It’s horrifying in a way.
It is said during the 1950s and 1960s, when little to no thought was given at the TV networks to preservation, master tapes of some of the most famous live broadcasts in American history were simply recycled.
Super Bowl I? Forget it.
The first 10 years of Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show”? Don’t even bother.
The same type of concept exists with high school sports of days gone by — and times from which we’re not that far removed — these days as well.
There are canisters of game film and VHS tapes of events that are as valuable as a landmark to the communities from which they originated — and yet, sadly, one of two things is likely true today:
• They’re on obsolete media and need to be modernized, but no one is overly bothered to try
• They’re disintegrating in a landfill already
What a shame that is.
Over the last month, and in person March 26, I’ve been talking with Dave Jevnikar, who runs G-TV in Geauga County, about such a dilemma.
He had come across around 150 reels of film from various Chardon football games, mostly between 1966 and 1986.
Obviously, such a discovery wouldn’t just be of interest to Hilltoppers fans but also to the other schools involved — 27 sprinkled through various league incarnations and nonconference games.
The issue is home film projectors aren’t prevalent — nor do they need to be in 2018, of course — and the film needs to be transferred to digital format such as MP4 with DVDs becoming obsolete as well. Transferring costs money, obviously.
Jevnikar was given estimates as to how much such a project would cost — one was fairly deep into the four figures. He contacted schools to see if they would have any interest in helping out and in turn preserving a part of their history. The response was indifferent at best.
That’s a shame.
If you’ve followed my work over the years, you are very well aware of my affection for preserving the past and keeping those stories alive for present and future generations.
If it is important for high schools to keep their trophies in cases, if it is important for athletes to know the who, what and how that got a program to have a tradition in the first place, shouldn’t an actual moving account of the big moments be just as vital to keep as the memories in the collective mind of the community?
If it’s not, it should be.
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So if anyone in interested in Jevnikar’s mission to modernize a piece of area high school football lore — and ensure it doesn’t end up in a scrap heap, email Jevnikar at geaugatv@windstream.net. Not to sound like an infomercial, but:
If you’re a school or an athlete who played against Chardon in those days, or if you’re from Chardon, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a copy of yesteryear on an external hard drive and not in an external trash pile?
Along these same lines, one thing that has been fun to watch in recent years across various sports is, shortly after a state final, when a Spectrum Sports employee approaches the head coaches of the respective teams and hands them a copy of the game on a DVD.
Those of us of a certain age recall how cool being on (or in my case, broadcasting) a local “Game of the Week” was and how great it was to record and keep. (Hopefully in my case as a play-by-play announcer back for the old WHHS Channel 30 at Harvey in the 1990s, those recordings stay buried.)
Joking aside, though, whether in that form — or, eventually, as digital media — it’s reassuring to know efforts are being made to ensure those big events aren’t lost for good.
Far too many film canisters have bit the dust.
Far too many VHS tapes sit dormant without an eye to digitization before it’s too late.
And far too many records of these moments wind up in a Dumpster because people don’t have the foresight or the regard for the past to want to keep it around.
A strong example of such an effort having a happy ending can be found via the Ohio High School Athletic Association. A couple years ago, I wrote a story on Gilmour track and field legend Eric Penick and one of the most memorable days in this area’s sports history. In 1971, Penick won the Class AA state team title by himself with a sprint triple — firsts in the 100, 220 and 440.
I thought it would be awesome — but unlikely — if there was footage of the 1971 Class AA state track and field meet still around.
Sure enough, the OHSAA had it and sent me a copy. I was able, with their blessing, to compile a video specifically of Penick’s races and use it with my story.
The OHSAA has a massive collection of state tournament coverage in various sports, starting with the Class B boys basketball tournament semifinals in 1949-50 and through to the present day.
There’s a good chance most high school sports fans and athletes are not aware of that.
But isn’t it good to know that it’s there?
That’s why it’s important, while we’re in a place in which we have the means and technology, to save these relics whenever possible.
The alternative, in many ways, is horrifying.
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