Keep the Flame Alive cover art

Keep the Flame Alive

Keep the Flame Alive

Written by: Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown
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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. Tune in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We're your cure for your Olympics Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.(c) Kiss & Cry Productions 2017-2026 Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Two Years to LA28 with Superfan Sarah

    Two Years to LA28 with Superfan Sarah
    Jul 16 2026

    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? Let us know!

    Volunteer applications are open for LA28. They're looking for Games-time volunteers in all of the host cities, but if you're local to the Los Angeles area, there are ongoing opportunities to help out with monthly beautification and restoration projects. Find more info and apply here: https://volunteer.la28.org/en

    In other LA 2028 news:

    • We're closer to seeing Major League Baseball players participate in the Olympics
    • On Location has announced hospitality packages for more sports and competition zones, plus a "follow my team" option for basketball ("climate control" and "shade" are big catchphrases with hospitality options)
    • More hospitality houses are coming, including ones for Africa, Cabo Verde, Germany and Romania.

    SUMMER OF NOSTALGIA

    We're having a Summer of Nostalgia at our Patreon site where we're sharing never-before-seen photos and videos from our escapades at Beijing 2022, Paris 2024, and Milano Cortina 2026. Relive those memories with us by becoming a patron or purchasing the Summer of Nostalgia collection at patreon.com/flamealivepod.

    For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com.

    Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

    ***

    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.

    ***

    Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

    Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

    Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod

    Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

    Hang out with us online:

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

    Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

    Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

    Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe

    VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348
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    52 mins
  • Shocks in the Olympic World!

    Shocks in the Olympic World!
    Jul 9 2026
    We're back from a recording hiatus, and boy, do we have a lot of Olympics news to catch up on! First, Milano Cortina 2026 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. LA28 has made a ton of announcements over the last few weeks, so we have the latest on: The Paralympic scheduleTicket drop #2Cycling routesVolunteer applicationsModern pentathlon's new obstacle course licensingHospitality house updatesAnd more! We also say au revoir to French Alpes 2030 and bonjour to Alpes 2030 (which we most certainly will mangle), along with its new logo and venue plan (to each Games its own Tahiti). Alpes 2030 finalized its sport program, and the changes have been shocking. Great new events come onto the Olympic program, and an OG Winter Olympic discipline gets the boot. In Doping News, we're still talking about medal reallocations from London 2012. International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry's Fit for the Future platform is creating big change, including: Olympic Charter changes that affect political neutrality (hello, Russia) and make it easier to change the entire sports program Defining the differences of "sport," "discipline" and "event" when it comes to the Olympic programPaying athletes - a new Olympic grant program makes waves after Coventry's first big press gaffeAnd more! We also have an announcement about our 2026 Book Club selections, which you can get at our bookshop.org storefront (affiliate link) Summer of Nostalgia: We've been cleaning out the files and found a treasure trove of never-before-seen photos and videos! All summer long we're sharing them on our Patreon platform. Relive great moments from the last three Olympics and Paralympics in Keep the Flame Alive style (and you know that means we focus on the weird stuff)! Join as a patron or buy the collection outright - check out patreon.com/flamealivepod today! For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive! *** 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. *** Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod Become a patron and get bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/flamealivepod Buy merch here: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com Hang out with us online: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod Newsletter: Sign up at https://flamealivepod.substack.com/subscribe VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348
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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics: Cross-Country Skiing's New Era

    Cortina 1956 Winter Olympics: Cross-Country Skiing's New Era
    Jun 25 2026

    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 competitions.

    Find out who won, who lost, what the press said about the female competitors (it's not pretty, unlike their lipstick), and who was blinded by the light. Plus, we have a report from the snack table!

    For a transcript and complete list of sources used in this episode, visit: https://flamealivepod.com.

    Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

    Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons via Picryl

    Keep the Flame Alive: Games History Moment with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown is released monthly. In 2026, these episodes explore the 7th Winter Olympic Games at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy in 1956. Look for our regular episodes every week, with daily editions during the Olympics and Paralympics.

    Support the show: http://flamealivepod.com/support

    Bookshop.org store: https://bookshop.org/shop/flamealivepod

    Merch: https://flamealivepod.dashery.com

    Hang out with us online:

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamealivepod

    Insta: http://www.instagram.com/flamealivepod

    X: http://www.twitter.com/flamealivepod

    Facebook Group: hhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/flamealivepod

    Newsletter: Sign up at https://mailchi.mp/ee507102fbf7/flamealivepod

    VM/Text: (208) FLAME-IT / (208) 352-6348
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    22 mins
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