Killington, Vt.
Graves — whose nearly 40-year broadcasting career includes nine Olympic Games as an on-site announcer or television commentator — was clearly thrilled to have some of the planet’s finest downhill skiers in his home state.
“We’re racing in Vermont! How awesome is that?” Graves intoned during a sunny, windy first giant slalom run on the base of Killington’s 4,200-foot summit.
With disheveled red hair and an intentionally dorky sweater provided by event staff, Graves gripped his microphone with a full fist while chronicling proceedings with extra zest during an exhilarating second run.
Many of the times grew faster as the final field of 30 continued along. Finally, it was time for fan favorite Mikaela Shiffrin’s decisive turn. Shiffrin, a former Lyme resident who attended Burke (Vt.) Mountain Academy, is the defending overall Cup champion and she electrified fans with a slalom win last year at Killington. In 2016, the resort became the first eastern U.S. site to host a World Cup since 1991.
The slalom is Shiffrin’s specialty, and she placed fifth in the 2017-18 GS opener in Switzerland last month. Yet Shiffrin took the lead with one run to go at Killington on Saturday with a time of 59.65 seconds, more than a half-second faster than previous leader Manuela Moelgg, of Italy.
As Shiffrin emerged into view over the crest of Killington’s Superstar Trail, fans roared as she continued to gain ground with each checkpoint.
“I can’t believe how great this is to watch in person!” Graves said to elicit even louder roars. “It’s so much better to have it at home!”
German Viktoria Rebensburg followed with an even faster run of 59.24 for a two-run total of 1:57.63, 0.67 seconds faster than Shiffrin’s. The runner-up finish for the American did little to spoil the moment for Graves, who thrives off audience reaction.
“When they get excited about the things that you say, that’s when the art and science of what we do meets,” Graves said. “It’s enormously gratifying.”
Graves — a former competitive cross country skier who is married to Dartmouth College women’s Nordic ski coach Cami Thompson Graves — was a 28-year-old news director at a Durango, Colo., radio station when he first joined ABC for commentary during the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.
He has gone on to provide analysis or stadium P.A. announcing at a multitude of international venues and media outlets over the years, most recently before this weekend for road cycling events at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. He’s already lined up for work at his 10th Olympics, set to announce alpine skiing at the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea before calling the World Cup finals in Sweden.
“He brings energy and enthusiasm, and has the ability to bring the crowd to life,” said longtime friend and colleague Tom Kelly, who has worked with him in road cycling events. “That’s really what you need in an announcer.”
The same could be said for former World Championship medalist Doug Lewis, a Middlebury, Vt., native and Graves’ booth partner for both Killington World Cup events. Lewis spoke with similar zeal while he and Graves followed cues from live show producer Hayden Scott and other crew in the booth.
The whole team kept the crowd engaged with a music D.J., video board material and field reports by Warren Nickerson, a former U.S. Ski Team competitor who was dressed head-to-toe in USA garb. The event was televised live in parts of Europe and ran on a delayed telecast in the U.S.
“It’s really not unlike what you find at an NHL, NBA or football game in terms of always having something for the crowd,” Graves said. “There’s not much ‘dead air,’ although I don’t mind pausing momentarily so people can just take in the atmosphere. We call it ‘letting it breathe.’”
While Lewis had his notes displayed on computer software, Graves had a jumbo-sized index card full of hand-written notes devoted to each of 65 athletes. He also wrote out a tribute to French skier David Poisson, who died in a training accident on Nov. 13. He read the letter aloud and led a moment of silence before Woodstock Union High graduate Troy Ramey, a former finalist on NBC’s The Voice, sang The Star Spangled Banner.
“(Using hand-written research and material) does mean that I’m old, but it’s also because I like to write something out to get familiar with it,” Graves said. “It’s important to know things about the athletes so that the crowd has context. I spent a lot of time this fall doing research for this.”
Graves is also careful to pronounce the names of athletes correctly, sometimes relying on resources such as YouTube to learn them, but also utilizing his own familiarity with language and dialect. Examples of athlete names in Killington this weekend that could easily be mispronounced include Katharina Liensberger (the surname’s “r” is silent), Simone Wild (the “W” is pronounced like a “V”) and Michele-Marie Gagnon (Gan-YOUN).
“Those little things are why we keep asking Peter back. He’s the best at that,” said Scott, the live show producer. “That’s especially important in a place like Vermont, where the fans are very knowledgeable.”
For Graves, the continued announcing work is an exercise of a passion he’s held since he was a child growing up in Bennington, Vt.
“It goes back to being at Prospect Mountain and pretending I was Jim McKay and Bob Beattie, announcing what I saw from the chair lifts,” Graves said. “To slowly realize that dream over the course of many years is very fulfilling.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.