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The 2024 Paris Olympics will be iconic. Beautiful location. Pumped up athletes. And NO pandemic restrictions! ”Dying to Ask: The Road to Paris” tells the backstories of athletes, coaches and people behind the scenes who get Team USA to the top of the podium. Join 11-time Olympic reporter Deirdre Fitzpatrick and the Hearst Olympic Team to get inspired and maybe add a little Olympic edge to your life.
Episodes
3 days ago
3 days ago
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.
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
'All in Stride' With Olympic Author Johanna Garton
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
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
Thursday Apr 04, 2024
Kali Wilding Finds Olympic Inspiration At Home
Thursday Apr 04, 2024
Thursday Apr 04, 2024
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 kayaking
- What it's like growing up with an Olympian for a parent
- What Shelley did to not force her sport on her kids
- What it takes to pursue an Olympic dream while going to a school like USC
Friday Mar 29, 2024
FIVE WITH FITZ: Riley Loos
Friday Mar 29, 2024
Friday Mar 29, 2024
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.
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Gymnast Riley Loos Tumbles Toward Paris With Stanford Accountability
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
Thursday Mar 28, 2024
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 team
- Learn 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 enjoy
- How a viral video made Riley a big deal on TikTok and how he's monetizing his celebrity to fund his Olympic dream
Friday Mar 22, 2024
MEET THE TEAM: Jason Newton
Friday Mar 22, 2024
Friday Mar 22, 2024
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 cover
- How Jason's hobby is likely to benefit Fitz' Instagram feed during the Olympics
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
MEET THE TEAM: Fletcher Mackel
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
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 passion
- And the sports guy makes a prediction on who's going to own Beach Volleyball in Paris
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
Should Team USA Ditch the Olympic Trials Process?
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
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 process
- What 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 again
- Who pays for what at an Olympic Trials? The answer may surprise you
Friday Mar 01, 2024
FIVE WITH FITZ: Fiona O'Keeffe
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Check out FIVE WITH FITZ with Olympic marathoner Fiona O'Keeffe.
Five rapid fire questions with Team USA's speediest female marathoner.
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
MEET THE TEAM: Mike "Domi" Domalaog
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
Thursday Feb 29, 2024
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 reporter
- The responsibility he feels telling young athletes' stories
- What he's looking forward to the most in Paris