Sports commentator Roman Skvortsov spoke about how to report if Ilona Korstin and Vera Zvonareva are next to the microphone.
- What is the best way to comment on hockey and basketball? Live from the cockpit or on the monitor?
Of course, from the stadium. And not even from the cockpit, but from a position equipped right on the podium. The nerve of the match is fully felt, and you are fully involved in the process. Capturing details that don't fit the camera lens. I even forget to look at the monitor, although sometimes it needs to be done. And when you sit in the studio, comment on the picture, you see the same thing as everyone else. From the outside, it generally looks strange: a person is talking to the TV, and sometimes in raised tones. I would very much like to comment on everything and always exclusively from the stadium.
- With which of the experts is it more convenient to work in pairs?
I must say right away that I have not had “uncomfortable” partners in my entire commentary career. Frankly, it was difficult to force myself to look at the court when one day we commentated with Ilona Korstin, and even with Vera Zvonareva, we wonderfully worked out a quarter at a basketball game. Of course, Sergei Gimaev stands apart, with whom we experienced so much at the World Championships and Olympic Games Oh. With Nailich, I would go into reconnaissance, and comment on underwater checkers, and make a program about landscape design.
- Do commentators have a line that should not be crossed?
In my opinion, a commentator should not teach athletes and coaches to do their job. Sharing your vision of the moment and possible development options in a given situation is acceptable, but categorically stating that in fact it was necessary to do this and that, it seems to me fundamentally wrong.
How was the distribution of commentators for the final of the Gagarin Cup. A survey was conducted on KHL-TV. At VGTRK would you like to apply this practice?
Initially, a few years ago, pieces of paper with the names of the commentators of the final series were taken out of a hat with earflaps, which was then lost. So we can’t “get over foaled” now. Last year, Alexander Tkachev worked at away matches, this is my turn. I would forward this question to the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, but I'm afraid they may offer to determine the commentator for the final series based on the results of the Dancing with the Stars show, and I dance even worse than I comment.
- Before the start of the KHL playoffs, could you imagine just such a line-up for the final?
- I never bother my head with long-term forecasting. As a commentator on what is happening here and now, I cannot afford to be captivated by my expectations and assumptions.
- Which match from the playoffs is the most memorable?
The first match in the series SKA - Dynamo. The army team paraded through the opponents in the previous two rounds, dreamed of a revenge, but got the puck into their own net already in the first minute and last year's nightmares - wholesale and retail. For me, the real playoffs started right then.
How did you react to the KHL initiative to ban the sale of sausages at Dynamo vs SKA matches? Is this one of those rare cases where hockey fans look like football fans?
I don't know, but if there was such a ban, then it's just ridiculous. At games with the participation of Spartak, meat pies should then be banned. Why, by the way, do they remind you of football players? This is what they are, because Moscow teams have football sections.
- Did you have a reportage in your career, for which you were ashamed later?
I don't have the luxury of doing something that I can be ashamed of for almost ten years.
Sports commentator Roman Skvortsov shared his memories of his wife Elina and daughter Dasha, who died during a plane crash in Kazan. According to him, Boeing passengers should not have died.
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“I understand that this is not only my grief. And I want to express my condolences to all those who lost relatives and friends in the plane crash. Nobody deserves to die. Boeing passengers shouldn't have died", Skvortsov assures.
“I called my wife Elina at most four times. Almost from the very beginning of our acquaintance, I call her Belochka. Having plucked up the courage, I invited Belochka on a date, after which we practically didn’t part for several days: I specifically took time off from work and stayed in Kazan for another for two days, and that's how our love really began. In the summer we went to Barbados, where on the first evening I proposed to her. The squirrel answered: "Yes". And from that moment I became the most happy man on planet Earth and in its environs, "Soviet Sport" quotes the commentator.
“Of course, we wanted more children with Belochka. Moreover, Dasha tormented us with the question: “When will I have a brother or sister?” It seems to me that I haven't even done a tenth of my girls to be truly happy", - Skvortsov laments.
Recall that immediately after the tragic news from Kazan, Skvortsov. The commentator received this picture just before the takeoff of the ill-fated flight from Moscow. " I love my girls", the journalist wrote in
A well-known television commentator on hockey and basketball battles, a commentator on the 2018 Russian Biathlon Championship races at the stadium, Roman Skvortsov, in an interview with the press service of AU YugraMegaSport, spoke about the most memorable matches in his career, shared the nuances of oratory and recalled his first commentary experience.
— Roman, how and where did your career as a commentator begin?
- I started working at TV Company VID on the TV-6 channel. For a long time he worked in areas not related to sports in any way. In 2003, I was invited to the channel "Sport", which had just opened, and offered to make a program about basketball. The weekly magazine was published for a year, and then the head of the channel, Vasily Alexandrovich Kiknadze, asked if I had any acquaintances who could comment on basketball. There were no acquaintances, but I said that I myself could try. Vasily Alexandrovich was very pleased with this. He knew that I was playing, but he laughed for a long time: “You? Basketball? Comment? Although a month later he still offered me a try. Everyone liked everything, since then I have been commenting on basketball and hockey, but biathlon was my first commentary experience. In 2000, I came to Khanty-Mansiysk for the Junior World Championship, which was shown by the TV-6 Moscow channel. And these were the first sports competitions that I commented on.
- What prompted you to travel to the hinterland of Siberia?
- Khanty-Mansiysk was already marked on the sports map of our country at that time. It was the cradle of modern domestic biathlon. I didn't ride into the unknown. TV-6, which at that time was a very progressive phenomenon of domestic television, acquired the rights to broadcast, everyone was well aware that sports and biathlon in particular were able to attract the viewer, and Khanty-Mansiysk was able to organize this competition with dignity. Here I would like to convey a huge hello to the management of the TV company "Ugra". The regional channel helped a lot in shaping the picture. Absolutely did not feel like arriving at the end of geography.
— What are the differences between television commentary and work at the stadium?
- In relation to my work now, there are practically no differences. I assumed that I would need to work more in the style of "Hop-hey, la-la-lay!" - to entertain the audience, but in the end it turns out the commentary of the television race. The only thing is that in Khanty-Mansiysk the audience at the stadium probably does not make sense to load it with some nuances, excursions into the history of biathlon, because they themselves already know everything about it. My task is to cover the course of the race in detail, without going into lyrical digressions that are needed on television so that the viewer does not get bored. There is no time to be bored at the stadium!
- Uliana Kaisheva after the victory noted that during the shooting she completely concentrates on the biathlon installation and ignores the noise in the stands, but now the commentator at the stadium makes her way into her mind. Aren't you afraid to jinx someone by giving out a portion of praise before shooting?
— Well done Ulyana, she had a very cool sprint race, a gorgeous finish lap, and I am very happy for her! I'm not particularly bothered about this. Agree, it's funny when people talk about lucky or not lucky commentators. Then the sport could be completely closed if the athletes train, prepare, and then the commentators spoil everything.
I try to give pauses to the leaders, give them the opportunity to concentrate, while we must understand that there are many athletes, there is always someone on the shooting range. You can't be silent all the time. I try to keep a balance. I would like to apologize to everyone I hurt and jinxed. I promise that during the contact races I will pause so that the fans get what they want, they can cheer up the athletes, drive them forward along the distance.
- You have many matches behind you, among which there are those that are inscribed in the world history of sports, for example, the final meeting in Quebec between Russia and Canada in 2008. There is a saying that with experience the excitement goes away, is it true?
- Excitement is always present, if you are not worried, if you do not care, then this profession should be tied up, since it does not cause any emotions. With experience, you can better deal with this excitement, but it cannot disappear. You always feel a great responsibility to a large audience, every broadcast you challenge yourself, you are careful about the choice of words.
- In one interview, you said that it is quite difficult to cause a storm of emotions in the viewer of the match between Ugra and Severstal.
- But this should be strived for, from the point of view of the professional growth of the commentator and in general. Because the clubs are not to blame for the fact that they have few fans outside of Khanty-Mansiysk and Cherepovets. The task of the commentator is to arouse interest in any confrontation, even if it is just such local teams. And, of course, it is always better to comment on the event on the spot. Commenting "under the picture" even the match "Spartak" - CSKA may not come in for me. You need to try hard to comment badly on the match between Yugra and Severstal while at the stadium.
- HC Yugra has been expelled from the Continental Hockey League, how do you feel about this decision?
— It's very hard to feel sorry for Ugra here — a team without a history, representing a not very big market. Maybe for "Ugra" it will be the best step. Roughly speaking, the team appeared from scratch and swept through many stages of development, making its debut in the KHL. Recent years have shown that the team does not correspond to this level a little, the people did not go to it, and we understand that it was precisely in the power to change the club's management, but for a number of reasons this did not work out. If Arena-Ugra is filled for every game, if the city loves hockey, then it doesn't matter where the team plays. Hockey is a holiday at any level, and in the Major Hockey League there are even more chances to compete for something serious. Fans love to win. See seven home victories in the KHL season or win the tower? I think it's more fun to win. I would not dramatize, look for some kind of universal conspiracy, but would focus on raising interest in hockey and generating resources. Regarding the population of the city, the attendance is very good, but there is no full stadium, and it is quite a feasible task to assemble it.
It is often said that when big hockey leaves the city, interest in educating new personnel is lost. In fact, if people from Khanty-Mansiysk appear in the top KHL clubs, then local students will have role models. You need to understand that the chances of breaking through to the most high level initially a little, but the more there are those involved, the higher the chances. In a small town, it is easier to build such a system, and it will give an exhaust, especially since there is someone to play with here. Big hockey is an expensive pleasure, big expenses, and it is very difficult to get any kind of return. The main thing is to have a fan base, to have children's, youth hockey. And over time, big hockey may return to Khanty-Mansiysk.
- What is the most important, the most important match for you, which you were lucky enough to comment on?
- There is a standard answer here - "the main match is yet to come." It would be foolish not to single out the final in Quebec in 2008, the final of the European Championship in Madrid in 2007, five Olympic Games from the scene… there were many interesting matches, but I hope that there will be no less ahead.
— Do you review any legendary historical matches? In the wake of the popularity of the film Moving Up, many decided to revisit that 1972 finale. When did you watch it?
- I watched the final of the basketball tournament of the 1972 Olympic Games at the turn of the century. I was surprised at how Sergey Aleksandrovich Belov stood out on the court. It was a basketball god. With such a game, he would not be lost, but would be among the best in modern basketball. As for "Moving Up", I really hope that many will just reconsider this ending. Many people talk about the historical inaccuracies of this film, they say, there were no dunks and so on. And if they claim this, not just having read somewhere, but having reviewed that final, then I believe that the filmmakers in this sense have done a very big job for basketball and the memory of these events.
- Who do you like to watch and listen to most of all among your colleagues in the commentary workshop?
— Sergey Kurdyukov at Eurosport. An absolutely amazing commentator on cyclic sports. Cycling in his performance is space. I binge watch his Tour de France, drop out of life as he goes. Who would have told me five years ago that I would sit in front of the TV for six hours and watch a cycling race, I would have laughed, but now this is a harsh reality. I'm slowly getting my friends hooked on it. With my colleague Taras Timoshenko, without fail, we go to the bar to watch one or two mountain stages and wildly cheer for the participants in the race. Sometimes we are joined by acquaintances who wonder if we are really going to watch the race for six hours. And then they come to neigh at us, but, in the end, they themselves are drawn in.
Also, everything is clear with Alexei Popov. One gets the impression that this is the man who invented Formula 1. I simply cannot imagine who else could comment on the Formula in Russian.
The chic snooker commentator Vladimir Sinitsyn. This is a person who plays himself and also judges competitions. By the way, he also commented on the final of the USSR championship between CSKA and Dynamo Riga. Does a great job. A peculiar and very recognizable manner, you can’t tear yourself away from the broadcast. They tell you absolutely everything, and this is great art!
- Is there a sport that you would like to try to comment on?
- American football! I really like it, I watch NFL games regularly, and I haven't missed the Super Bowl for over 20 years. Once I came to America to study and got hooked on it there. Recent years I also follow the regular season. Good game, but in the realities of our country, it is difficult for American football to compete for the attention of the audience, but it would be interesting. You can say that being at the Super Bowl in the stadium and commenting on it is my commentary dream.
— What is the most difficult thing in commentary art?
- Keep a balance between emotions and information. The important part is to abstract from life circumstances. We are all people, everyone has bad days, problems, but you understand that people are not to blame, they are not obliged to know about your problems. You must always be cheerful and cheerful.
In the course of the broadcast, in any case, you make some mistakes. In this age of the Internet, it is normal for the viewer to know more than you. Somewhere you can’t keep track, somewhere you’ll distort absolutely not from evil. Gradually, immunity to mistakes appears, but not so much that you made a mistake - well, okay. Always trying to fix something, make it better. I am my biggest critic and rarely satisfied, but rather never completely satisfied with the work done.
How to become a commentator? Where to begin?
- Hard to say. There are no universal recipes. In profile educational institutions, as I understand it, commentators are still not being prepared. Therefore, everyone must find their own way. The main thing is to love sports, it would be very nice to do it, to be inquisitive, not to stop developing. It is necessary to pass through the emotions of the participants in this or that action, to believe that everything will work out.
P.S.: Ilya Kovalchuk's winning goal against Canada in the 2008 World Cup final. Commentators: Roman Skvortsov and Sergey Gimaev.
Roman Skvortsov is considered one of the best sports commentators on the Russian channel. Roman knows everything about sports, and does not allow himself to cover those events that he has not fully studied. His comments are always a small digression into the history of a team or an athlete, forecasts and an independent view of a sporting event.
Roman was born in 1975 in Moscow. His father was involved in sports, he was an athlete, Roman preferred basketball, but he liked to play hockey with friends in the yard. These two game species have absorbed him completely. He doesn't miss a single hockey or basketball tournament, he knows every player, their tastes, right down to what kind of music and from whose discography they prefer. He collects photos of his favorite teams. And when Roman came to sports journalism, it was hockey and basketball that became his main focus.
In 2003, he consecrated the game of basketball teams for the first time. The leadership of the Russia channel, after listening to the MP3 recording, appreciated the work of the young journalist, and since then he has become a permanent commentator. In 2006, he was entrusted with hosting the first world ice hockey championship live.
His work is very emotional, but he always controls himself, does not stoop to insults and vulgarity.
For many years, Roman Skvortsov has been working together with the famous coach Sergei Gimaev. They, like well-played players of the same team, always complement each other and support each other. And when Gimaev spoke unflatteringly about the work of the broadcast producers of the sports channel, for which he was suspended from work, Roman stood up for his colleague.
In 2011, Skvortsov held a discussion program dedicated to the national hockey "CSKA - Spartak. Confrontation".
There is also a tragic page in his biography; in 2013, his wife and daughter died in a plane crash near Kazan. And only work helped to survive the grief.
Fans of hockey battles, fans of basketball matches note that Roman Skvortsov's comments are fascinating and informative. And Roman himself is very worried about every loss of the Russian team and wholeheartedly rejoices for their success.
