Book Club Claire on ”Above & Beyond: Tim Mack, the Pole Vault and the Quest for Olympic Gold”

Book Club Claire is back for our summer reading selection: Above & Beyond: Tim Mack, the Pole Vault and the Quest for Olympic Gold by Bill Livingston. Tim Mack won the gold medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics (perhaps a surprise winner), and this book details his very long journey to the top of the podium and the unique training methods he developed that helped him achieve his goal. 

What did we think of the book? Listen to the show to find out!

Our next selection is A Team of Their Own: How an International Sisterhood Made Olympic History by Seth Berkman. This tells the story of the combined Korean women's hockey team that competed at PyeongChang 2018. We're looking forward to reading a story that took place during the life of this podcast! Get your copy now, and look for this episode to drop in November.

Also on today's episode, we have news on the one-year anniversary of the Paris 2024 Games. Ice hockey will have blended officiating teams at Milano-Cortina 2026. LA plans to become more accessible. The World Games had its first torch relay.

Reminder: you can watch World Games 2025 online at the World Games' streaming platform. (https://live.theworldgames.org/) The World Games start on August 7, 2025.

In news from TKFLASTAN, we hear from:

• Fencers Lee Kiefer, Lauren Scruggs, Nick Itkin, Alexander Massialas and Gerek Meinhardt
• Racewalker Evan Dunfee
• Wheelchair tennis player Charlie Cooper
• Goalball player Calahan Young
• Shooter Sagen Maddalena

 

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

 

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

 

Note: Where possible, we use affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn a commission.

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Keep the Flame Alive: The Olympics and Paralympics Fan Podcast with hosts Jill Jaracz & Alison Brown. New episodes released every week and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics.

 

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