What Skills Are Needed to be a Racing Announcer?
At first glance, you might assume that in order to be a racing announcer or indeed a commentator on any sport, the biggest skill you need is the ability to watch the event and talk quickly about what is happening.
Whilst there is no denying that the ability to be able to quickly let people know what is happening at an event is important, there are many other skills that are needed.
Betway recently got together with big names in the sporting commentary world to discuss their skills and love of their sports; so according to the likes of Peter Drury and Richard Hoiles what skills are needed to be a racing announcer?
Accuracy and Concentration
Whether someone is following the game from home because they have been on horse racing betting sites, they’re just watching on the TV at home for fun or they’re at the event and want to know what is happening, they need to know that racing announcements are accurate.
After all, if they announce that a horse is out in front, or indeed out of the race completely then this can change in-game betting odds so it’s really important that the announcements are accurate and precise.
At events such as the Cheltenham Festival there can be as many as 7 races in a day; so being able to concentrate on each of these races is important and definitely towards the top of must-have skills for those that want to be a racing announcer.
Passion
Both Richard Hoiles and Peter Drury were fans of the sports that they are now commentators on before they become involved in the industry and this passion really shows.
It is no coincidence that ex-professional football players are often invited to after-match chat shows or to commentate on games. People watching at home or catching up after the event want to hear sporting news from people just as passionate about the sport as they are much like all the Irish trainers.
If you’re announcing a horse race but you don’t have passion this is really going to come across in your announcements as you fail to get the audiences listening along with you excited.
Good Under Pressure
Without a doubt, if you want to be a racing announcer then you need to be good under pressure. After all, when big events such as The Cheltenham Festival take place there are plenty of big names taking part in big races; and this pressure is likely to be felt throughout the event.
This is especially true when you add in the atmosphere of the spectators watching the event live and those tuning it at home.
You are likely to be announcing horse racing results to large numbers of people and if you let this pressure get to you then it could mean that you are put off your game and this could affect how well you announce what is happening – something that you most definitely want to avoid as much as you possibly can!
