The Rule of Three is a writing technique that suggests listing three words, phrases, sentences, images, or ideas in succession to accentuate an idea. Examples include the stirring salute, “Blood, sweat and tears,” and Prime Minister Tony Blair’s oratory, “Our priorities are education, education, education.”
The domestic speedway scene may seem somewhat divorced from this concept, yet this season it secured its own rite of passage: Premiership, Championship, and Development. In the modern era of the sport, Oxford’s claim to fame burst into life when the club announced that they would field a team in each tier of the professional league setup: the Spires, Cheetahs and Chargers. To label this as ambitious seems almost crass given the fact that the club had only celebrated two seasons back in operation after a hiatus of 14 years. Successfully bringing one team back to the fold in these circumstances was phenomenal. But three? Surely the stuff of fantasy. That is until it happened. And even as the news broke, many – including myself – initially considered it to be a work of fiction. Akin to the famous rule of three that Shakespeare scripted in Julius Ceasar, “Friends, Romans, countrymen.” To better chart this incredible story I spoke to team manager extraordinaire, Peter Schroeck.
The first obvious clue to Peter’s natural humour and effervescence spilled out into his reply, “We had a little crystal ball!” What followed was more sincere, with a wholesome tribute to the ambition of promoter, Jamie Courtney, and managing director of Oxford stadium, Kevin Boothby. “They had a vision that matched the phenomenal facilities which I believe are the best for speedway and dog racing in the country.” Both figureheads created a culture that other stakeholders bought into, and in typical Schroeck style he was quick to recognise that “a ship is only as good as the captain,” although his role was key as the head of the operational crew where he had been given the opportunity to, in his words, “bring my spin into it too.”
As we approach the business end of the season I asked Peter how, in his opinion, the project had gone. Excitedly he spoke from the heart, “It’s gone really, really well and we are proud of what we have achieved,” before adding a more pragmatic reflection, “Sometimes there has been a lot of heartache, especially as we’ve often had to battle with the weather and the difficult decision to run a meeting or not.” The logistical operation of running three teams brought with it many headaches too. Nonetheless, Peter was mindful of the primary business outcomes. “A stadium this impressive costs a large amount of money to operate and it needs to be busy.”
Dog racing was a vital element to this aspiration, which Peter readily acknowledged: “They run near enough every day and speedway fits in very nicely to the overall revenue stream.” Attendance across all three divisions has been healthy too, with the National Development League offering proving to be an exceptional success. “Some Premiership and Championship clubs would be quite happy to have the levels of attendance we draw on a Sunday.” He readily pointed out the crucial importance of local sponsorship – the reward of targeted promotion that included regular visits to nearby schools.
Although “The Spires” is a brilliant descriptor, I was curious to ascertain where this spark of inspiration came from and had there been any other names in contention? Smiling broadly, Peter complimented the creative prowess of Jamie Courtney and his wife Paula. “They live in Oxford and looked into its history. It has meaning and it is certainly different from the typical animal names!” Indeed it is, and any visitor to Oxford should always seek an elevated vantage point to drink in the wonderful architecture and the inspiring spires. He was cognisant of the necessity to protect the right of the championship side to ride as the Cheetahs, as Peter paid due respect to the side that brought the professional sport back to the learned city.
“If I’m honest I’m exhausted! It’s been tough losing Jordan and Cameron (Heeps). That’s a massive blow because I’ve said that these two guys have been waiting a while to excel and do what I know they are capable of. They are the engine room of the Cheetahs. It does take it out of you mentally, but when I turn up I’m always full of life – and that will never change!
My last question sought to establish what the chances of a serving of three on next seasons menu is, given the often scarce commodity in speedway: stability.
Peter refused to reference any crystal ball gazing on this occasion, since the domestic setup for next season has still to be determined, but he made one guarantee: “Rest assured that we will never put Oxford Speedway in any unnecessary danger.”
@ianjkirke