What happens behind the scenes on a FIS World Cup race day?

Let’s hear it from the Media Coordinator at the FIS.

Media Coordinator, Nordic Combined

Name: Silke Tegethof

Nationality: German, currently living in Switzerland

How long have you worked in your position and at FIS?

I began working for FIS in the summer of 2012 and have just started my eighth winter season as Media Coordinator for Nordic Combined. In spring 2018, I took on a second role. During the summer months, I am based at the FIS Headquarters in Oberhofen am Thunersee, Switzerland, where I work as a Communications Coordinator.

In Nordic Combined, I have a very diverse and constantly changing role. On one hand, I am responsible for communications within the discipline. I write articles for the FIS website, manage content strategy and execution across social media channels, and handle media releases and other communications.

I travel with the Nordic Combined World Cup every weekend. On site, I make sure media representatives have the best possible working conditions. I also manage parts of the competition flow, such as the ski jumping leader board and post-race ceremonies. Each day I conduct interviews for the international TV signal and often host post-event press conferences. In addition, there are many smaller tasks, and I also act as a link between athletes, team staff and FIS regarding various administrative matters throughout the season.

Silke, tell us about your race day.

A competition day usually starts quite early in Nordic Combined. I generally arrive at the venue about one hour before the ski jumping trial round begins, usually around 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning.

We start with a team meeting and then I review all media-related areas to make sure everything is in place. After that, I often head to the top of the jumping hill with a camera crew from the host broadcaster to record the first interview of the day with an athlete or coach.

Back at the bottom of the hill, I work around the leader board area. I ensure everything runs smoothly and watch part of the trial round to get an impression of which athletes are performing well. During the competition I remain close to the leader board and mixed zone to facilitate communication and provide updates when schedule changes occur.

After the jumping round, I interview the winner and prepare a report about the first phase of the competition for the FIS website and media release distribution. At the same time, results and updates must be published on social media.

When that is finished, I move to the cross-country course about 30 minutes before the race start. I conduct another short TV interview and help ensure timing equipment is distributed correctly. During the race I follow the action while answering media questions and ensuring that photographers and media representatives remain in designated positions.

Once the athletes cross the finish line, things become very busy. I photograph the top three finishers, conduct a TV interview with the winner and coordinate athlete movements between interviews, presentation ceremonies, the mixed zone and the press conference. At the same time, results need to be posted on social media.

After the press conference, I focus on writing and publishing competition reports, media releases and photo galleries. If there are additional Nordic Combined events on the same day, I prepare reports for those as well. I usually finish my