Keep the Flame Alive

Today was Alison's first trip to Zhangjiakou, and she made an important self-discovery: It's not the transportation to the venue that's the issue. Getting around the venue is where she really gets lost. We got to see Paralympic legend Oksana Masters in action today at Para Cross Country Skiing. Today's schedule includes: Para Alpine Skiing – Super-G Para Cross-Country Skiing – Long Distance – Sitt...

It's the first full day of Paralympic competition at Beijing 2022. Jill and Alison scope out the Beijing venues and games, and Alison almost can't find her way out of the Ice Cube. Sports on today's schedule: Para Alpine Skiing – Downhill. Paralympian v. the Mountain. Who wins today? Para Biathlon – A big day for Team Ukraine Para Ice Hockey – Some shocking score differentials Wheelchair Curling –...

The Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics are officially open! We break down the Opening Ceremony, including our takes on the performances, the country uniforms and Andrew Parsons' impassioned speech. Get ready for Paralympic fun! For a transcript of this episode, visit: https://wp.me/pbRtIx-1Go   Red Envelope campaign! this show does cost money to produce, and while our listeners have been extremely ge...

Alison has made it to Beijing just in time for big breaking news from the International Paralympic Committee about the participation of Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) and Belarus in the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics. Plus, Jill covers the torch relay and Alison shares how Beijing is different than other big cities. Red Envelope campaign! this show does cost money to produce, and while our li...

We have a little bit of time before the Paralympics kicks in, so we wanted to hear from you, our listeners, on what you thought of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Along with our great listener calls -- how do  you wean a toddler off of wanting to sing the national anthem ad nauseum? -- we've got another doping positive from Beijing. And we've got news from Paris 2024 and Milan-Cortina 2026. For...

The snowflame has been extinguished! The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are over! We've got the results of the final day of competition, including a hot take on whether men should really be competing in long distance cross-country skiing events. Plus our take on the Closing Ceremonies and saying a tearful good-bye to Bing Dwen Dwen. Today's sports schedule includes: Alpine Skiing - Mixed team parall...

It's the last full day of competition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics! The mountain is back up to its tricks, we're understanding the speed skating mass start race, and there's drama on the ice. Today's sports schedule includes: Bobsleigh (Bobsled) - beginning of the 4-man; conclusion of the 4-woman Cross-Country Skiing - distance races Curling - Men's gold medal/women's bronze medal Figure Sk...

It's Day 15 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and as the Games winds down, news about the Kamila Valieva situation keeps brewing, thanks to TBach's appearance at the IOC daily press briefing. That didn't tamp down the action on the field of play though, as more medals are on the line for TKFLASTAN today. Sports on today's competition schedule: Biathlon - Women's and men's mass start Bobsleigh -...

It's Day 14 at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and boy, was it a doozy! Drama in the hockey arena! Drama on the ice! Drama in the Main Media Center during the Magical Hour of Vacuuming! It's been a wild day at Beijing 2022, and we've got all the details. Sports on today's competition schedule: Alpine Skiing – Women's Combined Curling – End of the Round Robin tournaments; men's semifinals Figure...

It's Day 13 of the Beijing Winter Olympics! Our TKFLASTANI Clare Egan had her last Olympic race today. How did the US women fare in the biathlon relay? Also, it's man vs. mountain again on the slopes in Yanqing. Who wins today? Sports on today's competition schedule: Alpine Skiing – Men's slalom Biathlon – Women's relay Cross-Country Skiing – Women's and men's team sprint classic Curling – Men's a...

It's Day 12 of the Beijing Winter Olympics! The drama continues on the skating rink, as reprieved ROC skater Kamila Valieva takes to the ice in the Women's short program. She also skates past all of the doping questions sent her way. Jill reports from the last competition at Big Air, the men's snowboard. Did the competitors get big air? Nine meters seems pretty big. On today's competition schedule...

It's Day 11 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics! It's Valentine's Day, and although love is in the air, not everyone loves the decision on the Kamila Valieva doping situation, which was announced today. There's still no team medal though, so this story isn't over. We did have more drama on the ice with the Ice Dancing Free Dance competition. Plus, what are the medal ceremonies like in person? Jill...

It's Day 10 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and TKFLASTAN has made the podium again! TKFLASTANI Erin Jackson competed in the Women's 500m long track speed skating event and won some hardware. What color is it, and (maybe more importantly) did she make Jill cry? It's a winter wonderland at Beijing 2022, as all three competition sites got snow – which for some competitions, made for a very chal...

It's Day 9 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics - and Alison's excited because it's the start of the ice dancing competition. Jill went to it - was it as good as she hoped? Today's sports schedule includes: Biathlon – Men's 10K Sprint Cross-Country Skiing – Women's 4x5K Relay Curling – Men's and Women's Tournament Figure Skating – Ice Dancing Rhythm Dance Ice Hockey – Men's Prelims and Women's Quar...

It's Day 8 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and speed is key for today! Today's sports schedule includes: Alpine Skiing Biathlon – Women's Sprint with TKFLASTANI Clare Egan Cross-Country Skiing – Men's 15K Classic Curling – Women's and Men's tournaments with TKFLASTANI John Shuster Ice Hockey – Men's prelims and Women's quarterfinals Skeleton – Men's finals Ski Jumping – Men's Large Hill Snowb...

It's Day 7 from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and skiers are starting to conquer the mountain, rather than the other way around! Plus, Nathan Chen delivered a performance that got Jill and Alison in the feels, and Jill's come up with a new way to rate figure skating. Today's schedule included: Alping Skiing - Men's Combined Cross-Country Skiing - Women's 10K Classic Curling - Men's and Women's...

It's Day 6 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and once again we have the question of who's the real winner: The mountain, or the Alpine skiers? Plus, it's not redemption for Lindsey Jacobellis, TKFLASTAN hits the halfpipe, and do we have another version of Elizabeth Swaney? Sports on today's program: Alpine Skiing – Women's Slalom Curling – Men's tournament kicks off Freestyle Skiing – Men's Big...

It's another great day of competition from Beijing 2022. Jill went to see figure skating - the men's short program - and the finals of mixed doubles curling. Also on tap today: Alpine Skiing - Super G Biathlon - Men's Individual Freestyle Skiing - Big Air Ice Hockey - Women's prelims Luge - Women's Singles Snowboard - Parallel Giant Slalom Speed Skating Red Envelope campaign! This show does cost m...

Who's winning the Olympics? The mountains. Alpine Skiing proved to be a tough course, and getting down was a victory all in itself. Jill went out to the biathlon range to watch TKFLASTANI Clare Egan in the Women's Individual race and witnessed a big day for the US Biathlon team. It was also a big day for Canada on the ski jump and freestyle slopes, and Irene Wust became the first individual to win...

It's Day 3 of the Winter Olympics, with so much action (even if races are postponed due to high winds)! Jill's in Beijing today, hanging out at the figure skating, speed skating and ice hockey rinks. Alison's got the news on a momentous medal win for the Silver Ferns of New Zealand. Plus results from: Cross-Country Skiing Curling Figure Skating Freestyle Skiing Ice Hockey Luge Ski Jumping Speed Sk...

It's the first full day of competition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and our TKFLASTANIs are in action! Jill went out to Zhangjiakou (properly bundled this time) to see Men's Ski Jumping qualifications and TKFLASTANI Clare Egan compete in the Biathlon mixed relay.   Also on tap today: Cross-Country Skiing Curling Freestyle Skiing (with TKFLASTANI Brad Wilson) Ice Hockey Luge Snowboard Speed...

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are officially open! Jill was able to go to the Opening Ceremony, and she shares details you didn't get to see on TV, while Alison tells Jill about some of the stuff she missed by not watching it on TV. The fireworks were stellar, the details incredible, but what they did with the Olympic flame? We have thoughts. Today also had some competitions, so we've got updat...

It's Day -1 to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and the action is heating up (but the weather isn't). Jill didn't pack her recording microphone before she headed out of the hotel, so enjoy the ambience of the Main Media Center. She has been out to the two other competition zones: Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, both of which involve immense planning to get to, and both of which are cold. Very cold. Jill...

Our contributors Book Club Claire and Super Fan Sarah are back to talk about what they're looking forward to at Beijing. Plus, Jill has made it to China and tells how her trip almost didn't happen. But, she's in the closed loop and is ready to report back on what she's experienced so far. We also learn about some of the new technologies that will be in play at Beijing 2022, which hope to give you...

Book Club Claire is back for our first book club session of 2022! Because of the cries from various Western countries (United States, we're looking at you) to boycott the Beijing 2022 and the ensuing diplomatic boycott by several of them, we wanted to look at the last US-led boycott of an Olympics, that of the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. Claire leads us in a discussion of Boycott: Stolen Dreams o...