Life Behind the Lens - Tokyo Olympic Games (Part 2)
On the first morning I met Clara Pferrer, the producer I was going to be working with for the next 4 weeks.
Clara is a reporter and producer based in Germany. We spent the next 2 days at the International Broadcast Centre, learning the processes for filing and editing our stories for Olympic Channel News (OCN) as well as the procedures in place while on the ground at our events.
Based out of the Ariake Urban Sports Park I was working on all the skateboarding and BMX events. In the lead up Clara and I filed athlete and venue profile stories as well as any other stories of interest we found.
Another huge moment was filming at the skatepark and turning around to see Tony Hawk.
It was a privilege to meet and work with all the dedicated people that made these events possible.
From legendary BMX freestylist Van Homan to the team behind California Skateparks (the designers and builders of the first ever Olympic Skatepark) Joe Ciaglia and Bill Minadeo.
With their help and recommendations Clara and I were able to then meet and interview any of the athletes that we needed to do a story on.
Spending time interviewing and chatting with many athletes from all over the world was inspiring.
There are far too many athletes to list but some of the standouts would be Sky Brown, the world's youngest professional skateboarder and the smiling and most friendly Manny Santiago from Puerto Rico.
It was extraordinary to listen to their stories and then share via the Olympic Channel News service.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and mask wearing, interviewing athletes was more challenging than usual. We had to set up our microphone stand and extend it up to 2 meters to comply with social distancing measures. Plus the masks we were wearing often impeded the athlete hearing our questions.
We would wait in the media mixed zones, which were usually set up right next to the field of play. Think of the mixed zone as a row of media outlets from all over the world, sectioned off into stalls. The first stall was always NBC, followed by OCN and then BBC. Working alongside some of the best and most professional media outlets in the world was a huge highlight.
Damn, do emotions run high after a medal event! A memorable moment was when Beth Shriever from Great Britain won gold during the Women's BMX racing final. The BBC journalist next to us was going off like a firecracker, cheering with excitement. He was crying with happiness and then I was crying, because I got caught up in the moment. It was surreal. I'm not British, but emotions were high and the positive energy was infectious.
During the events I had a front-row seat to the most visually exciting sports events that occurred at the Tokyo Olympics Games.
Another huge and memorable moment was filming at the skatepark and turning around to see Tony Hawk. THE. TONY. HAWK! I nearly squealed, but instead I politely asked him for a photo, and he generously obliged. When I’m working, I never ask athletes or celebrities for photos, but this particular opportunity was too good to pass up.
Although we were busy, throughout the games I often felt the need to stop for a moment and take it all in and realise how lucky I am to be able to work at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. To witness the first ever Olympic skateboarding events and BMX freestyle event as well as the BMX racing was incredible and an experience I will cherish.
For further insight into Life Behind the Lens, read our other blogs about filming during Cyclone Debbie or dashing to South Korea at a moment’s notice.
