Jessica Paquette calling Parx

[SandyW]

No matter how good a race caller she gets and she has a long way to go, she can't change her irritating, unpleasant and suffering voice on the publics ears.
May be a very nice girl but will never be a good announcer after calling another 1000 or 10,000 races. She can only go with the voice she has.
There are good singers and there are bad singers no matter how many records they sell.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by SandyW

No matter how good a race caller she gets and she has a long way to go, she can't change her irritating, unpleasant and suffering voice on the publics ears.
May be a very nice girl but will never be a good announcer after calling another 1000 or 10,000 races. She can only go with the voice she has.
There are good singers and there are bad singers no matter how many records they sell.

You get used to voices. When Trevor first came in 1983 none of us could even make out what he was saying half the time because of the accent. Not only did fans get used to it but he could deliver real drama in his calls.

Or think of how Marv Albert, with a screechy voice became the premier and beloved NBA announcer. You get used to voices.

If you hear enough Jessica you will get used to Jessica too.

[rastajenk]

Getting used to her won't make her any better.

[$w1fT]

Calling someone bad at their job makes you a misogynist in 2023. She stinks.

[cj]

I would argue she is as good as Richard Grunder at this point when he was in the last few years of his career. A few like Andy Beyer in print and some on social media and message boards like myself brought up how bad he was, but for some reason most people gave him a pass. I wonder why that is?

[thaskalos]

I liked what Vic Stauffer said earlier. This isn't a case where the announcer is bad even after being years and years on the job...Paquette was placed in the announcer's booth with very little race-calling experience behind her, and that makes a difference, IMO. I have voiced my displeasure with certain race announcers in the past on this board, and I was also harsh with Jessica earlier in this thread, but Vic's prior post has made me change my mind...and it's not because of the "woman" thing. I now think that she deserves a chance to get better acclimated to the job before she is subjected to harsh criticism.

[classhandicapper]

IMO there are two things gong on.

Some guys probably think there were much more qualified men available for the job that would be doing it better and she only got it because she's a woman and they are trying to push female employment in racing.

On the flip side, if this was some young guy they gave a shot to, there wouldn't be a thread analyzing every call and pointing out every mistake. More people would sound like Vic where her rapid improvement would be noted and people would be patient with the development.

She has the job.

She seems like a really nice young woman in interviews I've seen.

She's open to constructive criticism.

She wants to get better.

She is getting much better.

In a few years, she'll probably be terrific.

Personally, I think this thread should be closed.

[v j stauffer]

Originally Posted by SandyW

No matter how good a race caller she gets and she has a long way to go, she can't change her irritating, unpleasant and suffering voice on the publics ears.
May be a very nice girl but will never be a good announcer after calling another 1000 or 10,000 races. She can only go with the voice she has.
There are good singers and there are bad singers no matter how many records they sell.

On both Thursday Night and Monday Night Football they played clips of when Al Michaels and Joe Buck were just starting out as top tier football play by play announcers. Both noticeably cringed and apologized for how bad they thought they sounded.

That's another part of the maturation process. Not just Jessica all announcers can and many do learn and practice how to sound better.

While experience is part of it the betterment doesn't just happen. There are a myriad of things one can do.

The biggest is breathing exercises before calling a race you know you're going to be nervous about.

Go back and listen to my call of the 2002 Hollywood Gold Cup won by Sky Jack if you want to hear what is sounds like when you don't prepare your voice.

Breathing control is one of the most important part of calling elite races. You must learn how to expand and involve your diaphragm and that can only be incorporated buy experience and doing your pre race breathing.

Another major factor is confidence brought about by knowing you've done it before and can again with the proper preparation. I spent 3 Breeders Cups in the booth right behind Tom Durkin. He had a notebook with him that showed every silk of every horse running throughout every BC race. He told me he started to prepare for the BC from about a month out. Including different phrases he was ready to incorporate in different scenarios. One that blew me away was when BLACK TIE AFFAIR won the Classic with "Brother" Earlie Fires. He was even ready to say something poignant about a 40-1 shot that few thought was a serious contender.

He started warming up his voice about 30 minutes before the first race and did full blown breathing exercises before each and every race.

One's voice, tone and resonance can change and improve. Mine certainly did over the years. Wanna talk about cringe worthy. The first graded race I called was the Michigan Mile won by a horse named BADWAGON HARRY. I sounded like a a complete buffoon and nearly collapsed after the wire.

Everything can change for young announcers starting on their way. Confidence, experience, technique, style, resonance, rhythm makes everyone sound better. This WILL happen with Jessica as well as any other developing race caller who puts in the work, doesn't cut corners and stays humble.

Oh, there are so many things that can trip up young announcers and experienced ones as well. I remember seeing Tom Durkin get so mad before the Breeders' Cup Turf he turned beet red and I swear I thought he was going to keel over. It was a 14 horse field in diminishing sunlight at Churchill Downs. Yes he was ready by having studied the silks well in advance. What he WASN'T ready for was a three horse Allen Paulsen entry all coming onto the track ALL with the exact same bright red cap colors. I think the colors man in the jocks room still may not have recovered from the tongue lashing he took from Tom after that race.

I never forgot that and always reminded the silks guy at Gulfstream, Hollywood and Oaklawn to double check that was taken care of.

Another trick I would use to help with identification would be to know the silks 100% percent. But after I had that in the bag I would go back during the warmup and memorize the entire field using ONLY the cap colors in case I got in a tough spot with horses stacked up 3 and 4 wide going into the far turn. That was especially helpful at Oaklawn where the first place difficult shadows hit are at the quarter pole in the dying sunlight of races like the Rebel which is earlier in the season and the Arkansas Derby which is usually the 13th of 14 races crammed in before darkness set in.

There's another mistake young announcer learn. Don't go all in on early big races on a card featuring multiple Graded Stakes. If you take you're voice to it's strongest point too early in the day it like any other muscle might not rebound and leave you lacking when you get to the main event. That happened to me when WHITMORE went from 6th and last to the lead in 4 jumps one year in the Count Fleet. I went to a place I knew I shouldn't and my voice never recovered for the rest of the card. Frustrating!!

Bottom line for all your race callers. Not just Jessica. Your voice can and will change and you will sound better as the days, months and years. As Graded Stakes get put into your holster.

[therussmeister]

Originally Posted by SandyW

No matter how good a race caller she gets and she has a long way to go, she can't change her irritating, unpleasant and suffering voice... She can only go with the voice she has.

That's not true. Professionals whose job requires extensive public speaking routinely go to voice coaches to change their voice. I've often wondered why it is apparently not considered mandatory for track announcers.

[Bustin Stones]

As Benny said in "Somebody up there likes me"..." Everybody who is young is promising. The world should sue the young for breach of promise."

We can only opine how well someone is performing at this moment. Everything else is promise.

[v j stauffer]

Originally Posted by cj

I would argue she is as good as Richard Grunder at this point when he was in the last few years of his career. A few like Andy Beyer in print and some on social media and message boards like myself brought up how bad he was, but for some reason most people gave him a pass. I wonder why that is?

It's because when people begin to fall in love with racing and start primarily at their home track the ylove everything about it including the announcer regardless of his talent level.

Richard was/is beloved by everyone involved with racing at Tampa Bay Downs. Along with being one of the nicest most genuine people I've ever met he has a special style that resonated with the people in Oldsmar Fla.

I grew up listening to a who's who of greats. Harry Henson, Dave Johnson, Trevor, Chick Hearn, Bob Miller, Dick Enberg, VIN SCULLY et al.

When I went to Detroit and first listened to Ernie Harwell I said what the hell this guy is average at best.

I damn near got the crap beat out of me.

You don't F with the guys who first exposed you to the things you grew to love.

Nobody gave Richard a pass. They loved what he did. It was the Tampa experience and that was way ok.

Now J Balls Calls is continuing with that legacy and doing a terrific job.

[cj]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

It's because when people begin to fall in love with racing and start primarily at their home track the ylove everything about it including the announcer regardless of his talent level.

Richard was/is beloved by everyone involved with racing at Tampa Bay Downs. Along with being one of the nicest most genuine people I've ever met he has a special style that resonated with the people in Oldsmar Fla.

I grew up listening to a who's who of greats. Harry Henson, Dave Johnson, Trevor, Chick Hearn, Bob Miller, Dick Enberg, VIN SCULLY et al.

When I went to Detroit and first listened to Ernie Harwell I said what the hell this guy is average at best.

I damn near got the crap beat out of me.

You don't F with the guys who first exposed you to the things you grew to love.

Nobody gave Richard a pass. They loved what he did. It was the Tampa experience and that was way ok.

Now J Balls Calls is continuing with that legacy and doing a terrific job.

Well, he was still terrible and he got a pass. I don't know if he was ever any good because Tampa wasn't a blip on the national radar when he was younger. But he was not even close to good once Tampa became popular. Jessica is also an incredibly nice person but she doesn't get a pass.

There was a guy at Charles Town for a long time before Paul came on board. Paul is great, by the way. He was absolutely brutal. Jessica is already superior to him. This guy actually got another job and continues to be poor. But we don't hear a peep about him.

There are others out there too. They are all white men. None of them get the scrutiny that Jessica gets. The don't get 1% of the scrutiny she does. Why do you think that is?

[v j stauffer]

Originally Posted by cj

Well, he was still terrible and he got a pass. I don't know if he was ever any good because Tampa wasn't a blip on the national radar when he was younger. But he was not even close to good once Tampa became popular. Jessica is also an incredibly nice person but she doesn't get a pass.

There was a guy at Charles Town for a long time before Paul came on board. Paul is great, by the way. He was absolutely brutal. Jessica is already superior to him. This guy actually got another job and continues to be poor. But we don't hear a peep about him.

There are others out there too. They are all white men. None of them get the scrutiny that Jessica gets. The don't get 1% of the scrutiny she does. Why do you think that is?

Completely missed the point of the post I wrote. But that's nothing new for you.

Every time I read something you write I become more convinced that you just don't get it. And that's on a myriad of racing subjects.

You make numbers and that's also an art and very difficult. But your lack of empathy for others who do hard things in racing is just so very disappointing.

It's almost as though there's some solace you take in knocking others.

Who are you to decide who does and does not GET A PASS?

Try as I might, as well as important others I know. It's become impossible to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Glass houses! OMG!!

[Inner Dirt]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Bine Masters
Milo Perrins
Don Alexander

You have a memory for names that I don't, obviously. I can't even remember how to spell the last name of the back up announcer at Santa Anita, I liked during the Dave Johnson era. I can't even get close enough to get a Google hit. I even called Santa Anita and asked years ago and turned around and forgot. I think I am correct about his first name of Alan, last name started with a B. I even think he was in the mix of the announcers that came after Harry Henson retired at Hollywood and Vic showed up.

[dilanesp]

He had a notebook with him that showed every silk of every horse running throughout every BC race. He told me he started to prepare for the BC from about a month out. Including different phrases he was ready to incorporate in different scenarios.

I do know Durkin did this, and interestingly, some of the best announcers in other sports were huge critics of this sort of thing. Vin Scully, Dick Enberg, and Al Michaels all said at various points of their career that this is not a good thing to do. The basic argument is that it's a contrivance- you are fitting what you are seeing to some pre-existing script rather than saying what is actually happening.

Now it's true that especially Scully and Michaels could wax poetically after something big happened in a game-- but they always swore that they would think it up on the fly (and sometimes Scully would pause and let crowd noise take over so he could then think something up to say).

I can tell you that, for instance, there's a lot of people in the industry who think Jim Nantz, to name one example, is something of a phony for having canned phrases that he thinks up in advance to use at the Final Four or the Masters. It's, at the very least, considered a controversial practice in sportscasting.

And I can say personally that at least some of Durkin's stuff came off as very contrived and phony and not a genuine reaction to what he was seeing on the track. (For example, see his call of the 1995 Breeders' Cup Classic, where he invented an entire drama of Cigar wanting to go and Jerry Bailey saying no, not yet. He clearly made that up before the race and it didn't actually describe anything happening on the track. See also his "just a minute more" call during the 2004 Belmont at the 5 furlong pole, as if that's a meaningful thing people care about in a horse race. Again, he clearly decided to say it before the race as long as Smarty Jones was in front no matter what was actually happening.)