Sunday, October 11, 2009
If I pursue my interest in becoming a sports journalist (Sailing)
I hope I will be able to do justice to magnificent men and woman who give it all and put their lives on hold just to challenge themselves and the elements of the ocean.
Inspirational or an act of Stupidity
As a journalist, I find news related stories on sailing very interesting. Sailing is more than a sport. Sailing brings out now and again shocking and tragic stories. Brave men and women risk their lives taking part in this very challenging sport. You come across heart breaking stories and some controversial ones. Let’s take a look at a story which has generated an international debate in Australia and around the world. Teen sensation Jessica Watson is attempting to become the youngest person to sail around the world. This story has created a stir among every one in the International Yachting community. As a Journalist you have to analyze the historic attempt and the stupidity. Sailing around the world is no mean joke; you have to prepare lots for such an ordeal. There are no short cuts to preparing for such a feat. Jessica’s family and her team have backed her fully in attempting this really dangerous expedition. Even veteran of the Volvo Ocean race Andrew Cape sent her a word of warning, but she has rejected the warning and is determined to go ahead. Would this go into the history books as an inspirational attempt or just a foolish act of stupidity? Being a sailing journalist, you often come up with controversial pieces like this. For more information on this story click on the following url:Jessica Watson solo sailing world record attempt Australian Andrew Cape Teen solo sailor Watson's camp rejects death warning
Tragedy strikes as Andrew and Sally die doing what they love most. This story is really heart breaking and sad as the community lost two of the most experienced and respected sailors on the sailing circuit. The irony is that just before embarking on another yacht race, Andrew hand delivered a letter to young Jessica Watson, warning that the “unforgiving “ocean could cost her life. It was really sad and ironic because it was the last letter he would ever write as he and Sally died in a freak accident during their race. The other 16 team members managed to survive. But it was a really sad day for them as a team and they were in complete shock to lose very close friends and two of the most experienced sailors on board. I am fortunate that a close friend of mine survived the tragedy. He was part of the 16 survivors who were part of the team. Andrew Short’s 19 year old son survived the ordeal. On his facebook status my friend had written “Andrew Short & Sally Gordon RIP. I'll miss you both so much. Andrew you are a legend, you gave me a chance to prove my worth. I'm glad I was by your side last night......I will remember it forever.” This was a very emotional and sad story to witness as I sailed a 60 foot yacht for the first time last Friday. As a friend, I am glad my friend survived. As a passionate sailor I am sad that such tragedies happen in our sport. As a budding journalist – whether it is covering sailing or competing in the sport, for brave inspirational stories like Andrew / Sally or because of controversial stories of sailors like Jessica Watson. For more information on this tragic story visit Andrew and Sally ... masters of their craft
Tragedy strikes as Andrew and Sally die doing what they love most. This story is really heart breaking and sad as the community lost two of the most experienced and respected sailors on the sailing circuit. The irony is that just before embarking on another yacht race, Andrew hand delivered a letter to young Jessica Watson, warning that the “unforgiving “ocean could cost her life. It was really sad and ironic because it was the last letter he would ever write as he and Sally died in a freak accident during their race. The other 16 team members managed to survive. But it was a really sad day for them as a team and they were in complete shock to lose very close friends and two of the most experienced sailors on board. I am fortunate that a close friend of mine survived the tragedy. He was part of the 16 survivors who were part of the team. Andrew Short’s 19 year old son survived the ordeal. On his facebook status my friend had written “Andrew Short & Sally Gordon RIP. I'll miss you both so much. Andrew you are a legend, you gave me a chance to prove my worth. I'm glad I was by your side last night......I will remember it forever.” This was a very emotional and sad story to witness as I sailed a 60 foot yacht for the first time last Friday. As a friend, I am glad my friend survived. As a passionate sailor I am sad that such tragedies happen in our sport. As a budding journalist – whether it is covering sailing or competing in the sport, for brave inspirational stories like Andrew / Sally or because of controversial stories of sailors like Jessica Watson. For more information on this tragic story visit Andrew and Sally ... masters of their craft
Reporting from the high seas during the toughest 'Round The World Race'
Life at the Extreme or La vie à l'extrémité
The Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier global race and one of the most demanding team sporting events in the world. Most people in the yachting community agree that this particular round the world race is the “Everest of Sailing”. For more information about the Volvo Ocean Race visit http://www.volvooceanrace.org/ The 2008/2009 edition of the race had an exciting twist, when it came to the composition of the team. Each team consisted of eleven professional crew members. One of the many requirements for the composition of the crew was that each team had to have a media specialist on board. The job of the crew member was to report, broadcast and take photographs during the whole race. The media specialist was only an observer and not a participant. This was an exciting addition to the requirements by the race organizers to connect more with the viewers at home. This enabled viewers to take a really close look at what happens during the race. As a media student and an active sailor, this gives you an idea of my interests –Sports Journalism (Sailing).I find this very interesting as I will get to do two things that are very dear to me. It’s every sailor’s dream to sail the Volvo Ocean Race. To be given an opportunity to be part of a team and to be right there in the thick of it all. Being part of the race would be an amazing experience for a sports journalist. This is one of the unique sports where the journalist will be part of a race team. This new addition has been so successful that journalists actually want to come back not as a media specialist but as a professional sailor. This sort of reporting is taking sports journalism to another level. This is not just a round the world race. It is one of the hardest challenges a person can undertake. This addition is a really great platform for Ocean racing and adds a new dimension to sports journalism.Here is a great Q&A article on GUO CHUAN, the first Chinese man to be part of the Volvo Ocean race Volvo Ocean Race - Latest News .He took part as a Media Specialist. It is my dream to become the first Indian to sail the Volvo Ocean Race as a journalist sailor.
The Volvo Ocean Race is the world’s premier global race and one of the most demanding team sporting events in the world. Most people in the yachting community agree that this particular round the world race is the “Everest of Sailing”. For more information about the Volvo Ocean Race visit http://www.volvooceanrace.org/ The 2008/2009 edition of the race had an exciting twist, when it came to the composition of the team. Each team consisted of eleven professional crew members. One of the many requirements for the composition of the crew was that each team had to have a media specialist on board. The job of the crew member was to report, broadcast and take photographs during the whole race. The media specialist was only an observer and not a participant. This was an exciting addition to the requirements by the race organizers to connect more with the viewers at home. This enabled viewers to take a really close look at what happens during the race. As a media student and an active sailor, this gives you an idea of my interests –Sports Journalism (Sailing).I find this very interesting as I will get to do two things that are very dear to me. It’s every sailor’s dream to sail the Volvo Ocean Race. To be given an opportunity to be part of a team and to be right there in the thick of it all. Being part of the race would be an amazing experience for a sports journalist. This is one of the unique sports where the journalist will be part of a race team. This new addition has been so successful that journalists actually want to come back not as a media specialist but as a professional sailor. This sort of reporting is taking sports journalism to another level. This is not just a round the world race. It is one of the hardest challenges a person can undertake. This addition is a really great platform for Ocean racing and adds a new dimension to sports journalism.Here is a great Q&A article on GUO CHUAN, the first Chinese man to be part of the Volvo Ocean race Volvo Ocean Race - Latest News .He took part as a Media Specialist. It is my dream to become the first Indian to sail the Volvo Ocean Race as a journalist sailor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
