Niagara College broadcasting to world
Niagara College’s broadcasting students and alumni are showing their skills off to the world.
Led by alumni Carter Hendriks, Carter Vahrmeyer, Gabriel Klassen and Jon Kitiwano, the students will be producing the livestream coverage of the 2024 World Rowing Senior, Under 23, and Under 19 Championships (Mega Worlds) Aug. 18-25 in St. Catharines. The coverage will be broadcast on CBC Gem, worldrowing.com and YouTube.
Niagara College successfully broadcasted the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games and honed their skills for world championship week by covering the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association Regatta in the spring and the 140th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in the summer.
Hendriks, who Niagara College professor Peter (Dutch) VandenBerg described as his right-hand during the Canada Summer Games, is the technical producer/engineer for the worlds. Vahrmeyer has been working with World Rowing over the summer as content creator to produce all of the sponsorship content, Klassen is serving as director and Kitiwano is the lead audio mixer and audio designer.
The 24-person broadcasting team will be using 18 cameras, including 11 robotic cameras, along the 2,000-metre course to provide the images.
“The challenge with rowing is that it’s the biggest field of play, but we have a pretty adventurous plan on how we’re going to cover it,” said VandenBerg, a Niagara College program coordinator and industry expert. “With basketball and hockey being played within a court or rink, all of your broadcasting equipment is within reach. With rowing, you have to take a boat to the start line, a car or a boat to the finish line – so you have to be creative and well planned.”
One of the cameras will be mounted to the boat of the official who follows in-line with the rowers.
“It’s a new perspective. I haven’t seen that in rowing. The view behind the group is going to be a game-changer,” VandenBerg said.
He is especially excited to broadcast the last stretch of races.
“The magic happens in the last 500 to 1,000 metres. That’s where you’ll find the majority of our production value, including live drone footage in some of the final races.”
Graphics, supplied by Swiss Timing, will be used to showcase key rowing metrics such as boat speed and stroke rate at each of the 500-metre markers.
Bill Schenck, Mega Worlds chair, is happy to have Niagara College on board.
“Peter [Dutch] VandenBerg and the Niagara College broadcasting team are known for being innovative and thinking outside the box,” he said. “Their approach to covering the 2024 Mega Worlds exemplifies their commitment to elevating the viewing experience for a global audience, and this production is set to surpass anything we’ve seen before. We are deeply grateful for Niagara College’s invaluable contribution to this event and are excited to showcase their talent to the world.”
The legacy from the Canada Summer Games is playing a role for Niagara College at the worlds.
“A lot of our equipment is from the Canada Games. A lot of the technological advancements in broadcasting are because of those investments,” VandenBerg said.
The worlds is a great learning experience for the Niagara College students.
“Niagara College is pleased to support the 2024 World Rowing Championships,” said Fiona Allan, vice-president, academic at Niagara. “Our broadcasting faculty, staff, students, and alumni are showcasing their talents beyond the classroom and highlighting our commitment to providing meaningful learning experiences that both enhance our students’ skills and positively impact our community.”
The experience is also a professional development and mentorship opportunity for Hendriks, Vahrmeyer, Klassen and Kitiwano.
“Our grads give back,” VandenBerg said. “They want to come back, to do what was done for them, and be the person who mentors and inspires. It’s an incredibly inspiring nuclear reaction.”
