FS1’s ROB STONE touched down in Vancouver for the FIFA Women’s World Cup on June 1, and from the moment he set foot on Canadian soil, it was off to the races. With coverage for up to four games a day, he and broadcast partner ALEXI LALAS try to keep things loose on the set. “I am kind of the tune master during rehearsal and down time,” said Stone. “Alexi and I have been teaching our lovely ladies from England and Germany about LYNYRD SKYNYRD and THE CARS, whom they have never heard of. They kind of look at me and say, ‘Can you just put on the SPICE GIRLS, please?’ That seems to please them, but not Alexi and me so much.” However, when the camera light goes on, the duo is all business. Stone: “I think that so far we have been able to over-deliver on the expectations that a lot of people had as far as of what our coverage of this World Cup would be. This property is going to be a Fox staple for a long, long time, and people should feel comfortable that it is in good hands with us.”
PATRIOT GAMES: If it is not an insanely early call, some of us try to run upstairs to the hotel gym or go for a run in Stanley Park before our meetings. The days are really long, so you have to do your best to maintain your body. The mantra from Day 1 has been it is a marathon not a sprint. Do your best, but don’t burn out. Friday is a full-on work day and a huge day for our network. It is the beginning of quarterfinal play and we have two matches. Germany takes on France -- Nos. 1 and 3 in the world -- and of course, the U.S. is in action against China. In my eyes, Friday is arguably shaping up to be the biggest day of the tournament for us. There are going to be millions and millions of eyeballs, and certainly on the U.S. That is the game I am looking forward to the most. I am a patriot that bleeds red, white and blue.
NO REST FOR THE WEARY: We have some more quarterfinal play on Saturday, so we are embracing the games and ridding ourselves of distractions. Sunday will be an off day, but I have not thought about my plans yet. I will not even think about it until we are done with Saturday night. So much of my free time here is playing it by ear. The growth of this tournament and the ratings we are getting have our programmers saying, “We need a little bit more from you guys. Let’s add another show here, add another show there and extend this bridge.” You may think you have an off day, but they are very soft off days. That is why I have not made any concrete plans.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: I am staying at the Sutton Place Hotel, and the family joined me about a week and a half ago. It is within walking distance of our set location and in the heart of the city. This World Cup location is different because a lot of times you are set up away from the hub of the city. It has been a nice blend of being able to walk to work, restaurants, and shops -- having a life before and after work. The bar has been raised for Moscow in ’18. The kids were excited about getting a stamp on their passport, seeing another country and sightseeing in this beautiful city. They have been exploring the town a lot while dad has been at work. They have hit the museums, restaurants, pools and playgrounds. But they have been able to take in two games here in Vancouver. They enjoy coming by the set and watching dad in his business as much as they can. I took my family to the Capilano Suspension Bridge on Wednesday. We took a bus up there and walked around the mountain, climbing over gorges and going through trails to take in the scenery that we see behind us from our set location. Every day I look out the back door of our set and say, “I want to go there.” Finally, I made it.
RIDE THE TIDE: When you have four kids, your weekends seem to get cannibalized between birthday parties and soccer games and homework projects. I try to relax, but being in the sports industry, weekends are a busy time. During college football and basketball season my Saturdays are gone. The body doesn’t allow for a lot of sleep anymore. I am usually the last one to bed and the first one up in the house. A lot of times during college football Saturdays you are into work by 7:30-8:00am. The same goes for covering soccer from Europe -- you know early mornings are part of it. And when I come home from work, the kids jump right on me. I am lucky that we live near Manhattan Beach. More times than not, we just throw stuff in the little beach cruiser, head on down to the beach and enjoy the sounds and tranquility. We will head right to the 4th Street lifeguard station and mark our territory. It is a nice break from the hustle and bustle of L.A.
