The Middlebury Campus

Issue date: 3/16/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Vlad Lodoaba Dan Berkman '06.5 and Nick DeSantis '07 provided the play-by-play commentary for the women's and men's NCAA Quarterfinals respectively, this past weekend for WRMC 91.1.

"For Tom McCann and Ryan Reese, this is Dan Berkman signing off for Panther hockey on WRMC 91.1." With these words, Berkman '06.5 disconnected from the airwaves and live Internet feed to end the radio broadcast of the NCAA quarterfinal game between Middlebury's women's hockey team and their counterparts from Manhattanville. As we packed up the soundboard, microphones and headsets, I began to reflect on the evening's broadcast and the process involved in producing and broadcasting Middlebury sports on the campus radio station WRMC.

As the postseason tournaments rolled around this year and Middlebury's berth became secure, The Campus began to brainstorm new, innovative styles of tournament coverage. In this search, Tom McCann '06 recalled that Berkman was a commentator for WRMC and that this angle would be a fresh and exciting view of Middlebury hockey. Through a series of e-mails, phone calls and coincidences, McCann and I found ourselves in the press box Friday night alongside Berkman, headphones and all. The following story recaps our experience as a color commentator and play-by-play announcer.

5:47 P.M. - McCann and I met Berkman in Atwater Dining Hall for a pregame meal. As we sat over our turkey dinner, Berkman went over some basic elements of the broadcast. He explained how we would do a short pregame introduction that included a history of the two programs and series record as well as statistics and predictions for the game. He also gave us some encouragement as he said, "Make sure to include any interesting facts, observations or anecdotes that you have about the players or anything."

6:21 P.M. - On the walk across campus, we stopped at the library to print off some statistics for the Panthers and the Valiants. Berkman explained, "The season stats always come in handy for pregame analysis and the recaps and commentary during the intermissions." After a quick pit stop in the restrooms, we were on our way down to Kenyon Arena. During the walk, Berkman explained that he has been commentating since he arrived here. "I've always loved hockey games and thought this would be a great way to be involved in the sport during college." He has been doing women's games for a while now and has recently provided color commentary for the men's contests. Also, he explained the new system for broadcasting that is run through an iTunes program. He told us that this system was much more efficient and enhanced the sound quality of the production. Previously, the broadcasts were patched through the station headquarters by a rudimentary dial-up system. As we entered the rink, McCann and I felt as though we were in "Wayne's World" flashing our backstage passes as we walked straight through the security checks toward the press box.

Continued...

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