Southeast sports have been broadcasted by the nationally recognized broadcasting club, KnightVision, since the club’s first livestream in September of 2015. The club was started by former LSE Assistant Athletic Director Victory Haines and LSE Audio-Video Technician Julie Nelson. Students involved in KnightVision gain experience in broadcasting and video production. As well as being creative and innovative while storyboarding, creating video projects and/or live broadcasting team skills.

“Students have the opportunity to operate a camera, on or off the court, producing, commentating, color-commentating and leadership” said Nelson, who now serves as the club’s sponsor.

However, the club could have never expected the year of 2020.

For the first time in five years, the club didn’t broadcast like they normally would. While it was normal to miss one or two sporting events in a season, due to lack of student availability, they had never missed an entire season until the Spring sports season of the 2019-2020 school year was cancelled.

In 2019 the National Football League (NFL) raised it’s TV viewership to 16.5 million viewers. While a small high school’s football program is nothing compared to the NFL, it still goes to show how watching sporting events online was growing. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the average viewer only has the option to watch online. The same goes for Southeast Athletics.

Students involved in KnightVision expected the club to become a necessity due to restrictions placed by the NSAA, only allowing family members of participants to the event. This was quickly turned down when the district said that the club was “suspended from broadcasting sports until further notice”, which put the sports broadcasting club in a bind.

Not only can extracurriculars, like KnightVision, build a great skill set, but they can also look good on your resume. According to Nelson, students are recommended to “find their place at Southeast high school, whether it be on stage, singing in a choir, Student Council, Step Chain or on the court”. The students in KnightVision have found an activity that they enjoy.

According to the article “The importance of community participation: Why college clubs & organizations matter” from the College of Saint Scholastica, “Clubs can help build your skillset, demonstrate your time management, become more collaborative, build great friendships and new networking opportunities and build your self-confidence.”

KnightVision was affected by the pandemic in multiple ways including not having opportunities to broadcast Varsity games. Nonetheless, students were able to assist with broadcasting two theater productions and record a choir concert in the Jennifer L. Dorsey-Howley Performing Arts Center in the fall. This gave them the chance to develop and enhance their commentating skills, with support of John Shrader, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This kept the club active since it was unable to do much during first semester.

Nelson received great news when the district approved the club to broadcast Swimming & Diving.

Last year the club broadcasted 25 events including Volleyball, Football, Swim & Dive, Basketball and three College Signing Days. So far this year the club has only broadcasted two Swim & Dive events to the Lincoln Southeast High School Youtube channel. The club hopes that they will be able to expand into other sports as the year progresses.

One of the things that makes this club unique is that it is the only Broadcasting Club in Lincoln Public Schools that has consistently been producing broadcasts since the equipment was made available to schools. It is also one of the few clubs offered at Southeast that have a chance for regularly participating students to earn a Letter.

Julie Nelson would like to thank all who have supported the broadcasting club, such as LSE Athletics, Victory Haines, Kathi Wieskamp, Stephani Olson, Sara Friest, Varsity coaches, custodians and present and previous club leaders and members. She also encourages students who have an interest in commentating, filming, editing, creating graphics, marketing or sports in general and want a chance to develop and display your talent, please contact Ms. Nelson in the Media Center.