We’ve been very busy behind the scenes putting together some exciting news concerning the future of Astound TV Sports, with a number of impressive additions joining our on-air team over the next several weeks and months.

Like most good things, it takes time…but we can officially reveal one exciting addition you’ll be seeing real soon on ATVN.

We’d like to officially welcome legendary Lehigh Valley Lacrosse Head Coach Dawn Cipolla to our on-air family.

On a short list of Dawn’s coaching highlights in the area, she won four Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championship and four District XI titles in her 7 years at Parkland High School.  A number of her student-athletes, including her son, James, went on to play at some of the top Division-I lacrosse programs in the nation.

Cipolla herself was recognized with several “Coach of the Year’ awards from local newspapers.

Dawn will be appearing on upcoming “SportsTalk” shows, discussing the current local boys and girls lacrosse scene with updates on the top players, teams and upcoming games.  She will also join me for ATVN’s live broadcasts of 2A and 3A boys and girls District XI championship games that will be taking place the week in-between the league and district baseball playoff games.

There’s more news to come regarding our spring and summer sports coverage AND our sports announcing teams and exciting new innovations for our broadcast plans for the spring and also for the new school year starting in August.  Please bookmark our site and keep checking back to “The SportsTalk Shop” over the upcoming weeks and months to hear all the details!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

We continue our look at the top plays from the past winter postseason on ATVN.

See if your favorite teams, playoff games and players made our list this week!

Astound Sports: Northwestern Lehigh vs. Lehighton (2/24)

Astound Sports:  Notre Dame Green Pond vs. Northwestern Lehigh (2/24)

Astound Sports: Notre Dame Green Pond vs. Palmerton (2/24)

Astound Sports: Parkland vs. Emmaus (2/24)

Astound Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Lehighton (2/24)

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more highlights from the past season.  Astound video customers can re-watch these games for free for up to two months from their initial air dates as seen on the Astound TV Network.

Also, DVDs and links to these games can be purchased by contacting the ATVN studio.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

We continue our look at the top plays from the past winter postseason on ATVN.

See if your favorite teams, playoff games and players made our list this week!

Astound Sports: Northwestern Lehigh vs. Tamaqua (2/24)

Astound Sports: Executive Education Academy Charter vs. Catasauqua (2/24)

Astound Sports: Liberty vs. Nazareth G (2/24)

Astound Sports: Dieruff vs. Easton (2/24)

Astound Sports: Pen Argyl vs. Notre Dame Green Pond (2/24)

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more highlights from the past season and tune in to this Thursday’s “SportsTalk” show for interviews with new head coaches in our viewing area!

The show airs live on the Astound TV Network this Thursday at 7pm.  The show is also streamed live for free on our Youtube channel:

YouTube.com/@AstoundTVNetwork

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

As we start our look back at recapping the top moments of this past winter sports season in the Astound viewing area, we are also looking ahead to the spring sports season–of which games are already underway!

One of the biggest stories for the upcoming season is the defense of the Parkland volleyball team’s state championship.  We will have members of the team in our studio for this Thursday’s “SportsTalk,” discussing last year’s championship run and look ahead to the top teams, matches and players coming up this year.

The show will be live on Astound TV AND streaming live on our YouTube channel – make sure you click on the “live” just prior to the show starting at 7pm.

Be on the lookout for more of our spring sports high school coverage coming up soon!

Now, here’s highlights of recent top boys and girls PIAA state basketball games seen on ATVN….

Astound Sports: Stroudsburg vs. Parkland (3/24)

Astound Sports: Liberty vs. Emmaus (2/24)

Astound Sports: Liberty vs. Easton (Girls) (2/24)

Astound Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Bangor (2/24)

Astound Sports: Dist XI Boys Wrestling Championship (2/24)

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more highlights from recent games.

Astound video customers can watch all sports productions at any time through ATVN On-Demand for up to two months from the initial air date.

DVD copies and Dropbox links for Astound TV programming and our sports productions are also available to purchase by contacting the ATVN studio.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

It was an historic seasons for many in our viewing area as the high school winter sports season officially came to a close last weekend.

It ended with Central York beating Parkland in the 6A boys final. 

Both Parkland and Central York were making their first appearance in a PIAA final.

The Cardinal O’Hara and Archbishop Wood girls team both stacked together several ultra- impressive performances en route to another state title for each – both squads were loaded with a talented group of players. 

We also had two other local teams from the ATVN viewing area – Bethlehem Catholic and Parkland girls –  reach the state semifinals (highlights of those quarterfinals and semifinals involving all of these teams are below).

Additionally, we saw outstanding performances by other teams around the state in our final broadcasts of the season.

Coming up over the next few weeks, we will be bringing you highlights of some of the top games from this season – from games seen on Astound TV.

Astound video customers can re-watch these games for free for up to two months from their initial air dates.  Copies and links to save these games are also available for purchase by contacting our studio.

It was also a memorable season in the amount of sports events produced by Astound, including more girls basketball than ever before (which included some of our most watched events of the season).  We also brought you more girls wrestling matches than anyone else in the first-ever “sanctioned” season for the sports. 

We hope you enjoy this trip back with us along with posting of local “all-star” teams as they local school administrators make those listings available.

Astound Sports: Parkland vs. Archbishop Wood (3/24)

Astound Sports: Bethlehem Catholic vs. Archbishop Wood (3/24)

Astound Sports: Parkland vs. Roman Catholic (3/24)

Astound Sports: Archbishop Carroll vs. Parkland (3/24)

Astound Sports: Cardinal O’Hara vs. Parkland (3/24)

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more highlights from recent games.  Also, we’ll start our coverage of spring sports on ATVN – check back soon for more details!

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

The big story this week in the Lehigh Valley of course is the Parkland boys basketball team advancing to the state championships this Saturday–the first time a “big school” boys team from the region reached the title game in decades!

ATVN followed the boys team all the way to the state semifinals–because of PIAA rules we are not allowed to broadcast the state championship, but we wish them and all the competing teams the best!

Speaking of this weekend’s championships, ATVN and Lafayette basketball analyst John Leone will be in studio for this Thursday’s “SportsTalk” show to preview the championships, as well as recapping this winter’s basketball action.  The show will be live on Astound TV AND streaming live on our YouTube channel – make sure you click on the “live” just prior to the show starting at 7pm.

Now, here’s highlights of recent top boys and girls PIAA state basketball games seen on ATVN….

Astound Sports: Parkland vs. Chambersburg (3/24)

Astound Sports: Liberty vs. Coatesville (3/24)

Astound Sports: Phoenixville vs. Whitehall (3/24)

Astound Sports:  Archbishop Carroll vs. Allentown Central Catholic (3/24)

Astound Sports:  Parkland vs. Dallastown (3/24)

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more highlights from recent games.

Astound video customers can watch all sports productions at any time through ATVN On-Demand for up to two months from the initial air date.

DVD copies and Dropbox links for Astound TV programming and our sports productions are also available to purchase by contacting the ATVN studio.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Before we present you with the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference wrestling all-stars for the recently completed season (a list which also–non coincidently–includes some of the top wrestlers in the nation), a quick programming note for an historic 28 hours for Parkland High School and Lehigh Valley basketball, coming up.

The Trojans girls AND boys basketball team, both coming off impressive wins against perennial state basketball powers, will play Monday and Tuesday night (respectively) for the right to move on to the PIAA state championships.

PLUS, we will also have Bethlehem Catholic girls basketball’s semi-final game against Archbishop Wood, which will precede the Parkland boys game Tuesday at 6pm.

If you can’t make it to the gym, Astound will present live coverage of all three games.

Don’t miss a minute of these state playoff games live on ATVN and available to Astound video customers on-demand any time for free to watch for the next two months!

Now, here’s the EPC All-Starts for the 2023-24 season…

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Today here at “The Shop” we continue part two of Cameron’s amazing life journey and experiences with the sport of women’s wrestling.

After experiencing extreme pain and seeing a specialist, he prescribed muscle relaxants and suggested that I undergo an x-ray because the discomfort had not subsided after two weeks. I received my results a few days later, which revealed a small curvature in my cervical spine. My athletic trainer then decided to begin back rehab to strengthen the muscles in my back. I did rehab and stretches before our practice four times a week for a month, but I was still in a lot of discomfort. It seemed as if no matter what I did or how hard I tried, the anguish would not go away. I did not want my season to end, but the discomfort began to interfere with my mental health and daily routines. 

At this time, I knew I had to make a difficult choice: keep pushing or rest/recover.

Following several discussions with my trainer and coach, I decided it was time to call it quits for the season in order to seek out the root reason for  my upper back pain, but most importantly, to rest my body. I didn’t do much physical activity for the next month, which destroyed me as an athlete. I couldn’t wrestle, lift, sprint, or even walk steadily without discomfort. I knew my teammates were working hard and improving, while I sat on the sidelines.

My rehab appointments always coincided with our practice times, so I could not even make it to practice most days. I did my best to be there, but it was difficult to be around something you wanted to do but couldn’t. 

At the time, being an athlete was all I knew; I had no other hobbies or interests. I had no idea that my injury would turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

The Athletic Training Program at East Stroudsburg University is regarded as one of the best in the country. I was looking forward to spending the next four years learning what it takes to become an athletic trainer. During the fall 2022 semester, I had the opportunity to shadow one of the university’s athletic trainers.  During that time, I began to fall in love with it, but my main emphasis was still wrestling. After my injury, I had the opportunity to travel with the team as an athletic training intern in early December. I’ll confess that I was disappointed that I could not wrestle, but it was still one of my favorite days with the team. I was able to concentrate on cheering for my teammates, conducting my first ankle taping, and assisting with one of my teammate’s ailments. 

After that tournament, I was certain that this was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I began watching in the Northampton School District in January, and it has been one of the most enjoyable and eye-opening experiences of my life. I also got to work at high school boys wrestling districts and regionals, which was incredible and sentimental for me because that gym was where I spent my weekends since middle school. I missed wrestling terribly, but I was finally able to devote my complete attention to my future career, which filled the void left by not wrestling.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

First of all, if you missed the Central Catholic girls basketball’s “unique” appearance on “SportsTalk” last Thursday (which was live on both ATVN and will also be streamed – for free – at youtube.com/@AstoundTVNetwork), Astound video customers can watch the show from free at any time for the next two months by watching it On-Demand!

In addition to talking about successfully defending their District XI 4A title, they also showcased their singing and dancing talents as well–don’t miss out on it!

Now, a recap of some recent games as seen on ATVN before we head into a very busy week for us with our coverage of teams in our viewing area in the state playoffs (bookmark and keep checking back to our website for the latest details!)

Among our highlights this week include several District XI championship and games.

Astound Sports: Parkland vs. Liberty (3/24)

Astound Sports: Easton vs. Parkland Girls (3/24)

Astound Sports: Catasauqua vs. Notre Dame Green Pond (3/24)

Astound Sports: Emmaus vs. Parkland Girls (2/24)

Astound Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Pottsville (2/24)

Astound Sports: Whitehall vs. East Stroudsburg North (2/24)

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” for more highlights from recent games and playoff broadcast schedule updates.

DVD copies are also available for our sports productions by contacting the ATVN studio.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: for local basketball fans, we will have a District XI high school basketball championships  “preview” show this Thursday at 7pm will be live on both ATVN and will also be streamed – for free – at youtube.com/@AstoundTVNetwork. 

Local hoops experts Keith Groller and ATVN basketball analyst Megan Kane will recap the semifinal basketball action and preview that weekend’s girls and boys basketball finals. Predictions, keys to victory, matchups to watch…and more…will be discussed.  We’ll also let you know our broadcasting schedule for that weekend.

Wrestling has always been a part of my life, whether it was watching my elder brother, cleaning mats, or wrestling on them. Wrestling has taught me throughout the last 17 years to never give up, to overcome any challenge, and to stay disciplined. But I believe the most important lesson I have learned in life is to work hard at anything you do, whether on or off the mat. This year, I applied what I learned off the mat. Injuries are one of the most difficult challenges to overcome for any athlete, not just wrestlers. As an athlete, it is physically and mentally hard to deal with. Yet, I feel that how you choose to tackle this challenge is an even more worthy opponent.

In my experience, participating in sports has always resulted in some sort of damage. It ranged from little injuries like thigh bruises from field hockey to major ailments like a tear in my UCL from wrestling. Injuries are never enjoyable to cope with as an athlete. When it came to sports, my dad and I were always very careful. I would strive to avoid injuries by wearing my equipment, stretching my muscles, eating good meals to strengthen my bones, receiving treatments such as ice baths, and resting my body when necessary. If I was injured, I always tried my hardest to push through the minor and sometimes significant pains, but this year was different.

We had just begun practicing for the 2022-2023 wrestling season in the middle of October. I was eager to improve my technique after training hard all summer to prepare for this season. This year, my teammates and I were prepared to lay it all on the line. That is, until one day after practice, my upper back became sore, which I dismissed. I saw my athletic trainer, who suggested I complete some stretches before receiving stim treatment on my upper back. Two weeks had flown by, and it was time for our first tournament, the ESU Open. I was eager to wrestle, but my upper back still hurt. I didn’t want to miss the competition, especially because I had worked hard all week to lose weight. So, I decided to keep wrestling and deal with my back problem tomorrow.

My back was in excruciating discomfort, so I went to see the team doctor the next day, uncertain of the road ahead.

Check back to our website next week to hear more of Cameron’s extraordinary journey and life lessons regarding her experiences as one of the first female wrestlers from the Lehigh Valley.