Race Directors & Staff:
You guys make the race! The goal of this part of my blog is to share my observations with you as I travel from race to race either as either the Race Announcer or as a participating athlete!
In my experience as both a racer, an announcer and a sponsor, the Announcer you choose as your race day voice can have a huge impact on morale of the racers and Sponsors! Think of it like this – the person holding the microphone has command of your ENTIRE audience for the ENTIRE day! Yes, there’s a lot of fun the announcer can have being creative and ad-libbing yet don’t leave it entirely up to the discretion of the announcer to thank sponsors and give instructions. This is YOUR hired VOICE. You are paying good money for this service so maximize it! The Race Day Announcer can be a huge asset and WIN for your race. Here’s why I think so:
Your athletes need clear and concise information on race day so they know where to go and what to do. They have so much on their minds as they get prepared to RACE that the last thing they want to do is have to find someone to ask where the bathrooms are. This may seem like basic information, however think about this – you are the race staff and YOU know everything that is going on on race day. But your athletes don’t. Your announcer can be the key to helping your athletes relax and prepare for their race as all the information they need to hear is being announced over the loud speakers. Think about what you want your athletes to know on race day, write it down and then prep your announcer! Give your race announcer EVERY bit of information on what you want your athletes to know on race day. This may seem like just “one more thing to do” yet I can tell you from experience from both an racer and an announcer, the race directors who take their time to think about what they want their announcers to say on race day have more successful races than the ones who don’t! Remember that repetition is KEY – so ask your announcers to repeat the pertinent information frequently!
When I’m announcing, I get asked all sorts of questions…from where’s the bathroom to where can I find a bandaid to where is the results board to where is lunch being served to where can I find a maker to make a poster for my aunt Sally! People think that the person who has the microphone has all the answers so give your announcers ALL the answers! You and your athletes will be glad you’ve thought about this detail.
Another reason to prep your announcer is your Sponsors. As your Sponsors have generously donated their time and money to be a part of your race, the way you thank them and promote their product and service at your race may be the determining factor in them deciding to continue to sponsor of your races or not! The better you announcer is prepped with how to thank your Sponsors and promote their product or service, the more they’ll appreciate being part of your race. Remember that they have a choice in races they chose to sponsor! USE YOUR ANNOUNCER TO THANK YOUR SPONSORS! Think of their tag lines…how to contact them….give aways they’re doing at the race…that kind of thing. If you’re not sure what to say about a Sponsor, just ask them what they’d like the announcer to say. Trust me, they’ll have a bounty of information to share with you about the befits of their product or service.
Remember that you are a sponsor of your own race too so use your announcer to promote your future races. Prep your announcer to promote YOUR upcoming races! You have a captive audience! Use your announcer to let athletes know what races are coming up next and why they should sign up for your next race! Again, USE YOUR ANNOUNCER!
This FINISH LINE!: The DID it! They crossed the finish line! This may be someone’s first race or maybe their personal best! Maybe it’s their birthday or they’ve traveled from Canada to participate in your race! Folks LIKE being announced as they cross the finish line. Find out as much as you can about them and have the announcer SAY it as they cross. Have an easy-t0-use system in place so the Announcer can quickly read the information on the athlete as they cross. Even as much as their first name and where they’re from can bring about huge smiles as your athletes cross the finish line.
AND…could you really do a race with out the generous help from your volunteers? Ask your race announcer to thank the volunteers and announce information on how folks can get involved with your origination to volunteer for future events.
The bottom line is this, Race Directors – as your Announcer, all I”m paid to do is say what you want me to say. Basically, I’m a paid talking head – so, have helpful, fun and revenue generating information for me to say!
Contact me for tips on your particular race and I’ll be happy to help you brainstorm on ways prep your announcer and take your race to the next level!
Happy Racing!
Sandria
