This season, however, the PA Announcer is assigned to a totally different safety zone than the Game Ops Crew, so I can only see them from a distance across the arena and hear them in my headset.” In a non-Covid year, the whole crew meets an hour or so before game time to go over every detail of every timeout and quarter break. There’s nothing worse than coming to an unfamiliar name during live action that you’ve never rehearsed or practiced before. “I read through every one of them several times before arriving at the arena, just to make sure I have all the pronunciations correct,” Long said. “The Trail Blazers Operations crew has been so wonderful to work with every time I get the chance.”Ī typical game day for Long consists of, Todd Bosma (Director of Game Ops & Events) and his crew sending him a script 3-4 hours before tip-off, and it’s usually pages and pages of all the announcements and contests during the game. But they do know who the voice of the Moda Center is…and I’m so honored to have the opportunity to fill in for the great Mark Mason when needed.” Long was also the voice of the WNBA’s Portland Fire when Portland had a franchise. “Of course, nobody really knows who the behind-the-scenes radio statistician is. During Covid times, I’m doing that job from home and constantly sending Travis messages throughout each game.” “When you hear Travis say something like, ‘That’s a 14-3 Trail Blazers run’ or ‘Dame has the last 11 Blazers points,’ that’s often me giving him that information behind the scenes. When his day is over at the school and with his students, Long will leave for the Moda Center on game nights to provide stats for Travis Demers (radio announcer) or even fill in for Mason. Sure, that’s been on a computer for most of this school year, but the kids have started to return to school in person this month, which makes it more fun.” “getting a chance to watch the faces of young kids light up when they learn to read, or suddenly understand tricky math problems. Long went on to say, even in the Covid times, it’s still the greatest job in the world. “I think I have the best of both worlds–lots of days, I get to work two jobs that I absolutely love!” said Long, who is also the proud dad of three boys, 19, 15, and 13. Meet Curtis Long, the Principal at Scouter’s Mountain Elementary in Clackamas, the statistician for the Trail Blazers Radio Network, and fill in PA for Mason. Wait a minute…that’s not Mason you’re hearing. Some Portland Trail Blazers games at the Moda Center, or even on your TV and radio, you might be listening for Mark Mason, the familiar in-arena voice excitedly announcing the Blazers lineup and other announcements.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |