Rich Roszel

As you know, if you’ve been following this blog, I’m an audio guy with the Olympics. This means that before the games, I’m installing and testing circuits in the Commentary Control areas including what’s called the Mix Zone, the place where all the media and press are able to get comments, and even interviews, with the athletes as they come off the course. I took the picture at left a few days ago, just after they had installed the rails separating the different networks’ “spaces.”Since then, they’ve dressed the area up a bit with signs and drapes to make it look more colorful and more “Olympic.”

While I’m working in the Mix Zone, I’m just a few inches from the course. In fact, when the Skeleton athletes are practicing on the course, they usually spray me with ice on the way by. That was a cold shock the first time, but I’ve gotten used to it and brace myself for a pelting when I hear them skimming up the ramp from the finish line.

Here I am as the poster child for what NOT to do around a Bobsled/Luge/Skeleton course. They actually have an announcer at all the practices notifying everyone to clear the track, indicating that the track really IS clear, and telling where on the track an athlete or team is if a race is underway.

I asked a member of the Canadian skeleton team how cold it gets on the course. You’ve gotta figure that it’s pretty chilly if the air temperature is 21 degrees Fahrenheit, and you’re traveling at 120 mph. He told me it wasn’t cold at all. He wears a base layer of tights and an Under Armour shirt. Over that he wears a skin-tight head-to-toe body suit with what appears to be a motorcycle helmet. He’s lying down parallel to the ground on the skeleton sled so he’s pretty aerodynamic. Plus, he says he’s not on the course that long. He and his teammates did think that if the temperature dropped to about -5F they might start feeling it. A tough bunch those skeleton racers. They’re all standing there warm in their bodysuits while I stand there looking like Big Bird … shivering!

We’re now finished testing all of the circuits and after that, our installation will be complete. We’re ahead of schedule in that regard. Our biggest challenge is that the equipment we’re using is brand new and the software is still being “adjusted.”  While the manufacturer does tests and upgrades, we have to move into computer babysitting mode.  Unfortunately, while this is happening, the broadcasters we’re working with have to go into a holding pattern, too, in terms of doing final tests back to their studios.  Everybody understands and has been great to work with.  At the same time, though, we know in the back of our minds that we’re going to begin the biggest broadcast event in the world in a few hours and we’d like to make sure everything has been checked, rechecked, and checked again.  But this goes with the territory.

One final note, we got snow today!  We’ve had sprinkles of snow flakes over the past few days, but it came down hard today.  Ironically, they moved a snow making machine into the infield in front of my commentary building today, too.  I think the snow that has been on the ground had turned too grey and they wanted to spruce it up.  Nature may have taken care of that line item for us.

In my next post, I’m going to show several pictures for my tech friends.  We all love to see what kind of gear is being used.  For the rest of you, please forgive and overlook our geekiness.  Tomorrow, if you see the Opening Ceremonies, you’ll be thanking us!

– Rich