Rekindled: Randal Roark and Michael Dobbins on Atlanta 1996
Release Date: 12/19/2024
Paralympic Gold Medalist Elizabeth Marks
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3x Paralympian and 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 U.S. Army's WCAP and follow Ellie on ! Special thanks to the U.S. Army for making this interview possible. We also have a lot of news...
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Sydney 2000: Set Sail with the Mascots
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We sail back in time to Sydney 2000! Alison explores the origins of the official Olympic mascots, , and the Paralympic mascot . 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: Then Jill heads across Sydney Harbor to the sailing competition to revisit the men's sailing competition, specifically the Two Person Keelboat (Star) and One Person Dinghy (Laser). Death looms in the background of both...
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New IOC President Kirsty Coventry
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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 happens on April 8, 2025. Paralympic tickets? Always on sale. For a transcript of this...
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2025 World Figure Skating Championships Recap
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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 this month! And get more scoop from Figure Skating Champs in our free . For a transcript of this episode, please visit . Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive! *** with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics....
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No Show This Week!
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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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Book Club Claire on Paralympian Sydney Collier's Memoir "Beyond Expectations"s
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Book Club Claire is back for our first selection of 2025, which is by a TKFLASTANI! We're reading by 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 Rio 2016, and the book discusses how she's famous in the rare disease world and her journey to Rio. Follow and on Insta! Also on this episode, a Paris 2024 bullying case goes to trial, lots of news...
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Sydney 2000: The Debacles of Women's Gymnastics
Keep the Flame Alive
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 transcript of this episode, please visit . Thanks so much for listening, and until next time,...
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Alison Levine's Paris 2024 Paralympics
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Sometimes all of the training and preparation in the world doesn't get you to the Paralympic podium. Boccia player 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 with the disappointment, Alison's Paris experience was, on the whole, a good one. Along with talking about...
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Kenny Bednarek's Paris Olympics
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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 . Also check out his and follow him on and . Also on this episode: IT's the vibe, says Milan-Cortina 2026 The Milan-Cortina is out The "Sabataggio"...
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Para Powerlifter Bobby Body's Paris 2024 Paralympics
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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 another installment, and we have a major announcement about the show's future. Plus, the...
info_outlineNow that the Paris 2024 Host Organization is winding down its existence as a functioning entity, we start looking at the legacies the Games will (hopefully) leave behind. However, it can take years--or even decades--to realize the impact of these two months.
However, other cities can provide lessons in what's possible. We're rekindling our June 24, 2021 interview with Randal Roark and Michael Dobbins, who worked for the City of Atlanta during the planning and execution of Atlanta 1996. They, along with Leon Eplan, wrote the book Atlanta's Olympic Resurgence: How the 1996 Games Revived a Struggling City, which details the efforts of city workers to make Atlanta a world-class city and welcome guests from every country to its door.
Our interview shed a lot of light on the little projects a city can accomplish thanks to the deadline of the Olympics.
The book is an interesting read, and you can find it on our Bookshop.org site (affiliate link). Books purchased through that link support the show's operating budget.
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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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 Paralympics. Also look for our monthly Games History Moment episodes in your feed.
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