Thanks for a great season! This past year, fans of Pike athletics enjoyed their favorite team in an entirely new way, with Red Devil athletics streamed live online, part of a new, cutting-edge Internet operation that pairs broadcast television professionals with student volunteers, eager to learn more about the world of broadcasting.
PikeSportsLive.com, which debuted this fall with live video web casts of Pike home varsity football games, also broadcast live coverage this winter of boys and girls basketball, while also streaming video highlights of various wrestling, swimming and diving meets throughout the winter athletic season.
And as part of the new operation, local broadcast professionals like WRTV-6 morning anchor Dan Spehler will be donating their time and talents to help launch the new project by mentoring and assisting Pike students learning about the world of broadcast media.
"This is going to benefit Pike students in so many different ways," said Pike District Athletic Director James Perkins. “Not only because of all the friends and family around the country who can go to their computers now on Fridays and watch their loved ones on the field, but more importantly for the educational aspect, and the chance for our students to work side-by-side with real broadcast professionals."
“This new web cast agreement benefits Pike High School students well with our emphasis on career and technical education,” said Pike technology instructor Mariatu Abdullah. “The opportunity will open up paths for scholarships and other college opportunities, as well as assist students who want to go directly into the workplace straight from high school.”
“Students are excited,” added Jeanne Burroughs, Business & IT department chair, “It’s an opportunity to obtain real-world experiences in the field of broadcasting that are sure to move them ahead of the learning curve as they prepare to enter the next phase of their education or career.”
This season, Spehler and WRTV colleague Chad Bouslog will handle play-by-play duties for a majority of the online coverage, while also mentoring Pike students, who will eventually be part of the on-air broadcast team.
The web casts will be free and available live online as part of a new agreement between the Pike Athletic Department and AudioSportsOnline.com, a locally-based sports streaming company that serves dozens of clients and schools nationwide.
“We are thrilled to welcome Pike High School into our broadcasting family,” said AudioSportsOnline.com co-owner Robby Kendall.
“When you think about some of the elite athletic programs in the state of Indiana, Pike definitely ranks among the top of the list. Being able to bring the games to Pike fans all over the world is very exciting.”
Pike has also secured an impressive lineup of local sponsors to help pay for the broadcasts, including St. Vincent Sports Performance, Chick-Fil-A at the Pyramids, and two local McDonald’s restaurants – the 71st St. location by I-465 and the location at 56th and Georgetown.
As many as 72 live athletic events could be involved in the deal. And fans will also be able to view and listen to archived game broadcasts, plus highlights and post-game interviews that will be available online immediately after each football game, so fans can watch as soon as they get home.
In addition to the live game broadcasts, there are also plans in the works for a weekly online coaches' show, giving aspiring students plenty of opportunities to work 'on-the-air' -- exactly the kind of opportunity which helped spark Spehler's interest in broadcasting when he was young.
"Broadcasting is such a unique field," Spehler said. "I think hands-on training is incredibly valuable to aspiring students. I got to do play-by-play like this when I was in high school and college, and then interning in TV, I know how truly important it was for me to learn from the real pros. So really, a lot of this is me wanting to give back that same way."
"It's really a wonderful arrangement," Perkins said. "When we first approached each other about doing this, we all knew it would be something that could really help our students."
In his three years here in Indianapolis, Spehler has covered a wide array of news and major sporting events, including the 2006 Final Four and Super Bowl XLI. He currently anchors the news on WRTV's 'Good Morning Indiana'. Bouslog, a former high school athlete in New Castle, is an account executive at WRTV, and author of the daily 'Bous Theory' sports blog on the station's web site, TheIndyChannel.com.
"Working with the community is definitely a great part of the job," Spehler said. "I always enjoy giving speeches and doing career days at different schools in the area, so having an opportunity like this to help mentor broadcasting students will certainly be special."
Pike Sports Live!
