Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics: Important Evolutions in Nordic Combined and Ski Jumping
Keep the Flame Alive
In our ongoing series about the Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics, we look at the sports of Nordic combined and ski jumping, both of which underwent their own evolutions at these Games. For Nordic combined, a format change and uncoupling from other competitions allowed this event to finally stand on its own. That didn't mean it was easy for anyone outside of the sport to understand how it worked or how some athletes made it to the podium. Plus, there was drama in certain countries about who got to be on the team, and one coach's pushback led to medal success. Ski jumping, which was...
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"The Games in Black & White": George Hirthler on Atlanta's Unlikely Olympics
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Remember when Atlanta won the right to host the 1996 Olympics? The Centennial Olympics, the ones that Athens desperately wanted to host and everyone thought Athens would win because the Olympics were born in Greece? And then Atlanta won, and everyone was surprised? Well, we've got the story of how Atlanta shocked the world. Writer and producer George Hirthler joins us to discuss his documentary "The Games in Black & White." This Emmy award-winning film delves into the unlikely friendship of then-Atlanta mayor Andy Young and conservative lawyer Billy Payne, who joined forces to bring the...
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The Moscow 1980 Olympics with Author Tommy Phillips
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Thanks to a US-led boycott, the first Olympics hosted by a communist country has long been a big black hole in our knowledge of the Olympics -- until now. On this episode, we're joined by author Tommy Phillips, who wrote The 1980 Moscow Olympics: A Day-by-Day History. His book captures all of the major happenings at these Olympics, which were dominated by the USSR and East Germany. These countries' athletes dominated with skill and athleticism....and also maybe thanks to doping and some clever help along the way. We talk with Tommy about some of the wilder hijinks at play during...
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Two Years to LA28 with Superfan Sarah
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In two years, the LA 2028 Olympics will get underway, and we're looking ahead to those Games and what they'll have to offer. Superfan Sarah, officially recognized as Team USA's #1 fan, joins us to talk about how to prepare for the Olympics and Paralympics and what sports we're looking forward to seeing. We also discuss the many American comebacks that are happening in light of a home Games, and we start speculating on who could light the cauldron. Who do you think will be involved? ! Volunteer applications are open for LA28. They're looking for Games-time volunteers in all of the host...
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Shocks in the Olympic World!
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We're back from a recording hiatus, and boy, do we have a lot of Olympics news to catch up on! First, released its final report, and we go between the lines to suss out its venue delivery expectations, celebrity initiative, and a major issue they should have figured out earlier--as in, during the bid process. has made a ton of announcements over the last few weeks, so we have the latest on: The Paralympic schedule Ticket drop #2 Cycling routes Volunteer applications Modern pentathlon's new obstacle course licensing Hospitality house updates And more! We also say au revoir to...
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Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics: Cross-Country Skiing's New Era
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In our year-long look back at the Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 Winter Olympics, we head to the cross-country skiing stadium (built with filming in mind) where we're in the early years of the Hakulinen-Jernberg Era. Finland's Veikko Hakulinen and Sweden's Sixten Jergberg were the dominant forces in cross-country skiing, and their performances at Cortina 1956 were no exception! However, the Soviet Union wanted to make a statement during its first appearance at a Winter Olympics, and its athletes found the podium time and time again, ending a Scandinavian hold on the sport in both the men's and women's...
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Javelin with 4x Olympian Kara Winger
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It's another installment of our People Who Throw Things series! This time we're talking javelin with 4x Olympian Kara Winger. Kara spent 15 years as a professional athlete, and in that time she competed at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 (where she was also elected for Closing Ceremony flagbearer). She stays involved with the throws community as a coach, official and ambassador for the sport. We talk with Kara about how javelin works. Kara breaks down the makeup (and cost) of a javelin, the physics involved with the event, the approach, the throw and follow-through....
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Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics: Bobsled
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We're traveling back in time to the Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics to hear all about the bobsled (or bobsleigh) competition. These Games saw some big changes: New rules about weight and new types of sleds. Cortina 1956 was the first Olympics for Italian Eugenio Monti, whose results put him on the road to becoming a local hero and one of the best bobsled drivers of all time. Bobsled also featured some sibling rivalry, royalty and the last American medal before a decades-long dry spell. Weather impacted the bobsledders in a bad way. Did Mother Nature have something against the Swiss?...
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Coxswain: The Hardest Position in Rowing
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Paralympic silver medalist Jenny Sichel joins us to talk all things coxswain: What the position does, how vital they are to the success of the boat, and what they carry in their coxswain bag. Jenny has competed as a coxswain in both able-bodied and para rowing. We talk with her about how she got into coxing and discovered para rowing. Plus, we talk about her Paralympic experiences at Rio 2016 and the heartbreaking circumstances around the boat's silver medal. For a transcript of this episode, please visit . Thank you to our ongoing contributors and patrons! This show...
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Paralympian Jenny Sichel on Training at the Elite Level While Managing OCD
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For Mental Health Awareness Month, we welcome back Jenny Sichel to talk about her experiences with being an elite athlete while managing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Jenny is a coxswain who competed with both able-bodied and para rowing crews. We talked with her about being misdiagnosed for years, the work that went into taking control of her condition, and how it affected her as an elite athlete. You can learn more about OCD at the International OCD Foundation: . Find Jenny on , , and . Also on the program: The Interntional Ski & Snowboard Federation had plenty of thoughts about...
info_outlineDay 3 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics was a struggle in transportation. Jill scored a massive win by getting to the para Alpine competition, but thanks to the not-well-thought-out transportation schedule, saw 1.5 of 6 classes. Still, it was a massive achievement for Keep the Flame Alive that we've finally made it to a Para Alpine competition!
Things got better at the last round robin session of wheelchair curling, where TKFLASTANI Steve Emt and Laura Dwyer gave Team China its first loss of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Alison went back to Milano to see para ice hockey and spent more time on the train than in the rink. Hear how that went down and what Milano looks like two weeks later.
Sports on today's program:
- Para Alpine skiing
- Para ice hockey
- Wheelchair curling
We'd like to give a big shout out to our donors who got us to Milano Cortina, as well as our patrons who keep our flame alive throughout the Olympic and Paralympic quad. If this show helps you enjoy the Games more, please consider sending a financial contribution to ensure the show can continue through LA 2028. Find out more at https://flamealivepod.com/milano-cortina-fundraiser/. If you'd like to become a patron, you'll get exclusive bonus content throughout the Games.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.
Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!
Photo courtesy of OIS Photos.
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Keep the Flame Alive: Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You've found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz 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. Tun in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympic Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.
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