The Voice of World Archery: Marc Chavet on Storytelling & the Iconic “10, 10, 10! Perfect Score!”

Behind the Mic:

A Journey Through Archery & Beyond

"10, 10, 10! Perfect Score!" If you’ve ever found yourself glued to a high-stakes World Archery broadcast, watching an arrow fly through the air towards that X-ring, chances are you’ve heard that iconic call delivered with electrifying enthusiasm. That unmistakable delivery belongs to Marc Chavet, known globally as the "Voice of World Archery".

In this episode of The Archery Parent Podcast, Manisha sat down with Marc for an engaging, wide-ranging discussion. While listeners know him best for calling Target matches, Marc’s story goes far beyond the Archery line.

Accidentally Becoming the "Precision Sports Guy"

Marc’s Archery career began as a complete fluke back in 2012. Working under contract for Eurosport (the multi-sport European network, similar to TSN/ESPN), he sat in an editorial meeting where his boss admitted the network had acquired broadcast rights for Archery, but no one on staff knew a thing about it.

Known for having a love for precision sports, Marc’s editor looked around the room and handed him the assignment. That quickly led to a connection with the French Archery Federation and a dream debut calling arrows with the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop.

Calling 150+ Sports: From Snooker Whispers to Pro Wrestling

Over his 20-plus-year career in radio, TV, and voiceover work, Marc has announced over 150 different sports including cycling at the Tour de France, year after year. He considers himself a "jack of all trades" who specializes in alternative sports rather than mainstream rugby, soccer, or tennis.

Marc highlighted the differences in announcing style based on the sport: Snooker demands super-slow, hushed commentary, whereas WWE pro wrestling requires high-octane, over-the-top “razzle-dazzle”.

The Hidden 90% of the Iceberg

Viewers really only ever see the top 10% of an announcer's work: the fun part from behind the microphone. Beneath the surface lies a massive iceberg of tedious prep work.

Marc meticulously databases stats, historical match results, and personal athlete details for every single sport and event he has ever called. While colleagues sometimes tease him about his "old-school" paper notes, they have saved live broadcasts when stadium internet feeds failed in remote venues. For Marc, thorough preparation provides a safety net that grants him total freedom to improvise when the camera goes live.

Do Archers Actually Hear the Announcer?

When Marc ramps up the stakes during a single-arrow shoot-off, calling it a “do-or-d*e moment," do the Archers hear it?

After asking around, Marc determined that 95% of Archers tell him they are so deep in the zone that they tune out all ambient sound. However, a few have been seen smiling or chuckling on the line acknowledging the distraction.

In fact, multiple national Archery teams have reached out to Marc to provide custom commentary to simulate World Cup-level noise pressure during training.

Unforgettable Showdowns & The Evolution of "10, 10, 10! Perfect Score!”

Looking back at 13 years on the circuit, Marc pointed to the Paris 2024 Men’s Recurve Individual Gold Medal match between Brady Ellison and Kim Woojin as the single most intense moment he has ever called across any sport. Going down to a single shoot-off arrow separated by just four millimeters, Marc described feeling as though he shrank himself down onto the arrows just to ride along for the travel time.

As for his signature phrase? Marc shared that the delivery of "10, 10, 10! Perfect Score!" really clicked after a fan in Moscow complimented him in 2019, noting that the way Marc called out scores made the numbers sound like living, breathing characters. It has not evolved into an unmistakable part of any World Archery event.

The Magic: Why Storytelling Makes or Breaks the Broadcast

Marc shares that storytelling is the essential bridge that transforms a live game or match from a mere sequence of raw statistics into a compelling human narrative. While scores and statistics provide the factual outcome, an announcer's primary role is to frame the action around moments of resilience, pressure, and rivalry.

By weaving background context, personal athlete journeys, and emotional stakes directly into the play-by-play delivery, sports announcers give the audience a reason to care about the outcome. This narrative framing elevates moments of tension, such as high-stakes single-arrow shoot-offs, and keeps fans deeply invested in the drama unfolding on the field, ensuring that the match (regardless if in-venue or remotely broadcast) resonates on an emotional level long after the event ends.

Marc's Real-Talk Advice for Aspiring Broadcasters

To close out the episode, Marc offered candid advice for anyone trying to break into commentating or announcing:

• Push Through the First Plateau: Anyone can reach a "decent" level of play-by-play in six to nine months, but most people give up when progress stalls. True success requires sticking to the craft until you break through to excellence.
• Grab Any Microphone Available: Don't sit around waiting for a television gig. Volunteer at local radio stations, emcee weddings, or take seasonal jobs working a microphone in a shopping centre or department store. Getting paid to speak in front of live people builds the real foundation.
• Embrace the Local Journey: When traveling for tournaments, step out of the hotel. Point at menus in languages you don't speak, try local dishes (even if it costs you a night of sleep!), and immerse yourself in the culture.

Whether you want to hear Marc’s first-hand account of the nerve-wracking Paris 2024 gold medal showdown or dive deeper into his expert tips for breaking into sports media, this conversation is packed with unforgettable moments.

Head over to archeryparentpodcast.ca or tune in on your favourite podcast streaming app to listen to the complete episode of The Archery Parent Podcast. Get ready to experience the world of sports announcing like never before, one arrow at a time.

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Connect with Marc Chavet:

Instagram: @marc.chavet 

Connect with the Archery Parent Podcast:

Instagram: @archeryparentpodcast 

Listen to our episode with Crispin Dueñas: “The Long Game: Why 4x Olympian Crispin Dueñas Believes in Leaving Them Alone”

RESOURCES & REFERENCES FROM THIS EPISODE 

People

• Jérôme Bidault: French Archer who helped introduce Marc to Archery commentary in 2013. 
• Laurence Frère: Communications Officer for the French Federation of Archery.
• Crispin Dueñas: Canadian 4-time Olympian, Recurve Archer, and World Archery commentator. 
• Brady Ellison: World-renowned American Recurve Archer. 
• Marcus D'Almeida: Brazilian Recurve Archer. 
• Nicolas Girard: French Compound Archer. 
• Tadej Pogačar & Jonas Vingegaard: Elite professional cyclists mentioned by Marc as an analogy for athlete performance.  
• Ki Bo Bae: 2012 Olympic Women’s Recurve Champion from Korea 
• Kim Woojin: World-renowned Korean Recurve Archer. 
• Naomi Folkard: British Archer and Olympian who practiced shooting near a noisy schoolyard. 
• Casey Kaufhold: American Recurve Archer and multi-Olympic medallist 
• Lisa Barbelin: French Archer and 2024 Olympic Bronze Medallist. 
• John Stanley: Author and Archery journalist.
• Ku Bonchan: South Korean 2016 Olympic Gold Medallist. 
• Jean-Charles Valladont: French Recurve Archer and 2016 Olympic Silver Medallist. 
• Sébastien Flûte: 1992 Olympic Champion and French Archery manufacturer. 
• Marc Dellenbach: Former French national archery team coach. 
• Mete Gazoz: Turkish Recurve Archer, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gold Medallist, 2023 World Archery World Champion 

Organizations & Governing Bodies

• World Archery: International governing body for the sport of Archery. 
• French Federation of Archery (FFTA): National archery federation in France. 

Media, Broadcasting Outlets & Publications

• Eurosport: European multi-sport television network.
• TSN / ESPN: Canadian and American sports broadcast networks mentioned for comparison.
• Bow International: Archery magazine (referencing an article written by John Stanley featuring Marc).
• YouTube: Video hosting platform.

Major Sporting Events & Competitions

• Olympic Games: 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, and 2024 Paris Olympic & Paralympic Games.
• Hyundai Archery World Cup & World Cup Finals: Annual international tournament circuit (specifically citing 2013 Paris, 2014 Lausanne, 2015 Mexico, 2019 Moscow, 2022 Tlaxcala, 2023 Hermosillo, and Shanghai).
• World Archery Championships: Gwangju 2022 and Mexico 2017.
• Tour de France & Paris-Roubaix: Major professional cycling races.

Notable Locations & Venues

• Trocadero Gardens / Eiffel Tower (Paris, France): Iconic site of the 2013 World Cup Final and 2024 Olympic Archery venues.
• Lausanne, Switzerland: Host city of the 2014 World Cup Final.
• Tokyo, Japan & Shanghai, China: International Archery event host cities.
• Tlaxcala & Hermosillo, Mexico: Host cities for major World Archery events.

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Other stuff:

Primary Keywords (Target Core Search Intent)

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Secondary Keywords (Topic & Context Specifics)

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Tertiary Keywords (Long-Tail & Niche Queries)

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