Keep the Flame Alive
Love the Olympics and Paralympics? We are here for you! Welcome to TKFLASTAN (pronounced SHOOK-flah-stahn), the country of Olympics and Paralympics fans, and Keep the Flame Alive, the most fun podcast made for people like us. You’re one of the proud fans who keeps the spirit of the Games alive every day — and we celebrate that spirit with our show. Keep the Flame Alive is a weekly audio experience. Each episode, hosts Jill Jaracz and Alison Brown explore the stories of the Olympics and Paralympics through sports, athletes, officials, organizers, host cities, fans and more. New episodes come out every Thursday. Join us for all the fun and grandness of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Episodes
On this episode we're bringing you more tape from the Team USA Media Summit, and we're talking with three Paralympians: Multi-Paralympic medalist wheelchair tennis player David Wagner, para judo athlete Liana Mutia and gold medal-winning para table tennis player Ian Seidenfeld.
David talks with us about clay courts. Liana tells us how she had to entirely relearn how to compete in judo after losing her vision. Ian explains how his...
We're happy to have Ben Waterworth, one of the hosts of Off the Podium join us. Off the Podium is an Australian/Canadian collaboration, so we wanted to get their view on what's going on with Paris 2024. We preview some of the big sports and names and look forward to the excitement that awaits us this summer. Also, Ben tells us the issues with the Gabba, Brisbane 2032's proposed stadium.
Find Off the Podium wherever you get your p...
We are 100 days out from the start of the Paris 2024 Paralympics! We think there's no better way to celebrate than by throwing things. We got to talk with Paralympian Justin Phongsavanh at the Team USA Media Summit for a few minutes and are thrilled that he had time to come on the podcast for a longer interview. Justin competes in para javelin in the F54 class (competes while seated) and won a bronze at Tokyo 2020. Getting on the p...
It's a well-know fact that we love surface talk! Why? You'd be surprised at the research and engineering that goes into courts for specific sports. Today we're talking with Alise Kessler, Head of Volleyball for the FIVB, volleyball's international federation, and Lionel Arlin, Sports Federation and Events Manager for Gerlor, the manufacturer of volleyball--and many other sport--floors at Paris 2024.
We're going onto the field with para shot putter Noelle Malkamaki to learn more about the sport from a para athlete angle. New to the para sport world, Noelle competed at Para Athletics World Championships in 2023 and won a gold medal with a world record-breaking throw.
Noelle breaks down the sport for us, talks technique, and shares some of the adaptations she makes for training. We also discuss what it's like to compete in both a...
What happens when your event is dropped from the Olympics, but you're not ready to retire? Race walker, Olympic bronze medalist and TKFLASTANI Evan Dunfee returns to the show to talk us through that process.
In news from Paris 2024:
- The Olympic flame has arrived in France!
- The torch relay cauldron has been unveiled
- The Games' official theme music has been released (make sure you listen along wit...
Breakdancing--or breaking--is the new sport at the Paris 2024 Olympics. If you're like Jill, you're mesmerized by it but can't figure out how it's judged. What are they looking for, and how does a b-boy or b-girl win?
Lucky for us, we've got breaking icon--and judge for Paris 2024--Ivan "Flipz" Velez joining us to break it down for us. Flipz talks about the culture of breaking within hip hop and its evolution to an Olympic sport....
Often considered to be the precursor to biathlon, military patrol was one of the more unusual competitions of the first Winter Olympic Games at Chamonix, France in 1924.
In this event, teams from six countries competed in a 30-kilometer ski race combined with a shooting segment that involved balloons. The weather and some unforeseen illnesses made it tough for the competitors, but one did emerge victorious.
Of course, it wouldn't b...
Note: In this episode, we discuss discovery, treatment, and life with an eating disorder. If you would like more information about screenings, support, and treatment for eating disorders, please visit the National Eating Disorders Association for more information.
Transitioning to life after sport can be complicated and difficult. On this episode, we welcome back TKFLASTANI and Olympian Samantha Schultz, who's one of the subjects i...
Documenting different stories of the Games is vital to providing an accurate picture of Olympic history. On this episode, we talk with documentary filmmaker Gabriel Veras, director of the new documentary Athletes of War. The movie looks at the ongoing war in Ukraine from the lens of athletes who are trying to do sport and train for the Paris 2024 Olympics amidst bombed out facilities and the threat of death. We talk with Gabe about...
Today we’re talking with Johanna Garton, author of the new book All in Stride, which is about the US Army's World Class Athlete Program and two runners who were part of it, Elvin Kibet and Shadrack Kipchirchir. Also featured in the book is TKFLASTANI Samantha Schultz, who becomes friends with Elvin during their Army duty. Sammy gets to know Johanna as well and opens up to her about her struggles with body image and disordered eatin...
It's Women's History Month, so we're devoting this episode to the women of Chamonix 1924--all 13 of them.
At the first Winter Olympics, women competed in ladies and pairs figure skating. We take a look at this competition, as well as the men's event, to learn just how different this Olympic sport was back in the day when Austria was a powerhouse (let's just say it doesn't include ice set on a specific Pantone color base).
The com...
At the LA 2028 Paralympics, the US will compete in blind football (aka blind soccer) for the first time--but a national team is still in development. Molly Quinn, CEO of the US Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) joins us to talk about the process of building an internationally competitive team.
Learn more about blind soccer at the USABA's website and follow them on X, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn! If you get involved with th...
This is Episode 328. Women don’t compete in sled hockey at the Paralympics--yet. That may soon be changing, thanks to growth of the sport around the world. Veteran Team USA sled hockey player Monica Quimby joins the podcast to tell us the latest developments in women's sled hockey and its path to Paralympic inclusion.
In Paris 2024 news:
- The flame lighting ceremony in Olympia is getting a makeover.
- The Opening Ceremonies has...
This is episode 327. The Academy Awards are this weekend, so what better way to celebrate than with the Keep the Flame Alive Movie Club? Film Buff Fran is here to talk about the newest Olympic major motion picture The Boys in the Boat. Based on the book by Daniel James Brown and directed by George Clooney, it tells the story of the 8-man boat on the US men’s rowing team and their uphill quest for gold at the Berlin 1936 Olympics.
This is Episode 326. During Tokyo 2020, we loved watching track cycling, but of course, came up with many questions about the sport. American Olympic hopeful Mandy Marquardt joins us to talk about her specialty, sprinting. We talk about the sprint and Keirin races. We also get into how the bike works, her uniform, and how expensive track cycling shoes can be.
Follow Mandy on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Team NovoNordisk is on Insta ...
Episode 325. Book Club Claire is here to discuss our latest book club selection, If Gold Is Our Destiny: How a Team of Mavericks Came Together for Olympic Glory by Sean P. Murray. This book tells the story of the US men's national volleyball team and its development in its quest for gold at the LA 1984 Olympics.
Haven't read it? Grab your copy through our Bookshop.org storefront (affiliate link)!
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