Volunteers bring KM high school sports to the masses

It’s all about the kids, say a trio of local volunteers who broadcast Kasson-Mantorville sports games and get them put up on YouTube.

Family and friends who otherwise couldn’t watch games are able to because of the efforts of Todd Halverson, Steve Alvarado and Joel McCall.

“Now with COVID, it’s become much more important and necessary,” said KM activities director Broc Threinen. “We can’t have anybody who wants to go to the game at the game because there is a limited number of spectators per participant.”

Just type in “KM activities” into YouTube and you’ll see the games the volunteer broadcasters have put online for athlete’s fans to watch. Hundreds to thousands of views are typical, with people watching games from the comfort of their home.

“I enjoy watching the kids and the athletes,” Halverson said. “It’s been very rewarding. We put it all on, we do all the home games.”

Halverson does the video for sports games, Alvarado provides play-by-play commentary for boys and girls hockey games and McCall provides play-by-play for all other sports that the men broadcast on YouTube. Everything they broadcast is free, unlike some districts that use fee-based services.

“I do it because I want to give back to the school,” Halverson said. “I like doing it. It’s all about the kids. People can’t come to the event, and I want to give back to the school, the students, the kids. We hear back from people, mom or dad or grandma or grandpa far away … and KM graduates who are in college. They connect and watch.”

Alvarado, who is also a KM school board member, said “it’s just fun. I’m a big fan of hockey and love the sport. It’s a good time. This year when the pandemic hit, they weren’t going to allow any fans into the arenas. So I said I would do games.”

Halverson, Alvarado and McCall don’t have students in the KM district, making their donation of time and talent even more remarkable. It all started about six years ago when KM started broadcasting football games. Now every sport is streamed.

“We’ve done a little bit of everything over the years,” Alvarado said.

They even have out-of-state viewers, with people tuning in from North Carolina, Florida and Arizona, Alvarado said. The main YouTube feed has 1,500 subscribers

“It has grown exponentially throughout the time I’ve been here,” he said. “It’s a great school district. The fan following is amazing. The fan comments I receive, it’s very humbling. I appreciate anyone who came up to me and said ‘thanks for what you do,’ or ‘thanks for talking to my kid.’ My job is to highlight the kids, the coaches and the school district. I hope I’ve done a good enough job with that.”

“We’re providing a service many of the fans need or want because they’re unable to attend the games,” McCall said. “We cover any home game of every sport.”

McCall said his favorite part of his duties is getting to know the kids. He interviews student athletes, which he counts as his biggest highlight. “The kids are so fun to talk to, get to know their personalities and see them joke.”

McCall has a broadcasting background, so he adds a level of professionalism to his play-by-play commentary that other districts can’t compete with.

“They really enhanced the connection between families of them being able to sit in the comfort of their own home and watch their granddaughter or grandson play basketball, play hockey, football, whatever,” Threinen said. “The connection between the families and friends and athletes has been a big thing.”

The volunteers say they’re always looking for additional helpers, so any students or fans interested in getting broadcasting experience are welcome to participate.

“I enjoy it,” Alvarado said. “It’s a lot of fun.”