43
Hubbard native interning on YSU info staff
Photo
Hubbard native Ryan Gasser has become the official voice for both the YSU baseball and softball teams doing live broadcasts over the university’s Internet connections.
By Pete Mollica
YOUNGSTOWN — Hubbard native Ryan Gasser is doing the things that he really loves to do, and someday soon he hopes to even get paid for it.
Gasser, a fifth-year senior at Bowling Green State University, is spending the final semester of his college career working as an intern in the Youngstown State University sports information department.
This spring Gasser has become the official voice for both the YSU baseball and softball teams doing live broadcasts over the university’s Internet connections.
“It’s kind of like Ryan is paying Bowling Green for a 12-hour credit and then came to work for us,” said YSU sports information director Trevor Parks.
Parks couldn’t be more pleased to have Gasser aboard, and the 2004 Hubbard High graduate is having the time of his life.
Gasser is a fifth-year senior (“I went the super-senior route”) at Bowling Green, and his major is in sports management.
“With an emphasis on communications taking the more journalistic side as opposed to that of marketing,” he added.
Doing broadcast radio is nothing new to Gasser, who was exposed to radio in college through the Bowling Green Sports Radio Organization, which he’s been a member for 41‚Ñ2 years.
“It’s run and operated by a local radio station that covers football, men’s and women’s basketball, hockey and volleyball,” he said. “I started the softball part of the organization when I was the president of the group.
“I’ve been doing it for all 41‚Ñ2 years, and when I led the organization for a year, I also got involved in the sales and show host part of the work and really got a lot of experience in the field.”
So just how did Gasser end up as an intern in the YSU sports information department?
“It was really just a random shot,” he said. “I was exploring the possibilities for coming back to the Youngstown area, since I’m from Hubbard and grew up watching YSU football games with my grandfather. So I just looked up who was in charge of the YSU SID department, found Trevor Parks and sent him a quick e-mail.
“Trevor was quick to respond, and we started talking about what could be done and what the possibilities were,” he continued.
Besides doing the Internet broadcasts, which he has been doing both from Eastwood Field (baseball) and McCune Park (softball), Gasser has worked closely with Parks.
“I’ve been helping him update all of the media guides and updating statistics for all of the sports,” he added. “I’ve also been working closely with the on-line media side and a new segment we created called ‘Meet your Penguin’ where we try to spotlight an athlete or coach new to the area or just new to the program in general.
“It’s kind of a more personal side of the athlete and the connection between the athlete and their stay here along with weekly reviews to highlight YSU athletes.”
Gasser said that the Internet has been a big asset to college sports.
“When I first started at Bowling Green, I actually went the print media route,” he said. “Radio internet allowed me to do something more and also provided a lot more opportunities for me down the road.”
Gasser will graduate from Bowling Green in May but will continue on with his internship here through the end of May.
“After that I’m currently trying to get into graduate school, but I’m still waiting to hear more about that,” he added.
“Broadcasting is something that I love to do because I love the travel and love to follow the teams and games,” he said. “But as a career, I know it’s a really competitive business and that I need a Plan B to fall back on.
“So really anything in the media relations area, such as what Trevor and his staff do here, is also a possibility,” Gasser added. “I also have a soft spot in my heart for the Special Olympics where I worked as a volunteer ,and working there would also be very special to me.”