Whipple, an Olympic gold medalist, was picked as the network’s rowing analyst and pairs up with UW women’s coach Yasmin Farooq as her researcher.
Working as a sports broadcaster isn’t all that different from coxswaining — both require focus, the ability to analyze each moment of a race and talk through it.
So when it comes to the Olympics, it’s not surprising that NBC handpicks former coxswains for rowing-analyst positions.
This year, NBC selected Mary Whipple, a 2002 University of Washington graduate.
Recently-appointed UW women’s rowing coach Yasmin Farooq, who served in the analyst position for the past four Olympics, will be Whipple’s researcher during the Games.