It's Been Wonderful

Karyn writes:

Over recent times I have been thinking about my 25 and a half years as a presenter with Trackside TV (and also with Radio Trackside for a period when it first started).  We started out on the "smell of an oily rag" with a tiny team who dreamed large - George Simon, my wingman, at my side.

Last week, I advised the New Zealand Racing Board's John Allen and Andy Kydd that I did not intend to return to Trackside after the conclusion of this season of "Weigh In".  I will miss the team - the people who make the coverage happen and everyone who supports them - I will be involved in some projects from time to time but I made this decision as I know the time is right for me.  This was my, and my decision alone, to step down.

I remember well first going to air on my birthday 6 November 1992 together with George for the pioneering first edition of Action TV.  A tiny team that had a dream as I said - and a quarter of a century on, I look at the team with huge pride and respect.

That quarter of a century is almost half of my adult life and has been filled with the joy of friendship, the sense of challenge and the drive to always perfect the craft and art of broadcast. With a focus on professionalism and respect, preparation and a commitment to always trying to be the very best I could be.  Not for myself but for the viewers and listeners who, just like me, feel deeply passionate about the industry - its progress and promotion, its wonderful history, its stories and its future.

I have indeed been privileged to serve with a team of truly dedicated individuals - many behind the scenes, whose faces you will never see and whose names you may never know.  They are the people who believe in what they do, who work hard under often very trying conditions, who drive and work long hours every single day of the year to bring us the best racing product they can.  We should be proud of what they create.  I certainly am.

I feel so privileged to have been part of this team from the very beginning - they are remarkable people who deserve every accolade that comes their way. Often sadly, the flip side of being in the public eye means that you attract criticism and condemnation - that's always difficult.  Difficult when all you strive for is to do your very best because you care about the audience you serve.  The barbs inflicted about everything from your lipstick to your clothes, to your hair, to parts of your personal anatomy, to your family do hurt - but they do not define what the Trackside presenters do, or who they are. I have massive and total respect for each and every one of them. I understand totally the school of thought that says "if you cannot stand the heat, withdraw from the kitchen" however as my mother always said - 'kindness in life should be your guiding principle - that, combined with respect and loyalty'.  While people may not agree with presenters, or even like them, it is the old adage 'if you cannot say something kind, there is no need to say something cruel' - the world has enough cruelty already.

Throughout my career and my life, my mother who has just been placed in permanent dementia care has been my guiding star - and I have always believed in treating everyone with respect, care and dignity.  I hope I have succeeded in this, I have always tried my very best Mum.  As I watch your lifetime's memories slip away and your knowledge of us dims, I will keep trying to make your proud of the girl you raised alone.

Thank you to everyone over those years who has sent me lovely emails, messages and cards - to those who have stopped me on the street or at a race track - to share kind words and tell me about how much they enjoy our broadcast.  It's a huge change and I would not be honest if I did not say, that I feel a sense of loss of something special and valued - it is the people I will miss most.  However, I know that with my other commitments to Te Akau and to the Waikato Racing Club, to my voluntary work and to my new grand daughter Lucia-Rose and my mother  - the timing is right.

I also wish to thank the New Zealand Racing Board for the kind words sent today, advising the team of my decision.  Very humbling.