Keep the Flame Alive

It's the first full day of competition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics! We already have our first Olympic champions, which means we've seen a medal ceremony and have thoughts! Jill had a cultural morning, with a visit to Winter House and a walk through the Alfa Romeo/Lancia/Fiat pavilion. She checked out the crowds at the Official Fan Zone and Coke's The Peak, and then got a closer look at the lit cauldron. Alison watched a lot of sports today, including ice hockey, speed skating and an Italian gold medal in person. Jill went to figure skating and saw the next stages of the team event. Plus, our Cortina correspondent Doug Hill from The Sports Fan Project reports in with his experiences (good and iffy) with the Olympics on the other side of the region. Sports on today's program: Alpine skiing Cross country skiing Curling Figure skating Ice Hockey Luge Ski jumping Snowboard Speed skating Team Keep the Flame Alive starts competition tomorrow! We let you know who to cheer for! For a transcript of this episode, please visit http://flamealivepod.com. Keep our Flame Alive! We podcast about the Games all year. If you appreciate the independent voice that we provide, please consider supporting us today. Go to http://flamealivepod.com/support to learn about our one-time and ongoing patronage options (as well as the bonus content for our patrons). Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!4 *** 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

The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics are officially open! We look at the competition of day, including our trip to the figure skating arena to see the women's short program part of the Team event. Then it was time for the big show: The Opening Ceremony. We share what it was like from both the media and fan perspective. Keep our Flame Alive! We podcast about the Games all year. If you appreciate the independent voice that we provide, please consider supporting us today. Go to http://flamealivepod.com/support to learn about our one-time and ongoing patronage options (as well as the bonus content for our patrons). 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

Jill and Alison try Milano's special cake and take a long walk to get to the women's ice hockey venue for the USA v. Czechia match. Other action for the day includes more of the mixed doubles curling tournament, and qualifications for men's big air. Keep our Flame Alive! We podcast about the Games all year. If you appreciate the indepedent voice that we provide, please consider supporting us today. Go to http://flamealivepod.com/support to learn about our one-time and ongoing patronage options (as well as the bonus content for our patrons). Mentioned in the episode: Nick Zaccardi's profile of TKFLASTANI Rory Guilday: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/rory-guildays-long-road-chemotherapy-olympics-rcna257106 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

We have made it to Milano and are ready for Olympic competition to begin! We share our first impressions of the city, the Games organization and some of the interesting experiences we've already had. Plus, Olympic competition kicked off today with the start of the Mixed Doubles Curling tournament. We've got the results, plus info on Alpine skiing downhill training. Keep our Flame Alive! We podcast about the Games all year. If you appreciate the indepedent voice that we provide, please consider supporting us today. Go to http://flamealivepod.com/support to learn about our one-time and ongoing patronage options (as well as the bonus content for our patrons). 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

We were recently on The Cutting Edge: A Figure Skating Podcast with the lovely Kim Dunaway, and we had so much fun with Kim that we wanted to share that episode with you! We talked about figure skating in the run-up to the the 2026 Olympics. Kim is crazy smart and knowledgable about the sport, so if figure skating is your jam, you'll definitely want to listen. Our discussion took place just after European championships, and it covers the entire field. Who is likely to step up and be a contender at Milano Cortina 2026? Listen to find out! 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