Hundreds of students come to watch the homecoming game, but do the students know what happens behind the scenes of each game?

“It’s crazy,” said Nick Elsner, the play by play commentator of Spring-Ford, “The energy of the crowd makes it always a good time even when on camera.”

During each game, the broadcasting crew has to have a lot of things come together. In each game, RCTV (the name for Spring-Ford’s broadcast team) needs to make sure everything is prepped before starting: the cameras need to be functioning, the audio needs to be on, and the commentators need to be ready to share the game on TV.

“Broadcasting the homecoming game could be difficult at times if there are technical problems,” said Andrew Rothermel, Spring-Ford’s Media Communications Assistant and the director of the sports broadcasting crew. “Besides that, it goes pretty smoothly.”

Rothermel dedicates his time to make sure each broadcast goes smoothly. Within each game, he has to make sure everyone is doing their assigned job as efficient and perfect as possible. Multiple camera operators need to be directed, the commentators need to know when to start or stop, and the RCTV trailer needs to operate like a well-oiled machine. Rothermel and the entire crew wear headsets that allow him talk to everyone and communicate what needs to be done to everyone on his team.

Being a commentator for any team at Spring-Ford takes a lot of skill and experience. After all, there can be a lot going on at once.

The commentators need to be prepared to call the game while listening to everything Rothermel says through the headset, whether it be directions on what to say or when to say it. With the screaming crowd and the pressure of not messing up, it’s not hard to believe that someone calling a game would feel under pressure.

However, according to the color commentator of this year’s Homecoming game, John Brennan, it’s just simply fun, and that after the first few times it’s easy to get the hang of it. Keep in mind Brennan, who is an AP Macro teacher here at Spring-Ford and a member of the crew for ten years, has all the experience he needs to be an elite caller.

He does believe there is one main difficulty, though. “You have to know the kid’s names” Brennan stated, “it’s the hardest things I need to do when on camera. I usually keep notes to help remember the names of each player and number.”

The entire team, from camera crew to the effects department, from the director to the commentator, all have a remarkable energy when it comes to performing. Even though the Fall season is over, there are still a plethora of sports in both the Winter and Spring for the crew to call.

Viewers could find any broadcast in the following sources: Comcast customers can tune in to Channel 969, Verizon customers can tune in to Channel 4, and Vimeo page for On-Demand videos.