Michael Rooke
Professional athletes are trained to have nerves of steel. However, professional athletes-turned-broadcasters do get nervous about hosting prestigious awards shows.
When Woman’s Day greets Storm Purvis and Karl Te Nana, they admit there’s a fair amount of anxiety abound as they prepare to front this year’s Halberg Sport Awards.
“Well, it’s going to go one way or the other,” laughs rugby sevens legend Karl, 47, as he looks at his co-host, former Silver Fern Storm, 29, who nods in agreement.
“Exactly! But we’re so excited – it’s a huge honour to be asked,” she says. “Although I admit, when I found out that they had asked the two of us to do it, well, clearly they’re after a certain vibe!”
It’s pals Storm and Karl’s first time working closely together, after the pair forged a strong bond during their separate roles working for Sky Television at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“This one is a lot of fun,” Storm says with a laugh, pointing at Karl. “We’ve known each other for a long time – we do a lot of live crosses on Sky and The Crowd Goes Wild of course, but the Commonwealth Games was really where we started getting to know each other better.”
Karl adds, “After a long day working, all you want to do is come back to the hotel, see your mate at the bar and have a pint.
“We have very similar personalities – we’re both very much about having fun and getting the job done, but being our authentic selves with it.”
There’s a lot of banter about what they’re going to wear at the awards – Storm wants to opt for something simple, while Karl’s wondering if he can get away with red velvet.
“You’re not going to wear your cheesecutter, are you?” Storm asks Karl of his trademark hat – she’s just met with a cheeky grin before Karl admits he’s already been given the hard word that it’s probably a no-go.
They’ve also both undergone the transition from athlete to broadcaster – one that Storm admits she struggled with initially after being thrown in the deep end by The Crowd Goes Wild host James McOnie, who offered her a job on the back of an interview on Netball Zone and a chat in a Sky green room.
Storm warning! On the ball for the Northern Stars in 2019.
“It took me a while to get the professional side of it,” she says. “I’d go in and interview netball girls after a match, and just nerd out on niche netball stuff, and then I’d be referring to them by their nicknames that no one else knew and having a bit of banter. I mean, sure, some of that is great, but I didn’t know how to find the balance for a while.”
Karl agrees. “Yeah, it’s about making the person trust you – I guess having actually been in their shoes, it’s a bit easier! I just tried to switch over to the same levels of discipline when I started on TV – it’s having the questions prepped, the background done, just like a game.”
Karl in action with the NZ Sevens in 2003.
Hosting the 60th Halberg Awards will be a huge moment for both Storm and Karl – and not least for the fact it’ll be the first since the passing of legendary athlete and founder of the Halberg Foundation,
Sir Murray Halberg last year at age 89.
And there’s that huge groundswell of support and aroha for women’s sport on the back of the Black Ferns’ stunning success at last year’s Rugby World Cup.
“It’ll be such a great showcase of so much success,” enthuses Storm. “There’s the amazing Black Ferns, and then there’s Lydia Ko, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, Ruahei Demant, Ellesse Andrews and Dame Lisa Carrington in the Sportswoman category. And then the likes of Dame Sophie Pascoe, Nicole Murray, all of the teams… it’s just such an incredible year.”
Continues Karl, “Having the Rugby World Cup be such a success here last year was truly amazing. Especially the male rugby community getting behind it, watching the women play, and realising that the standard of the game and the entertainment value was exceptional. So we know it’s going to be an exceptional night celebrating all of this amazing talent and success.”
The 60th Halberg Awards will be broadcast live on Sky Sport and free-to-air on Prime from 8.30pm on Wednesday 15 February.
