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

Manisha: Hello, Archery Family. It's Manisha with the Archery Parent Podcast, what you need to know to best support your Archer. Today, we have an amazing guest that I am thrilled to have, Marc Chavet. Marc, welcome to the podcast.

Marc: Hi, Manisha. Thank you so much for the invitation, and I'm delighted to be spending the next 60 minutes or so with you.

Manisha: Thank you. Now, Marc, people may not be familiar with you right off the bat, but can you please introduce yourself and please share how you are involved within the Archery community and why people actually do know you?

Marc: So my name is Marc Chavet. I'm a sports announcer. I've worked in radio and television for 20-plus years, and I've also worked as a Master of Ceremony or speaker for a multitude of different sports, more than 150 altogether.

Marc: Generally, people tend to know me for what I do in the world of cycling. I am one of the speakers on the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, and most of the major cycling races, and I'm also one of the voices of Archery and have been working for World Archery and the Archery community at large since 2013.

So more than a decade calling arrows and providing entertainment on the various fields of play that I've been fortunate to give my voice to. So generally, people might not know my face, but oftentimes they recognize the voice.

Manisha: Yes, and we will talk about something very iconic that people will definitely recognize. We'll mention that a little bit later.

First off, I just wanted to give a shout-out to my friend Rosy because she's actually the person who suggested that I contact you and have you on because you have really played such a pivotal role during some of the most important matches in the world. But you have come into our living rooms, onto our laptops, into dorm rooms, and you've been with us along the way, and I just wanted to give her a quick shout-out to thank her for that.

Manisha: How did it all start, 2013?

Marc: So in 2013, I was under contract with a channel called Eurosport, which is kind of like the equivalent of TSN in Canada, ESPN in the US maybe. So like a multi-sport European outlet television. So I was under contract with them. And myself, I still am a pistol and revolver shooter.

And so in 2012, sort of late 2012, we have an editorial meeting, and we're kind of looking at each other, and the boss tells us, "You know, we're in trouble. We have Archery rights, but no one here knows anything about Archery." And at the time, it was kind of known that I was the shooter or precision sports kind of guy, so I was the go-to person, and the editor told me, "Marc, this is for you, obviously."

And everyone kind of laughed it off and, and I picked up the Archery commentary, sort of late 2012 for the 2013 season, I believe, just kind of like that. So run-of-the-mill Eurosport signs a deal with World Archery. I get the gig.

And so then I end up being in touch with the French Federation, because I live in France, and I was put in touch with one of the French Archers at the time, Jérôme Bidault, an established and well-known Archer in the international community.

He's got lots of titles at national and European levels. And, it kind of clicked. We worked well together. We were doing the commentary, and then I ended up speaking to various people at the French Federation saying, "If ever you have any needs for events, you know, I really love this."

And obviously, I come from the shooting community myself, so it's - okay, the distances are more important in Archery, but the idea is the same, right?

Then one of the women said at the time, Laurence Frere, the Communications Officer, said, "Yeah, we're looking for someone for the 2013 World Cup Final," which at the time was in Paris, right next to the Eiffel Tower, on the Trocadero Gardens, one of the most iconic locations in the world, dare I say, certainly in Paris, but certainly across the world as well.

And, so it kind of works out like that. I end up striking a deal with the French Federation, who recommend me to World Archery. And, a few weeks later, I was alongside Crispin Dueñas, who was the English voice at the time for the events 2013 Trocadero Gardens.

I remember the sights, the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. Archers at full draw with the Eiffel Tower behind there. It doesn't get any bigger or better than that, really. So that was a very special moment, and it was only the beginning for me.

Manisha: And you mentioned Crispin Dueñas, who is a four-time Olympian, Canadian Recurve Archer. He has been a staple in the Archery community for such a long time, and he has done commentary for World Archery for various events, and it's cool that you have that connection with Canada via Crispin.

So let's talk about your hands-on experience. Why did you feel like you needed to learn about Archery from a very hands-on perspective? Why did you feel like that was necessary to help you with your commentary?

Marc: Right. So this comes from one of our - one of our conversations where I mentioned that I picked up Archery as soon as I became the announcer for World Archery.

So 2013, that was the genesis. It started then and there, and then ended up talking to the people at World Archery, and my background with the French-English side. I could do both languages at a broadcast international level appealed to them. And then they offered me Lausanne 2014, right after Paris, basically.

So I knew I was coming back one year later for the World Cup Final. Great Final: Brady Ellison. Marcus D’Almeida. Going down to the shoot-off arrow. 16 years of age, the Brazilian Archer at the time. Yeah, that was a moment, another moment.

Back to your question. It's not that I thought that it was going to be important for my commentary, it's just that as a precision sport - okay, I'm not going to say “athlete” because I do commentate the greatest Archers in the world, so it would be a little, you know, foolhardy of me to put myself alongside them.

That's actually a story I get quite a lot, because when I work in cycling people ask me: "So do you ride?" Yes, I ride my bike, but I, you know, I'm not Tadej or I'm not Jonas or I'm not one of the top riders in the world, so you can't really say you “ride” when you're working with Tadej Pogačar or Jonas Vingegaard.

So in Archery, do you say you're an Archer when you're talking to Brady Ellison or you're talking to a Nicholas Girard? I don't know. But nevertheless, I did pick up Archery. The hands-on approach kind of gives you a little more feel to the commentary because you can understand what the Archers are going through, albeit, yes, at my level I don't shoot head-to-head matches.

I don’t - I mean, if I shoot five to seven times in a season, I'm happy. So that's to give you some perspective on how much I can shoot and how many arrows I release per year. That being said, it gives you a flavour for it, it gives you the feel for certain moments, and I think you have to just be accustomed with the equipment.

I shoot Recurve, so setting up my bow, you know, tuning the bow a little bit, taking care of all the accessories. Archery is all about the accessorization and things like that, so I think that's what helps you be a part of the sport as opposed to just being a spectator of it. You actually know what it's like to be on the shooting line. Seventy meters distance.

I know what it represents. I’ve - I watch my arrows travel, and I freaking love it.

Manisha: Do you adjust your style of announcing between sports? You've said, you've mentioned 150 sports. How does Archery differ or is it the same?

Marc: Yeah. You very much, 100%, you very much adjust your style and the intonations, the emphasis.

So to give some perspective as well, I've called 150 sports, going from snooker, billiards, 9-ball, 8-ball, trick shots to WWE or pro wrestling. So that gives you an idea of the spectrum. So we're talking super slow commentary for snooker, billiards, 9-ball, and we're talking high octane, over-the-top, ridonculous level commentary for professional wrestling, which is, you know, a bit of an act. It's a sports entertainment. And anything in between.

The big sports that I did not do commentary for are soccer here, rugby, or tennis, which are the big sports in Europe. So my whole shtick, if you will, has been to be the alternative sports guy and the guy who can kind of do everything, the jack of all trades, but doesn't go into the major sports.

But yes, it, it's completely different. Okay, there are similarities and there are differences, should I say, to be a 100% transparent and clear. The similarities are you're telling stories regardless of the sport you're commentating. The differences are the expectations of the viewers when you're doing it for television.

Obviously a snooker viewer doesn't want you to go all off, you know, fireworks, nonstop razzmatazz, turn on the razzle-dazzle. A WWE or a pro wrestling viewer, that's what he or she's coming to get. They want to be entertained. They want to have a good time. So you need to make sure you're giving them a good time.

So I think, that's the idea at the end of the day. You're adapting to the audience that is, quote-unquote, "consuming your product," watching you, listening to you, and you need to give them what they want to feel satisfied, so to speak. And then of course, there's an established way already in the sport that you're kind of jumping in on.

When I came into Archery, there had been several voices, at various in-field venues that had left more or less of a mark. So you can't just kind of make it up from scratch. Of course, you have your own way of doing things, but you, you certainly kind of follow in the footsteps of those before you.

So if you want to bring change into an announcing game, it's going to take a little time to set up your style and little by little you're going to round the edges off, if you will, and make it yours, which I think is important.

Manisha: How do you prepare your voice? Do you do things on the daily? Do you do things specifically before certain events?

Marc: I think various announcers have various tricks. For myself, I do not prep at all the voice when I'm doing MC-ing. The reason being, I think the amount of hours we do per day at a live sporting event does not require any sort of warm-up or, or preparation because your voice will be warm.

It's going to be in the mode, in the tone, in the tune you want. When I do voiceover, as I probably told you, when we were talking offline, one of my activities is that I'm a voiceover artist as well. So I do a lot of voiceover work on the, dare I say, on the side, but it's one of my main sources as well.

Marc: So in voiceover, if I'm going to a studio to deliver something special at a given moment, in the car or on the way there, I will wake up my voice, and I will do various things to my guttural area. That doesn't sound very sexy, but it makes sure that when I get to the studio and I'm behind the glass window, I'm ready to deliver the needs of the director ASAP, and then I'm not warming up for twenty minutes. And I can, on take one, deliver something that might be usable. So I guess when I'm going into a broadcast or like a television commentary - I don't do any more radio, unfortunately, nowadays, but broadcast, no, I don't warm up at all. It's just going to as you go, the voice will, will be there as it's been there for the last X-number of years.

For voiceover, however, yes, there will be a warm-up moment just to make sure that I'm ready to deliver when we're hitting take one.

Manisha: You've mentioned you are in-venue sometimes, but you also announce remotely. Can you just share what is the difference between the two?

Marc: So when you say “remotely”, I also do a lot of television announcing that is remotely in the sense that we're not in-venue for TV. But, we can also be in-studio at a broadcasting outlet, or at a TV station, or it can be at home.

For a TV channel or a live stream. The differences are, are massive. When you're working in venue for the organizers. Then your client is the organizer of the event. So you're not there sort of to entertain the audience or the viewers. You're there for the client, and you follow his or her instructions and to their vision about what the show is supposed to be like.

And so you have less talking time as well because you're not going to be talking over all the action. And so when you broadcast, it's easy because you can cover 100% of the match or the event.

Say you're broadcasting, as in you're announcing for the Gwangju World Championships. You’re talking, you know, 2 hours and 30 minutes if the session is 2 hours and 30 minutes. You talk over the shots in Archery.

In an in-venue situation, you're not talking over the shots. The main difference is this, when you're working in-venue, you need to hit the key moments to a much greater level, I think, than when you're commentating broadcast.

The key moments being athlete intros, revving up the crowds before the match starts, know when to go big, know when to go home, meaning take it down. And then it's telling the story of the match, and one of the great things about Archery is that the match kind of writes itself.

You have this compelling game of cat-and-mouse that sets up after a few arrows. You know, one's in the lead. One is chasing. So you have kind of the hunter and the hunted. And then it can flip around, and then it can go all the way down to the shoot-off arrow. So you have this excitement that builds up.

And so essentially you're feeding off the story that the Archers are writing for you. That's, that's the beauty of it. So really a lot of people say, "Wow, how do you go high energy on this moment, and how did you do it?" I'm not doing anything. I'm just following what the Archers are doing. And, that's the great thing about the sport of Archery.

I think my background in precision sports certainly helps with that because I follow the wave, if you will. I can ride the wave probably to a much easier extent than someone who has no connection as an announcer with the sport of Archery or with precision sports, at large.

Manisha: And when you're sharing stories when you are not in-venue, you obviously have more time to fill.

How do you come up with the digestible nuggets of information, of stats or tips or a little bit of background of the Archers? How do you collect all this data? I mean, you've been doing this for 12 years now. I guess I'm going to ask you several questions at once. I apologize for this. But, how do you collect the information? How do you access the information? And when do you know when to pull it out?

Marc: Interesting. Good question. One of the things about broadcasting the announcer position, a lot of people think it's easy. You just come in there you have all the data, all the information at hand, in your mind, and you can just, you know, blurt it out whenever you need it.

Some people might be able to. Unfortunately, I cannot. So I'm a bit of a hard worker, and I love databasing information for the sports that I work on. I've got a whole bunch of files on all the sports. It's like the hidden part of the iceberg. You only see 10% of the iceberg, which is the announcer doing his thing.

And what you don't see is the amount of time that you have to sink into putting all the information in place, and I have data and information on all the Archers, all the events that I've called since 2013, and since all the, well, actually all the events of the World Cup since the World Cup Final 2013.

So I can go back. I can go way back, and if I need to find something in the spur of the moment, I have my own sort of old school notes that I fall back on that a lot of people make fun of me about, but they're also impressed when I can pull out, you know, on-hand data when the internet's not working in a far east country, for example, where there's no internet and I can have that sort of information on hand.

It's not my encyclopedic memory, but it's the time that I spent preparing all that. So yes, is it worth the effort over the years? Probably not, because you're sinking a lot of time, but I think it's, for me, that's, that's just the way I do it. It's like I don't feel 100% comfortable coming into an event if I didn't do the prep required.

I don't know if that sounds a bit weird. It's like to get to the level of announcing that I want to get to, I need to know that behind me I have all my luggage secure, meaning all the data that I could prep before, it's done and dusted. I have it with me if ever I need it. And that kind of lets me be free when I'm doing what I'm doing on the mic, and it allows me to explore, go to places maybe I wouldn't feel comfortable going if I didn't have, the preparation work done.

I don't know if that makes sense to you or not, but that's kind of how I like to describe it. It's like this over obtuse, crazy preparation animal that spends a lot of hours doing that for all the sports that I work for, and it's just important. Yeah, for me, it's just a crucial part of my, of my announcer journey really.

Manisha: And it feels like you also do that because there's the pressure to keep it fresh. So inevitably, the same people are going to be watching the World Archery broadcasts, and you don't want to be repeating the same stats every time. So I could feel that there would be a significant pressure to keep it new, keep it engaging and - that’s, that's a big deal.

You mentioned the first time you were involved with World Archery was with Crispin Dueñas as the English announcer, and you were doing the French. How do you connect with another announcer when they are speaking in a different language? You each have a different role and responsibility to whomever is listening, but do you connect with that person sometimes, or no?

How does that work?

Marc: That's another interesting question. I don't think there's that much connection in the sense, or at least on the announcing side of things. The way it's structured at, at World Archery is that the English announcer goes first, and the local language announcer goes second.

So Crispin would lead and do his thing. I would kind of do my thing. The advantage I had is that I could understand 100% of what he was saying, whereas he could not in the French.

To get back to your question, there were segments with - in terms of the announcing with Crispin, World Cup Final 2013, and we also did 2014 together in the same setup. We would go out in the field, we'd introduce ourselves, talk to the crowds, and those were moments where we could kind of play a little bit in English.

We'd banter a little bit, and then I'd switch to French to welcome the French audience and things like that. So the interaction was possible then. Once we get into event mode, and we're calling arrows, and we're debriefing sets or ends and just kind of filling time in between the Archery moments, there's less interaction, and that's just kind of how the sport is, as well.

You don't have that much time in between sets. You're going to have what, maybe, 40 seconds of talk time really. So it's kind of 20 seconds, 20 seconds or four times 15 seconds. It just depends how it flows with the local announcers, and obviously, it's easier if we can both speak both languages.

But recently, I've been to China a few times or to Korea, and in China, certainly with my Chinese counterpart, she could understand what I was saying, but when she would pick it up, I would be like, "Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah.” What she said. "Mm-hmm." So it limits in those moments of the event, what you can, you know, play on.

But certainly during the intro portions that happen before and sometimes after the event as we kind of, top and tail it, that's where we can play a little bit more.

Manisha: Are there differences between country to country of how they present and how they announce?

Marc: Definitely. Cultures have a massive different way of doing things.

Like in Korea, I noticed that Ki Bo Bae, the London 2012 Olympic Champion, was doing commentary, the colour commentary for the local broadcast, and their style is very mellow. Some Americans might go kind of over the top, and the Asian style is a little softer. It's more right away what's going on technically, what happened with the shot. The emphasis isn't so much necessarily on the result like we would do.

It's a 10 or 9. You would kind of latch onto the “Oh! What a shot. It's a 10." You know, it doesn't matter what happened mechanically with the Archer. If it's a 10, it's a 10, right? Whereas they seem to be a little more technically focused on the shot and maybe not so results driven.

That's what I perceived anyway. But, yes, the difference is, I think obviously in a North American situation, you're going to turn on the intensity knob a little bit more. In some European countries, you're chill and mellow. In others, you might be a little bit more expressive.

For example, Spain, the southern countries. Even North America, if you compare, say, Mexico to possibly Canada, there might be a little difference in, in style as well. The Mexicans are kind of over the top all the time. It's everything is like the “greatest moment in the history of the world is right now”, you know?

And, and maybe in the US or in Canada, you would need a little bit more of an achievement to get that sort of firework crowd pop moment. But in Mexico, it's just like as soon as you say, "Hola, Bienvenidos a la Copa del Mundo," the guys are going, “Wow!" So so yeah, it's, it's interesting, hence the success with World Archery in Mexico.

There's, no doubt about it. You look at the last 10 years of events in Mexico, whether it be the World Cup Final, what was it? 20 - '15 was it? In 2017 for the World Championships, you know, you had 5,000 people, jam-packed arenas, and just recently as well in Tlaxcala for the World Cup Final, or in Hermosillo the year before, 2023, or Tlaxcala '22 as well.

Great atmosphere, great, great passion. When you have that sort of vibe that's generated, those decibels that come out from the crowd, it just gives this aura for the Archers, for the event, for everyone working there. And here's a little thing, I try…. Obviously I'm sensitive to crowd response, but I try to deliver the same experience whether the crowd understands what I say or they don't.

So if I'm in Korea or in China, most people probably will not understand every single word of what I say, and I try to give it as much enthusiasm as if I'm working in front of a crowd of people who do understand what I'm saying. So of course it's hard not to be affected by the amount of decibels that are generated by the audience in attendance, but I think my duty is to try to give the same thing to all audiences regardless of their ability to comprehend, to understand, or not.

So I try. Probably, probably if you, if you go show by show and event by event, it might not be exactly the same because you're obviously human and you react to what's going on around you. So I'd be lying if I said that, you know, in Tlaxcala that electricity in the air didn't fuel me to give even more.

That's the mindset. I try to give a same level of performance regardless of the audience in attendance.

Manisha: Over the years, any sport, but of course we're focusing on Archery, have you learned that your commentary has ever affected an Archer, especially in-venue when potentially they could hear you?

Marc: Yeah, that's a question I get a lot, especially when we're talking about those crucial moments in the sport of Archery, and there's one moment that stands out beyond any of the others. It's the single arrow shoot off. It's a tricky one because sometimes if you have an English-speaking Archer out there and you're kind of revving up the stakes of that moment and how important that one arrow is actually going to be perhaps in the life, perhaps in the legacy of that Archer.

I mean, look at the Olympic Games Gold medal match. Brady Ellison, Kim Woojin coming down to four millimeters. I mean, that, you know, that encapsulates exactly what I'm talking about. So Kim Woojin, I can say whatever I want and he's not going to react to it. But Brady, is he affected by what I say? And if I say, "This is the do-or-die moment, your life is on the line," so to speak, is it going to affect their performance?

So I've talked to some of the Archers over the years, like, "Do you care what I say? Does it matter to you?" 95% say, " Say whatever you want. I'm so much in the zone, I don't hear it anyway." But on occasion I say something and I see them laugh or smile or the coach will say, "Well, you know, we'll talk about it."

And then I say, " Hmm." But I think you cannot really do the announcer role wondering or worrying about what impact it's going to have, because you're there for the audience, you're there for the event, and you're there to create an atmosphere. And so if you rig yourself or limit yourself, by saying, "Okay, well, there's an English[-speaking] Archer out there, I will not say anything," about the stakes or what lies ahead, I think that's not 100% professional either.

So it's a fine line. It's a fine line. Obviously, a single arrow shoot-off is the most dramatic outcome in an Archery match. The closer you are to the Gold medal match, the higher the stakes. So am I not going to sell the importance of that moment just because there's an English-speaking Archer on the field?

Unless someone told me, a higher-up told me, "No, look, just cut out the do-or-die stuff," I'm going to do it the way I've been doing it. So, so far it's always been the defining moment that changes everything. You know? It's, I think, it's got to be. It's like if you don't do it for a single arrow shoot-off, you're never going to do it.

Manisha: We know that athletes, they prepare mentally for competition, especially if they know that they're going to be going into the Finals venue. Have you ever been asked to contribute to the mental training or mental prep for a team or a specific athlete because your voice is over-arching the event.

Have you ever been asked to contribute to that?

Marc: Yes, absolutely. Two teams have asked me to, to contribute. And the idea being that the Archers would be exposed, as you say, to the voice as they are, as they're delivering their arrows, releasing their arrows, and therefore it's an integral part of the preparation to have as much as you can replicate of the Finals venue, like for the Olympics.

The Koreans for example, they rebuild a mock Finals venue almost to specifications to optimize their preparation. But a whole bunch of other teams as well have kind of followed in that sort of idea. And the voice seems to have been an important thing for some of the teams anyway, so I've done it for a couple teams.

I also heard about different preparation items. I remember talking in 2016 to a British Archer, Naomi Folkard, They set up actually a field next to a school, so that during recess they could hear - they'll be shooting and it was quiet, you know, for certain parts of the day, and then all of a sudden the kids had recess for 15 minutes, and then the Archers had to stay, you know, dialed in and focused while the kids were going…you know how kids are during recess. It was going crazy.

The audio levels were super high, and just that idea of being able to, to stay calm, collected, focused, dialed in regardless of the environment around you. I thought that was, yeah, that was pretty - that's pretty intense in terms of the preparation.

Every little element makes a difference. And, yeah, I think the more you do, the better off you're going to be when you're actually out there on the Finals field. But can you replicate the Finals field of an Olympic Games without it being at the Olympics? That's a big question.

I mean, you've seen the World Cup, just Paris 2024, and the Finals field was really amazing, really special. What a location. And the Finals for the World Cup event one year prior, you look at the Women's, it was Casey Kaufhold getting her first Gold medal in the World Cup circuit against France's Lisa Barbelin, who ended up being Bronze medalist in Paris, shooting on exact same location. But it wasn't the Olympics.

So yes, the location was the same, but it wasn't the Olympics. So how close can you get to pretending to be the Olympics without actually being at the Olympics? That's a question for the athletes.

Manisha: Exactly. And it has been noted that 8000 seats were available for 2024 in the Finals venue, and for every day that those tickets were available, they sold out.

So how do you bring in 8000 of your closest friends to be as exuberant as a true diehard Archery fan would be to try to simulate that environment? It - it would be very tough, but they do the best that they can, right?

So let's talk about your pacing. When you know that you have a long day ahead, how do you pace yourself energy-wise, voice maintaining-wise?

For example, in my research, how do you maintain your level of excitement and authority, because that's who you are, for especially long marathon sessions like in Tokyo, you had to announce…

Marc: Mm-hmm.

Manisha: …42 matches in one day.

Marc: Mm-hmm.

Manisha: How did you do that?

Marc: Um, not very well. That's a good question. I guess you landed on the Bow International article of a couple years ago.

Shout out to John Stanley. Thank you, John. Love you. 42 matches. So that was…. The story behind that, normally it's only 36 on that day, but we had a weather situation one of the sessions, and they had to move six matches, from the initial schedule down to that day.

So 42 matches.

I don't know if I should go real on this one. All right, I'll - I’ll just say it: 42 matches is - I think it's impossible for anybody. No one can do it at the same level all day long. Forty-two matches, impossible. So at some point it becomes - you're going to be delving into kind of uncharted territory in terms of it - the energy level that you're going to try to keep throughout the day, it's going to, it's going to fluctuate.

And so the idea is that when you're going a little bit lower to try to make sure that no one can notice it, and luckily in Tokyo at the time, there were - there was no audience. We were under a COVID protocol, so it was a, you know, very strict and no one was in attendance except for coaches and a few other athletes and so it made it kind of easier in that respect.

But nevertheless, the day was excruciatingly long, and, I guess for me at the time it was just kind of minimizing the in-between set talk, and it's just kind of, you know, use as many moments as you can to replenish the energy levels and just try to make sure you withstand the hours.

Just to give you some perspective, first arrow's 9:00 AM, last arrow's probably 10pm, 10:10pm. Lunch break there, of course, for a beautiful bento box, one of the many that we ate during the Tokyo Olympics. That's one of those super marathon days. We had one in Rio, as well. Rio, I think it was 36 matches, which I thought was already ridonculous, but that was nothing compared to the 42 matches of Tokyo.

In Paris we didn't have any of those long days during the Olympics. We had a different, I guess, a different structure. Maybe they added a day, I think, for the overall event. On the Paralympics in Paris, however, we did have one of those super long days, as well.

Manisha: So, 2024 was a special year for you within World Archery because you were present and announcing at every major event that they had. How did that change your way of prep, or how did that change compared to other years when your schedule allowed only a few compared to being able to be at everything, including the Olympics?

Did that change your perspective on how you prepped?

Marc: Not so much on how I prepped, but being at every event gives you obviously a lot more anecdotes, stories, human interaction with the athletes, the Archers, the staffs, the people that are working in the sport of Archery. So you just are - you’re much more connected to everything going on.

And the fact of being at every major event in 2024, just gave me a lot more - I'm not going to say confidence, because I don't think I lack any confidence necessarily at doing this, but it just gives you a little more comfort in the stories and all the information you have about the athletes, but also what's going on on Planet Archery, by and large.

And so I think it’s - it ups your storytelling because you can recall to a much greater and much easier extent moments that happened during the season that it might take you a little bit more to get to had you not seen them firsthand.

And, I feel that a lot in cycling as well, because I do about 70-plus days of cycling a year. And, so when I'm at an event and I see a rider perform or win, I, I remember right away how the rider won and what - who was second, who was third, or what the story was in the final 5Ks or, or what have you, or when the breakaway started or whatever it is, and that gives you obviously a much easier, way to recall the events when you're there.

And, so 2024 was - I was really lucky because all the the dates just kind of fit in terms of a calendar structure, and I was able to do all the World Cups and all the major, you said it, World Archery events. So yeah, I think it just gives you that extra little bit of, oomph. And we try to do it for major - in the lead-up to major events to get as many World Cups as we can in, in Archery, especially before an Olympics, because that's the year you want to have that data recollection capability, if you will.

Manisha: Now, let's talk about storytelling. Why is storytelling so important? And how do you create the story? You did share earlier that you're really just following what is being laid out before you. But you do have to be with it and astute, and being able to put those pieces together to make a story.

Why is storytelling important for an announcer?

Marc: Well, Announcing 101, you have generally some kind of descriptive ability if you are an announcer. Now, if you spend your day describing things, okay, that might be fun for a while, but that's not a - quintessentially what's going to go out and hook the audience that you're trying to seduce or that you're trying to entertain.

My vision is more: I'm just trying to make sure everyone has a good time when they come to an event, and I want them to leave with a smile. And the best compliment I can get is, you know, "Oh, thank you so much. We had a great time." If someone tells me that, I think, I'm thinking “10, 10, 10. Perfect score.” Yes.

But the story, I think going back to what we mentioned earlier, but I'll say it again, the - in Archery it's great because the story writes itself. So you start zero-zero on the line. You know, Compound it's going to be obviously 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 in most situations. So it's going to take a moment where something changes, one of the Archers hits a nine or an eight, God forbid, and then you have that gap there.

So then you're telling the story of the hunter, the hunted, the chaser, the chased. What's going to happen? Will he be able to withstand the pressure? Then that's when the storytelling kicks in, and it kind of just accompanies, essentially, what the actors, the athletes are providing you with.

They're actually giving you the material, and all I'm doing is kind of, cushioning it and, and making sure that the people follow the story that's happening on the field of play.

Why is storytelling important? I would say you really want to bring people with you as they latch onto the event that's unfolding before their eyes, and the way to do that is not only stats, data, information, and generic nuggets or bits of knowledge about the, the location you're in or the, the venue.

It's also by creating that story that's going to, I think encapsulate everyone that's in the venue, the Archers, the athletes, the moment. I see it a lot as a, as a "moment" thing. You know, I, I go out afterwards and I talk to some of the guys, I say, "That was really a moment you had out there." But what I mean by that is it's what everything comes together.

And it all comes together, I think, only if there's a compelling story. I think if you - all you're doing is “10, 10, 9, oh, sum total 28 to the opponent's 27, plus one the advantage”, yes, you have to, but that's not enough. You need some kind of a sugarcoating. You need something to make it juicier, to make it sound sexier, and that's when the storytelling component comes in.

No story, no fun.

Manisha: And with that storytelling, like you said, you want to keep it sexy and exciting. How do you still though at the same time keep it respectful, but neutral? Say it's an athlete that you are great friends with, you love them, they love you, it's a big love fest, you do still appreciate the opponent, but how do you keep it so that there is a neutrality or an evenness if you are really rooting for someone on the line?

Marc: So I will never root for anyone from both of my countries, whether it's the US or, or France. I will be neutral regardless. This has been a massive debate. It is a massive discussion in sports commentary for television when you're working for a national outlet. That is the number one conversation in newsrooms in the broadcasting world.

What happens when your national team plays the Soccer World Cup Final? You know, all the commentators in France, for example, it's a horrible example. They'll call the players by their first names and the opposing team will be - they'll all be last names only. So they're trying to create that sort of proximity, and whatever happens, they're, like, 100% for the national team.

Long discussion, big debate. Should you favour any athlete over another? So I'm going to say this: for me, not at all. I do not do that. Even if I get along really well with someone, I've had drinks the night before, we went for a meal, we're going out afterwards, there is no favouritism.

If the guy shoots an eight, he shot an eight. He's got to live up to it.

Manisha: So let's talk about memorable moments that after all these years really stick out. You've mentioned the Gold medal match at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. What else sticks out? What are you so happy that you were present for?

Marc: Oh, that's a very good question. I would say, yes, you mentioned it again, Paris 2024 Men's Recurve Individual Gold Medal match has got to be the most unbelievable showdown in anything that I've ever commentated on site, I would say all sports combined. Not only because it's an Olympic Gold medal in Paris, but also because we're talking about two of the most established, prominent, and dominant Archers locking horns, grandest stage of them all, one arrow after a gruelling match. It goes down to that one moment, and it comes down to four millimeters. The difference between Olympic Champion and Silver medalist.

Are you kidding me? And to be on the mic at that moment just living, I mean, I could literally…. It’s almost like I would - I shrunk myself to go on the arrow and actually live the travel time of both of those arrows as they made their way to the target just to kind of be there. That's how I felt, like I - I'm there.

This is insane. It's a moment of insanity, and I just want to make sure that I hit this with the, the best respect possible for the Archers for the moment, for the defining moment in their lives really. Yes, you could be…. Some people could be pro Brady, say he should've gotten it. I want to - I want him to win.

I just wanted the best to win, and the best in that moment for four millimeters was Kim Woojin. You know, two of the arch rivals on Planet Archery for a decade and a half. That was, yeah, by and large, that was the, the most intense moment, and obviously it being an Olympic Gold medal Final doesn't hurt.

So by far the most intense moment I had to commentate and the one that I remember the most vivaciously. There have been many more. Yeah, my first Gold medal match at the Olympic level, Ku Bonchan, Jean-Charles Valladont, Korea versus France. Again, I'd gotten to know a little bit the French team at the time.

It was the, the return of Sebastien Flute as part of the, the makeup. Marc Dellenbach, the France coach at the time, as well. So just that moment was very, very intense. Just calling a Gold medal match, my first Olympic Gold medal match in Archery, seeing how Jean-Charles was kind of trying to get back into it little by little, losing his footing, and in the end, Ku Bonchan, yeah, just to cut the finish line first really. Style.

But yeah, it wasn't as defining as Paris 2024. What other moments do stand out, do I recall? Mete in Tokyo was also something special. I mean, it's like that's the thing about Archery. You have every event there's going to be standout moments like that. There's going to be matches that, that are riveting, that are nail-biting, that, that give you those emotions.

And for me, it's about really trying to accompany those moments to the best of my vocal ability, if you will. I see myself kind of as support cast. The Archers are the stars, and I'm just trying to give my small vocal contribution, to make sure everyone, once again, has a good time.

Manisha: When you mentioned the Gold medal match at the 2024 Olympics, the Men's Recurve Final. What I loved so much, I loved the actual match, but what I loved, I think almost even more, was the respect the two of them showed one another.

They have been competitors together for so long. They were two dads just shooting and being where they absolutely love to be. And there was a photo that someone took. I don't know if it was a World Archery photo, but it was the two of them walking afterwards, and I think Kim Woojin was holding his son, I think.

They were just two guys, two dads, and they fought the fight, and they were still friends at the end of the day. I just loved that.

And for me, the Bronze Medal Women's match, when, Barbelin, she won, I bawled my eyes out. I was walking my dog. I was so thrilled for her. And actually, I was at the Florida World Cup and I met her, and I told her how moved I was, how happy I was that she won.

I'm crying talking to her. She's crying because I'm crying. She's reliving her moment, and it was - it has been the highlight of my year just to talk to her. And why am I crying in the middle of Florida? I mean, I don't know.

Marc: Like, like a year later.

Manisha: Yeah.

Marc: It’s…. But

Manisha: Those are the moments, right? They stay with you.

Marc: Glad you brought that one up, because Lisa, it's the, the emotional roller coaster. You remember the match, so you're going to - you're going to remember this picture. When she shoots her final arrow, from the moment she releases to the moment she literally falls down on the field of play, there's what? A couple seconds, right?

So how do you go from focused, dialled in, I still have one shot, to "Oh, my God, I'm Olympic Bronze medalist", you know? And then that just kind of overcomes and takes over your body, your mind, your - your being essentially. That, that was really powerful as well in terms of, you know, having a defining moment in your, in your life.

Yeah, I'm glad you brought that one up. That was a - that was an intense one as well.

Manisha: The audience was behind her. Everybody in that audience, the 8,000 of them, were just behind her in this most amazing way. And you mention that moment of releasing the arrow to the adrenaline dump, the - that moment of, "Okay, I don't have to focus anymore. I can just be enveloped by the love that's being sent my way."

I mean I think my dog looked at me like I was mad.

Marc: If, if the dog can feel it, it means the announcers are really good.

Manisha: Someone, that must have been great that day.

Marc: But yeah, that's, it, you know what? And after a year of Archery, that's what it comes down to.

It's like a necklace or a collection of moments like that, that you just, yeah, you're just fortunate and privy to be a spectator front row seat to every time you're doing this, and it's, it's, it's great. Like, there's no other place I'd rather be than, you know, calling an Archery event, calling arrows flying by.

And, it goes back to the fact that if you're an Archer, if or if you're a precision sports athlete yourself, it puts you in a different position than if you're just doing it as a job, you know? I do a lot of sports as a job, but here I do it, it's more visceral, the feeling.

It's more - you're more connected to the action that's unfolding right before your eyes as well.

Manisha: And, and your iconic “10, 10, 10” has really taken us through so many of these moments, and yes, 10, 10, 10 is great, but sometimes one 10 is better than another 10. And it's just you've been able to bring us into those moments, and even though we are potentially thousands and thousands of kilometers away, you have brought us as if we were there.

So, I mean, thank you so much for that for so many years. When my Archer started watching all those YouTube videos I would, well, I want to know who he's talking about, know what's going on. I remember your voice, and when my friend Rosy said, "Well, why don't you find out who that is and see if he'll come on?” Yeah, it - it's kind of a full circle moment for me, so thank you. I appreciate this.

Marc: Oh, thank you so much for telling me. It's always - it never gets old. I'm always happy to, to hear people react to what I do, what I provide, what I - what I deliver. I think it, it brings me back to one of the best compliments I ever got was in Moscow 2019 World Cup Final.

Some guy, a Russian-American guy, comes up after the event and tells me, "It's really interesting the way you - the way you do your commentary, because when you tell the scores out, it feels like they're characters, and when you say ’10, 10, 10’, it feels like you're talking about someone." So it was a little bit esoteric, mystical.

But I thought, "Hmm, that, that's an interesting one." And then, and I, I think from that point on, I really refined the delivery of the "10, 10, 10" and "perfect score", and tried to work it to make it a little bit more…a little bit more than what it was before that. So yeah, it's interesting to get the response.

And what's also worth mentioning in that regard is in the sport of Archery, there are not that many moments in a match when you can give that intensity out or let that level of commentary or vocal response on the microphone out. To my point earlier, if you're doing extreme sports, you're doing BMX, you're doing pro wrestling, you're doing arm wrestling, sports entertainment, what have you, you're going all out for, you know, 1 hour 30 minutes.

In Archery, it's really about hitting those few moments that stick out. And what do you have in Archery? What better moment is there than a “10, 10, 10 perfect score”? So you really want to - you really want to make sure you drill that like there's no tomorrow every time there is one. And if you're an Archer and you shoot 70 meters and you know what it's like to hit 10, 10, 10. You realize the difficulty factor. How high it is and how big it is and how much of an achievement it is.

And when you see these guys can do it time and time again, man, that's why they're out there and that's why I'm up here.

Manisha: What advice or suggestions would you make for those that are coming up and want to be in sports commentary and sports announcing?

Marc: Wow, that's a tough one. A lot of my students ask that, as well.

I give classes to a couple of journalism schools and marketing schools and sports marketing schools. The only advice is really make sure you want to do it, and don't let it be one of those fads or trends or, you know, a lot of people, "I want to do this," and then two months later they want to do something else.

If you really want to do it, you're going to have to hack through the first plateau. By “plateau”, I mean when you learn any craft or art form, you're going to get acceptable to decent level fairly quickly, okay? I'm a play-by-play guy. So as a play-by-play guy, you can work for six to nine months, and then you can deliver some decent play-by-play, but then you're going to keep doing decent for a while.

How do you go from being decent to reaching the next level, to get to be excellent? And when you hit that plateau, it takes a while before you get that next sort of, you know, uptick in ability. And if you can't hack it through that moment where you don't feel like you're improving, you don't feel like you're doing anything better, that's when a lot of people give up and they throw the towel.

And that's it, game over on their - on their play-by-play career. If you want this - or first of all, first of all, make sure you really want it. Then give yourselves the means to get to the first plateau, and you better stick with it like super glue, because if you don't, there's one point two million people behind you who will.

And the problem about this business is not getting the first job. It's how do you survive over the years when everyone else wants to do it? And the more you go, the more people want to do it for some reason. In this age of AI, where we're probably all going to be replaced in five to 10 years anyway, more and more kids want to be journalists, broadcasters, sports announcers, sideline interviewers, MCs.

And nowadays they will sell you absolutely anything to get the job. Then you hire them and you realize they just can't. They're just not worth their weight. But if he doesn't, he's never going to get the job anyway. That's kind of the world we live in now for up-and-comers.

So this is going to sound really cheesy, but believe in yourself, work at the craft, and that means not at home on YouTube only. It means get out in local radio. Get out to community radio, if you have nothing else.

Try to volunteer at the local radio station. Do it like the old guys used to do it. That's what we did, hacking the radio years, getting the exposure, getting the, the on-air time, because nothing beats the studio with a red light, with people listening to you, people calling in. That's going to give you the foundation blocks that nowadays kids, they all, they have a YouTube channel, and probably if they go YouTube 100%, great, but it's kinda difficult. I don't know many people that do YouTube 100% and that are still relevant in any sort of broadcast position.

Maybe more in the US. I don't, I’m - I'm not too familiar with the market at, at this point. But I would say the more you're on a mic professionally, the better off you're going to be. So do whatever it takes, even if it's working at your local shopping centres.

In a department store, there are people working on microphones, selling perfumes or jewellery. Go get one of those jobs during Halloween, Black Friday, the Christmas season. Get time on a microphone that you get paid to do that. That is the best experience you can ever get. Local radio, anything on a mic, just get out there. You got to be on the mic all the time.

Are friends getting married? Great. You're going to be doing all the speeches. You're going to be doing all the emceeing. Whatever it takes. It's like you need that mindset. It's whatever it takes. And again, remember the iceberg. You see the guy, he's out there, he's all fancy-dancey. He's doing a great job. You think it's easy. But what you don't see is what's under the water, that 90% of the iceberg, of all the work and the prep he did before being able to give or get all bells and whistles out there.

And if you're not willing to get the work done, you won't be able to be the 10% of the iceberg on top. So it's an amazing career path, but you got to really want it. So the one thing, make sure you really want it.

Manisha: Thank you. So I have two more questions. One of them is going to be a little, I guess you've used the word “esoteric”:

If a parent came up to you and said: “I have an Archer. What do I need to know about the sport?" What would you tell them?

Marc: Uh, other than it's the greatest sport in the world?

Manisha: Yes.

Marc: I would say great choice. I mean, if you're into Archery, it probably means you have a lot of interesting abilities, like the capability to repeat certain things to the infinity or close to the infinity, which is probably a good character trait to have nowadays; in this day and age of where we do one thing for 10 seconds, then just discard it forever, and then do something else for two minutes. We're constantly bombarded with multiple solicitations.

If you're actually able to get out there and shoot a couple hundred arrows a day, that shows, you know, mental fortitude. The ability to commit to something. To get better. All things that are important in life, not just for the sport of Archery.

Manisha: My last question is, so you have traveled the world over many, many times, I'm sure. What is your one travel tip that you would give to Archers or parents about travel? Or, so what is your one tip, or what is the one thing when you are traveling that you never leave home without?

Marc: Hmm. What do I never leave home without? Hmm. My bag of toiletries. I'm really, really precise with what's in the bag, and I have to have everything. If something's missing, I don't feel comfortable. I usually don't check in my luggage, so that would be the tip I could give, would be stop wasting your life waiting for your suitcases.

So it's difficult with athletes because they have to check in their bows, obviously. But if you're not traveling with your bows or if you don't have too much equipment, man, get your life back. As soon as you're landing, you've got carry-on luggage, and you're out of the airport in minutes.

As for the toiletries bag, it's just my collection of things that I need, and I think it's more a way of replicating home away from home. It's just the idea that you're using the exact same things on the road than when you're at home. So I don't have like a travel bag and I only use this stuff for travel.

I use all the same items that I use in my bathroom at home, than I would in a hotel. Take the same items and have them wherever you go. As for sort of random tips, one thing maybe would be try to get out there a little bit more.

I think a lot of people that travel they stay in the hotel, and you're in China or you're in Japan and people want to eat McDonald's. Okay, you can eat McDonald's, but why not go try the local ramen? Why not go, to have some dumplings at the local Chinese restaurant or shop or whatever, or the Hawker's Corner or something that's kind of culturally unique?

You're in a place for a few days, you're not going to go back anytime soon or, or maybe it's going to be a year before the next time you come back. Try to make the most of that experience. It's something I try to force myself to do wherever I go. It's to have something local. To have those flavours, the sights, the sounds, and, and I love going in a place where I can't speak the language and, you know, just that human interaction.

What was it like when you could not communicate with someone? And no, I'm not going to take my interpreter app out to say, "ni hao", "xie xie". No. I want to signal. I want to point to pictures on the menu, and I want the woman to say, "Okay, okay." And it's great.

Like, that's, that's living again, you know, with that sort of basic interaction form and, and then trying stuff, even if it costs you. I've had a few experiences. For example, Shanghai 2023, I believe it was, 2024. Oh, my Lord! I went to the wrong restaurant in Shanghai, and I paid a high price for it.

I can tell you with a smile now, it was still worth doing, Manisha. I lost an entire night's sleep, and I did all of Compound Saturday having slept only 20 minutes. There you go.

Manisha: Another example of your pacing and endurance for the sport, one of the sports that you love.

Marc: Exactly. You're giving your body to the sport, literally.

Manisha: Truth. Definitely a truth. Marc, thank you so much for your time today. I appreciate that with the time change, that we were able to make this happen, and that you were able to schedule this and, and take the time to join me.

So thank you so much for that.

Marc: My pleasure, Manisha. Thank you so much for, for having me, and I hope you got a few nuggets out of this really interesting conversation. So thank you so much.

Manisha: I definitely did. Until next time, thank you, everyone. We will talk to you again soon.