And exhale… we did it! “We” as in all of us. Anyone involved in playing, coaching, working, covering, or watching high school sports in Franklin County.
On top of everything in this article, a huge CONGRATULATIONS to all players, coaches, and staff on competing in the 2021 winter season. I’m not the first nor the last to say this season was difficult. We knew how hard it was going to be for families to not be able to attend games this year, which is why we made it our goal to live stream every basketball and hockey game in Franklin County this winter. And we were successful in that goal. 49 games up and 49 games down! More live games than Northwest Access TV has ever done before. And in only a month! (Imagine the fun next season) Those numbers increase even more if you count the subscriptions we donated in February for families to watch their athletes play in Enosburg/Richford.
So with that, I would like to extend several thank you’s related to these last couple months:
Thank you to the community members who contributed a record numbers of donations this season. The funds that we received will go a long way in helping us improve our media coverage throughout Franklin County.
Thank you to our viewers who watched more than 13,500 hours of local sports coverage this season! We saw record viewership numbers this year with more than 500 peak live viewers during the BFA/CVU semifinal hockey game and more than 100 live viewers for all but a couple games this season.
Thank you to our sponsors who helped fund the purchase of new equipment which allowed us to stream up to four games in one night from four different locations.
Thank you to our volunteer commentators who entertained more than 100,000 viewers who streamed our games this season. I can still hear the shout of “BLISTER!” from Cam Wood when I think of BFA boys hockey playing on a Saturday night.
Thank you to the athletic directors and staff who managed to keep everything under control in this unknown world we’re currently living in. Your direction and constant communication made the process much easier than we had thought it would be.
Thank you to our media partners. We are so fortunate to have several media organizations that provide hyper local sports coverage our area. From print to photos to live streams, Franklin County is fully covered for all who love local sports.
Thank you to our videographers and staff for your dedication and professionalism. Without all of you, this journey never even begins. I am so proud of the work you all have done to help so many in Franklin County stay connected with these student-athletes that they love.
And finally, thank you to the athletes, coaches and staff who competed this winter. You took on quite a challenge. While many of your seasons didn’t end quite the way you wanted, you should all be proud with the adversity you faced and conquered. To those who hoisted a trophy in the end, your accomplishments should go down as some of the toughest in Vermont sports history.
While these past two months have been exhausting for many of us, we would do it all again because of how much joy it brings to our community. From everyone at Northwest Access TV, thank you for supporting local media! We’re looking forward to another (longer) season of winter sports next year!
