Show Up and Start Filming

Rocky Mount High school basketball teams are heading in opposite directions.

The boys have now lost 9 of 12 after losing at SouthWest Edgecombe Saturday night. The lost drops the Gryphons to 1-3 in conference play and right now are in jeopardy of not making the playoffs unless they can turn the season around.

The Lady Gryphons on the other hand have won 12 out of 16 games on the season and after whipping Southwest Edgecombe girls Saturday night have the out right lead at 3-0 in the conference standings.

Tuesday night the boys will face Nash Central who is undefeated in conference play while the girls will try to get revenge on the lady bulldogs from the loss during the championship game of the Christmas Tournament at Nash Central.

Now that the conference plays all four games at the same location JVs and Varsity, the Girls should tip off about 6.30 at home Tuesday night.

I have been doing ball games mostly on the radio, but in the last ten years TV has joined the menu.

When you follow one team as Wes Bradshaw and myself did this past football season you have a week to prepare for the up coming game.

In the case of TV games on the Stretchlon Sports shows they are some times not decided on until the day before which game we may cover.

When that is the case it is most of the time show up an hour before the game get the line ups and start filming.

This past Friday afternoon we covered the NEW-6 swim meet. There were eight teams there and twelve different events. There is no program to buy as you walk in letting you know who is swimming and what race or in some cases which leg of the race a swimmer is swimming.

I wish we could be like the Networks and show up three days before a game, let the announcers talk with the players and the technical people set up cameras at just the right place for best possible shots.

When we arrive it's me as the announcer and George on the camera. There is no tractor trailer truck parked around back with the director telling the camera men the shots he wants.

George is close enough to me he can hear what I'm saying and can get a close up on what ever I might be talking about. It is done as they say on the fly.

I wish we could tell every child's name and pronounce it correctly as we do a film session. That's what happens when you show up an hour before a meet, match, or game.

The Harrison Family Aquatic center has no press box to lay all the info that I might have out in front of me to use. In the case of Friday's swim meet it was stand in the corner and all the info you have is in your hand while holding a microphone.

I applaud Richard Sarmiento for his effort in producing the "Stretchlon Sports Show". It is a small way to high light our youth regardless of whether we call their name or not.