Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew - 300| what it's like competing in the olympics + the final recap

Episode Date: February 25, 2026

Two weeks. Countless moments. One unforgettable Olympics. In this final episode of the series, we look back at the biggest highlights, surprise upsets, breakout stars, and powerful stories that shaped the Games. With perspective from someone who has competed at the Olympics, we talk about what these moments truly mean for the athletes, the legacy of the competition, and what we’ll remember long after the torch goes out. Let us know in the comments, what was your favorite sport or moment to watch? Love you guys, Shawn & Andrew You can still get 15% off at www.https://BranchBasics.com with our code EASTFAM. Just use code EASTFAM for 15% off the Premium Starter Kit at www.https://BranchBasics.com. After you purchase, when they ask where you heard about them, please make sure to mention our show! Right now, IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners twenty percent off all IQBAR products—including the Ultimate sampler pack—plus FREE shipping. To get your twenty percent off, text EASTFAM to sixty-four thousand. Text EASTFAM to 64000. If you want to try OLIPOP, you can actually get a free can — buy any two cans in store and they’ll pay you back for one. Just go to www.https://drinkolipop.com/COUPLETHINGS to learn more. Go-GURT Simply comes in flavors like Strawberry and Mixed Berry, and you can find it at a retailer near you. Just a quick note: Go-GURT Simply contains 16 grams of total sugar per serving and 5 grams per tube, while Original Go-GURT contains 23 grams of total sugar per serving and 7 grams per tube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's up, everybody? Welcome back to a couple things. With Sean and Andrew. The Olympics are over and I want to cry about it. I don't know what to do with my time anymore. I don't either. It felt so intentional having the TV on instead of mindless. I know.

Now it's like, nah. I know. Back to Danny Go or. Now we got to wait two more years. No, we get the World Cup this summer. Oh, I am very excited. Aren't we going? I think that's a plan.

That's right. That's sick. Coming to a city near you. like eight different cities across the U.S., so it'll be great. But today we wanted to conclude our Olympic series and talk about how the whole thing went. Yes. I want to start out by addressing the message that Lindsay Vaughn finally posted and was able to share about her recovery. She's home.

I think she's had, what is it? Four, five, six knee surgeries or leg surgeries in the past two weeks. Dang. She was in Italy, in France. No, in Italy, I think, getting all of her, like, medical surgeries done, had to fly home on a medical flight, was then transported to a hospital here. She had more surgeries. There was evidently talks of amputation at one point, but she is on the road to recovery, and it makes me really happy to hear. Yeah, I'm just glad she's okay. Also, what makes a medical flight a medical flight a medical

flight. Like she was literally on a medical hospital bed in the plane. It's like a airplane ambulance. I think so. I think she had to like travel with doctors. They have all the stuff there if something goes wrong. Yeah. I'm glad she's right. You think like, think about how long after an simple surgery I've had, the doctor's like, you can't fly. And she flew from Italy to the United States. Like, freshy out of surgery. Freshie, dude. I, seriously, we say this lighthearted.

I don't mean lighthearted. She has gone through so much. And I just pray. She has, from here on out, like a smooth and safe recovery. Yeah. As painless as possible. She's still a goat in my book. Wishing the best for you, Lindsay.

Yeah. We also need to talk about the freaking U.S. hockey programs. I mean both. Also, the family lineages associated with these teams are like, what are we doing here? We should study these people. It's so fun. Honestly, the women's match? Yes. Phenomenal. Men's match? Freaking hype. Both. To see both U.S. hockey teams come out on top was iconic. Also, a couple of the stories there, which are insane. There are evidently two brothers on the men's hockey team who have a sister. who's on the women's hockey team, both won gold. And evidently the mom was a hockey player. I'm like, what?

Wow. They're doing something right in the hockey world. Dang. And then there's evidently another guy on the men's hockey team whose father won gold during the miracle game. 1980? And his grandfather won gold before that. No.

I love these stories. I laughed because I think the article that I read was about his son. present day guy's son and they're like does the son know that in 40 years he's got a one gold wow that is deep right there it's just crazy it was such an amazing Olympics to watch um seeing the women battle it out and come home with a gold from the u.s women's hockey team and then seeing the men battle it out right after that we ended up going on to watch the miracle you're feeling really patriotic. Yeah. That was so fun to watch all the different

sports. Honestly, it's like going to be another four years until we watch many of those sports again. But I feel like we got our healthy dose of it the last couple weeks. I don't know if we should admit this, but maybe it's a situation in which it's fine. I don't know.

But we did finish watching the men's match in the middle of church. Sorry, Pastor Darren. Yeah. However, I mean, we were, you know, it was it was important. Anyways, did you go back and watch? Because I saw it, you didn't see it.

When the team, after they were presented their medals and they were taking pictures on the ice, they skated over into the stands to get Johnny Gujarro's children and his jersey and brought it back out. And the two kids, his daughter and his son out to take a picture with the team, which was, you can tell it's very much a family atmosphere between the ones. men's and the men's teams. That was a really heart-dropping moment. And we had the opportunity to watch Miracle last night, too, which if you haven't seen it. To watch what? I don't know how to say the word.

Miracle. Mirro. How do you say it? It's not that big of a difference. It is. Miracle. That's better. You say Miracle. You said. Colorado.

Last night we watched Miracle. Okay, it's a great movie if you haven't watched it. It is so good. Sean said the last time she watched it was when? Last time I watched The Miracle was the night before my team Olympic final. Wow. An appropriate watch there. It was.

We watched it as a team just as iconic then as it was last night. I love just the speeches, the coaches, the coaches. coaches give and to see them take all of these college kids who are, I mean, college kids are punks, right? And to make them into this unified team, to see them go in as underdogs. It's truly why everybody watches the Olympics. So good. It's not just the miracle movie. It's like, it's why we watch the Olympics is to hear about all of these stories of triumph and heartbreak and injury and redemption and hope and

hearing someone say, I dreamt when I was three years old. And to see that fulfilled, it's, it's, it's the embodiment of why we watch the games. It's like truly feel for a second, like something impossible can come true. Yeah. The pregame speech is my all-time favorite. Opportunity. That's what we've got here tonight. That's what we've earned here tonight.

You know what's funny? Nine times out of thin and they beat us, but not the night. It's a nice. It's our game. I love it, dude. It's our time. Yeah, it's so good. All right, let's talk about some stats, and we'll shout out some individuals. The U.S. brought home 12 gold medals.

Yes. Which is the most ever by the United States at a single winner Olympics, and it surpassed the previous best of 10. That's amazing. It really felt like an iconic Olympics watching. Also, we said this in one of our past episodes about the Olympics. I thought the coverage of the games was 10. 10 out of 10.

Being able to see the organization of it, see it in live time, see it archived, to be able to go back to with the stories. They also did so much more work this time and giving descriptors of the events and how they work and the judging and the difficulty of it. It was, it's normally not been this easy to watch. And it was 10 out of 10 in my book. One interesting note. So we had 12 gold medals, 33 total.

total metals. Norway was number one on the metal count. They had 18 gold medals and 41 total. And then the third place was Italy with 10 gold medals 30 total. They say there's like studies being done about the Norwegians and how they have historically dominated. This is not an anomaly year for them. They usually end up number one. And it's like, you know, do they live in a cold environment? Yes. But it's so interesting just their clear superiority in this, in this Olympic iteration. My coach, Coach Brock, he said it's because they have 22 hours of sunlight. He's like, they just can train so much more.

It seems so simple to him. But I would love to see, I think they did like a biological study too on like Kenyans in the summer Olympics with running and how like evolutionary speaking. Their ankles are built different. And like there's truly a genetic. I think a lot of it is a sweat. Yeah. The evaporation. Anyway, the U.S. women won a majority of the golds and medals.

Women won eight of the 12 gold medals and over 60% of the overall medals. Yes, we did. Yes, we did. And then, yeah, 33 total medals, second only to Norway with 41 total. One of the headlining names of the entire Winter Olympics was Alyssa Liu. She won gold in the women's figure skating. She's the first American woman to do so in 24 years. Wow.

Which is six Olympic cycles. That's crazy. Great job, Alyssa. Also, there is something, I equate Alyssa to, like, Simone, where she brought a different creativity and image to figure skating than they've ever seen before. I feel like Simone in gymnastics rewrote the rulebook. She, like her skill set, her everything. She allowed for a whole new wave of gymnasts and style to come and succeed in our sport.

And to see Alyssa go out there and do like a not stereotypical dance and music and like look to her sport, I think was really cool. Yeah. It worked. It worked. And I actually heard someone. say this about Alyssa, there's something, I would say the same thing about Samoan, there's something about watching them that actually looks like they're enjoying what they're doing. It's not just doing their job. It's like you can tell they love it. And it's infectious.

But I think both are rooted in like this, it's not this innocent joy. You know, Alyssa quit for a while there and then came back and Simone's story has its highs and lows as well, you know. They they have gone through the struggle and still came out on the other side with the joy of the sport, which is like, I think it makes it an even cooler story in that sense. But Alyssa won gold in women's figure skating

and also won gold in the team figure skating event, which is pretty great. Yeah, and I just feel like she's overall an inspiring figure. She's definitely one of the headlines of the Olympics because she, like I said, returned to skating after she stepped away. Didn't feel like she was focused on winning,

but really just doing it for the joy of it, which is great, because there's so many, as you've talked about many times, the pressure of a gold medal, the incentives, the money, and all the stuff, it gets confusing beyond just like,

oh, yeah, what if I went out there and had fun? And I feel like that's what we saw with her. I thought it was beautiful. I've been watching her stuff for the past few months just leading up to the games. And it was. It was one of those iconic moments that, like, will define these games, which is really cool. Yeah.

Pretty authentic, you know. It's great. Okay. I feel like cleaning products are one of those things you don't really think about, but you're using them everywhere. Your counters, your clothes, your floors. Like, it's part of your everyday life. That's right.

And going into this year, we've been trying to be more intentional. about what we're bringing into our home, and that's honestly how we found Branch Basics. I started using their premium starter kit, and what surprised me most is that it's basically one concentrate that does everything. Laundry, counters, bathrooms, glass, even things like produce wash.

It simplified everything so much. And it actually works, too. I think that was the biggest thing for me. It's made with plant and mineral-based ingredients, but it still cleans just as well, if not better than what we were using before. It's also fragrance-free, which I really like. It just feels better knowing what we're using

around the house is something we feel good about, especially on services we're using all the time. And once you have it, it kind of replaces everything else. It's earned a permanent spot in our routine because it just makes cleaning simpler and more consistent. Also love that it's refillable. So once you run out, you just grab more concentrate instead of buying a bunch of different products again. And it's actually really easy to get now too. Branch Basics is now available everywhere you shop at Target.com, Amazon, and of course, branchbasics.com as well. Tossing the toxins has never been more convenient. And for anyone grabbing the premium starter kit, you can still get 15% off at branchbasics.com when you use our code EastFam. Just use code EastFam for 15% off the premium

starter kit at branchbasics.com. And after you purchase when they ask where you heard about them, please make sure to mention our show. In the women's hockey, Captain Hillary Knight tied and broke the U.S. Olympic scoring records and was a defining figure of the team's run. They also, this is crazy to me, had a shutout streak of 331 minutes. 331 minutes. You're talking about 20 minute periods, 60 minute games, so pretty much

like 5 and a half full games. No scoring. The Olympic record shutout run there. So shout out to the women's hockey team. So fun to watch. And then just some tidbits on the men's hockey run there. If you didn't, well, should we give spoilers?

I don't want to give spoilers to all this. I mean, it happened. If you're just now tuning into the Olympic Games, I would be concerned. You're right. It doesn't have the same effect after. No. Watching it live is so much more fun.

But US won gold over Canada again. Kind of like an epic women's hockey plays Canada. Yeah. US first Canada. Men's hockey, US first Canada. The score was two to one in overtime again. That's right. That's right.

And then it was just like this dramatic overtime win. Like Sean said, Jack Hughes scored this last goal. And like the whole setup of that where he got knocked in the teeth, blood everywhere. It was, it's out of a movie. I can't wait for the movie. I know,

I can't wait. We were watching Miracle last night. We were like, they have to make one out of this Olympics. Also, they have to make one with the story of both the women's team and the men's team and like both going into overtime and it was crazy. Yeah.

And then more on the figure skating front. I don't know if you watched any of our nonsense Instagram content, in, but we were having fun trying to recreate the figure skating. Yeah, Madison, Schock and Evan Bates. Yeah. I just so happen to have a Dancing with the Stars dress that looked really similar to her Olympic dress since I put it on and made Andrew try to throw me around. What they do is insane.

Wait, I don't know if you saw the edits that I made to the YouTube video, but it was kind of cool. The dance that you wore that in. Yeah. What's that called? Pasadoblo. Pasa doble. Their figure skating was like a Pasadoblet dance. There was elements.

they did like for sure there's was uh it's like flamenco flamenco i think i don't i'm not the guy when they do this step but but mark did the little oh yeah uh whatever maybe they were doing a posadoblo it was just because i was watching that because i spliced some in yeah because the dress and then i was like wait the moves are kind of similar but they did it on ice i know it's crazy and all the lifts and everything doing it like on ice skates is crazy moving. Oh my gosh. They were absolutely incredible. I would love to get them on the show. I would love secretly, selfishly to get on the ice with them. I think we're going to do a collab with them. Really? Yeah, it's in the works. I think we'd have a blast. We did do a whole

YouTube video of us trying to recreate their routine. So maybe we could take them to the gymnastics gym and then they take us to the ice rink. I love it. I love it. But neither are sports to be honest like gymnastics nor figure skating are sports that uh a newcomer can just like adopt no they're both freaking really hard elite steep steep learning curves are they athletic yes what do you mean i'm saying a football though yeah we could go in the backyard and throw football there's nothing there are a lot of sports you cannot play yeah i don't think you can play gymnastics i don't think you can play ice dancing. That's a good way to say.

I don't think you can play luge or bobsled. We kind of, we tried to play luge on our little furniture cart. Going 0.05 miles an hour. Also in figure skating, we had Elia,

we also in figure skating, we had Elia who helped secure the goal for the team event, which was like a huge, important early contribution. We also talked about seeing him in the finals, having a hard time.

talking about self-doubt and negative thoughts, which ultimately ended with him not securing the gold that he had expected, which was very, very hard to watch. I just wanted to give him a hug, but would love to hear his side of it with the sports psychology world. I thought he handled it really well. To see him so able to come straight off the ice when that happened and say, I mean, I messed up.

I let one thought just kind of explode. I think was great awareness. And I hope he's able to like navigate and handle that well in the coming time. This is, this is what I appreciate about that. Because it's like, obviously winning a gold medal would be great. Yeah.

But it didn't seem to absolutely ruin him. And like, I think that's important to like really strive hard after something. but do it with the understanding that it might not pan out like he wanted to there's something really important there that he captured really well so kudos to Ilya

he did then go on to do the gala so in a lot of these Olympics in a lot of the Olympic events what happens I don't think you get to see it on TV I don't remember but after everyone's done competing they'll do like a gala or a performance or where they put on like a fun costume

and they don't have to like follow rules anymore of the sport, they can go out and just kind of have fun. He actually performed and he crushed it. He did his flip. He was able to have fun and he like dominated that which was really fun to see. It's a great full circle moment there.

It really is. For skiing and speed skating, Michaela Schifrin got gold in the slalom. Yes. Really fun to see. She's a beast. Also another interesting part of the Olympics was hearing her interview

where she was saying some of the conditions of the runs and like setups were not up to par or up to like I don't know what you would even say it's not a kind of sport maybe up to standard that they would expect she was really concerned about the safety of a lot of the racers on the solemn and on the superg

which is absolutely fascinating to me hear me out for a second I have to go on a rant about this because this episode is brought to you by IQ Joe our exclusive coffee sponsor IQ Joe is the instant mushroom coffee from IQ bar with bold flavors. It's loaded with functional brain nutrients and 200 milligrams of caffeine for jitter-free energy. Our mornings have been a little chaotic lately. And one thing that's helped us stay consistent is having something quick and easy that we can rely on. And that's been IQ Joe.

Yeah, and it's one of those things where you don't have to think about it. You just mix it and you're good to go. It's 200 milligrams of natural caffeine plus ingredients like magnesium and lion's main mushroom. So you feel focused without that jittery feeling. And I love that it actually tastes like something you get at a coffee shop. The vanilla spice has been my go-to lately. It feels like a treat without all the extra added sugar. And with over 20,000 five-star reviews and counting more people than ever are starting their days on the right foot with IQ bars, brain and body-boasting bars, hydration mixes, and mushroom coffee.

I'm pretty serious about my coffee. So when IQ Joe sent me some of their product to try, I was skeptical. But honestly, it's become a part of my daily routine. It's quick. It tastes great. And I don't feel that crash later in the day. And right now IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ Bar products, including the ultimate sampler pack, plus free shipping. To get your 20% off, text East Fam to 64,000.

Text East Fam to 64,000. That's East Fam to 64,000 message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. In gymnastics, unlike football, unlike a lot of these sports, like gymnastics is inside and it can. controlled environment on the same equipment are like one of four pieces of equipment that we that are like fine they're always the same yeah if a bar is going to like collapse something tragic has to happen yeah but for you who competes outside and plays your sport outside and like michela and all these athletes who are subject to like weather and different materials and different materials and different

standards and different like that is a whole different factor that I've never had to think about I never thought about that well the difference there or the similarities that football would have to skiing football was like it was definitely a part of the game hey it's cold so yeah we're not going to throw as much to be more run plays or it's rainy same thing and it was more of a feel thing for football like yeah for my position it's like how does the ball feel and your fingers are not responding the same way because of whatever conditions I just feel like it's totally different in skiing where it's like a safe. You're going 80 miles an hour down a hill and the texture of the snow.

Okay, it's powder. It's more powdery today versus icy. It's a safety thing. It's not a, it's not like a change in strategy. It's like, okay, are we going to be able to make it down this thing? But it is also a different, it's a different mindset of strategy than I ever was faced with. Because like, none of my variables change. The only thing I have to make sure.

is like ready to work that day as my body, right? Which has a lot of variables. For sure. But like same equipment, same floor, same podium, same, like, same standards, always. But like, Michaela doesn't really know going into Milan or Cortina what the course will look like, right? Where the bumps will be. Like, it's not a same course she's been like skiing down for years. to, in my mind,

those, is it going to be blizzarding? Is it going to be hot? Is there going to be enough snow? That is like a whole different level of variables that I've never had to comprehend before. I'm sure there's conversations going on. Hey, you're last in the lineup, so everything's going to be carved out more.

That's crazy. And hey, like, you know, East Coast slopes traditionally have icier conditions in like West Coast, Colorado slope. So I'm sure there's like still an awareness of that, but still, you have to make live decisions at 80 miles an hour. I know. And you get the one shot.

In football, you have 80 plays. Well, and that's why her interview to me was so disappointing is to hear the disappointment from her of like, I don't want to say, I don't want to like speak for her, but it was like a, it's not fair to all the competitors. Yeah. Because it's not like a well groomed course or safe course. You just feel that from my perspective watching as a viewer of like,

that's the Olympics for you. That shouldn't be what you guys are like worrying about. Is the run safe for us to race? We love responsible snacking in this house. And that's honestly why we love gogert simply. Because let's be real, there is nothing simple about the morning routine. Getting everyone out the door, remembering everything, trying to keep things moving. Snack time needs to be the easy part.

The kids being in big kid school has really made our morning start way more early and a little more hectic at that. And Goghurt simply actually makes early mornings possible. It doesn't have any added colors or artificial flavors. And Gogh simply actually makes all that possible. It doesn't have any added colors or artificial flavors. And it has 25% less sugar than Goghurt original, which makes us feel really good about saying yes to something our kids already love. The portable tube design is also such a win. It's mess-free, easy to throw in a bag, great for car.

rides, school lunches, all of it. And a fun hack is if you freeze them, they turn into this really good frozen dairy treat, which feels like a little bonus for everyone. Truly, gogert simply comes in flavors like strawberry and mixed berry, and you can find it at a retailer near you. Just a quick note, gogert simply contains 16 grams of total sugar per serving and five grams per tube, while original gogert contains 23 grams of total sugar per serving and 7 grams per tube. Both are delicious. That's the Olympics for you. That shouldn't be what you guys are, like, worrying about, is the run safe for us to race? Mm-hmm.

So I felt sad watching that to be like, oh, I hope all the competitors. Juan stay safe and aren't worrying about that. Because she said there were competitors in the lineup from other countries and even the U.S. where we were, like, at the top of the run saying, I don't know if it's worth it for me to even try this. Which is crazy. You're saying in gymnastics there's a lot outside your control, but still there's never going to be a day where it's like, yeah, no. That beam looks too sketchy.

I'm not going to even try it. In skiing, it's a sport where there's the same amount of uncontrollables in gymnastics with the weather on top of air. Also, they had weather delays. Yeah. They also were like getting ready to wake up on a Monday and say, this is my day for a medal. And they're like, sight,

it got pushed three days. What? Or like even hours, your body is just the anxiety that you're going through. You're waiting for that one day. Yeah. And all of a sudden it gets pushed three days. Your whole meals, everything, it's like,

that's the kind of stuff I was reading where I was like, I'm not cut out to be a winter athlete, bro. One similar story in this realm is I had a buddy who trained for two years to run this one marathon in Indiana. And it was like this course that was like, super optimal conditions because it's super flat, whatever. And shows up

at 6 a.m., the race got canceled and it was like a 7 a.m. start because whatever storms. So he had already cranked. Oh gosh. I think it was like 300 grams of carbs or whatever to get his body up and he was just, and I like some caffeine too

and he was just, your body. You're ready. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You do a lot of things to get ready for that moment. You know, the day after day training, the nutrition leading up to it anyway. I can't imagine. This is another rant that I go on about the Olympics.

I have obviously so much respect for everybody who makes it to the Olympics, but there are so many variables that truly just come down to luck. Because you work for so many years, putting so many hours, trying to control so many variables, but then you show up to the Olympics

and my sport got delayed three days. Or I accidentally woke up and I have the flu. You can't get you can do as much as you possibly humanly can to control that, but you can't control that. And it's just like, there are so many luck variables involved. Yeah. Also, Jordan Stolls, moving on. Yes.

Set Olympic records and won multiple golds in speed skating. Insane. That guy was a beast to watch. Did you? He was a beast. And I want to give him so much credit. But I have to like segue into, did you see the speed skating accident? No.

Holy crap. I didn't see it. Again, what are we doing in the winter games with all these weapons on our feet? Someone, in one of the women's metal rounds, I think it was a girl from Sweden, someone slipped. And so it was like one country was right in front of the Swedish girl. And that country, like, slipped. And the back of her blade came up a little too far. kicked off the safety glasses

Sweden was wearing and the blade caught her like a centimeter under her eyeball. I'm stressed, dude. Filayed open her face, babe. Like, fillet. And she was unconscious on the ice for a few seconds, whatever, until they got there.

Oh my gosh. Dang. That's like a machete knife just going straight for it. Okay, we have been on a little kick lately with these. This is the Oli Pop Dr. Goodwin, and it's kind of become our afternoon thing. It's funny because we used to reach for traditional soda every once in a while as a treat, you know, but Oli Pop has kind of replaced that for us. Yes, because it still has that classic soda taste.

Like it feels fun and nostalgic, but it's made with functional ingredient blends that support digestive health, which makes it feel a lot better as an everyday option. And it's just so tasty too. It's reimagined soda in a really simple way. It's high in fiber, low in sugar. And it just fits better into your routine if you're trying to be a little more intentional this year. I have found myself grabbing one in the afternoon

when I want something that feels like a reset moment, not coffee, not water, just something a little more fun. And it's wild. Most people don't get enough fiber day to day and a lot of people deal with digestion stuff. So having something like this that still tastes like soda but supports that side of things is a pretty easy swat. It really does have that taste that takes you back feeling them,

which is probably why it's stuck with us. If you guys want to try Olipop, you can actually get a free can. Buy any two cans in store, and they'll pay you back for one. Just go to DrinkOllipop.com forward slash couple things to learn more. Ollipop is also sold online at DrinkOllipop.com and on Amazon, and you can find it in the soda aisle or chilled beverage section at thousands of retailers nationwide, including Walmart, Target, Costco, and Whole Foods. Okay, I played a sport that did not have any of those crazy elements.

You did a sport that had a four-inch white beam that you have to flip on. Yeah, but that's like... A vault that you have to run full speed in and then flip off of. That's not a butcher knife. Why are these Olympic games oriented this way? Why are they built this way? I don't know, but I'm like, we need some rubber skates or something. Because that was really crazy to see.

I don't want to see it. I don't want to see it. I don't think you should see it. I, in such a not good way, watched that video over and over and over and over again because I was convinced it was AI. And I was like, this has to be AI. And I just was like, and then I kept trying to find different videos of it.

And then I was like, oh, frick. Not AI. No, it's real. Let's move on from the fillet phase. Free ski and mixed team aerials had, Crucial goals as well. Golds. They crushed it.

Those are also nuts. The vertical ramp where they have no poles. They're just doing the like straight body. It's crazy. It's so crazy to see. It's crazy. And then they stick it and you're like, wait a minute. What did you just do?

I saw some freaky aerial guy. I thought I counted like seven, maybe six full twists with maybe two or three flips. and I was like, this is insane. Can their brains process that? Also, how do you fall? I did a risky sport, okay? But it is like pansy in comparison. They're on skis.

Yeah. 20 feet in the air. It got to be higher sometimes. Going off the ramp, they're doing how many flips, five times the amount of flips that I ever did. trying to land on skis and God forbid

I got lost in the air or like something that happened I land on mats from seven foot they have a helmet on and goggles so they're good

they're good I one of the hardest things for me to watch are like people on trampolines because like the air ascents and trying to find yourself

and they go so high it doesn't even compare to watching these free skier aerialists because I'm like, what happens? What happens? You're shattering limbs. You are shattering limbs if something goes wrong. I mean, the other thing is gymnasts, you know,

they take the one step because there's so much momentum. Skiers have that. And sure, they have a slope, which decreases some of the compression that would go back up into your body from landing. It depends on what angle you're landing. Yeah. There's just so much. I don't get it.

I don't get it, and it really stresses me out to watch. Because every time they rocket launch themselves off these inclines. I'm just like, I pray to God that you just come out of this. Oh, one of my favorite stories, Alana Myers-Taylor, clinched gold and the Motobob. Monobob. That's a solo Bob slitter. The Monobobob. which was a huge, huge career milestone.

It's like she has been working for so long and her dream was a gold medal. Her story is also amazing. She's two boys. Mom, she is balancing both sides of that and like, full on hands-on, super mom, full-on hands-on Olympic bobsledder. They did a, she signed languages with her kids

And there was one moment that they showed the face of one of her kids signing back. And just like the expression on this kid's face for some reason was like the most tender, eager. It was like just a beautiful scene to watch. So congrats, Alana. Also, Hillary Knight and Evan Bates were selected to lead the 2026 Olympic team into the closing ceremonies, flag bearers. Really fun to watch. They were both at one point trying to hang on to the flag. I don't know if you saw that.

Did you see that? Yeah. four hands on the flag and there's like... Well, I also think it's like really heavy. Yeah, I do. Yeah, but you know, you gotta go with someone's cadence and then it becomes kind of a logistical.

Yeah, I felt like that. Okay. It's okay. But I can't imagine how heavy those flags are. Also, they have to walk them like really far. And you think about the canola lever of it. It's got to be heavy. There's another story.

Chinese freestyle skiers who are married, Wang and Zhu Zou Zao made history by both winning

individual gold medals in the Ariel's discipline how could you imagine that's crazy I don't know that story

who won first because no pressure right yeah so like what if I went and I like won gold and you're like

I'm so proud of you babe but like now I got to win one thing we've been thinking about a lot lately is how much the spaces around you

actually shape your day-to-day life and routines, whether that's where you train, where you play, or even just where people gather. Yes, and that's why what America's sports construction is doing is really cool. They're not just building athletic facilities. They're creating spaces for families, friends, and entire communities to come together. ASC works on large-scale athletic facilities across the country, but what's interesting is they bring that same level of care and professionalism to every single project they do, no matter if it's a big commercial project or a project in your backyard. It's not just about getting something built. It's about building something the right way. And they handle everything from start to finish, from the design phase all the way through

construction. They manage the entire process and actually self-perform the work, which just makes everything feel more seamless and more intentional. That part was big for me because the thought of getting permits and then finding contractors and then doing it all and coordinating it all was so overwhelming, but ASC does it all. And you can tell it's bigger than just the project itself for them as well. For them, it's really about building something that lasts, something that brings people together, and something that keeps communities moving. And I love that they're purpose-driven too. They partner with organizations like Make-A-Wish and are really focused on creating impact beyond just the job site. At the end of the day, it's not just about building a space. It's about

building more. Talking about building opportunities, building community, and honestly, building the American dream. Spaces that give people a place to grow, connect, and just enjoy being together, which is what it's all about. If you have a project that America's sports construction might be a fit for, whether it's a pickleball court, tennis court, or basketball court in your yard, then we'll link the information for America's sports construction down below. Check them out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I felt that many times in my life married to you, to be honest. Many, many, many times. Same. That's an awesome story. That is awesome. Congrats, guys. Also, talk about a power couple. Yeah.

We should have them on and have my coach translate. That would be great. I'm here for it. There were some more stories. Norway at the Winter Olympics dominated with 18 golds, which was also the most of any nation. And let's see. Brazil?

Brazil. Listen to this. Celebrated its first ever winter Olympic medal in Alpine skiing, which was a landmark moment for South America. Also, where are you learning to Alpine? ski. I respect that. In Brazil.

I think that takes a little extra effort. Then you have Johannes Klebo of Norway. Who now hold more gold medals than anyone else in winter Olympic history. Wow. He's a cross-country skier. He won six gold medals in a single winner games, which is the most ever in one games. Have you seen these cross-country skiers? Hauling.

They're doing sub-six-minute miles. So on the one hand, you're like, okay, you're sliding. So you should be fast. They aren't sliding. They're running up hills. Yeah. It's not that simple. Also, there was this cool moment

showing in some cross-country race where one of the countries, I'm not going to be able to even remember the countries, but like a country lost one of their poles and another country's coach on the sideline went sprinting up and handed a pole off to basically like a competitor, which I thought was such a beautiful moment.

Like such a small thing, But also, like, I have, I distinctly remember that feeling at the Olympics of, like, wanting every one of my competitors to be on their A game because you want it to be, you want to compete against the best at their best, which is cool. So in general, babe. Oh, last thing. I read this. The 26 games were the most watched Winter Olympics in the U.S.

since 2014, and there was massive viewership. I think because whatever happened, whoever filmed it, figured it up. Yeah, yeah. I have said this for many, many years, many Olympic games. The Olympics are very, very hard to watch in person, and they're very hard to watch on TV.

No matter what country you're in, because there are so many sports and so many disciplines and so many. rounds and so many complexities to each individual sport on how to show it and explain it. And I did. I was in awe of the coverage this year because I was like, it makes sense. Yeah. I can watch it all.

I feel bought into it all. There doesn't feel like a bias per sport. Like, it was legit. And I think it made it that much easier for people to buy into. Yeah. So you like the Olympics as a whole. I freaking love the Olympics. That was a good year.

I'm excited for 28. I don't think we will be watching from the comfort of our couch at home because I'm pretty sure we will be there as a family, just in it, which is exciting. In it! It's crazy to think this is not our children's first Olympic games to go to. That is crazy. It might be the first one they remember. It was incredible to watch.

I'm so proud of Team USA. I'm proud of every country who was there and what they did. Proud of all the athletes. Yeah, that was really fun. Thanks everybody, NBC athletes. I don't know why I'm giving a thank you speech. Also, one closing line here.

Thank you to the people who made the medals. Did you read about this? They're breaking? It's tough. What, like the ribbon's breaking off? Or like the metals are breaking. I think the metals are breaking. How did you feel about that?

I would be pissed. I think we send those back to the manufacturers, everyone. Let's fix them and send them new medals. Give them a refund. Give them a new medal, for sure. Can't you just like weld it? Glue back together. Maybe put a new gold plating on there.

Call it a day. I think the Olympics should do that. Yeah. If you caught me trying to weld my own metal. It'd be pretty sad, right? Yeah, that's true. That's crazy, though. I got to actually see a picture of this.

I want to see you. No, that's sad. Anyways, I hope they get new medals. Now on to the next sporting event. What do we have, the Masters golf coming up? It's kind of a weird. Then World Cup? Oh, we get March Madness.

The March Madness, Masters, World Cup. Then we have all the NBA finals, Kentucky Derby. NHL finals, Kentucky Derby. And then boom, we're back in the fall. Football starts up. What a time, though. That's all we have for today.

Thank you for watching. Thanks for sticking along and joining us on this ride. And stay tuned for the next series. We're going to be doing a fun one. Actually, in between the start of the new series, we're going to do one that I've been itching to do for a long time. It's called What Can God Do for You? Yes.

And it's thoughts on faith. philosophical debates as my husband. I love. Anyway, stay tuned for that. That's all we have. I'm Andrew. I'm Sean. Until next time.