The third in the series here about the seven summer Olympics Keith has broadcast from from 1972-2004. In August 2008 Keith will be reporting for TVNZ at his eighth games.

1984 in Los Angles was Keith Quinn's third Olympic Games and in Part Two of a Three part series Keith recalls a cosy promotion and a father-son connection at the pools.

Quinn: Memories of LA - part one

So now what about the Los Angeles Games themselves? Well, funnily enough, they were great. And I loved it all totally. Yes I did. By 1984 I had the exalted title of TVNZ's Southern Editor. It was a kind of semi-executive position within the sports department that I had always worked for.

In the months before departure, along with Kevin Cameron (who was the Northern editor and these days one of Sky TV's bosses in Auckland) we had had weekly meetings to map out the day-by-day and event-by-event coverage once the Olympic action started. We planned to the minute what event would be live on air and what each of the studio videotape machines would be recording.

We allocated exact times for editing and we fitted in commercial breaks at times when we felt viewers would not miss any good action. We worked hard to understand the significance, strengths and weaknesses of every day's events. We listed each of the 16 days, with a maze of criss-cross marking, on 16 large cardboard sheets and we took them from New Zealand to the Games with us.

Once competition had started Kevin and I would meet each day to see if we were on target with our pre-planning and once satisfied that we were reasonably close he would sit in a chair where he would remain for up to 18 hours directing the coverage onto the air for our viewers back home. To this day I do not know how he had the stamina to do that, especially as he appeared to live only on jars of honey-friend cashew nuts at his elbow (which no one was allowed to touch!). They were his breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Meanwhile I chose myself a comfy slot out out at the swimming where I commentated under the LA sun with the ex-Olympic backstroke finalist (from the 1956 Games) Lincoln Hurring. We had a great time calling the dramatic races.

It was especially exciting as Lincoln's boy Gary made it to two finals. Gary was on the comeback trail after five years away from the sport. Like Lincoln had been, Gary was also a backstroker. And his Mum had been one too (she was Jean Stewart when she won bronze medal for New Zealand in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki) The whole family were backstrokers and they lived for swimming.

Gary's best chance was the 100 metres backstroke. We believed fervently he had a great chance for a gold medal, especially after he had swum to fifth in the earlier 200 metres.

On the last day of swimming he won his 100m heat impressively.

In the race commentary of the final Lincoln did his best to stay with the call. He had to balance his hopes that his son would do well but all the while stay conscious of the international significance of his work. I remember doing the race but out of the corner of eye seeing Lincoln glancing at his stopwatch at each of Gary's turns. In the end Gary finished fourth, a disappointment.

As he climbed out of the pool he looked up to where we were sitting. His and his father's eyes met.

From a distance of 40 metres or so I sensed an immediate connection between the two.

All they both could do was shrug their shoulders in unison. Gary had given his guts in the race. But on the day it was not good enough.

Weeks later he won silver in the same event at the World Championships.

Part Three on Friday - Keith Quinn recalls a successful Games for New Zealand with eight gold medals.