A reporter’s view of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship

Sports have always been a passion of mine, whether it was playing them growing up, catching recaps on the late night news or going to games in person. So whenever I have the rare chance to cover sports as a reporter, it’s always exhilarating. I’ve been lucky enough to see international Olympic medalists ice skate in Manhattan; speak with Team USA winter Olympians, Paralympians, hopefuls and veterans; and, most recently, watch the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team celebrate their World Cup win at City Hall. So covering Formula E – a motorsport that was totally new to me – as they finished their 2018/19 season right here in Red Hook, was both daunting and exciting.

I spent 16 hours working in the area that housed the 1.44-mile long, 14-turn street circuit over two days during the NYC ePrix doubleheader weekend. One of those days was July 12, a.k.a. Media Day, in which I represented our small, hyperlocal paper all alone and was among teams of international digital and TV outlets. I read up on Formula E in a 101 fashion, of course, but immediately recognized that I knew nothing compared to these outlets that had been covering every race since December. They had game plans and multiple people out covering different aspects with their equipment. I had to attend the pre-event press conferences, have my questions ready for the participating drivers and important company executives I planned to meet and speak with, and get great shots of the electric cars (that, mind you, whir by in the blink of an eye at 174 miles per hour) at all different angles and sections of the track. It was a lot on my plate, but I was ready for the challenge – because that’s part of the job description. I did all of the above, and then some, and felt good by the time I left Red Hook that night.

Come July 14, the final day of the season, it was a whole new world compared to how I left it about 38 hours earlier. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal area was buzzing with fans, making it harder to get from Point A to Point B with my bags and camera (all while also coordinating with our sports reporter Nathan Weiser, who was doing his own assignments at other areas). The heat index was 94 by 1 pm, and my only refuge for shade and constant cool air was in the media center for press members by Turn 11. But I zipped around, much like the cars I was assigned to photograph, going to whatever fan-free spaces I could find along the track. I hadn’t applied for the correct photography credentials, so getting closer to the track and the teams posed a challenge I hadn’t anticipated. Towards the end of the day I felt defeated that I wouldn’t be at the podium ceremony to see the winning drivers because I didn’t have the proper pass. But I happened to be at the right place, at the right time when an event employee told fans sitting in the air-conditioned eVillage that the track would be opening up to the public in moments. I jogged, weaving in and out of walking groups of fans, to a pass-only area. I wasn’t close enough to see the sweat dripping off the drivers’ faces, but I was in the area to get decent shots as best I could.

I’m grateful that I was able to attend and cover this event, which is returning to New York in late June 2020. Should I happen to help with coverage again next year, I definitely know what I’d do the same and what I’d do differently. And you never know – you may just see me whizzing by to get to a particular place along the track next year while you’re enjoying the eVillage activities or heading to your seats in the Grandstands.

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Photo courtesy of Fia Formula E

George Fiala

George Fiala has worked in radio, newspapers and direct marketing his whole life, except for when he was a vendor at Shea Stadium, pizza and cheesesteak maker in Lancaster, PA, and an occasional comic book dealer. He studied English and drinking in college, international relations at the New School, and in his spare time plays drums and fixes pinball machines.