Episodes
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Being bored at the Olympics is a good thing if you're Dr. Marcy Faustin.
Faustin is a co-head team physician for USA women's gymnastics. Paris will be her second Olympics.
The delayed Tokyo Games were her first Olympic experience. She thought protecting her athletes from COVID-19 and injury would be her main challenge.
Instead, she found herself thrust into one of the most seismic moments in sports when superstar Simone Biles had to withdraw from competition to take care of her mental health.
"What Simone was able to do is show that you need to take care of yourself first even if she feels the external pressure of the gymnastics community, the Olympics and the world needing her to be the face of the Games. It allowed other people to say, 'I'm not doing OK right now and I'm having a hard time,'" Faustin said.
"The Simone effect" rippled through the Games and the world, giving other athletes the freedom to admit the mental toll training and competing takes.
Protecting the mind is as important as protecting the body, according to Faustin. Athletes work with sports psychologists. The USOPC provides additional mental health help during the Games.
At USA Gymnastics, Faustin and Dr. Ellen Casey share the responsibility of taking care of the athletes and supporting personnel and their families. It's a holistic approach centered on making individuals feel safe, comforted and supported.
Faustin said, "Everyone who is a part of the team knows we have to do that physical aspect, but we also have to do that mental aspect. Whatever that is for that individual person."
Faustin is a former college athlete. Her primary job is working for UC Davis Sports Medicine in Sacramento taking care of non-Olympic patients and giving sports medicine lectures. Her love of sports and competitive nature make her a perfect medical ally and personal hype woman for Team USA.
On this Dying to Ask:How do you become an Olympic Team Doctor?How Simone Biles destigmatized mental health for athletes and everyday peopleWhat will a day in Paris look like for the medical team?Why female gymnasts are older and stronger than ever in 2024Dr. Faustin's phone-free hack to relieve athletes' stress during the games -
Experience matters. And, it may be the U.S. men's water polo team's greatest asset heading into Paris.
Ten of the 13 guys on the roster competed on the Tokyo Olympic team, including three-time Olympian Alex Obert.
"There is a huge difference between your first Olympics and your second Olympics, the kind of nerves just knowing what you're going to go through every single day," Obert said.
Obert grew up in Loomis, California. He played for the University of the Pacific, the U.S. National Team, played overseas, and competed in two Olympics.
He retired after the Tokyo Olympics and took a finance job. Then came the call asking him if he'd come out of retirement for one more go at gold.
His wife and employer said go for it.
And, Obert made the cut, joining his third Olympic water polo team.
Obert says, "Even in retirement, I still had that itch to compete at the highest level. I didn't know if I was going to be able to make the comeback. But obviously I was able to make it enough to come back and help the team, and that's all I want to do is help the team compete and win."
On this Dying to Ask:How hard it is physically to come out of retirementHow being a dad changed Alex as an athleteAdvice for parents on how to best support your teen athletesThe advantages of having 10 guys with Olympic experience on a roster of 13 -
Episodes manquant?
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Robyn Stevens walks faster than most people run and is on track to make her second Olympic Team.
Stevens is the fastest female race walker in the country.
Growing up in Vacaville, she said a high school track coach suggested she try race walking. Stevens did and instantly fell in love with the sport.
"It's super technical it's what drew me to it," Stevens said.
Women compete in the 20-kilometer distance in the Olympics. The sport relies on precision and power.
"With race walking, you have to land with one foot on the ground at all times. You have to land with [a] straight leg that stays straight until it passes beneath the hip," Stevens said.
Judges line the course watching for foot infractions and rely purely on what they see. There is no video review.
Athletes walk faster than most of us can run.
"In a 20k race, I'll average anywhere from a 7-minute to 7:15 a mile," Stevens said.
She contemplated retiring after the delayed Tokyo Games where she finished 33rd out of 58 competitors.
Two things kept her in the sport: One, she'd like her mom to see her compete at an Olympics in person. Fans weren't allowed at the Tokyo Olympics because of pandemic restrictions.
The second is that at age 41, she's still the fastest American race walker.
And that's despite having her 2023 training year disrupted severely by long-haul COVID-19 symptoms.
On this Dying to Ask:Why Robyn wants an Olympic do-overThe impact long haul Covid has on endurance athletes How she's changed her Olympic mindset to balance her personal and professional lifeWhat it's like to train for hours a day on your ownAnd we break down the mechanics of race walkingOther places to listenCLICK HERE to listen on iTunesCLICK HERE to listen on Stitcher
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From grit to glam. Women's Health is celebrating female athletes with its first-ever Olympics issue.
Liz Plosser is the editor-in-chief of Women's Health magazine.
The July-August issue is a global celebration of women's sports and athletes and spans 10 editions of the magazine worldwide.
"We really wanted to focus on women who would share their stories vulnerably, and let us into who they are as human beings, as advocates in their community, as moms as role models. In addition, they're sharing how they train and compete and perform at the top of their game," Liz said.
Women's Health drew on the colors of the Olympic rings for inspiration and then took the women out of the gym and into iconic settings for their photo shoots.
"We put them in a really epic-like superhero environment because they are superheroes to us," Liz said. "We also wanted to show them an action and reflect."
Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin- Levrone (track and field) is on the cover.
Six other athletes are featured in the issue including boxer Jajaira Gonzalez, breaker Sunny Choi, para-triathlete Hailey Danz, water polo goalie Ashleigh Johnson, pentathlete Jess Savner and rugby star Llona Maher.
All the women shared what they're doing to get their bodies and minds ready for the Paris Games. Several expressed the role mental health takes on an athlete's journey and share what makes them mentally tough.
On this Dying to Ask:How you get top Olympians runway-readyWhat inspired the photo shoot locations and wardrobeWhat were the athletes like on setOlympic mental health hacksOther places to listenCLICK HERE to listen on iTunesCLICK HERE to listen on Stitcher
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Keana Hunter spends most of her day upside down, trying to avoid getting kicked in the head while hiding from the sun. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
The 20-year-old first-time Olympian will represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Team USA hasn't qualified in the Olympic artistic team event since 2008. It last medaled in the sport formerly known as synchronized swimming with a bronze at the 2004 Athens Games.
Head coach Andrea Fuentes is getting a lot of credit for turning the team around. Fuentes is the most decorated artistic swimmer ever for Spain and won four Olympic medals.
Keana and her teammates relocated to Los Angeles for a year, putting their lives on hold to train for 10 hours a day, six days a week. Eight of those hours are in the water.
Artistic swimming is considered one of the toughest sports in the Olympics because of its blend of physical strength, flexibility, and performance.
"You're upside down in the water looking at your pattern and making sure you're in the right spot. But you're also traveling. So everything has to come together to make it like this beautiful routine. But there are so many pieces that like take hours and hours to fix," Keana said.
Coach Fuentes recently announced her Olympic roster of eight athletes. A squad of 12 swimmers qualified the U.S. for one of 10 Olympic spots but only eight athletes can compete in Paris.
Only one swimmer in the final eight has Olympic experience. The rest are first-time Olympians like Keana.
On this Dying to Ask:An update on Bill May, the 45-year-old artistic swimmer who'd hoped to become the first man to represent Team USA in the OlympicsKeana breaks down what it's actually like underwater for an artistic swimmerFind out how swimmers protect themselves from the sun when they're in a pool for 8 hours a dayHow do you maintain passion for a goal despite that much training and sacrifice -
Katrina Young has unfinished business and she wants to get it done in Paris.
The two-time Olympic diver will compete in the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials in Knoxville, Tennessee, from June 17-23. She'll compete in both solo and synchronized events.
Katrina grew up in the Pacific Northwest, graduated from the University of Florida with a music degree in 2015 and competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Games. She didn't medal in either.
Her third Olympic push has focused heavily on mindset.
"You do have to go through this series of moments where the pressure feels very heavy. And I don't think that I've ever gotten into the zone at the Olympics where I've gotten through the pressure," says Katrina.
Going for a third Olympic team meant doing things differently.
The 32-year-old is a newlywed. She and her husband relocated to the West Coast.
Katrina moved to Los Angeles last year to train at the USC pool and pursue her other passion as a singer-songwriter. The change in scenery and shakeup in training are paying off.
Katrina says, "Shaking up where I live and my day-to-day routine has really opened my eyes to different sides of myself."
And, it's provided the elusive balance so many Olympians and the rest of us crave.
On this Dying to Ask:Athletes thrive on routine. How did Katrina decide to flip her life upside down in her push for Paris?Advice on defining what balance means to youThe unexpected value in pursuing two passions at the same time -
They say good things come in threes. Maggie Steffens hopes they come in fours.
Steffens is the team captain for the U.S. Olympic Women's Water Polo Team.
The team has won three straight Olympic gold medals. Winning a fourth would make history as no team, men's or women's, has won four straight gold medals.
We caught up with Steffens and her team at a sold-out exhibition game at Long Beach City College. The crowd was packed with female teenage club players.
"I was once that little girl on a pool deck looking up and seeing role models and saying, that's something I want to do," Steffens said.
Steffens' team is a team is a mix of veterans and first-time Olympians. She leads with an Olympic mindset grounded in gratitude with an eye on mentorship for the next generation of players.
Steffens says, "Going into this Olympics gratitude is one of my biggest things. How cool is it I get this opportunity and how can I make this torch a little brighter for the future of our sport?"
Coach Adam Krikorian says his team tries not to focus exclusively on winning gold again.
"The reality is this team has never won a gold medal. And we have people that have never been Olympians before. So this is their first experience," Krikorian says.
Bottom line: leadership and experience will matter greatly this summer in Paris.
On this Dying to Ask:Why leading with gratitude worksHow a spirit of gratitude fosters mentorshipAdvice on how to get different generations to work together toward a goal -
35 years is a long time to wait for a dream. But Bill May says it's worth it.
Bill was 10 years old when he started artistic swimming. He fell in love with the sport and dreamed of going to the Olympics.
"Every time someone would tell me no, I'd say watch me. You're going to see me at the Olympic Games. You're going to tell me no and I'm going to say yes. They're going to say that person followed his dreams and there he is at the Olympic Games," says Bill.
The problem? Artistic swimming (formerly synchronized swimming) didn't allow men in Olympic competition.
Bill quit competitive swimming after watching his teammates win the 2004 Olympic bronze in Athens and put his aquatic talents to work in other ways.
He joined the cast of Cirque Du Soleil's "O" and spent 18 years touring with the production. But he never gave up advocating for men to be allowed to compete in his sport at the Olympics.
In 2022, the International Olympic Committee announced a rule change that allows up to two men per team in the artistic team competition starting this summer in Paris.
Bill says, "I think now that men are allowed, it's only going to open the doors for men to be in the sport and just from our families and people around the world to say, okay, this sport is inclusive."
This year, Bill was one of 12 Team USA swimmers to qualify for the Olympic team competition for the first time in 18 years. But only 8 swimmers can compete in Paris.
Head Coach Andrea Fuentes calls upcoming team cuts "heartbreaking." In this episode, you'll hear from Bill May and then Coach Fuentes on how committed she is to bringing a mixed team to the 2024 Summer Games.
On this Dying to Ask:How Bill stays in peak mental and physical shape to compete at 45 with teammates half his ageWhy gender equity matters in artistic swimmingHow Bill is using his platform to inspire the next generationWhat was it like being in Cirque Du Soleil for almost 20 yearsHow to stay true to a dream for decadesThe tough choice Coach Andrea Fuentes has to make by June 8 -
A trip to Paris would be the ultimate revenge after getting dumped for Theo Brunner and Trevor Crabb.
Both are veteran beach volleyball players and both got dumped last year by their prior partners.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
Crabb says it often takes three to four years of playing with a partner to create the kind of chemistry it takes to qualify for the Olympics.
"We're one of the older teams on tour. I'm 34 he's 38 . We've been through the partner changes and stuff before," says Crabb.
That experience let them get to work while getting to know each other.
"As an elder statesman in the sport, I've seen good teams win tournaments who hate each other's guts and don't talk and teams that love each other that can't get it done. All that matters is scoring points," says Brunner.
The Paris Olympics will feature 24 teams, of each gender, playing under the Eifel Tower.
Team USA has already qualified two women's teams. Countries can qualify a maximum of two pairings per gender and so far no U.S. men's teams have met the qualification. The main qualification period ends on June 10.
On this Dying to Ask:Why Trevor wasn't an obvious partner choice for TheoHow far down the list of potential partners Trevor was for TheoThe advantage of being an older, experienced player in a new partnersAdvice on how to get along with anyone -
The girls in the boat are heading to Paris and Folsom's Michelle Sechser has Lake Natoma to thank.
Sechser is a two-time Olympic rower in lightweight double sculls. She fell in love with the sport at age 14 after following her older sister to Capital Crew.
That rowing club is based at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma and has produced multiple Olympic champions.
"When I started at Capital Crew, never in a million years that I think I will be a two-time Olympian," Sechser said.
She started seriously pursuing the National Rowing Team after grad school and came in 5th at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lightweight sculls feature athletes much smaller than those found on the eight-person boats. That leads to races being won (or lost) in the blink of an eye.
At 37, Sechser is older than a lot of rowers. She'd already planned on Paris being her last Olympics. Then the International Olympic Committee announced her event would be dropped from the Olympic lineup after 2024.
Sechser predicts an epic final saying, "I know every girl on that starting line will be having the exact same thought, which is I've got nothing to lose, cause this is it. It's all or nothing."
On this Dying to Ask:The Zen of rowingHow rowing with a partner is like being in a marriageHow to build physical and mental endurance and push through boredom -
Sagen Maddalena has a literal shot at gold this summer at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Maddalena is a two-time Olympic shooter and will compete in two air rifle events at the summer games.
She grew up in Groveland, California. She was homeschooled in the small mountain town and was introduced to her sport through a 4-H gun safety class.
She got hooked and went on to become an eight-time All-American collegiate shooter at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.
That led to a career as a sharpshooter in the U.S. Army and these days, Sgt. Sagen Maddalena is a member of the elite World Class Athlete Program, which allows members to train and compete in sports on an international level while representing their country.
You might think shooting is a sport of perfectionists. Maddalena says perfectionism actually works against her as an athlete.
"I think that's one of the things that makes me so good at it is is that I've put in a lot of hours of work and discipline. I've been stubborn to make sure I follow that discipline and that work ethic to be as I can be without being perfect. Having that mentality that would be overwhelming," Maddalena says.
On this 'Dying to Ask':Few people guess Maddalena's sport correctly. The sport they think she does.How to achieve mental clarity and avoid the pitfalls of perfectionism.How Maddalena is inspiring kids in small towns to dream big. -
The American dream and the Olympic dream collide in Johanna Garton's new book, "All in Stride."
All in Stride: A Journey in Running, Courage and the Search for the American Dream is about Olympian Shadrack Kipchirchir and his wife, Sgt. Elvin Kibet, two American professional runners.
Both competed in February's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Shadrack competed for Team USA in the 10,000m at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.
Johanna Garton is a longtime Colorado-based endurance sports writer who met the married couple in Denver.
All in Stride tells the story of how the runners independently made their way from Kenyan villages to American colleges, the military and professional running.
Their American dream turns into an Olympic dream as each pushes to represent their new country. Their adjustment to American culture isn't easy and includes brushes with bigotry and intolerance.
"I heard about this program that was part of the U.S. Army based in Colorado Springs. It was soldiers in the U.S. Army who also were training to become world class athletes. I went down and spent time at one of their workouts, and I happened to meet Shadrack, who's kind of the main character in this book," says Johanna.
Johanna Garton started her career as an immigration lawyer. But her love of distance running won out career-wise. She transitioned to sports writing and writes mainly about endurance sports. Johanna ran for Syracuse University as a walk-on. She's run more than 20 marathons including five Boston Marathons . And, she even made it to Everest Base Camp in 2022.
On this Dying to Ask:What it's like when the American dream and the Olympic dream collide
The role the US Army plays in helping athletes get to the Olympics
The special role Team USA's immigrant athletes play in the Olympic experience
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Kali Wilding and Shelley Oates-Wilding are on the ultimate Olympic mother-daughter road trip that hopefully ends in Paris.
Kali is one of Team USA's top sprint kayakers. Shelley is a two-time Olympian for Team Australia and the current U.S. National Coach in canoe-kayak.
Kali grew up in Hawaii surrounded by water and her mother's Olympic legacy. But Shelley says she was careful to not push her sport on her kids. Kali started out as a gymnast but couldn't resist the water.
She recently won the K-2 sprint kayak event at the U.S. Olympic Canoe Kayak Team Trials at the CSUS Aquatic Center at Lake Natoma, California. The next and final step in becoming an Olympian is competing in the Continental Olympic qualifier in Sarasota, Florida, in April.
An Olympian being coached by a parent who is also an Olympian is rare. And, Kali and Shelley hope to make that dream happen this summer at the Paris Games.
"We get to travel so much together. It's crazy fun having a mother as a coach, best friend, travel buddy. It's a dream come true," says Kali Wilding.
Shelley Oates-Wilding says, "Representing your country at the Olympics is one of those things. You're being the best you can be in your chosen profession. It's the journey going toward what your Olympics is."
On this Dying to Ask:The growing sport of sprint kayakingWhat it's like growing up with an Olympian for a parentWhat Shelley did to not force her sport on her kidsWhat it takes to pursue an Olympic dream while going to a school like USC -
Get to know Olympic hopeful gymnast Riley Loos as he tumbles with Fitz through a round of FIVE WITH FITZ.
Five rapid fire questions with a bonus question.
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Stanford alum Riley Loos hopes to put some Cardinal red into the red, white and blue for Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Loos graduated from Stanford in 2023 and has stayed on in Palo Alto to train with his former college team and Stanford head men's gymnastics coach Thom Glielmi.
Nearly half the U.S. Men's National Gymnastics Team has a Stanford connection. The school is known as an unofficial feeder to the National Team. The school has won the last four NCAA Championships. And Coach Glielmi served as the 2020/1 U.S. Men's Gymnastics coach at the delayed Tokyo Olympics.
Riley was ranked number three on the team after the recent Winter Cup competition. He grew up in El Dorado Hills, California, and has dreamed of being an Olympian since he was a kid. He credits Stanford for supporting his quest.
"Stanford is basically the feeder system to Team USA Men's Gymnastics . We've created this team atmosphere and culture. It's intense but super friendly and brotherly. So we basically have created a culture through the head coach where nothing goes undone and nobody gets away with not doing what has to be done and we lift each other up all the time," says Riley Loos.
On this Dying to Ask:A deep dive into Stanford Gymnastics' culture of tiered accountability and how you can incorporate the concepts into your teamLearn how to make people feel comfortable and safe enough that you can call them out when they're not giving their best.How male gymnasts feel about the attention and sponsorship opportunities female gymnasts enjoyHow a viral video made Riley a big deal on TikTok and how he's monetizing his celebrity to fund his Olympic dream -
Jason Newton may be a newbie to Olympic coverage. But his hometown already knows how to support someone at the Olympics.
Jason is an evening news anchor at WBAL-TV in Baltimore, hometown of Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps.
Jason is also a native of Baltimore. And while his wingspan isn't as broad as Phelps, his knowledge of all things Olympic will be by this summer's games.
This is the third in our MEET THE TEAM episodes as we get to know members of the Hearst Olympics Team ahead of this summer's coverage at the Paris Olympics.
On this Dying to Ask:What Jason thought he wanted to be when he went to college (spoiler: it wasn't working as an Olympic reporter)The new Olympic sport Jason is especially excited to coverHow Jason's hobby is likely to benefit Fitz' Instagram feed during the Olympics -
Imagine having a stunt double at work. Fletcher Mackel basically does in his role as a sports anchor at WDSU-TV.
That's because the guy often sitting next to him on the anchoring desk doing the news is his identical twin brother Travers.
The Brothers Mackel have share a lot of experiences together. They grew up playing baseball in New Orleans. Both attended college and played baseball at Loyola University. And they both signed on at WDSU more than 20 years ago where Fletcher jokes "we're now a package deal and you're stuck with both of us."
Soon, the guys will have something else in common as both will have worked on the Hearst Olympic Team. Fletcher is looking forward to adding Olympic experience to a resume that already includes Super Bowls and college championships.
Fletcher's family has been in New Orleans for generations and civic pride fuels both his work ethic and passion. His energy is off the charts and if you like an inspirational quote, grab a pen because he drops them like crazy!
On this Dying to Ask:What it's like to work with an identical twin (should probably ask the staff of WDSU about that)How his hometown fuels his work ethic and passionAnd the sports guy makes a prediction on who's going to own Beach Volleyball in Paris -
Team USA will rely on an Olympic Trials process to pick most of its 2024 Summer Olympic Team. But for how much longer?
Some worry it's not sustainable to stage "mini-Olympics" in host cities to select athletes due to rising costs and expectations.
Freelance writer Erin Strout raises the issue in her most recent article for Outside Online where she investigated whether the popular US Olympic Marathon Trials needs a reboot.
You can read the article here.
Americans love Olympic Trials. They're exciting and showcase the depth of underdog talent like marathon record breaker Fiona O'Keeffe. It's like a mini-Olympics with only Americans taking part to determine who will represent Team USA at an Olympics.
But the downside of the Trials process is that they're money losers for a lot of cities.
Most countries rely on selection committees to pick Olympic teams. Would a selection committee have picked Fiona O'Keeffe to represent her country in marathon? Probably not.
On this Dying to Ask:Arguments for and against the Olympic Trials processWhat a recent US Olympic Marathon race organizer told Erin about the cost of hosting a Trials and why he says his city couldn't do it againWho pays for what at an Olympic Trials? The answer may surprise you -
Check out FIVE WITH FITZ with Olympic marathoner Fiona O'Keeffe.
Five rapid fire questions with Team USA's speediest female marathoner.
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If the Olympics gave out a medal for fan geekdom, Mike "Domi" Domalaog would get gold every time.
Domi, as he's known around KCRA 3 and the Hearst Olympic Team, is an encyclopedia of all things Citius, Altius, Fortius, Communiter. (That's the Olympic motto: Faster, Higher, Stronger-Together if you were not blessed with FOUR YEARS of high school Latin as I was.)
In our first MEET THE TEAM episode, I'll explain how the Hearst Olympic Team works and the long history Domi and I have of traipsing the world chasing athletes, telling stories, and testing the limits of sleep deprivation.
Paris will be Domi's 11th Olympic trip. His work history goes back to the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. But, his love of the Olympics started decades ago as a kid growing up in Salinas, CA.
Domi is one of the smartest people I know and his recall for athletes and their achievements is equal parts impressive and frightening. He's a member of the prestigious Emmy Awards "Silver Circle," awarded for 25+ years in television news. And, he's been a photographer at KCRA for 38 years.
In this Dying to Ask:How Domi became an Olympic reporterThe responsibility he feels telling young athletes' storiesWhat he's looking forward to the most in Paris - Montre plus
