By: Branton Beard
Throughout my two unforgettable years here at Wabash Valley College, I have had so many opportunities and made countless memories with some of the best people I could meet. While Wabash Valley only offers a two-year program for my field of study, the insight and opportunities I have been provided with here are real-world solutions in my desired field. I have made unforgettable and countless memories, but let’s take a look at some of the highlights!
- Sports Cubed
Going into Wabash Valley College my freshman year I knew I wanted to call and take advantage of as many sports events as possible. What I didn’t know was that there were two other guys going into the Radio & TV program that loved sports just as much as I did. While their teams may not be as good as the
6-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, I wouldn’t want to produce our televised show Sports Cubed with anyone else here at Wabash Valley.
During our time here at Wabash Valley, Kyler, Eli and I turned Sports Cubed into a nationally nominated sports show from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System. When filming and preparing the show, there was never a dull moment. From receiving a cease-and-desist letter from a twelve-year-old in New York City, to Kyler fidgeting and breaking his pen while on air, it is truly amazing to look back and see just how far Sport Cubed has come in the two years
here at Wabash Valley. Just three guys who love sports connecting and talking about the games we love for the enjoyment of others. Sports Cubed also gave me a stage to produce nationally awarded graphics for the show, along with a social media platform which received multiple interactions from professional athletes. Along with that, I loved doing segments on the show like “Fantasy Corner” where we told the audience which players to start as we stood in front of our green screen using my edits. Then, of course, there are predictions. It was an amazing feeling to have people come up to me and tell me how much money they won by betting on the predictions I made on Sports Cubed!
- Carbondale Broadcast
A truly unforgettable broadcast that I made during my time here is when our crew was given the opportunity to broadcast and run a professional production of the 1A & 2A IHSA Super Sectional on the
NFHS network. The crew of Eli Grimes, Kyler Gammon, Maggee Bleyer, Micah Henson, John Freeland, Cole Carter and myself made the trip
to Carbondale, Illinois for this broadcast in the middle of March, which for many is known as prime basketball season as the NCAA March Madness tournaments are in full force. I had the opportunity to call the 1A Super Sectional alongside Kyler Gammon, then the second with Micah Henson. The entire event was simply unforgettable, being court side on a college court, to the professional multi-camera set up provided for us.
The sports lover inside of me was impressed by having a multi-camera set up with not only multiple views
of the court but also a camera on the broadcasters giving it a true March Madness game feel. Because of this I got a slight glimpse of what professional broadcasters feel by people watching at home, looking me up on Facebook and providing anything from criticism to some praise as well. Absolutely thankful to the IHSA for giving our crew the opportunity to call this amazing event and for News Channel 15 and Kyle Peach for being confident enough in me to commentate two major events in IHSA Basketball.
-Tour day with News Channel 15 group
Another tour day that I am thankful the crew and I were able to experience is our trip to multiple facilities in our desired field of study in Evansville, Indiana. The day started out with an incredible moment, which none of us will soon forget, when my true friend Kyler Gammon missed the bus and drove separate. But our first stop that day was to Townsquare Media where we got to talk with Kat Mykals the brand
manager for 103 GBF, where we got a close-up look at the ins and outs of a highly successful radio studio with multiple branches. The next stop was to watch the live production of the News at Noon and meeting with the News team at 44 News, where Weatherman Micah Henson felt at home. Our final facility that day was to the ESPN the Valley truck at the University of Evansville baseball field. Here we had the
chance to meet with Jordan Alves and walk through what all goes on during a live ESPN production of U of E baseball. In the ESPN production truck Kyler Gammon and I had the chance to really see first-hand what the process of all the graphics looks like for an ESPN baseball game. Along with that, Kyler and I have the chance to go back and assist in a live production later this month and during the summer, once again I want to thank none other than Kyle Peach for the amazing opportunity to visit these places and get my foot in the door during these two years at Wabash Valley. Finally, to finish out our day the entire crew at News Channel 15 got to enjoy some laser tag, bowling, and mini golf in Evansville, where Cole Carter, John Freeland and myself got to stand on the pedestal for top 3 at laser tag. Then we had the chance to launch a miniature-sized bowling ball at some pins and get overly excited when we hit even one; basically, we can guarantee that anyone in that facility would think we were crazy, but none of that matters as we had the time of our lives. Oh, and I had the highest score knocking down 150 pins, and thank you to Micah Henson for the steep competition, but sadly he was distracted by a call for rain.
- Legendary Broadcast
For me, as I mentioned, I knew coming into Wabash I wanted to call as many sporting events as possible. My sophomore year I had the chance to call one of the most exciting soccer matches I have ever seen. It was the North Posey Vikings against the Mt. Carmel Golden Aces, during this game there was no lack of scoring or action with multiples goals, multiple cards, and much fan interaction. But the biggest moment of this game was when Ivan Holt had a direct kick opportunity from mid-field and chipped the goalie for the game sealing goal. Thankful for the opportunity to call this match and not only was it, in my opinion, my best call, but it has also awarded me nationally as a top 5 play-by-play broadcaster in the nation.
- Becoming the Big Men on Campus
The final highlight I have for you is when I was awarded an NTHS scholarship and given the opportunity to be an Honor Marshall at last year’s WVC graduation and shake hands with the incredible group of
sophomores that I had the privilege of working with last year. But being able to congratulate each of the sophomores as they walked across the stage last year is a key moment from my time here at Wabash Valley. Just seeing the sheer excitement in the faces of Drew Pountain, Ian Klinger and Bryce Klinger felt amazing. This moment was a terrific ending to my time with them
here at Wabash Valley college, and now this year the same opportunity is being awarded to Micah Henson and Maggee Bleyer as they will be the
Honor Marshals at this year’s graduation where the sophomore core in the WVC Radio Department of Kyler Gammon, Eli Grimes, Mallory Burton, John Freeland and myself get to walk across that stage on Friday May 13th.
Wabash Valley will always be a major part of my journey no matter what happens I will always remember my time here at WVC. If you are wondering if Wabash Valley is a good idea for you, I would absolutely say yes! Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my time here at Wabash Valley.
This is Branton Beard signing off.
