This transcript was exported on Jul 20, 2021 - view latest version here. John Boccacino: Hello, and welcome back to the Cuse Conversations Podcast. My name is John Boccacino, the communications specialist in Syracuse University's Office of Alumni Engagement. Chris Lewis: It's not like I have a background of table tennis. It's not like I grew up playing it. It's not like I followed it religiously throughout my time as a kid and an adult. No, it's really one of these things where I've had to pick it up and learn as much as I can within these last few months. So, it's been a lot, it's been fun. I've enjoyed every part of the experience so far and I haven't even really gotten started yet. John Boccacino: Well, folks, our guest today on the podcast is Chris Lewis, a 2013 Whitman alumnus and an accomplished sports broadcaster. He is preparing to make his Olympic broadcasting debut at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in third week of July. Lewis, who is active, both Z89 and WAER as a Syracuse University student will handle play-by-play duties for NBC's coverage of table tennis. Chris, welcome to the podcast. And how are you holding up with these games approaching pretty quickly? Chris Lewis: I'm really excited for it. Also, thank you guys for having me on. I appreciate being on this podcast. And yeah, it's one of these things where it's just quickly approaching every day. You check the calendar and you're one day closer to this thing getting started. And it's almost overwhelming with the amount of work that you have to do to get ready, especially with my assignment doing play-by- play for table tennis for NBC Olympics. And it's not like I have a background of table tennis. It's not like I grew up playing it. It's not like I followed it religiously throughout my time as a kid and an adult. No, it's really one of these things where I've had to pick it up and learn as much as I can within these last few months. So, it's been a lot, it's been fun. I've enjoyed every part of the experience so far. And I haven't even really gotten started yet. John Boccacino: You graduated in 2013. And like a lot of sportscasters, your resume is dotted with baseball, with basketball, with football. And then you get the call to go to Tokyo for table tennis. So, take us through that experience. How did you land this prestigious gig? I mean, it's not like there's a ton of broadcasters NBC was hiring you. You're a part of a pretty select crew. Chris Lewis: Yeah. I'm really thankful and grateful for the opportunity, that's for sure. And I know it's one of these things where it's, as you said, only a select few get to do something as cool as this. And like every day, I'm just thankful that I was one of the ones that was chosen for it. And again, it's not like had table tennis on a reel and sending feedback for my table tennis play-by-play. No. It's not like it was something like that, but it's just in a way having a relationship with people who are at NBC and were involved with their Olympic selection coverage, and just doing my best to stay in contact with them, and constantly get feedback and send them my stuff with Boise State. Chris Lewis podcast (Completed 07/19/21) Page 1 of 13 Transcript by Rev.com This transcript was exported on Jul 20, 2021 - view latest version here. I think one of the things with my role at Boise State is that I do get to do a variety of different sports. And I think that's one of the, if anybody has strengths, that's one of the strengths that I have is, I've called everything from tennis to gymnastics, to volleyball, softball. I do so many different sports at Boise State, all the Olympic sports that show in the versatility of being able to adapt to different sports, that it's not like I had a background in before, might've been a plus. And I take that same approach of diving into something new. I just do it on a more extreme level for this because the task is so grand. There is five different tournament's that take place in the Olympics for men's singles, the women's singles, to men's team, to women's team, to mix doubles. So, that's a lot of different events for just one sport. So, what I've done throughout my time as a broadcaster and just now tailoring it towards table tennis instead of something like gymnastics or something like basketball, or something like soccer. So, still learning. John Boccacino: So, you didn't have to do any table tennis broadcasting to entice the NBC folks to give you this position. Chris Lewis: No. It was just more of showing what I can do and just being in contact. I had in the past really started last summer, the building off the relationship with some of the people with NBC sports and just sending my reel there. And fortunately, one of the things you learned throughout this business, you send your reels to people that doesn't mean they're going to respond with feedback. And that doesn't mean they're going to give you the time of day to hear what you're saying. But I was just fortunate that I did get a response and they did take the time to talk to me and tell me some of the things that I do well, tell me some of the things that I can improve upon throughout my other reps that I continue to get at Boise State. So, just continuing that relationship of once I do something new, once I add some things to my reel, or once I do a game, send it off to them, get some more feedback, "Okay. Now, improve this. Try to work on this. See what you can do here." And then just repeat that exercise. And then I got a call a few months ago, and we're recording this at the end of June, about, "Hey, we have an opening for table tennis for our Tokyo Olympics coverage." Now, of course, I'm not going to be in Tokyo. I want to be in Stanford, Connecticut in there remote broadcast studios, which will be fantastic. "But are you interested?" I'm like, "Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, no doubt." So I couldn't wait to say yes. John Boccacino: That's got to be such a flattering feeling to be chosen like that off of the basis of your reel. And there are so many Syracuse legends that we'll be broadcasting at the Olympics, of course, starting with the godfather, Mike Tirico, and working his way on down. There's so many Syracuse voices that are going to be permeating at the Olympics. What kind of honor and what kind of dream is it Chris Lewis podcast (Completed 07/19/21) Page 2 of 13 Transcript by Rev.com This transcript was exported on Jul 20, 2021 - view latest version here. going to be for you to achieve, to get to have that microphone at the international spotlight? Chris Lewis: Well, it's definitely a dream. And I guess, the only way I can answer that is I have to do it first. Actually, I've go through it to tell you what it's like, because right now it's still feels like a dream. It still feels like something that's in the future and not something that I've done yet. But I could just do what I always do and prepare as hard as possible and work as hard as I can beforehand. And then during it, and also just enjoy it, right? Because I do realize the opportunity that's given that not a lot of people get to do this. This is one of these dream assignments. So, don't let the moment go by without appreciating how lucky that you are to be able to do that. And when you approach it from that mentality, I do think that it comes across on the broadcast too. When you go into it like, "This is fun and I'm lucky to be here, happy to be here." You can tell the announcers who take that approach through their reps, through their job on the day to day basis, the ones who love to be there, who feel grateful to be courtside, or feel grateful to be in the booth for a football game, or feel grateful to be there for a coverage of any Olympic event. So, that's probably the best way to approach it, is it still feels like a dream. And I'll tell you how it feels to be amongst all those people that you mentioned when I'm actually there. John Boccacino: I read an article where you said that this was one of the most unique assignments you've ever had. How have you been preparing for this role? Chris Lewis: Yeah, it's unique just because it's table tennis, it's not something that I've ever called before or studied in that way until getting this assignment.