LIVE FROM SOCHI

First medal event at the venue- K95m men... 9:30 pm start but at the hill by 6.  Pre-game meeting then off for some last minute organization and cramming.  Everthing broadcast live in the afternoon on NBCSN and portions of that pulled and replayed for evening on NBC.  Bob Pappa a pro to work with and much traffic control handled gracefully on his part.

View from the booth... T minus 1 hour.

Decent competition... a couple of fluke jumps here and there brought on by nerves or air or both; but certainly the best man won- Pole Kamil Stoch whose thoughtful NBC  interview after the event did not make air.  It was his +/- 8th interview in his 3rd or 4th tongue and it ran long and did not match the energy of his finish.  Much meaningful tape winds up on the edit room floor and Stoch's interview the same.  Though coaxed to say that his victory (the first for Poland in ski jumping since 1972) was important to his country he spun it refused the bit and that it was important to him and his family... a bit of compensation for the time he has been forced to spend away from his wife, Ewa.

Midnight in the booth waiting for clearance from IBC.

Arrive back at the Marriott around 1 am and no one really ready to go to sleep.  Signe, Pat, Leon, and Nils already holding down spots in the bar.  Out until almost 4 am, a pace I do not intend to sustain.  Luckily we are on the western edge of the time zone and morning comes late.

More to say but there must be some #$#@!@! Russian spyware wreaking havoc with my computer.  Photos won't upload, files won't save.  Everything works perfectly over here... 80% of the time.

Headed to watch (and call) women's last official training this evening.  Another 9:30 pm start, just with no Marriott bar finish.