Second time’s a charm; Olympics version.

Like most great things, everything either comes late, unannounced and takes you by surprise. Although I knew I wanted to be working at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in some capacity or another, little did I expect to be the English Announcer for long track speed skating. An absolute dream come true for little Alex who started announcing World Cup races over 16 years ago at The Olympic Oval in Calgary. Fast forward to whatever day it is today, in March, I somehow have the mental patience to lay on my couch and give you the update that I’ve been putting off. Should have probably written something up when it was more fresh but the truth is, I’ve been so out of my mind since September that I can’t even begin to put into words the stress that has finally alleviated this week since I’ve finally spent more than 3 days at home in these past months. It’s been a whirlwind; an absolute f***ing blast.

After an uneventful summer due to pretty much not being able to walk after the bike race crash, I definitely tumbled into a slight depression though I was aware and knew I would get out of it. Spent most of the fall back “home” in Calgary because I was missing my familiar territory and the people I spent most of my skating / adult life with. One morning in September I woke up and naturally grabbed my phone, as one does, at 6 am to check the time, and obviously my emails. I saw the Olympic proposal with contract and I knew in that instant that I was definitely going to be a morning person on that day, as I instantly started bawling my eyes out, like you do when your parents get you your first dog as a child….or something like that. I couldn’t control myself. The only other time I’ve ever cried like that was when my olympic committee told me on the phone that I would officially skate at the Olympics, and I fell to my knees and cried like a baby. What a feeling.

Fast forward to February 2026. After a very successful couple of World Cups in both Hamar and Inzell, and too many weekends of international race calling, it was time to fly to Milano. We were located 10 minutes away from the Long Track venue, and we definitely had the best schedule out of all the Winter Olympic Events; one hour of racing per day. Of course there was prep time beforehand but toward the end of the Games, it' got easier and easier as I got the hang of it early on, and it was not that different with name pronunciations as I skate with all these athletes, and have been announcing their names over the past years.

We had an incredible team; my partner in crime, Stefano was unbelievable and we worked so well together. I was so grateful to have someone by my side that was capable of doing it all - I've unfortunately not been so lucky in other competitions in the past, and as we know, it’s a man’s world in this as well, so it was refreshing to not have to work with someone that would compare his wiener size to mine, for ego purposes. You know what I’m talking about. We had an amazing producer, Rodd, who I instantly connected with seeing as we were both from the Great White North; Oh Canada. Luca was the glue that made it all work and the rest of the team behind the scenes ensured it was all smooth sailing after a couple of days.

Seeing familiar faces fuelled my days and I thrived off the energy in the stadium. I did my “thing” and can honestly say I had the time of my life, especially with the impromtu interviews where Rodd threw me into the fire 2x a day and I had to pick a VIP/ Celebrity and interview them on the spot. I then learned that it’s way more fun to drift off the usual boring “What’s your fave part of speed skating” questions and dig a little deeper, to the point where I had one of the athlete’s wives get teary when she answered. Whoa. I loved it.

The Olympics came full circle in more ways than one, and one of my highlights was watching my best friend Hanne win a medal with her brother in the team event on the first day of Short Track racing. Another moment where I cried like a baby, just like I did at 4 am (Canada time) during the 2022 Olympics watching her win her first ever medal. I had the opportunity to also spend a whole day inside the Athlete Village with Hanne and I couldn’t help but compare the our time in PyeongChang; I really did luck out with one of the best Olympic Villages in 2018.

All in all, a wonderful month. Beyond wonderful. I interviewed Snoop Dogg, in his first ever live interview at the Olympics; no one has ever done that before. I got to interview friends new and old, explore the city of Milan while under Olympic influence, and drink overly priced cappuccinos and have unbelievable Negronis. This was the absolute honour of a lifetime and I am so happy I was able to bring athlete stories to life and to audiences around the world in a way that felt authentic and unforgettable. The moments behind the medals, the emotions behind the performances, and the people behind the sport made this a hard month to come home from. It reminded me why I fell in love with this community, this sport and these people; we all came together for the love of speed skating and I look forward to continuing on with next year’s World Cup Circuits :)

This has now also launched my broadcasting career into so many new directions and I am ecstatic to share the news with you when the time is right. Until then, stay tuned as I will post more and more….and more often.

XX

Alex