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PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — When it comes to speaking, Carl Roepke is known as one of the best.
For the sixth time, the announcer was chosen to be the English voice for an Olympic venue.
During the 2018 Winter Games, Roepke announced the luge and skeleton events and will announce the upcoming bobsled events at the Olympic Sliding Centre.
For Roepke, properly pronouncing the foreign names is one of the most important parts of his job.
“They all deserve that level of recognition,” he said.
Roepke, a former luger himself, has worked at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City since the '90s. His first announcer job was during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City where he met his wife.
The couple’s two children now leave Roepke little surprises in his luggage when he travels for the job — surprises like a Lego man with a radio and a mustache, just like his.
“My 9- and 11-year-olds stashed that in my travel kit,” Roepke explained with a laugh. “And I opened it up and you can see he’s my man. Mustache and all!”
Roepke may be known for his mustache, but the Olympic athletes mainly recognize his voice.
“It’s definitely one of the voices in the sport that everyone knows and gets to really love,” said Sam Eden from Team Canada Luge.
Roepke considers it a “real honor” to be chosen as the English announcer. But the best part of his job? Seeing the smiles on the athletes’ faces when they finish a good run, he said, especially if they medal.
For more Olympic coverage, visit the KSL TV website.