AFTER SPENDING SOME time talking with Scooter Chapman in advance of Friday’s ceremony to name the Civic Field press box after the venerable broadcaster, I felt reassured.
It turns out Scooter and I share a common goal in covering prep sports, namely, naming some names.
“The goal I’ve always had is to get as many kids named as I can on both offense and defense,” Chapman said.
“Keep the moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas and whomever else is listening interested because they are hearing their kids’ names. So get as many names on the broadcast as I can, that’s always been the goal.”
As a North Olympic Peninsula native who grew up seeing Scooter broadcast Port Angeles-Port Townsend basketball games tucked into the corner of the cramped confines of Bruce Blevins Gymnasium (aka the Shoebox) I appreciate this community-minded approach.
It’s how I try to tackle my game stories, provide plenty of details and focus on pointing out as many outstanding performances and players as possible.
And another goal of Chapman’s is one I do my best to follow: avoid doing wrong.
“It’s like everything else I’ve done in radio, you don’t get a lot of feedback unless you make a mistake,” Chapman said.
“So another goal is to not do anything wrong on the air.”
One depressing night
Chapman launched into a story concerning a Port Angeles-Kelso football game on the road a few decades back.
At the time he used tongue depressors (say Ahhhh) to help him track players and their statistics out on the field.
“I’d write down the number and guys name and slide that into a slot and if they made a substitution I’d slide that player in,” Chapman said.
“We were broadcasting from on the roof at the Kelso Stadium and the wind was howling. I went to change a couple of names and the wind picked up and knocked one of the depressors over the edge. So I said ‘There goes Jim James falling over the roof onto the ground.’ And it turns out a relative of his was listening and thought he’d fallen off the roof.”
Chapman also said he tries each week to keep the pregame and halftime shows as interesting as possible.
At halftime he takes time to feature another Port Angeles prep sports team.
This Friday, Chapman will speak with Port Angeles girls soccer coach Scott Moseley, volleyball will be featured Oct. 6 and girls swimming on Oct. 13.
No best game
I asked Chapman about the best game he’s seen at Civic Field.
But after 60-plus years and hundreds if not thousands of games, they all kind of blend together.
I understand completely. I’ve only been covering football games week in and week out since 2014, and these past four seasons are beginning to blend.
“I don’t think I have a best game,” he said. “The games in the 1960s and 70s when PA was a league factor were all great games.
“Broadcasting football is my hardest sport, for the reason you don’t have a lot of information on other players like you do in college, and there’s so much going on it’s hard to keep track of a lot of things in football.”
Chapman mentioned Scott Jones and and Jim Michalczik who played for the Roughriders in the early 1980s before going on to play for Washington and Washington State, respectively, as the two best football players he’s seen in his years in the Civic Field press box.
Jones was drafted by Cincinnati Bengals and played games for them, the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers during three seasons.
Chapman also mentioned players from the 1960s like quarterback Gary Gagnon, running back Sonny Luke and Bobby Lovell.
“Jack Elway was coach here for many years in the 1960s and put some great teams on the field,” he said.
“The best overall athlete I ever saw was Bernie Fryer [who went on to star in basketball at BYU, play for Portland in the NBA and rise through the league’s officiating ranks to eventually become vice president and director of officials]. His brother Tom was QB and Bernie was wide receiver and he was a great pass catcher.”
