Welcome to the Press Box!
On the microphone for all home games again this year is Brett Kempema. This is his ninth year as the “Voice of Grandville”. Before becoming the announcer, Brett served as scoreboard operator and spotter for a couple of seasons each. A 1988 graduate of Grandville High School, “Kemp” was a three sport athlete in the sports of football, basketball, and baseball. After graduating from Hope College where he also played baseball, Brett became an elementary teacher in the Grandville district. Currently he is a sixth grade teacher at South Elementary and also is a head coach in the Grandville High School baseball program. Mr. Kempema also serves as the “voice” for Grandville Wrestling and this year is taking on the responsibility for manning the microphone for women’s volleyball matches. Brett and his wife Kari have four children three of which are of school-age and are in the Grandville district. Always busy, Kempema also fronts the local band “Five Minutes Tardy” ( www.myspace.com/fiveminutestardy )
A Word from “The Voice”
“I would like to take an opportunity to welcome you to the Grandville Football Press Box. We have seen a lot of great football over the years here, and it is our pleasure to help make each game an event. It is our hope that we show great hospitality to not only the Grandville community, but the visiting teams’ fans as well. The football team, a great athletic administration, the athletic boosters, the football boosters, the cheerleaders, the fans, our many sponsors, and the students themselves all make Friday nights at the stadium the place to be. I’m just fortunate to be a sort of emcee to the action.
There is a lot that goes in to making a Friday night run smoothly in the press box, and I am not about to take all the credit. There are three others in the box that do an incredible amount of work. The Scoreboard operator is Mr. Steve VanderHyde. “Hyde” is an Honors History teacher at the high school, and has spent several years to my right running the clock. He was also Grandville’s Varsity Basketball coach at one time.
My “human cue card” so to speak, is Mr. Brian Stark. I’ve had some really good spotters over my time here, but none compare to “Starky”. He sees the plays develop better than most, and gives me the numbers of the players involved. I just end up relaying the information on to you. Mr. Stark teaches Chemistry at the high school and coaches in the Grandville Track program.
Our final member up here is Mr. Ryan Roberts. Also a Grandville graduate and athlete, “Berts” supervises the box so that things run smoothly and we don’t get overrun with too much going on such as having too many people or scouts running around in here. Ryan also helps out with the giveaways we have on Friday nights. He is definitely a huge help. Mr. Roberts teaches fifth grade at Cummings Elementary and also is an assistant in our baseball program.
Brian Stark-Spotter Brett Kempema-Announcer Steve VanderHyde-Scoreboard Operator Ryan Roberts-Pressbox Supervisor