There is a very real likelihood that by the time you read this post I’ll be on a plane bound for Venice, Italy, the first stop during 2-week odyssey through the northern tier of the country.
The purpose?
Attending the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics as part of my Around the World in 80 Sporting Events post-retirement project.
And, might I say, it is still absolutely bananas to me to think that I’m going to the Olympics!
Sure I’m a man of retirement age now, but internally there’s still a part of me that’s the shaggy blonde-haired kid of my youth in small town in Indiana who bore a bit of a resemblance to “Cousin Oliver” from The Brady Bunch.
I’m not sure Oliver ever made it to Milan!
Yet, that’s exactly where I’ll be on Tuesday. And before that, in Cortina, a town of about 5,500 permanent residents (even smaller than my hometown) nestled in the Dolomites.
My wife, Carol, and I are traveling with longtime friend and Sports Fan Project supporter, Tim, and his wife, Tracey. Our agenda is a full but not overly so in hopes that we’ll be able to stop for a beat or two soak in what we’re experiencing. We have tickets to six events over the 11 days we’ll be in the Olympic communities. They are:
- Men’s Luge Heats 1 & 2 in Cortina
- Mixed Doubles Curling Semifinals in Cortina
- Ice Dancing Free Dance in Milan
- Men’s Hockey Pool Play, Canada vs. Czechia in Milan
- Short Track Speed Skating, Men’s 1500-meter Finals, in Milan
- Women’s Hockey Semifinals in Milan
As for you, the readers, I may not be bringing back souvenirs for all of you, but I do have a few things in store.
First, on the podcast – Conversations with Sports Fans – there are eight episodes in the can (e.g. scheduled to air) and two more to be recorded by our traveling team in Italy. So, if you’re following along, that’ll be 10 episodes of Conversations during the month of February (that’s more than one every three days!). Among the episodes that are Olympics’ focused:
- One with the Chair of the U.S. Hockey Figure Skating Hall of Fame – Richard Dalley
- One with the the founder of the HouseParty.blog – Tiffany Assman Hope
- One with the parents of half of the U.S. Ice Dancing duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates – Eric and Nancy Bates
- One with the mother of first-time Olympic cross-country skier, Kendall Kramer – Susan Schwartz
- One with an employeer at Kays Curling in Ayreshire, Scotland, the sole manufacturer of Olympic curling stones since 1998 – Ricky English
Second, if you’re a subscriber of The Sports Fan Project’s blog (sign up along the right column on the website) you’ should’ll be receiving the subscribers’ only “Inside Baseball” posts twice while I’m in Italy. One each week of the Olympics that I promise will be heavier on photos than prose. (If you’re not already a subscriber … whatcha waiting for!?! It costs nothing and the goods get sent directly to your inbox. Sign up over there to the right. I’d love to deplane Thursday morning in Venice and see at least five new subscribers which would pass another milestone.)
Finally, keep your eyes peeled upon my return as I do hope to pick up a trinket or two that will make great giveaways and look forward to sharing some of the Olympic experience with readers and supporters.
And speaking of giveaways, the deadline to enter to win an author-signed copy of Madness: The Rise and Ruin of Sports Media by Mark Hebscher (last week’s Conversations’ guest) is Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST (email me your interest in being entered at hilldouglast@gmail.com).
