An Idaho Voice at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Written By Cheryl Dudley
MOSCOW, Idaho – While the majority of people look forward to watching the 2010 Winter Olympics on television beginning this week, the University of Idaho will have a voice in the Games.
College of Education alumnus Hugh Cooke, who currently serves as the university's associate director of alumni relations, will be on assignment for the Olympic Games with NBC Sports assisting the broadcast commentator team. He will serve as statistics and competitor researcher at the Whistler, B.C., venue broadcast booth.
This isn’t Cooke’s first Winter Olympics experience. In 2002, he served on the NBC sports staff at the Salt Lake City games and in 2006 at the Torino, Italy, games. Also, as a former U.S. Ski Team employee, he visited Albertville, France, and Lillehammer, Norway, Olympic Winter Games for site inspections and advance team and athlete preparation duties.
In the broadcast booth at the 2010 Games in Canada, Cooke will team up with announcer Al Trautwig, a commentator with the MSG Network, NBC, Versus and USA Network, and longtime voice of Madison Square Garden as well as the Tour de France cycling race. Also on the announce team will be Dwight Stones, an NBC television commentator and a two-time Olympic bronze medalist and former three-time world record holder in the men's high jump. The crew will cover cross country skiing, Nordic-combined and biathlon competitions from the Whistler venue including more than 20 medal events.
Cooke has an extensive sport management and ski racing background. In recent years he has served as an instructor of graduate-level recreation classes in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
“After four Winter Olympics and having managed and conducted more than a dozen national ski championships, the task remains exciting, thrilling and complex,” said Cooke. “It should be a great series of high caliber competitions!”
Cooke earned degrees from the University of Idaho in 1974, 1977 and 2002.
MOSCOW, Idaho – While the majority of people look forward to watching the 2010 Winter Olympics on television beginning this week, the University of Idaho will have a voice in the Games.
College of Education alumnus Hugh Cooke, who currently serves as the university's associate director of alumni relations, will be on assignment for the Olympic Games with NBC Sports assisting the broadcast commentator team. He will serve as statistics and competitor researcher at the Whistler, B.C., venue broadcast booth.
This isn’t Cooke’s first Winter Olympics experience. In 2002, he served on the NBC sports staff at the Salt Lake City games and in 2006 at the Torino, Italy, games. Also, as a former U.S. Ski Team employee, he visited Albertville, France, and Lillehammer, Norway, Olympic Winter Games for site inspections and advance team and athlete preparation duties.
In the broadcast booth at the 2010 Games in Canada, Cooke will team up with announcer Al Trautwig, a commentator with the MSG Network, NBC, Versus and USA Network, and longtime voice of Madison Square Garden as well as the Tour de France cycling race. Also on the announce team will be Dwight Stones, an NBC television commentator and a two-time Olympic bronze medalist and former three-time world record holder in the men's high jump. The crew will cover cross country skiing, Nordic-combined and biathlon competitions from the Whistler venue including more than 20 medal events.
Cooke has an extensive sport management and ski racing background. In recent years he has served as an instructor of graduate-level recreation classes in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
“After four Winter Olympics and having managed and conducted more than a dozen national ski championships, the task remains exciting, thrilling and complex,” said Cooke. “It should be a great series of high caliber competitions!”
Cooke earned degrees from the University of Idaho in 1974, 1977 and 2002.