Our production crew captures every heat, cheer and finish at the NSAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
It’s 80 degrees and sticky. Nope – it’s not summer in Nebraska.
It’s the atmosphere inside the natatorium at the Bob Devaney Sports Center during the NSAA High School Swimming and Diving Championships.
“You can feel the humidity in there almost as much as the temperature,” said Scott Raasch, studio and remote production supervisor.
On the pool deck, our crew stays cool in shorts and T-shirts, but it’s a dramatic change when they dash outside to our remote production truck, navigating ice and snow that is unmistakably February. “It’s a shock,” said Raasch. “Almost like jumping in the pool!”
Covering swimming takes precision and planning. Seven cameras are strategically positioned to capture every moment. One glides along the pool’s edge, mounted in a special dolly cart, traveling up and down the edge of the pool on a set of tracks.
Mounted high above, another camera offers a bird’s-eye view of the lanes, while a handheld tracks swimmers through flip turns and two on tripods capture intensity at the finish.
“Our camera lenses get splashed,” said Raasch. “But I love that part!”
Each year, he’s struck by the talent of the athletes and the stories that unfold in every heat. “You may not be there to feel the energy and the emotion, but we give you a good view and let you hear the coaches, the bells and people cheering in the crowd,” he said.
And to set the record straight: despite the slick deck and close quarters, Raasch says he can’t recall a single crew member taking an unexpected dip.
“In my experience,” he laughed, “no one has fallen in.”