those were the days, something to smile about.

[A ORLOV 8,628]

8 minutes ago, Icicle said:

Recently I "rediscovered" an old recording of a 70's World Final (Briggs Olsen etc). Big crowds, but  dreadful boring racing!! Lucky if more than 1 overtake the whole night....yes, felt better at the time, atmosphere & crowd plus youth reason, not the actual racing.

That is how I take the GP at Cardiff, the day around the stadium meeting fans from other clubs and countries then time in a couple of good watering holes followed by the atmosphere and noise inside the stadium is often more memorable than the racing.   

[Reliant Robin 492]

On 3/17/2019 at 9:09 PM, falcace said:

I went to a British Basketball League match today.... Plymouth Raiders v London Lions.

It's not my favourite sport, but it was a good afternoon's entertainment. What's really striking about it compared to speedway is that not a single minute is wasted. Even when it is time-outs or the end of quarters, there are dancers, the mascot is up to something, kids competitions, lights, music..it is a full show. In short, it's light years ahead of speedway. And surprise, surprise, it is packed with families and the sort of demographic everyone on this forum would love to see at the speedway.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...and again and again. Speedway's problem is not that it isn't what it used to be. IT'S THAT IT HASN'T CHANGED ENOUGH! 

Anything from it that could potentially be transferred to a speedway meeting? Any of the gap fillers etc? Can't see cheerleaders catching on with Speedway's demographic, but could it bring a new demographic through?

[fatface 2,549]

7 hours ago, Reliant Robin said:

Anything from it that could potentially be transferred to a speedway meeting? Any of the gap fillers etc? Can't see cheerleaders catching on with Speedway's demographic, but could it bring a new demographic through?

You make a valid point (if I am reading you right?) and you are of course right, not everything is transferrable from the indoor arena to a speedway stadium.

Speedway cannot simply replicate basketball in presentation terms, but there is a lot to learn in just the use of music, light and sound effects to add some drama and spectacle to the occasion. There is no dead time at all. It's all high impact music and effective use of spotlights and bright lights to crank up the atmosphere. I think the GPs do this much better than league speedway and I recognise they have much bigger budgets, but there is a lot can be done with a whizz kid at the keyboard and some decent equipment (bought by clubs pooling resources?).

[Icicle 896]

The odd "entertainments" that go on in Russia- esp. the Ice  can be odd...sometimes folk songs..(old style) sometimes local (usually obviously amateur) Dance lots..I've noticed BMX bikes doing odd tricks (most of these at Togliatti) but the oddest (so far) can't remember where (a shale meeting?) was some (I assume local) bods flying their radio controlled planes around! All a bit odd. 

[tellboy 3,658]

1 hour ago, falcace said:

You make a valid point (if I am reading you right?) and you are of course right, not everything is transferrable from the indoor arena to a speedway stadium.

Speedway cannot simply replicate basketball in presentation terms, but there is a lot to learn in just the use of music, light and sound effects to add some drama and spectacle to the occasion. There is no dead time at all. It's all high impact music and effective use of spotlights and bright lights to crank up the atmosphere. I think the GPs do this much better than league speedway and I recognise they have much bigger budgets, but there is a lot can be done with a whizz kid at the keyboard and some decent equipment (bought by clubs pooling resources?).

With many meetings done during light hours,would any kind of lighting shows have any affect?

[Trees 2,814]

10 hours ago, Icicle said:

Recently I "rediscovered" an old recording of a 70's World Final (Briggs Olsen etc). Big crowds, but  dreadful boring racing!! Lucky if more than 1 overtake the whole night....yes, felt better at the time, atmosphere & crowd plus youth reason, not the actual racing.

The fans at a World Final years ago were 100% supporting their fav riders, I can remember feeling so nervous for riders I cared a damn about.  I don't remember once worrying about the quality of the racing only that my riders were winning lol.  Now, of course, we rarely have that emotional tie because the top boys don't race here.... I guess then fans are seeing the meetings differently.... 

[g13webb 4,254]

7 hours ago, Trees said:

The fans at a World Final years ago were 100% supporting their fav riders, I can remember feeling so nervous for riders I cared a damn about.  I don't remember once worrying about the quality of the racing only that my riders were winning lol.  Now, of course, we rarely have that emotional tie because the top boys don't race here.... I guess then fans are seeing the meetings differently.... 

I appreciate your views and can understand that connection, but it was a two way thing.  Riders rode for a club and belonged solely to that club, they didn't ride for a various others at the same time, so the loyalty was never in question.  This belonging feeling that existed was paramount to the connection,    the fans had with the club.  This is why the terraces were always full.   Every race meant something because the riders didn't want to let the fans down...   It was as though you were a big family.    Many nights after the meetings  we stayed on to mix with the riders in the bar. Some nights it was so full you couldn't get in the place.   But it all added to that emotional attachment.

One of the big difference is now the top  riders are free agents and ride for many clubs.   They is no belonging to any specific club or their fans, the riders act like mercenaries, milking the situation that the rules have allowed .   The powers that govern this sport  have destroyed that connection the fans valued so much.   the only attraction left is the actual racing on the track, and sadly ,  that at times is not very good...

When I relate to the good times of yesteryear , I am referring to the whole package,    the costs,  the environment,  the excitement,  the belonging, the enjoyment,  that all added to the actual racing that made it occasions you remembered...

 

[Trees 2,814]

6 minutes ago, g13webb said:

I appreciate your views and can understand that connection, but it was a two way thing.  Riders rode for a club and belonged solely to that club, they didn't ride for a various others at the same time, so the loyalty was never in question.  This belonging feeling that existed was paramount to the connection,    the fans had with the club.  This is why the terraces were always full.   Every race meant something because the riders didn't want to let the fans down...   It was as though you were a big family.    Many nights after the meetings  we stayed on to mix with the riders in the bar. Some nights it was so full you couldn't get in the place.   But it all added to that emotional attachment.

One of the big difference is now the top  riders are free agents and ride for many clubs.   They is no belonging to any specific club or their fans, the riders act like mercenaries, milking the situation that the rules have allowed .   The powers that govern this sport  have destroyed that connection the fans valued so much.   the only attraction left is the actual racing on the track, and sadly ,  that at times is not very good...

When I relate to the good times of yesteryear , I am referring to the whole package,    the costs,  the environment,  the excitement,  the belonging, the enjoyment,  that all added to the actual racing that made it occasions you remembered...

 

Years ago there was loads of money coming in to pay riders very handsomely, it was a piece of cake for promoters, the fans turned up without them doing anything much. Now speedway is so much harder to promote, to be able to afford to promote, modern day British promoters would love the crowds and consequent money that was around in the sport in the past.  But imo they are making changes, the current situation is making them think differently. And if course there are certain promoters out there who are setting a standard, giving them all ideas and a kick up the bum lol

Yes the sport has changed as travel has changed, even years ago riders went off to make more money where they could, now they have the chance to race for 4 different teams but still many riders stick to the same clubs everywhere, I'm sure we can all name some. They stay where they are happy, if at all possible and if the promoters want them to. Just look at the amount of riders who have ridden for Lynn for years, who have belonged. 

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

When i first started going to speedway as a young un  the special part for me was the visiting teams.Most of them had a top class no1 who maybe you would only see once or twice a season that made it special .Also the team's lesser light's of the sport and every team had them we could all relate to them they were one of us i miss that part of it.My team Swindon had two lesser light riders in Keen, Hitch, they both  give me alot of pleasure over the years .And i often wonder in this era they would of been replaced without a thought but not then because  they were idolised by there home fans different times.

Edited March 20, 2019 by Sidney the robin

[Baldyman 6,243]

30 minutes ago, Trees said:

Years ago there was loads of money coming in to pay riders very handsomely, it was a piece of cake for promoters, the fans turned up without them doing anything much. Now speedway is so much harder to promote, to be able to afford to promote, modern day British promoters would love the crowds and consequent money that was around in the sport in the past.  But imo they are making changes, the current situation is making them think differently. And if course there are certain promoters out there who are setting a standard, giving them all ideas and a kick up the bum lol

Yes the sport has changed as travel has changed, even years ago riders went off to make more money where they could, now they have the chance to race for 4 different teams but still many riders stick to the same clubs everywhere, I'm sure we can all name some. They stay where they are happy, if at all possible and if the promoters want them to. Just look at the amount of riders who have ridden for Lynn for years, who have belonged. 

Surely speedway is now much easier to promote with the Internet and free social media to get it out on at any time they like.  It's more like they don't bother to promote properly or use the tools properly to do so. 

[Trees 2,814]

8 minutes ago, Sidney the robin said:

When i first started going to speedway as a young un  the special part for me was the visiting teams.Most of them had a top class no1 who maybe you would only see once or twice a season that made it special .Also the team's lesser light's of the sport and every team had them we could all relate to them they were one of us i miss that part of it.My team Swindon had two lesser light riders in Keen, Hitch, they both  give me alot of pleasure over the years .And i often wonder in this era they would of been replaced without a thought but not then because  they were idolised by there home fans different times.

The same still applies, there are loads of lesser lights that have ridden for Lynn over the years who stayed for years. 

[Trees 2,814]

2 minutes ago, Baldyman said:

Surely speedway is now much easier to promote with the Internet and free social media to get it out on at any time they like.  It's more like they don't bother to promote properly or use the tools properly to do so. 

They can promote on social media all they like but as we all know, many people aren't interested. Just like football clubs, horse racing tracks, rugby, cricket etc etc etc are of no interest to me. But they have to keep trying. 

[Sidney the robin 4,735]

Not to the levels of yesteryear, correct King's Lynn have  been great for that over the years.My main point was riders  then were often kept on there popularity rather than there points potential.

[Baldyman 6,243]

But at least they would be trying.  Having a YouTube channel is a good way to show what it's all about.    

[g13webb 4,254]

50 minutes ago, Trees said:

They can promote on social media all they like but as we all know, many people aren't interested. Just like football clubs, horse racing tracks, rugby, cricket etc etc etc are of no interest to me. But they have to keep trying. 

It would be wrong to judge everyone like yourself.   You probably don't like the sports you mentioned but you cant help but notice all the hype in the national press     Social media is good but it does not tick every box.  If you are not looking in the right places you will not see the media releases.   Years ago we could always read about the Stars in the local rags but them days are long gone.     Last year we were on the verge of success and there was not a word in the local press.     No body knew anything about it, even  the old speedway fans...  

Sports like Football, Rugby, Horse racing are  on the back pages of every national newspaper, whereas Speedway is the biggest secret out there.    If this sport has any future then it needs a professional  Promotion Team to put it where the public can see it....