Sports In The Making

Steve Porino - Announcer, NBC Sports covering Alpine Skiing & The Tour de France

Episode Summary

Steve Porino is a reporter and announcer for NBC Sports covering Alpine Ski and the Tour de France. We talk about his experience on the US Ski Team, announcing skiing and his unique work covering the Tour de France on the back of a motorcycle.

Episode Notes

Twitter: @sporino

Steve Porino in a Tree (NBC Olympics): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96tXdONcGAE&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1v7j0VXXzTxO74NpLrbeIlS_FYa_jMJLArPMh6YW0HreieyDb3t7c5tVA

"The D Route": 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFW4aKYnaPI

• 1:43 - What Steve has been doing during Covid-19
• 4:26 - How he made the US Ski Team as a downhill skier
• 7:02 - What the difference in talent is between an amateur and someone who is on the US Ski Team and how hundredths of seconds can make the difference between winning and being way off the podium.
• 9:23 - What the different ski disciplines are: Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom (GS) and Slalom and how US Ski Great Bill Johnson described some of them.
• 13:58 - What makes Bill Johnson, Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin stand out differently than other skiers Steve has covered.
• 15:04 - Steve talks about Bode Miller’s talents, being an innovator and covering him during the Olympics.
• 19:15 - He talks about what made Lindsey Vonn special as a downhill racer.
• 23:23 - How Mikaela Shiffrin may have an opportunity to elevate alpine skiing in the US.
• 26:06 - How “burger school” helped Steve make the transition into broadcasting.
• 30:44 - How broadcasting can be challenging to make viewers understand something that’s complex and how he’s worked to simplify his announcing.
• 33:27 - What Steve things about when he’s covering the Olympics versus a World Cup race.
• 36:50 - How Steve became the motorcycle reporter on NBC’s coverage of The Tour de France.
• 42:28 - What his responsibilities are each day during Le Tour.
• 49:04 - How Steve describes what it’s like riding behind the peloton and a brief description on the anatomy of a peloton.
• 53:12 - How the caravan that follows the peloton is like a competition within a competition.
• 54:46 - What Steve’s responsibility is when there is a crash in the race and how he adjusts his coverage.
• 57:28 - What it’s like working with one of the most iconic cycling announcers in history, Phil Liggett
• 1:00:08 - How losing cycling announcer Paul Sherwin, another cycling great, was a big loss on the tv production and how he had a great sense of humor.
• 1:03:06 - Phil and Paul were one of the best broadcasting announcer combinations known throughout the world. 
• 1:04:57 - What makes NBC’s coverage of the Tour de France special with the production and broadcast team.
• 1:10:56 - What some of the most memorable cycling moments Steve has had in his broadcasting experience that involved Chris Froome.
• 1:16:04 - What the best advice Steve has gotten working in the sports industry.
• 1:20:27 - When we will see Steve Porino again in the Covid era.