The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RCN or any other agency, organization, employer or company.
One of the great tasks I have at RCN is speaking at banquets and emceeing recognition and retirement events as well as other engagements that come down the pike throughout the year. But my favorite opportunity is speaking in various formats with young people in our community.
I always have been a firm believer of “paying it forward” (probably even before the movie of the same name came out) and over the years I’ve remained in contact with quite a few people who used my advice to get into the communications industry, or remember something I shared, sometimes as simple as time-management tips that students used in college—regardless of whether or not they got involved in broadcasting.
One of my biggest highlights each year is being a part of the Diocese of Allentown’s “Catholic Schools Week.” Not only because I get to meet some great young people of the Greater Lehigh Valley area, but, as a personal highlight, it culminates in the “Celebrity” basketball game.
Granted, when I first started participating in the “climax” of this annual week of events, the main objective was to show kids in 7th-10th grade a good time as they took on a collection of media members, politicians, business leaders and other local dignitaries (aka , we used to try to let them win).
Now, many of us “celebrities” who participate in this game every year must admit that the focus has shifted from letting them win to trying to stay competitive with the catholic school’s new youths — ones who appear to get faster and quicker every year.
Win or lose, it’s an extra benefit for me to get an inside look at who the next basketball stars are going to be within our local catholic programs—teams that have continued to enjoy success year after year (see the note below).
But at the end of the day it’s a great opportunity to reach out to our young people, get some exercise and have some fun. Being visible and a part of our community in the RCN viewing area has never been more enjoying and rewarding for me and I continue to look to participate in as many speaking engagements and local events as time allows.
Now, where did I put the ibuprofen and rubbing alcohol?
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Special programming note: be sure to mark your calendars for our first remote “SportsTalk” show of the spring and summer seasons. We’ll have three exciting shows again this year from the Buffalo Wild Wings on Grape Street in Whitehall, PA.
Our first show will feature the PIAA State Champion 4A Bethlehem Catholic Girls Basketball team. Head Coach Jose Medina will be on hand with his coaching staff and players to talk about their gold medals and a thrilling run through the league, district and state playoff races—winning titles in all three levels.
His team is already hard at work preparing for the upcoming summer league programs—which is team travels quite a bit for—and can give us details on where his girls will be playing over the next few months (we’ll have a preview of local summer league hoops coming up in a few weeks right here at “The Shop.”)
Keep checking back to the RCN-TV website for more details on this and our other “SportsTalk” remote shows coming up over the next few months!
