October 28, 2024 • 40 mins
Join us this week for amazing story telling and surprising history lessons with legendary PA Announcer Karl Von Ins. For fifty-eight years, Karl Von Ins has been the voice behind the mic at West Ottawa, his presence a staple in the community. This episode celebrates Karl's remarkable journey and the deep connections he has forged with generations of athletes, coaches, and fans.
His unique perspective on the evolution of Panther Stadium, from its modest beginnings to today's modern West Ottawa Stadium, is a narrative rich in detail and nostalgia. Karl reflects on his early days announcing games for the JV team, the transformations of the stadium, and the unforgettable moments that have defined game days over the years.
Karl shares insights into the meticulous preparations involved in broadcasting games, emphasizing the importance of tradition and teamwork in the booth. From organizing rosters to ensuring the correct pronunciation of players' names, Karl's dedication to his craft is evident. His reflections highlight the craftsmanship behind sports announcing and its influence on newcomers, showcasing the respect and attention to detail that define a successful game-day experience.
These stories highlight the enduring spirit of family and tradition that enriches the lives of those in West Ottawa, reinforcing the profound connections between voice, tradition, and community.
The episode also explores the evolution of high school football, tracing the shift from a run-focused game to one where passing even exists.
Karl's relationships with athletes and his positive approach to announcing are central to his legacy, underscoring the importance of fostering a supportive and encouraging environment.
In conclusion, Part 1 of this 2 part series on Karl Von Ins is a tribute to his lasting impact on West Ottawa's athletic history. His voice, a constant presence through decades of change, symbolizes the spirit of tradition and community that defines West Ottawa. Through his stories, listeners are invited to celebrate the rich legacy of Panther sports and the enduring bonds that unite its community.
This episode was recorded on October 25, 2024.
Podcasts now dropping at 5pm every Sunday evening for that late weekend chill, or listen Monday AM during that morning commute or workout. Please like, follow, subscribe, or leave a review. Even share with someone who might like to listen. Thanks for taking the time to get to know each other a little bit better. The people who make West Ottawa Athletics what it is. Go WO!
Special thanks to Laura Veldhof Photography.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We had a varsity team and we would play schools that
were small like ours.
And then in 1966, we had a JVteam and I was watching a game
and I said to the athleticdirector you know, nobody says
anything about the game, youknow there was nobody announcing
it.
And I said, can I do it?
He said, yeah, but we can't payyou, I said, and I didn't ask
(00:23):
if you could pay me, I asked ifI could announce it, and that's
when I started.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hey everybody, this is Rodney Valinga with the West
Ottawa High School AthleticProgram and you're listening to
the 29.1 Podcast 29 sports, oneteam, the show that brings you
into the lives of studentathletes, coaches and other
faces in the Panther sportscommunity, bringing you the
stories you might otherwisenever hear.
Join myself and AthleticDirector Bill Kennedy as we dive
(00:56):
in with you to get to know eachother a little bit better.
If you've ever been to a WestOttawa football game, you've
heard his voice.
If you haven't, maybe you'veheard it echo through nearby
woods neighborhoods or blueberryfields.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Today we are joined by the voice of the Panthers,
carl Von Inns.
For nearly 60 years Carl hasannounced football and
basketball games here at WestOttawa, all along making
connections with the athletesand coaches who represent the
black and white At 86 years old.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
He's as good as he's ever been and as generous and
kind as well.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Voice of the Panthers .
Carl Von Enns next on the 29.1podcast.
Let's get it.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I look at all the lonely people.
I look at all the lonely people, eleanor Rigby.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It is Eleanor Rigby.
It was the summer of 1966 whenthe Beatles released that song.
A mere month before today'sguest began calling games on the
PA for football at West OttawaHigh School, lyndon B Johnson
was in the White House and thebuilding you know today as
Harbor Lights Middle School wasjust five years old.
It's 58 years later and the manbehind the mic for football
(02:21):
games then is the same manbehind the mic for football
games now.
It's my pleasure to ask who isit?
Speaker 1 (02:29):
carl von eunice awesome carl.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
First and foremost, thanks for coming in and
agreeing to sit down with us fora little bit of time today.
It's been a joy getting to knowyou over the last gosh seven
football seasons now here atWest Ottawa.
For me it's going to be a realtreat to sit down with you today
.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, it's so nice to have you here and we're going
to have, you know, just spendsome time together and talk
about a lot of history, ofthings that have gone on in West
Ottawa over the years.
Probably the only person whocan tell these stories is you,
but you know, know, things don'tend for us either, because we
got football tomorrow nightagainst hudsonville right and
then of course basketball starts.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
What november, late november last week yep, november
, I want to say november 26th isour first home game against
godwin heights right first homegame.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
So, carl, we usually do a get to know you section,
which is kind of crazy, becauseif we don't know you, who do we
know around west ottawa?
But you know there's a lot ofpeople that are older, that
always come and say hi to you,that you've known throughout the
years you've.
So you had people as students,you've coached them and then
even there's been young, youngerpeople who might not know you,
(03:39):
but they know your voice.
We even had a student come upinto the booth the other day and
I don't know if you rememberthis, but you started talking to
her and she goes hey, it's you,you're the guy.
You're the guy.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
I hear all the time it's not that spectacular.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
No, but it was still pretty fun.
Just to see that on somebody'sface.
It was fun.
It was really really cool.
So it's going to be nice toshare with people that don't
know you.
If someone else is listening,they're not from West Ottawa,
but let's talk about you.
You're born here, right?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Grew up here.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Raised a family here.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
And you've cheered for the Lions here.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Yes, and I cheered for the Tigers too.
I cheered for the Lions backwhen Bobby Lane was still the
quarterback, the last time theywon a championship.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Right, how are you enjoying this time, the last
couple years?
Speaker 1 (04:26):
It's been fun to watch it.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Yeah, they're a really good watch, maybe the
best watch in the NFL, besidesthe team from Baltimore, of
course.
Well.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Lamar Jackson had a heck of a night, the other night
.
Yeah, that was really reallyfun to watch, but you've been a
fan since the early days, rightLike way back in the day.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Well, right, like way back in the day.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Well, not the early early days, but probably longer
than anyone who's been aroundhere.
Yeah, and then you, uh, youhave your family here, so let's
talk about your family.
So you're married.
You've been married to yourwife, bert, for how long?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
uh 60 years, that is amazing that is amazing.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
We just got to my wife cammy and I just got to 20
and I was like, yeah, we're athird of the way there.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
That's a third of the way there.
So you've been married to Bertfor a long time and you have two
children right.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
And some grandkids.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
You want to talk about them just for a second
year of teaching English at themiddle school and my son, chris,
works for a place in ByronCenter called the Break Room and
it's a therapy room where, ifyou get so frustrated, you sign
up and you break office machinesor you break liquor bottles and
(05:37):
people pay to break.
And I've never thought I couldbe that angry at someone that I
would, or frustrated that Iwould pay to break things.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, you have been a Lions fan for a long time.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I have a shirt that says maybe next year.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Yeah, well, maybe this year at this point I might
need to get his contact infoevery now and again.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
I just feel the need to break stuff Every once in a
while.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
I always say Bill is very even keeled, but every once
in a while, like the rest of us, things can kind of do that.
And then, of course, you andyour wife, bert have been
married for a long time.
You're part of here.
She's been a big part of sportsat West Ottawa as well with you
in track and field, which we'llget to in a little bit.
But you're both Hall of Famers,right.
(06:21):
You were inducted in 2000, andthen Bert was in 2010.
So that's pretty sweet.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Well, it's nice.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah it's nice.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I mean, you go one generation even deeper now with
Lauren and her involvement atthe middle school Right.
She was actually one of myfirst hires as AD here at West
Ottawa's hiring Lauren to comein and do that.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So it's quite the family affair.
Yes, we're kind of part of WestOttawa from the beginning, from
before the beginning.
When I was in college my lastyear, the president of the West
Ottawa School Board, J Dyke VanPutten, was my political science
teacher and so my project thelast year was to get all the
(07:09):
information that was availableat the beginning of West Ottawa
and put it in a scrapbook andturn it into him at the end of
the year and he returned it tome and I've owned it to people
who have done the 50thanniversary of the district.
Dwayne Hooker, who was a formerhigh school principal, did a
(07:34):
paper on the history of WestOttawa and he borrowed it from
me to find out the informationof how West Ottawa happened to
be.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Where did the kids in this area go to school prior to
?
Speaker 1 (07:46):
West Ottawa.
We all went to Holland HollandHigh.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Okay, Holland High.
At that time is it samelocation as it is now?
Speaker 1 (07:52):
on Van Ralti, it was on 16th and Pine.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Okay, so fascinating to me to see like the beginning
of a school district and how itall kind of.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Yeah, there was back in the day, was?
There's a lot of tensionbetween the north and the south
huh, yeah, there was.
There was a lot of tension yeah, it was uh kind of the school
board civil war back in the dayapparently, from what I've been
reading it was.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
It was pretty heated way back when yes, and the
school districts, all theelementary school districts,
voted independently and thetotal was overwhelming to form
their own district.
And we were suburban highschool at that time and we still
had all the elementary schoolsthat we have now that were
(08:39):
available at that time.
And the suburban high schoolwas the old Beachwood School.
It was the largest school inthe district and that's torn
down and it's now property ofMichigan State on Ottawa Beach
Road and Howard Avenue.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
There's a big field there.
The extension office over there.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Wow, there's a lot going on with that.
When you graduated from HopeCollege, right, and then you
started teaching.
You started teaching at a veryunique place, though when you
came out of college, it was likethe old school stuff, right.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Can you tell?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
us just a little bit about that.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Well, it was Harlem School on Berry Street, and
Berry Street was a dirt road.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
And that's north of Mac Legends.
A little bit Right, if you wantto know.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Yeah, it's north of MacLegends a little bit Right,
if you want to know.
Yeah, it's off, barry, and wedidn't miss any days during the
winter going to school.
But when spring vacation came,we had tremendous rains and they
closed school for a weekbecause the buses would sink
right down to the frame and thebuses couldn't get down the road
.
And in those days, I wouldexplain, I gave the kids
(09:46):
information in regard to whatthey had to do, but then I told
them well, we can do it inschool or we can do it at home.
And they all lived about fivemiles apart and I would go to
different homes and eat supperwith the family and, you know,
help them with their homework.
(10:07):
And it was just, it was thebest year I ever had.
But again, our recesses were anhour and 15 minutes long.
Noon hour was an hour and ahalf long.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Oh, I miss those days , yes, that's the thing I miss
most about moving into thejunior high school is the
recesses oh yeah, that used tobe a big thing, like we all grew
up with recesses and I meanthat was why you went to school.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
We got, I got football we had some legendary
kickball action oh yeah a wholeor at saint phillips and james
elementary school in baltimoreand you use that when they're
that long.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
That was social time.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah, but we had a softball team and I had an
all-girl infield.
I had 25 kids the first yearand it was great.
I mean I got to know them, wentcamping with them.
It was like they were littlebrothers and little sisters of
mine.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
How old were you when you were teaching that year?
Speaker 1 (11:01):
22.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Oh yeah, you're so close in age, right, yeah, they
were 14.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
And we would go camping and fishing.
Across from the school was abig field, a cornfield, and the
kids would bring their shotguns13 of them and stack them in the
corner and they'd carry theirshells in their pocket and when
someone would hear the geesehonking they'd yell geese.
And the kids who brought theirguns would jump up, grab their
guns, run across the street andtry and shoot a goose Because
(11:28):
the geese would stop to eat corn.
Well, they never.
No one ever shot a goose.
It was a good thing becausethey'd have to take it home on
the bus.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Different, time Different time.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Well, you know, when you say you were 22 and they
were 14, it explains now to mewhen we're up at the booth at
football and this little oldlady comes up, whoever that
might be, and is Carl up here?
And whoever it is looksdefinitely older than you, and
every once in a while we're justso shocked.
Oh yeah, I used to teach themback in the day.
I'm like Carl, she looks likeshe's 90, you know.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
They were 76, something like that.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Oh, so there were 76, something like that.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Oh yeah, 78, you know .
So a lot of them are no longerwith us.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
No, I know, yeah, yeah.
Well, you stay very busy,though, like you're a little
different than most people.
You have an orchard, you have agarden, you do that with your
wife a lot, I know and then youdo your walks every day.
Did you get to walk in today?
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Yes, I did.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
How long?
Speaker 1 (12:25):
I counted by steps.
I think it was 17,000 stepstoday.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
There you go, everybody.
You want the secret tolongevity?
Yeah, 17,000 steps, oh man,that'll do it.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Obviously do some canning, I'm in possession of
some salsa that looks like it'smade last year.
Made last year.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Should be ready to go .
It looks good too.
It's in that clear jar, thatclear mason jar.
Yes, we're all fans of.
It's so nice.
What, what subjects did youteach?
Speaker 1 (12:54):
you were west ottawa teacher for how long, carl 43
years, and that doesn't happenany longer because it's
expensive to pay teachers.
43 years of teaching, so what'sit now?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
30, yeah, yeah, 30, you can retire fully vested.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
But well, I mean I would say, like amy is an
outlier right getting to year 34, most people as soon as they
hit 30 they're ready to go theygo.
Yeah, usually I'll transitioninto something else yeah, and
then you, of course.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
You taught seventh and eighth grade mostly.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Primarily seventh grade I taught the last hour of
the day was in eighth grade andthen, because of coaching, I
wind up doing supervising lasthour study hall in the high
school because we were all inthe same building and so when
kids would come to study hall Iknew who the athletes were and
they were able to go to theirpractices.
You know from study hall and itwas just convenient.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah, and you taught basketball then for 16 years.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I coached it.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Sorry, I said taught basketball.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
More or less?
Speaker 2 (13:55):
It's a lost art, Carl .
We've talked about this before.
Maybe we do need to teachbasketball.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Extension of the classroom.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, extension of the classroom and then track and
field for 39 years,no-transcript.
(14:28):
We get to be in that space, butwhat does it make you think
about the people that kind ofmade that happen in this
community?
How cool is that for?
Speaker 1 (14:35):
you, that's.
It's a wonderful place.
I mean, when I talk to people,I said have you seen our stadium
?
And they said not yet I said,well, if you've been to Michigan
and Michigan state, those arethe two stadiums that are better
than West Ottawa in the stateof Michigan.
I mean, in my opinion, I'vebeen to both of them.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
So I agree.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I don't think we're.
There's no dissent in this room.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
No dissent here.
You know I've I've said itbefore and I'll say it again At
the end of my career, which is along way away yet I will look
back and that will be one ofthose pieces.
That is like I got to do that.
I got to see that thing fromthe ground up and I can only
imagine what it's like beingsomeone who spent all of those
(15:20):
years at Panther Stadium.
And then you transition and allthe modern amenities right, you
go from six toilets in themen's room to 100 now.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Well, not upstairs, none of them upstairs, right?
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Yeah, none of them upstairs, but there were two in
the men's toilet and I don'tknow how many were in the
women's, but I know there'd be aline of 50 people of ladies
trying to get into the restroomat halftime.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Yes, it was, it was terrible, it was quaint.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah, and it's certainly improved now when
you're in the booth and you lookover there during a game and
I'm talking about the PantherPlaza area, that's what I call
it Maybe that's not the officialname, but I like.
Panther Plaza.
It is just this packed full ofpeople all over there.
But what's it like for you justto like, just enjoying that as
an announcer?
What's it like for you?
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Well, it's obviously there's a lot more electronics
there and tactical things, andI'm glad you're around because
you put it together and turn mymic on and so on, and I wouldn't
know how to do that.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
It's all teamwork right?
We all know that.
Yeah, yeah, and let's go allthe way back to the beginning.
Do you have some memories ofthose real early years, how it
all got started, how you gotstarted.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Well, where the buses are parked now was a field of
briars.
It was called Stick Stadium andmy stepbrother was one of the
people who played on that firstteam and if you got tackled you
landed in the Blackberry Briarsand that was where the buses are
parked at this time and thatwas all just woods and fields of
(17:00):
briars.
And then when we went toPanther Stadium, which is now,
we didn't have a.
We had a varsity team and wewould play schools that were
small like ours.
And then in 1966, we had a JVteam and I was watching a game
and I said to the athleticdirector I said, you know,
(17:23):
nobody says anything about thegame.
There was nobody announcing it.
And I said can I do it?
He said, yeah, but we can't payyou, I said, and I didn't ask
if you could pay me.
I asked if I could announce it,and that's when I started.
And then the people who weredoing varsity game.
There were two people before meand one was a teacher and he
(17:48):
walked with a cane and he had togo.
There were steps on thebackside of the stadium that
went to the press box and,without any railing or so on, he
had to go up those steps andthere was a trap door to get
into the press box and he pushedthe trap door and climbed up,
you know.
And then there was anotherfather who did it for as long as
his kids were playing football,and then I started and I don't
(18:13):
remember when, but after that soI started doing varsity games,
but I started doing JV games in66, and then we had a freshman
team.
The freshman played on the JVsup to that time, and then we had
our own freshman team, and so Istarted announcing their games
too, and eventually he startedpaying me $5 a game, which was,
(18:37):
I mean, more than I expected,and I did that for quite a few
years.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
And that was Herb Montman right.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Oh no, that was Roger .
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Boer, Roger Boer okay .
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Yeah, herb Montman was the first AD, but in those
days we only had a varsity teamand therefore, you know, someone
announced the varsity.
When JV started, I startedannouncing them.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
So I guess I I'm always fascinated by the history
of Panther stadium and kind ofthe iterations that I've seen
photos of or I've I've readabout.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat the homestand side was
when it first opened, becausefrom my understanding there were
(19:20):
locker rooms underneath.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Well, that was not the beginning but it came.
The boosters was very activeand there from the beginning and
they were plumbers and masonsand bricklayers and so on.
So they built the stadium.
But first we just hadgrandstands and then they
(19:42):
figured we need a concessionstand.
That was before.
We had a concession stand thatwe have now there and they built
concession stand and roomsunderneath or beneath the
bleachers and we had that forquite a few years and then it
was torn down when the new inthe 90s, the stadium that we
have now, was put in.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Wow, I hadn't told you all those stories, no.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
But there were restrooms back there and so on,
and then those people left theboosters, and then those people
left the boosters and the newboosters were interested in
running the concession stand,not building, because you know
it was just a different time.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Yeah, I remember when we were going through the final
year at Panther Stadium I wasreally all about trying to make
it as special as possible and wewent with throwback uniforms
and all of that kind of thing.
But in talking with Jack andsome others just talking about
the original and it was allwooden bleachers for my
understanding, and you know thepress box that you walked up the
stairs and you had to go in thetrap door and all of that, so
it's super cool.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
That's a little bit different than taking the
elevator up, yeah, Well it's.
It was quicker to walk up thanit is to take the elevator.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Oh yeah, elevator's a little slow, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
When you got started early.
Who were a number of people,because you know when we worked
together in the booth.
We know it's a team effort,Always has been right.
Who were some people early onthat you worked with in the
booth when you got started?
Do you remember any of thosenames?
Well, john Merriman worked withme a long time and they were,
(21:15):
and john merriman is still going.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
By the way, he'll be in the booth on friday, right?
Yeah, and basically I did itmyself, spotted and did both
teams, like on freshman and jvgames, because it's just that's
the people who are interested indoing it right, and you can do
it in a pinch.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Oh yeah, right, it's a routine now, yeah, you still
do it.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
you still do it in a pinch.
Oh, yeah, right, it's a routinenow.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, you still do it .
You still do that, as you know.
If it's JV or a freshman,you'll get to that.
You know, why don't we just fora second?
Get to one thing.
I want to talk a little bitlater, but maybe we can do it
now.
You have this wonderful routinethat you have when you do a
(21:54):
game and I know it's going toseem like minutia to you, but
it's really cool.
When I first thought for thefirst time, can you just talk
about how you set up for a game,like the actual physicality of
how you set stuff up on the infront of you and all that.
Do you mind doing that for aminute?
Speaker 1 (22:04):
No, but it's really not that intricate.
I just, you know my sheets, therosters and my glasses that I
use half glasses too, you know,so I can look down and look up
and still see with thebinoculars, and that's just.
I mean you do it because that'sthe stuff you have to work with
(22:26):
.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
There's more.
You do a lot more than that.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Well, I don't notice it.
You keep telling me thatthere's a rhythm.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
There is and you can tell it's not.
Well, I don't notice it.
You keep telling me thatthere's a rhythm there is.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Well, the wind doesn't blow your papers away,
does it, mr Moniz?
That's because I insisted, whenthe press box at Panther
Stadium was built and I alsomentioned it here to have
beveled windows, and so becausewhen it rains, except if it's
coming directly from the east,you don't have that rain on the
windows and therefore you'reable to see.
But that's just common sense.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Oh, there's so much more.
I'm going to keep pushing this,but you also have tape right.
You have packing tape for yourpapers.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Right, I use scotch tape, but now I use masking tape
because it removes much quickerthan or much easier.
So I take and peel scotch tapethat I used to use.
I have a knife that peels thatup, so I don't leave it on the
counter because that's right.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Yeah, watch out for carl von ence, because he is
always carrying a knife, just soyou know.
But then you also do stuff withthe names.
Right, you have yourhighlighters.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Maybe talk about how you do different players, that
sort of thing well, I, I try andknow who the offensive and
defensive players are, who aregoing to be most involved in the
game, and that's you know.
I highlight them.
And then jim keekover does myspotting of the varsity games,
of the visiting team, and hegoes and talks to the other
(23:50):
teams, filmers or whoeverhappens to be, so we get the
pronunciations right and coacheshave come up and parents have
come up from those teams andsaying you're the first person
that's pronounced our namescorrectly.
You know and thank you will.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
That's just the way you do things well, I'll say
this that's the way you dothings Well.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I'll say this that's the way you do things.
Well, and because that's theway that you do things, when
Rodney announces at soccer orgets pushed into duty for I mean
he's done baseball he goes andasks the names.
Every now and again they getthe bill Kennedy experience
behind the mic.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Ladies and gentlemen coming into the game number.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
And when I have to announce I make sure that I go
to the other coaches and getnames.
That's something that maybe asa classroom teacher, I always
took that very seriously, butit's in large part because I saw
you doing it.
I learned it by watching you,Carl.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Well, thank you, but I just do it because it's a
thing to do, yep.
We are not in a position tocompliment.
Do it because it's a thing todo, yep.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
We are not in a position to compliment Carl very
much, because Carl don't likeit, and I appreciate that
actually.
But you know, same thing for me.
I was able to, of course, watchyou and learn all these really
cool things, and I'm just youknow, it's really cool the
craftsmanship of someone thatdoes something.
And then there's the cool stuffof the in-game what's going on
(25:15):
in the game, in the booth,during a game, there's so many
different people doing differentthings.
Let's just do, if we can realquick, just one call.
So what I mean is someone has,you know, someone's carried the
ball.
They've gotten to a certainspot.
What's going on that's not onthe mic, to get you in the spot
where you kind of get everythingall right, like so you follow
(25:36):
the ball carrier most of thetime, right most of the time
yeah yeah, when we're on offenseyeah, and you're usually saying
the number out loud well,saying the name and the number,
yeah, generally I say a numberbecause I'm searching for the
name.
Yeah, yeah, and then we have jim, of course.
Who's spotting?
What is Jim looking for in theplay?
Speaker 1 (25:53):
He's looking for the name.
He gives me the number, but itdoesn't help me unless I have a
copy of the roster.
So Jim gives me the name and Isimply repeat it, and John gives
me the name and you give me thedistance of the carry or the
pass, and so on.
So all I'm doing is repeatingwhat other people in the booth
(26:14):
are giving me, and that's reallyhelpful.
Without it, you know, Iwouldn't be able to give all the
information that I do, and somepeople say I talk too much,
including my family.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
The uh and just let everybody know when Carl gets a
distance wrong.
So if car goes, that was a gainof 27 yards on the play it
because I got it wrong where Igo.
Hey, carl, that was 27 when itwas actually 37.
So that's on me most of thetime if you hear that happen.
But no, like it's like anorchestra at work really.
So when you come up there forthe very first time, I know it's
(26:47):
like normal for you, likethere's so much rhythm to it.
But somebody coming in it isthis.
It feels like chaos, but it'snot.
It's very measured andcontrolled.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
It's really fun we've gotten to see that a little bit
this year as we've kind ofincluded some students and
student workers onto the fridaynight production side of things.
That first night their headswere spinning.
They were like holy cow.
There's a lot that goes intothis and it was cool for me as a
as somebody that sees thesekids in the hallways, to
actually have them in to seelike it's not just, you know, a
(27:22):
bunch of people show up andstart doing a job.
Like there's some, there's somework that goes into it.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Yeah, yeah, and, and you know all the over the years
of you doing that, that's whatstarts to happen.
Talk about.
Maybe one of the cool thingsabout doing PA for as long as
you have is the variousgenerations of family members
that you have now.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
So is there any families that stand out to you
that you've done a fewgenerations?
The Strick family the Sprickfamily I had the father when I
did my student teaching inHolland and then the daughter
and two of the boys.
They were outstanding athletesat West Ottawa.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Some Hall of Famers there.
Right yeah, the Hall of.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Famers, the Sprick family, and I still keep in
contact with them, talk to them,and Scott owns Bosch's
Landscaping and so on, and youknow it's just, it's routine.
I mean you meet these peopleand and you develop, you know, a
friendship.
You know you try not to sayanything that's negative.
(28:23):
I don't say you know, and whenthe officials say the number of
the person the penalty is on,you know you're not supposed to
do that in high school, so Idon't say that just because it's
a negative thing.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Yeah, and in fact I mean you talk about the Sprix,
and Scott's daughter was here asan athlete when.
I first got here, abby Sprix,so you know multiple generations
.
Do you have a game or two fromPanther Stadium that stand out
to you as ones that will go downand you won't forget?
Speaker 1 (28:59):
To me.
The one I remember the most iswe were playing Jenison and they
were at the north end zone andgoing in to score and Nick
Schetzel he was one of ourlinebackers.
They ran a play and gave theball to the kid he had a yard to
go and in those days horsecollar was not a penalty and he
(29:19):
grabbed him by the shoulder padsand stopped him and we won the
game because he did that and Istill maintain some contact with
him.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
What year was that roughly?
Speaker 1 (29:30):
That was 1970.
Oh, that's awesome and and in19 I think, 85, ray holloman,
who went on to play ohio stateohio state.
Yes, he, he blocked, uh, one ofthe north northview players and
the kid was unconscious.
It was a, a blindside block andagain, those things were not,
(29:54):
you know, illegal in those daysuntil things like this happened.
And he pushed him in our benchand he was, you know, he was
unconscious.
So that was probably the bestblock I ever saw.
The best defensive play waswhen Nick stopped that boy, and
(30:16):
probably the offensive play wasJohn Helder, who went in as a
substitute when he was young forGreg Van Wuren.
We were playing, I think, eastGrand Rapids and John got 325
yards or so on carrying the balland was in Sports Illustrated
from in Faces in the Crowd.
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
I love Faces in the Crowd, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
I love Faces in the Crowd.
John is in the West Ottawa Hallof Fame and he was a really
good track athlete as well.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Yeah, he went to college.
He got to run with twoOlympians in his sprint medley
relay team at Bowling Green Okay, and two people who the
following year were in theOlympics.
For the United States, that'sawesome.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
And that kind of spins me into the next thing.
Are there some standoutathletes from over the years?
There's a ton of them that havecome through.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Well, to me Mark Hill is the most.
He's unique because he went toMichigan to play for Bo and he
and Bo didn't get along.
But he started and hetransferred to Michigan State
and he played three years thereas a starter and he was big and
he was fast.
(31:26):
He was on our sprint relay teamin track and 260 pounds and
you're a sprinter.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
That's pretty good, that's Derrick Henry stuff.
Right there, that is DerrickHenry stuff.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
And he plays for that team from Baltimore who is
ranked what second now in teamsbehind Kansas City?
I believe yeah they're prettygood.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
I'll puff my chest out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Yeah, you will, you will.
You've also had a lot of greatrelationships with the student
athletes over the years.
Why does that?
Speaker 1 (31:59):
I don't know I'm talking about them and I try not
to say negative things aboutanyone playing.
Just I know how I'd feel whenmy kids played.
You know I wouldn't wantsomeone to say anything negative
about them, so I try not to dothat and I don't know.
It's just something.
You get along with people, youtry to get along with people and
(32:21):
I don't know anyone that I'vemade an enemy of.
That's been an athlete thatI've ever said anything critical
or anything like that.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
Yeah, and we get those.
We get visitors a lot up in thebooth.
Um, I know a couple of weeksago you had a visitor big fellow
that's playing over at EastLansing right now.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Oh yes.
Well, we became friends in theseventh grade and Cooper was
just a great kid.
He got to the eighth grade andI subbed in his class and his
class was really bad, except forCooper.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Really.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
He wrote me a letter apologizing for the entire class
and asking me to come back andsub for them.
Well, I never did, because Ilearned, but he wrote me the
letter and he's he's just one ofthe great ones.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
You know, he's friendly.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
It's hard to see he's a an aggressive football player
, but when he goes onto thefield, he he is.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Yeah, I was.
I was over in East Lansing lastSaturday night and I got to see
Coop come out on the field forall those extra points and field
goals.
Absolute treat to see a WestOttawa student-athlete get out
to the next level, for sure.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
You have missed a few games over the years not many.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
A few.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
There's some great stories, carl, why don't you?
Tell us a few.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Well, I don't know.
I missed basketball gamesbecause I had heart surgery.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Oh, that was for basketball.
That was for basketball, Gotyou okay.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
But I got another disease.
I didn't know I had it, butthey took me down in an
ambulance, in a wheelchairexcuse me, in a yeah, whatever
they a stretcher and bouncingdown, you know it was.
It would have been easier topass out and roll down than it
was to go down sitting in awheelchair and bounce, bounce,
(34:12):
bounce.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
It probably got worse .
Yes, it got worse.
Just getting you out of there.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
I got to the hospital and they kept me in the well on
the left floor.
I went to and the lady said, mrVon Enns, and I was kind of
groggy, and she said we'regetting a special room for you
because you know I had her inclass and she must have liked me
(34:35):
.
So we waited around and gotthat special room, so it was
kind of nice, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Were you struck by lightning once too?
Is that or is that just likefolklore?
Speaker 1 (34:47):
No, I was.
Oh, this press box was struckby lightning and I wound up
lying on the walkway in front ofthe press box and have no idea
how I got there.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I was just out of the press box.
That's true.
So do you think you actuallyshot out of the front of it, or
do you think someone carried youthere to bring you back?
Speaker 1 (35:07):
No, no, no.
It hit the press box and Iwound up.
I have no idea how I got there,but I was lying on the walkway
where little kids run back andforth.
Now.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Do you have any idea what year that was?
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Oh, john was.
I think John was there, so Ireally don't remember Okay.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Wow, that's something , though this job does not come
without its own risks.
How have things for you changedover the years being the
beginning of Panther Stadium?
What's really interesting aboutthis from our point of view is
the players have changed, thefield has changed, the fans have
changed, the game has changed,but your voice hasn't.
(35:48):
You're like the one presentthere, which was really cool.
I know, like you, you likebeing a backdrop when you
announce, right Like it's notabout well, it's, it's not me.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
It's the game and I tried to say the minimum amount
of things about the game andthen let the game speak for
itself, in other words, what thekids do and basically, you know
, just trying to announce whatthe kids do and not, you know, I
don't try and entertain.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Right.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
I try not to do that.
I just report the game as it'shappening.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Yeah, a lot of people say going to a West Ottawa game
and hearing your voice is likejust putting on a warm blanket.
It's part of the fabric ofgoing to a Friday night football
game at West Ottawa, for sure.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
The style that you have is very traditional.
My dad's been to a couple ofgames at West Ottawa and he
always makes a comment.
I really like your announcer.
He doesn't.
There's no fluff, there's noextra stuff, he just tells me
the information I need.
And he watches the next play.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
That's basically what I try to do is say what's
happening and then shut my mouthuntil the next play.
That's basically what I try todo is say what's happening and
then shut my mouth until thenext play happens.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
And you do a great job of doing that.
No doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Things that have changed is the protection that
the people wear on their helmets.
It used to be just a single barwhen it started you know when
we started and not the cage thatthey have, and now that's and
again helmets have improved andyou know equipment that they
wear, the kind of shoes thatthey wear.
(37:32):
We've had kids change theirshoes, you know, as they're
playing, because they slip, andin those days we had grass
fields and we always had thebest grass field because it had
a crown and it was probably 18inches in the center of the
field to the side, but our fieldwas always great, in great
shape, even when it'd be arainstorm.
(37:55):
We'd play the next week, it'dbe fine.
So, but now with the syntheticfields, and again it's just the
way it is everyone has one.
We were the last group to haveone in our, in our league yeah
and so, but it's, it's justkeeping up with the time.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
We just stayed for a long time in the old stadium
what do you miss about the oldstyle or old way of doing it?
Do you have like?
Do you reminisce and go?
I wish we still did it that way, or?
Speaker 1 (38:26):
No, but somebody said to me last time we went back
they said you like coming backto this press box, don't you?
I said yeah, I spent a lot oftime here, so it's it's just.
I know, when three kids got inand they just destroyed the
press box and Ron Allen, who wasthe AD in those days, would not
let me go into the press boxbecause everything was smashed,
(38:48):
all the windows were smashed andthe cabinets were all destroyed
and so on, and he kept me outof it because I don't know.
He thought I'd cry or somethinglike that.
But until it was all repaired,then they were letting me go
back into it again yeah, becauseyou still go back there for
seventh and eighth gradefootball.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
Yes, right?
Speaker 1 (39:07):
no, it's and it's.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
It's just I know the way it was and the way it is
yeah, it's really what's reallyfun to go back there, because I
last time you did I was able todo clock with you, but it's just
so simple yeah, it's so simpleand it's fine, simple as well,
like it's just pure, it's afootball game all right yeah
you've all.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
You've also seen gosh huge change in the way that the
game of high school football isplayed.
I'm sure when you first startedthere weren't a whole lot of
teams throwing the ball 20 timesa game.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
No, there were.
You threw the ball because youcouldn't run you know, and
sometimes it seemed like therewere no passes in a game.
But football was hand the ballto running back and in those
days we had the T formation, youknow, two halfbacks and a
fullback, and the fullbackcarried the ball.
It didn't block like thefullback does now very seldom,
(40:03):
you know, do they carry the ball.
In fact, I don't know if I'veseen a game that the fullback is
a blocking back, really not afullback, I mean not a ball
carrier.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
All right, so we're going to wrap that up right
there with football.
This is part of a two-partepisode with Carl Von Enns.
We'll be back next week withsecond half.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Thanks, Well, thank you.
We had a varsity team and we would play schools that
were small like ours.
And then in 1966, we had a JVteam and I was watching a game
and I said to the athleticdirector you know, nobody says
anything about the game, youknow there was nobody announcing
it.
And I said, can I do it?
He said, yeah, but we can't payyou, I said, and I didn't ask
(00:23):
if you could pay me, I asked ifI could announce it, and that's
when I started.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hey everybody, this is Rodney Valinga with the West
Ottawa High School AthleticProgram and you're listening to
the 29.1 Podcast 29 sports, oneteam, the show that brings you
into the lives of studentathletes, coaches and other
faces in the Panther sportscommunity, bringing you the
stories you might otherwisenever hear.
Join myself and AthleticDirector Bill Kennedy as we dive
(00:56):
in with you to get to know eachother a little bit better.
If you've ever been to a WestOttawa football game, you've
heard his voice.
If you haven't, maybe you'veheard it echo through nearby
woods neighborhoods or blueberryfields.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Today we are joined by the voice of the Panthers,
carl Von Inns.
For nearly 60 years Carl hasannounced football and
basketball games here at WestOttawa, all along making
connections with the athletesand coaches who represent the
black and white At 86 years old.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
He's as good as he's ever been and as generous and
kind as well.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Voice of the Panthers .
Carl Von Enns next on the 29.1podcast.
Let's get it.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I look at all the lonely people.
I look at all the lonely people, eleanor Rigby.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
It is Eleanor Rigby.
It was the summer of 1966 whenthe Beatles released that song.
A mere month before today'sguest began calling games on the
PA for football at West OttawaHigh School, lyndon B Johnson
was in the White House and thebuilding you know today as
Harbor Lights Middle School wasjust five years old.
It's 58 years later and the manbehind the mic for football
(02:21):
games then is the same manbehind the mic for football
games now.
It's my pleasure to ask who isit?
Speaker 1 (02:29):
carl von eunice awesome carl.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
First and foremost, thanks for coming in and
agreeing to sit down with us fora little bit of time today.
It's been a joy getting to knowyou over the last gosh seven
football seasons now here atWest Ottawa.
For me it's going to be a realtreat to sit down with you today
.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, it's so nice to have you here and we're going
to have, you know, just spendsome time together and talk
about a lot of history, ofthings that have gone on in West
Ottawa over the years.
Probably the only person whocan tell these stories is you,
but you know, know, things don'tend for us either, because we
got football tomorrow nightagainst hudsonville right and
then of course basketball starts.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
What november, late november last week yep, november
, I want to say november 26th isour first home game against
godwin heights right first homegame.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
So, carl, we usually do a get to know you section,
which is kind of crazy, becauseif we don't know you, who do we
know around west ottawa?
But you know there's a lot ofpeople that are older, that
always come and say hi to you,that you've known throughout the
years you've.
So you had people as students,you've coached them and then
even there's been young, youngerpeople who might not know you,
(03:39):
but they know your voice.
We even had a student come upinto the booth the other day and
I don't know if you rememberthis, but you started talking to
her and she goes hey, it's you,you're the guy.
You're the guy.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
I hear all the time it's not that spectacular.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
No, but it was still pretty fun.
Just to see that on somebody'sface.
It was fun.
It was really really cool.
So it's going to be nice toshare with people that don't
know you.
If someone else is listening,they're not from West Ottawa,
but let's talk about you.
You're born here, right?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Grew up here.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Raised a family here.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
And you've cheered for the Lions here.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Yes, and I cheered for the Tigers too.
I cheered for the Lions backwhen Bobby Lane was still the
quarterback, the last time theywon a championship.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Right, how are you enjoying this time, the last
couple years?
Speaker 1 (04:26):
It's been fun to watch it.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Yeah, they're a really good watch, maybe the
best watch in the NFL, besidesthe team from Baltimore, of
course.
Well.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Lamar Jackson had a heck of a night, the other night
.
Yeah, that was really reallyfun to watch, but you've been a
fan since the early days, rightLike way back in the day.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Well, right, like way back in the day.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Well, not the early early days, but probably longer
than anyone who's been aroundhere.
Yeah, and then you, uh, youhave your family here, so let's
talk about your family.
So you're married.
You've been married to yourwife, bert, for how long?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
uh 60 years, that is amazing that is amazing.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
We just got to my wife cammy and I just got to 20
and I was like, yeah, we're athird of the way there.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
That's a third of the way there.
So you've been married to Bertfor a long time and you have two
children right.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
And some grandkids.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
You want to talk about them just for a second
year of teaching English at themiddle school and my son, chris,
works for a place in ByronCenter called the Break Room and
it's a therapy room where, ifyou get so frustrated, you sign
up and you break office machinesor you break liquor bottles and
(05:37):
people pay to break.
And I've never thought I couldbe that angry at someone that I
would, or frustrated that Iwould pay to break things.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, you have been a Lions fan for a long time.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
I have a shirt that says maybe next year.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Yeah, well, maybe this year at this point I might
need to get his contact infoevery now and again.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
I just feel the need to break stuff Every once in a
while.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
I always say Bill is very even keeled, but every once
in a while, like the rest of us, things can kind of do that.
And then, of course, you andyour wife, bert have been
married for a long time.
You're part of here.
She's been a big part of sportsat West Ottawa as well with you
in track and field, which we'llget to in a little bit.
But you're both Hall of Famers,right.
(06:21):
You were inducted in 2000, andthen Bert was in 2010.
So that's pretty sweet.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Well, it's nice.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah it's nice.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
I mean, you go one generation even deeper now with
Lauren and her involvement atthe middle school Right.
She was actually one of myfirst hires as AD here at West
Ottawa's hiring Lauren to comein and do that.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
So it's quite the family affair.
Yes, we're kind of part of WestOttawa from the beginning, from
before the beginning.
When I was in college my lastyear, the president of the West
Ottawa School Board, J Dyke VanPutten, was my political science
teacher and so my project thelast year was to get all the
(07:09):
information that was availableat the beginning of West Ottawa
and put it in a scrapbook andturn it into him at the end of
the year and he returned it tome and I've owned it to people
who have done the 50thanniversary of the district.
Dwayne Hooker, who was a formerhigh school principal, did a
(07:34):
paper on the history of WestOttawa and he borrowed it from
me to find out the informationof how West Ottawa happened to
be.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Where did the kids in this area go to school prior to
?
Speaker 1 (07:46):
West Ottawa.
We all went to Holland HollandHigh.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Okay, Holland High.
At that time is it samelocation as it is now?
Speaker 1 (07:52):
on Van Ralti, it was on 16th and Pine.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Okay, so fascinating to me to see like the beginning
of a school district and how itall kind of.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Yeah, there was back in the day, was?
There's a lot of tensionbetween the north and the south
huh, yeah, there was.
There was a lot of tension yeah, it was uh kind of the school
board civil war back in the dayapparently, from what I've been
reading it was.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
It was pretty heated way back when yes, and the
school districts, all theelementary school districts,
voted independently and thetotal was overwhelming to form
their own district.
And we were suburban highschool at that time and we still
had all the elementary schoolsthat we have now that were
(08:39):
available at that time.
And the suburban high schoolwas the old Beachwood School.
It was the largest school inthe district and that's torn
down and it's now property ofMichigan State on Ottawa Beach
Road and Howard Avenue.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
There's a big field there.
The extension office over there.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Wow, there's a lot going on with that.
When you graduated from HopeCollege, right, and then you
started teaching.
You started teaching at a veryunique place, though when you
came out of college, it was likethe old school stuff, right.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Can you tell?
Speaker 2 (09:14):
us just a little bit about that.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Well, it was Harlem School on Berry Street, and
Berry Street was a dirt road.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
And that's north of Mac Legends.
A little bit Right, if you wantto know.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Yeah, it's north of MacLegends a little bit Right,
if you want to know.
Yeah, it's off, barry, and wedidn't miss any days during the
winter going to school.
But when spring vacation came,we had tremendous rains and they
closed school for a weekbecause the buses would sink
right down to the frame and thebuses couldn't get down the road
.
And in those days, I wouldexplain, I gave the kids
(09:46):
information in regard to whatthey had to do, but then I told
them well, we can do it inschool or we can do it at home.
And they all lived about fivemiles apart and I would go to
different homes and eat supperwith the family and, you know,
help them with their homework.
(10:07):
And it was just, it was thebest year I ever had.
But again, our recesses were anhour and 15 minutes long.
Noon hour was an hour and ahalf long.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Oh, I miss those days , yes, that's the thing I miss
most about moving into thejunior high school is the
recesses oh yeah, that used tobe a big thing, like we all grew
up with recesses and I meanthat was why you went to school.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
We got, I got football we had some legendary
kickball action oh yeah a wholeor at saint phillips and james
elementary school in baltimoreand you use that when they're
that long.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
That was social time.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Yeah, but we had a softball team and I had an
all-girl infield.
I had 25 kids the first yearand it was great.
I mean I got to know them, wentcamping with them.
It was like they were littlebrothers and little sisters of
mine.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
How old were you when you were teaching that year?
Speaker 1 (11:01):
22.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Oh yeah, you're so close in age, right, yeah, they
were 14.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
And we would go camping and fishing.
Across from the school was abig field, a cornfield, and the
kids would bring their shotguns13 of them and stack them in the
corner and they'd carry theirshells in their pocket and when
someone would hear the geesehonking they'd yell geese.
And the kids who brought theirguns would jump up, grab their
guns, run across the street andtry and shoot a goose Because
(11:28):
the geese would stop to eat corn.
Well, they never.
No one ever shot a goose.
It was a good thing becausethey'd have to take it home on
the bus.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Different, time Different time.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Well, you know, when you say you were 22 and they
were 14, it explains now to mewhen we're up at the booth at
football and this little oldlady comes up, whoever that
might be, and is Carl up here?
And whoever it is looksdefinitely older than you, and
every once in a while we're justso shocked.
Oh yeah, I used to teach themback in the day.
I'm like Carl, she looks likeshe's 90, you know.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
They were 76, something like that.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Oh, so there were 76, something like that.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Oh yeah, 78, you know .
So a lot of them are no longerwith us.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
No, I know, yeah, yeah.
Well, you stay very busy,though, like you're a little
different than most people.
You have an orchard, you have agarden, you do that with your
wife a lot, I know and then youdo your walks every day.
Did you get to walk in today?
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Yes, I did.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
How long?
Speaker 1 (12:25):
I counted by steps.
I think it was 17,000 stepstoday.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
There you go, everybody.
You want the secret tolongevity?
Yeah, 17,000 steps, oh man,that'll do it.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Obviously do some canning, I'm in possession of
some salsa that looks like it'smade last year.
Made last year.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Should be ready to go .
It looks good too.
It's in that clear jar, thatclear mason jar.
Yes, we're all fans of.
It's so nice.
What, what subjects did youteach?
Speaker 1 (12:54):
you were west ottawa teacher for how long, carl 43
years, and that doesn't happenany longer because it's
expensive to pay teachers.
43 years of teaching, so what'sit now?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
30, yeah, yeah, 30, you can retire fully vested.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
But well, I mean I would say, like amy is an
outlier right getting to year 34, most people as soon as they
hit 30 they're ready to go theygo.
Yeah, usually I'll transitioninto something else yeah, and
then you, of course.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
You taught seventh and eighth grade mostly.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Primarily seventh grade I taught the last hour of
the day was in eighth grade andthen, because of coaching, I
wind up doing supervising lasthour study hall in the high
school because we were all inthe same building and so when
kids would come to study hall Iknew who the athletes were and
they were able to go to theirpractices.
You know from study hall and itwas just convenient.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah, and you taught basketball then for 16 years.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
I coached it.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Sorry, I said taught basketball.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
More or less?
Speaker 2 (13:55):
It's a lost art, Carl .
We've talked about this before.
Maybe we do need to teachbasketball.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Extension of the classroom.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, extension of the classroom and then track and
field for 39 years,no-transcript.
(14:28):
We get to be in that space, butwhat does it make you think
about the people that kind ofmade that happen in this
community?
How cool is that for?
Speaker 1 (14:35):
you, that's.
It's a wonderful place.
I mean, when I talk to people,I said have you seen our stadium
?
And they said not yet I said,well, if you've been to Michigan
and Michigan state, those arethe two stadiums that are better
than West Ottawa in the stateof Michigan.
I mean, in my opinion, I'vebeen to both of them.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
So I agree.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I don't think we're.
There's no dissent in this room.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
No dissent here.
You know I've I've said itbefore and I'll say it again At
the end of my career, which is along way away yet I will look
back and that will be one ofthose pieces.
That is like I got to do that.
I got to see that thing fromthe ground up and I can only
imagine what it's like beingsomeone who spent all of those
(15:20):
years at Panther Stadium.
And then you transition and allthe modern amenities right, you
go from six toilets in themen's room to 100 now.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Well, not upstairs, none of them upstairs, right?
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Yeah, none of them upstairs, but there were two in
the men's toilet and I don'tknow how many were in the
women's, but I know there'd be aline of 50 people of ladies
trying to get into the restroomat halftime.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Yes, it was, it was terrible, it was quaint.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Yeah, and it's certainly improved now when
you're in the booth and you lookover there during a game and
I'm talking about the PantherPlaza area, that's what I call
it Maybe that's not the officialname, but I like.
Panther Plaza.
It is just this packed full ofpeople all over there.
But what's it like for you justto like, just enjoying that as
an announcer?
What's it like for you?
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Well, it's obviously there's a lot more electronics
there and tactical things, andI'm glad you're around because
you put it together and turn mymic on and so on, and I wouldn't
know how to do that.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
It's all teamwork right?
We all know that.
Yeah, yeah, and let's go allthe way back to the beginning.
Do you have some memories ofthose real early years, how it
all got started, how you gotstarted.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Well, where the buses are parked now was a field of
briars.
It was called Stick Stadium andmy stepbrother was one of the
people who played on that firstteam and if you got tackled you
landed in the Blackberry Briarsand that was where the buses are
parked at this time and thatwas all just woods and fields of
(17:00):
briars.
And then when we went toPanther Stadium, which is now,
we didn't have a.
We had a varsity team and wewould play schools that were
small like ours.
And then in 1966, we had a JVteam and I was watching a game
and I said to the athleticdirector I said, you know,
(17:23):
nobody says anything about thegame.
There was nobody announcing it.
And I said can I do it?
He said, yeah, but we can't payyou, I said, and I didn't ask
if you could pay me.
I asked if I could announce it,and that's when I started.
And then the people who weredoing varsity game.
There were two people before meand one was a teacher and he
(17:48):
walked with a cane and he had togo.
There were steps on thebackside of the stadium that
went to the press box and,without any railing or so on, he
had to go up those steps andthere was a trap door to get
into the press box and he pushedthe trap door and climbed up,
you know.
And then there was anotherfather who did it for as long as
his kids were playing football,and then I started and I don't
(18:13):
remember when, but after that soI started doing varsity games,
but I started doing JV games in66, and then we had a freshman
team.
The freshman played on the JVsup to that time, and then we had
our own freshman team, and so Istarted announcing their games
too, and eventually he startedpaying me $5 a game, which was,
(18:37):
I mean, more than I expected,and I did that for quite a few
years.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
And that was Herb Montman right.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Oh no, that was Roger .
Speaker 3 (18:44):
Boer, Roger Boer okay .
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Yeah, herb Montman was the first AD, but in those
days we only had a varsity teamand therefore, you know, someone
announced the varsity.
When JV started, I startedannouncing them.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
So I guess I I'm always fascinated by the history
of Panther stadium and kind ofthe iterations that I've seen
photos of or I've I've readabout.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat the homestand side was
when it first opened, becausefrom my understanding there were
(19:20):
locker rooms underneath.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Well, that was not the beginning but it came.
The boosters was very activeand there from the beginning and
they were plumbers and masonsand bricklayers and so on.
So they built the stadium.
But first we just hadgrandstands and then they
(19:42):
figured we need a concessionstand.
That was before.
We had a concession stand thatwe have now there and they built
concession stand and roomsunderneath or beneath the
bleachers and we had that forquite a few years and then it
was torn down when the new inthe 90s, the stadium that we
have now, was put in.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Wow, I hadn't told you all those stories, no.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
But there were restrooms back there and so on,
and then those people left theboosters, and then those people
left the boosters and the newboosters were interested in
running the concession stand,not building, because you know
it was just a different time.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Yeah, I remember when we were going through the final
year at Panther Stadium I wasreally all about trying to make
it as special as possible and wewent with throwback uniforms
and all of that kind of thing.
But in talking with Jack andsome others just talking about
the original and it was allwooden bleachers for my
understanding, and you know thepress box that you walked up the
stairs and you had to go in thetrap door and all of that, so
it's super cool.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
That's a little bit different than taking the
elevator up, yeah, Well it's.
It was quicker to walk up thanit is to take the elevator.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
Oh yeah, elevator's a little slow, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
When you got started early.
Who were a number of people,because you know when we worked
together in the booth.
We know it's a team effort,Always has been right.
Who were some people early onthat you worked with in the
booth when you got started?
Do you remember any of thosenames?
Well, john Merriman worked withme a long time and they were,
(21:15):
and john merriman is still going.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
By the way, he'll be in the booth on friday, right?
Yeah, and basically I did itmyself, spotted and did both
teams, like on freshman and jvgames, because it's just that's
the people who are interested indoing it right, and you can do
it in a pinch.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Oh yeah, right, it's a routine now, yeah, you still
do it.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
you still do it in a pinch.
Oh, yeah, right, it's a routinenow.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, you still do it .
You still do that, as you know.
If it's JV or a freshman,you'll get to that.
You know, why don't we just fora second?
Get to one thing.
I want to talk a little bitlater, but maybe we can do it
now.
You have this wonderful routinethat you have when you do a
(21:54):
game and I know it's going toseem like minutia to you, but
it's really cool.
When I first thought for thefirst time, can you just talk
about how you set up for a game,like the actual physicality of
how you set stuff up on the infront of you and all that.
Do you mind doing that for aminute?
Speaker 1 (22:04):
No, but it's really not that intricate.
I just, you know my sheets, therosters and my glasses that I
use half glasses too, you know,so I can look down and look up
and still see with thebinoculars, and that's just.
I mean you do it because that'sthe stuff you have to work with
(22:26):
.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
There's more.
You do a lot more than that.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Well, I don't notice it.
You keep telling me thatthere's a rhythm.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
There is and you can tell it's not.
Well, I don't notice it.
You keep telling me thatthere's a rhythm there is.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Well, the wind doesn't blow your papers away,
does it, mr Moniz?
That's because I insisted, whenthe press box at Panther
Stadium was built and I alsomentioned it here to have
beveled windows, and so becausewhen it rains, except if it's
coming directly from the east,you don't have that rain on the
windows and therefore you'reable to see.
But that's just common sense.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Oh, there's so much more.
I'm going to keep pushing this,but you also have tape right.
You have packing tape for yourpapers.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Right, I use scotch tape, but now I use masking tape
because it removes much quickerthan or much easier.
So I take and peel scotch tapethat I used to use.
I have a knife that peels thatup, so I don't leave it on the
counter because that's right.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Yeah, watch out for carl von ence, because he is
always carrying a knife, just soyou know.
But then you also do stuff withthe names.
Right, you have yourhighlighters.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
Maybe talk about how you do different players, that
sort of thing well, I, I try andknow who the offensive and
defensive players are, who aregoing to be most involved in the
game, and that's you know.
I highlight them.
And then jim keekover does myspotting of the varsity games,
of the visiting team, and hegoes and talks to the other
(23:50):
teams, filmers or whoeverhappens to be, so we get the
pronunciations right and coacheshave come up and parents have
come up from those teams andsaying you're the first person
that's pronounced our namescorrectly.
You know and thank you will.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
That's just the way you do things well, I'll say
this that's the way you dothings Well.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
I'll say this that's the way you do things.
Well, and because that's theway that you do things, when
Rodney announces at soccer orgets pushed into duty for I mean
he's done baseball he goes andasks the names.
Every now and again they getthe bill Kennedy experience
behind the mic.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Ladies and gentlemen coming into the game number.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
And when I have to announce I make sure that I go
to the other coaches and getnames.
That's something that maybe asa classroom teacher, I always
took that very seriously, butit's in large part because I saw
you doing it.
I learned it by watching you,Carl.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Well, thank you, but I just do it because it's a
thing to do, yep.
We are not in a position tocompliment.
Do it because it's a thing todo, yep.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
We are not in a position to compliment Carl very
much, because Carl don't likeit, and I appreciate that
actually.
But you know, same thing for me.
I was able to, of course, watchyou and learn all these really
cool things, and I'm just youknow, it's really cool the
craftsmanship of someone thatdoes something.
And then there's the cool stuffof the in-game what's going on
(25:15):
in the game, in the booth,during a game, there's so many
different people doing differentthings.
Let's just do, if we can realquick, just one call.
So what I mean is someone has,you know, someone's carried the
ball.
They've gotten to a certainspot.
What's going on that's not onthe mic, to get you in the spot
where you kind of get everythingall right, like so you follow
(25:36):
the ball carrier most of thetime, right most of the time
yeah yeah, when we're on offenseyeah, and you're usually saying
the number out loud well,saying the name and the number,
yeah, generally I say a numberbecause I'm searching for the
name.
Yeah, yeah, and then we have jim, of course.
Who's spotting?
What is Jim looking for in theplay?
Speaker 1 (25:53):
He's looking for the name.
He gives me the number, but itdoesn't help me unless I have a
copy of the roster.
So Jim gives me the name and Isimply repeat it, and John gives
me the name and you give me thedistance of the carry or the
pass, and so on.
So all I'm doing is repeatingwhat other people in the booth
(26:14):
are giving me, and that's reallyhelpful.
Without it, you know, Iwouldn't be able to give all the
information that I do, and somepeople say I talk too much,
including my family.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
The uh and just let everybody know when Carl gets a
distance wrong.
So if car goes, that was a gainof 27 yards on the play it
because I got it wrong where Igo.
Hey, carl, that was 27 when itwas actually 37.
So that's on me most of thetime if you hear that happen.
But no, like it's like anorchestra at work really.
So when you come up there forthe very first time, I know it's
(26:47):
like normal for you, likethere's so much rhythm to it.
But somebody coming in it isthis.
It feels like chaos, but it'snot.
It's very measured andcontrolled.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
It's really fun we've gotten to see that a little bit
this year as we've kind ofincluded some students and
student workers onto the fridaynight production side of things.
That first night their headswere spinning.
They were like holy cow.
There's a lot that goes intothis and it was cool for me as a
as somebody that sees thesekids in the hallways, to
actually have them in to seelike it's not just, you know, a
(27:22):
bunch of people show up andstart doing a job.
Like there's some, there's somework that goes into it.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Yeah, yeah, and, and you know all the over the years
of you doing that, that's whatstarts to happen.
Talk about.
Maybe one of the cool thingsabout doing PA for as long as
you have is the variousgenerations of family members
that you have now.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
So is there any families that stand out to you
that you've done a fewgenerations?
The Strick family the Sprickfamily I had the father when I
did my student teaching inHolland and then the daughter
and two of the boys.
They were outstanding athletesat West Ottawa.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Some Hall of Famers there.
Right yeah, the Hall of.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Famers, the Sprick family, and I still keep in
contact with them, talk to them,and Scott owns Bosch's
Landscaping and so on, and youknow it's just, it's routine.
I mean you meet these peopleand and you develop, you know, a
friendship.
You know you try not to sayanything that's negative.
(28:23):
I don't say you know, and whenthe officials say the number of
the person the penalty is on,you know you're not supposed to
do that in high school, so Idon't say that just because it's
a negative thing.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Yeah, and in fact I mean you talk about the Sprix,
and Scott's daughter was here asan athlete when.
I first got here, abby Sprix,so you know multiple generations
.
Do you have a game or two fromPanther Stadium that stand out
to you as ones that will go downand you won't forget?
Speaker 1 (28:59):
To me.
The one I remember the most iswe were playing Jenison and they
were at the north end zone andgoing in to score and Nick
Schetzel he was one of ourlinebackers.
They ran a play and gave theball to the kid he had a yard to
go and in those days horsecollar was not a penalty and he
(29:19):
grabbed him by the shoulder padsand stopped him and we won the
game because he did that and Istill maintain some contact with
him.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
What year was that roughly?
Speaker 1 (29:30):
That was 1970.
Oh, that's awesome and and in19 I think, 85, ray holloman,
who went on to play ohio stateohio state.
Yes, he, he blocked, uh, one ofthe north northview players and
the kid was unconscious.
It was a, a blindside block andagain, those things were not,
(29:54):
you know, illegal in those daysuntil things like this happened.
And he pushed him in our benchand he was, you know, he was
unconscious.
So that was probably the bestblock I ever saw.
The best defensive play waswhen Nick stopped that boy, and
(30:16):
probably the offensive play wasJohn Helder, who went in as a
substitute when he was young forGreg Van Wuren.
We were playing, I think, eastGrand Rapids and John got 325
yards or so on carrying the balland was in Sports Illustrated
from in Faces in the Crowd.
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
I love Faces in the Crowd, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
I love Faces in the Crowd.
John is in the West Ottawa Hallof Fame and he was a really
good track athlete as well.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Yeah, he went to college.
He got to run with twoOlympians in his sprint medley
relay team at Bowling Green Okay, and two people who the
following year were in theOlympics.
For the United States, that'sawesome.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
And that kind of spins me into the next thing.
Are there some standoutathletes from over the years?
There's a ton of them that havecome through.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
Well, to me Mark Hill is the most.
He's unique because he went toMichigan to play for Bo and he
and Bo didn't get along.
But he started and hetransferred to Michigan State
and he played three years thereas a starter and he was big and
he was fast.
(31:26):
He was on our sprint relay teamin track and 260 pounds and
you're a sprinter.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
That's pretty good, that's Derrick Henry stuff.
Right there, that is DerrickHenry stuff.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
And he plays for that team from Baltimore who is
ranked what second now in teamsbehind Kansas City?
I believe yeah they're prettygood.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
I'll puff my chest out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Yeah, you will, you will.
You've also had a lot of greatrelationships with the student
athletes over the years.
Why does that?
Speaker 1 (31:59):
I don't know I'm talking about them and I try not
to say negative things aboutanyone playing.
Just I know how I'd feel whenmy kids played.
You know I wouldn't wantsomeone to say anything negative
about them, so I try not to dothat and I don't know.
It's just something.
You get along with people, youtry to get along with people and
(32:21):
I don't know anyone that I'vemade an enemy of.
That's been an athlete thatI've ever said anything critical
or anything like that.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
Yeah, and we get those.
We get visitors a lot up in thebooth.
Um, I know a couple of weeksago you had a visitor big fellow
that's playing over at EastLansing right now.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Oh yes.
Well, we became friends in theseventh grade and Cooper was
just a great kid.
He got to the eighth grade andI subbed in his class and his
class was really bad, except forCooper.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Really.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
He wrote me a letter apologizing for the entire class
and asking me to come back andsub for them.
Well, I never did, because Ilearned, but he wrote me the
letter and he's he's just one ofthe great ones.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
You know, he's friendly.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
It's hard to see he's a an aggressive football player
, but when he goes onto thefield, he he is.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
Yeah, I was.
I was over in East Lansing lastSaturday night and I got to see
Coop come out on the field forall those extra points and field
goals.
Absolute treat to see a WestOttawa student-athlete get out
to the next level, for sure.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
You have missed a few games over the years not many.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
A few.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
There's some great stories, carl, why don't you?
Tell us a few.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Well, I don't know.
I missed basketball gamesbecause I had heart surgery.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Oh, that was for basketball.
That was for basketball, Gotyou okay.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
But I got another disease.
I didn't know I had it, butthey took me down in an
ambulance, in a wheelchairexcuse me, in a yeah, whatever
they a stretcher and bouncingdown, you know it was.
It would have been easier topass out and roll down than it
was to go down sitting in awheelchair and bounce, bounce,
(34:12):
bounce.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
It probably got worse .
Yes, it got worse.
Just getting you out of there.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
I got to the hospital and they kept me in the well on
the left floor.
I went to and the lady said, mrVon Enns, and I was kind of
groggy, and she said we'regetting a special room for you
because you know I had her inclass and she must have liked me
(34:35):
.
So we waited around and gotthat special room, so it was
kind of nice, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Were you struck by lightning once too?
Is that or is that just likefolklore?
Speaker 1 (34:47):
No, I was.
Oh, this press box was struckby lightning and I wound up
lying on the walkway in front ofthe press box and have no idea
how I got there.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I was just out of the press box.
That's true.
So do you think you actuallyshot out of the front of it, or
do you think someone carried youthere to bring you back?
Speaker 1 (35:07):
No, no, no.
It hit the press box and Iwound up.
I have no idea how I got there,but I was lying on the walkway
where little kids run back andforth.
Now.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Do you have any idea what year that was?
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Oh, john was.
I think John was there, so Ireally don't remember Okay.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Wow, that's something , though this job does not come
without its own risks.
How have things for you changedover the years being the
beginning of Panther Stadium?
What's really interesting aboutthis from our point of view is
the players have changed, thefield has changed, the fans have
changed, the game has changed,but your voice hasn't.
(35:48):
You're like the one presentthere, which was really cool.
I know, like you, you likebeing a backdrop when you
announce, right Like it's notabout well, it's, it's not me.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
It's the game and I tried to say the minimum amount
of things about the game andthen let the game speak for
itself, in other words, what thekids do and basically, you know
, just trying to announce whatthe kids do and not, you know, I
don't try and entertain.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Right.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
I try not to do that.
I just report the game as it'shappening.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Yeah, a lot of people say going to a West Ottawa game
and hearing your voice is likejust putting on a warm blanket.
It's part of the fabric ofgoing to a Friday night football
game at West Ottawa, for sure.
Speaker 3 (36:39):
The style that you have is very traditional.
My dad's been to a couple ofgames at West Ottawa and he
always makes a comment.
I really like your announcer.
He doesn't.
There's no fluff, there's noextra stuff, he just tells me
the information I need.
And he watches the next play.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
That's basically what I try to do is say what's
happening and then shut my mouthuntil the next play.
That's basically what I try todo is say what's happening and
then shut my mouth until thenext play happens.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
And you do a great job of doing that.
No doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (37:11):
Things that have changed is the protection that
the people wear on their helmets.
It used to be just a single barwhen it started you know when
we started and not the cage thatthey have, and now that's and
again helmets have improved andyou know equipment that they
wear, the kind of shoes thatthey wear.
(37:32):
We've had kids change theirshoes, you know, as they're
playing, because they slip, andin those days we had grass
fields and we always had thebest grass field because it had
a crown and it was probably 18inches in the center of the
field to the side, but our fieldwas always great, in great
shape, even when it'd be arainstorm.
(37:55):
We'd play the next week, it'dbe fine.
So, but now with the syntheticfields, and again it's just the
way it is everyone has one.
We were the last group to haveone in our, in our league yeah
and so, but it's, it's justkeeping up with the time.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
We just stayed for a long time in the old stadium
what do you miss about the oldstyle or old way of doing it?
Do you have like?
Do you reminisce and go?
I wish we still did it that way, or?
Speaker 1 (38:26):
No, but somebody said to me last time we went back
they said you like coming backto this press box, don't you?
I said yeah, I spent a lot oftime here, so it's it's just.
I know, when three kids got inand they just destroyed the
press box and Ron Allen, who wasthe AD in those days, would not
let me go into the press boxbecause everything was smashed,
(38:48):
all the windows were smashed andthe cabinets were all destroyed
and so on, and he kept me outof it because I don't know.
He thought I'd cry or somethinglike that.
But until it was all repaired,then they were letting me go
back into it again yeah, becauseyou still go back there for
seventh and eighth gradefootball.
Speaker 2 (39:06):
Yes, right?
Speaker 1 (39:07):
no, it's and it's.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
It's just I know the way it was and the way it is
yeah, it's really what's reallyfun to go back there, because I
last time you did I was able todo clock with you, but it's just
so simple yeah, it's so simpleand it's fine, simple as well,
like it's just pure, it's afootball game all right yeah
you've all.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
You've also seen gosh huge change in the way that the
game of high school football isplayed.
I'm sure when you first startedthere weren't a whole lot of
teams throwing the ball 20 timesa game.
Speaker 1 (39:40):
No, there were.
You threw the ball because youcouldn't run you know, and
sometimes it seemed like therewere no passes in a game.
But football was hand the ballto running back and in those
days we had the T formation, youknow, two halfbacks and a
fullback, and the fullbackcarried the ball.
It didn't block like thefullback does now very seldom,
(40:03):
you know, do they carry the ball.
In fact, I don't know if I'veseen a game that the fullback is
a blocking back, really not afullback, I mean not a ball
carrier.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
All right, so we're going to wrap that up right
there with football.
This is part of a two-partepisode with Carl Von Enns.
We'll be back next week withsecond half.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Thanks, Well, thank you.
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