Bernie Guenther Bringing Passion for Pool to ISL Broadcast Booth

Photo Courtesy: ISL

Bernie Guenther Bringing Passion for Pool to ISL Broadcast Booth

There is a voice on the International Swimming League telecasts that exudes passion, an undeniable fondness for the sport. And, no, we’re not talking about what emanates from three-time Olympic champion and longtime analyst Rowdy Gaines. It has long been a given that Gaines – as is his calling card – will bring a high level of excitement to his work and is recognized as the voice of swimming.

Rather, the guy who shares a broadcast booth with Gaines is our focus.

If you have channel-surfed enough over the years – across various sports – chances are you have heard Bernie Guenther on a broadcast call. From ESPN to Fox Sports to the Big Ten Network to SEC TV, among others, Guenther has done play-by-play work on football, basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, golf, gymnastics and tennis. He has also worked three Olympic Games (Vancouver, London and Sochi) for the Olympic Broadcast Service.

These days, the 40-year-old Guenther has been busy as the ISL’s host and play-by-play announcer, calling the action for the 10-team league since its inception last year. The second season of the ISL, which opened on Oct. 16 and will conclude on Nov. 22, has run across CBS’ various platforms, from the main network, to CBS Sports Network to the company’s digital service. By the time the campaign is over, Guenther will have called 13 matches spanning 26 days.

“The ISL certainly is a dream come true, not just for the athletes, but for me as a broadcaster,” Guenther told Swimming World. “I think for former, current and even young swimmers, this should be a dream come true as well because never before did our sport have a format where it could be watched almost every day. Look at our Budapest bubble. There are almost more days with swimming to watch than without and I think it’s special for the sport. It’s also pretty special for me because our English commentary is heard all over the world not just on CBS at home, but CBC in Canada, BBC, Eurosport, 7 Network in Australia and others.”

Did you pay close attention to Guenther’s words? “Our sport.” That little snippet of a quote, as simple as it might seem, is significant. Guenther has a built-in love for the pool, having been around the water since he was a kid – and at a high level. Growing up as an age-grouper in Florida, Guenther starred in high school, finishing as the state runnerup in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke on four occasions. As a senior, Guenther was edged in the 100 breaststroke by Robert Margalis, a former United States National Team member.

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Recruited by Ron Ballatore and Anthony Nesty, Guenther took his talents to the University of Florida, where Gregg Troy took over as head coach ahead of Guenther’s freshman year. Competing in the Southeastern Conference, and for a power program, pushed Guenther and furthered his appreciation for the sport.

More, the University of Florida enabled Guenther to follow his boyhood dream of being a broadcaster, as he worked as a statman/runner in his early years at the school. In his upper-class years, he worked in the CBS booth during SEC broadcasts from The Swamp, even helping TV sports legend Verne Lundquist.

“Over my four years at Florida, we had a really great team that just kept getting better every year,” Guenther said. “It goes without saying that it certainly helped give me a great perspective on the sport watching from the booth because I’ve had the same 5 a.m. wakeup calls, trained like crazy for month and month for that one moment, one weekend that you’ve circled. I’m incredibly thankful for my time that I spent with the Gators and even though I might have just been one of those swimmers handing just a few points to the team fighting for third- or fourth-place vs. top place, Florida was definitely the right home for me.”

As Guenther worked to establish his broadcasting career after college, he even spent time as a coach, working with Swim Florida and Trinity Prep. Those duties ceased as Guenther became a father, but with his kids now involved in swimming, he is again frequently on deck.

With the ISL emerging as the brainchild of Ukrainian billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin, the league needed a play-by-play voice. One of the individuals tasked with putting a team together was Chris Lincoln, a producer Guenther had worked with at the Big Ten Network. It was Lincoln who recommended Guenther for the job, one in which Guenther has flourished.

Calling ISL action inside the Duna Arena in Budapest is not an easy chore. The fast-paced nature of the two-day meets requires considerable preparation and the ability to quickly react to what is unfolding. When one event ends, another almost immediately begins. There is no lag time in the program, as is typically the case in competitions such as the Olympic Games and World Championships.

Guenther and Gaines have revealed a partnership with a natural rhythm and flow. When the action is taking place, they are adept at recognizing placement changes among the swimmers, athlete strengths and weaknesses and discussing how the finishing order will affect team scoring. When there is a bit of down time, Guenther and Gaines have done a fine job providing analysis or telling stories of interest to the viewers.

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It should not be surprising that Guenther and Gaines feature a comfortable rapport. They have worked together previously, covering meets in the Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference. The familiarity previously gleaned, including experience calling dual-meet competitions, has transferred to their ISL work.

“I first worked with Bernie in 2005 for the SEC Championships when he was fresh out of college and have worked with him on many occasions over the years,” Gaines said. “He is a great friend who comes prepared every single day. He has become the voice of the ISL and is well on his way to an amazing broadcasting career.”

Aside from his broadcasting work with the ISL, Guenther has served as an advocate for the league and the sport on social media. Guenther is routinely using Twitter to highlight the performances and back stories of the athletes he is covering. The fact that he is taking that approach is further proof of his love for swimming.

Simply, Guenther sees the big picture.

“I just think the ISL is going to inspire another generation of swimmers,” Guenther said. “I have three young kids at home (Natalie, Jacqueline and Ben) and they just love watching the ISL. After our first match, I talked to my daughter and she told me, ‘I want to beat that Lilly King.’ I told her she’s got a lot of work to put in at the pool first, but it’s pretty special that we don’t have to wait four years for young swimmers to be inspired with stories of our sport, and I wonder how many athletes the ISL will inspire for future generations.”

What will the future bring for Bernie Guenther? As an established voice for multiple networks, and now identifiable with the ISL, his broadcasting career is well-positioned. Still, he possesses some aspirations for the years ahead.

“It would be such an honor to get to call the U.S. Olympic Trials, or Olympic Games,” Guenther said. “Certainly on NBC. Our sport is so lucky to have Dan Hicks and it’s been great to listen to him over the years. Hopefully, we will get to enjoy his calls for a few more years, but I’m only 40 years old and hopefully one day I’ll get that call as well from NBC.”

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Jane McCarren

4 years ago

I’m enjoying the ISL coverage but feel the commentary is a bit US-centric. These guys obviously have more knowledge of their own patch. And it would be great if there was time for the commentators to properly introduce all the swimmers before the race starts. I’m all for keeping the programme pace fast and exciting but it’s not interesting at all if you don’t even know which people are racing.

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John Lohn - Editor-in-Chief

4 years ago

Reply to Jane McCarren

Fair statement, Jane. That is not the fault of the commentators, but of the organizers of the meet. They would need to give the time to have everyone introduced. As for being U.S.-centric, CBS is a United States-based station. It just happens that some international outlets have opted to pick up that feed.