At NewsVroom event, GameTimePA’s reach extends to Italy
When we take the NewsVroom out in the community, you never know what you’re gonna get, as Forrest Gump would say.
Take Thursday night’s NewsVroom at Bermudian Springs, for instance. The Eagles’ annual wrestling match against Biglerville is always one of the most anticipated events of the season. The teams have combined to win the last nine YAIAA Division II titles, and Bermudian clinched the Division III title on Thursday night.
Before the match, we met Amy Sponseller, who was using Skype to talk to her daughter in Italy. And that’s where this story takes a Gump-like turn.
Amy was Skyping to Italy because her cousin’s 7-year-old son Tyson Balek, a Bermudian wrestler, is getting treatment there for Metachromatic Leukodystrophy, a degenerative brain disease that causes mental deterioration, loss of motor skills and paralysis. Amy’s daughter is helping the family during Tyson’s treatment. And they wanted to stay connected with what was happening at the big wrestling match back home at Bermudian Springs.
So while Amy was showing her family members the scene, we got to be a part of the story. Amy’s daughter pulled up her GameTimePA app on her smartphone and showed it to us via Skype, so Amy got to spin the prize wheel and picked up a GameTimePA T-shirt. Oh, and it was about 1 a.m. in Italy.
It was really cool to be able to be a part of that cross-continental connection. And since GameTimePA.com was livestreaming the wrestling match, the family in Italy got to watch high-quality video of the match live with audio play-by-play.
It’s not the first time GameTimePA’s reach has extended beyond American borders. Fans in Italy tuned in to our livestream broadcast of Cocalico vs. West York football game in 2014. Another West York fan tuned in from Australia during the Bulldogs’ 2013 state baseball championship run, and a Northeastern fan checked in from Germany during the Bobcats’ boys’ volleyball state championship victory.
I like to think Forrest himself might be impressed with how far our network extends.
Related
— Donate to Tyson Balek’s treatment
— Bermudian Springs dominates Biglerville to win YAIAA Division III title
— A November event raised funds for the Balek family, plus how you can donate