Something So Right!
Greetings Creative Types!
This past weekend I took a few days to visit family in North Carolina. On Friday night my wife and I were lucky enough to attend a baseball game in Durham featuring the Durham Bulls the minor league team made nationally famous in 1988 by the movie Bull Durham. No, Nuke LaLoosh was not on the mound and Kevin Costner was not behind home plate urging actor Tim Robbins on with charming phrases like “C’mon Meat throw me that weak-***… ” well you know the rest.
My wife and I have have attended baseball games at some of the greatest ballparks in the country, Camden Yards, Nationals Stadium, Fenway Park and Dodgers Stadium but I must add Goodmon Field to my list of beloved ballparks.
You ask how in the world could a little old minor league ballpark deserve to be in the company of such legendary big league stadiums? I could mention the incredible baseball, the tremendous value ($8.00 per seat on the third base line), the delicious food, the wonderful fireworks show and these things are terrific however it was the conversation I had across from the concession stand that blew me away.
My wife ever the “networker” struck up a conversation with a young man from an Explorers group. As the conversation continued we were joined by a gentleman who introduced himself as Ken Bland the leader of the Explorer’s. The conversation and tour that took place over the next 20 minutes made an indelible impression upon me.
So what is this Explorers group all about? According to the Durham Bulls website
Explorer Post 50 is a youth based television broadcasting program that provides students, ages 14-20, with an invaluable opportunity to gain exceptional experience in the field of television broadcasting.
So let me tell you what these kids do. EVERYTHING. These kids actually run a television broadcast of the Durham Bulls games. I watched a young lady about 15 years old deftly maneuver her camera from her position above the dugout on on the third base side. In the control room I observed a director younger than the pair of jeans I am wearing right now call out cues and direction. As I moved room to room in the press box I observed young folks handling all the elements key to producing a live sports broadcast and I was inspired.
The next morning while watching the highlights of the previous nights Bulls game on the local news I had to smile and wonder if the rest of the viewers realized they were watching footage produced by a teenager.
In a day and time when we are worried that our kids are playing too many video games and becoming one with the couch I am overjoyed to have been witness to the work Ken Bland and his kids are doing at Goodmon Field.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jim Goodman owner of WRAL TV, Fox 50 and The Durham Bulls. It is a rare thing to see corporate America making an effort to provide our kids something so meaningful. Goodman has ensured that these kids are able to work with real equipment so they may be prepared to enter the broadcasting world with big league skills. Or perhaps these kids are his farm team….ah…that is genius!
Last but not certainly least, hats off to Ken Bland. I could tell by the gleam in his eye that he was proud of his explorers, but Ken should know that his efforts on behalf of these kids is truly admirable.
Follow this link and check them out
~The Head Who~
