Very little media coverage is given to the sports scene in the high schools of the small towns and native villages in central Alaska. The primary newspapers are located in Fairbanks and Anchorage. Even though several students from Healy and other small towns play soccer and hockey with Fairbanks junior teams there are no provisions for following these players and their achievements when they return to their hometowns. Nor are there efforts to offer radio or internet coverage of the sports events of these towns.
Enter Loudon Wilson, Talkeetnafamous.com http://talkeetnafamous.com founder and announcer, par extraordinaire. Volunteering his time, experience and expertise Loudon contributed high dimension and high quality internet broadcasts of the entire Central Interior Conference 2010 Tournament. Loudon believes that the Alaska Sports Association should become more involved and supportive of central Alaska sports and especially of basketball. When he presented his concept of internet broadcasting to ASA he was told that it would not work and is not feasible. That is all of the motivation that he needed to set the broadcasts in motion.
Throughout the entire tournament Loudon has dedicated his time, energy and talent to providing excellent play by play descriptions of every game, both boys and girls. He does an superb job of keeping up with the hectic, sometimes erratic, pace of the game, accurately describing plays, defenses and rules while remembering players names and numbers. His voice portrays the color, enthusiasm and vibrant character of the game. All of his comments regarding players, coaches, referees and fans are made in a positive mode. His broadcasts are a listening pleasure. Loudon stands during the entire game, holding the recording I-Phone in his right hand and stat papers in his left, glancing occasionally at the score book and scoreboard kept by others and does it all without assistance or help. At halftime he summarizes the game and between games he downloads the information onto his website. Surprisingly, his voice and body held up well during the entire 4 day tournament.
As an indication of his dedication he came to Tri Valley for a tournament earlier in the season, broadcast the games and then slept in his car when the temperature outside was -40F. That is dedication!! Loudon, originally from Manhattan, NYC, came to AK in 1994 with the goal of working at Denali National Park. When he arrived in Talkeetna he fell in love with the town and surroundings and has worked in various jobs for the local radio station, in building construction and is now the Executive Director of Classroom with a View, a group that offers tours of Denali N P and distant areas to high school students. http://classroomwithaview.org
Check out the Talkeetnafamous.com site and listen to a dedicated sportsman, Loudon Wilson.
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