The Shot Diva is here! 3x Olympian and Rio 2016 gold medal shot putter Michelle Carter joins us this week to talk about shot put technique, her strategies for managing her ADHD and dyslexia, her Olympic experiences and how looking her best helps her achieve her best.
Follow Michelle on Instagram, and check out her website for more information on her You Throw Girl sports confidence camp and other programs Michelle’s created.
What are our TKFLASTANIs up to this week? We’ve got news from:
- Speedskater Erin Jackson
- Pin collector/Olympic volunteer Sid Marantz featured in the New York Times
- Gymnast Chellsie Memmel
- Diver Laura Wilkinson
- Branding consultant Vickie Saunders
and Olympic team updates on:
- Shooter Ginny Thrasher
- 3×3 player Dominique Jones
- Beach volleyball player Kelly Claes
- Equestrian Phillip Dutton
- Artistic swimmer Jacqueline Simoneau
Plus, tons of news on Tokyo 2020. With only 50 days to go, the world is still concerned about Covid, but the Japanese government and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee continue to take measures to ensure the Games will go on. Who’s experiencing those measures first? The Australian softball team, who’s the first team to arrive in Japan ahead of the Games.
We also have updates on the Paralympic torch relay.
Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!
photo: Getty Images, via ShotDiva.com
TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is an uncorrected machine-generated transcript and may contain errors. Please check its accuracy against the audio. Do not quote from the transcript; use the audio as the record of note.
Episode 191-Michelle Carter on Shot Put
Michelle Carter: [00:00:00] I’ve never had the strongest arm or upper body strength, but my legs, I got legs for days.
The greatest festival of our contemporary society, the Olympic games is about to begin. This is going to be
Jill Jaracz: hello, fans of shook, Liston, and welcome to another episode of keep the flame alive. The podcast for fans of the Olympics and Paralympics. I am your host. Jill Jaracz joined as always by my lovely co-host Alison brown, Alison. Hello, how are you? I’m feeling like throw
Alison Brown: in some things. Nice. Throwing heavy objects.
Michelle Carter: The illusion
Jill Jaracz: today’s interview. How far can you throw [00:01:00] them?
Alison Brown: It depends on how mad I
Jill Jaracz: I’ll have to send a message to your daughter to be nice.
Alison Brown: We’ve been talking to people and they’ve given me some tips.
Jill Jaracz: So yes, we are talking a shot put today with gold medalist, Michelle Carter. But, uh, before we get to our interview, Tokyo is coming up pretty quickly.
Alison Brown: It’s 50 days
Jill Jaracz: away. It’s scary, close since it’s getting so close were really going to focus the show on prepping for Tokyo. So we’re going to pause some of our segments, like the Atlanta moments and pretty much all of the.
Games. Hopefully there’ll be smart and not make any big announcements before Tokyo, but you’ll still catch news on Twitter. I know the IOC announced something today. Did you see this about, uh, their new [00:02:00] hospitality program that they’re going to have for Paris and beyond? They just tried to slip this in when we weren’t paying attention, but I still, I don’t understand it.
Cause I asked one, uh, uh, another journalist on Twitter, like, does this mean that they’re getting rid of the authorized ticket resellers? And he said, no, this looks like it’s just for hospitality packages, but that’s something that the ATR is like here in the U S it’s coast sport. That’s part of their deal.
So, uh, yeah, the IOC is, has a partnership with hospitality provider, but they’re going to do a global. So it’s not like nine different authorized ticket resellers with their own packages. It’s going to be one place does it globally. So that’s a little interesting development that they’ve slid in there, but that’ll start with, with, uh, Paris, 20, 20 fours, and we’ll find out more news on that and re uh, report on it in future episodes.
But that said, we probably won’t talk about IOC news until the IOC [00:03:00] session that takes place right before, uh, Tokyo. We probably won’t talk about much international Paralympic committee news, unless they do something really big before Tokyo, but it’s going to be all games while we, while we prep and while trials are going on and, uh, teams are being named while we put together what we’re going to do during the.
Alison Brown: So much kit coming out. I know it’s so exciting. So every day on Instagram, and I’m sure on Twitter as well, teams are getting named and athletes are getting, uh, getting their ticket to Tokyo and kit is coming out for all the different teams. And I look at them and I say, how are, how are there this many countries?
Jill Jaracz: It’s
Alison Brown: like, it makes you realize when you’re signed up to all the different country, Olympic committees and all the mess, because usually they say almost nothing. Right. You know, how often does the Bahamian Olympic committee come [00:04:00] out with some? Or they came out with like three announcements this week and I’m like Bahamas calmed down.
I can’t keep up,
Jill Jaracz: but it’s exciting. It’s really exciting. So everyone is getting in the mood. Athletes are starting to get to Tokyo. We’ll talk about that a little bit later. For all intents and purposes, it is happening even though there still calls to cancel it. So we shall see we’ve 50 more days. But, uh, before we get to this week’s interview, we would like to thank our Patrion patrons who support us financially, but which is super helpful, especially in our preparations for Beijing yet the Tokyo games are next month and we are prepping for those, but we’re also doing a lot of logistical things to prepare for our on the ground coverage.
In Beijing, you can support us today at patrion.com/flame alive pod. And if you don’t want to do a Patrion ongoing donation, save your pennies. Cause we’ll have a Kickstarter during Tokyo. All [00:05:00] right on to today’s interview. We are talking with Michelle Carter. She is a three time Olympic shot. Putter who competes for the United States at Beijing 2008.
She placed 13th at London, 2012. She placed fourth after some doping tests negated the results of a couple of her competitors. So she’s, as of today, she’s still. You never know she could get bumped up. The way 2012 has gone at Rio 2016. She won the gold medal beating the two time defending gold medalist, Valerie Adams from team New Zealand, which was a huge deal because nobody had won three golds in a row.
And that’s what Valerie was going for. But Michelle, out through her that day, she is coached by her father, L a 1984, silver medalists, Michael Carter. So we talked with Michelle about ShotPut techniques, uh, working with her father, her strategies for managing her ADHD and dyslexia and her Olympic experiences and how looking her best helps her [00:06:00] achieve her best.
Take a listen,
Alison Brown: let’s start with, with
Michelle Carter: ShotPut. Okay.
Alison Brown: Because as just the casual viewer, I’ve never been attract and fielder go into circle, have big rock, like thing throw far, that’s kind of the, and whoever throws it, the farthest is the winner.
Michelle Carter: But there’s
Alison Brown: obviously a lot more to it. So where do you start when you say what that lot more to it is?
Where do we start asking those
Michelle Carter: questions? Yes. So that lot more is actually trying to figure out how can I create the most power within the circle and stay in the circle and still throw the shopper as far as I can, because you have to think about it. You have a civic foot circle and you have to use whatever you can within this circle to create power, to actually launch this.
So I feel like that’s, that, that would be that thing [00:07:00] that you had to think about, cause this throwing it as far as you can is one thing, but, um, I just regular throwing it. Plus you shouldn’t throw a shot, put like a baseball, you tell your shoulder up, but uh, to really create that power, there’s like this technique that goes into it.
Like you start building up power from their bottom, from the bottom half of your body all the way up. So creating that power within, let’s say a half a second, if not, maybe a quarter of the. As how fast it needs to happen. Okay. So
Alison Brown: what parts of your body, I mean, you’re using all parts of your body, but what parts of your body specifically are you using in what way to generate that kind
Michelle Carter: of number one, your legs, your legs generate the most power between your legs and you get to your glutes.
Hips and core are like the main powerhouse of the throws and always say your arm, just finish it off. I’ve never had the strongest arm or upper body strength, but my legs, I got legs for days.[00:08:00]
Jill Jaracz: I was watching some slow-mo versions of your, your Rio competition. And you start BA what is that? Is it a glide that they call me back. Okay. So you start balancing on your, are you right-handed right-handed okay, so you start balancing on your left leg or your right
Michelle Carter: leg, right leg.
Jill Jaracz: Shuffle with your left and keep everything all, just stay on one foot and then kind of throw in and transfer weight over to the other foot.
Michelle Carter: Correct? Yeah. So I started out the back of the rate. I’m on my right leg and then we, um, I come out to what we call a T position where my right leg is down, but then my head I’m bending over, but my left leg is going straight back, like it’s going up. So I almost looked like a T. And so, um, then when I get from the tea position, I crouched down almost like [00:09:00] a little ball in the back of the ring and then I’m still on my right leg.
And then from there I will kind of just shift my weight backwards, push off my right leg and extended my left leg towards the front of the ring in the direction I’m throwing. So then I go for one foot to two feet. It sounded weird, but I think I said it right. And so it was like this little hot bag, but sort of like hopping where you kind of hop like a rabbit where you kind of make this little arch in the air.
It’s like, I want to say as low to the ground as possible. I don’t want to hop. Yeah.
Jill Jaracz: That contains all that power so that you have that power to throw and you’re not putting the power into the
Michelle Carter: jump. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Because the quickest way to a point is in a straight line. And that also means like going up and down.
So we try to keep that line as straight and this smooth as possible. Okay. Okay. Now
Alison Brown: throwers tend to be pretty tall. So what about height improves
Michelle Carter: [00:10:00] distance? I would say high just kind of gives you the advantage because you have more room to put. Because if your arms are you’re taller, you have more time to push because you have more of a lever to push from.
But throwers come in all shapes and sizes. I’m not the tallest, but I’m not the shortest.
Alison Brown: Well, everyone looks tall to
Michelle Carter: me. I’m five feet tall. Oh man. You know, it’s out there like at 5, 2, 5, 3. That’s um, put that in your head, Alison. Okay. So
what,
Alison Brown: why shot put vs hammer versus discuss?
Michelle Carter: Well, one in high school in Texas and the state of Texas, we do not have hammer.
Um, so in high school we don’t do hammer and javelin because of safety reasons and everyone can afford to house that. So, um, I did shot put and discus all through high school, all through [00:11:00] college. And then I made the mistake thinking I only had to specialize in one event. Once I went. So that’s one thing I will go back and redo.
I should’ve kept doing both because I was good at both. Uh, but since, um, I was better in shot, I felt like I had to only focus on one and not do too.
Jill Jaracz: Okay. That’s interesting because there are runners that do multiple events, but a lot of times you don’t see that in the throwing. Is that the reason that people think that they can’t do both?
No.
Michelle Carter: Uh, to be honest, a lot of throwers are really only good at one. You know, one is always way better than the other for a lot of throwers. And there are some throwers who can be good at two, but I do think maybe over time and maybe we haven’t seen too many people do it, there’s probably not enough information or just because it hasn’t been done yet where someone’s able to do two events at a high level that people don’t think it’s.[00:12:00]
Alison Brown: Okay. What are the differences in the technique for the two that you were doing?
Michelle Carter: Uh, four shot, like the two techniques in shot Northern, you
Alison Brown: were saying shot versus dead hammer and yeah. And discuss, oh,
Michelle Carter: so I’ve never thrown a hammer. I’ve never thrown the hammer. Cause when I went to college, I went to the university of Texas hook ’em horns.
And I only, um, I was the only thrower on the team for the sprinters. So therefore my dad was like, stick to what, you know, you don’t have a coach for that. So you’re not going to learn the hammer. Uh, so I stuck with shot and this, so we shot for me. There’s a, there are two techniques in shot. There’s a spin and the glide, I’m a glider where I just keep everything on one line and there’s a spinner.
So the spinner actually has the same technique or similar technique to the disc. Is this the same motion? It’s just that in the disc is your arm is out and you keep it everything. Y but in shot, you keep everything closed. Okay. Cause you have the shot on your neck. Okay.
Alison Brown: So you said, [00:13:00] if you just heard the shot with your arm, you’d blow out your shoulder.
What other things can
Michelle Carter: go very wrong? Oh my gosh. A lot. I would say, you know, a little bit it’s on my everything because sometimes people forget, like you’re throwing it and the shot is heavy. People drop it on their feet, in the middle of the throat. Sometimes they may try to throw it too far up and then like, Hey, where did they go?
Is this a lot? It’s a lot of different things. People sometimes there’s. So in the ring you have a circle and at the front of the circle, there’s a tow board and people trip over that toe board all the time. Like that’s like probably the, one of the most dangerous parts of the throw is trying to stay in that ring, but not trip over the.
So if you fall out of the circle, that’s a foul in any way. Yes. If you, if you step out the circle, even, even if you touch the top of the toe board, like anything that’s within that circumference of the inside of the circle is a [00:14:00] foul. When you’re
Alison Brown: competing, if you step into the circle, can you step
Michelle Carter: out or with the termination with permission?
Yeah, you could, uh, if you step in and something’s not feeling right, you need to do something, you can ask the officials, can I step out? And they can give you the permission without giving you a foul, but you do have a time that you have to throw so you can do whatever you need to do within a minute. As long as you have started to throw within the minute they have called your name, it’s illegal throw.
How many
Jill Jaracz: fellows do you get before you’re disqualified
Michelle Carter: or. I think files are a waste of a thrill. How my dad coaches me, we don’t found you don’t file. Um, like you just never know what throw is going to be your best throw. So we practice to not foul, but so going into a competition, sometimes you may only get three throws.
And then from those three throws, you make it to the next round to get three more throws. But sometimes he goes to some [00:15:00] track means you already just automatically get six throws. So the idea for me and how I think about it is to make sure every throw counts.
Jill Jaracz: You talked about throwing the shot too high.
Do you have to work on the angle of your elbow and your hand and how that is to make sure that the trajectory that you go. With the shot versus like, if, if your elbow is too close to your body, does that mean you could potentially throw the shot too high up and not farther out?
Michelle Carter: Yeah. Okay. So normally, um, when people drop their elbow, they’re tend to throw the shot like a baseball.
So when you throw a ball, the first thing you do, you drop your elbow. So for shot, you want to keep your elbow up because the angle isn’t about where your arm is. The angle is like how far back your body upper body is. So my upper body is back over my right leg, like how I want it. And so when I get to the top, I might head up chest up.
But if my hips are tucked underneath me, and [00:16:00] then I get a chance to throw down. So the angle really depends on where your torso is facing
Alison Brown: one half of your body built differently than the other, because of how you’ve trained.
Michelle Carter: No, that’s genetics. I had guys, since the day I was born, they just don’t go away.
Alison Brown: I’m not even saying top to bottom. I’m sitting left to right. Like, is your left leg bigger than your
Michelle Carter: right leg? Oh, so weird thing is my right thigh is bigger than my left thigh, but my left calf is bigger than my right calf. My right. Like, like bicep, tricep is bigger than my leg, but my forearm I’m about my shoulder.
Like this shoulder area, especially with the backside is more developed than my right side, because on my right side, I’m pushing. And then on my left side, I’m blocking,
Jill Jaracz: what are you
Michelle Carter: blocking? So I’m blocking to stop my energy from, um, so I want to throw forward. So I blocked to stop my [00:17:00] body from keep going in this direction so I could push more forward.
So it’s like what’s in motion, stays in motion. So if I just slings the slang, my left arm around my body going to keep going. Cause that motion is. Okay, then
Jill Jaracz: also probably answers. Another question I had is when you are the actual throat, cause your body is in motion. Your throat could go straight. It could go diagonally, but you want it to go as straight as possible because that’s further.
Am I correct in thinking
Michelle Carter: that from when I started? No, no.
Jill Jaracz: When, yeah, when you’re, when you’re doing the actual throw and you’re, you’re turning around because there’s all that motion and you could just keep turning and turning, but you kind of have to figure out when to throw, to go straighter because at an angle it doesn’t go as
Michelle Carter: far.
Yeah, no. Well, let me, I won’t say that because all my furthest throws a little more to the left than they are to the right. [00:18:00] So as long as it’s within the sector lines. So those lines to see that comes with like a little, um, angle as, um, as long as the throat falls in between there. You’re good. That’s another, we call that a sector file if it goes outside those lines.
Right. But you
Alison Brown: don’t want it to go sideways,
Michelle Carter: obviously. No. So if I’m throwing this and I need to throw this way and just go in this way, we have a major problem. So the people who are
Alison Brown: standing there have a
Michelle Carter: major problem. And actually, uh, me, I just went to it raid and the ring was so slippery. It was throwing off, everybody balanced.
So shots were literally flying all over the place. And you had to keep your head on a swivel, cause you didn’t know what was coming your way.
Jill Jaracz: And they kept trying to dry the ring out and it just looked like it was not,
Michelle Carter: it was not working. It was really, it was really bad. I had. The first time I hit somebody.
It wasn’t even with the shot. It was with the discus. I was at a [00:19:00] practice and it was like my first year ever throwing. And the summer check and this young girl was with me. She was older than me, but we were practicing together. And we were at a place where we didn’t have like a real ring. We didn’t have the nets and stuff.
So it was like a piece of concrete and we’re just throwing off the piece of concrete. And so I told him, I’m like, well, you don’t want to stand right there because if I release it too early, you’re going to get hit. And she was like, well, you never released the disc as early. I’m like, well, I think you should move because just in case I’m not perfect.
I just started through it. And she was like, come on Michelle, like, you always do this. And then the sin, as soon as she said that, I threw that. Flew out my hand early and it hit her in the face in her jaw. All I know is I threw and I heard it hit her face and she dropped and hit the ground. And then there was like a five second pause and they say, no, she was screaming, bloody murder.
I was like, I just killed this girl. She going to have to go to the hospital. I’m going to be in so much trouble. Cause I know I shouldn’t have thrown, but I told her to move. But [00:20:00] she, she was, she was okay. She was this black and blue and swollen for a little while. She made it. How after
Jill Jaracz: you throw, how does the shot get back to you?
Because I do remember at Rio, they had those little cars that came back, but I don’t
Michelle Carter: know no for shop what they didn’t have cars for us. That’s discussed in javelin where they get fancy cars. That’s a lot of walking in that event, but they have like this little rail that starts off high and it goes all the way down to the ground.
So then they just roll your shot back down the little. Do you
Alison Brown: have a shot put that you use in
Michelle Carter: competition? I do. I do. I have my competition shot and then I have my practice shots.
Alison Brown: Can you take that on the plane with you as
Michelle Carter: a carry on? No, not anymore. I used to, and actually some people still couldn’t carry on discusses, uh, on, carry on.
But when, um, after a couple of major events that happened in the U S they look at my bag, I was like, what’d you have for cannon. [00:21:00] Okay. This is a cannon ball. I’m like, no. Yeah. I don’t think you can have this on the plane. I’m like, all right. So there you go. So how does it track. Am I checking back. I have a nice little towel.
I call my shopper. Her name is de Villa and the Villa has a little tile that has shot diva on there because when she gets to the track meet, I have to check her in. And so I I’d say that that’s taken her to daycare where she gets to go play with all the other shot putts. So, um, that’s what we do. So I put her in my check-in bag and she’s like tucked away in her little towel.
What
Jill Jaracz: is the difference between diva and your practice ShotPut anything or just, she’s more well-cared
Michelle Carter: for, well she’s, um, she just don’t get used as much. She’s only pulled out for special occasions because she has to maintain her weight. She has to not get too beat up because she has to go to the meat, looking and making sure she meets the right qualifications in order for me to use her.
Alison Brown: Can you do anything [00:22:00] aesthetic? To the ShotPut or do they pretty much
Michelle Carter: have to be plain? You can, it doesn’t always work out the best because texture is important. And if you get the wrong texture, you’re going to have a hard time trying to throw it because if it’s high, you sweat and that’s a whole nother ball game.
Um, how
Jill Jaracz: much does your practice shot? Does it, does it lose weight from getting thrown around
Michelle Carter: too much? It can. It can cause, um, where I throw for practice, I throw until a lot of lava rocks. So over time it gets scratched and dented. And I think like over time, like the little like part particles will start coming off of it.
And so if I get to the track B and I supposed to throw off a four kilos shot and I get there and it’s 3.9 9 9 9 9 9 9. I can not use.
Jill Jaracz: Uh, all the regulations are so, so fascinating because everything is so precise. And you just don’t think [00:23:00] about that.
Alison Brown: I want to ask you about shoes. Okay. In terms of how they differ from say a sprinter shoes or a regular streets sneaker.
So for throwing shoes, the bottoms are a little smoother, so, okay. Let me say this. Throwing shoes have advanced over the years. Cause either there was like one throwing shoe you had to throw shot in this, in this shoe. And then it became, okay, that’s a shot put shoe. Now there’s a disc issue. Um, because a discus shoe, um, or what they’ll call a spinner shoe because those who spinning shot will also use this shoe where the rubber is a little slick.
And it’s a little harder, so you can rotate a little easier, but in the, in the traditional throwing shoe, there is still some texture, a little more texture on there for like, I’ll say like a regular throwing shoe, which is a glider issue. Um, so they have like a glove, a shopper issue, a disk issue. Then they have like a, um, a hybrid shoe where it’s a mix [00:24:00] in between the two.
Do you ever change shoes for the
Michelle Carter: weather sometimes? Yes. Uh, it depends a lot of times I don’t have to worry about it because we tend to go to places that, um, it may not rank too much, but they normally have the right type of concrete so that if it does rain, we still have, uh, enough texture on the ground where we’re not slipping and sliding all over the place.
Have you shown
Jill Jaracz: up to me, it’s where they have not had good content.
Michelle Carter: Yes. The meat, I just love
Jill Jaracz: that was an Oregon. That whole new brand new state.
Michelle Carter: Oh, it was rough. Yeah. I told them I’m like, listen. And then it normally always rains during the Olympic trials. And so, um, I, I wasn’t make, cause not too many people glide anymore.
So the everybody’s like a spirit sprinter, all the young girls they’re sprinting, sprinting spinning. And so I was like, whoever made this ring made this ring for a spinner, but if it [00:25:00] rains it’s over, cause it’s really smooth. And so, and that’s something that’s fixable. They could definitely fix that and breath up the texture of the ring so that when we come back for the Olympic trials is it will be easier for everyone to throw.
Why is
Jill Jaracz: there a tendency toward spinning with the younger generation. For a younger age group.
We’re ageless. I know,
Michelle Carter: but I, the, um, one of the, um, announcers at one of the track meets had to remind me that I’m 13 years older than the next oldest person in my field. I was like, oh, thank you. I didn’t think I was that much. Oh, that I more around Valerie
Alison Brown: Adams, some more. And then the two of you can just beat
Michelle Carter: the, we, I we’re the oldest in the group now.
It’s like, we are the old heads, but, um, your [00:26:00] question was again, why are spinners? Oh yeah. Uh, so there’s always a war, which one’s better the shot, the glide or the spin. I say what the spin you can get away with, um, not having your technique as clean because a moment. Versus in the glide, you will have to have your technique on point to really throw far.
If I had to pick between the two, of course, I’m gonna still go with the glide because when you get the glide technique down, it’s going to work for you every single time. But I think because the popularity of the bet, especially with the men’s throw throwers, they tend to spin. But when you look on the women’s side, especially coming from the European women, the top four or five of us are gliders.
I’m a glider. Valerie is a glider. Christina Swan is for Germany’s a glider gong from China’s. [00:27:00] And there’s a few other gliders and the only people who really spin is all the other Americans. And there’s a one from hungry. Uh, Anita, Anita Martin from hungry. She’s a spinner
Alison Brown: sounds almost like it. It does it come in and out of fashion.
Like the two handed back hand and tennis, like for awhile, but he did the two handed and now everyone’s
Michelle Carter: going back to the one. Yeah, I think so. Because when you first learn how to throw you teach to the glide, cause that’s the basic, it’s the fundamental, it’s easier to catch the fundamentals. And then when people are like, wow, okay, let’s try this.
Cause this is what I seen so-and-so do. And they’re throwing far. So let’s try this and see if you throw far. But then I see this a lot. When I go to these high school meets, these kids are just throwing and spinning out of control. Then lets me know that there are using the momentum to throw far and not really focusing on the technique, but when you can really focus on the technique and there are some spinners that have great technique and, um, are throwing very [00:28:00] far.
But if you combine the two, that’s when you win. But a lot of people, I feel like they kind of cheat the system by going to the spin because the catching the technique and the glide may have been a little too harsh. Do
Alison Brown: you think that has to do with not having a lot of great throwing coaches at high
Michelle Carter: school level?
Oh my gosh. Now you hitting on a whole nother topic.
Jill Jaracz: Um, you said made the mistake, then I’ve got time.
Michelle Carter: Uh, I definitely do. These coaches are trying to teach these. They don’t understand, and they haven’t taken the time to even read to understand because these kids could get hurt and we seen kids get hurt at meets and just doing whatever the coach says to do, because they were like, oh, I think I saw so-and-so do this, but they don’t even understand why that person does that by give you watching a Ryan crowds there, or, um, uh, Joe Kovacs, they have their spouse, especially with Adam Nelson came around, his little throwing style was a little funky and [00:29:00] different from everybody else’s, but he used and found what works for him.
And so you see somebody else do it, but if you don’t understand why they’re doing it, then you’re going to hurt the next person because that wasn’t really made for them to do. And so I really do wish that a lot of coaches will take the time to learn and. Because I’ve gone to these meets and I’m like, listen, I don’t have to coach her athlete.
I can sit here and watch her athlete. And I could tell you what to say and show you what to look for so that you could be a better coach. And they think that I just want credit for the athletes. Like I don’t care about that. Like I just, I just need kids to be able to throw far and go to school for free.
And if they want to continue their, you know, um, their career, they can, but they have at least a solid, uh, background on it from jump. And these coaches nine times out of 10 don’t care. And then we’re in the state of Texas where football is a religion. So these are just football coaches doing something else.
It’s the pass. [00:30:00]
Jill Jaracz: That’s rough. I mean, cause basics and fundamentals are so important. Yes. And, and, and I, we have a soft spot for the smaller sports that the smaller events it’s hard when you’re just kind of pushed off to the side and like here go throw and maybe,
Michelle Carter: yeah, yeah. A lot of these kids are out there throwing on their own.
They’re out there by themselves and the coaches don’t care. They was like, well, what does need somebody out there and try to get us some points if you can. That’s it.
Alison Brown: I think it’s interesting that, you know, we spoke to Deanna price, married her coach. And now we’re speaking to you who had a little bit of an advantage with your coach.
So I think it’s interesting that kind of the, this, you know, kind of the two best throwers in the United States have. Connection to their coaches. And I don’t think that’s an accident because [00:31:00] getting good coaching is hard.
Michelle Carter: Yeah, it is. It is. It is because at the end of the day for me and what my dad believes as well, the fundamentals never change.
And some people always want to try to find something that, oh, maybe people didn’t think about this, but I’m like, but it goes against the fundamentals. Like if you still want to be at do advanced math, like adding and subtracting and dividing and multiplying doesn’t change. Right. But some people want to be like, well, you don’t have to add, you can still do math.
And then you wonder why it’s all jacked up. And then people are like, oh, well you could throw it, but you don’t have to really do this part. But that’s part of the fundamental, like, that’s the basic, if you do these things, it’s guaranteed to work. But then people want to like, do different things and I’m like, okay, Deepest simple as my thing.
Keep it simple. That’s all you have to do. We made Michelle Carter, man.
It’s so [00:32:00] easy, but people make it hard. It’s the people, not the throwing.
I have a daughter with ADHD.
Alison Brown: Yeah. So I, I, you did something earlier where you couldn’t remember question and it felt very, um, like my house. Yeah. And you were diagnosed very young with both. Disorders, which is unusual.
Michelle Carter: Yeah. Yeah. Your girl was hyper as a child. Like I was all over the place, but I was super smart.
So, uh, I guess when I was in one of the schools, I guess the teacher kind of noticed a couple of things and now I’m like, let’s go get her tested just to double check so we can just see where she’s at. And so of course my IQ levels came back, like record high, but then they’re like, you’re actually a genius, you know, like that.
This is how you, you, uh, you focus and maybe process things sometimes is different and maybe hard. So I actually [00:33:00] went back to my parents’ house, not too long ago. And I asked my mama, do you have my original paperwork? Like, I want to see what I was all diagnosed with and what they said was the issue. So, uh, I found out that was, I know ADHD and dyslexia, but also I had a speech, a speech issue, and I’m like in a reading and writing issue.
So I didn’t always comprehend what I just read. I can read it, but I didn’t always comprehend it. And then my, my, you know, words would come out all kinds of ways. And I don’t know what happened. And actually I had a hearing, I have a hearing issue so I can hear you, but. I’m not sure exactly what you just said.
Like, I don’t know what you just said. And so a lot of times when I’m in certain places and certain surroundings, I have to really try to zone in and focus because sometimes I’m like that couldn’t be what I heard or what I heard. I’m like, I don’t even think they were speaking English, but I knew they were.
And so, so going back and rereading the paperwork, I was like, okay, now I know [00:34:00] I wasn’t tripping because I didn’t know everything that I was diagnosed with at the time. That sounds
Alison Brown: like auditory processing disorder, what they call now, auditory
Michelle Carter: processing disorder, something different on the paper because they
Alison Brown: didn’t use that term back then.
But you hear the words, it’s not a hearing issue. It’s your brain translating the words, which is, and then you mix ADHD where you can’t focus that well,
Michelle Carter: you
Alison Brown: kind of had an alphabet soup there that could’ve gone a very different way. So what interventions did you get as a kid that made it not go south?
Michelle Carter: So I remember it about third grade, I started going to tutoring four days a week for an hour.
There was a little lady. I love her to death. Still. Her name was Mrs. Darden. And she was just really spend time with me going over things. I’m mama said, I gave her the blues because on the days I didn’t want to work. I’m not going to work. I’m very strong-willed. She was like, Michelle came here. [00:35:00] Didn’t want to do it.
I’m less than they’re like, I’m not doing this today. I don’t feel like it. And she’s I have a lady, um, I have her crying cause, um, I’m just being stubborn, but that was the main thing I remember doing. And I only did that from third grade to sixth grade, but what I really um, say that helped me a lot was my mom and that positive reinforcement.
So my mom never came to me, was like, well, this is what’s wrong with you. And this is why you can’t do this. My momma always approached it as if you know what Michelle, you think differently. It doesn’t mean you can’t, you’re just going to do it different than most people and that’s okay. But as long as you want to do it, I want you to know that you can do it.
And so with that, my mom was like, sit down with me and be like, Hey, you got 30 minutes. We’re going to try to focus our hardest and see how much you can get done within 30 minutes. And that was like these little tests that I I’ll have to like work on monitoring myself on. Okay. [00:36:00] I’m focusing. I got distracted.
Oh, I got 20 minutes left. Let me hurry up and get this done. And so it was like this practice of time catching when I’m not focusing and how to refocus. Um, I had to write everything down. If I don’t write it down, it didn’t happen. You never said it. I don’t know what you’re talking about. And so I have a planner that I have to keep with me or a notebook at all times, but then also just knowing I can’t drink caffeine.
I can’t do coffee. I’m not going to sleep. And then whatever hyper I already am, it’s going to be like times 10 after that. So I can’t do that. And I can’t do sugar. Um, especially when I need to really focus and I have a lot of going on because that throws off whatever focus I might have. I’m not going to be able to do it.
So this learning these things about myself and how I operate and acknowledging, oh, okay, this is what’s going on. Let me figure out how to get myself back on track. And having that reinforcement really is what helped me. Cause I didn’t take medication growing up and they [00:37:00] remember I got retested coming out of high school into college.
They told me there’s no way she’s going to make it through college without a medication. And your girl did. I have a minor? And uh, I have a major and a minor. So I have like a good a degree and a half. And um, I only failed one class and I had to be taken and everything else. I just really learn how I operate and set up boundaries that helped me succeed.
So,
Alison Brown: how did sports play into managing all of this? When you were a kid? Was it a release? Was it an escape? Was it just someplace to put the energy
Michelle Carter: for me? I never looked at sport that way. I just did it because that’s what I wanted to do and I enjoyed it. So I don’t know if it really helped me in that sense.
I just do that. Okay. At the school I have practice. And then on the weekends I have a track B and this is what I do every day. And this is what I have to get prepared for. This is what time I have to get ready. But, uh, but, but reading and researching, [00:38:00] I think it does because now, um, it’s funny, cause I just did an interview today about ADHD and I think.
Uh, there’s studies saying that a lot of athletes have ADHD, like a lot of high level athletes. And I think it’s the reason why, because we think and see things differently. So we’re able to kind of internalize different thoughts to get a different result. Could we see how I’m do this a little different than the next person does?
So I can process my technique differently that in ways that people, like, I never thought about that, I didn’t see that. How did you come up with that? How did you think? Like, but I can do that. Cause that’s like my superpower, my ADHD doesn’t hinders me. It actually gives me another outlook. I can see things a little different and if that’s how I see it and it makes sense to me, then that’s what I’m going to do.
And so, but having that instead of having it all in my head and do it, all this mental stuff, I’m thinking about it, but I get to express it physically. So it’s almost like I have a focused place for my energy to go versus [00:39:00] when you’re in the classroom and you have to sit down and it’s just be a, still a trying to think.
I don’t actually have a physical release of where my energy is.
Alison Brown: How does it get in the way now? Either the, is the ADHD or the dyslexia?
Michelle Carter: Um, sometimes with the dyslexia, I have to keep reading the same things over and over. Um, uh, sometimes it’s also, I get very tired, fast reading. Like I get tired fast, like I’m reading.
I’m like why Mara was so sleepy. Right? Cause I have to work so hard sometimes to read. And even now I could tell when I’m tired, it’s really hard to focus when I eat bad, it’s hard to focus. And so I could see how, when as, especially as an entrepreneur, there’s times when you have to put in those long hours, but I can’t afford to put in too many long hours because I’m not going to be any good the next day.
So sometimes I could see where it bothers me, but then at the same time, I’m like, well, I’ll figure it out. And I’m a find out a way that someone [00:40:00] didn’t think about. So I’ll figure it out as it goes. You see the world’s a little different. I do with it,
Alison Brown: you know, they always talk about neuro-typical and neuro atypical.
Yeah. And you have sort of a double neuro atypical brain and it’s
Michelle Carter: awesome because
Alison Brown: you do, you do so many different things.
Michelle Carter: Yeah. I do sometimes too many things and that’s one of the things with ADHD. I’m like, Ooh, squirrel, squirrel, squirrel. And I was like, okay, now, which one do I do now? But it is part of how I process and work on things.
So we make it work a
Jill Jaracz: lot of kids when they’re have ADHD or dyslexia, get a lack of confidence as well, because maybe they’re not doing so well in school, but you do have a lot of self-confidence and that knowledge that you just see things differently and you just have to do them differently. Did you have a period of adjustment like that?
Where it wasn’t so easy? Or how, [00:41:00] how can somebody. Gain that confidence in themselves when they’re not the same,
Michelle Carter: to be honest, I really think it starts with the parents because when parents get diagnosis with their kids, they freak out and they’re like, something’s wrong with my child. ADHD is not a death sentence.
It is not like putting your child away and they’re not going to be successful in life is not. But the energy that the parent gives off is the energy the child takes on. So for my mom, I never do the ADHD was keeping a lot of people from not doing things. I didn’t know. That was a thing. Right. And so my mom, because she always told me I could do it.
Let’s figure out how you can do it. And so having that background, I never felt bad or down about my ADHD, but then when I have time or my ADHD is really like strong and I’m having a hard time, I can look back at some of my activity and identify. [00:42:00] Where I kind of didn’t set myself up to be successful.
Right. So if I pushed myself really, really hard and I’m really, really tired. So, um, they like know have my heart practice. I’m no good working and doing anything else. Cause I know I’ve used up everything I have already. So I’m going to keep myself in light task these days. If I know I need to use a lot of mental power, I tried to save up and breast and eat well.
So I’m ready to use that power. What I have forever long, I can use it. And then after that, I know it’s time to shut it down and let’s start over the next day. So really learning myself, um, has been crucial for that. For me, it keep it up that, um, that confidence, because I learned all my little tips and tricks for me.
And sometimes parents are just so consumed with. And our, and our quick to medicate kids and some kids. Yes, they do need it. But some kids it’s like, if they’re learning how to self regulate, it gives them the chance [00:43:00] to really get to know themselves. And they can actually kind of redirect themselves when they’re able to notice it in themselves,
Alison Brown: to the people closest to you do.
That’s
Michelle Carter: helpful. I don’t know, I’m very independent. I want to do everything myself. So, um, they trying to help and I’m like, Nope, nevermind. I got it. Cause you’re not going to do it. Right. So, okay. You worked with your
Alison Brown: dad slash coach, so he certainly known you a long time. He
Michelle Carter: had two just, well, he is just because if I’m in the mode where I’m trying to figure it out for me, he has to be quiet.
’cause, I don’t need your voice in my voice while I’m trying to process what I’m trying to figure out for myself. So if there’s something in my technique and he keeps saying the same thing over and over on my daddy, that’s not working. I be like, you know, give me a moment, let me figure out. And then I’ll just give me the feedback.
Is this what you’re looking for? And then he was okay. Not quite denial, but okay. Let me think. Okay. Well, [00:44:00] what other thing can I do to get the outcome that he’s looking for? And then I’m able to kind of go back in and like, think about it. And I’m like, Hey, what about this? What about that? Is that closer or worry at miss though?
He can give me that type of feedback, but when I’m thinking, I just need everybody to leave me alone.
Alison Brown: What my daughter says to me, she looks at me and she says process.
Michelle Carter: Yeah. Yeah. That’s, that’s a real thing. And you know, and I feel like sometimes my husband doesn’t quite get it just yet because I’m like, oh, why is he talking to me right now?
He knows my Kickbox is on all this at the same time. And I can’t be like, be quiet. I’m like, Hey, can you just give me a minute, please try that. Just go processing. Right.
Jill Jaracz: Three Olympics and hopefully a fourth that’s online. And your discipline. What was it like to make your first
Michelle Carter: Olympic game? Man to make my first Olympic gaze. It didn’t really hit me that I made it until I got to China. And I’m like, [00:45:00] I’m at the Olympics. Like, this is crazy. And I was just kind of like, just happy to be there.
And I was just kind of taking it all in and just like, Michelle, just go out there and do your best. That’s all you can do in this situation. Like, I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know half of these people on this team, but we’re a team and I just have to figure it out. And it also would turn to in 2008, the stadium is still one of the largest stadiums I’ve ever been in.
So for that to be my first Olympic games, I’m like, after that, everything else is easy.
Jill Jaracz: London. You’re a result. Keeps getting changed. Yeah. Doping. Yeah. What is it like to be a clean athlete in a sport that has a dope. As an aspect of it.
Michelle Carter: Um, unfortunately it’s just the part of the system, you know, [00:46:00] I can’t control what anybody else does. It’s just like on a test, right. If we’re in class, I can’t help that the other person cheated.
I can just go out there and do my best. And then hopefully one day they’ll get caught. Right. And so that’s how I look at it in, in my sport. But then at the same time, like I still want to be better than you while you’re cheating and I’m clean. Like you’re going to have to cheat more because you’re still losing.
Right. But, um, I tend not to focus on them cause that has nothing to do with me. I hope. And I believe that the system works the way it’s supposed to work and we’ll eventually get, keep getting better so they can catch people sooner than later. Um, but if I put my energy on them, then I’m taking away energy from myself from a
Alison Brown: practical standpoint, as your result moves up.
If sponsors or the USO PC had promised bonuses at certain levels, do you get those retroactively?
Michelle Carter: Nope. You do not. [00:47:00] That would be nice. I think, um, the, maybe not from the USO PC level, but I think definitely from the IOC level, there should be payment for that. Um, but you know, but it is outside of so many people’s control that, uh, that will be hard to pinpoint who shall actually be responsible for that because ideally the person who got caught cheating should pay back the money, but who has that money.
Right, right, right. Track and field athletes, you’re already broke anyways. Right. That money is spent before you get it.
Alison Brown: How does that feel? Just emotionally when your result changes like.
Michelle Carter: Um, I didn’t really have any emotions because let’s say in 2012, the person who got caught first, which was the very next day after we competed, we all knew that she was cheating.
We were just waiting for [00:48:00] everybody else to really prove that she was cheating. And so I was like, okay, I’m bout time. I went from a six place to fifth place. Right. And so I’m thinking like, okay, that’s good. Then the next day, you know, four years later, I’m fifth going into fourth place. And I’m like, well, wait a minute, one more person get caught.
You’re going to get them out. But I hope it doesn’t happen, but it was like, you know, um, how I look at it is that, you know, when you look up any Olympic games, there’s a section that always lists all the cheaters. Anytime you Google those young ladies names, cheater will always be next to their names. And that’s something you have to live with for the rest of your life.
And I don’t have to worry about.
Jill Jaracz: How was London atmosphere wise compared to Beijing? Like what, what the, I mean, every, every Olympic is different.
Michelle Carter: It is, but I had the best time in London. Number one, everybody spoke [00:49:00] English. So it was easy to get, get around. I could adventure a little bit more, cause I felt comfortable going in and out the city versus interna.
I remember we went out to eat and because the Olympic stadium was so new, it wasn’t in their GPS. So when the lady, um, picked us up, we were able to go out to eat, but then having the cab driver bring us back, he didn’t know where to go. He was like, I don’t know where this is. And we’re like, we’ll just keep going this way, turn here and do this.
And he was like, well, I don’t see it. And plus he’s speaking Chinese and respect English and it was just a mess. So he just dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t know where we were at. And so we had to call, um, like one of the coaches and have them to have somebody come and find us. So I really loved London.
I didn’t mind going around London. And then, so still today, even our one in Rio, London is still my favorite cause I had, I had a great time. Yeah. And then
Jill Jaracz: how, how was [00:50:00] real? Yes, gold metal, but Rio was kind of a,
Michelle Carter: I don’t know what happened in Rio. I didn’t do anything in Rio because when you get there, you’re focused until you, you compete.
And then after I competed or won and it was a media tour everyday. So I never get, got a chance to enjoy the city to sightsee. The only sightseeing I was able to do was going from the Olympic village or whatever the interview was going to be. That was the most sight-see that I saw. I saw like Jesus from a distance, um, where we practice Sugarloaf was right across the water.
So I was able to like see that, but that was it. So that was like my only regret about rails that I didn’t get to see anything in the city.
Alison Brown: One of the things I forgot to ask when we were talking about competing is you always compete in full makeup
Michelle Carter: with your nails.
Alison Brown: And I’m wondering what what’s behind that, like, is it, does it make, is it just what you’re comfortable with?
Does it make you feel powerful? Because a lot of that’s like, [00:51:00] don’t go that
Michelle Carter: route. Yeah. Um, so I’ve always been this girly girl since I was a child. Um, my mom said that she thought I just really loved her so much because I will always want to kiss her on the lips when I was little. But then she realized I was kissing her on the lips cause she had lipstick on I wasn’t her lipstick.
So I’ve always loved makeup. And for me. When I got, when I woke up in the morning and got ready for school, I dressed up, put on whatever makeup I was allowed to wear at that time. Like, that was always my thing. I get dressed. You get dressed for the day. You’re ready to go. And so I was doing the same thing for track and field.
I’m like, oh, I’ve gotta attract me. I want to be cute too. So in the beginning, my dad was like, you know, athletes are cute. Like athletes, you go out and get your down. I’m like, but this athlete wants to be cute. Like walk on my K BQ. And my, like, my dad was like, that’s what serious athletes do they just go out there?
And it doesn’t matter what they look like. So I remember my dad like kind of pushed me to not be cute at a [00:52:00] meet. And he was like, Okay. I will never do that again because he saw the shift in my confidence. Like I did not feel like how I wanted to feel going out there competing. So I don’t do that for anybody else.
I want to go out and present myself the way I want to present myself. And that was going to make me feel my best. So as long as I know, I feel good about myself. I know I look good. I feel confident I can go out there and do whatever I want to do, but I want to look the way I want to look.
Alison Brown: So in Rio, there was a lot of discussion about how you presented yourself in competition.
And I was even hesitant to ask because it felt very sexist. So what was your reaction to that
Michelle Carter: discussion? To be honest, I don’t even know what said I didn’t see, not one negative thing that was said about me in a real, and I don’t know how that happened. I’m like, thank you, Laura. I didn’t see it. Cause I didn’t want to think about it, but, but tell me what happened.
I don’t know what happened.
Alison Brown: No, just a lot of discussion being, you know, why is she doing [00:53:00] this? It almost diminishing you as an athlete to feel like you needed to do.
Michelle Carter: Oh, well, I don’t care. Number one, because I looked like that, the way that I looked and I still won. So why did it matter to anybody? How I looked now?
I used to think that in the beginning that if I too cute and I’m always losing people are going to be like, oh, she’s too concerned about how she looked. But it was like, well, how come I can’t look great and be great. Like, how come I can’t have both? And when I’m out there, I’m not so concerned about how I look, because I know I sweat.
So I don’t put on foundation or anything that I have to worry about, not touching my face about, I make sure my lashes are on my, uh, have gone eyeliner. My eyebrows are there. So you know what I’m thinking. And, uh, and then I put on the. And that’s it. Like, that’s my, that’s my thing. So then therefore I felt like, okay, I can deal with this.
I know where everything’s at. I could still [00:54:00] sweat and feel confident and go out there. So I feel like people who have a problem with how I look, you have a problem with how you present yourself. You wish you could still do that and feel the way that you did it. If, how I look bothers you. Um, because what’s funny too, about my sport is when I first came out, of course, all the other women were looking at me like who she thinks she is, but then over time, guess what?
What’s happening? Michelle, look at my lipstick. Michelle, look at my nails this side. Cause if you look at 2008, how someone humped, some of those women looked and then you fast forward to 2016, you will see a difference and that’s okay. Women can be women in any shape, form or fashion. However they want to look, let them look how they want to look because they’re the one doing the job now.
It’s
Jill Jaracz: interesting. Like, it almost sounds like, cause now I want to go back and look like some people needed permission to, to wear what they wanted to wear. Look, you know, have their hair done. Like they wanted to have their hair done. And it does [00:55:00] add just an element to your confidence.
Michelle Carter: Yeah. Yeah. So it helps.
It does give me a powerful tool and we
Jill Jaracz: don’t realize
Michelle Carter: it. Yeah. It’s like, I feel like men don’t have to do those things. They show up how they show up and this susceptible. But if I showed up how I practice to immediate, they’re going to be like, what’s wrong with you? Why you look like. But if I show up to a meeting the show show up the way I look at a meeting to attract me and they’re like, what’s wrong with you?
Why are you looking like that? Right. Like that’s not fair. And that, and at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if this person could do the job and they do. And they’re good at what they do. Let them be them. It has nothing to do with you. But to me when they open up their mouth, that means that you feel some type of way about yourself.
That I may show up. My best version of myself is making you feel less than then that’s on you, not on me. And
Alison Brown: if they really upset you, Michelle, we’ll just put them in the line of [00:56:00] fire. Right. Seriously.
Michelle Carter: That’ll shut them up. But yeah. Well, where I was originally going with that was how representation matters and representation not just say race, gender, but sizes, um, appearance.
’cause there’s some people who have like, they got their own little funky style. And if that’s how they, they dress, I want them to feel comfortable to show up as that person, because when you could be your authentic self that’s, when you can show up and be your best self. So a lot of times people are having to show up and pay places in spaces, and they don’t even have the permission to be fully themselves because people can’t even handle people being their full selves.
A lot of times that’s, I feel like what the issue is. And, um, and as a black woman, I feel that quite often, because I’m, I’m different. A lot of times when I walk into a lot of places in spaces and in another place of where that happens a lot is how [00:57:00] my hair grows. Like that’s different. So people are like, well, I can’t do that then, you know, but that’s, I can’t help how I’m made or how I feel or how I want to present myself.
Like it’s in me to be that girly. Let me do me. And you.
Jill Jaracz: Thank you so much, Michelle, you can follow Michelle on Instagram. She is a shot diva and on Facebook, she is shot by diva and you can check out her website shot diva.com. She will be going for her fourth Olympics at the U S track and field Olympic trials on June 18th through 27th, a couple of weeks away.
Alison Brown: So after our interview, I discovered that Michelle and I have something very important in common. What we are both moms, two little white crusty
Jill Jaracz: dogs. Oh, she has
Alison Brown: the cutest and, and like myself, her dog sits in her office has a little spot. So if I had known we would have introduced them. Ah, cause we love the little [00:58:00] white crusty dogs here.
Jill Jaracz: Yes, they are adorable. And Michelle and fantastic. Oh my goodness. We’re all going to Michelle’s house tonight, right? Oh man. Yeah. I learned a lot from her, not just on how to watch up put, but just like the way she carries herself and the, the attitude and just, Ugh.
Alison Brown: Yeah. That’s one of those people that you’re like, I wish everybody had just a little
Jill Jaracz: bit of shot diva in them.
Right. And you just want, I want to be in the room with her all the time to have some of that wash over me, but you know, just that her presence and her even
Michelle Carter: zoom, we felt it
Alison Brown: right. Just her energy is so wonderful and not overwhelming or chaotic, just good people. Energy loved
Jill Jaracz: her love. So thank you, Michelle.
Welcome to and we’re hoping you get to Olympics. Number four, the awesome crusty white dogs are
Alison Brown: cheering for you.[00:59:00]
Welcome to shook the ston
Jill Jaracz: tons of shirtless Dani news. This week, first off speed skater. Aaron Jackson was named to the U S speed skating long track national team for the 20 21 22 season. Very excited for her
Alison Brown: Miranda was featured in a New York times article on no pin trading in Tokyo. So all of our pin traders will be staying at home.
We’ll have a link to that article
Jill Jaracz: in the show notes. That is really rough. I feel really bad for them. I’m on some, some pin trading boards and it just, there’s still pins coming out, which is the interesting thing. There are pin collectors there, but there’s not going to be the same level of trading that there was before.
So very sad. Chelsea Memel is competing this weekend at the U S national gymnastics championships in Fort worth, Texas.
Alison Brown: She’s there already. And she was doing podium training today. [01:00:00] She’s been posting videos from that looks good, man. She’s looking good. Ortho fixed medical announced. It will continue its sponsorship of diver Laura Wilkinson and the diving trials are next week, June 6th through the 13th.
And also her book titled 10 meters will be coming out later in June, you know, cause training for another Olympics. Wasn’t enough for Maura
Jill Jaracz: and on top of raising four children and a podcast, right. She knows time management or no sleep that too. Okay. On two Olympic team announcement news for sadly our air rifle athlete, Janine Thrasher will not be defending her gold medal after her final qualification tournament.
She wound up in third place, which makes her the non traveling alternate for the. So we were so sad to hear about that.
Alison Brown: And in three X, three basketball news, Dominic [01:01:00] Jones played with team USA at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Gratz, Austria. Unfortunately they lost in the quarter finals, which means that they will not be going
Jill Jaracz: to Tokyo, which is a bummer man.
They won their pools and some of their games were down to the wire. It was so exciting.
Alison Brown: So the team USA women’s three X, three team will be going to Tokyo though. So half the
Jill Jaracz: side went. Our beach volleyball players, Kelly clays, and Shukla Steiny by association, Sarah sponsor one, uh, the four-star beach volleyball tournament in Sochi last week.
And they have officially qualified for Tokyo after Kerri Walsh, Jennings, and Brooke sweat lost in the qualifying round four of the final tournament for the beach volleyball rankings that will determine who will go. So this was super exciting. They played so well in Sochi and really I brought it when they needed to.
I mean, they had some really tough [01:02:00] matches with, uh, teams ranked above them and they pulled it out. It was, it was fantastic. So they will be the youngest beach volleyball players in Olympic. So more good
Alison Brown: news equestrian, Phillip Dutton, we’ll be going to his seventh Olympics, uh, USA, a question named him to the eventing team.
And he will be writing Z, which I think is a great name for her. A horse, just, you know, short and to the point. And his other teammates will be Liz holiday sharp and Boyd,
Jill Jaracz: Martin and artistic swimmer. Jacqueline Seminole has officially been named to the Canadian Olympic team. She will be competing in the duet and team event.
So it’s totally official for her now and
Alison Brown: best news, a ball, war, babies, and she took fifth star branding specialist. Vicki Saunders gave birth to a baby girl last week. She hasn’t announced her name yet, but I don’t care.
Jill Jaracz: She’s perfect. Right? Oh, so sweet to see those pictures. So congratulations [01:03:00] to Vicky and her partner.
Before we move on to Tokyo 2020 news. You know, a great way to prepare for Tokyo is with a good Olympic or Paralympic book. Get our next book club selection. 77 by Ben Ryan Ben coached the Fiji rugby sevens team to the country’s first ever gold medal. So you will want to read this book. It is a fun read.
Get your copy at bookshop.org/shop/flame alive pod. We get a commission from all books purchased through our link, and that goes towards funding our on the ground coverage at Beijing 2022. We are constantly adding new titles to our storefront. So check it out.
They’re coming. I feel like
Alison Brown: we should have some, like, do
Jill Jaracz: you know Australians are coming? The Australians are coming. Uh, yeah, the Australian softball squad arrived. They are the first team to arrive in Japan and they will [01:04:00] be training there until the Olympics start. There’ll be in their bubble. It’s joyous, but also is causing some consternation in the press because of course having athletes arrive, spreads more worries that COVID will be spreading, even though they are testing them.
Once they, once they land, they tested negative and they get to move about, and they’ll be kind of controlled in the, in their little bubble until it’s time to move to the village. But, uh, still, I think people are, are still worried.
Alison Brown: And on that note, Olympians have to sign a waiver. Absolving the Tokyo organizing committee of any responsibility.
If an athlete gets COVID and dies, it specifically says in the waiver, if you die, it’s not our fault.
Jill Jaracz: What do you think of that?
Alison Brown: I always wonder about these waivers. So like when you go to the rock climbing gym and you’re going to climb the wall, you have to sign a waiver, [01:05:00] but how much weight does that waiver actually hold if the rock climbing gym isn’t taking care of its equipment.
Good point. So if the Olympic committee is negligent, would that waiver holds up in court? And where would you Sue? Would you Sue in Tokyo or in Japan? Would you Sue in your home country? Because if you get COVID and you bring it back and what does the waiver really say? To me. It says that the Tokyo organizing committee doesn’t think it can control COVID that’s why you signed have to have people sign a waiver because you aren’t doing your job.
Jill Jaracz: Yeah. I mean, yeah, I could, I play devil’s advocate there, so they’re just trying to cover their butts in case. And, and they want to say, you know, you’re, it’s your choice to be here and, you know, the risks, but it’s interesting because like in every sporting event there’s a risk do their own international federations, make them [01:06:00] sign waivers.
Alison Brown: Right. And, and, you know, remember when we were read book and there was that millimeter bounce in the floor that could have actually caused an injury. Yeah. Or the time when the, the horse in the women’s gymnastics competition was at the wrong height, I was just, honestly, could’ve gotten their neck broken, right.
Sport is dangerous. COVID is dangerous. Do your jobs. And we’ll all be.
Jill Jaracz: Maybe they’re doing their job because the Japanese government has extended its state of emergency until June 20. So will there be fans at all? We don’t know. Still don’t know that the, and I think the organizers have been pushing that decision as far as they can to maybe get
Alison Brown: fans.
They’ve also been floating ideas of you have to be vaccinated or you have to prove a negative test to come. That idea has been floated as
Jill Jaracz: well, which I mean, sports [01:07:00] without fans is really tough for athletes. And it’s good that sport, I mean, there’ve been several sports that have done the gamut of no fans, some fans, many fans, but, uh, it’ll be interesting to see what can actually happen when they, when they don’t have overseas fans there that does take off a huge.
Element, I think of risk. It does take off, uh, toes take a huge risk away because you don’t have all of these people from all over the place. Mingling. Uh, one other thing that is helping with the COVID is that there are a lot of mass vaccination sites being created in, uh, Tokyo and Yogi park, which is supposed to have a live site for the games.
So it was going to have a bunch of TV screens and all these people could come and watch the games together. Instead that’s going to be a mass vaccination site. So hopefully all of these mass vaccination sites will continue to get more and more people [01:08:00] vaccinated, just
Alison Brown: do your jobs and we’ll be okay.
Jill Jaracz: Also COVID related is that the Kyoto news is reported that 10,000 Tokyo volunteers have pulled out according to the organizers. So. He talks about the concerns over Corona virus, but, uh, Toshiro Muto, who is the CEO of the organizing committee said that’s not seriously going to affect operations because of the way they’ve had to scale down the original plans.
So they were going to need fewer volunteers anyway, and this kind of helps them make a decision. I think
Alison Brown: somebody quit, no one has to be fired, right? On a happier note, as part of the opening ceremonies, Kyoto news reports that they are considering having two athletes take the athletes, oath, a female athlete, and the male
Jill Jaracz: athlete, which is exciting.
I think that’d be very nice.
Alison Brown: Well, it’s, they’re big on gender parody right now. That’s a big [01:09:00] IOC push. So this would be a very public.
Jill Jaracz: And finally the Tokyo organizing committee has announced details of the Paralympic torch relay route. It’s going to be in four prefectures hosting Paralympic events. The relay is going to start on August 17th and run through the 24th.
And the BAPS, uh, of the route are available at the Tokyo organizing committee website. We will have a link to that in the show notes. So where they’re flooding, you know how the Olympic flame it gets lit in Olympia.
Alison Brown: So does the Paralympic flame get lit at Stokes? Man developed does. Oh, that makes me so
Jill Jaracz: happy.
So flames from all of the 47 prefectures in Japan and the flame from stoke Mandeville are going to come together to create the single Paralympic flame at the flame gathering event in
Alison Brown: total. I am such a sucker for all these quasi religious, totally [01:10:00] overblown symbolic things that the Olympics and the Paralympics.
So I love them all. And I don’t care if it’s ridiculous. Well, it’s the fact that the flame comes from the UK where they had the first games.
Jill Jaracz: I know it’s, the ritual is very comforting and it gives so much more meaning to it because you’re honoring that the, the work done in stoke Mandeville to bring the games to life.
Michelle Carter: I am so ready.
Jill Jaracz: Can you wait for,
Alison Brown: I am so ready. I’ve got my puffs. I’ve got my Oreos. I am ready. I know in the past couple weeks I’ve been sort of terrified and now I’m like, no, somebody told me they’re having a graduation party. And they said, oh, it’s the last week. I’m like, sorry, I can’t come.
And we just sort of looked at me.
Michelle Carter: And nodded, like,
Alison Brown: I didn’t have to say anything else. They, they realized the connection. So I was like, yeah, [01:11:00] can’t come to,
Jill Jaracz: well, I think you’ve got to get ready for gymnastics this weekend. Right? My God. So exciting. So that’s going to do it for this week show. Let us know what you think about Shot-put
Alison Brown: email us@flamealivepodatgmail.com. Call or text us at two zero eight three five two six three four eight two zero eight. Flame it where a flame alive pod on Twitter and Insta and keep the flame alive podcast
Jill Jaracz: group on Facebook. Join us next week when we will have a Paralympic air rifle, shooter mechanic gear, as we go out to music by Archdale.
Thank you so much for listening and until next time.[01:12:00]
It’s it’s, it’s tough it, but then like I’m on some Tokyo pin trading boards on face group.
Alison Brown: I’m on some time
Michelle Carter: just going to let that go. Cause you saw it. I saw it in your eyes. You knew what you
Alison Brown: just said.