from their exciting #OFODs and talking about listeners' celebrations. Then it's time to see whether Alison gets all fangirl over one of her favorite Olympians, U.S. ice dancer Charlie White. Together with his partner Meryl Davis, Charlie's won silver at Vancouver 2010 and gold at Sochi 2014 ( check out their amazing free dance ). He rounds out the medal trifecta with a bronze at Sochi in the team event. Charlie talks with us about ...
Jun 28, 2018•52 min•Ep. 39
Jill catches up with phenom U.S. Olympic Speedskater Erin Jackson about her experience at PyeongChang. Then Jill & Alison talk about the Canadian Olympic Committee's brand new Canadian Olympic Experience exhibit at its Montreal offices. Erin's going to be competing at the Inline Speedskating World Championships in the Netherlands soon. Follow along here (in Dutch, but you might be able to parse out something). Or catch up with Erin on Twitter and Insta . You can find out information about th...
Jun 21, 2018•44 min•Ep. 38
Bonjour a Montreal! Jill and contributor Ben Jackson report in from the Montreal 1976 Olympic Village, where they're staying for a few days. They talk about all of things that are holdovers from the Games, as well as some of the quirks of the building. Our guest this week is Canadian Olympian Olya Ovtchinnikova who competed at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in sabre fencing. In the first part of her interview with Jill, Olya talks about how the sport of sabre works (and why you need to practice watch...
Jun 14, 2018•49 min•Ep. 37
A look back, a look ahead. In 2024, Paris will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the second time they hosted the Olympics. Jill and Alison spend this episode looking at the innovations from Paris 1924 and the parallels between it and Paris 2024. We look forward to what the 2024 Games will bring! (we can only hope it's as good as Alison's rendition of the "Chariots of Fire" theme). Plus, a trivia extravaganza, and we hear your reports from Olympic Day #OFOD! Remember, you can celebrate Olympic D...
Jun 07, 2018•48 min•Ep. 36
Contributor Ben Jackson is back with another part of last fall's interview with 3x Olympic Aerialist Emily Cook . Emily talks about overcoming adversity and returning from injury--and she had a doozy of an injury. Emily also talks about how to stay motivated and how to be OK if things don't go according to plan. Follow Emily on Facebook , Twitter , and Insta ! Plus, we debut our Book Club with contributor Claire Natsis. Claire's first choice is the New York Times bestseller, The Boys in the Boat...
May 31, 2018•40 min•Ep. 35
Scott Riewald, the U.S. Olympic Committee's Director of High Performance, talks to us about bringing back its reality/documentary show "Scouting Camp: The Next Olympic Hopeful" and what's new for season 2. If you want to try out for the show, check out their website . Show partner 24 Hour Fitness is hosting tryouts all over the country on June 2 -- you still have time to get in on this opportunity! The test includes a 30-meter sprint, pull ups and a vertical jump. Also on this episode, we realiz...
May 25, 2018•42 min•Ep. 34
She's a five-time Olympian, winner of the first US Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing, first American to win a cross-country world championship--and now she's a member of the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission. Kikkan Randall joins us on this week's show! Kikkan made history in PyeongChang with Jessie Diggins in the cross-country team sprint and captivated viewers with their face glitter and pink hair. Olympic moments don't get any better than this victory, which you ...
May 17, 2018•45 min•Ep. 33
Wouldn't it be amazing if your job took you to the Olympics? NBC Boston Video Journalist Sean Colahan lived the dream this winter by covering the Olympics for the local news station. Sean tells us what it was like to be a local news cameraman at PyeongChang 2018, the gold medal game he saw, the pins he traded, and just how cold it was. Here are some of the stories Sean put together while he was in South Korea: Finger Hearts Hospitality Houses Olympic Pictures Olympic Wrap Plus, Alison has update...
May 11, 2018•48 min•Ep. 32
Jill's just back from Rome, Italy, and naturally did a little Olympic tourism while she was there, so she and Alison talk about the game-changing Olympics of Rome 1960 and Jill talks about some venues that still remain. Plus, the Team USA awards and trivia. 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...
May 04, 2018•46 min•Ep. 31
Jill and Alison talk with Trevor Tiffany of A&T Europe and Chairman of Myrtha Pools USA to learn where Rio 2016's swimming pools went. That's right. They moved. Swimming pools can move! Plus, Trevor tells us about swimming pool plans (or non-plans) for Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 and LA 2028. 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. ...
Apr 26, 2018•43 min•Ep. 30
Remember when we talked with figure skating mental coach Rebekah Dixon ? The mental coach who was working with the great Meagan Duhamel ? Well, now we talked with Meagan herself! Canadian pairs figure skater and 3x Olympic medalist Meagan Duhamel joins us to talk about her Olympic experiences at Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018. Follow Meagan on Twitter and Insta -- and check out her healthy living blog ! DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ...
Apr 19, 2018•43 min•Ep. 29
Did you know that the very first modern Olympics was held in April? We decided to celebrate by watching the 1984 TV miniseries "The First Olympics: Athens 1896." You can watch Part 1 and Part 2 on YouTube. This, of course, means we need to set the record straight on some a lot of facts, so Jill goes to Colby College to talk with Pat Burdick about the James Connolly collection and geek out about seeing the first modern Olympic medal ever awarded. Then University of Michigan associate professor Ma...
Apr 12, 2018•56 min•Ep. 28
We answer questions we had during PyeongChang, namely, why do different sports have such different uniforms? Alison chats with Susan Sokolowski, Associate Professor and Director of the Sports Product Design Program at the University of Oregon, to learn more. Plus, seven interested cities have decided to hang out with the IOC's New Norm and have officially stated that they intend to bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Who's bidding, and who doesn't stand a chance? We take a look! DISCLAIMER: OLYMPI...
Apr 05, 2018•40 min•Ep. 27
Unless someone has a wardrobe malfunction on the ice, it's rare to hear an announcer talk about a figure skating costume. Yet they're a vital part of a skater's competition. We wanted to know more about the clothes, so Alison spoke with figure skating dress designer Pat Pearsall, who gives us the scoop on the dresses she designed for two-time Olympian and PyeongChang 2018 bronze medalist Mirai Nagasu, what she thinks of mesh matching, and how to avoid wardrobe malfunctions. Plus, Jill reports ab...
Mar 30, 2018•43 min•Ep. 26
This week we're looking at some of the other important people who make the Games happen for us fans. Where would we be without the pictures? Multifaceted photographer and author Lou Jones talks with us about the wonders and difficulties of photographing the Games -- and shares his training regimen with us. Lou has shot 13 Olympic Games. 13! You can check out his work at his website -- and definitely check out some of his Olympic work . He's also on Twitter and Insta @loujones2008. DISCLAIMER: OL...
Mar 22, 2018•57 min•Ep. 25
