Writer and budding BE Volunteer Jon Lowe gives us the second part of his two part behind the scenes blog from the Control side of the 2015 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. 

I'd like to begin with a brief recap on my last installment....

If you remember I was very excited to have received an email from Hugh Thomas - the Director of Badminton Horse Trials – inviting me to visit the Control Team as part of my blog about volunteering roles in Eventing.

On arriving at this iconic event I was somewhat surprised to discover that Control HQ was housed within a blue stripy marquee (pictured). Hidden inside of this humble exterior I found a plethora of officials and volunteers who were surrounded by television monitors, radios, plotting boards and microphones. I was met by Control Organiser Richard Clapham who explained to me how things worked.

Richard Clapham is a BE Controller who can boast nearly 30 years of experience. He's not only the Controller Organiser at Badminton but he also officiates at The Landrover Burghley Horse Trials. I asked Richard how things differed when organising a Control Team at an elite 4* event.

Richard explained that the underlying principles remain the same. The role of the Controller is to ensure that the cross-country course runs in a safe manner at all times and to liaise effectively with other officials and volunteers. However at a 4* event such as Badminton the logistics of overseeing a course of this length requires a different approach to ensure the safety of competitors.

At lower levels the emergency services are usually kept roving, but at Badminton the course is divided up into 4 areas. Richard explained that each area is overseen by a Sector Steward and a BE Technical Delegate (TD). These people help the Lead Controller by being their 'eyes and ears' out on the course. Each Sector Steward has responsibility for dealing with incidents in their area and have a full back up team at their disposal including medical and veterinary assistance and fence repair.

The logistics of commentating from inside of a marquee also puzzled me – at a very basic level there was no view of the cross- country course. Richard explained that this was overcome by 16 camera feeds which are streamed onto four large monitors. For a trainee such as myself this seemed a hugely complex process – after all I am still trying to get to grips with listening and speaking at the same time. Richard assured me that being able to watch more of the action made commentating easier. Thankfully I didn't get to test his theory as on this occasion as I wasn't invited to step behind the microphone. Mike Tucker can sleep easy– I have no intention of trying to usurp his crown at any time soon.

That being said my vocal talents did get an airing. I was interviewed by Radio Badminton about my involvement with the BE training schemes. I was teamed up with Spencer Sturmey – a man who has a great voice and exhibits a natural flair for commentating. Radio Badminton is broadcast to the public via headsets which luckily come with volume control. I fear that this feature may well have been activated during the times when my 'dulcet tones' were occupying the airwaves but God loves and trier and it's all good experience.

I left Badminton feeling even more in awe of the amount of effort that goes on behind the scenes. When I returned home the first thing I did was to watch the BBC coverage – I think that next year Clare Balding should certainly pay homage to those sat within with walls of that stripy blue tent!

In my next blog installment I am let loose on the airwaves at Llanymynech and Brand Hall Horse Trials and I pay a visit to Bramham International. More stories via www.thelowedown.co.uk

 

Watch Jon in interview at Badminton.