IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE A FEMALE JOCKEY WINS A FLAT CLASSIC, BELIEVES AMY RYAN

AMY Ryan, the newly-crowned apprentice champion, believes that it is just a matter of time before a female jockey wins a British flat racing classic.

Beating closest rival Darren Egan by two clear winners, Amy finished her season with a total of 40.

Britain's leading female jockey Hayley Turner, who tied for the apprentice title in 2005, presented Amy with the trophy.

I agree that it is only a matter of time before a female jockey wins a classic. More and more women are coming into horse racing for a career and are constantly moving towards the top of the pack, as Amy has shown.

Barriers have been broken in the sport for female jockeys and I hope that they will continue to be.

It is about faith and patience in racing. A jockey needs a good horse and trainer to help towards big titles and now more female jockeys are getting just that.

Amy's success is a delight to see and I hope that she, along with Hayley, will encourage more girls to take up the sport who may even compete professionally in the future.

Watch this space.

WHERE ARE FEMALE COMMENTATORS IN RACING?

As many of you know already from reading my blog I am all for women’s equal rights – so my next question is this: Why do male commentators and broadcasters for horse racing out-number women in the industry?

I was reading a list of professionals in the media for the sport and only three women were listed out of 49 names.

Female jockeys and trainers compete alongside men everyday. Even in the bigger races such as The Grand National and Royal Ascot, jockeys such as Katie Walsh, Nina Carberry and Hayley Turner have no trouble battling against the opposite gender.

But why is it a different story on the commentary side?

I for one would love to see more female commentators but many fans feel that a woman’s voice is too high-pitched to deal with the excitement of a race. It’s crazy to think that a man’s voice is the only tone for commentary. It took a competition, Racing For Change, last year to find Britain’s first female commentator.

I find it awful how it takes a competition for women to feel they can put their names forward for such a job. On one hand I can see why it happened and I respect that it opened a window of opportunity, but on the other I feel that females shouldn’t be intimidated into applying for something that is extremely male-dominated.

I’ve heard people say that allowing a woman to commentate will be ‘patronising’. So I ask: How exactly? This is what I mean by women having a lack of confidence to proceed into the industry. It’s unfair to suggest that women do not have what it takes because of their tone of voice. Why is it assumed that the majority females are constantly giggly and shrill?

It is time to accept that more women want to proceed into the industry and I encourage racing fans to give confidence towards aspiring female commentators.

This is 2012, not the early 1900s.

Also published at: @valuehorsetips - Follow me every Thursday on their blog for 'Thursday Thoughts from Abby Rugg'.

NCTJ SPORTS JOURNALISM SHOULD CHANGE FOOTBALL DOMINATED SYLLABUS AND EXAM

Since Andy Gray and Richard Keys’ sexist off-air comments about female referee Sian Massey the media has been under constant scrutiny and subject boards such as the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) should be doing more to encourage potential sports writers, particularly women, to gain a sports journalism qualification.

As a journalist who wants to report on horse racing, I find it disheartening to see that the NCTJ do not do enough for potential sports writers like myself who believe football is a male-dominated sport and still has issues surrounding sexism.

Photo taken by @SJA Photography sally anscombe on April 11, 2010 using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. (Taken from Flickr)

Fifty per cent of the overall mark in the NCTJ sports journalism exam is given to reports written about a football match, not one seen in live play, but one that has been televised before giving knowledgeable football writers, particularly men, a greater advantage.

Jacqui Oatley battled criticism when she was first announced as BBC Match of the Day’s first female commentator and she expressed her views on the matter: “I think that if the exam has put people off then that’s wrong, we need to be encouraging females. If you genuinely have women who are really into sport but football’s not really their thing I think it’s wrong if they’re discouraged from taking the course.”

Jacqui said that she didn’t agree with the exam having 50 per cent of the marks on a football report but she understood why the NCTJ structures it that way as it is the dominant sport of the country.

She added that if someone wants to write about other sports rather than football, there should be no reason for the NCTJ to provide footage of different sports to report on.

Laura Robson, US Open 2011, taken by AshMarshall  on August 24, 2011 in Corona, New York, NY, US, using a Nikon D3000. (Image taken from Flickr)

As an aspiring sports journalist, I have no interest in football and therefore encourage NCTJ to provide more coverage of other sports, so that potential sports journalists who dislike football are given a greater chance of gaining a sports writing qualification. Jacqui agreed with this idea.

I complained to the NCTJ board directly about the high emphasis the syllabus and exam place on football, claiming that it is lazy and unfair.

The NCTJ Chief Examiner for Sports Journalism gave the following feedback to my complaint: “To work in any sports department, you need to have a basic knowledge of football. We work in multimedia newsrooms which require the ultimate flexibility. That is the foundation of any sports journalist.”

When asked if candidates of the exam could be given a choice of sports to report on, such as tennis or hockey, as they get equal coverage and therefore equally appealing to both men and women. The Chief Examiner said: “We have looked at other options; swimming, tennis, speedway, athletics, but for the part A exam [worth 50 per cent], we require a sport which runs for 90 minutes or so, and which lends itself to a two-part report.”

Photo taken by Arkle1 Janet Benoy  on December 2, 2006 using a Canon EOS 350D Digital. (Taken from Flickr)

 

 

There are other sports that have the duration of around 90 minutes and even though football may be the dominant sport in this country, it should not dominate the NCTJ sports journalism syllabus and exam.

As Jacqui said, it seems strange that 50 per cent of the marks go on a football related question when that is not what everyone wants to do.

This article will be published in Broadcast Magazine. Many thanks to Jacqui for allowing me to give an interview.

Link to Broadcast magazine: http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/comment/in-my-view/women-sports-reporters-need-a-level-playing-field/5041550.article?blocktitle=IN-MY-VIEW&contentID=1091

Hold the Front Page: http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2012/news/nctj-in-sexism-row-over-football-dominated-exam/ 

FEMALE ATHLETES LEFT OUT OF TOP 10 FOR SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR 2011

Nominations for Sports Personality of the Year 2011 have been announced today and not one woman has been shortlisted for the top 10.

Widespread backlash has been sparked as a result of the controversial decision, as sports women around the UK have taken to twitter to convey their anger and annoyance.

Nominees include:  Mark Cavendish (cycling), Darren Clarke (golf), Alastair Cook (cricket), Luke Donald (golf), Mo Farah (athletics), Dai Greene (athletics), Amir Khan (boxing), Rory McIlroy (golf), Andy Murray (tennis), Andrew Strauss (cricket).

Some of the men in the list do deserve to be nominated. Darren Clarke and Alastair Cook are just two examples of great sportsmen.

But why was there no place for Chrissie Wellington, Olympic Gold Medalist Rebecca Adlington, third time European Champion gymnast Beth Tweddle, taekwondo fighter world champion 2011 Sarah Stevenson or world champion rower Kath Grainger?

How about Mary King or Hayley Turner?

UK tennis number one, Andy Murray, is a credit to our country, but he has not won a world major in the sport.

Swimmer Keri-Anne Payne is a world champion and so is her team mate Rebecca Adlington. So why have they been missed out of the top 10?!

Adlington, in my opinion, is the role model we need and she needs to be recognised as one of the many successful and admirable female athletes in Great Britain.  

Personally, I’d like to see the editors of Nuts and Zoo attempt 800m freestyle. Competing in that event takes stamina, determination and hard work. Winning it on an international level is something else.

I would have expected newspapers which follow sport themselves to nominate athletes for Sports Personality, such as The Racing Post.

It is disappointing to see that these publications have taken huge steps backwards in time. Women are just as good, if not better, than men in sport.

It’s sad to see that some great women in sport have not been recognised for Sports Personality of the Year. We need to celebrate the achievements of Great Britain’s female athletes.