Lessons from the Olympics

We talk about what secrets we can learn from the Olympics to help us get better. We explore it's origins, history & controversies. Then we dive into lessons inspired by Olympians that we can apply in our daily lives. Show Notes 2:10— Quotes from our listeners on what the Olympic games mean to them. 3:00— Global viewership of the Olympics vs the viewership of other popular sporting events 6:02 —How did the Olympics begin and how did we get to the modern Olympic games?  9:20— Which Olympics sports have been discontinued? 10:00— Ian tests March & Darren’s knowledge of the Olympics with a trivia question. Which country has taken home the most gold medals in tug-of-war? 10:50— March shares some Olympic firsts including introduction of new women’s sports and technology to assist the scoring of games 12:20— Ian discovers that the World’s Fair is actually still going 13:20— March shares the story of the first Olympic doping tests and you won’t believe what an athlete tested positive for 14:25— We discuss doping in sports and how it has changed over time 15:40— Darren shares his personal experience having lived in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympic games  18:40— Darren shares his experience visiting Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympic games 20:00— We discuss how large public events like the Olympics are a target for terrorism and why we shouldn’t let that deter us from celebrating and enjoying the games 22:22— March shares what the Olympics has meant to him growing up in Ireland 24:55— March shares his experience having visited several Olympic cities and viewing the architecture on display in the Olympic villages 26:50— Ian shares his experiences watching the Olympics as a child growing up in Glens Falls, NY and living near an Olympic training facility for cross-country skiing 32:25— Darren asks Ian what are his favorite Olympic sports 34:40— Darren shares some interesting scientific facts about one of his favorite Winter Olympic sports: curling 36:30— We learn about the different types of ice surfaces in use at the Winter Olympics 37:50— How much does it cost to host an Olympics Games, what do host cities get from hosting the Olympics Games, and is it a profitable venture for the host cities? 44:20— Ian makes an observation about how some cities seem to repeatedly get an opportunity to host the games while others are looked over 45:50— March, Darren, and Ian suggest a few tourist suggestions for visitors to Seattle 46:40 —March shares the history of Olympic controversies over the years 48:40— March shares the inspiring story of Jackie Owens’ performance at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin 51:00— Darren shares a recommendation on a documentary on doping in sports 51:58 —Ian explains what “OAR” means when listed as the country designation for an athlete 55:26— March shares three main things we can learn from Olympic athletes about overcoming obstacles.  59:28— March, Ian and Darren put their heads together and discover what Olympic athlete, Mo Farrah, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and the interplanetary Tesla roadster have in common. 1:01:56— March shares the history of the Fosbury Flop. 1:04:24— Ian shares some of the reasons behind his love for golf and we learn that sometimes the key to performance is not in perfect execution but in how we recover from our mistakes. 1:08:06 —How athletes and public speakers both use nervousness and internally stress as fuel for delivering powerful performances.  1:09:55— A technique from 5-time Olympic gold medalist, Missy Franklin, for calming one’s nerves 1:12:45— FITYMI (Fake it till you make it) technique for maintaining confidence before a performance. 1:14:35— Darren gives some tips from Olympic athletes on using visualization to maximize performance. 1:16:07— Darren confirms that he is not going to be in the US team lineup at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but he might try out some visualization techniques anyway. 1:17:20— We learn about March’s adventures learning to ski at night and Darren cautions him against “The Agony of Defeat”. 1:18:56— Ian commits to helping teach March to be a better skier. 1:19:59— Ian discusses three things he’s learned from studying Olympic athletes and would like to try in his own life: planning, reliance on experts, and focus. Mentions Icarus — movie about doping in sports Race —movie about Jesse Owens' triumph in track and field in the 1936 Olympics Fosbury Flop Cost of Olympic Games ABC Wide World Classic "The Agony of Defeat" Vinko Bogataj interview Hello to listeners in Busan, South Korea!  Why Russian athletes are competing as "OARs" at the Winter Olympics (Vox) Follow Us Instagram Facebook Twitter Subscribe iTunes RSS Weekly email newsletter Full Episode Transcript Better Show Blog Feedback Email: [email protected] Enjoy the show? Leave a review in iTunes! Tell two friends about the show!