Post by Graeme Mead on Jan 4, 2015 21:13:40 GMT 12
What a two days it was and working with Ram Jam, Paul and Mal it was great fun, but I thought I would share what goes on in our minds and plans during the meeting and before we start.
Paul Hickey had done a heap of information collation, who had qualified over the past 10 years, who hadn't, old grids, who's car was whose one and a lot of background stuff. He's a bit on an encyclopaedia and we all get to use that stuff over the course of a weekend
Me I spend a bit of time reading the fields and the drivers, memorising names and numbers, they tend to stuff me up when the change car colours though, but I have in my folder a fair bit of information on the last 10 years of class champions at NZ, GP and island titles. I then walk around the pits putting names to cars and colours in my head and more so on finals night where they are parked in the pits.
Mal and Ram Jam have similar stuff with them too, either in memory or in folders
All that stuff is before the day starts. the club gives us a time line (and Wellingtons was good)
we met at 5pm on Friday as that's when Paul and I got there after a drive from Hamilton ( for me) and as Paul finished work in Taupo)
In about 5 minutes we had established our roles and we discussed our expectations of what we as a team of commentators, must deliver and would like to deliver. All of us can call races but we each have a particular skew in some areas, so we used our best bits to make the package work. Some of this was new to Ram Jam but he just fitted on in and he now will use what he has been exposed to over the past two days to help in his commentary roles (he said he would
)
Our radio kit is in one ear the FM transmission so we can hear what's going on and in the other ear we have RT communication between us all, so when we are talking or interviewing or race calling, there is an audio in one ear and those that aren't broadcasting are giving each other information like car problems from the infield if they are parked up, observed car problems if on track, what interview is next if we are in the pits, things we could ask, car information, or where we are going next. In all its a little production studio. To try and figure out what's its like, put an ear piece in each ear and have them on different talk back radio shows. I wear the ear muffs so I can hear the audio conservations and to take a bit of the noise around me out. The radios are all our own as well, we buy and use our own kit.
Its a package we try to deliver, me I love being in the pits and the infield and the drivers (as much as I love calling from the tower) now let me rock on up and get into their pit area, they tend not to growl to much if they are trying to fix cars and they now know the benefit of giving themselves a profile ( why would they sell shirts otherwise). The crews will normally tell me what's broken or I work that out myself and my job is to relay that via my own mic or to the boys in the tower so they can feed it out during a race. Every time I heard a red light was on the main track, I was ready with something as was Ram Jam, if we were working in the pits doing interviews they were telling me when it was going live again. From the tower they are feeding us car placing's and laps to go.
Over the two nights I walked over 21kms in and out of the pits and Ram Jam was similar numbers ( hes a bit sore today )and we don't really get what you call breaks. We ensured we talked to every finalist and some many times, we searched out teams and past winners to talk to and tried to bring your eyes in to the pits or the infield, just as Paul and Mal brought the track action. Its not hit and miss, we had a plan.
On top of that we had sponsors, food, house keeping and announcements to do, so in reality we don't stop for about 5 hours. I saw 3 races on finals night from the infield, which is a pretty dam good spot to watch from and to be honest you don't really see the races you are looking for all sorts of things that we need to report on. As cars break I am writing them down so I know which ones to follow up first in the pits.
Commentary just isn't picking up a mic and talking, its now a opportunity to bring the site to life over and above the racing.
I've been doing it now for 15 years and couple of years ago when I wasn't to flash health wise, I gave it away, but in all reality I just missed it too much to not keep on doing it, will I ever tire of it, about that I'm not sure but there may be a day when it gets like that (maybe)or I have passed my ability to bring something to the meeting. I suppose after all these years its easy to work with Paul, Mal, and Barry as they have been the ones who have been about for 15 plus years, there is a new crop coming through like Arran Drevor, Hayden Lambeth Steve Daniels and a couple of others up this way and they will fit in well, but they will find their strengths and use them well.
What's the next few meetings for me, well the world 240's, Super Saloon GP and the National Teams in Rotorua all 2 night meetings and some serious kms to walk are coming.
I hope this isn't seen as blowing my own trumpet (its not meant to be), but more a bit of a background to what we do and how we try to bring it to you as a package, using the strengths of us a team to deliver information to you the paying public.
And yes Paul and I drove home straight after the meeting, he had work in Taupo at 10am and I had some family this to do. Crazy, we probably are but we are there because we love it and speedway is in our blood ( as is talking )
Cheers Mintie
Paul Hickey had done a heap of information collation, who had qualified over the past 10 years, who hadn't, old grids, who's car was whose one and a lot of background stuff. He's a bit on an encyclopaedia and we all get to use that stuff over the course of a weekend
Me I spend a bit of time reading the fields and the drivers, memorising names and numbers, they tend to stuff me up when the change car colours though, but I have in my folder a fair bit of information on the last 10 years of class champions at NZ, GP and island titles. I then walk around the pits putting names to cars and colours in my head and more so on finals night where they are parked in the pits.
Mal and Ram Jam have similar stuff with them too, either in memory or in folders
All that stuff is before the day starts. the club gives us a time line (and Wellingtons was good)
we met at 5pm on Friday as that's when Paul and I got there after a drive from Hamilton ( for me) and as Paul finished work in Taupo)
In about 5 minutes we had established our roles and we discussed our expectations of what we as a team of commentators, must deliver and would like to deliver. All of us can call races but we each have a particular skew in some areas, so we used our best bits to make the package work. Some of this was new to Ram Jam but he just fitted on in and he now will use what he has been exposed to over the past two days to help in his commentary roles (he said he would
) Our radio kit is in one ear the FM transmission so we can hear what's going on and in the other ear we have RT communication between us all, so when we are talking or interviewing or race calling, there is an audio in one ear and those that aren't broadcasting are giving each other information like car problems from the infield if they are parked up, observed car problems if on track, what interview is next if we are in the pits, things we could ask, car information, or where we are going next. In all its a little production studio. To try and figure out what's its like, put an ear piece in each ear and have them on different talk back radio shows. I wear the ear muffs so I can hear the audio conservations and to take a bit of the noise around me out. The radios are all our own as well, we buy and use our own kit.
Its a package we try to deliver, me I love being in the pits and the infield and the drivers (as much as I love calling from the tower) now let me rock on up and get into their pit area, they tend not to growl to much if they are trying to fix cars and they now know the benefit of giving themselves a profile ( why would they sell shirts otherwise). The crews will normally tell me what's broken or I work that out myself and my job is to relay that via my own mic or to the boys in the tower so they can feed it out during a race. Every time I heard a red light was on the main track, I was ready with something as was Ram Jam, if we were working in the pits doing interviews they were telling me when it was going live again. From the tower they are feeding us car placing's and laps to go.
Over the two nights I walked over 21kms in and out of the pits and Ram Jam was similar numbers ( hes a bit sore today
)and we don't really get what you call breaks. We ensured we talked to every finalist and some many times, we searched out teams and past winners to talk to and tried to bring your eyes in to the pits or the infield, just as Paul and Mal brought the track action. Its not hit and miss, we had a plan.On top of that we had sponsors, food, house keeping and announcements to do, so in reality we don't stop for about 5 hours. I saw 3 races on finals night from the infield, which is a pretty dam good spot to watch from and to be honest you don't really see the races you are looking for all sorts of things that we need to report on. As cars break I am writing them down so I know which ones to follow up first in the pits.
Commentary just isn't picking up a mic and talking, its now a opportunity to bring the site to life over and above the racing.
I've been doing it now for 15 years and couple of years ago when I wasn't to flash health wise, I gave it away, but in all reality I just missed it too much to not keep on doing it, will I ever tire of it, about that I'm not sure but there may be a day when it gets like that (maybe)or I have passed my ability to bring something to the meeting. I suppose after all these years its easy to work with Paul, Mal, and Barry as they have been the ones who have been about for 15 plus years, there is a new crop coming through like Arran Drevor, Hayden Lambeth Steve Daniels and a couple of others up this way and they will fit in well, but they will find their strengths and use them well.
What's the next few meetings for me, well the world 240's, Super Saloon GP and the National Teams in Rotorua all 2 night meetings and some serious kms to walk are coming.
I hope this isn't seen as blowing my own trumpet (its not meant to be), but more a bit of a background to what we do and how we try to bring it to you as a package, using the strengths of us a team to deliver information to you the paying public.
And yes Paul and I drove home straight after the meeting, he had work in Taupo at 10am and I had some family this to do. Crazy, we probably are but we are there because we love it and speedway is in our blood ( as is talking )
Cheers Mintie
