Behind the Scenes on Opening Night
High School Football Kicks Off
8/27/10
The smell of football season is in the air. A crisp late summer evening, with that scent of a fresh football-filled evening, mixed in with the wafting smells of pork chops on the grill. Football season is here!
The morning of August 27th was a slow start to a hectic day, night, and early morning. With the long hours that would be spent preparing for game day, the actual game night broadcast, along with other postgame preparations, and an early morning Saturday wakeup call, I went into the office at 10 a.m. Friday morning.
I woke up around the normal time, maybe an extra half hour to an hour of sleep. A bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee greeted me, and a smattering of emails to check.
With the deadline well passed, and my sports liners not turned in on time (a yearly nightmare), I had to make a couple phone calls to make sure they were not left behind by any announcers. I had talked to my United Red Storm broadcaster, John Ring, earlier in the week to go over his broadcast on Sunny 97.7 WMOI against the Stark County Rebels. He would pick his equipment up on Friday morning at the station.
On Wednesday, I spent a majority of the afternoon sorting out broadcast equipment for four different broadcast crews. We had setups in Galesburg, Wyoming, Princeton, and Oneida for week one. Equipment is at a premium, and I have to get creative on certain weeks, so I have created my nine-week grid. Each broadcast crew is assigned equipment, which varies on every Friday.
Down to an intimate detail, I packed each bag, and inventoried it. The broadcast equipment was sorted into crews, with a note attached with the play-by-play announcer bolded and a list of all of the contents within. Too much detail is still not enough sometimes....but week one went without any problems (equipment-wise).
When I arrived at the studios, I spoke with my Monmouth-Roseville Titans play-by-play announcer, Tom Petersen. I did a quick run-through with his equipment, as he has not broadcasted a game in a few years.
Next, I had to gather the sports liners, which still were NOT finalized. They were finished early in the afternoon. Each set of live commercial reads is broken down by team, and I gave Tom his Titans reads, John already has his United reads, and I took the Galesburg and Mid-County commercial packets.
I had to meet my Mid-County Cougars broadcaster, Nate Williams, in Galesburg at 2:00. I also realized that I had not brought my own personal headset for my color commentator. Instead of having him used a stick microphone, I worked diligently to plan a trip back to Macomb to grab that headset, along with an insurance appointment.....OYE!
Most of my duties for Friday were pretty simple, just gathering my game notes for my broadcast between Galesburg and Chicago Academy, make sure the special one-hour pregame shows devoted to the Western Big 6, West Central, and Lincoln Trail Conferences were put in the right place, and produce the open and closes for the broadcasts.
By 1:30, I had finished most of the stuff I needed to get done, and had produced the open and closes for United, Monmouth-Roseville, and Mid-County. Since I broadcast Galesburg, Mike Weaver recorded the open and close for the Silver Streaks sponsors.
On to Galesburg for the first time on the day, I met with Nate, and went over some pronunciations with him, and gave him a general overview again. He is a Knox College student, and did a pretty good job for such limited experience.
After our meeting, I had to gas up ($2.54 in Galesburg), and headed back to Monmouth to finalize some insurance things. I had hoped to be heading out of Monmouth and back to Macomb by 3:00, and was 10 minutes ahead of schedule.
By the time I got to Macomb around 3:30, hunger started setting in, and a trip to the McDonald's drive-thru for a two-cheeseburger meal was on my mind. From now until the middle of March, I will be making more trips like this than I want.
My final prep still had to get done back at the station, organizing my rosters, and stat sheets. For the first time in my football broadcasting career, I am trying to tackle rushing stats, along with passing stats, turnovers, and penalties....not to mention keep an eye on scores via text and online. This would prove a task too difficult, and I ended up concentrating solely on Galesburg's rushing numbers, while getting an eye on the scores during breaks.
C.C. Van Dyke Field was filled with coaches and players, and a few workers when I arrived around 5:15. There was no sophomore or prelim game tonight, since Chicago Academy did not feel their squad was ready. The school does not begin classes until after Labor Day.
Jim Lee from WGIL in Galesburg was in the booth when I got there, and we talked a little football, and Chicago Academy. Neither of us knew too much about the visiting Cougars from the Chicago Public League.
I had a lot of trouble trying to track down a roster, but was able to get one at the gate. I had WMOI on in my car to make sure the Lincoln Trail Conference preview show aired correctly, and it did. The Western Big 6 show began at 6:15, and it started okay.
There is always a little rust on the first broadcast of the season, it seems. The first hiccup during my broadcast was my own fault. I use LogMeIn, and basically run my own broadcast from my laptop in the press box. If I don't move the mouse, or I am not active within the screen, it will time out, and shut down whatever is running on the station computer.
While I ran to get a roster, it timed out, and I had to do some quick calculating to get the show back to where it left off. Several minutes later, a command on the satellite kicked my show off, and again I had to do some quick fixing. In the end, I think it aired okay, but it is still embarassing when these problems arise.
One of my favorite parts of broadcasting at Galesburg High School is the complementary water, pop, and pizza in the press box. The press box itself, is one of my least favorite, as it is falling apart, and it shakes when people walk up and down the stairs.
Some folks I talked with in the press box were WGIL play-by-play announcer Brad Bennewitz, who makes a return to the microphone this season, athletic director Ralph Henning, Streaks sophomore coach Jake Miller, Streaks freshman coach Brad Swanson, my Streaks basketball broadcast partner Jimmie Carr, and Streaks filmer Kevin Hickey. Hickey and I talked about some vintage films, and had discovered a video broadcast from a 1974 Galesburg/Washington boy's basketball game. I am a huge high school sports fan, but vintage high school sports artifacts like that are like gold in my book.
The Chicago Academy coaches were on our side of the press box, and were very friendly folks. Dr. Gene Denisar, Superintendent at District 205, was my special guest announcer for the night. Before we went on the air, I asked him what I should call him during the broadcast, and he replied...."Just call me Gene, that Doctor crap was a long time ago."
During our pregame show, we talked about how school has been in the first 10 days. Denisar had brought up that school began a week early, as to save some energy during a longer break in the winter. I mentioned the cost-saving moves and state funding to which he replied, "Oh Beau....you just hit my hot button.....we better start talking football again!"
After each quarter, I had several guys come over to check on scores. Most were interested in the other Western Big 6 games, along with the area teams (Knoxville, Abingdon, etc.). Coach Swanson, a Stark County alum, was interested in the Rebels updates against United.
Alleman athletic director Steve Smithers was texting me updates of the Pioneers game against LaSalle-Peru. Former McDonough Voice sports writer Mitch Worley (currently a color analyst for Illini West football) gave me Chargers updates, along with many other updates via text from around the state. I had my IHSSN twitter (www.twitter.com/ihssn) feed burning up. Check out the scoreboard at (www.ihssn.net). IHSSN and Illinois Pigskin (www.illinoispigskin.com) are teaming up with a scoreboard and leading stats.
Galesburg Register-Mail assistant sports editor Aaron Frey joined me at halftime of the Streaks game, and talked about the Western Big 6, and the first half of the Streaks game, which was a lopsided lead for the hosts. The starters sat midway through the second quarter with a healthy lead, and it was 43-0 at halftime.
The Silver Streaks were victorious, 57-0, the highest point output since the 2000 season (58 points vs. Quincy). Robert Jackson had 149 yards on six carries and 2 touchdowns. Sophomore Travon Diggins ran back the opening kickoff of the second half 88 yards for a score.
After the game, Galesburg defensive coordinator Shawn Hickey talked about his stifling defense, posting a shutout, and the importance of kicking the season off on such a high note. With such a senior-laden team, it was also good to get the underclassmen some varsity reps.
Once I packed everything up after the broadcast, I phoned back to the studios to let them know I was on my way. We are streaming the Mid-County Cougars games live this year (www.1590waik.com), and then playing them back on the radio on Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m. It is the first time we have done a playback, so I had to show my engineer how to, essentially, produce the game and insert it into the radio station's Saturday playlist.
It took a little longer than expected, due to the large file....and slow computer. The biggest question mark was how long the broadcast would be, and how to get it timed to the right amount. I had to do waaay too much math after a loooong day, so it wasn't exactly pretty, but it fired okay!
Shortly after midnight, it was in the computer and ready to go. I gathered some scores and stats from the night, found some leftover Pizza Hut pizza in the station refridgerator and had a late, late dinner, and finally took the station's couch around 2:30 a.m. Three hours later, I awoke to tackle another day, running on pure opening football weekend adrenaline....and a pot of coffee!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
First Day Jitters
ALL-NEW IHSSN.net
8/25/10
The new-look IHSSN.net made its debut today, August 25th, 2010. Big kudos to Donnie Laur, who undertook the project just weeks ago. At this time, it is still a work-in-progress. There will be some tweaks throughout. Bare with me as I learn the new site...I am not very techy!
Donnie and I have been exchanging emails at a frantic pace over the past two weeks. Last night, he said he was ready to flip the switch and take the new site live. He sent me some instructions, and my heart began to race.
I don't have many fears in life, besides snakes. I love watching snakes on TV, or looking at them through a glass case at the pet store or zoo....however if I pick up a rock and a slithering snake appears....there's a good chance I will scream like a baby.
Height doesn't bother me, I enjoy scary movies, spiders are neat, I've only flown a couple times and it was pretty cool. If I had another fear in this world....it is undertaking something that I have no experience at. There is nothing I hate more than to do something I am not comfortable with, have little knowledge of, etc.
When I set out to create a website, which turned into the Illinois High School Sports Network, it was a project, something to play around with when I got bored on an off night during the basketball season. With my obsessive-compulsive work ethic, ideas began to grow, and so did the website.
It was archaic, to say the least. I hated the look of the website, but not being technologically savvy, it was the best I could do on my own. I knew it had to be polished an awful lot, and the the site began to get press and built a larger following.
With the new website, comes a much different layout to work with. I am going to try and utilize the former way of updating the site with the new way, but I am learning quickly that there can be some bumps in the road.
In Donnie's email explaining how some of the updates worked, my brain turned to mush. My heart raced, and anxiety set in. I did everything but breathe into a paper bag. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but a bit nerve wracking.
Honestly, maybe since it's that time of year, the anxious feeling I had was reminiscent of the first day of school. Then I wondered....the first day of junior high, high school or college? I don't remember my first day of real school, but I do recall junior high.
Junior High, I decided, was the most unsettling first days of school. All through 5th grade, horror stories were passed down on what happens to 6th graders, the excessive amount of homework and reading, etc. Of course, they were all scare tactics.
Since we went through junior high unscathed, and the rumors were untrue, high school went a little easier. Sure, there were the slaps on the head by seniors with their class rings that gave me a headache all through Algebra....no wait...that was Algebra giving me the excruciating headache.
Then there was the first day of college. That was like vacation...only school. I remember saying...."we only have three hours of classes today....and we don't even have to go!" Of course, it's always a wise idea to go to class!
Here's hoping that my comfort level with the all-new website builds just like those first days of junior high, high school, and college.
I hope you enjoy the new IHSSN.net, Donnie has done a fantastic job. Check out www.illinoispigskin.com, as I will be helping him on that site gather football scores and stat leaders.
The IHSSN preseason football coaches poll has been released: http://www.ihssn.net/2010-football/preseason
That's all for now.
8/25/10
The new-look IHSSN.net made its debut today, August 25th, 2010. Big kudos to Donnie Laur, who undertook the project just weeks ago. At this time, it is still a work-in-progress. There will be some tweaks throughout. Bare with me as I learn the new site...I am not very techy!
Donnie and I have been exchanging emails at a frantic pace over the past two weeks. Last night, he said he was ready to flip the switch and take the new site live. He sent me some instructions, and my heart began to race.
I don't have many fears in life, besides snakes. I love watching snakes on TV, or looking at them through a glass case at the pet store or zoo....however if I pick up a rock and a slithering snake appears....there's a good chance I will scream like a baby.
Height doesn't bother me, I enjoy scary movies, spiders are neat, I've only flown a couple times and it was pretty cool. If I had another fear in this world....it is undertaking something that I have no experience at. There is nothing I hate more than to do something I am not comfortable with, have little knowledge of, etc.
When I set out to create a website, which turned into the Illinois High School Sports Network, it was a project, something to play around with when I got bored on an off night during the basketball season. With my obsessive-compulsive work ethic, ideas began to grow, and so did the website.
It was archaic, to say the least. I hated the look of the website, but not being technologically savvy, it was the best I could do on my own. I knew it had to be polished an awful lot, and the the site began to get press and built a larger following.
With the new website, comes a much different layout to work with. I am going to try and utilize the former way of updating the site with the new way, but I am learning quickly that there can be some bumps in the road.
In Donnie's email explaining how some of the updates worked, my brain turned to mush. My heart raced, and anxiety set in. I did everything but breathe into a paper bag. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but a bit nerve wracking.
Honestly, maybe since it's that time of year, the anxious feeling I had was reminiscent of the first day of school. Then I wondered....the first day of junior high, high school or college? I don't remember my first day of real school, but I do recall junior high.
Junior High, I decided, was the most unsettling first days of school. All through 5th grade, horror stories were passed down on what happens to 6th graders, the excessive amount of homework and reading, etc. Of course, they were all scare tactics.
Since we went through junior high unscathed, and the rumors were untrue, high school went a little easier. Sure, there were the slaps on the head by seniors with their class rings that gave me a headache all through Algebra....no wait...that was Algebra giving me the excruciating headache.
Then there was the first day of college. That was like vacation...only school. I remember saying...."we only have three hours of classes today....and we don't even have to go!" Of course, it's always a wise idea to go to class!
Here's hoping that my comfort level with the all-new website builds just like those first days of junior high, high school, and college.
I hope you enjoy the new IHSSN.net, Donnie has done a fantastic job. Check out www.illinoispigskin.com, as I will be helping him on that site gather football scores and stat leaders.
The IHSSN preseason football coaches poll has been released: http://www.ihssn.net/2010-football/preseason
That's all for now.
Monday, August 23, 2010
IHSA Events Kick Off Today (IHSSN Soccer Coverage)
Illini Bluffs @ Monmouth-Roseville (Soccer)
8/23/10
One of the glaring weaknesses of IHSSN.net since it's inception has been the absence of the "less covered" sports. Football obviously gets the most publicity of all the IHSA sports (along with boy's basketball). Volleyball gets little play from the media, and soccer, golf, tennis, and swimming get even less love. My aim this fall is to branch out and cover the rest of these sports to an extent.
The 2010-11 sports calendar began today, as far as games go. With Monmouth-Roseville coming off a regional championship a season ago, the team also has quite a bit of talent returning. The Titans opened at home (Roseville) against Illini Bluffs. The Titans play a majority of their home games at Eugene Tinker Field, the former football field for the Roseville Panthers. Two games on the schedule will be played at Monmouth College.
I headed down Route 67 and pulled into the high school parking lot. I believe the last game I covered at Roseville, was a 2004 football game between Yorkwood/Roseville and Bushnell-Prairie City/Avon.
Athletic Director Chuck Grant and assistant basketball coach Jimmy Jordan were manning the gates. Trying to offset some expenses, the school will now charge admission for other events they formerly did not, including soccer. I didn't realize the cost that hosting a sporting event cost, just on officials alone.
During the first half of the soccer match, I shot the bull with these two, talking about summer basketball, the Titans football scrimmage, among many other things. Jimmy was the soccer man, answering both Chuck and I's questions about the game. This was the first soccer match I have covered in person, and honestly do not know much about the game. Monmouth-Roseville took a 2-1 lead at halftime, on goals by Gerardo Ayala (a converted goalie). Diego Suarez and Carlos Ruiz had the assists.
In the second half, I headed down to the sidelines to shoot some video clips of the action. Unfortunately, all of the goal scoring happened in the first half, and the Titans held on for a 2-1 win. Chino Ayala, the single-season goals record holder at the school (23), is suffering from an injury and was thought to be missing the first two weeks, however he did see some field tonight.
Monmouth College women's soccer coach Barry McNamara was in attendance.
I learned a lot about soccer in my coverage tonight. Soccer is a very exciting and fun to watch sport. The fans really get into the action as well. I look forward to covering many more soccer matches in the future!
8/23/10
One of the glaring weaknesses of IHSSN.net since it's inception has been the absence of the "less covered" sports. Football obviously gets the most publicity of all the IHSA sports (along with boy's basketball). Volleyball gets little play from the media, and soccer, golf, tennis, and swimming get even less love. My aim this fall is to branch out and cover the rest of these sports to an extent.
The 2010-11 sports calendar began today, as far as games go. With Monmouth-Roseville coming off a regional championship a season ago, the team also has quite a bit of talent returning. The Titans opened at home (Roseville) against Illini Bluffs. The Titans play a majority of their home games at Eugene Tinker Field, the former football field for the Roseville Panthers. Two games on the schedule will be played at Monmouth College.
I headed down Route 67 and pulled into the high school parking lot. I believe the last game I covered at Roseville, was a 2004 football game between Yorkwood/Roseville and Bushnell-Prairie City/Avon.
Athletic Director Chuck Grant and assistant basketball coach Jimmy Jordan were manning the gates. Trying to offset some expenses, the school will now charge admission for other events they formerly did not, including soccer. I didn't realize the cost that hosting a sporting event cost, just on officials alone.
During the first half of the soccer match, I shot the bull with these two, talking about summer basketball, the Titans football scrimmage, among many other things. Jimmy was the soccer man, answering both Chuck and I's questions about the game. This was the first soccer match I have covered in person, and honestly do not know much about the game. Monmouth-Roseville took a 2-1 lead at halftime, on goals by Gerardo Ayala (a converted goalie). Diego Suarez and Carlos Ruiz had the assists.
In the second half, I headed down to the sidelines to shoot some video clips of the action. Unfortunately, all of the goal scoring happened in the first half, and the Titans held on for a 2-1 win. Chino Ayala, the single-season goals record holder at the school (23), is suffering from an injury and was thought to be missing the first two weeks, however he did see some field tonight.
Monmouth College women's soccer coach Barry McNamara was in attendance.
I learned a lot about soccer in my coverage tonight. Soccer is a very exciting and fun to watch sport. The fans really get into the action as well. I look forward to covering many more soccer matches in the future!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Video Streaming Test, Learning a New Phone, & Loud Cue to Get Back to Work
Monmouth-Roseville Gatorade Scrimmage
8/21/10
Fortunately, the Monmouth-Roseville Titans football scrimmage was scheduled for Saturday, since all of the Friday night scrimmages in the area were washed out. I was using this scrimmage as a test for live video streaming through iHigh. Kevin Sander from iHigh came down from Chicago to use his equipment, and basically run a test stream, and gauge whether or not I would like to use it.
I arrived at Sunnylane Field in Monmouth around 5:00 and pulled in near the press box. Athletic Director Chuck Grant was nearby, so I talked with him for a moment before heading up to the press box.
Kevin showed up a few minutes later and checked out the best place in the booth to set up the camera. I showed him some of the stuff I do for my streaming, and he explained the process for the video streaming, which seemed pretty simple. After doing different things with mixer boards, web streams, it's like driving different cars. They all drive the same, but the buttons are in different places.
We did have some hiccups during the streaming process, so a phone conference later this week to iron out some problems is scheduled. I don't want to divulge too much information on my plans, just in case I decide not to go ahead with this, but I would really like to make it happen.
I didn't get a chance to watch the scrimmage in-depth, but I liked the Titans new-look offense. The team opened the scrimmage with a 40ish-yard completion from Drew Cole to Bryce Willett. Freshmen Trayvon Smith and Martel Hunter have been brought up to varsity, and Hunter (last year's IESA AA 100-meter champion) broke free for a 70+ yard run.
In the press box were P.A. announcer Shawn Temple, Rick Chick, and Titans radio color commentator Kevin Ferry. Ferry wins the award for having the best ringtone I have ever heard. "WARNING....WARNING....IT'S THE WIFE!"
After I came home, I had a few things to share with Donnie about my website. Just different things that I had thought of regarding the new website. It was about 8:30, and my stomach was growling, but work supercedes hunger. I had a few emails come in that needed to be answered or printed in the meantime, so shortly before 9:00 I was able to heat up some tacos I made earlier in the day.
A Funny Noise
I decided to take an hour or two break before getting back into the website, and started watching a movie (Slowburn with Ray Liotta). During one scene, there was a weird noise that didn't match the movie. It kind of did, but sounded like a phone in the background of the scene, but was a little loud for background noise. Next thing I know, I hear a voicemail sounder....it was my phone.
On Friday morning, I awoke to a white screen on my phone, that never came to light. I had to get a new phone on Friday afternoon, and I am still not used to new phones. It's a touch screen, and I had a feeling that would not be my style.
It was Kewanee football coach Chris Waca who called. I called back and explained I thought my phone ringing was in the movie. He laughed and said, "Geez am I the first person who's called you?" I guess so, I responded, saying I normally just text.
The Boilermakers are a team that has endured a long losing streak, and after watching them in week two last season, I told everybody they would break that skid....but didn't. They started mostly sophomores last year, so it is a veteran team packed with juniors. Waca said some of the linemen have bulked up and they have a lot of speed all around. Cal Breedlove (6'3" 245) ran a 4.9 40. Their speed back Dontae Pryor (2nd in long jump, 8th in 100 this past spring in IHSA state finals) has run a 4.5 40.
For more on Kewanee, click here for the IHSSN preview: http://www.ihssn.net/football10/kewanee.htm
Waca and I talked football for about an hour, and then I took in the final quarter of the Bears/Raiders preseason game. Before starting the movie earlier in the night I looked for the Bears game, to no avail. Since I live in Macomb, I'm on the border of Quad Cities and Quincy TV stations. My regular Fox channel is out of Quincy, but I get the Quad Cities Fox channel on the digital channels. This comes in really handy on NFL Sundays, when I can usually watch 2-3 games at a time. Of course, Sunday Ticket would be even better!
My Loud Cue to Turn Off the TV
After the Bears game, I started searching the channels, and came across "Wrestilicious Takedown," a program on professional women's wrestling. I took the bait. There were no ladies of pro wrestling, just Mr. T hawking an item called the "Flavor Wave." When the pitchwoman said, "Just push cook," and Mr. T followed her up by saying, "And you off da hook," I knew this was a giant cue to turn off the TV and get back to work!
I ended the night by updating the broadcast page for this Friday. It will be online tonight.
8/21/10
Fortunately, the Monmouth-Roseville Titans football scrimmage was scheduled for Saturday, since all of the Friday night scrimmages in the area were washed out. I was using this scrimmage as a test for live video streaming through iHigh. Kevin Sander from iHigh came down from Chicago to use his equipment, and basically run a test stream, and gauge whether or not I would like to use it.
I arrived at Sunnylane Field in Monmouth around 5:00 and pulled in near the press box. Athletic Director Chuck Grant was nearby, so I talked with him for a moment before heading up to the press box.
Kevin showed up a few minutes later and checked out the best place in the booth to set up the camera. I showed him some of the stuff I do for my streaming, and he explained the process for the video streaming, which seemed pretty simple. After doing different things with mixer boards, web streams, it's like driving different cars. They all drive the same, but the buttons are in different places.
We did have some hiccups during the streaming process, so a phone conference later this week to iron out some problems is scheduled. I don't want to divulge too much information on my plans, just in case I decide not to go ahead with this, but I would really like to make it happen.
I didn't get a chance to watch the scrimmage in-depth, but I liked the Titans new-look offense. The team opened the scrimmage with a 40ish-yard completion from Drew Cole to Bryce Willett. Freshmen Trayvon Smith and Martel Hunter have been brought up to varsity, and Hunter (last year's IESA AA 100-meter champion) broke free for a 70+ yard run.
In the press box were P.A. announcer Shawn Temple, Rick Chick, and Titans radio color commentator Kevin Ferry. Ferry wins the award for having the best ringtone I have ever heard. "WARNING....WARNING....IT'S THE WIFE!"
After I came home, I had a few things to share with Donnie about my website. Just different things that I had thought of regarding the new website. It was about 8:30, and my stomach was growling, but work supercedes hunger. I had a few emails come in that needed to be answered or printed in the meantime, so shortly before 9:00 I was able to heat up some tacos I made earlier in the day.
A Funny Noise
I decided to take an hour or two break before getting back into the website, and started watching a movie (Slowburn with Ray Liotta). During one scene, there was a weird noise that didn't match the movie. It kind of did, but sounded like a phone in the background of the scene, but was a little loud for background noise. Next thing I know, I hear a voicemail sounder....it was my phone.
On Friday morning, I awoke to a white screen on my phone, that never came to light. I had to get a new phone on Friday afternoon, and I am still not used to new phones. It's a touch screen, and I had a feeling that would not be my style.
It was Kewanee football coach Chris Waca who called. I called back and explained I thought my phone ringing was in the movie. He laughed and said, "Geez am I the first person who's called you?" I guess so, I responded, saying I normally just text.
The Boilermakers are a team that has endured a long losing streak, and after watching them in week two last season, I told everybody they would break that skid....but didn't. They started mostly sophomores last year, so it is a veteran team packed with juniors. Waca said some of the linemen have bulked up and they have a lot of speed all around. Cal Breedlove (6'3" 245) ran a 4.9 40. Their speed back Dontae Pryor (2nd in long jump, 8th in 100 this past spring in IHSA state finals) has run a 4.5 40.
For more on Kewanee, click here for the IHSSN preview: http://www.ihssn.net/football10/kewanee.htm
Waca and I talked football for about an hour, and then I took in the final quarter of the Bears/Raiders preseason game. Before starting the movie earlier in the night I looked for the Bears game, to no avail. Since I live in Macomb, I'm on the border of Quad Cities and Quincy TV stations. My regular Fox channel is out of Quincy, but I get the Quad Cities Fox channel on the digital channels. This comes in really handy on NFL Sundays, when I can usually watch 2-3 games at a time. Of course, Sunday Ticket would be even better!
My Loud Cue to Turn Off the TV
After the Bears game, I started searching the channels, and came across "Wrestilicious Takedown," a program on professional women's wrestling. I took the bait. There were no ladies of pro wrestling, just Mr. T hawking an item called the "Flavor Wave." When the pitchwoman said, "Just push cook," and Mr. T followed her up by saying, "And you off da hook," I knew this was a giant cue to turn off the TV and get back to work!
I ended the night by updating the broadcast page for this Friday. It will be online tonight.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
IHSSN Weekend Update (with apologies to SNL)
Apologies for the lack of blogginess around here. Is that a word? Probably not.
Behind the Scenes of the Sports Department
This is my least favorite time of the year! The first few weeks of August, the semi-calm before the storm. I am a "go get it done, let's do it right now," type of person. I would rather have 100 things going on right now, than sit around and wait a week for half that amount.
With football season nearly upon us, a cyclone hits my sports department at the radio station. First off, I have to wrangle sports commercials/liners from our sales staff, cross check them, organize them into teams, etc. Fortunately, over the last couple years someone has done that part for me, but it is still something that gives me great anxiety.
I have four high school broadcasts to organize every Friday, and some college football Saturdays for the Monmouth College Fighting Scots. First and foremost, I make sure the athletic directors at each school know my crews are coming. That is a process that begins in July, using snail mail to send out broadcast permission letters. Many AD's get right back to me, but I still call or email the week of the event to confirm, especially for the late season games with the amount of time that has passed since that initial letter was opened.
This year, I am compiling conference preview shows. These are one-hour shows featuring interviews with most head coaches in the team's conferences that we cover (Western Big 6, West Central, and Lincoln Trail). Interviews have been conducted over the past few weeks, and production of the shows should begin early to mid week.
My biggest pain in the neck (even moreso than the sports liners), is the equipment organization. Much preparation is needed on a weekly basis, mainly due to the fact that I am the only broadcaster that works at the station. Pickups and dropoffs are crucial, and I have a grid for the nine weeks of the season, denoting which crew will use what equipment. In small market radio, equipment is a premium, so I must get very creative in certain instances.
The one thing that I didn't have to worry much about over the summer was gathering a crew of four play-by-play announcers. Sure, there were some anxious moments at times, but everything has worked out (fingers continue to be crossed). I have three other play-by-play guys with years of experience and professionalism, and for the first time in my years as a sports director, I am comfortable and confident with the guys I have in place. That was key, because too often in my career have I had to answer troubleshooting phone calls, or worse yet, give directions to a field/gym, as I am preparing to go on air for my own broadcast.
Those are the biggest stressors I endure in the weeks and months leading into the football broadcast season. Sure, there are many more....unfortunately....many more!
Galesburg Silver Streaks on 1590 WAIK
Over the last two seasons, I have broadcasted Galesburg sports sparingly, but took over play-by-play duties for the girl's basketball team full time last season. This season, I will be broadcasting all Silver Streaks athletics on 1590 WAIK. It is always tough to leave a team or a conference you have covered for a few seasons, but it's great to jump onto a new team/conference, and see different teams. I have really enjoyed working with the coaches and players at Galesburg High School, and I am excited to work Streaks games all season.
We will be doing some fun things this fall on WAIK Streaks football broadcasts. I will be handling the play-by-play, and for the second season we will have a local celebrity guest announcer doing the color commentary (more on this idea below). For the kickoff next Friday, there will be a one-hour pregame show with interviews with the coaches from the Western Big 6, along with a short pregame show featuring information on the opponent, Chicago Academy. Each week during the pregame show, I will talk with sophomore coach Jake Miller, and defensive coordinator Shawn Hickey will join me in the postgame show. If all goes well, Nate Williams will be bringing listeners some tidbits from the sidelines as our sideline reporter, and will get a few comments from head coach Wes Olson after the game. Nate plays football at Knox College and is a Canton High School graduate. I look forward to working with him, and helping him in a career in sports journalism.
Celebrity Guest Announcer Idea
I love to tell the story on how this idea was born. It was the brainchild of my former assistant, Joe Roderick. Joe is now hosting a sports show on Team 1380 in St. Louis. I was having an extreme difficulty at finding a color commentator last summer for Streaks football. I had feelers out everywhere, and could just not tackle one down for the entire season. Joe and I are both avid professional wrestling fans (insert laughing here!). At the time, the WWE had a guest host on Monday Night Raw each week. Joe walked into my office and said, "I have an idea for our color commentator." I listened, and he explained that we should do something like the Raw guest host. I scoffed at the idea, nearly laughing him out of my office. He insisted, and I took an hour to think about it, and decided it could be a unique idea. It paid off, as it had a great reception. Joe, your yearly royalty check for $0.0001 is in the mail.
More on WAIK
Taking a page out of several radio stations' books, 1590 WAIK will be rebroadcasting a high school football game on Saturday morning. Longtime broadcaster Jason Bates, of Galva, approached me early in the summer questioning if it would be possible that the new Mid-County Cougars (Galva/Williamsfield/ROWVA) co-op could get on the air somehow. There were details that needed to be ironed out, and in the end, we made it happen. Jason will be providing the play-by-play on nearly every game this season, with ROWVA athletic director Jason Danner providing the commentary. Bates and I met at Buffalo Wild Wings in Galesburg on Friday to discuss some of the intricacies of the broadcasts, troubleshooting, equipment, commercials, and how the broadcasts will generally work on a weekly basis. There is a possibility that these Mid-County games will be broadcast online on Friday nights, live. They will then be aired on Saturday mornings on the radio (1590 WAIK) at 9:00 a.m. Of course, they will also be available on www.1590waik.com at that time on Saturday mornings.
New Website
The new IHSSN website is beginning to take shape. Donnie Laur (of 618football.com and illinoispigskin.com fame), who is redesigning the website, has been sharing the template with me over the past few days, and I am extremely excited for its debut. The reason I waited nearly two years for this to happen, was to find the right person for the job. I needed someone that could meet me in the middle, per se. I don't understand computer talk....whatsoever! I know enough to put IHSSN on the web and make updates and do some small things. It looks bad, but it's the content that I care about. Now, as the audience grows, it needs to have a more professional look.....and it sure will! In all of our conversations, it may take a couple emails to explain either side, but in the end we are able to understand what each side is thinking. Many of the web designers I talked with were not very clear, could not "dumb it down" from computer-speak to layman's terms. To Donnie Laur, I commend you for that!
Video Streaming
Tonight, I will be testing out video streaming at the Monmouth-Roseville Gatorade scrimmage. I had a meeting last week with Kevin Sander of iHigh.com. At first, it didn't seem like we were looking at the same thing, in terms of what he thought I should do, and what I wanted to do. After a good meeting (enjoying a Crappy Burger from Crappy's in Galesburg), we came to a pretty good consensus. There are still some questions I have, but essentially I am happy with one iHigh could provide, and vice versa. Kevin will be traveling back down from the suburbs tonight with his camera equipment, to show me some of the details first hand.
IHSSN.net Classics
Over the past few days, I have been uploading some old radio broadcasts of games. They are located on the IHSSN Classics page (http://www.ihssn.net/ihssnclassics.htm). In the beginning, this was to place just the "classic" games online. There are certainly some of those, but I am now putting up old games, some classic, some not so much. If any broadcaster or radio station out there would like old games placed online, please email me at ihssn@hotmail.com. Certainly, your radio station/broadcaster will be credited.
Previews
Due to some other things going on, the previews have slowed down. I will be working on a few this weekend, so keep checking back.
Your One-Stop Site for Online Football Broadcasts
I am still compiling the list of week one online broadcasts for next Friday night. Any radio station out there, or online broadcaster, that I have not yet emailed, please drop me a line at ihssn@hotmail.com to get your online broadcasts posted on IHSSN. I am aiming at Sunday (tomorrow) night, to have the old schedule up. It will look like last year for the first week, as it was last season. For week two, the new IHSSN.net should be launched, so it will have a much different look.
IHSSN Football Coaches Poll
The IHSSN.net Football Coaches Preseason Polls will debut on Wednesday. Any coaches that have not voted, you have until Tuesday (8:00 p.m.) to vote. Any head coach or assistant coach is eligible to vote. Email ihssnfootball@hotmail.com to put in your vote (top ten for any class you are comfortable in voting for).
The End
That's about all that's going on right now. There should be some coverage this upcoming week from soccer and volleyball, and of course Friday night football. Stay tuned!!!
Behind the Scenes of the Sports Department
This is my least favorite time of the year! The first few weeks of August, the semi-calm before the storm. I am a "go get it done, let's do it right now," type of person. I would rather have 100 things going on right now, than sit around and wait a week for half that amount.
With football season nearly upon us, a cyclone hits my sports department at the radio station. First off, I have to wrangle sports commercials/liners from our sales staff, cross check them, organize them into teams, etc. Fortunately, over the last couple years someone has done that part for me, but it is still something that gives me great anxiety.
I have four high school broadcasts to organize every Friday, and some college football Saturdays for the Monmouth College Fighting Scots. First and foremost, I make sure the athletic directors at each school know my crews are coming. That is a process that begins in July, using snail mail to send out broadcast permission letters. Many AD's get right back to me, but I still call or email the week of the event to confirm, especially for the late season games with the amount of time that has passed since that initial letter was opened.
This year, I am compiling conference preview shows. These are one-hour shows featuring interviews with most head coaches in the team's conferences that we cover (Western Big 6, West Central, and Lincoln Trail). Interviews have been conducted over the past few weeks, and production of the shows should begin early to mid week.
My biggest pain in the neck (even moreso than the sports liners), is the equipment organization. Much preparation is needed on a weekly basis, mainly due to the fact that I am the only broadcaster that works at the station. Pickups and dropoffs are crucial, and I have a grid for the nine weeks of the season, denoting which crew will use what equipment. In small market radio, equipment is a premium, so I must get very creative in certain instances.
The one thing that I didn't have to worry much about over the summer was gathering a crew of four play-by-play announcers. Sure, there were some anxious moments at times, but everything has worked out (fingers continue to be crossed). I have three other play-by-play guys with years of experience and professionalism, and for the first time in my years as a sports director, I am comfortable and confident with the guys I have in place. That was key, because too often in my career have I had to answer troubleshooting phone calls, or worse yet, give directions to a field/gym, as I am preparing to go on air for my own broadcast.
Those are the biggest stressors I endure in the weeks and months leading into the football broadcast season. Sure, there are many more....unfortunately....many more!
Galesburg Silver Streaks on 1590 WAIK
Over the last two seasons, I have broadcasted Galesburg sports sparingly, but took over play-by-play duties for the girl's basketball team full time last season. This season, I will be broadcasting all Silver Streaks athletics on 1590 WAIK. It is always tough to leave a team or a conference you have covered for a few seasons, but it's great to jump onto a new team/conference, and see different teams. I have really enjoyed working with the coaches and players at Galesburg High School, and I am excited to work Streaks games all season.
We will be doing some fun things this fall on WAIK Streaks football broadcasts. I will be handling the play-by-play, and for the second season we will have a local celebrity guest announcer doing the color commentary (more on this idea below). For the kickoff next Friday, there will be a one-hour pregame show with interviews with the coaches from the Western Big 6, along with a short pregame show featuring information on the opponent, Chicago Academy. Each week during the pregame show, I will talk with sophomore coach Jake Miller, and defensive coordinator Shawn Hickey will join me in the postgame show. If all goes well, Nate Williams will be bringing listeners some tidbits from the sidelines as our sideline reporter, and will get a few comments from head coach Wes Olson after the game. Nate plays football at Knox College and is a Canton High School graduate. I look forward to working with him, and helping him in a career in sports journalism.
Celebrity Guest Announcer Idea
I love to tell the story on how this idea was born. It was the brainchild of my former assistant, Joe Roderick. Joe is now hosting a sports show on Team 1380 in St. Louis. I was having an extreme difficulty at finding a color commentator last summer for Streaks football. I had feelers out everywhere, and could just not tackle one down for the entire season. Joe and I are both avid professional wrestling fans (insert laughing here!). At the time, the WWE had a guest host on Monday Night Raw each week. Joe walked into my office and said, "I have an idea for our color commentator." I listened, and he explained that we should do something like the Raw guest host. I scoffed at the idea, nearly laughing him out of my office. He insisted, and I took an hour to think about it, and decided it could be a unique idea. It paid off, as it had a great reception. Joe, your yearly royalty check for $0.0001 is in the mail.
More on WAIK
Taking a page out of several radio stations' books, 1590 WAIK will be rebroadcasting a high school football game on Saturday morning. Longtime broadcaster Jason Bates, of Galva, approached me early in the summer questioning if it would be possible that the new Mid-County Cougars (Galva/Williamsfield/ROWVA) co-op could get on the air somehow. There were details that needed to be ironed out, and in the end, we made it happen. Jason will be providing the play-by-play on nearly every game this season, with ROWVA athletic director Jason Danner providing the commentary. Bates and I met at Buffalo Wild Wings in Galesburg on Friday to discuss some of the intricacies of the broadcasts, troubleshooting, equipment, commercials, and how the broadcasts will generally work on a weekly basis. There is a possibility that these Mid-County games will be broadcast online on Friday nights, live. They will then be aired on Saturday mornings on the radio (1590 WAIK) at 9:00 a.m. Of course, they will also be available on www.1590waik.com at that time on Saturday mornings.
New Website
The new IHSSN website is beginning to take shape. Donnie Laur (of 618football.com and illinoispigskin.com fame), who is redesigning the website, has been sharing the template with me over the past few days, and I am extremely excited for its debut. The reason I waited nearly two years for this to happen, was to find the right person for the job. I needed someone that could meet me in the middle, per se. I don't understand computer talk....whatsoever! I know enough to put IHSSN on the web and make updates and do some small things. It looks bad, but it's the content that I care about. Now, as the audience grows, it needs to have a more professional look.....and it sure will! In all of our conversations, it may take a couple emails to explain either side, but in the end we are able to understand what each side is thinking. Many of the web designers I talked with were not very clear, could not "dumb it down" from computer-speak to layman's terms. To Donnie Laur, I commend you for that!
Video Streaming
Tonight, I will be testing out video streaming at the Monmouth-Roseville Gatorade scrimmage. I had a meeting last week with Kevin Sander of iHigh.com. At first, it didn't seem like we were looking at the same thing, in terms of what he thought I should do, and what I wanted to do. After a good meeting (enjoying a Crappy Burger from Crappy's in Galesburg), we came to a pretty good consensus. There are still some questions I have, but essentially I am happy with one iHigh could provide, and vice versa. Kevin will be traveling back down from the suburbs tonight with his camera equipment, to show me some of the details first hand.
IHSSN.net Classics
Over the past few days, I have been uploading some old radio broadcasts of games. They are located on the IHSSN Classics page (http://www.ihssn.net/ihssnclassics.htm). In the beginning, this was to place just the "classic" games online. There are certainly some of those, but I am now putting up old games, some classic, some not so much. If any broadcaster or radio station out there would like old games placed online, please email me at ihssn@hotmail.com. Certainly, your radio station/broadcaster will be credited.
Previews
Due to some other things going on, the previews have slowed down. I will be working on a few this weekend, so keep checking back.
Your One-Stop Site for Online Football Broadcasts
I am still compiling the list of week one online broadcasts for next Friday night. Any radio station out there, or online broadcaster, that I have not yet emailed, please drop me a line at ihssn@hotmail.com to get your online broadcasts posted on IHSSN. I am aiming at Sunday (tomorrow) night, to have the old schedule up. It will look like last year for the first week, as it was last season. For week two, the new IHSSN.net should be launched, so it will have a much different look.
IHSSN Football Coaches Poll
The IHSSN.net Football Coaches Preseason Polls will debut on Wednesday. Any coaches that have not voted, you have until Tuesday (8:00 p.m.) to vote. Any head coach or assistant coach is eligible to vote. Email ihssnfootball@hotmail.com to put in your vote (top ten for any class you are comfortable in voting for).
The End
That's about all that's going on right now. There should be some coverage this upcoming week from soccer and volleyball, and of course Friday night football. Stay tuned!!!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Football Camp Tuesday
Football Practices
Monmouth-Roseville & Macomb
8/17/10
Nearly a week into high school football practices, teams are beginning to get a little more comfortable than where they were in the summer. Still, 10 days remain until kickoff 2010 arrives.
My travels took me to Sunnylane Field in Monmouth and Macomb High School to take in a little bit of practice from these West Central Conference foes. In addition, I had conversations today with the head coaches at Abingdon (Ricky Quinn) and Havana (Chad Heffren). I also talked soccer with Monmouth-Roseville's Aaron Sikorski. His team won a regional championship in 2009 in the program's third year of varsity soccer.
Shortly after 11:00 this morning, as I was preparing my noon sportscast and readying my trip out to catch the last phase of Titans football practice, Tom Petersen walked into the studio. He asked me about Titans practice, and I mentioned I was heading in that direction shortly. Tom will be handling the play-by-play duties for Titans football this fall. The games will be on either AM 1330 WRAM or Sunny 97.7 WMOI, switching back and forth with the United Red Storm.
Tom and I headed out to Sunnylane Field in a light rain. It felt like a fall day, something you would be feeling at the end of September, not days after heat indexes of 110+. Surely, it was a pleasant day for the kids in uniform. We caught the tail end of some drills, before the Titans broke for other drills.
I spoke with coach Curt Crum briefly, and he brought over a couple of Titans players to be interviewed, quarterback Drew Cole and linebacker Tanner Tate. You can view these interviews at www.ihssn.net.
With my house being shown at 5:00, I was looking for a practice to hit in the afternoon. Macomb football was going until 8:30. I decided to head back home to make a quick walk-through before the realtor brought the potential buyers in. Lets keep our fingers crossed, as I am getting nervous at the miles I could be putting on my vehicle this winter if I had to make the extra hour drive.
Heading out to Macomb High School, I waited out the persistent rainfall. Between 7:00 and 7:30, it let up, and eventually quit. The Bombers were going over some defenses after a short scrimmage (it was broken up by rain), in preparation for their week one opponent, West Hancock.
As the end of practice sprints began, coach Kelly Sears hollered (that's a Sears-ism) at one of his players not participating in the workouts. Knowing Sears like I do, I was suspicious. The player is Tevin Thurman, and he jogged over to where I was watching over practice. In general terms, he said; "You better not be from Quincy Notre Dame." Laughing, Sears yelled out, "What did he say?" I just laughed.
During the sprints, a Molly Hatchet reference was made by coach Sears. A couple players were, "Flirting with Disaster," coming dangerously close to their targeted time. After the sprints, I spoke with quarterback Seth Wickert. We talked about the new offense that offensive coordinator Max Kreps is installing. I also talked with lineman Jes Raby, and the expectations on this year's team and his senior year.
We headed off to the locker room and coaches office. Sears, along with assistants Kreps, Joe Westen, and Max Ford talked over some things following the days practice. Dan Rouse was also in the building. There was a total of 60 kids at practice today, and should be near 65 kids in the program. Sears says this is the highest total since about 1998.
Speaking of 1998, I stuck around for about 30 minutes and chatted with Sears and Rouse. We talked about that 1998 Bombers season, in which they reached the Class 3A semifinals. They began the season ranked 4th in the state and lost their first three games. Those three squads finished the regular season (26-1). They had Aledo (Class 2A state champions), Rockridge (Class 2A state runners-up), Canton (semifinalist), and Keokuk (undefeated regular season) all on their schedule.
Sears is pretty excited about the numbers and work ethic on this Macomb team.
Monmouth-Roseville & Macomb
8/17/10
Nearly a week into high school football practices, teams are beginning to get a little more comfortable than where they were in the summer. Still, 10 days remain until kickoff 2010 arrives.
My travels took me to Sunnylane Field in Monmouth and Macomb High School to take in a little bit of practice from these West Central Conference foes. In addition, I had conversations today with the head coaches at Abingdon (Ricky Quinn) and Havana (Chad Heffren). I also talked soccer with Monmouth-Roseville's Aaron Sikorski. His team won a regional championship in 2009 in the program's third year of varsity soccer.
Shortly after 11:00 this morning, as I was preparing my noon sportscast and readying my trip out to catch the last phase of Titans football practice, Tom Petersen walked into the studio. He asked me about Titans practice, and I mentioned I was heading in that direction shortly. Tom will be handling the play-by-play duties for Titans football this fall. The games will be on either AM 1330 WRAM or Sunny 97.7 WMOI, switching back and forth with the United Red Storm.
Tom and I headed out to Sunnylane Field in a light rain. It felt like a fall day, something you would be feeling at the end of September, not days after heat indexes of 110+. Surely, it was a pleasant day for the kids in uniform. We caught the tail end of some drills, before the Titans broke for other drills.
I spoke with coach Curt Crum briefly, and he brought over a couple of Titans players to be interviewed, quarterback Drew Cole and linebacker Tanner Tate. You can view these interviews at www.ihssn.net.
With my house being shown at 5:00, I was looking for a practice to hit in the afternoon. Macomb football was going until 8:30. I decided to head back home to make a quick walk-through before the realtor brought the potential buyers in. Lets keep our fingers crossed, as I am getting nervous at the miles I could be putting on my vehicle this winter if I had to make the extra hour drive.
Heading out to Macomb High School, I waited out the persistent rainfall. Between 7:00 and 7:30, it let up, and eventually quit. The Bombers were going over some defenses after a short scrimmage (it was broken up by rain), in preparation for their week one opponent, West Hancock.
As the end of practice sprints began, coach Kelly Sears hollered (that's a Sears-ism) at one of his players not participating in the workouts. Knowing Sears like I do, I was suspicious. The player is Tevin Thurman, and he jogged over to where I was watching over practice. In general terms, he said; "You better not be from Quincy Notre Dame." Laughing, Sears yelled out, "What did he say?" I just laughed.
During the sprints, a Molly Hatchet reference was made by coach Sears. A couple players were, "Flirting with Disaster," coming dangerously close to their targeted time. After the sprints, I spoke with quarterback Seth Wickert. We talked about the new offense that offensive coordinator Max Kreps is installing. I also talked with lineman Jes Raby, and the expectations on this year's team and his senior year.
We headed off to the locker room and coaches office. Sears, along with assistants Kreps, Joe Westen, and Max Ford talked over some things following the days practice. Dan Rouse was also in the building. There was a total of 60 kids at practice today, and should be near 65 kids in the program. Sears says this is the highest total since about 1998.
Speaking of 1998, I stuck around for about 30 minutes and chatted with Sears and Rouse. We talked about that 1998 Bombers season, in which they reached the Class 3A semifinals. They began the season ranked 4th in the state and lost their first three games. Those three squads finished the regular season (26-1). They had Aledo (Class 2A state champions), Rockridge (Class 2A state runners-up), Canton (semifinalist), and Keokuk (undefeated regular season) all on their schedule.
Sears is pretty excited about the numbers and work ethic on this Macomb team.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Kaitlyn King (Benet Academy) verbally commits to play Division I volleyball at the University of Maryland
Release: Benet Academy head coach Brad Baker
Kaitlyn King a 2011 graduate of Benet Academy, verbally committed to play Division I volleyball at the University of Maryland . King a 5'9" setter plays club for Sports Performance VBC.
Quote from Kaitlyn about why she choose Maryland:
"I absolutely love everything about Maryland especially the direction the volleyball program is going, the coaches, and the Comcast Center. When I visited, I knew immediately this is where I wanted to be."
Quote from high school coach Brad Baker about Kaitlyn:
"Kaitlyn is one of the most underated setters in our state. Her game is not flashly, but like all great setters, she delivers a very hittable ball. She has a unique confidence about her that makes players around her better. She has worked extremely hard to become the player that she is. Maryland is getting a great person who will find a way to impact their program in a positive manner."
Other facts:
Starter on last years Benet team that went 35-5 and was in the elite eight in state.
Member of National Honor Society
Honor Roll all semesters at Benet
Kaitlyn is the 6th member of next seasons team to commit to a DI school
Kaitlyn King a 2011 graduate of Benet Academy, verbally committed to play Division I volleyball at the University of Maryland . King a 5'9" setter plays club for Sports Performance VBC.
Quote from Kaitlyn about why she choose Maryland:
"I absolutely love everything about Maryland especially the direction the volleyball program is going, the coaches, and the Comcast Center. When I visited, I knew immediately this is where I wanted to be."
Quote from high school coach Brad Baker about Kaitlyn:
"Kaitlyn is one of the most underated setters in our state. Her game is not flashly, but like all great setters, she delivers a very hittable ball. She has a unique confidence about her that makes players around her better. She has worked extremely hard to become the player that she is. Maryland is getting a great person who will find a way to impact their program in a positive manner."
Other facts:
Starter on last years Benet team that went 35-5 and was in the elite eight in state.
Member of National Honor Society
Honor Roll all semesters at Benet
Kaitlyn is the 6th member of next seasons team to commit to a DI school
Friday, August 13, 2010
IHSSN.net Football Coaches Polls
The Illinois High School Sports Network football coaches polls will be released next Wednesday. The first votes have come in. Any coaches that have not confirmed with IHSSN that they would be interested in voting should email ihssnfootball@hotmail.com. The voting is open up to any head coach or assistant coach on an IHSA football team.
How the Voting Works
IHSSN will send out a reminder email each week to coaches that are on the confirmed mailing list. The preseason email has been sent to those coaches, and any new coaches interested should email us to get that initial voting email. Once on the mailing list, you can submit your rankings for any class via email (ihssnfootball@hotmail.com). Make sure to list what class and rank them in order, 1-10.
Deadline
The voting deadline is 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday August 24th, and the polls will be released on Wednesday August 25th.
Regular Season Polls
Each regular season poll will have a Tuesday night deadline (8:00). The voting for the week one poll begins on Saturday August 28th, and will end on Tuesday August 31st.
How the Voting Works
IHSSN will send out a reminder email each week to coaches that are on the confirmed mailing list. The preseason email has been sent to those coaches, and any new coaches interested should email us to get that initial voting email. Once on the mailing list, you can submit your rankings for any class via email (ihssnfootball@hotmail.com). Make sure to list what class and rank them in order, 1-10.
Deadline
The voting deadline is 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday August 24th, and the polls will be released on Wednesday August 25th.
Regular Season Polls
Each regular season poll will have a Tuesday night deadline (8:00). The voting for the week one poll begins on Saturday August 28th, and will end on Tuesday August 31st.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Benet Academy Volleyball's Jenna Jendryk Verbals to Virginia Tech
From (Lisle) Benet Academy head coach Brad Baker...
Jenna Jendryk, a 2012 graduate of Benet High School, verbally committed to play Division I volleyball for Chris Riley - Head Coach at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. Jendryk is a 6'0" setter/opposite hitter plays club for Sports Performance VBC. Jenna is their number one recruit for the class of 2012.
Jenna Jendryk, a 2012 graduate of Benet High School, verbally committed to play Division I volleyball for Chris Riley - Head Coach at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. Jendryk is a 6'0" setter/opposite hitter plays club for Sports Performance VBC. Jenna is their number one recruit for the class of 2012.
Quote from Jenna on why she committed to Viginia Tech
"I chose Virginia Tech because it is one of the fastest growing programs in the country and they are building a program to win the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Championship. After my visit to campus and meeting the coaches, players and academic staff I knew it was the place for me."
Quote from high school coach Brad Baker
"Jenna is high level athlete who comes from a great volleyball family. She has an extremely fast arm and her great athletism allows for to be a difference maker on the court. She is an excellent blocker, who has worked hard to be a high level defender. She will set and hit at Virgina Tech and I expect her to be one of the best players in the conference. Jenna wants to be great, and with this positive attitude, and her work eithic I have no doubt that she will have a great college career."
Other Facts:
- Varsity starter as a junior and member of the 2008 2nd place team. Two year record on varsity is 75-7.
- Played on Sports Performance's 18-Elite Team club team that finished ranked #2 in the nation by Prepvolleyball.com and AAU National Championship Team (Orlando, FL)
- Jenna is the fifth member of next seasons Benet team to commit to play Division I volleyball.
We're Going (Silver) Streaking
First Day of IHSA Practices
8/11/10
In 2009, Galesburg High School's cross country teams initiated the Midnight Madness practice. Mostly known as the initial practices in division-one basketball, it has trickled down to the high school level on a very small scale.
Only a few squads that I am aware of, conducted a midnight madness practice. Rockford Christian football and Chester football each held one.
I planned on covering the practice at C.C. VanDyke Field in Galesburg, despite having to work a full day on Tuesday and Wednesday. With plenty to do, I pulled an all-nighter of sorts to get it all in. In the end, it added up to me working 30 out of 34 hours, and I certainly did not get a full four hours of sleep.
During the day, a few of the staffers at the radio station were cleaning out our WAIK studios in Galesburg. You can read all about that in the previous blog, about my geekiness!
Since I had an office full of "sports stuff" to go through, and tapes to digitize, I had more than enough to keep me busy from the end of the day until about 11:00 p.m. when I headed out to Galesburg High School.
During that time, I chowed down on some leftover General Tso's Chicken from Chen's Garden that I ordered at lunch. I also conducted a preseason interview with United Township football coach Ron Litchfield. I added that interview, along with Ridgewood Spartans coach Luke Johnston's interview to IHSSN.net, and finished my schedule adding for the database at the radio station. In the meantime, I uploaded old Galesburg radio broadcasts. Some of the games saved forever include; Galesburg vs. Alleman football (1980), Galesburg vs. Alleman football (1983), Monmouth College vs. Knox College football (1979), Galesburg vs. Quincy boy's basketball (1980), Galesburg vs. Rock Island football (1984), Galesburg vs. Quincy boy's basketball (1983), Galesburg vs. Morton boy's basketball 7-overtime thriller (1984), and the 1988 Class AA baseball state championship game between Galesburg and Barrington. Look for these broadcasts online at www.1590waik.com and www.ihssn.net.
Shortly after 11:00, I finished up my work and headed out to Galesburg. Earlier in the day, I felt that I would have trouble killing time until the midnight practice, but I was more than busy with the amount of work I have had.
Driving in on route 34, there was several flashes of lightning in the north sky. Some thunderstorms had gone through the area about an hour prior. The lightning looked more like heat lightning, not the cloud-to-ground lightning.
Around 11:30, I pulled into the GHS parking lot. The lone soul at C.C. Van Dyke Field was boy's cross country coach Craig Hillier. He was getting things set up. We talked shortly about the weather, and let him finish organizing his course. I penned down some questions to pose for a couple of the runners I would interview beforehand.
About ten minutes in, the first of the runners showed up. It was senior captain Mike Darling and his dad. A few minutes later, they began trickling in. I helped untangle some of the flags on the west end of the track, where the practice would begin, and the workouts before the run took place.
Hillier said that Darling would be a good interview, so we talked for a few minutes. That interview can be found at www.ihssn.net. It was shortly after midnight, so I interviewed one of the top returning runners on the girls side, Dorothy Mangieri. Both boy's and girl's squads made a run to the state finals. It was the first time in school history for the girls in 2009. The boy's finished 8th and the girl's 16th. Freshman Stephanie Saey finished 6th individually, but she will miss the first part of the season for the Streaks.
The practice began with the passing out of notes and expectations for the 2010 Silver Streaks. Coach Hillier also made a few quotes in the opening speech. "Take advantage of what you have now, life can change in a moment's notice." This was a hard hitting and heart-felt quote due to the circumstances that recently effected the GHS cross country program. Girl's head coach Jody Chapman lost her husband, John Chapman (Galesburg wrestling coach), to a heart attack just weeks ago while they both ran the Bix 7 together.
He then went over some stretches for the team, explaining what each stretch was for. Honestly, I learned more about cross country in a little more than an hour than I had ever learned. Like many, I thought it was just a sport that requires running a lot.
During the stretches and warmup, I talked with Mr. Darling. I explained that I was working in Galesburg, and was fairly new, just taking over my position as sports director there about two years ago. He said that they had just moved to town three years ago from the Rockford-area, the Rockton Hononegah school district. He did have some family in the Macomb and Colchester areas, so was familiar with that territory.
After the warmups, the Streaks runners took to the streets for their first run of the 2010 season. With that, my night of covering Midnight Madness came to an end, at about 1:15 a.m.
Surprisingly, I wasn't that tired on the drive back to Monmouth. Once I returned to the studios around 1:45, my eyes began to get a little heavy. Upon returning, I took some audio I grabbed before I left from coach Hillier. This clip was in regard to adjusting the practice schedule due to a midnight practice. Between 2:15 and 2:30 a.m. I recorded the morning sportscasts. Finally, around 2:45 a.m. I was ready to curl up on my office floor and get a few hours of sleep.
It wasn't as easy to sleep on the floor as I thought. Normally, I can sleep anywhere and anytime. Even putting in a 19-hour day, I could not fall asleep. Of course, I neglected to bring a blanket or pillow. After a few minutes of tossing around to get comfortable, I grabbed some shirts out of my bag. Nope, that wasn't going to work either.
I remembered there was a throw pillow on the couch downstairs in the station lobby....much better. I fell asleep for about 30-45 minutes, before waking up extremely cold. The girls in the front office like to put the air conditioner setting on "eskimo". It was freezing! I tried putting my arms inside my shirt, looked around for a long-sleeve shirt, but to no avail. Who knew, that when heat advisories had been issued all week, I would have to go outside to get comfortable.
At 4:30, I had enough of the cold. Our news director was in the downstairs studio, and my sleep-deprived self mumbled that I was going to go sleep in my car for a couple hours. I can only imagine what I looked and sounded like stumbling around on a half-hour of sleep.
I curled up with my floral decorated throw pillow and cleared out the back seat of my Exlorer for a little rest. Fortunately, it was dark and nobody could see me carrying around a flowery pillow! About 90 minutes later (6:30), I awoke in a daze. I bucked up, and decided that this was the amount of sleep I was going to get, so I needed to clean up and get some coffee and tackle the day.
I put on the day's work clothes, splashed some water on my face, brushed my teeth, and headed out to get some coffee. I doubled the amount of coffee consumed!
I worked the full day, and at 3:00 I decided that I had not had enough. I headed back over to Galesburg High School to catch the football practice. The second practice in their two-a-day session.
Before the workouts, I talked with a few of the Streaks players, battling the excessive heat. The heat index this afternoon was 110 degrees, and a lot of the practice field is in the sun. Fortunately, there is a long line of trees, so some of the early warmups are conducted in the shade.
Head coach Wes Olson came up before practice started, and we did a quick video interview. The discussion mainly revolved around the excessive heat, and safe guards taken during practice.
After our talk, assistant coach Jake Miller and I talked about a few things. One of our discussions was based on a topic on the PJStar Forums on the proposal to expand the playoffs to 512 teams (doubling the field). Neither of us are in favor of such an idea, but I do like to argue some of the arguments people have. Some of those arguments are injuries in a game featuring a 7-1 team against a 1-7 team. My argument: happens all the time in the regular season. I have many more, but will save for another day.
I took some video of 3-year quarterback Andrew Steck throwing some passes, offensive lineman drills, and running back drills. After about 90 minutes, I decided to finally call it a day...or two days.
I arrived home at 6:00, and had just enough time to sit in the recliner and read the paper (I still read the newspaper in print...not online), and watch some TV. I hit the sack at 7:00, and never looked back. A great night of sleep! Until tomorrow!
8/11/10
In 2009, Galesburg High School's cross country teams initiated the Midnight Madness practice. Mostly known as the initial practices in division-one basketball, it has trickled down to the high school level on a very small scale.
Only a few squads that I am aware of, conducted a midnight madness practice. Rockford Christian football and Chester football each held one.
I planned on covering the practice at C.C. VanDyke Field in Galesburg, despite having to work a full day on Tuesday and Wednesday. With plenty to do, I pulled an all-nighter of sorts to get it all in. In the end, it added up to me working 30 out of 34 hours, and I certainly did not get a full four hours of sleep.
During the day, a few of the staffers at the radio station were cleaning out our WAIK studios in Galesburg. You can read all about that in the previous blog, about my geekiness!
Since I had an office full of "sports stuff" to go through, and tapes to digitize, I had more than enough to keep me busy from the end of the day until about 11:00 p.m. when I headed out to Galesburg High School.
During that time, I chowed down on some leftover General Tso's Chicken from Chen's Garden that I ordered at lunch. I also conducted a preseason interview with United Township football coach Ron Litchfield. I added that interview, along with Ridgewood Spartans coach Luke Johnston's interview to IHSSN.net, and finished my schedule adding for the database at the radio station. In the meantime, I uploaded old Galesburg radio broadcasts. Some of the games saved forever include; Galesburg vs. Alleman football (1980), Galesburg vs. Alleman football (1983), Monmouth College vs. Knox College football (1979), Galesburg vs. Quincy boy's basketball (1980), Galesburg vs. Rock Island football (1984), Galesburg vs. Quincy boy's basketball (1983), Galesburg vs. Morton boy's basketball 7-overtime thriller (1984), and the 1988 Class AA baseball state championship game between Galesburg and Barrington. Look for these broadcasts online at www.1590waik.com and www.ihssn.net.
Shortly after 11:00, I finished up my work and headed out to Galesburg. Earlier in the day, I felt that I would have trouble killing time until the midnight practice, but I was more than busy with the amount of work I have had.
Driving in on route 34, there was several flashes of lightning in the north sky. Some thunderstorms had gone through the area about an hour prior. The lightning looked more like heat lightning, not the cloud-to-ground lightning.
Around 11:30, I pulled into the GHS parking lot. The lone soul at C.C. Van Dyke Field was boy's cross country coach Craig Hillier. He was getting things set up. We talked shortly about the weather, and let him finish organizing his course. I penned down some questions to pose for a couple of the runners I would interview beforehand.
About ten minutes in, the first of the runners showed up. It was senior captain Mike Darling and his dad. A few minutes later, they began trickling in. I helped untangle some of the flags on the west end of the track, where the practice would begin, and the workouts before the run took place.
Hillier said that Darling would be a good interview, so we talked for a few minutes. That interview can be found at www.ihssn.net. It was shortly after midnight, so I interviewed one of the top returning runners on the girls side, Dorothy Mangieri. Both boy's and girl's squads made a run to the state finals. It was the first time in school history for the girls in 2009. The boy's finished 8th and the girl's 16th. Freshman Stephanie Saey finished 6th individually, but she will miss the first part of the season for the Streaks.
The practice began with the passing out of notes and expectations for the 2010 Silver Streaks. Coach Hillier also made a few quotes in the opening speech. "Take advantage of what you have now, life can change in a moment's notice." This was a hard hitting and heart-felt quote due to the circumstances that recently effected the GHS cross country program. Girl's head coach Jody Chapman lost her husband, John Chapman (Galesburg wrestling coach), to a heart attack just weeks ago while they both ran the Bix 7 together.
He then went over some stretches for the team, explaining what each stretch was for. Honestly, I learned more about cross country in a little more than an hour than I had ever learned. Like many, I thought it was just a sport that requires running a lot.
During the stretches and warmup, I talked with Mr. Darling. I explained that I was working in Galesburg, and was fairly new, just taking over my position as sports director there about two years ago. He said that they had just moved to town three years ago from the Rockford-area, the Rockton Hononegah school district. He did have some family in the Macomb and Colchester areas, so was familiar with that territory.
After the warmups, the Streaks runners took to the streets for their first run of the 2010 season. With that, my night of covering Midnight Madness came to an end, at about 1:15 a.m.
Surprisingly, I wasn't that tired on the drive back to Monmouth. Once I returned to the studios around 1:45, my eyes began to get a little heavy. Upon returning, I took some audio I grabbed before I left from coach Hillier. This clip was in regard to adjusting the practice schedule due to a midnight practice. Between 2:15 and 2:30 a.m. I recorded the morning sportscasts. Finally, around 2:45 a.m. I was ready to curl up on my office floor and get a few hours of sleep.
It wasn't as easy to sleep on the floor as I thought. Normally, I can sleep anywhere and anytime. Even putting in a 19-hour day, I could not fall asleep. Of course, I neglected to bring a blanket or pillow. After a few minutes of tossing around to get comfortable, I grabbed some shirts out of my bag. Nope, that wasn't going to work either.
I remembered there was a throw pillow on the couch downstairs in the station lobby....much better. I fell asleep for about 30-45 minutes, before waking up extremely cold. The girls in the front office like to put the air conditioner setting on "eskimo". It was freezing! I tried putting my arms inside my shirt, looked around for a long-sleeve shirt, but to no avail. Who knew, that when heat advisories had been issued all week, I would have to go outside to get comfortable.
At 4:30, I had enough of the cold. Our news director was in the downstairs studio, and my sleep-deprived self mumbled that I was going to go sleep in my car for a couple hours. I can only imagine what I looked and sounded like stumbling around on a half-hour of sleep.
I curled up with my floral decorated throw pillow and cleared out the back seat of my Exlorer for a little rest. Fortunately, it was dark and nobody could see me carrying around a flowery pillow! About 90 minutes later (6:30), I awoke in a daze. I bucked up, and decided that this was the amount of sleep I was going to get, so I needed to clean up and get some coffee and tackle the day.
I put on the day's work clothes, splashed some water on my face, brushed my teeth, and headed out to get some coffee. I doubled the amount of coffee consumed!
I worked the full day, and at 3:00 I decided that I had not had enough. I headed back over to Galesburg High School to catch the football practice. The second practice in their two-a-day session.
Before the workouts, I talked with a few of the Streaks players, battling the excessive heat. The heat index this afternoon was 110 degrees, and a lot of the practice field is in the sun. Fortunately, there is a long line of trees, so some of the early warmups are conducted in the shade.
Head coach Wes Olson came up before practice started, and we did a quick video interview. The discussion mainly revolved around the excessive heat, and safe guards taken during practice.
After our talk, assistant coach Jake Miller and I talked about a few things. One of our discussions was based on a topic on the PJStar Forums on the proposal to expand the playoffs to 512 teams (doubling the field). Neither of us are in favor of such an idea, but I do like to argue some of the arguments people have. Some of those arguments are injuries in a game featuring a 7-1 team against a 1-7 team. My argument: happens all the time in the regular season. I have many more, but will save for another day.
I took some video of 3-year quarterback Andrew Steck throwing some passes, offensive lineman drills, and running back drills. After about 90 minutes, I decided to finally call it a day...or two days.
I arrived home at 6:00, and had just enough time to sit in the recliner and read the paper (I still read the newspaper in print...not online), and watch some TV. I hit the sack at 7:00, and never looked back. A great night of sleep! Until tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Treasure Troves For a Self-Confessed Geek
What's the perfect gift for a self-confessed geek, like me? A box of nothing...complete junk that 90% of the population would not look twice at, before dumping it in a dumpster. For me, a box of nothing signifies everything.
Cleaning out old offices is an adventure I have enjoyed taking over the years. Is this activity a routine in my life? Hardly. When I do have the opportunity, it becomes an all-day job because I spend most of the time sorting through nothing. I may spend an hour sorting through papers that are, essentially junk.
When the company I worked for moved a radio station out of Rushville in 2006 or 2007, we scoured the place for anything that needed to be kept. Most of the stuff was old paperwork, and a lot of junk. Much of it was broken down pieces of equipment that my co-workers tossed into a large dumpster. Just as fast as they threw it in, I dangled over the edging picking through it. It was worthwhile to be a "garbage grubber" or a "dumpster diver" that particular day, as it netted me around $500. Not bad for somebody else's junk.
My favorite rummaging is discovering an old desk or file cabinet with sports stuff packed away inside. Admittedly, I am a super...no...uber-geek when it comes to anything sports. It's no surprise that I keep every broadcast I've done, interview recorded, and program picked up at a game. I will use words from a local drifter on the move-out day in Rushville who said, "Yeah...I'm a pack rat," in a slow drawl. I too, am a pack rat.
One of my fonder finds was on a weekend trip to a cabin on the Mississippi River. Heading into Dallas City for breakfast, I noticed a rundown store next to the cafe that had a hand written sign out front reading, "Sale Today". It looked like a bunch of junk....my favorite. I perused the junk, and after a couple minutes it looked like I was wasting my time. Then....as I was getting ready to head out the paint-peeled door, it struck me. Hidden below some LP's was what appeared to be a high school football program.
It was....a Geneseo High School football program from 1978. I picked it up, and the older gentleman reacted, "There's a bunch more over there." I followed his direction, and sure enough, a pile of old programs. There was a whole season of game day programs for the Green Machine football team from 1978, some basketball programs for the Maple Leafs, and even a 1975 IHSA State Championship Football program, the second year of the IHSA playoffs. I asked how much he wanted for the whole stack. I had to hold back my giddy laughter when he replied, "a buck." A dollar...one dollar, for something I would have paid well over $20 for.
Today, I received a phone call from my co-worker Greg Ford. He was at our WAIK studios in Galesburg doing some house cleaning. He said he found a whole bunch of "sports things," and if I wanted them. I asked what they were, and he said, "oh just a bunch of papers and stuff." Even if they were stats, I could use them for reference. Well....that's what I always say.
When he arrived back at the station with my bags upon bags of goodies, it was even more than I had anticipated. Sure, there were a bunch of score sheets and stats, some old programs, and state finals programs. But....the real find....the ultimate treasure for a geek like me was inside a thick manilla envelope.
Cassette tapes. There were about a dozen tapes with a few different games from WAIK radio broadcasts dating back to 1979. There is a Monmouth College/Knox College football game from 1979, a Galesburg/Quincy boy's basketball game from 1980, and a 7 overtime thriller between Galesburg and Morton in 1984. With the gobs of old file cabinets still in those studios, I am hoping to uncover more vintage broadcasts. As I type this, I am digitizing these relics, and will be posting them on our WAIK website. IHSSN Classics made its debut earlier this year, which is still in its infancy. Someday, a large collection of archived broadcasts could come to IHSSN Classics.
Cleaning out old offices is an adventure I have enjoyed taking over the years. Is this activity a routine in my life? Hardly. When I do have the opportunity, it becomes an all-day job because I spend most of the time sorting through nothing. I may spend an hour sorting through papers that are, essentially junk.
When the company I worked for moved a radio station out of Rushville in 2006 or 2007, we scoured the place for anything that needed to be kept. Most of the stuff was old paperwork, and a lot of junk. Much of it was broken down pieces of equipment that my co-workers tossed into a large dumpster. Just as fast as they threw it in, I dangled over the edging picking through it. It was worthwhile to be a "garbage grubber" or a "dumpster diver" that particular day, as it netted me around $500. Not bad for somebody else's junk.
My favorite rummaging is discovering an old desk or file cabinet with sports stuff packed away inside. Admittedly, I am a super...no...uber-geek when it comes to anything sports. It's no surprise that I keep every broadcast I've done, interview recorded, and program picked up at a game. I will use words from a local drifter on the move-out day in Rushville who said, "Yeah...I'm a pack rat," in a slow drawl. I too, am a pack rat.
One of my fonder finds was on a weekend trip to a cabin on the Mississippi River. Heading into Dallas City for breakfast, I noticed a rundown store next to the cafe that had a hand written sign out front reading, "Sale Today". It looked like a bunch of junk....my favorite. I perused the junk, and after a couple minutes it looked like I was wasting my time. Then....as I was getting ready to head out the paint-peeled door, it struck me. Hidden below some LP's was what appeared to be a high school football program.
It was....a Geneseo High School football program from 1978. I picked it up, and the older gentleman reacted, "There's a bunch more over there." I followed his direction, and sure enough, a pile of old programs. There was a whole season of game day programs for the Green Machine football team from 1978, some basketball programs for the Maple Leafs, and even a 1975 IHSA State Championship Football program, the second year of the IHSA playoffs. I asked how much he wanted for the whole stack. I had to hold back my giddy laughter when he replied, "a buck." A dollar...one dollar, for something I would have paid well over $20 for.
Today, I received a phone call from my co-worker Greg Ford. He was at our WAIK studios in Galesburg doing some house cleaning. He said he found a whole bunch of "sports things," and if I wanted them. I asked what they were, and he said, "oh just a bunch of papers and stuff." Even if they were stats, I could use them for reference. Well....that's what I always say.
When he arrived back at the station with my bags upon bags of goodies, it was even more than I had anticipated. Sure, there were a bunch of score sheets and stats, some old programs, and state finals programs. But....the real find....the ultimate treasure for a geek like me was inside a thick manilla envelope.
Cassette tapes. There were about a dozen tapes with a few different games from WAIK radio broadcasts dating back to 1979. There is a Monmouth College/Knox College football game from 1979, a Galesburg/Quincy boy's basketball game from 1980, and a 7 overtime thriller between Galesburg and Morton in 1984. With the gobs of old file cabinets still in those studios, I am hoping to uncover more vintage broadcasts. As I type this, I am digitizing these relics, and will be posting them on our WAIK website. IHSSN Classics made its debut earlier this year, which is still in its infancy. Someday, a large collection of archived broadcasts could come to IHSSN Classics.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Basketball Shootouts
Even before the fall sports season has begun, IHSSN is looking for a schedule of 2010-11 boy's and girl's basketball shootouts. IHSSN will try to make it to some of the shootouts statewide this winter.
One point of emphasis is on mid-week shootouts. There are a few that take place during the winter break. Please pass along any shootout information in the comment section below, or email ihssn@hotmail.com
One point of emphasis is on mid-week shootouts. There are a few that take place during the winter break. Please pass along any shootout information in the comment section below, or email ihssn@hotmail.com
IHSSN Football Coaches Poll
After much thought over the summer, IHSSN is going to attempt a coaches poll for the 2010 football season. The IHSSN coaches poll is open to any head coach or assistant coaches for the 2010 season. If interested, email ihssn@hotmail.com, so I can put you in my email database for the rankings.
Here's how the coaches poll will work. There will be a preseason poll, plus a regular season poll each week. I will email out the results from the previous coaches poll, in addition to the Associated Press rankings (for a guide). Each coach can vote in their own class, although if the coach feels comfortable enough to vote in different classes, that is acceptable.
The polls will be a top ten. Please, no ties. As always, this vote is kept secret, and I (Beau Spencer: IHSSN founder), will be the only eyes that see your rankings.
Again, if you have interest please email ihssn@hotmail.com. Please pass this along to any of your coaching staff, or fellow coaches. Thank you.
Here's how the coaches poll will work. There will be a preseason poll, plus a regular season poll each week. I will email out the results from the previous coaches poll, in addition to the Associated Press rankings (for a guide). Each coach can vote in their own class, although if the coach feels comfortable enough to vote in different classes, that is acceptable.
The polls will be a top ten. Please, no ties. As always, this vote is kept secret, and I (Beau Spencer: IHSSN founder), will be the only eyes that see your rankings.
Again, if you have interest please email ihssn@hotmail.com. Please pass this along to any of your coaching staff, or fellow coaches. Thank you.
IHSSN Update
The Calm Before the Storm
I took a half break this weekend to clear my head, develop ideas, and lay an outline of the next few weeks. In addition, preparation for the upcoming quest for 150 basketball broadcasts. It was a beautiful final weekend, taking time to burn some energy on the basketball court and run a couple miles of hills at Lake Argyle. For some reason, taking a run out in the wilderness is great energy for the mind. I used to run at the state park at least four times a week a couple summers ago. My house was also looked at three times this weekend, which is a huge plus. If sold before November, it would dramatically decrease my fuel expenses, and increase my time to devote to IHSSN after each broadcast.
Big News for IHSSN.net
When I developed the Illinois High School Sports Network in December of 2008, my main goal was to create a website where high school sports fans could find that had online broadcasts for games all over the state. In the long term, I would like to provide schools that don't normally receive exposure through radio or online broadcasting with that opportunity through IHSSN. The website has looked very archaic, but my immediate concern is with getting my visitors the most comprehensive coverage that I can provide. As my visitors have grown since the inception of IHSSN, I have found that it is time to invest in a more professional look to the website. Currently, I create, design, and update everything on the website. I know the extreme basics of doing this, and that is why it looks very choppy and unprofessional. That will all change in the next month. I am pleased to report and much smoother design is coming for IHSSN.net. A website that will be easier to navigate, and should provide more content in the future, due to some easier controls on my end. I put more time in searching for a web designer to do this, than any of the vehicles I have purchased. Finding someone who knows every facet of website design, and more importantly has a sports background was crucial. I have teamed up with 618football.com and illinoispigskin.com creator Donnie Laur over the past year and a half. He has been instrumental in teaching me some basics about websites, and social networking. We have shared information with each other, and he knows exactly what to do in regards to building a website geared towards high school sports. It seemed a natural fit.
Practices Begin This Week
Wednesday marks the first day of practices for the fall sports across Illinois. The final previews will be published today (Sunday), and then focus will turn to practices mid-week. My coverage schedule to hit the fields and gyms will be interesting. The Galesburg cross country teams will hold a midnight madness event late Tuesday night, into Wednesday. I will turn my sleep schedule upside down in covering that event. On Wednesday, my tentative football practice schedule will take me to Monmouth-Roseville and Galesburg. Thursday, I plan to hit United High School for the end of their football practice, and the start of their afternoon volleyball practice. Both teams made deep runs last fall. The Red Storm football team made the Class 1A quarterfinals, while the volleyball team finished (36-1), falling in the sectional semifinals. Friday and Saturday are up in the air.
The Quest for 150
In addition to the fall season rapidly approaching, I am aiming at securing some final details for the quest for 150 play-by-play basketball broadcasts. One thing I am seeking out his a clever name. If anyone can think of one, please post below in the comment section.
I took a half break this weekend to clear my head, develop ideas, and lay an outline of the next few weeks. In addition, preparation for the upcoming quest for 150 basketball broadcasts. It was a beautiful final weekend, taking time to burn some energy on the basketball court and run a couple miles of hills at Lake Argyle. For some reason, taking a run out in the wilderness is great energy for the mind. I used to run at the state park at least four times a week a couple summers ago. My house was also looked at three times this weekend, which is a huge plus. If sold before November, it would dramatically decrease my fuel expenses, and increase my time to devote to IHSSN after each broadcast.
Big News for IHSSN.net
When I developed the Illinois High School Sports Network in December of 2008, my main goal was to create a website where high school sports fans could find that had online broadcasts for games all over the state. In the long term, I would like to provide schools that don't normally receive exposure through radio or online broadcasting with that opportunity through IHSSN. The website has looked very archaic, but my immediate concern is with getting my visitors the most comprehensive coverage that I can provide. As my visitors have grown since the inception of IHSSN, I have found that it is time to invest in a more professional look to the website. Currently, I create, design, and update everything on the website. I know the extreme basics of doing this, and that is why it looks very choppy and unprofessional. That will all change in the next month. I am pleased to report and much smoother design is coming for IHSSN.net. A website that will be easier to navigate, and should provide more content in the future, due to some easier controls on my end. I put more time in searching for a web designer to do this, than any of the vehicles I have purchased. Finding someone who knows every facet of website design, and more importantly has a sports background was crucial. I have teamed up with 618football.com and illinoispigskin.com creator Donnie Laur over the past year and a half. He has been instrumental in teaching me some basics about websites, and social networking. We have shared information with each other, and he knows exactly what to do in regards to building a website geared towards high school sports. It seemed a natural fit.
Practices Begin This Week
Wednesday marks the first day of practices for the fall sports across Illinois. The final previews will be published today (Sunday), and then focus will turn to practices mid-week. My coverage schedule to hit the fields and gyms will be interesting. The Galesburg cross country teams will hold a midnight madness event late Tuesday night, into Wednesday. I will turn my sleep schedule upside down in covering that event. On Wednesday, my tentative football practice schedule will take me to Monmouth-Roseville and Galesburg. Thursday, I plan to hit United High School for the end of their football practice, and the start of their afternoon volleyball practice. Both teams made deep runs last fall. The Red Storm football team made the Class 1A quarterfinals, while the volleyball team finished (36-1), falling in the sectional semifinals. Friday and Saturday are up in the air.
The Quest for 150
In addition to the fall season rapidly approaching, I am aiming at securing some final details for the quest for 150 play-by-play basketball broadcasts. One thing I am seeking out his a clever name. If anyone can think of one, please post below in the comment section.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Varsity Boy's Basketball Coaching Position Open at Lexington
The head boy's basketball coaching position is open at Lexington. Former West Prairie Cyclones head coach Kellen Fernetti was going to take over the Minutemen program, but instead took a grad assistant position at a college in Missouri. A tough spot to be just weeks before school starts.
Speaking of West Prairie basketball, their new head coach is Andy Jordan, a Stockton native. He will also be an assistant for the Cyclones football team.
Speaking of West Prairie basketball, their new head coach is Andy Jordan, a Stockton native. He will also be an assistant for the Cyclones football team.
Monday, August 2, 2010
150 Broadcasts This Season? Am I Crazy???
Last season, I embarked on a journey that took me from small town gyms in rural Henderson County, to the suburbs of Chicago, and the IHSA State Finals. In that journey, I broadcasted 112 games (play-by-play). That work averaged out to nearly 7 1/2 broadcasts/week.
Never was the Quest for 100 broadcasts in doubt, though I did check the calendar and do the math on occasion. During the first week of the season, I had already reached 11 games, and the boy's basketball season had not even tipped off yet.
The culmination was at the Class 2A boy's basketball regional at Sherrard, with the Monmouth-Roseville Titans facing the Alleman Pioneers. The funny part of my 100th broadcast, was the fact that it got mentioned on the WQAD sportscast that night, with video. I laughed out loud when they mentioned my 100th broadcast, with the video panning between my color commentator Jeff Thompson, and WRMJ's Jim Taylor, as the anchor says, "There's Beau doing his thing," and I wasn't even in view!
Following that broadcast, I could say I didn't slow down, but in reality I did put it into cruise control (still a heavy schedule, but easy street for me). I headed to Bloomington-Normal a day early to broadcast the Class 4A Sectional championship between Moline and Edwardsville. I am glad I broadcast that game, as I logged over 300 listeners for that broadcast alone, and had more than 20 people in the online chatroom. Then, I broadcasted all eight of the Class 1A and 2A girl's basketball state finals at Redbird Arena. Through those three days, I ranked fourth out of over 250 different radio stations that broadcast online using Network1Sports.
Throughout the season, it was a chase of sorts. Every gym I walked into, at least a half dozen people would ask me what number game I was on. I blogged about each game, which can be read here: http://ihssn.blogspot.com/. Note: I did not write a blog for the 112th and final game, which was the Sectional championship between Orion and Lewistown.
Toward the end of the run last season, many people posed the question, "What is the goal for next year, 150?" I laughed at that notion, but did have it in the back of my head. I really enjoy broadcasting games, and have always counted up the amount of broadcasts I do each year. It's also a joy to see the players, coaches, and fans who don't normally get radio or broadcast coverage.
100 (or 112 as it finished up) was a little tough, but I was able to take some breaks and put it into cruise control and various parts of the season. Honestly, it was pretty easy. 150 games....that will be tough. This will require a 6-night week, broadcasting an average of about 9 games per week.
This past weekend, I took out the calendar, and counted up my games that I will be broadcasting for WAIK (Galesburg boy's and girl's basketball). The problem I could run into is that Galesburg plays a primarily Thursday/Friday/Saturday schedule. This puts the various shootouts in jeopardy, in which I can broadcast five to six games in one day. The positive, is that both GHS girl's and boy's host two tournaments during the season, which can give me additional games.
I went through the first two months of the season, and figured I could get between 65 and 70 games in by New Year's. That is, if there are no snow cancellations, and I don't lose my voice. I did lose my voice during the week of Thanksgiving, and missed two broadcasts. I had zero voice. Common belief is that the Christmas tournaments are the halfway point of the season. That is not true, taking in both small school boy's and girl's and large school boy's and girl's. The halfway point of high school basketball is actually in mid-January. I think I pinpointed January 17th as the midway point for the upcoming season.
150 games will be one of the toughest goals to reach, something spanning four months of the year, keeping me busy an extreme amount of time each day and week. Can it be done? It WILL be done!
Never was the Quest for 100 broadcasts in doubt, though I did check the calendar and do the math on occasion. During the first week of the season, I had already reached 11 games, and the boy's basketball season had not even tipped off yet.
The culmination was at the Class 2A boy's basketball regional at Sherrard, with the Monmouth-Roseville Titans facing the Alleman Pioneers. The funny part of my 100th broadcast, was the fact that it got mentioned on the WQAD sportscast that night, with video. I laughed out loud when they mentioned my 100th broadcast, with the video panning between my color commentator Jeff Thompson, and WRMJ's Jim Taylor, as the anchor says, "There's Beau doing his thing," and I wasn't even in view!
Following that broadcast, I could say I didn't slow down, but in reality I did put it into cruise control (still a heavy schedule, but easy street for me). I headed to Bloomington-Normal a day early to broadcast the Class 4A Sectional championship between Moline and Edwardsville. I am glad I broadcast that game, as I logged over 300 listeners for that broadcast alone, and had more than 20 people in the online chatroom. Then, I broadcasted all eight of the Class 1A and 2A girl's basketball state finals at Redbird Arena. Through those three days, I ranked fourth out of over 250 different radio stations that broadcast online using Network1Sports.
Throughout the season, it was a chase of sorts. Every gym I walked into, at least a half dozen people would ask me what number game I was on. I blogged about each game, which can be read here: http://ihssn.blogspot.com/. Note: I did not write a blog for the 112th and final game, which was the Sectional championship between Orion and Lewistown.
Toward the end of the run last season, many people posed the question, "What is the goal for next year, 150?" I laughed at that notion, but did have it in the back of my head. I really enjoy broadcasting games, and have always counted up the amount of broadcasts I do each year. It's also a joy to see the players, coaches, and fans who don't normally get radio or broadcast coverage.
100 (or 112 as it finished up) was a little tough, but I was able to take some breaks and put it into cruise control and various parts of the season. Honestly, it was pretty easy. 150 games....that will be tough. This will require a 6-night week, broadcasting an average of about 9 games per week.
This past weekend, I took out the calendar, and counted up my games that I will be broadcasting for WAIK (Galesburg boy's and girl's basketball). The problem I could run into is that Galesburg plays a primarily Thursday/Friday/Saturday schedule. This puts the various shootouts in jeopardy, in which I can broadcast five to six games in one day. The positive, is that both GHS girl's and boy's host two tournaments during the season, which can give me additional games.
I went through the first two months of the season, and figured I could get between 65 and 70 games in by New Year's. That is, if there are no snow cancellations, and I don't lose my voice. I did lose my voice during the week of Thanksgiving, and missed two broadcasts. I had zero voice. Common belief is that the Christmas tournaments are the halfway point of the season. That is not true, taking in both small school boy's and girl's and large school boy's and girl's. The halfway point of high school basketball is actually in mid-January. I think I pinpointed January 17th as the midway point for the upcoming season.
150 games will be one of the toughest goals to reach, something spanning four months of the year, keeping me busy an extreme amount of time each day and week. Can it be done? It WILL be done!
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