SPORTS

Camp gives area kids the chance to learn from the pros

Jim Hague
Correspondent

Griffin Rohr is only 12 years old, but he has an idea of what he would love to do when he’s an adult.

“I always wanted to be either a baseball player or a soccer player,” said Rohr, a resident of Randolph. “But if I can’t do that, then I’d love to be a sportscaster. It seems like a fun life for me.”

Nick Walsh is also 12 years old and he’s also an aspiring soccer player from Morris County.

“I follow the United States soccer team, but my favorite player is Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Walsh, a resident of Madison. “I play soccer, basketball, tennis and a little golf.”

It’s safe to say that Walsh is also an avid sports fan.

“I have a twin brother (Chris) who doesn’t have the same passion for sports that I have,” Walsh said. “I’m two minutes older.”

Walsh heard about the Bruce Beck and Ian Eagle Sports Broadcasting Camp, which is held annually on the campus of Montclair State University, and was interested, despite the fact that the majority of students at the week-long camp are much older.

“It’s something that a lot of other kids don’t get a chance to do,” Walsh said.

However, Walsh applied late and at first, was not accepted for enrollment this summer.

“But there was a last-minute cancellation and I was able to get in,” Walsh said. “I was so overjoyed just to be a part of it.”

Both Walsh and Rohr said that they felt a little apprehension about being the youngest students in a camp of 60 prospective sportscasters.

“I was definitely a little scared,” Walsh said. “I didn’t know anyone there.”

“I was a bit nervous, because I didn’t know anyone,” said Rohr, a seventh grader this fall at Randolph Middle School.

Joe Aulenbach was another Randolph resident participating in the camp. The 14-year-old Aulenbach will be a freshman at Randolph High School next month.

“I met Joe one of the first days and we became good friends,” Rohr said.

Aulenbach was like the other two Morris County kids, because he loves sports, but he was a student at the camp, run by Beck, the NBC-TV Channel 4 sports anchor, and Eagle, who is one of the hardest working play-by-play announcers in the nation, doing pro football and basketball and college basketball, a year ago.

“I was a little better this time, because I had done it before,” said Aulenbach. “I knew what to expect this year, so I was a lot less nervous.”

“Joe helped me to give me more confidence,” Rohr said. “He gave me encouragement.”

Those Randolph kids have to stick together.

“I was a little intimidated, because the rest of the camp was 17-, 18-year-old guys,” Rohr said. “I had to get adjusted to start, being one of the youngest kids there.”

Nick DeRienzo is a 14-year-old resident of Chester who will attend Mendham High School next month. He was the fourth Morris County resident to attend the camp, which concluded last week.

“I’ve always been into sports and I always wanted to be that kid who knows everything about sports,” DeRienzo said. “Whenever there’s a game on, I’m watching.”

All four local youngsters wanted to get a head start at becoming a sports broadcaster, so they enrolled in the Beck-Eagle Sports Broadcasting Camp, which just completed its 14th season.

“We get so many good kids who come through the program,” said Eagle, who is the voice of the Brooklyn Nets on the YES Network, but also announces NFL games and college basketball games for CBS. “As the years go by, it becomes more and more gratifying with the kids we get. You see how kids view the business and they’re all aware. They’ve all been alerted to it. It’s pretty amazing.”

Beck thought that the 60 or so aspiring sportscasters comprised the best group they ever had at the camp, which features a chance to broadcast a Somerset Patriots game, the chance to meet and greet other sportscasters like the multi-faceted Kenny Albert, Ken Daneyko and Tina Cervasio of the MSG Network, Kevin Burkhardt of SNY and FOX Sports and Evan Roberts of WFAN Radio, not to mention the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the field.

“We had an extremely talented group,” said Beck, who welcomed students from all over the country this year. “Because of the Internet, people look up ‘Broadcasting camp’ and we come up. So we’re attracting kids from all over. Parents are willing to send their kids anywhere these days for camp. The Internet has made the country smaller.”

Beck marveled at the talents of Walsh.

“Nick Walsh is awesome,” Beck said. “You just marvel at the knowledge that a kid has at such a young age. He had great energy and excitement. He’s off to a great start. Griffin Rohr is the same way. He has the same passion. Those are two kids who are going to find their way in the field. We’re just happy to give them their first real opportunity. They are getting exposed to it at a young age. They’re so far ahead of where I was at that age.”

DeRienzo loved the tour that the campers took of MetLife Stadium, going into the locker room of his favorite football team, the Giants.

“We also got a hands-on experience in the studios of SNY and MSG,” DeRienzo said. “It was great. Bruce and Ian were also very nurturing to us, especially to first-year people like me. I’m definitely looking to see if I can do sports broadcasts in my high school.”

DeRienzo said that he has become a close friend with Aulenbach since the camp.

“Joe and I have been hanging out and become great friends,” DeRienzo said. “I was a little nervous, but that went away after the first couple of days.”

Aulenbach said that he enjoyed meeting Burkhardt, the field reporter for Mets telecasts on SNY, the best.

“I learned the most from him in terms of preparation,” Aulenbach said. “It really was a great experience for me. I can’t wait to go back again next year. It definitely gives me an idea of what I want to do when I get older. It’s definitely my passion.”

“Joey reminded me of my youngest son,” Beck said. “He’s the kind of kid you just want around. He’s enthusiastic. He looks like my son. That’s a huge compliment to him. It’s very gratifying to see their progress and see their enthusiasm.”

“It is rewarding, but it is demanding,” Eagle said.

It’s safe to say Walsh enjoyed himself.

“It was the best week of my life ever,” Walsh said. “I had the best time.”

That’s all anyone can ask from a summer camp.