I have very fond memories of most of the work that I’ve done through the years. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some amazing people and lead some great teams. One such memory of great people and fun work was working on the broadcasts of Army Black Knights football games and coaches shows.
Not only were these exciting, adrenaline filled experiences, they were genuinely fun. When you work with people that just click together on all cylinders, it makes the work so much more interesting and not feel like work at all.
It’s amazing to have such found memories of getting to the stadium at 5am for setup in the freezing northern weather of fall, but it was great. We didn’t stay cold for long as we set-up, checked and rechecked every piece of equipment, cables, the truck, communications systems, announcers equipment, etc.. Then, by the time that was all done, it was game time, not only for the players on the field, but, our broadcast team as well.
I worked different cameras at the games. End-zone, sideline and 20 yard line cameras. The adrenaline rush you get once that whistle blows is amazing [I’ll write about that in a separate post]. It’s amazing sense of responsibility to always be “live” and know that the slightest mistake would be seen by a great deal of viewers. You’re the eyes for all the viewers at home and you have to always stay focused and on point.
Upon reflection of doing these games for SportsChannel New York, I have to smile at the amount vulgar language that is communicated back and forth. If you’ve ever worked at a broadcast network control room or a live remote, you most likely know what I’m talking about.
I remember doing end zone camera one time and the scissor lift was shaking uncontrollably because of the wind blowing off the Hudson River in the middle of fall. I wasn’t scared or nervous about being up so high and the structure shaking, I was too focused on the game. However, the director, not realizing the amount of wind, was going ballistic! Blasting through the headphones I heard, What the F! Cut the S! Can you get a good shot! You learn quickly to let that stuff roll off your back, because, in the end, he and I were great friends. it’s in the heat of the broadcast and we’re both doing what we need to to get our jobs done. Not all directors are like that, but, a great many are. It’s not a mean spirited thing, they are just doing their job.
All went well with that particular game and I believe that was when Army broke a record with their longest return, which I had the best angle on and that shot was picked up by every major sports network.
I worked with that team on many different games and shows for a few years beyond that, it never got old or tiring and always was a great deal of fun.
*****THE PHOTO USED FOR THIS POST IS NOT A CAPTURE FROM WORK THAT I DID.********
