by Alison Brown
We are about three months away from the Opening Ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics. Team USA celebrated 100 Days out at the end of October with its Team USA Media Summit that’s an opportunity for members of the media to meet with athletes and learn their stories ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics. We were there getting the inside scoop: We heard from U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee leadership, learned about the athletes’ Milano Cortina 2026 looks from Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren, and did over a dozen athlete interviews. What did we learn? Listen to our recap episode and keep your eyes on the podcast feed for our interviews in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2026 Olympics.
A few stories and tidbits didn’t make it into the recap episode but I want to share because I am generous that way:
It Isn’t Hard to Embarrass Aaron Pike
First, I complimented Aaron on the engagement ring he gave to fiancée and para Nordic teammate Oksana Masters. He smiled and thanked me. Then I told him the ladies of America would vote for the return of the shirt he wore in the warm weather of the Beijing Paralympics. (Let’s just say the guns were out and it wasn’t for biathlon!) Aaron laughed, turned red, and quickly headed for the door. Sorry Aaron!
Speaking of Oksana Masters…
Jill adjusts mic levels for each guest by having them tell us what they ate for breakfast. Oksana mentioned drinking coffee and she started to tell us how she is a coffee snob. We told her, “Oh we know, we read your book.” She seemed genuinely surprised and pleased. I have met Oksana twice now and she really does not understand what a big star she is or why we want to hear her story. We are hoping to have her back for a longer interview because we like her, we really like her!
Valuable Kit in Cold Weather
We asked cross-country skier Gus Schumacher about the cold in Beijing during the 2022 Olympics. If you don’t remember how bad it got, check this out for details. Gus appeared unconcerned, and maybe a little tired of the question. He advised just slapping on a “thermal jock” and racing. Thermal jock? Yes, for cold weather, outdoor sports you can get a fleece-lined, insulated jockstrap to protect yourself from some pretty painful frostbite. Jill and I, as two women, never knew about these, but we can see the value.
Let Amber Glenn Sleep!
Poor Amber Glenn flew into New York from China, landing that morning and coming directly to the Team USA Media Summit from the airport. Good news, the neck injury that bothered her during the long program at the Cup of China proved to be minor and she was feeling much better. Bad news, the woman needed a good night’s sleep. Amber soldiered on through our interview and the dozen more she had that day, along with a press conference and filming clips for social media. She answered all the questions, smiled for all the photos, and did not complain, at least within earshot of the press. Never question her dedication or work ethic.
Julia Kern Loves a Pin
Every guest on the podcast receives a TKFLASTAN pin because they are now members of Team Keep the Flame Alive. We bring a stack to events like the Media Summit and leave a them on the table in front of the guest microphone. When cross-country skier Julia Kern sat with us, she immediately reached for a pin. She lit up when we told her she could keep one. If you meet Julia in the Olympic Village, be sure to ask her to trade pins, just don’t take her TKFLASTAN pin!
Winter Athletes = Table Thumpers
When you listen to our interviews from the Media Summit (coming this winter to the podcast!) you may hear some weird banging noises. We didn’t have this problem with summer athletes at the Media Summit for Paris 2024 so we did not prepare for it. These guests loved to talk with their hands and bang on the table. Repeatedly. Frequently. Loudly. We don’t want to point it out during our interviews because we have such limited time with each athlete and we don’t want to disrupt the flow of conversation or make our guests self-conscious. Next time we will bring padding for the table to improve the sound quality.
The Team USA Media Summit proved a rip-roaring success from our perspective. Special thanks to the media relations staff at Team USA, especially who once again pulled off a seamless event and managed to make a bunch of cranky journalists pretty darn happy. Next stop: Milano Cortina!