East-West game on the air, and the Web

Neal Ormond has broadcast about half of the more than 200 basketball games between West High and East High. But during the Jan. 17 matchup, his voice will reach more people than ever.

The game, which will be played at East High, is expected to be broadcast on three mediums -- radio, television and the Internet. Ormond will have help from announcers Jeff Hem and Jim Leo in creating broadcasts that cater to whoever is listening in, or watching on WBIG-1280 AM, Fox Valley cable Channel 17, Aurora cable Channel 10 and the West and East district Web sites.

"My challenge is to try to keep two different broadcasts going simultaneously," said Ormond, who also is a member of the West Aurora School Board. While WBIG has commercials, "we still have to go live for the Web and TV."

The East-West webcasts started two years ago, thanks to the leadership of Robert Littler, a West parent and District 129 technical consultant. A company called Vision Friendly handles the webcasts now, but Littler has been instrumental in setting up the multiple media streams for the upcoming game.

"This is something I can give to the community," said Littler, who works at Alcatel-Lucent and has a longtime interest in broadcast engineering dating back to his teen years. "I felt this is one of the many things the two school districts in Aurora can do to involve the community on a real-time basis."

The combined radio-TV-Web presentation was attempted at last year's game, but the TV portion of it wasn't fully available for both channels. That will change this year, thanks to some technology upgrades.

The live game broadcast will reach the two local TV stations through a Slingbox, which can take the signal from a camera and convert it to Internet protocol.

The East-West rivalry started in 1913 and is one of the oldest in the state. Both districts have heard from alumni who are thankful that they can see the games even though they're far away.

"East and West are such old schools," Ormond said. "The graduates are very loyal and follow their teams. Our ability to send the broadcast through various mediums shows that today's technology goes beyond radio and TV. A lot of people have not kept up with the computer age, and they can listen on radio or watch on TV."

The East gym holds about 4,500, and the demand for seats always exceeds capacity, said District 131 Communications Director Clayton Muhammad, which is why this multi-media effort is a "priceless opportunity."

It opens it up to "countless people," he said. "It keeps our alumni connected and pulls the community together."

Both teams are good, so it should be a "very even and exciting game," Ormond said.

Muhammad's pick? "Tomcats. Hands down!"

The Blackhawks envision a different outcome.

The correct answer to the question in the last column: Jewel Middle School was named for Gary D. Jewel, who taught at Franklin Junior High School and later served as principal of Washington Middle School.

This week's question: What was the first year East and West played each other in a football game? Hint: It was before 1900.

A West High T-shirt will be awarded to the first reader who delivers the correct answer to me at mchapin@sd129.org or (630) 301-5044. For more information about District 129, visit www.sd129.org.

Editor's note: This is one in a series of columns by officials representing Fox Valley school districts. Districts that would like to participate should call Managing Editor Mike Cetera at (630) 978-8381, or e-mail him at mcetera@scn1.com