Announcing Wildcat Sports Announcers!

The COVID-19 shutdown brought with it many changes in the way school districts had to carry on and some of these changes were positive ones – offering new directions for schools to engage with their learning communities.  Take sports for instance?  In an effort to allow parents, friends, and extended family a window into the sports games being played when fans were not allowed to attend in person, many schools began live streaming their sporting events.  Now that schools are back to normal, in the sense that games and fans are in attendance, some of the perks of live streaming are still in effect and, in the case of Belleville, provide opportunities to improve and further engage with its extended Wildcat community.  Grandparents got some rare opportunities to see their grandkids play from afar during the pandemic, and that’s something that Belleville wants to continue to foster and improve upon for their remote athletic fan base.

When it comes to ingenuity and a “can-do attitude,” the School District of Belleville is lucky to be able to lean on its Tech Team.  When presented with a need, both District Technology Director Chris Armstrong and his Technology Assistant Dave Edge turn most creative ideas into reality on a tight budget.  In an effort to provide a new service through making use of tools the IT department already had in place, adding sports announcer spots was one more concept that has been brought to life this fall.  To add announcers’ voices to what they had already been able to facilitate with live stream video of sporting events over the last few years, the Tech Team needed to implement the use of the school district’s phone system.

“While we could do more with a fiber connection to the Wildcat stadium, we managed to piece something together using our available resources,” says Edge.

Thursday, September 27th, was the ultimate test of the Tech Team’s creative initiative with the Sugar River Raiders soccer game at Belleville.

“When the district began advertising for its high school athletic programs a year ago, a short-term goal was to pilot play-by-play commentary on at least one game for each sport for the 2023-24 school year.  Our soccer announcers, Matt Leonard and Bobby Nolden, know the Sugar River Raiders soccer program well as parents.  Matt has also announced at the stadium for a number of years.  We wanted announcers that know the sport, know the student-athletes, and would represent the programs admirably.  We are excited to offer this new feature to our fans!” says District Administrator Nate Perry.

As autumn advances, the Wildcats look forward to more guest announcers playing their own role in enhancing the athletic fan experience in Belleville.  Undoubtedly, the Tech Team will be on hand to support the experience, learn from the first game, and troubleshoot to improve the overall experience, as Belleville attempts to offer something new and wonderful for its student athletes.