Randy Walker’s 12 years as a United States Tennis Association publicist, major-event press officer and executive took him to three Summer Olympics – Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.
This time, he telecommuted.
Walker, a winter resident at The Moorings and co-director of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships in Vero Beach, worked for NBC Sports as a free-lance tennis consultant during the Rio Olympics.
Operating out of the NBC Sports compound in Stamford, Conn. – the U.S. base for the network’s Olympic coverage – Walker said he assisted the on-air talent during the Rio tennis competition that ended Sunday.
“I provided statistics, player biographies, storylines and other background information to the Rio broadcast team, including producers and reporters on the ground there,” Walker said. “It was very similar to what I did for CBS Sports when they had the U.S. Open, and I’ve done some similar work for the Tennis Channel the last few years.
“At every Olympics, there’s a huge building called the IBC – International Broadcast Center – which is where all the on-site television crews work from,” he added. “NBC has a mini-version of the IBC at its compound in Stamford, and it’s an impressive setup.
“You’re not actually in Rio, but it feels like you’re there, like you’re part of the Games.”
So much so, in fact, that Walker left Stamford on Sunday night with vivid memories that went beyond the experience of working the Olympics for NBC.
“That was special, but the most memorable thing about the past week or so was seeing how much competing in the Olympics meant to the players,” Walker said. “They received no rankings points and no prize money, and yet I had never seen so many tears, so much choking and so much inspirational play in any other tournament.
“Players were crying, whether they won or lost,” he added. “You don’t see that anywhere else.”
Walker spent most of his time working with a broadcast crew that included host Brett Haber, play-by-play announcers Andrew Catalon and Steve Weissman, analysts Paul Annacone, James Blake and Rennae Stubbs, and studio analyst Jon Wertheim.
“I have a tennis brain, and there’s a lot in there to share,” said Walker, who commuted daily from his New York home. “And having worked at three Olympics, I knew the landscape and what kind of information they were looking for.”
Walker said his Olympic stint with NBC was not connected to his New York-based, sports-centered marketing agency, New Chapter Media, where he has been the managing partner since 2006.
As for his work here, Walker said he and Tom Fish, chairman of his son’s foundation and co-director of the local USTA Pro Circuit tournament, are still exploring options in their search for a permanent home for the organization and event, which raise money to “provide children access to after-school fitness, nutritional and enrichment programs to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives.”
Walker said he and Fish communicate regularly via text and email, and they plan to meet in New York during the U.S. Open in September.
“We’re looking at potential sites and talking to people, but it’s still too soon to say anything,” Walker said. “Everyone needed to take a breather after the tournament, but we were very encouraged by the positive response we received to our idea.
“I’ll be back in Vero Beach in late September,” he added. “Hopefully, we’ll have something to announce soon.”
