Binoculars of the Track Announcer
When announcing a horse race the number one objective of the race caller is to accurately describe and relay the events and happenings in the race. In order to do this well, high-powered binoculars are a necessity to pick up on intricate details, such as a dropped whip, in a race.
The #1 tool a race caller uses is binoculars. The pair I use are the Canon 15×50 Image Stabilization All Weather Binoculars.
What is Image Stabilization?
The image stabilization component is invaluable. When using a high-powered binocular, the tiniest bit of movement is accented, effectively muting the advantage of using the binoculars in the first place.
The battery-powered stabilizer “floats” the image and minimizes the impact of shakes, tremors and other outside movement. In other words, you can fully utilize the benefit of the high-zoom without the side-effects of having what is often referred to as “the shakes.”
With these binoculars I have been able to pick-up flying horse shoes and dropped whips on numerous occasions. It also allows you to look closely at the hands of the jockey and whether or not they have a “fistful of horse” or are riding a horse already out of gas.
From a psychological standpoint, they also help eliminate the mental block of uncertainty. The power is so strong, you feel that much closer to the action, and can describe it accordingly.
Every Announcer is Different
Like with golf clubs on the PGA Tour, however, each individual announcer uses his or her own preferred pair when race calling. I know of a few track announcers who use binoculars with half the zoom power of the pair I use, while a few others use binoculars fit for a sniper team scouting-out a target thousands of feet away.
Additional Support
In addition to my binoculars, I also use a rather primitive but effective neck-support device (designed for camcorders) which helps support the binoculars. More importantly, it frees-up one of my hands so I can work the microphone or ask a group of liquored-up older ladies to be quiet as they come down the stretch (true story).
01/30/09 7:12 am
I use Swarovski 10 x 50 and absolutely love them. the brightness and sharness are second to none. and what i maybe like best is that they are not to powerful, so they dont feel shaky. I use a leopuld tripod as well for ultimate stabilization LOL I know i’m a tool
04/24/09 6:34 pm
I now use some Nikon Premier 8×42 having used some 10×42. They can be hand held easily. What I like about them from a racecalling perspective, is they have a very wide field of view so I can see most of the horses in a race at a single glance – yet still have enough power to pick out what I need to see.
They also let in a lot of light which is good in gloomy conditions. In the UK where our tracks are bigger, I do not know of a commentator who uses more than a 10X and 8X is probably the most popular configuration.
Craig.