Racecalling Demos

[andtheyreoff]

Hi everyone-

Over the last few months, I've made a bunch of race calling demos and posted them on youtube- both thoroughbred and harness.

Anyway, here they are; just wanted to know what you guys thought. All opinions welcome.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...&action_edit=1

[Phantombridgejumpe]

Might be because I'm on a phone - said I could not edit the playlist.

[Stillriledup]

I listened to the 3.28 race from Aqu.

You're pretty good, the only question i have is when you say "third" and "fourth" is sounds like you have some sort of accent and its hard to hear what you're saying sometimes.

[Stillriledup]

Originally Posted by Phantombridgejumpe

Might be because I'm on a phone - said I could not edit the playlist.

You can't edit the playlist, but you can listen to the videos. I got the same message too, just click on a racelink and you can see/hear the video.

[v j stauffer]

Originally Posted by andtheyreoff

Hi everyone-

Over the last few months, I've made a bunch of race calling demos and posted them on youtube- both thoroughbred and harness.

Anyway, here they are; just wanted to know what you guys thought. All opinions welcome.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...&action_edit=1

I assume these races are being called off the television?

[andtheyreoff]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

I assume these races are being called off the television?

Yes.

[Phantombridgejumpe]

Both tracks I've done it at let me sit in the stands with a recorder and binocs etc with no issues. It is a much different feel, in some ways easier in other ways much harder.

Call the respective PR departments ahead of time, and good luck.

[craigbraddick]

I think you have the nuts and bolts of the race call in place.

Speechwise (and remember I am a foreigner with an accent) to my ears it sounds like you could work on producing a harder "R" sound. Practice rolling your R's and then scale back so it just comes out as a single hard "R."

Is that your normal voice or an announcing voice?

Also keep in mind every race is like a play. There are protagonists, antagonists, the start of the race is like the inciting incident, the plot is the middle of the race and the end is its resolution.

Next step is to go to the track and practice!

Craig.

[mountainman]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

I assume these races are being called off the television?

When announcers repeatedly pick up much too late on wide-closing winners, I strongly suspect they are calling from a monitor. Any thoughts on the propriety of this?

[devilsbag]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

I assume these races are being called off the television?

When I hear "a gap of five to Rabbit Ears, followed by Mute and finally Sony," I typically suspect the call is made from a television.

[Pensacola Pete]

Originally Posted by andtheyreoff

Hi everyone-

Anyway, here they are; just wanted to know what you guys thought. All opinions welcome.

Learn to speak more from the diaphragm and less from the nose.

You need to control your tempo; when things start happening, you start talking faster, and words run together.

Lose the "uh"'s.

The two announcers that I would recommend listening to for an idea of how to announce the flow of the race are Peter Berry and Keith Jones. Don't try to mimic them; just watch the race and listen to how they handle events.

[TheEdge07]

Originally Posted by Stillriledup

I listened to the 3.28 race from Aqu.

You're pretty good, the only question i have is when you say "third" and "fourth" is sounds like you have some sort of accent and its hard to hear what you're saying sometimes.

Would you hire him for SRU?

[thespaah]

Couple of things. SLOW DOWN!..Remember, you are painting a word picture.
Don't get caught up in the action. You are speaking to your audience. As they turn for home it's ok to go up a couple of octaves. But keep the same speech pace.
Next..Harden your "R"'s....
Try coming from your diaphragm. There are exercises you can do in order to strengthen your voice to the point where calling can be done with less effort.
You do a good job with having the horses identified. I heard little if any hesitation as though you've had to search for the name of a horse. Good stuff.
Keep working at it. Good luck!
I view race calling as a job for very few people. The tough part is memorizing each horse then being able to say the names without missing a beat.
Then 25 minutes later do it all over again having forced yourself to forget the last event.

[v j stauffer]

Originally Posted by andtheyreoff

Yes.

Calling races off the television is a complete waste of time. In fact it's counterproductive IMO.

You will learn nothing and develop bad habits. You must visit the racetrack. Bring binoculars and a tape recorder, secure a decent vantage point and call as many races " live " as you can.

[v j stauffer]

Originally Posted by mountainman

When announcers repeatedly pick up much too late on wide-closing winners, I strongly suspect they are calling from a monitor. Any thoughts on the propriety of this?

100% percent correct. The "off the monitor" guys are very easy to pick out.