GOOD AS GOLD
When Cate Campbell joins Seven for the Commonwealth Games, she will be swimming in uncharted waters, writes Siobhan Duck
AS A hugely successful and admired athlete with a natural gift of the gab, Cate Campbell should have all the qualifications a person needs – and then some – to succeed as a sports commentator. However, she admits there’s just one hitch. “My friends say I could talk under water,” the multiplegold-medal-winning Olympic and Commonwealth Games swimmer says with a laugh.
“But I haven’t actually watched a lot of swimming broadcasts because usually I am competing and I’m in the water.”
To remedy that, Campbell, 30, has gone into training mode for her debut with the Seven Network 2022 Commonwealth Games broadcast team.
“This is where YouTube is your friend in this area,” she says of viewing previous meets. And to pick up on the fi ner points of how to act on the air, she says, “I’m also going to have a chat to past winners who have done it well.”
Campbell managed to catch up with Ian Thorpe in Budapest at the FINA World Championships in June, but also on her list are Giaan Rooney and Leisel Jones “just to hear their thoughts”, she says, and learn how to make “that transition from athlete to commentator because, as an athlete, you only talk about yourself, and obviously as a commentator, it’s your job to talk about and comment on other people. [And] I want to do that in a really respectful way.”
While the new job comes without the pressure of competing for Australia, Campbell admits she’s still “incredibly nervous” because people, herself included, usually watch major sporting events as a group.
“I’m now very aware that the commentary that we have as viewers is not just on the sport, but [also] on the commentators,” she explains. “I am going to have to really bring my A game.”
Ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Campbell has booked a week-long retreat in a “cabin in the wilderness of Wales”. The only pre-requisite? Great wi-fi. “That was the number-one filter when I was looking on Airbnb because I am going to cram like crazy,” she confesses. “I’ve already been keeping track of all of the results that other swimmers have had. But I think that when you look at the really good commentators, such as Bruce McAvaney, it’s his ability to allow viewers in and allow athletes to shine. That can really only be done if you have, like, an in- depth knowledge of not just their performances, but who they are as a person.”
COMMONWEALTH GAMES STARTS FRIDAY ON THE SEVEN NETWORK AND 7PLUS