Race Caller

If you’ve ever watched the Kentucky Derby, you know that horses and Jockeys are only half the excitement. The other half comes courtesy of the Announcer, known as the Race Caller, whose unique brand of commentary turns a herd of running steeds into a captivating competition for glory.

As a Race Caller, you’re a special type of Sportscaster who’s paid to narrate races — horse races, auto races, and even running races — for fans, either on-track via the PA system or over the airwaves, on radio or TV.

Like other Sportscasters, your job as a Race Caller is to verbally describe sporting events as they happen. Because races happen so quickly, however — the goal, after all, is to win by being faster than everyone else — you’ve got to be more than an Announcer. The Race Caller also has to be an expert, as your duties include identifying race entrants’ positions during the race, acknowledging and reporting race entrants’ actions and strategies, and calling the times at which race entrants’ meet race milestones, such as the quarter- and half-mile marks — all of which requires a keen eye and fluency in the sport.

While the highlight of your job is calling races — you’ll typically call up to 10 races a day — you spend a large portion of your time preparing for them, instead. In the case of a horse race, for instance, you’ve got to memorize the horses’ and Jockeys’ names, silks, and colors so that you can easily identify them on the track.

Basically, you’re a sports storyteller, telling true tales about racers at racetracks!