Mar 13, 2020
We're going back to 1976 to hear one Olympian's story of what life was like on the luge track at a time when there wasn't even a U.S. Luge Association. Maura Grogan, née Haponski, tells us how she got involved in the sport as a high schooler, what it was like to train with hardly any resources, and about her time at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck. This is definitely the story of taking Pierre de Coubertin to heart and valuing the participation aspect of the Olympics (but hey, the U.S. team finished all their runs, which was an amazing feat for them).
If you want to know more about that time in U.S. luge history, Sports Illustrated ran a piece just before the 1976 Olympics that's a fantastic read.
We've got a Team Olympic Fever update with Clare Egan, Erin Jackson and Jacqueline Simoneau. Catch Jacqueline on the radio here.
The Olympic Flame has officially been lit! We talk about the torch lighting ceremony – and yes, the women in the Greek temple are priestesses, not goddesses, as we keep saying. But the flame! It's lit!
Don't forget, there's still time to suggest a new name for the podcast! We're taking suggestions until March 15.
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