Meet from the Mix Zone

8/10/08 21:56 Local time, Broadcast compound

Each day I stay in Beijing gets better than the last in some form or another. Today I experienced swimming in a way I've never seen it before -- as a broadcaster. Starting with finals this morning (they're swum in the morning here so they can be broadcast primetime back home) of the men's 400 IM, men's 400 free, women's 400 IM, and women's 4x100 free relay, as well as some semifinals of the shorter races, there was never a dull moment.

When I got to work this morning, one of the first things I had to do was run tickets to all the cameramen already set up in the venue, since swimming is a "high demand" event and our media credentials aren't enough to justify our presence in the Cube. Since some of the camera guys were wandering around on deck already, I was given a bib to wear that granted me deck access and basically let me roam free wherever I wanted to go in the pool area. When I found the last camera guy I was looking for, who was standing in the mix zone where Andrea Kremer does her interviews from, he said he could use an extra pair of hands during the meet to help move equipment around, and since I already had the bib on and was already on deck I just got to stay there for the entire duration of the finals session. I saw Michael Phelps crush his own world record in the 400 IM and 41-year-old Dara Torres swim the second fastest relay split ever in women's swimming history from about 20 feet away, and I was standing right directly behind Andrea when she conducted all of her live interviews of the morning, including Phelps'.

I got to watch Andrea do her job and when she wasn't on air she was running me through everything she does to prepare her questions and everything for the next athlete. I really couldn't believe I was right there seeing with my own eyes what millions of people were seeing on their television screens back home. And the camera guy down there who I was helping out loves me and keeps telling me he wants me to have the best positions possible so I can "look like a real superstar" to my bosses. It seems like everyone here for NBC wants to help me succeed because they can see the genuine interest and passion I have for both swimming and broadcasting.

On top of that, I'm learning so much from every single person I meet. I'm getting priceless advice from so many different angles -- the cameramen are telling me what to look for to compose a good shot, Andrea is telling me how to interview and give updates, the editors are showing me how to put together those crazy videos they show on TV that give you chills. Not to mention the fact that I'm working with the most decorated sports producer in history. Watching Tommy Roy do his job is like watching the most precise operation come together under one force of power. The man is a genius.

All of this is leaving me with no doubts in my mind that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I love the business, everything from the hectic behind-the-scenes schedules to the interviews with world-class athletes. It's so exciting to think that I'm 21 years old and I know what my career goals are already. And I’m meeting all of the right people here to help me get to where I want to be.

I gladly gave up my diving position today to be able to work more preliminary swimming races from the deck tonight. The mix zone is crazy, but I love it so much. Each station has their own little booth, but then freelance reporters and Olympic committee recorders crowd behind the booths when a superstar athlete like Phelps comes over for an interview. And tonight, a surprise B-relay from the U.S. broke a world record out of the first heat of prelims. Their interview was my favorite. I mean, here were 4 guys who together weren't expected to do much that shocked the entire place with a new world record. They were beyond excited. It was so inspiring to see.

President Bush also showed up to the final session this morning. It was pretty crazy. He came with so many service people that it was almost impossible to spot him out in the crowd, but it was really a once in a lifetime chance I had to see the President at a swim meet. When Larsen Jensen won his medal in the 400 free, he gave his flowers to Laura Bush in the stands. It was one of the classiest things I've ever seen a swimmer do.

So my job may be early mornings and late nights, and a lot of trucking people around in golf carts everywhere under the sun, but when it gets exciting, it really gets exciting. And this is my entire future and 16 years of my past and present all rolled into one big smiling face on the deck in the Water Cube. I'm so glad that other people are recognizing that, too...and it just so happens to be all of the important ones.