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He
has been taping his play-by-play and then playing it back into a
computer with the Microsoft Windows Encoder program.
"I
can put in on the Internet that way," said Twork, who became
interested in radio when his fifth-grade teacher, Andy Jones,
set up a tour of WJBC. "They put me on the Ken Behrens Show for
a half hour."
That tour also gave Twork a brief meeting with sports
play-by-play man Mark Johnson. Two years later, Twork and
Johnson crossed paths again at an Indiana restaurant on the way
back from an
Illinois
State basketball game at Terre Haute.
"I
got to talk to him for maybe 30, 40 minutes about broadcasting,"
said Twork, who was encouraged to give Johnson a follow-up call
if he had more questions.
Twork wrote Johnson 10 months later with more questions and
Johnson invited him to sit on press row at Redbird Arena during
a men's basketball broadcast.
"It
was just amazing to see it from that vantage point," said Twork,
who discussed broadcasting with Johnson for two hours after the
game.
"It
was probably one of the most memorable times of my life to sit
there with a guy I admired so much and just chat about
play-by-play broadcasting."
In
the summer of 2003, Twork, a Chicago Cubs fan, wrote to Cubs
broadcaster Pat Hughes asking about broadcasting.
"A
couple weeks later he called me back on my home phone," Twork
said. "He is such a normal guy. He said, 'John, I got your
letter. I'd love to chat about it. I've got about 10 minutes and
I have to go pick up my daughter from swimming practice.'
"I
said 'OK, let's go.' We talked about my questions. He answered
some more about how he got into it."
Hughes recommended Twork practice play-by-play into a tape
recorder, which is what Twork did at a few games his sophomore
year.
Last summer, he contacted District 87 Director of Technology Jim
Peterson, who helped get RaiderRadio.com off the ground.
Twork's broadcasts include pre- and postgame interviews with BHS
coaches.
"He
does a fantastic job," said BHS basketball coach Ron Rose. "In
the last year, he has really grown and developed."
BHS
girls basketball coach Sondra Vogel, who brings a
player-of-the-game to postgame interviews, marvels at Twork's
smooth delivery.
"I
am so impressed by this young man," she said. "He's so mature in
his voice."
Twork appreciates the access Rose and Vogel have provided him.
"They give very professional interviews and are more than
willing to give their time," said Twork, a cross country and
track athlete at BHS.
"I've gotten the most reaction from the girls basketball team
because they don't get a whole lot of radio attention."
"I've gotten a good response from the players and the parents
especially. The girls basketball team has been impressive in
pulling off some last-second victories. I've been able to do
some exciting games."
Hughes recommended Twork call games with a partner. His color
analyst for girls games is Jay Skibbens while Rob Barkulis does
color for boys games.
"When you have someone to work with, you are able to feel more
relaxed, more comfortable doing it," Twork said.
Johnson stressed to Twork the importance of pre-game
preparation.
"Getting the research done is a critical part," Twork said. "I
heard someone say 'if you use up every piece of information you
have about the game, you haven't researched it enough.'"
Twork -- a sportswriter for the school newspaper, the Aegis --
believes his play-by-play work has been "smoothed out" by being
a member of the BHS speech team. He even won some novice events.
"It's nice at each meet to get judged," he said. "Those judges
can really help you out by telling what they are hearing and
seeing from you." |
