The 29/1
Official Podcast of the West Ottawa High School Athletic Program. 29 Sports, One Team. The show that brings you into the lives of student athletes, coaches and other faces in the Panther Sports Community. Bringing you the stories you might otherwise never hear. Join Rodney Vellinga and Athletic Director Bill Kennedy as they dive in with you to get to know each other a little bit better.
The 29/1
The Voice of West Ottawa: Karl Von Ins, Part 1 of 2
Join us this week for amazing story telling and surprising history lessons with legendary PA Announcer Karl Von Ins. For fifty-eight years, Karl Von Ins has been the voice behind the mic at West Ottawa, his presence a staple in the community. This episode celebrates Karl's remarkable journey and the deep connections he has forged with generations of athletes, coaches, and fans.
His unique perspective on the evolution of Panther Stadium, from its modest beginnings to today's modern West Ottawa Stadium, is a narrative rich in detail and nostalgia. Karl reflects on his early days announcing games for the JV team, the transformations of the stadium, and the unforgettable moments that have defined game days over the years.
Karl shares insights into the meticulous preparations involved in broadcasting games, emphasizing the importance of tradition and teamwork in the booth. From organizing rosters to ensuring the correct pronunciation of players' names, Karl's dedication to his craft is evident. His reflections highlight the craftsmanship behind sports announcing and its influence on newcomers, showcasing the respect and attention to detail that define a successful game-day experience.
These stories highlight the enduring spirit of family and tradition that enriches the lives of those in West Ottawa, reinforcing the profound connections between voice, tradition, and community.
The episode also explores the evolution of high school football, tracing the shift from a run-focused game to one where passing even exists.
Karl's relationships with athletes and his positive approach to announcing are central to his legacy, underscoring the importance of fostering a supportive and encouraging environment.
In conclusion, Part 1 of this 2 part series on Karl Von Ins is a tribute to his lasting impact on West Ottawa's athletic history. His voice, a constant presence through decades of change, symbolizes the spirit of tradition and community that defines West Ottawa. Through his stories, listeners are invited to celebrate the rich legacy of Panther sports and the enduring bonds that unite its community.
This episode was recorded on October 25, 2024.
Podcasts now dropping at 5pm every Sunday evening for that late weekend chill, or listen Monday AM during that morning commute or workout. Please like, follow, subscribe, or leave a review. Even share with someone who might like to listen. Thanks for taking the time to get to know each other a little bit better. The people who make West Ottawa Athletics what it is. Go WO!
Special thanks to Laura Veldhof Photography.
We had a varsity team and we would play schools that were small like ours. And then in 1966, we had a JV team and I was watching a game and I said to the athletic director you know, nobody says anything about the game, you know there was nobody announcing it. And I said, can I do it? He said, yeah, but we can't pay you, I said, and I didn't ask if you could pay me, I asked if I could announce it, and that's when I started.
Speaker 2:Hey everybody, this is Rodney Valinga with the West Ottawa High School Athletic Program and you're listening to the 29.1 Podcast 29 sports, one team, the show that brings you into the lives of student athletes, coaches and other faces in the Panther sports community, bringing you the stories you might otherwise never hear. Join myself and Athletic Director Bill Kennedy as we dive in with you to get to know each other a little bit better. If you've ever been to a West Ottawa football game, you've heard his voice. If you haven't, maybe you've heard it echo through nearby woods neighborhoods or blueberry fields.
Speaker 3:Today we are joined by the voice of the Panthers, carl Von Inns. For nearly 60 years Carl has announced football and basketball games here at West Ottawa, all along making connections with the athletes and coaches who represent the black and white At 86 years old.
Speaker 2:He's as good as he's ever been and as generous and kind as well.
Speaker 3:Voice of the Panthers. Carl Von Enns next on the 29.1 podcast. Let's get it.
Speaker 1:I look at all the lonely people. I look at all the lonely people, eleanor Rigby.
Speaker 2:It is Eleanor Rigby. It was the summer of 1966 when the Beatles released that song. A mere month before today's guest began calling games on the PA for football at West Ottawa High School, lyndon B Johnson was in the White House and the building you know today as Harbor Lights Middle School was just five years old. It's 58 years later and the man behind the mic for football games then is the same man behind the mic for football games now. It's my pleasure to ask who is it?
Speaker 1:carl von eunice awesome carl.
Speaker 3:First and foremost, thanks for coming in and agreeing to sit down with us for a little bit of time today. It's been a joy getting to know you over the last gosh seven football seasons now here at West Ottawa. For me it's going to be a real treat to sit down with you today.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's so nice to have you here and we're going to have, you know, just spend some time together and talk about a lot of history, of things that have gone on in West Ottawa over the years. Probably the only person who can tell these stories is you, but you know, know, things don't end for us either, because we got football tomorrow night against hudsonville right and then of course basketball starts.
Speaker 3:What november, late november last week yep, november, I want to say november 26th is our first home game against godwin heights right first home game.
Speaker 2:So, carl, we usually do a get to know you section, which is kind of crazy, because if we don't know you, who do we know around west ottawa? But you know there's a lot of people that are older, that always come and say hi to you, that you've known throughout the years you've. So you had people as students, you've coached them and then even there's been young, younger people who might not know you, but they know your voice. We even had a student come up into the booth the other day and I don't know if you remember this, but you started talking to her and she goes hey, it's you, you're the guy. You're the guy.
Speaker 1:I hear all the time it's not that spectacular.
Speaker 2:No, but it was still pretty fun. Just to see that on somebody's face. It was fun. It was really really cool. So it's going to be nice to share with people that don't know you. If someone else is listening, they're not from West Ottawa, but let's talk about you. You're born here, right?
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Grew up here.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Raised a family here.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And you've cheered for the Lions here.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I cheered for the Tigers too. I cheered for the Lions back when Bobby Lane was still the quarterback, the last time they won a championship.
Speaker 2:Right, how are you enjoying this time, the last couple years?
Speaker 1:It's been fun to watch it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they're a really good watch, maybe the best watch in the NFL, besides the team from Baltimore, of course. Well.
Speaker 2:Lamar Jackson had a heck of a night, the other night. Yeah, that was really really fun to watch, but you've been a fan since the early days, right Like way back in the day.
Speaker 1:Well, right, like way back in the day.
Speaker 2:Well, not the early early days, but probably longer than anyone who's been around here. Yeah, and then you, uh, you have your family here, so let's talk about your family. So you're married. You've been married to your wife, bert, for how long?
Speaker 1:uh 60 years, that is amazing that is amazing.
Speaker 3:We just got to my wife cammy and I just got to 20 and I was like, yeah, we're a third of the way there.
Speaker 2:That's a third of the way there. So you've been married to Bert for a long time and you have two children right.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And some grandkids.
Speaker 1:You want to talk about them just for a second year of teaching English at the middle school and my son, chris, works for a place in Byron Center called the Break Room and it's a therapy room where, if you get so frustrated, you sign up and you break office machines or you break liquor bottles and people pay to break. And I've never thought I could be that angry at someone that I would, or frustrated that I would pay to break things.
Speaker 2:Well, you have been a Lions fan for a long time.
Speaker 1:I have a shirt that says maybe next year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, maybe this year at this point I might need to get his contact info every now and again.
Speaker 3:I just feel the need to break stuff Every once in a while.
Speaker 2:I always say Bill is very even keeled, but every once in a while, like the rest of us, things can kind of do that. And then, of course, you and your wife, bert have been married for a long time. You're part of here. She's been a big part of sports at West Ottawa as well with you in track and field, which we'll get to in a little bit. But you're both Hall of Famers, right. You were inducted in 2000, and then Bert was in 2010. So that's pretty sweet.
Speaker 1:Well, it's nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah it's nice.
Speaker 3:I mean, you go one generation even deeper now with Lauren and her involvement at the middle school Right. She was actually one of my first hires as AD here at West Ottawa's hiring Lauren to come in and do that.
Speaker 1:So it's quite the family affair. Yes, we're kind of part of West Ottawa from the beginning, from before the beginning. When I was in college my last year, the president of the West Ottawa School Board, J Dyke Van Putten, was my political science teacher and so my project the last year was to get all the information that was available at the beginning of West Ottawa and put it in a scrapbook and turn it into him at the end of the year and he returned it to me and I've owned it to people who have done the 50th anniversary of the district. Dwayne Hooker, who was a former high school principal, did a paper on the history of West Ottawa and he borrowed it from me to find out the information of how West Ottawa happened to be.
Speaker 3:Where did the kids in this area go to school prior to?
Speaker 1:West Ottawa. We all went to Holland Holland High. Yes.
Speaker 3:Okay, Holland High. At that time is it same location as it is now?
Speaker 1:on Van Ralti, it was on 16th and Pine.
Speaker 3:Okay, so fascinating to me to see like the beginning of a school district and how it all kind of.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there was back in the day, was? There's a lot of tension between the north and the south huh, yeah, there was. There was a lot of tension yeah, it was uh kind of the school board civil war back in the day apparently, from what I've been reading it was.
Speaker 1:It was pretty heated way back when yes, and the school districts, all the elementary school districts, voted independently and the total was overwhelming to form their own district. And we were suburban high school at that time and we still had all the elementary schools that we have now that were available at that time. And the suburban high school was the old Beachwood School. It was the largest school in the district and that's torn down and it's now property of Michigan State on Ottawa Beach Road and Howard Avenue.
Speaker 3:There's a big field there. The extension office over there.
Speaker 2:Wow, there's a lot going on with that. When you graduated from Hope College, right, and then you started teaching. You started teaching at a very unique place, though when you came out of college, it was like the old school stuff, right.
Speaker 1:Can you tell?
Speaker 2:us just a little bit about that.
Speaker 1:Well, it was Harlem School on Berry Street, and Berry Street was a dirt road.
Speaker 2:And that's north of Mac Legends. A little bit Right, if you want to know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's north of MacLegends a little bit Right, if you want to know. Yeah, it's off, barry, and we didn't miss any days during the winter going to school. But when spring vacation came, we had tremendous rains and they closed school for a week because the buses would sink right down to the frame and the buses couldn't get down the road. And in those days, I would explain, I gave the kids information in regard to what they had to do, but then I told them well, we can do it in school or we can do it at home. And they all lived about five miles apart and I would go to different homes and eat supper with the family and, you know, help them with their homework. And it was just, it was the best year I ever had. But again, our recesses were an hour and 15 minutes long. Noon hour was an hour and a half long.
Speaker 2:Oh, I miss those days, yes, that's the thing I miss most about moving into the junior high school is the recesses oh yeah, that used to be a big thing, like we all grew up with recesses and I mean that was why you went to school.
Speaker 3:We got, I got football we had some legendary kickball action oh yeah a whole or at saint phillips and james elementary school in baltimore and you use that when they're that long.
Speaker 2:That was social time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but we had a softball team and I had an all-girl infield. I had 25 kids the first year and it was great. I mean I got to know them, went camping with them. It was like they were little brothers and little sisters of mine.
Speaker 2:How old were you when you were teaching that year?
Speaker 1:22.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, you're so close in age, right, yeah, they were 14. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And we would go camping and fishing. Across from the school was a big field, a cornfield, and the kids would bring their shotguns 13 of them and stack them in the corner and they'd carry their shells in their pocket and when someone would hear the geese honking they'd yell geese. And the kids who brought their guns would jump up, grab their guns, run across the street and try and shoot a goose Because the geese would stop to eat corn. Well, they never. No one ever shot a goose. It was a good thing because they'd have to take it home on the bus.
Speaker 3:Different, time Different time.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, when you say you were 22 and they were 14, it explains now to me when we're up at the booth at football and this little old lady comes up, whoever that might be, and is Carl up here? And whoever it is looks definitely older than you, and every once in a while we're just so shocked. Oh yeah, I used to teach them back in the day. I'm like Carl, she looks like she's 90, you know.
Speaker 1:They were 76, something like that.
Speaker 2:Oh, so there were 76, something like that.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, 78, you know. So a lot of them are no longer with us.
Speaker 2:No, I know, yeah, yeah. Well, you stay very busy, though, like you're a little different than most people. You have an orchard, you have a garden, you do that with your wife a lot, I know and then you do your walks every day. Did you get to walk in today?
Speaker 1:Yes, I did.
Speaker 2:How long?
Speaker 1:I counted by steps. I think it was 17,000 steps today.
Speaker 2:There you go, everybody. You want the secret to longevity? Yeah, 17,000 steps, oh man, that'll do it.
Speaker 3:Obviously do some canning, I'm in possession of some salsa that looks like it's made last year. Made last year.
Speaker 2:Should be ready to go. It looks good too. It's in that clear jar, that clear mason jar. Yes, we're all fans of. It's so nice. What, what subjects did you teach?
Speaker 1:you were west ottawa teacher for how long, carl 43 years, and that doesn't happen any longer because it's expensive to pay teachers. 43 years of teaching, so what's it now?
Speaker 2:30, yeah, yeah, 30, you can retire fully vested.
Speaker 3:But well, I mean I would say, like amy is an outlier right getting to year 34, most people as soon as they hit 30 they're ready to go they go. Yeah, usually I'll transition into something else yeah, and then you, of course.
Speaker 2:You taught seventh and eighth grade mostly.
Speaker 1:Primarily seventh grade I taught the last hour of the day was in eighth grade and then, because of coaching, I wind up doing supervising last hour study hall in the high school because we were all in the same building and so when kids would come to study hall I knew who the athletes were and they were able to go to their practices. You know from study hall and it was just convenient.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you taught basketball then for 16 years.
Speaker 1:I coached it.
Speaker 2:Sorry, I said taught basketball.
Speaker 1:More or less?
Speaker 2:It's a lost art, Carl. We've talked about this before. Maybe we do need to teach basketball.
Speaker 3:Extension of the classroom.
Speaker 2:Yeah, extension of the classroom and then track and field for 39 years, no-transcript. We get to be in that space, but what does it make you think about the people that kind of made that happen in this community? How cool is that for?
Speaker 1:you, that's. It's a wonderful place. I mean, when I talk to people, I said have you seen our stadium? And they said not yet I said, well, if you've been to Michigan and Michigan state, those are the two stadiums that are better than West Ottawa in the state of Michigan. I mean, in my opinion, I've been to both of them.
Speaker 3:So I agree.
Speaker 2:I don't think we're. There's no dissent in this room.
Speaker 3:No dissent here. You know I've I've said it before and I'll say it again At the end of my career, which is a long way away yet I will look back and that will be one of those pieces. That is like I got to do that. I got to see that thing from the ground up and I can only imagine what it's like being someone who spent all of those years at Panther Stadium. And then you transition and all the modern amenities right, you go from six toilets in the men's room to 100 now.
Speaker 2:Well, not upstairs, none of them upstairs, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, none of them upstairs, but there were two in the men's toilet and I don't know how many were in the women's, but I know there'd be a line of 50 people of ladies trying to get into the restroom at halftime.
Speaker 3:Yes, it was, it was terrible, it was quaint.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's certainly improved now when you're in the booth and you look over there during a game and I'm talking about the Panther Plaza area, that's what I call it Maybe that's not the official name, but I like. Panther Plaza. It is just this packed full of people all over there. But what's it like for you just to like, just enjoying that as an announcer? What's it like for you?
Speaker 1:Well, it's obviously there's a lot more electronics there and tactical things, and I'm glad you're around because you put it together and turn my mic on and so on, and I wouldn't know how to do that.
Speaker 2:It's all teamwork right? We all know that. Yeah, yeah, and let's go all the way back to the beginning. Do you have some memories of those real early years, how it all got started, how you got started.
Speaker 1:Well, where the buses are parked now was a field of briars. It was called Stick Stadium and my stepbrother was one of the people who played on that first team and if you got tackled you landed in the Blackberry Briars and that was where the buses are parked at this time and that was all just woods and fields of briars. And then when we went to Panther Stadium, which is now, we didn't have a. We had a varsity team and we would play schools that were small like ours. And then in 1966, we had a JV team and I was watching a game and I said to the athletic director I said, you know, nobody says anything about the game. There was nobody announcing it. And I said can I do it? He said, yeah, but we can't pay you, I said, and I didn't ask if you could pay me. I asked if I could announce it, and that's when I started.
Speaker 1:And then the people who were doing varsity game. There were two people before me and one was a teacher and he walked with a cane and he had to go. There were steps on the backside of the stadium that went to the press box and, without any railing or so on, he had to go up those steps and there was a trap door to get into the press box and he pushed the trap door and climbed up, you know. And then there was another father who did it for as long as his kids were playing football, and then I started and I don't remember when, but after that so I started doing varsity games, but I started doing JV games in 66, and then we had a freshman team. The freshman played on the JVs up to that time, and then we had our own freshman team, and so I started announcing their games too, and eventually he started paying me $5 a game, which was, I mean, more than I expected, and I did that for quite a few years.
Speaker 3:And that was Herb Montman right.
Speaker 1:Oh no, that was Roger.
Speaker 3:Boer, Roger Boer okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, herb Montman was the first AD, but in those days we only had a varsity team and therefore, you know, someone announced the varsity. When JV started, I started announcing them.
Speaker 3:So I guess I I'm always fascinated by the history of Panther stadium and kind of the iterations that I've seen photos of or I've I've read about. Can you talk a little bit about what the homestand side was when it first opened, because from my understanding there were locker rooms underneath.
Speaker 1:Well, that was not the beginning but it came. The boosters was very active and there from the beginning and they were plumbers and masons and bricklayers and so on. So they built the stadium. But first we just had grandstands and then they figured we need a concession stand. That was before. We had a concession stand that we have now there and they built concession stand and rooms underneath or beneath the bleachers and we had that for quite a few years and then it was torn down when the new in the 90s, the stadium that we have now, was put in.
Speaker 2:Wow, I hadn't told you all those stories, no.
Speaker 1:But there were restrooms back there and so on, and then those people left the boosters, and then those people left the boosters and the new boosters were interested in running the concession stand, not building, because you know it was just a different time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I remember when we were going through the final year at Panther Stadium I was really all about trying to make it as special as possible and we went with throwback uniforms and all of that kind of thing. But in talking with Jack and some others just talking about the original and it was all wooden bleachers for my understanding, and you know the press box that you walked up the stairs and you had to go in the trap door and all of that, so it's super cool.
Speaker 1:That's a little bit different than taking the elevator up, yeah, Well it's. It was quicker to walk up than it is to take the elevator.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, elevator's a little slow, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:When you got started early. Who were a number of people, because you know when we worked together in the booth. We know it's a team effort, Always has been right. Who were some people early on that you worked with in the booth when you got started? Do you remember any of those names? Well, john Merriman worked with me a long time and they were, and john merriman is still going.
Speaker 1:By the way, he'll be in the booth on friday, right? Yeah, and basically I did it myself, spotted and did both teams, like on freshman and jv games, because it's just that's the people who are interested in doing it right, and you can do it in a pinch.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, right, it's a routine now, yeah, you still do it.
Speaker 1:you still do it in a pinch. Oh, yeah, right, it's a routine now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you still do it. You still do that, as you know. If it's JV or a freshman, you'll get to that. You know, why don't we just for a second? Get to one thing. I want to talk a little bit later, but maybe we can do it now. You have this wonderful routine that you have when you do a game and I know it's going to seem like minutia to you, but it's really cool. When I first thought for the first time, can you just talk about how you set up for a game, like the actual physicality of how you set stuff up on the in front of you and all that. Do you mind doing that for a minute?
Speaker 1:No, but it's really not that intricate. I just, you know my sheets, the rosters and my glasses that I use half glasses too, you know, so I can look down and look up and still see with the binoculars, and that's just. I mean you do it because that's the stuff you have to work with.
Speaker 2:There's more. You do a lot more than that.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't notice it. You keep telling me that there's a rhythm.
Speaker 2:There is and you can tell it's not. Well, I don't notice it. You keep telling me that there's a rhythm there is.
Speaker 1:Well, the wind doesn't blow your papers away, does it, mr Moniz? That's because I insisted, when the press box at Panther Stadium was built and I also mentioned it here to have beveled windows, and so because when it rains, except if it's coming directly from the east, you don't have that rain on the windows and therefore you're able to see. But that's just common sense.
Speaker 2:Oh, there's so much more. I'm going to keep pushing this, but you also have tape right. You have packing tape for your papers.
Speaker 1:Right, I use scotch tape, but now I use masking tape because it removes much quicker than or much easier. So I take and peel scotch tape that I used to use. I have a knife that peels that up, so I don't leave it on the counter because that's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, watch out for carl von ence, because he is always carrying a knife, just so you know. But then you also do stuff with the names. Right, you have your highlighters.
Speaker 1:Maybe talk about how you do different players, that sort of thing well, I, I try and know who the offensive and defensive players are, who are going to be most involved in the game, and that's you know. I highlight them. And then jim keekover does my spotting of the varsity games, of the visiting team, and he goes and talks to the other teams, filmers or whoever happens to be, so we get the pronunciations right and coaches have come up and parents have come up from those teams and saying you're the first person that's pronounced our names correctly. You know and thank you will.
Speaker 2:That's just the way you do things well, I'll say this that's the way you do things Well.
Speaker 3:I'll say this that's the way you do things. Well, and because that's the way that you do things, when Rodney announces at soccer or gets pushed into duty for I mean he's done baseball he goes and asks the names. Every now and again they get the bill Kennedy experience behind the mic.
Speaker 2:Ladies and gentlemen coming into the game number.
Speaker 3:And when I have to announce I make sure that I go to the other coaches and get names. That's something that maybe as a classroom teacher, I always took that very seriously, but it's in large part because I saw you doing it. I learned it by watching you, Carl.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you, but I just do it because it's a thing to do, yep. We are not in a position to compliment. Do it because it's a thing to do, yep.
Speaker 2:We are not in a position to compliment Carl very much, because Carl don't like it, and I appreciate that actually. But you know, same thing for me. I was able to, of course, watch you and learn all these really cool things, and I'm just you know, it's really cool the craftsmanship of someone that does something. And then there's the cool stuff of the in-game what's going on in the game, in the booth, during a game, there's so many different people doing different things. Let's just do, if we can real quick, just one call. So what I mean is someone has, you know, someone's carried the ball. They've gotten to a certain spot. What's going on that's not on the mic, to get you in the spot where you kind of get everything all right, like so you follow the ball carrier most of the time, right most of the time yeah yeah, when we're on offense yeah, and you're usually saying the number out loud well, saying the name and the number, yeah, generally I say a number because I'm searching for the name.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and then we have jim, of course. Who's spotting? What is Jim looking for in the play?
Speaker 1:He's looking for the name. He gives me the number, but it doesn't help me unless I have a copy of the roster. So Jim gives me the name and I simply repeat it, and John gives me the name and you give me the distance of the carry or the pass, and so on. So all I'm doing is repeating what other people in the booth are giving me, and that's really helpful. Without it, you know, I wouldn't be able to give all the information that I do, and some people say I talk too much, including my family.
Speaker 2:The uh and just let everybody know when Carl gets a distance wrong. So if car goes, that was a gain of 27 yards on the play it because I got it wrong where I go. Hey, carl, that was 27 when it was actually 37. So that's on me most of the time if you hear that happen. But no, like it's like an orchestra at work really. So when you come up there for the very first time, I know it's like normal for you, like there's so much rhythm to it. But somebody coming in it is this. It feels like chaos, but it's not. It's very measured and controlled.
Speaker 3:It's really fun we've gotten to see that a little bit this year as we've kind of included some students and student workers onto the friday night production side of things. That first night their heads were spinning. They were like holy cow. There's a lot that goes into this and it was cool for me as a as somebody that sees these kids in the hallways, to actually have them in to see like it's not just, you know, a bunch of people show up and start doing a job. Like there's some, there's some work that goes into it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and, and you know all the over the years of you doing that, that's what starts to happen. Talk about. Maybe one of the cool things about doing PA for as long as you have is the various generations of family members that you have now.
Speaker 1:So is there any families that stand out to you that you've done a few generations? The Strick family the Sprick family I had the father when I did my student teaching in Holland and then the daughter and two of the boys. They were outstanding athletes at West Ottawa.
Speaker 2:Some Hall of Famers there. Right yeah, the Hall of.
Speaker 1:Famers, the Sprick family, and I still keep in contact with them, talk to them, and Scott owns Bosch's Landscaping and so on, and you know it's just, it's routine. I mean you meet these people and and you develop, you know, a friendship. You know you try not to say anything that's negative. I don't say you know, and when the officials say the number of the person the penalty is on, you know you're not supposed to do that in high school, so I don't say that just because it's a negative thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and in fact I mean you talk about the Sprix, and Scott's daughter was here as an athlete when. I first got here, abby Sprix, so you know multiple generations. Do you have a game or two from Panther Stadium that stand out to you as ones that will go down and you won't forget?
Speaker 1:To me. The one I remember the most is we were playing Jenison and they were at the north end zone and going in to score and Nick Schetzel he was one of our linebackers. They ran a play and gave the ball to the kid he had a yard to go and in those days horse collar was not a penalty and he grabbed him by the shoulder pads and stopped him and we won the game because he did that and I still maintain some contact with him.
Speaker 2:What year was that roughly?
Speaker 1:That was 1970. Oh, that's awesome and and in 19 I think, 85, ray holloman, who went on to play ohio state ohio state.
Speaker 1:Yes, he, he blocked, uh, one of the north northview players and the kid was unconscious. It was a, a blindside block and again, those things were not, you know, illegal in those days until things like this happened. And he pushed him in our bench and he was, you know, he was unconscious. So that was probably the best block I ever saw. The best defensive play was when Nick stopped that boy, and probably the offensive play was John Helder, who went in as a substitute when he was young for Greg Van Wuren. We were playing, I think, east Grand Rapids and John got 325 yards or so on carrying the ball and was in Sports Illustrated from in Faces in the Crowd. That's awesome.
Speaker 2:I love Faces in the Crowd, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:I love Faces in the Crowd. John is in the West Ottawa Hall of Fame and he was a really good track athlete as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he went to college. He got to run with two Olympians in his sprint medley relay team at Bowling Green Okay, and two people who the following year were in the Olympics. For the United States, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:And that kind of spins me into the next thing. Are there some standout athletes from over the years? There's a ton of them that have come through.
Speaker 1:Well, to me Mark Hill is the most. He's unique because he went to Michigan to play for Bo and he and Bo didn't get along. But he started and he transferred to Michigan State and he played three years there as a starter and he was big and he was fast. He was on our sprint relay team in track and 260 pounds and you're a sprinter.
Speaker 3:That's pretty good, that's Derrick Henry stuff. Right there, that is Derrick Henry stuff.
Speaker 1:And he plays for that team from Baltimore who is ranked what second now in teams behind Kansas City? I believe yeah they're pretty good.
Speaker 3:I'll puff my chest out a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you will, you will. You've also had a lot of great relationships with the student athletes over the years. Why does that?
Speaker 1:I don't know I'm talking about them and I try not to say negative things about anyone playing. Just I know how I'd feel when my kids played. You know I wouldn't want someone to say anything negative about them, so I try not to do that and I don't know. It's just something. You get along with people, you try to get along with people and I don't know anyone that I've made an enemy of. That's been an athlete that I've ever said anything critical or anything like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and we get those. We get visitors a lot up in the booth. Um, I know a couple of weeks ago you had a visitor big fellow that's playing over at East Lansing right now.
Speaker 1:Oh yes. Well, we became friends in the seventh grade and Cooper was just a great kid. He got to the eighth grade and I subbed in his class and his class was really bad, except for Cooper.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:He wrote me a letter apologizing for the entire class and asking me to come back and sub for them. Well, I never did, because I learned, but he wrote me the letter and he's he's just one of the great ones.
Speaker 2:You know, he's friendly.
Speaker 1:It's hard to see he's a an aggressive football player, but when he goes onto the field, he he is.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was. I was over in East Lansing last Saturday night and I got to see Coop come out on the field for all those extra points and field goals. Absolute treat to see a West Ottawa student-athlete get out to the next level, for sure.
Speaker 2:You have missed a few games over the years not many.
Speaker 1:A few.
Speaker 2:There's some great stories, carl, why don't you? Tell us a few.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't know. I missed basketball games because I had heart surgery.
Speaker 2:Oh, that was for basketball. That was for basketball, Got you okay.
Speaker 1:But I got another disease. I didn't know I had it, but they took me down in an ambulance, in a wheelchair excuse me, in a yeah, whatever they a stretcher and bouncing down, you know it was. It would have been easier to pass out and roll down than it was to go down sitting in a wheelchair and bounce, bounce, bounce.
Speaker 2:It probably got worse. Yes, it got worse. Just getting you out of there.
Speaker 1:I got to the hospital and they kept me in the well on the left floor. I went to and the lady said, mr Von Enns, and I was kind of groggy, and she said we're getting a special room for you because you know I had her in class and she must have liked me. So we waited around and got that special room, so it was kind of nice, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Were you struck by lightning once too? Is that or is that just like folklore?
Speaker 1:No, I was. Oh, this press box was struck by lightning and I wound up lying on the walkway in front of the press box and have no idea how I got there.
Speaker 2:I was just out of the press box. That's true. So do you think you actually shot out of the front of it, or do you think someone carried you there to bring you back?
Speaker 1:No, no, no. It hit the press box and I wound up. I have no idea how I got there, but I was lying on the walkway where little kids run back and forth. Now.
Speaker 3:Do you have any idea what year that was?
Speaker 1:Oh, john was. I think John was there, so I really don't remember Okay.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's something, though this job does not come without its own risks. How have things for you changed over the years being the beginning of Panther Stadium? What's really interesting about this from our point of view is the players have changed, the field has changed, the fans have changed, the game has changed, but your voice hasn't. You're like the one present there, which was really cool. I know, like you, you like being a backdrop when you announce, right Like it's not about well, it's, it's not me.
Speaker 1:It's the game and I tried to say the minimum amount of things about the game and then let the game speak for itself, in other words, what the kids do and basically, you know, just trying to announce what the kids do and not, you know, I don't try and entertain.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I try not to do that. I just report the game as it's happening.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of people say going to a West Ottawa game and hearing your voice is like just putting on a warm blanket. It's part of the fabric of going to a Friday night football game at West Ottawa, for sure.
Speaker 3:The style that you have is very traditional. My dad's been to a couple of games at West Ottawa and he always makes a comment. I really like your announcer. He doesn't. There's no fluff, there's no extra stuff, he just tells me the information I need. And he watches the next play.
Speaker 1:That's basically what I try to do is say what's happening and then shut my mouth until the next play. That's basically what I try to do is say what's happening and then shut my mouth until the next play happens.
Speaker 2:And you do a great job of doing that. No doubt about it.
Speaker 1:Things that have changed is the protection that the people wear on their helmets. It used to be just a single bar when it started you know when we started and not the cage that they have, and now that's and again helmets have improved and you know equipment that they wear, the kind of shoes that they wear. We've had kids change their shoes, you know, as they're playing, because they slip, and in those days we had grass fields and we always had the best grass field because it had a crown and it was probably 18 inches in the center of the field to the side, but our field was always great, in great shape, even when it'd be a rainstorm. We'd play the next week, it'd be fine. So, but now with the synthetic fields, and again it's just the way it is everyone has one. We were the last group to have one in our, in our league yeah and so, but it's, it's just keeping up with the time.
Speaker 2:We just stayed for a long time in the old stadium what do you miss about the old style or old way of doing it? Do you have like? Do you reminisce and go? I wish we still did it that way, or?
Speaker 1:No, but somebody said to me last time we went back they said you like coming back to this press box, don't you? I said yeah, I spent a lot of time here, so it's it's just. I know, when three kids got in and they just destroyed the press box and Ron Allen, who was the AD in those days, would not let me go into the press box because everything was smashed, all the windows were smashed and the cabinets were all destroyed and so on, and he kept me out of it because I don't know.
Speaker 1:He thought I'd cry or something like that. But until it was all repaired, then they were letting me go back into it again yeah, because you still go back there for seventh and eighth grade football.
Speaker 2:Yes, right?
Speaker 1:no, it's and it's.
Speaker 2:It's just I know the way it was and the way it is yeah, it's really what's really fun to go back there, because I last time you did I was able to do clock with you, but it's just so simple yeah, it's so simple and it's fine, simple as well, like it's just pure, it's a football game all right yeah you've all.
Speaker 3:You've also seen gosh huge change in the way that the game of high school football is played. I'm sure when you first started there weren't a whole lot of teams throwing the ball 20 times a game.
Speaker 1:No, there were. You threw the ball because you couldn't run you know, and sometimes it seemed like there were no passes in a game. But football was hand the ball to running back and in those days we had the T formation, you know, two halfbacks and a fullback, and the fullback carried the ball. It didn't block like the fullback does now very seldom, you know, do they carry the ball. In fact, I don't know if I've seen a game that the fullback is a blocking back, really not a fullback, I mean not a ball carrier.
Speaker 2:All right, so we're going to wrap that up right there with football. This is part of a two-part episode with Carl Von Enns. We'll be back next week with second half.
Speaker 1:Thanks, Well, thank you.
