Hello, readers! Three weeks down, three weeks to go until our first break of the new semester! It has been an extremely busy stretch for me academically, but I have managed thus far to remain afloat in all of my classes.
As mentioned in the profile page for my blog, I am a member of WCHC 88.1 Sports. More specifically, I am a color commentator for radio broadcasts of men’s and women’s basketball games. I actually found out about the program primarily through one of its co-president, seeing as he as a fellow alumnus of my high school. WCHC is extremely easy for anyone to join, however, and I would encourage any person with an interest in broadcasting (sports or music) to consider the organization.
Anyway, I have now been on the air for two women’s basketball games, as well as for one men’s game. Even though I’m a color commentator, rather than the play-by-play broadcaster, I put a fair amount of time into preparing for each game. I do brief research into the tendencies, backgrounds, and statistics of the opposing team’s key players. This preparation allows for a more smooth, fluid broadcast, as was the case during the women’s games I’ve called over the past two weeks.
Last Wednesday, my job was to provide color commentary for the men’s game against Army West Point. Unfortunately, however, one of our current play-by-play broadcasters was unavailable for the first half of the game. I figured that we would be unable to broadcast that night, seeing as it isn’t very easy to offer a comprehensive radio broadcast with only one commentator. I then realized, however, that I may not have the opportunity to offer play-by-play commentary again for quite some time. I decided that, as the adage goes, the show must go on! In my very first men’s basketball broadcast, I served as the play-by-play commentator for the first half of a 56-42 victory over Army. I did so without even having a color commentator alongside me. Although this was certainly a challenge, being a dedicated fan and follower of our basketball team certainly paid dividends. The broadcast, though quite far from perfect, went fairly smoothly. Although I much prefer offering color commentary for broadcasts, the experience was valuable for its spontaneity and difficulty nevertheless.
That’s all for this week’s installment! I’ve had a lot of awesome, blog-worthy experiences related to basketball as of late, but I promise I will write about my other experiences very soon. Until next time!
