"Voice of the Cheads"
Lukas Moore was the play by play voice of the Southern Ohio Copperheads in the Summer of 2017; learn about his amazing experience as a Chead.
The Southern Ohio Copperheads are a Summer Collegiate Baseball team based in Athens, Ohio. They are a member of the GLSCL (Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League). The league-leaders in attendance, and the only team with all 42 games on a major radio station, Power 105. The Copperheads are the Yankees of the GLSCL. The best part, is that it's almost 100% student managed. The media staff is exclusively students, the General Manager is a student. The Gameday staff, from Ushers to Beer pourers, are students.
Despite all the history and success in the first decade and a half of Copperheads baseball the 2017 season was a record breaking one, literally. The Southern Ohio Copperheads hold the World Record for most fidget spinners spun at the same time. The 2017 season also saw the Copperheads break the attendance record at Bob Wren Stadium (The home of the D-1 Ohio Bobcats) with a massive turnout of 2,071 on July 29th versus the Richmond Jazz.
The radio broadcast was also a major success, the Commissioner of the league commented on how well our broadcast was managed. Fans would tell staffers in the stadium how great of a job we did. Parents would tweet at us, give us presents, and shower us with praise. It was an amazingly fun experience. Although the one thing I failed to do was sign an autograph. I guess I'm not at that level yet. Below are some stories, pictures and examples of work from my summer as the radio broadcaster for the Southern Ohio Copperheads.
Despite all the history and success in the first decade and a half of Copperheads baseball the 2017 season was a record breaking one, literally. The Southern Ohio Copperheads hold the World Record for most fidget spinners spun at the same time. The 2017 season also saw the Copperheads break the attendance record at Bob Wren Stadium (The home of the D-1 Ohio Bobcats) with a massive turnout of 2,071 on July 29th versus the Richmond Jazz.
The radio broadcast was also a major success, the Commissioner of the league commented on how well our broadcast was managed. Fans would tell staffers in the stadium how great of a job we did. Parents would tweet at us, give us presents, and shower us with praise. It was an amazingly fun experience. Although the one thing I failed to do was sign an autograph. I guess I'm not at that level yet. Below are some stories, pictures and examples of work from my summer as the radio broadcaster for the Southern Ohio Copperheads.
Social Media
Being the radio voice of a team is so much more than going on air and calling the action. Not only does the job expand into hours of preparation but it also expands into the realm of Social Media. Being a good ambassador for your team on Social Media is a crucial part of being the voice of that team. Below are some examples of how I did that in 2017.
The Interview
I'll never forget the day I interviewed to be the play by play man of the Southern Ohio Copperheads.
It was winter break of my Freshman year at Ohio University and I needed an internship for the summer. I had worked in summer baseball for two years and I knew the reputation that the Copperheads had, especially in media. Broadcasting alumni for the Copperheads included Allie Laforce and Brian Boesch. So you could say I was pretty nervous.
I had an interview scheduled in Athens with the former GM Grant Canning, and the new GM Kaleb Sislowski, at the Union Street Diner. Here's the thing, I lived in Springfield, so I made a two hour drive (one way) just for the interview. I put my suit on, organized my resumes, and put together the prep work that I had done for baseball in the past. I was preparing myself like I was interviewing for the Yankees, like my Mom always told me "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have".
The two hour drive from I-70 to Route 33 allowed me to imagine every way this interview could go horribly wrong. I pull up to the Union Street Diner, nerves rattling, then I see a text from Grant Canning, "Don't worry about dressing up, we will be there soon". I immediately relaxed, because I knew at that moment that I was ready for the interview and ready to take my next step as a broadcaster.
Sure enough, as I'm sure you assumed, I got the job, and embarked on a journey that I'll remember for the rest of my life. I made some amazing friends, learned life lessons, and most importantly, became a better broadcaster.
It was winter break of my Freshman year at Ohio University and I needed an internship for the summer. I had worked in summer baseball for two years and I knew the reputation that the Copperheads had, especially in media. Broadcasting alumni for the Copperheads included Allie Laforce and Brian Boesch. So you could say I was pretty nervous.
I had an interview scheduled in Athens with the former GM Grant Canning, and the new GM Kaleb Sislowski, at the Union Street Diner. Here's the thing, I lived in Springfield, so I made a two hour drive (one way) just for the interview. I put my suit on, organized my resumes, and put together the prep work that I had done for baseball in the past. I was preparing myself like I was interviewing for the Yankees, like my Mom always told me "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have".
The two hour drive from I-70 to Route 33 allowed me to imagine every way this interview could go horribly wrong. I pull up to the Union Street Diner, nerves rattling, then I see a text from Grant Canning, "Don't worry about dressing up, we will be there soon". I immediately relaxed, because I knew at that moment that I was ready for the interview and ready to take my next step as a broadcaster.
Sure enough, as I'm sure you assumed, I got the job, and embarked on a journey that I'll remember for the rest of my life. I made some amazing friends, learned life lessons, and most importantly, became a better broadcaster.
The Broadcast Partner
If you would've told me on the day I interviewed Russ Heltman that I was meeting someone who would become one of my great friends, I probably wouldn't have believed you.
He rolled into the Front Room Coffeehouse with a longboard, in a t-shirt, and his hair looked as if he had just rolled out of bed (To be fair, I had told him not to worry about looking nice) I was intrigued and wasn't sure what to expect.
He crushed the interview. His resume was great, his voice was radio ready and he was smart. In fact, he is the one who edits anything I write so I'll just leave a thanks for him here, and check out his website: http://russheltman.weebly.com . I thought that he was the best candidate for the job, and he proved me right over every single one of the 42 games.
His work ethic was A+, and he listened to any advice I would give, even though he is older than I am. He pushed me to prepare more, because he prepared so well. Our on-air chemistry by game 20 was impeccable, our off-air chemistry, even better.
Russ made me a better broadcaster without a doubt, and was a huge part of our success as a broadcast.
He rolled into the Front Room Coffeehouse with a longboard, in a t-shirt, and his hair looked as if he had just rolled out of bed (To be fair, I had told him not to worry about looking nice) I was intrigued and wasn't sure what to expect.
He crushed the interview. His resume was great, his voice was radio ready and he was smart. In fact, he is the one who edits anything I write so I'll just leave a thanks for him here, and check out his website: http://russheltman.weebly.com . I thought that he was the best candidate for the job, and he proved me right over every single one of the 42 games.
His work ethic was A+, and he listened to any advice I would give, even though he is older than I am. He pushed me to prepare more, because he prepared so well. Our on-air chemistry by game 20 was impeccable, our off-air chemistry, even better.
Russ made me a better broadcaster without a doubt, and was a huge part of our success as a broadcast.