Monday Night Sport: BBC radio Northampton interview

Monday Night Sport: BBC radio Northampton with Geoff Doyle and Laura Cook

I was invited to the studios in Northampton to be on the show, all Olympic theme, due to the fact that I am a Games Maker, and because I recently found out that I got onto the GB team for the world championships for a fourth consecutive year.

If anyone says that men cannot multi task, then they should visit a studio and see what a radio show presenter has to contend with.




Geoff was positioned in the hot seat, with Laura as the assistant. He had a huge range of knobs and dials, and over Laura’s shoulder, through a window he was in eye contact with Jon, who was in charge of the phone calls coming into the show. Over Laura’s shoulder and to the right, there were two TV screens showing Olympics footage, with subtitles, which he was also watching, in case there was any breaking news to report.

I was handed some ear phones and a mic. Over Geoff’s shoulder in the corner was a board that was showing me when my mic was live and when it was off. Laura was sitting to my left, and Geoff and his desk of dials in front.

We were listening to what was going out live on air, through the earphones. You could only wear them on one ear, because the two presenters were also talking to each other and to me explaining what is happening and in what order, in between songs, news, etc. It was a whirlwind! It all sounds so easy when you are just listening to it!

I spent 40 minutes in the studio with them, during which time they talked to a range of different people, and they encouraged me to join in the conversations. Here is a transcript of the part of the show where they interviewed me.

LC: Its Monday night Sport on BBC radio Northampton and we are talking about the Olympics. Mel Ryding from Wellingborough still with us in the studio. Mel, We mentioned it a bit earlier, but you have qualified for the fourth time for the GB team for the World Triathlon championships in New Zealand. Firstly Congratulations.

MR: Thank you

LC: How did this come about then? Take us back.

MR: This season has been a difficult season because last year about this time I had a bike accident. I cannot remember what happened. I was found unconscious in the middle of a roundabout by a passing motorist. My helmet was smashed to pieces. That was 8 weeks to the day to the 2011 World championships. I had paid for the plane ticket the day before, so I was determined regardless of any advice from any medical professional that I was going to be getting on that plane. Standing on that start line I was incredibly proud of myself that I even got there. But my winter training to get my fitness back was much harder than I expected. Of course all my competitors are just trotting along doing their thing, getting better and better and I am playing catch up for a whole year. So, I wasn’t sure I would even make it this year because of all the extra work I had had to do. So, when I got the result that I got in Bristol the other week, I was absolutely over the moon.

LC: It must have been incredibly special knowing all that dedication to start with that you had to put in, how much of a set-back do you think, looking back on it, that you had, because of the missed time, that your body had to go through to heal, how much extra work did you have to do to get back

MR: I think I probably lost a year of training.

LC: That makes it quite something that you got to this stage?

MR: Yes. And this year is more competitive than any other year to date. There are three times more people trying to get those spots than any year in the past.

LC: And why do you think that is?

MR: maybe because its New Zealand, it’s a trip of a lifetime. People do it because it’s so far they won’t get the chance to do it again. Maybe they are testing themselves out for London next year, because London has the World Championships Grand Final next year. That will be a massive team, and there will be a lot of competition to be on that team and be in Hyde Park where they are going to be next week.

GD: as a Games Maker are you going to be involved in the triathlon?

MR: absolutely I am

GD: Team GB have a great chance, haven’t we?

MR: We have but statistics are stacked against us, but I don’t care, we are going to win both Gold medals.

GD: why are statistics stacked against us?

MR: Historically, since triathlon has been in the Olympics the race favourite has never won the Gold medal, and the two race favourites are both British, but they will.

LC: Accident aside, how do you fit everything in? You are a teacher, you run your own business, how do you find time to any of those things and also train to this level... and do your nails... I have to say your nails are wonderful and should be part of the Games Maker uniform. We are going to tweet these nails because you have obviously spent a lot of time and it is the union flag on every single finger. Anyway, go back to the important question, how do you find time?

MR: I get up quite early! Sometimes things have to take a back seat, and things go in a priority order, so at the moment its training. At the moment I am not working because I am a teacher, which is useful because there’s not all the days in the week that I have time for everything. I have so many things I want to do in my spare time that I just don’t have time for the day job!

GD: wow

LC: unbelievable

The show then went on to talk to some callers, interjecting with conversations with me in between. It was incredibly eye opening, and I have new respect for people that work on the radio, all the millions of things that they do at once! Thank you BBC radio Northampton for inviting me on air.