We have spent a lot of time preparing for this brand new broadcasting year for our ATVN video customers.

Part of that preparation involves putting together the best on-air staff that we can find.  We are blessed to welcome in the following new additions to the Astound TV Network’s sportscasting family for the autumn 2023 high school sports season.

RENEE WASHINGTON

 Philadelphia’s 6/ABC Action News’s Renee Washington – yes, THAT Renee Washington – will be calling soccer games with us this fall in addition to her handling sideline/courtside reporting. Renee has been a frequent guest on our “ATVN SportsTalk” show, and can also be seen throughout the year handling broadcasting duties for ESPN, Fox Sports and other national TV outlets.

McKENNA WALL

McKenna will begin her ATVN broadcast career with our coverage of high school volleyball this season.  She has experience doing both play-by-play and color analyst work for the Big 10+ Network doing volleyball and basketball and will also be working for the Penn State Network on their Saturday football broadcasts this fall.

JAMES MIDDLETON

James joins our on-air staff as a color analyst for the fall high school football season.   Lehigh Valley fans will remember him as a featured running back with the Easton Red Rovers.  An outstanding two-sport athlete, Middleton went on to play basketball at the collegiate level and will also be taking over as the new head girls basketball coach at Whitehall High School this winter.

MELVIN THOMAS JR

Mel was a three-time letter winner playing Division I college football at the University of Colorado before being drafted by Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles.  After stints as a high school football coach, he’s joining the ATVN broadcast team and will also be writing a bi-weekly football blog here on our website.

Please join me in welcoming these new personalities to your television sets and video monitors this fall!

 Also, be on the lookout for more announcers coming to the ATVN Sports family for the winter sports 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.

It’s hard to believe that this summer has flown by so fast (the ATVN Sports team produced our final “summer” event this weekend), but it’s already time to preview the Astound TV Network’s football schedule for the upcoming season.

Last fall, we not only broadened our schedule to include more Colonial League schools than ever before, but we also featured a bigger variety of schools than in any time in our network’s history.

As we approach the 2023 football season we are upping the ante a bit by including even MORE schools from our coverage area than ever before – scheduling nearly every Lehigh Valley team in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference…AND even more teams from the Colonial and Schuylkill “Co-op.”

While there are no guarantees in predicting what will be the best games of the night each week, I am confident many local sports fans are going to enjoy watching our coverage this fall, with a blend of different schools and competitive games throughout the season.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at just SOME of the games that Lehigh Valley viewers will want to make sure to watch (or set their DVRs for) this fall.

• Our season premiere features a doubleheader.  For game one, a battle of two teams that played for district championships a year ago (Northern Lehigh & Catasauqua).  This game will be one of two contests that ATVN will be broadcasting statewide on the Pennsylvania Cable Network!
• Game two of our season opener features a battle of two big city schools looking to continue the rebuilding process (Bethlehem’s Liberty vs. Allentown’s Dieruff) – the winner will get a much-needed “W” to start off their season ahead of a challenging schedule
• On the very next night we’ll feature two more teams that had great successes in 2022 – Northampton’s coming off a year in which they won more games than any other in the school’s history.   They’re taking on a Central Catholic team that was not only the last team standing last year, but a squad that also has many of its talented players returning.  This very likely will be the most competitive game of the opening weekend!
• On August 31st we feature one of the oldest rivalries in the Colonial League (Nolehi & Northwestern) and follow it up the next day by having a rematch of last year’s District XI 6A final–Parkland against Freedom
• On September 8th we’ll have Easton at Whitehall (PCN also this broadcast to be shown statewide on their network as well).  While both schools feature new head coaches, the new Rovers coach reportedly left the Zephyrs to spend more time with his family, only to resurface at his alma mater.  Despite quotes explaining this decision in the local papers, this departure did not set well with some Whitehall loyalists, which will make for a spirited evening
• Some of the other top high school teams this fall like Emmaus, Nazareth and other programs that will be competing for titles will be featured quite prominently with ATVN broadcasting a number of their games this season
• Our coverage of Lafayette football begins on September 16th, with a non-conference game against Columbia.  ATVN will once again broadcast all Leopards home games
• We will also have two of the three rounds of the “Battle of Bethlehem” as all three “Christmas City” schools will play each other on Saturdays this fall, including the regular season finale – which always plays a pivotal role in setting up the playoff picture

But there’s a lot more to watch this fall!  Be sure to bookmark the ATVN website to check for the latest scheduling information along with more broadcasts details as they become available.

Also, as we found out last year because of the officiating shortages, games may (and probably will) change due to the lack of referees and will force scheduled games to be moved to other dates and times, so be sure to refer back to our website often during the upcoming year to make sure you don’t miss a minute of the action!

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.

Being an athlete is not only the skills you show on the field but also the respect you give to the game. Many people think being a stand out athlete is just about skills and ability however there is much more to it. Attitude is everything!

From a young age my father has taught me that in sports you must respect the game, respect your teammates, and most importantly respect your coaches. A lot of players mistake coaching for criticism. When a coach is correcting you or makes a point of singling you out they are doing it to benefit your game. Coaching is only going to help improve your game in the long run.

Respecting a coach builds a long lasting relationship. Those relationships built at a young age will help with future opportunities. Whether that be a job recommendation or a college entrance essay, being able to refer back to these coaches will strengthen these opportunities. 

Respecting the game and your teammates comes from within. This means having a positive attitude and good body language on the playing field. Moping around and acting as if you do not want to be there shows a lack of respect to your teammates. 

Every time you step onto the field you should act like it is your last. Someone is always watching you whether that be a college coach, a mom on the sideline, or a random person walking by practice. Someone is always watching your every move and things do not go unnoticed. If you throw your helmet after striking out, someone is watching. If you miss the game winning shot and you hang your head, someone is watching. If you cross the finish line after someone and you scream in anger because you lost, someone is watching. 

Everywhere you go you are constantly being watched. Once again attitude is everything!

When playing sports, having a positive attitude in general is very important. Saying that you do not want to be at practice or being negative towards brings the team morale down. Starting every practice off on the right foot makes for a more positive attitude. When an entire team is working well together and everyone has a similar positive attitude it makes for greater team success. The more positive attitude put together makes an even more successful team.

I understand it is not easy to have a positive attitude 100% of the time. It is a continuous battle of being mindful of your behavior and reaction to things that happen on the field. For me I am constantly working to improve my attitude on and off the field because in the long run this will make me a better person. 

When all members of the team have this positive outlook the better the team will be. A more positive outlook leads to staying motivated. As an athlete it can be difficult sometimes to stay motivated, but with encouraging teammates it is an easy task at hand. 

Try your best to stay positive in all situations and always remember that attitude is everything!

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 hope you’ve been enjoying our summer series introducing you to some of the brand new head coaches in our viewing area!
Our latest show not only featured two more dynamic head coaches who are working hard to turn around their new programs for the better, but also some news about the upcoming school year, including some radical changes to scheduling for future seasons!

In addition to talking about the competitiveness of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, the coaches talked about their backgrounds and playing days, the strengths of their individual programs and thoughts on their schedules this year.

We not only preview the Astound TV Network’s first set of games for this year, but also announced some news about ATVN’s new broadcasters joining us this season – more on that coming up right here at the “SportsTalk Shop” blog in a couple of weeks!

Video customers will also be able to watch these and other local sports interviews in their entirety at any time, for free, through the Astound’s On-Demand services.
Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” here on our website for more on local sports news and insights as we get ready for the upcoming fall sports season!

PROGRAMMING NOTE:

Coming up on this Thursday’s live “ATVN SportsTalk” (at 7pm), we will have Blue Mountain League Presiden Bob Varju and members of the organization to recap the regular season and preview the upcoming playoff games.
In addition to our “games of the week” every Tuesday during the regular season, ATVN will be broadcasting upcoming championship games – please check back to our website for more information on the broadcasts of the playoff dates and times.

Viewers are encouraged to send questions and comments prior to the show to my email address – chris.michael@astound.com – and we may read and respond to your opinions on the air.

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.

In keeping our promise to bring you “off-season” high school basketball  updates, we have more local sports news and pictures from area summer hoops action.

First, our second “wave” of pictures that we shot from local basketball games and tournaments…

Secondly, here’s some “big news” concerning the local basketball coaching scene.

Parkland’s long time Head Coach Andy Stephens resigned his position and became the school’s new athletic director. (Andy has already agreed to be on an upcoming ATVN SportsTalk in September to talk about his decisions and his new plan taking over all of the Trojan’s athletic programs).

A subsequent move saw Parkland promoting Eddie Ohlsen Jr. to become their next head basketball coach. I remember Eddie’s playing days when he was a rock steady point guard with the Trojans. He has been a staple with the program ever since–taking over as an assistant coach soon after his graduation (and he’s been busy playing in adult basketball leagues as well). It should be a smooth transition for the coaching change as his team has already won its first two summer games since he took over the helm of the program.

Lastly, the annual Allentown Throwdown summer boys basketball tournament once again featured teams that were not from the Lehigh Valley. Their championship game featured Malvern Prep defeating Lower Merion for the title.

Keep checking back to the “SportsTalk Shop” for more summer sports news and pictures from local action!

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 regular season edition of the Blue Mountain League came to an end late last week.

After being relatively “rain free” for most of the season (which started in early May), the last three weeks of the season ended up being a “mess” for teams as they had a bunch of games rescheduled late in the season.

For example, the Avengers had eight games over the last ten days of the regular season–which hurt their playoff chances as they had to utilize a number of “brand new” rookie pitchers to pitch in several of their final games.  The team ended up missing the playoffs and were edged out by Berlinsville.

The Orioles, however, fared well down the stretch–playing ten games in ten days and held onto the second position in the standings – ensuring a first round bye for the club.

We’ll have much more on the BML’s regular season along with a preview of ATVN’s coverage of their championship series coming up on next week’s edition of “ATVN SportsTalk.”

Meanwhile, here’s highlights of some of our summer sports productions we’ve produced here on the Astound TV Network…

1. Astound Sports: Blue Mountain League Berlinsville Braves vs. Northampton Giants (07/23)
   
   

2. Astound Sports: Grandview Speedway (07/23)
   
   

3. Astound Sports: Grandview Speedway (5/23)
   
   

4. Astound Sports: Grandview Speedway (06/23)
   
   

5. Astound Sports: Northern Yankees vs. Limeport Dodgers (6/23)
   
   

6. Astound Sports: McDonald’s All-star Football Classic (6/23)
   
   

PROGRAMMING NOTE:  Tune in for this Thursday’s “ATVN SportsTalk presented by the Morning Call” for part three of our series of interviews with the many new head coaches in the Eastern Pennsylvania region for the upcoming school year.

For this Thursday’s show (which is live at 7pm), I will have interviews with new coaches at Whitehall and Bethlehem Catholic high schools (Keith Groller is still on vacation and will return for our football preview show on August 24th).

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.

Another big event in the ATVN viewing area over the summer months is the summer basketball leagues and various tournaments.

It’s not only a way to check out how “next year’s” teams are slowly coming together–mixing in newer players while trying to replace graduated seniors–but also for hearing some rumors and bonafide storylines to keep an eye on when planning for the upcoming winter scholastic season.

First, here are a few pictures I took on location of some of this summer’s basketball games.

Secondly, there’s a few teams that have clearly distinguished themselves so far this summer.

The teams that have made the biggest impression and appear to be the ‘teams to beat’ in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and Colonial League this summer seem to be Parkland, Allentown Central Catholic and Palmerton.  Emmaus is another team that has had some nice wins but I believe is still looking for that “third scoring option” that is so important for championship-caliber teams to have.

Bethlehem Catholic is another team that should be very solid next year but is trying to find someone to take over the “leadership” role for the 2023-24 season.

Right behind them are Executive Charter, Whitehall and Liberty high schools.  All three of these schools have a number of underclassmen returning who have been improving in both local games and AAU traveling tourneys over the last few months.

There are a number of other teams that have shown flashes but are still looking to improve for next year–teams like Northampton, Nazareth, Saucon Valley, Bangor, Easton and others that hopefully can take advantage of the next month to use as a springboard to move themselves into the upper levels of their respective leagues.

Keep checking back to the “SportsTalk Shop” for more summer sports news and pictures from local action!

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.

After a busy offseason for local athletic directors and high school administrators as a number of head football coaching positions opened up since the end of the 2022 season.

We’ve continued to bring you interviews with these brand new coaches in the ATVN region to introduce you to them and give them an opportunity to talk about their new programs.

Both Lloyd Brooks and Joel Rupp Jr. are facing obstacles for the upcoming season.  In addition to these openings presenting themselves later in the off-season, both coaches have spent much of this summer playing “catch up,” doing the equivalent of nine months worth of work  compressed into roughly 15 weeks.

Also, both coaches have a very competitive schedule lined up for them for the fall, which both coaches addressed in greater detail during our live program.

Video customers will also be able to watch these and other local sports interviews in their entirety at any time, for free, through the Astound’s On-Demand services.

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” here on our website next week for more on local sports news and insights as well as our final listing of highlights of high school productions from the past school year on Astound Broadband’s ATVN.  We will also have more “all-star” listings as announced by the local leagues, conferences and districts in the Astound viewing areas over the next several weeks!

PROGRAMMING NOTE:

Coming up on this Thursday’s live “ATVN SportsTalk,” our special in-studio guest will be Astound TV’s women’s basketball broadcaster Mimi Griffin.

Mimi became the ‘face’ of NCAA women’s basketball in the early 1990s when it was almost unheard of to have a female broadcaster calling a game.

In addition to talking about her pioneering experiences as an announcer for ESPN and other major networks, she will be on to talk about her current projects with the professional golf organizations and her current experiences announcing games with us on ATVN.

Viewers are encouraged to send questions and comments prior to the show to my email address – chris.michael@astound.com – and we may read and respond to your opinions on the air.

Be sure to tune in and hear some of Mimi’s great experiences and observations on current broadcasting issues.

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.

Last week we took a look at all-star listings in both our Washington DC and the Lehigh Valley area for several sports.

This week we continue to honor the top athletes in their respective sports by highlighting the top achievers in the sports of tennis and baseball.

First, here are your Eastern Pennsylvania Conference top tennis players…

Saucon Valley’s Deven Pandey was the District XI 2A tennis champion and Freedom’s Noah Potts captured the 3A title.

Next, here are the EPC-18 first and second team all-stars for baseball…

Most Valuable Player – Jake Dally, Nazareth

We are blessed to have a number of special sports people in the Eastern Pennsylvania region. Coaches, players, administrators…officials, umpires and referees.

Frank D’Angelo is one of those special members of the latter categories. In addition to being a school administrator for several years, he announced his retirement after a 45-year officiating career midway through 2022, but he also was diagnosed with Stage Four cancer over the last several months.

We had the privilege recently to talk with Frank about both his wonderful experiences officiating different sports, along with his current medical struggles…

https://youtu.be/J2uvq-Ff1Pw

Frank’s full story can be seen on ATVN On-Demand, which is free for all of Astound Broadband’s video customers, who are able to watch these and other local sports interviews at any time, for free, through the Astound’s On-Demand services.

Now, we bring you the last of our best scholastic sports highlights of the past year for games aired on ATVN…

1. Astound Sports: North Schuykill vs. Allentown Central Catholic (3/23)

2. Astound Sports: Allentown Central Catholic vs. Easton (2/23)

3. Astound Sports: Pen Argyl vs. Palmerton (3/23)

Check back to “The SportsTalk Shop” here on our website as we will be continuing to bring you more “all-star” listings as announced by the local leagues, conferences and districts in the Astound viewing areas over the next several weeks.

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.