Interviews With Bianca Batendag

WSL Commentator Shannon Hughes joins the pod to talk about the Mid-season Cut and her journey to becoming a Championship Tour broadcaster. First, she shares her thoughts on the Mid-season Cut, what it was like to experience it on the ground in Margaret River, witnessing all the emotions, and also seeing how the pressure pushed the level of performance through the roof. She then takes us through her own personal journey in the sport, growing up in a surfing family, moving to J-Bay at 21, starting to compete in longboard events at a later age, commentating her first event in 2013, and finally getting called up to announce the CT. She breaks down the challenges of the job, describes talking live on air for full eight-hour days, discusses overcoming some unwelcoming co-commentators early in her career, and shares some key advice from Joe Turpel for aspiring announcers. Finally, Shannon talks about all the other projects she’s currently got in motion, from hosting The Double Up podcast, to starting The Women’s Surf Network, to working on the “Make or Break” series and commentating at the Olympics.

Keep up to date with Shannon here, check out the Women's Surf Network here, and listen to the Double-Up Podcast here.

Watch her next at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro presented by Rip Curl live May 7-15.

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