Book Club Claire on "Above & Beyond: Tim Mack, the Pole Vault and the Quest for Olympic Gold"
Release Date: 07/31/2025
Milano Cortina 2026: Olympic Figure Skating Preview with Sarah Hughes
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(Not Olympic Champion) Sarah Hughes of The Runthrough podcast joins us to preview the figure skating competition for Milano Cortina 2026. Who's likely to be on the podium for the pairs, ice dance, men's and women's events? Listen to The Runthrough, which also features Olympians Ashley Wagner and Adam Rippon, on YouTube @TheRunthrough or your podcast app. They're @therunthroughpodcast on Insta. ***KEEP OUR FLAME ALIVE:*** Support our fundraiser to bring you the most fun coverage of the Olympics and Paralympics from Milano Cortina 2026. Learn more and give here: For a...
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Anything But Footy Olympics Crossover Spectacular
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John Cushing and Michael Weadock from Anything But Footy join us for a rousing look ahead at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. ***Are you a Milano or a Cortina?*** Let us know by helping us raise funds to cover the production costs of our Milano Cortina 2026 coverage, which includes at least 32 daily episodes (and probably 100+ escapades that only your favorite Olympic and Paralympic aunties can get into). We need your support to make this coverage happen. Please make a contribution here: For a transcript of this episode, please visit . Thanks so much for listening, and...
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Olympic Bobsled with Elana Meyers Taylor, Frank Del Duca and Chris Fogt
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Alison interviews 4x Olympic bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor on her long career in the sport and being an athlete/parent. Then Jill and Alison interview U.S. Army World Class Athletes LTC Chris Fogt and SGT Frank Del Duca. Fogt is a former bobsledder turned coach for USA Bobsled. Del Duca is an Olympic bobsled driver looking to qualify for his second Games. Follow our TKFLASTANIs on Insta: Elana Meyers Taylor: @elanameyerstaylor SGT Frank Del Duca: @frankiedelduca LTC Chris Fogt: @chris.fogt Plus, we get into the hockey stadium drama at Milano Cortina 2026 and the surprise announcement of...
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Sydney 2000: Paralympic Closing Ceremony and Games Legacy
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In our final episode on the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics, Alison is thrilled that the demon chicken has returned to the Paralympic Closing Ceremony. Then Jill looks at the legacy (both good and questionable) of these Games. Were they the greatest Games of all time (at least in 2000)? Listen to find out! Plus, we look forward to the Winter Olympics we'll cover during our 2026 history-themed shows. ***KEEP OUR FLAME ALIVE:*** Support our fundraiser to bring you the most fun coverage of the Olympics and Paralympics from Milano Cortina 2026. Learn more and give here: For a...
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Team USA Olympic Speed Skaters Erin Jackson and Corinne Stoddard
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On this episode of Keep the Flame Alive, we have conversations with Olympic speed skater Erin Jackson and Olympic short track skater Corinne Stoddard that we had at the Team USA Media Summit. Follow Erin and Corinne on social: Erin: https://www.tiktok.com/@ErinJacksonSkates Corinne: Alison reports back from a Milano Cortina 2026 talk on branding, where she learned about the thinking that went into the look of these Winter Olympics. We have plenty of news about Milano Cortina, including the , the victory ceremony uniforms, woes about the...
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Book Club Claire on A Team of Their Own
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Book Club Claire joins us for a discussion of Seth Berkman's 2019 book , about the 2018 Winter Olympic Korean women's unified ice hockey team. This story happened during the podcast's lifetime. What did we remember? What was new news? Did we fall for the IOC's unification propaganda? Plus, our Milano Cortina 2026 sliding novela comes to a close and the torch is lit! In other Games news: LA 2028 opened an intent form for those interested in volunteering. Learn more here: ***KEEP OUR FLAME ALIVE:*** Support our fundraiser to bring you the most fun coverage of...
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Olympic and Paralympic Ice Hockey Slaps!
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We're exploring the worlds of Olympic and Paralympic ice hockey this week! First, the women's Rivalry Series between Team USA and Team Canada came through Cleveland. Jill got to attend a practice and the game. Along the way, she interviewed goalie Ava Mc Naughton and defensive player Rory Guilday. Next we have para ice hockey interviews from the Team USA Media Summit, where Alison talked with two-time Paralympic defenseman Jack Wallace, and then we both chatted with three-time Paralympian Declan Farmer and one-time Paralympian Malik Jones. Plus so much news from Milano Cortina 2026 (kits!...
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Sydney 2000: Rowing and Olympic Closing Ceremonies
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In our penultimate episode of our Sydney 2000 Games history series, Jill takes a look at the Olympic rowing competition, specifically the women's coxless pairs race, which featured Missy Schwen-Ryan and Karen Kraft from the USA racing for the gold that eluded them at Atlanta 1996, even though Schwen-Ryan was missing something. Watch that race here: Then Alison tries to decipher the fever dream that was the Olympics Closing Ceremony, which you can watch in its full glory here: ***Much like the American coxless pairs team, we're also bootstrapping our way to the 2026 Winter Olympics and...
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Keep the Flame Alive-2025 trailer
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Introducing your favorite Olympic Aunties Jill Jaracz and Alison Brown! If you're obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics or just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work, you've found your people. Join us each week--and daily during the Games--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. This is why you watch the Games!
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Olympic Luge with Ashley Farquharson, Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby
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We are sliding down the luge track in this episode, interviewing three women from Team USA's luge team, who are vying to compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. First up, singles luger and 2022 Olympian Ashley Farquharson returns to the podcast to explain some of the technical details--and physics--of the sport. Then we talk with women's doubles lugers Sophia Kirkby and Chevonne Forgan. Women's doubles is a new Olympic event, so the pair discuss how this event works. They were also part of the athlete testing group for the new sliding track in Cortina, so they share some insight on how it...
info_outlineBook Club Claire is back for our summer reading selection: Above & Beyond: Tim Mack, the Pole Vault and the Quest for Olympic Gold by Bill Livingston. Tim Mack won the gold medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics (perhaps a surprise winner), and this book details his very long journey to the top of the podium and the unique training methods he developed that helped him achieve his goal.
What did we think of the book? Listen to the show to find out!
Our next selection is A Team of Their Own: How an International Sisterhood Made Olympic History by Seth Berkman. This tells the story of the combined Korean women's hockey team that competed at PyeongChang 2018. We're looking forward to reading a story that took place during the life of this podcast! Get your copy now, and look for this episode to drop in November.
Also on today's episode, we have news on the one-year anniversary of the Paris 2024 Games. Ice hockey will have blended officiating teams at Milano-Cortina 2026. LA plans to become more accessible. The World Games had its first torch relay.
Reminder: you can watch World Games 2025 online at the World Games' streaming platform. (https://live.theworldgames.org/) The World Games start on August 7, 2025.
In news from TKFLASTAN, we hear from:
- Fencers Lee Kiefer, Lauren Scruggs, Nick Itkin, Alexander Massialas and Gerek Meinhardt
- Racewalker Evan Dunfee
- Wheelchair tennis player Charlie Cooper
- Goalball player Calahan Young
- Shooter Sagen Maddalena
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.
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