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“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.
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Cedarville Magazine