CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR July 21, 2009
CALVIN SPORTS INFORMATION STUDENT-ASSISTANTS RECEIVE AWARDS FROM MIAA (Release
prepared by MIAA publicist Greg Chandler)
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association has announced the winners of
two awards honoring outstanding publicity efforts by its member schools - the
Hartman Writing Award and the Renner Associate SID Award.
Chaz Amidon, a student assistant in the Calvin College sports information
director, was named the winner of the Hartman Award, while Bruce Van Baren,
also a student assistant in Calvin’s SID office, was named the recipient of
the Renner Award.
CHAZ AMIDON
Chaz Amidon, who graduated from Calvin in May with a bachelor’s degree in
mass media, was honored for a story he wrote depicting the Knights’ thrilling
last-second victory over rival Hope College in an MIAA men’s basketball game
at Calvin last winter. The story can be found on-line here:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/news/comments/layup-in-closing-seconds-gives-calvin-dramatic-win-over-hope
A native of Muskegon and graduate of Mona Shores High School, Amidon worked
for two years in Calvin’s sports information office as a student assistant,
writing recaps of Calvin sporting events and related features. He also was a
play-by-play announcer on Calvin’s Internet broadcasts, covering soccer,
volleyball, basketball and baseball, and also conducted audio interviews of
student-athletes and coaches for the school’s sports information Web site.
Amidon also worked for two years as co-sports editor of Chimes, Calvin’s
student newspaper. He has served several internships, including two years as a
sports correspondent for the Grand Haven Tribune, public affairs and
investigative reporting internships at WBBM-TV (CBS-2) in Chicago and a sports
writing internship at The Daily Southtown in Tinley Park, Ill.
Amidon has enrolled in the graduate program at Michigan State University’s
Department of Communication, starting this fall, and will be working part-time
in MSU’s Department of Athletic Communications during his graduate study.
BRUCE VAN BAREN
A native of Crete, Ill., and graduate of Illiana Christian High School, Bruce
Van Baren graduated from Calvin in May with a degree in business
communications. He is being honored by the MIAA for the second consecutive
year. Last year, Van Baren received the Hartman Writing Award for a story he
wrote on the comeback from illness of Calvin men’s soccer player Michael
Holwerda. Van Baren is the second consecutive Calvin student to receive the
award as 2008 Calvin graduate Annalise VenHuizen was the inaugural recipient
last year. Like Van Baren, Ven Huizen is also a graduate of Illiana Christian
High School.
During his three years in Calvin’s sports information department, Van Baren
produced game stories, features and columns for Calvin’s Web site, broadcast
sporting events on the Internet, and recorded podcasts featuring interviews of
Calvin student-athletes and coaches.
As a sophomore, Van Baren called play-by-play during Calvin’s run in the
NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament for Grand Rapids radio station
WFUR-FM, and then followed the Knights’ women’s basketball team later that
season in the sectional round of the NCAA tournament. He has filled in on
play-by-play duties for Calvin men’s basketball road games the last two
seasons on WFUR.
In addition, Van Baren provided broadcast coverage and photos of Calvin
competing in the NCAA Division III men’s and women’s cross country
championships last fall.
A dean’s list student at Calvin, VanBaren served as the co-sports editor and
world news editor of the school’s student newspaper, Chimes, and served
internships at WMVP-AM in Chicago, WOOD Radio in Grand Rapids and for the
nationally-syndicated Michael Reagan Talk Show, based in Washington D.C. He
also hosted a television program, “Beyond the Game,” that was produced by
Calvin students.
Van Baren has enrolled in law school at Loyola University in Chicago, starting
this fall.
The awards honor two sports information directors who have given many years of
service to the MIAA - Robin Hartman of Albion College and Tom Renner of Hope
College. The Hartman Award honors outstanding writing in a sports information
capacity, either by a sports information director or assistant, while the
Renner Award honors outstanding efforts by student assistants in sports
information offices at MIAA schools.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Tue Jul 21 16:50:46 2009
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