Announcers saying MPH

[Jack Matyas]

Unk --Shouldn't you be getting on a plane or something instead of being on here typing ............see you soon .

[BobUnkefer]

Originally Posted by Jack Matyas

Unk --Shouldn't you be getting on a plane or something instead of being on here typing ............see you soon .

Not racing...damn it....don't have to be there until Friday morning. Get in tomorrow night. See ya Friday.

Unk

shouldn't you be out taking picture of everyone in the rain or sumthin? :-)

[hookdaddy]

Wow

[Michael Beard]

Dead-on, Unk!

While we are all interested in the on-track data, it's not *just* about the numbers, but the people, personalities, and tidbits that people may not know. It's great to hear comments like, "You made Super Comp interesting. That's the first time I've ever really paid attention to them!"

I like to keep in mind those folks listening over the PA or the radio broadcast that can't see the scoreboards. Just like broadcasting a baseball game over the radio, listeners should be able to get a clear picture of what's going on without having to see it.

One of the toughest things about being in the booth is trying not to repeat a given phrase too many times. When you're describing hundreds of runs, it's inevitable that you'll fall back on some phrase. It probably annoys the announcer himself before it does the listeners.

I love announcing. Just love driving more. But, since I can't compete at the bracket finals this year, I've already got one event penciled in to be the announcer. Can't wait!

[Mike Bassin]

Don't know where to start with this one. Unk and Mike Beard have this right. My announcing started way back before scoreboards and timing systems gave you nothing but e.t. and mph. Now there is plenty of info to work with starting with your own knowledge of the class, the drivers and the cars plus what is on the announcers screen, incrementals, reaction times, margin of victory, last qualifying run e.t.etc. Though the fans can see the scoreboard numbers, many are in the pits and can't see them so you need to paint a picture of the run. There is so much stuff there it should never be boring for the occasional or hard core fans or racers and crewmembers. You want to stay out of a rut and switch around how you tell the story of all the runs during the day. The one thing I think is most important to do when you have the mike in your hand is to describe how close so many of these runs are. Many are .01 margin of victory or less and often both drivers have very good packages, I like to give credit to the winner but also let everyone know the loser drove well also. When someone is late, I'm not going to announce how late it was, everyone can see it, brake lights on near the finish etc. About the miles per hour thing, usually I call it like this, Bill dialed 6.70 and ran 6.71 at 101 with an .017 light and takes the win, Jim was dead on the dial, he went 5.90 at 115 with an .030, another close drag race. Always want to be as complimentary as possible with racers, I've done enough racing to know how hard it is to win. Rambling on here a bit, we don't have scoreborads at our track yet.... maybe soon.... you do have to work harder when annoucing without them! And yes I agree with most everyone else here. Lewis Bloom is a real pro, worked with many times, Bob Frey and Alan Rhinehart are excellent as well.

[Michael Beard]

Announcing at big money bracket racing has gone over the top, everything is so tight that much of the information is understood by the racers, so we get shorthand like, "He's 6, taking 2, dead-on for the win."

Some lines I've heard over the years that have stuck with me....

- First ever $20K Footbrake, at Huntsville, very first pair of cars in eliminations, with a deadpan delivery: "They're .501 and .503, both drivers dead-on... WELCOME to Alabama."

- At the brutal $30K Shootout at the World Footbrake Challenge last year, Jared Pennington: "Both drivers are dead late, they're .015 and .017!"

- I'm announcing at the IHRA Div. 2 Bracket Finals at Steele, Ala in 2000, "Here's Larry Ericksmoen, dialed in at a 5.03 for the 5th consecutive round" (and race director Kurt Kummer slams his pen down on the desk, turns around and sez, "How do you KNOW this?!"

That race was a *blast*, as Hub City's Ralph Abraham brought a remote headset mic. I was out on the guardwall about 300', taking pictures and announcing at the same time, whoever I could remember off the top of my head, and Ralph was back in the tower picking up anything I'd miss off the computer. It was great, because you could hear guys pedaling at the stripe, turn around and point to the stands where the team of that round winner was sitting, and everybody would stand up, yell, and go nuts!

I've posted it before, but Mike Bassin was a favorite growing up, as he helped ignite the interest in Stock eliminator for me, hearing him provide an ongoing history lesson as Stockers ran at the Numidia LODRS when I was a kid.

I like Unk's delivery (and probably picked up some of it from him by accident, when I did the inaugural World Footbrake Challenge).

In the end, it's all about making heroes out of the little guys.