Bristol photographer taking amazing photos of older people setting world records moves into podcasting
"The show will be aired to over two million people all across the globe."
Neil Maggs
Photographer Alex Rotas takes pictures of elite Masters athletes (Image: Alex Rotas)
A Bristol photographer who takes photos of older athletes is starting a world wide podcast show.
Alex Rotas, from Hotwells, who captures scenes of Masters athletes at sport events, and campaigns for positive images of old people, is now taking a big step into the broadcasting world.
The show called 'The Bolder Woman' will air on American station WISP Sports, to a global audience of over 2 million.
Dorothy and Brita - two Masters athletes (Image: Alex Rotas)
69-year-old Alex said : "WISP recognise they were not addressing the massively growing audience of women in 50 plus category. That's why they approached me."
"I had been interviewed by them a year or so back, and I guess they remembered me. They said 'I was the obvious person to fill this gap.' And I am a sucker for flattery :" she laughed.
Photography is Alex's passion, but it's the medium to highlight something bigger.
She said: "For the last nine years I've been photographing older sportsmen and women, having exhibitions, giving talks, and generally trying to get the word out there about the achievements of these amazing people who carry on doing the sport they love through their 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s."
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"I've photographed Masters track and field athlete's in particular, but also older hockey, football, squash, tennis players, skydivers, swimmers, and mountain runners."
"My mission is to improve the diversity of sports media, which includes getting stories out about older sportsmen and women. Ageism is insidious, and we tend to think of physical and mental decline as being inevitable with age. And images we often see reflect that. The frail old woman for example."
"So seeing women in their 80s in a pole vault event for example challenges that, and will make people think twice about what is achievable. My photography is making a contribution to changing these perceptions: " she added.
One of Alex Rotas' photos of American Masters athlete Charles Allie (Image: Alex Rotas)
Some of the people Alex has photographed include top level athletes with amazing stories. A pair of identical Irish twins winning regular international competitions, an 80-year-old who had a stroke and cancer treatment yet recovered to compete a month later, and Olga Koltelka, who 'looks like an old lady at a bus stop but is a superwoman.'
The Canadian track and field athlete was breaking records in her 90s, and Alex presumed she had been competing all her life. She had infact only started exercise in her 70s.
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Alex will be looking to offer a platform on the podcast for people similar journeys, but also for older participants at a grassroots level. She has in recent times started taking photos of many local events in Bristol.
She said : "I'm enjoying supporting local Bristol projects through my photography, such as walking sports initiatives and activities like Wicketz. It never ceases to amaze me the number of grassroots initiatives in the city, and unsung heroes, and like capturing that too."
Alex herself was an impressive sports person. A former tennis player, who represented Greece, from her Mothers side in the Federation Cup. She practises what she preaches, and started running aged 60, and now enjoys regular Parkruns and is passionate about the need for regular exercise into older age.
One of Alex Rotas pictures of a Masters athlete in Malaga (Image: Alex Rotas)
The show which starts in early March, will be recorded in Bristol, and interviews will take place across continents and time zones. WISP shows attract the bulk of it's audience from the United States, Canada and the UK.
Alex is excited at the opportunity: "I'm thrilled. I'm hoping very much to hit a wider audience, and fulfil my mission to spread the word about older sportswomen. It's outside my comfort zone a little but the thought of meeting some familiar and many new people through my interviews is exciting."
Look out for future podcasts on www.wispsports.com
And you can find some more of Alex's photos on http://alexrotasphotography.co.uk