When I arrived at Greenhills as a freshman I was not only a fish out of water, but a fish trying to ride a bicycle. Fresh off being uprooted with a cross-country move, I was thrust into an environment where I knew no one. On top of that, I had never experienced the stress of grades and had no semblance of how to prepare for an assessment. But the Greenhills community was there to settle my nerves and answer any questions that I had from the outset. During an assignment early in ninth grade, I mentioned my passion for sports broadcasting. What I thought would be an off-handed remark, took off in a way I never expected, but could not be more proud of.

I believe the only way to make your way in the world is to walk alongside, to collaborate with, and to empower others. This idea embodies the power of community in any situation, where a collective can come together to accomplish a feat that an individual could not accomplish alone.

The person I needed to get my feet on the ground was Austin Andrews. Not long after my first mention of my interest in broadcasting, he invited me to tag along with him as he provided a Public Address announcing for volleyball. From there, we worked together to put together live broadcasts for the upcoming basketball season. The only problem: we had no idea how.

We collaborated to research and execute the necessary steps to broadcast an event, and once again the athletic department was there to back each of our steps. A further sign of the incredibly motivational and receptive nature of the Greenhills community. Our two-man broadcast began, not without technical bumps, but our mission was clear from the start.

As the pandemic wore on, a time when people were especially disconnected, we were able to find an avenue to bring my community back together courtesy of our commentary. Through this endeavor, we provided a way for parents to tune into their child’s sporting event in real-time given that they were unable to attend in-person. Following one of our broadcasts, an athlete’s father reached out to express his gratitude after experiencing his daughter’s first three-pointer. This was an early indicator of what could be, and what would be—it was the first time I saw the tangible impact of our service, and we could see the potential for further impact. 

Seeing the promise of our broadcasting initiative, we incorporated photo, video, media creation, public relations, and journalism elements to the coverage and set out to find students who believed in our mission of celebrating our school’s scholar athletes. Gryphon Sports Live was born—and by autumn 2021 an additional 25 passionate minds joined the Sports Live family.

With so many great minds contributing a bounty of ingenious ideas, we were able to integrate coverage of five additional sports teams, and lay the foundation for a more well rounded broadcasting program. For me, this all ties back to how one’s greatest impact can be achieved in tandem with others, and how a group of individuals can create a much larger footprint as a team—whether that’s the team on the court or the one in the broadcasting booth!

Broadcasting has allowed me to share my intellectual curiosity. By creating this community, I have nurtured and refined strong habits of teamwork, communication, relationship building, and a sense of belonging that can be applied to life itself. While athletics originally sparked my interest in broadcasting, I’ve come to realize the value of sharing my knowledge to ethically inform others through this medium. It is yet another avenue by which I can serve my community and make a positive impact. 

That’s when it hit me.

While on the surface it may seem like any other hobby one might dive into, broadcasting has meant much, much more than that to me. It has allowed me to build up my community, to further understand the power one yields to positively impact others, it has reinforced the value of working with others, and has heightened my intellectual curiosity. This journey has shed light on how merging one’s passions and skills can be both fulfilling to an individual and positively transform their community. So, as both Austin and I graduate, we hope we have sown the seeds for future generations to continue the Gryphon Sports Live mission with the same ethos and impact that it was founded upon.