Tag Archives: WKTV Sports

Title Time — High school sports schedule: Feb. 28 to March 6

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Kentwood Public Schools, ,
The boys and girls basketball state playoffs kick off this week. And WKTV will be following local teams. (WKTV)

By Mike Moll

sportswktv@gmail.com

 

The remaining winter high school seasons conclude in March and the spring seasons get started the last ten days of the month. But starting this week and weekend, the sports schedule is busy with state championships all over the state.

 

The Michigan High School Athletic Association version of March Madness will continue the first week with girl’s districts wrapping up and eventually making their way to The Breslin Center on the MSU campus for state finals on the March 18, whereas the boys will begin district play the first full week of the month which will also lead to MSU to crown four state champions on March 25.

 

The wrestling state finals are March 2-4 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. That same weekend, on Friday and Saturday, will be the boys and girls bowling championships at various locations based on division. The busy championship weekend will also include the girls cheer on March 3-4 at The Delta Plex in Grand Rapids. Boys hockey drops the puck on pre-regionals this weekend of the month and will conclude their season the next weekend at Plymouth with semi-finals on Friday and finals on Saturday.  Girls gymnastics and boys swimming will close out seasons with state championships the second weekend as well.

 

WKTV’s schedule will be determined by which teams remain in the tournaments between girls and boys basketball. The tentative early games currently are:

 

Friday, March 3

District Girls Basketball @ Grand Rapids Christian

or District Girls Basketball @ South Christian

 

Monday, March 6

District Boys Basketball Grand River Prep vs Kelloggsville and District Boys Basketball West Michigan Aviation vs Godwin Heights (both games being played at Godwin Heights)

 

Friday, March 10

District Boys Basketball @ Godwin Heights

 

The complete list of local high school athletic events this week include:

 

Wednesday, March 1

Girls Basketball 

MHSAA State Districts @ South Christian – TBD vs Grand River Prep

MHSAA State Districts @ South Christian – West Michigan Aviation @vs South Christian

MHSAA State Districts @ Zion Christian – West Michigan Lutheran vs TBD

MHSAA State Districts @ Zion Christian – Potter’s House vs Holland Calvary

MHSAA State Districts @ Christian – East Kentwood @ Christian

Boys Swimming

@ East Kentwood – Second Shave Meet

Boys Hockey

MHSAA State Pre-Regionals @ Wing Stadium – East Kentwood vs TBD

 

Thursday, March 2

Boys Wrestling

MHSAA State Finals – @ The Palace of Auburn Hills

Boys Basketball

Kelloggsville @ Hamilton

Wyoming @ Benton Harbor

Grand River Prep @ Fruitport Calvary

South Christian @ Muskegon Reeths-Puffer

 

Friday, March 3

Boys/Girls Bowling

MHSAA State Finals – Division 1 @ Sterling Heights

MHSAA State Finals – Division 2 @ Canton

MHSAA State Finals – Division 3 @ Battle Creek

MHSAA State Finals – Division 4 @ Lansing

Girls Cheer

MHSAA State Finals – Division 1 @ The Delta Plex – Grand Rapids

Boys Wrestling

MHSAA State Finals – @ The Palace of Auburn Hills

Girls Basketball

MHSAA State Districts @ South Christian – TBD

MHSAA State Districts @ Zion Christian – TBD

MHSAA State Districts @ Christian – TBD

 

Saturday, March 4

Girls Cheer

MHSAA State Finals – Division 2, 3, 4 @ The Delta Plex @ Grand Rapids

Girls Gymnastics

MHSAA State Regionals – @ Kenowa Hills

MHSAA State Regionals – @ Grand Ledge

MHSAA State Regionals – @ Plymouth-Canton

MHSAA State Regional – @ Walled Lake Central

Boys Wrestling

MHSAA State Finals – @ The Palace of Auburn Hills

Boys/Girls Bowling

MHSAA State Finals – Division 1 @ Sterling Heights

MHSAA State Finals – Division 2 @ Canton

MHSAA State Finals – Division 3 @ Battle Creek

MHSAA State Finals – Division 4 @ Lansing

Boys Hockey

MHSAA State Regionals @ East Kentwood – TBD

 

Monday, March 6

Boys Basketball

MHSAA State Districts @ Godwin Heights – Grand River Prep vs Kelloggsville

MHSAA State Districts @ Godwin Heights – Godwin Heights vs South Christian

MHSAA State Districts @ Zeeland East – Wyoming @ Zeeland East

MHSAA State Districts @ Zion Christian – TBD

MHSAA State Districts @ Ottawa Hills – TBD

 

WKTV readies to air Golden Gloves for the 32nd straight year

3-bottom, Sports, Upcoming Events, WKTV Projects, , , , ,

michigan golden glovesThe Golden Gloves have a long, outstanding history throughout the country in the sport of boxing. What started in New York in 1927 as an amateur boxing tournament has morphed into The National Golden Gloves, a boxing program with affiliates in all 50 states who focus in training young people for success.

 

Grand Rapids started their involvement in 1932 under the sponsorship of the Grand Rapids Press and the Furniture City Post of the American Legion to foster competing teams in Grand Rapids. In 2008, Grand Rapids and the Michigan Golden Gloves Association hosted the 2008 National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions.

 

Back in 1985, the Michigan Golden Gloves Association and WKTV formed a partnership to film the state championship boxing bouts. When the partnership began, the tournament was held at Stadium Arena (now known as the DeltaPlex). When Stadium Arena was no longer suitable, the tournament was moved to the Grand Valley National Guard Armory on 44th street.

 

2016 marks a return to the DeltaPlex and the 32nd year of WKTV’s coverage of the Golden Gloves Boxing Championship. Catch all the action on Live Wire Comcast Channel 24 with a tape delayed airing of each evenings bouts the following day at noon.

 

West Michigan Championships
Saturday, April 9
Wednesday, April 20 (airing at 8:30pm)

 

State Championships
Saturday, April 23
Friday, April 29
Saturday, April 30

WKTV Takes a New Approach to Live Sports

Sports,

WKTV New Truck 007mike_dewittIt’s a dream scenario for every young athlete, something that’s thought about during every live telecast. What would they say about me? How would the announcers introduce me, and most importantly, what story would the stats tell?

I always envisioned myself looking into the camera, “Mike DeWitt, six-foot-one, point guard (or wide receiver depending on the sports season).” Then the graphics would flash the stats. Something impressive to show the fans what a monster I was on the playing field.

“Averages a triple-double… by halftime!”

“6 receptions, 305 yards, and 6 touchdowns in last years championship game.”

The stats serve to paint a picture of who the athlete is on the field, nothing more, nothing less. But what if the graphics shown let the audience know what an athlete was like off the field, as a person? Someone bigger than the term “athlete.”

WKTV Sports GraphicsThese were questions posed during a WKTV Sports Department meeting back in November towards the tail-end of the the high school football season. Since high school sports teach more than winning and losing, and all of these athletes have futures off the playing field, why isn’t the focus on their lives outside of sports?

WKTV broadcasts at least one live high school athletic event a week throughout the fall, winter and spring seasons. The upcoming winter season was the perfect testing ground for the new idea. A meeting with the local athletic directors from the Wyoming-Kentwood area garnered more support for the shift in WKTV’s coverage of high school sports. Instead of a player’s sport stats on the introduction graphics, the broadcast would use a player’s “life stats” like their GPA, hobbies, college, and career interest.

WKTV Sports Graphics 2The change in the graphics went into effect during the winter season and it took off in a big way! Players were excited to share their interests off the court and it added to the overall broadcast of high school sports.

“When we ask the players about their life interests, they’re always a caught off-guard a little. It’s not something they’re expecting as the first question,” explains Kyle Panek, the graphics technician at WKTV, “Once one athlete shares a little about themselves, the others jump in too. It fun to watch the guys interact, open up, and joke around with each other as we’re getting the information we need.”

WKTV sees high school sports as a way for kids to learn life lessons such as teamwork, perseverance, hard work, camaraderie, and discipline. It’s about so much more than just winning!

After the success throughout the winter season, the new graphics program is here to stay! It will again be used during spring, and the program will be out of experimental mode and into full gear by fall.

WKTV Revamps Sports Coverage

Sports, WKTV Projects,
The WKTV Mobile Unit will be out in full force with a revamped Sports Department
The WKTV Mobile Unit will be out in full force with a revamped Sports Department
Athletic Directors Meeting
Athletic Directors meeting at WKTV

Here at WKTV, our goal is to serve the community the best we can. That means we have to adapt and not be afraid to try new things. The sports department is excited about it’s new plan to better cover all sports in Wyoming and Kentwood.

 

A few weeks ago, the Athletic Directors from the local schools came together here at the station to hash out a better way of covering a broader spectrum of sports.

 

The WKTV sports department is moving towards covering a “game of the week”, regardless of sport. If the biggest game one week is a football game, WKTV will be there to cover it. If it happens to be a girls volleyball or boys soccer game, then WKTV will sent the truck! With so many schools offering a number of different sports in Wyoming and Kentwood, it will be exciting to cover the biggest game with huge stakes and implications!

 

We are also planning to work with the Athletic Directors about their student-athletes accomplishments off the field. These academic and off-field stories can be worked it into our broadcasts to let student’s stories be heard!

Inside of WKTV Mobile Unit
Inside of WKTV Mobile Unit

 

There is also talk about broadcasting soccer games in Spanish and English! Anything to connect with the community.

 

It’s all about creating a more well-rounded approach to our sports coverage. The importance of sports is the sportsmanship and leadership it builds in young men and women. Here at WKTV we want to cover everyone who’s putting in the work before and after school.