Cedarville Magazine, Summer 2017

“The students here are just amazing. You get one kid with a bad attitude, and it changes everything. We don’t have that.” The experience in live production has also been invaluable to the future careers of students. “Live production is difficult,” said Kragel. “Our students are getting better entry-level jobs because they have experience producing live events.” In the fast-paced world of live production, experience makes all the difference. “The leadership skills you learn are so important. You are multitasking like crazy,” student producer Kate Hartsock ’18 said. Fellow producer Noah Taylor ’17 agreed. “We’ve had to learn to deal with tough, real- world scenarios.” These real-world scenarios include directing the faculty, staff, and alumni that serve as announcers during broadcasts. Even though Taylor and Hartsock are still students, the older announcers respect the producers’ subject knowledge. “It doesn’t feel like students and faculty,” Taylor insisted. “It feels like a colleague relationship.” Not only have team members gained experience that will help them succeed in the future, they have also built a special community that makes the hectic schedule enjoyable. “The team has a fun reputation,” said Hartsock. “We love hanging out with each other.” “There is a lot of laughter and joking on the team,” Kragel added. “We have a lot of fun together.” While the partnership between Athletics and the Department of Communication has paid off for both, they hope viewers see more than top-notch athletes competing. Both departments want their collaboration to assist Cedarville in proclaiming Christ. With that in mind, some of the commercials during streaming have highlighted Cedarville University’s distinctive culture and mission. “These broadcasts might be some people’s introduction to Cedarville as a Christ-centered institution,” said Geist. As relatives get the chance to see their loved one play, they will hopefully also see the One for whom Cedarville athletes compete: Jesus Christ. Nick Carrington ’10 is Assistant Professor of Professional Writing at Cedarville and a blogger for Redleg Nation, “a community for obsessive Cincinnati Reds fans, since 2005.” In the livestream booth, (L–R) Sports Information Director Mark Womack ’82; Associate Professor of Kinesiology Kathy Freese, a former Cedarville women’s basketball, softball, and volleyball coach; and Assistant Sports Information Director Jim Clark ’75. In the background is Associate Professor of Communications Jim Kragel. 16 | Cedarville Magazine