One of the easy things to overlook in the Valley League is that there is a small army of folks that works hard every night to make sure that games are played and fans have a good experience.
Think about it: there are ticket takers, concession stand employees, official score keepers, internet broadcast teams, groundskeepers, host families, interns, and many more people who are working hard- and in many cases, working as volunteers.
Some of these folks have been doing their “job” for a long, long, time. So long, in fact, that they might be considered a mainstay in a certain team’s infrastructure.
Such is the case with Harrisonburg’s public address announcer Curt Dudley. Those fans who are regulars in the ‘Burg know “that” voice- the same voice, night after night, that echoes through Veterans Memorial Park announcing the next batter, the winning ticket number for a gift certificate to Qdoba, or scores from “around the league.” Curt has been that voice at Turks games since 1983, which means he is currently announcing in his 32nd season. No wonder Turks fans know that tone!
Curt was gracious enough to answer some questions about who he is and what he does for our readers, so let’s take a look:
All Things Valley League: Tell us about your job. How long you’ve been at JMU, what you do…
Curt Dudley: This past spring started my 27th year with the Dukes. The first 19 years I served as a sports information director for several of JMU’s then-28 NCAA varsity sports programs, including baseball. One of the main things that attracted me to JMU was to work with the Diamond Dukes, who were only five years removed from a College World Series appearance when I came on board.
While managing the traditional responsibilities of being a sports information director – media liaison, statistician, news releases, media guides- I also developed radio programming, assisted with the commercial broadcasts and ultimately employed creative ways of using new media as it evolved into multimedia. Today, I still use the fundamental aspects of sports information, but utilize the direct multimedia methods to distribute information about the Dukes. The most exciting of those methods is MadiZONE HD SportsNet, which has been among the collegiate leaders in live online video productions. We produce about 75 live events per school year and that number will increase. The productions are in HD and feature commentary, multiple camera angles, graphics and reply. I also teach and work with a team of JMU students who assist with all aspects of the production.
ATVL: What does producing live events entail? Are they mostly a certain sport, or certain activity?
CD: MadiZONE HD SportsNet provides live productions of all home football and men’s and women’s basketball games, plus 33-40%
of home games played by field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s lacrosse, baseball and softball. We schedule at least one swimming and diving meet, one track and field meet and the annual awards banquet. There are also pregame shows prior to football and basketball games.
Such productions entail a very detailed degree of planning, scheduling, opponent and JMU research and broadcast prep for the talent crew (on-air personnel) in addition to the actual live event. A live basketball game could have as many as 12 people involved, including commentators, sideline reporters, camera operators, a director, a producer and additional support personnel. Football uses more, but some of those folks are also “shared” for the productions on the massive video board at Bridgeforth Stadium.
ATVL: How long have you been the “Voice of the Turks?”
CD: Being an independent student at Bridgewater College, I was down to my last penny at the end of my senior year in 1983. Early Shirkey, a local banker who had worked many years with the Turks, called to offer me the job as the scorekeeper, paying $10 a game at the time. In 1986 I began sharing the PA duties with Mike Schikman, taking over the responsibility in 1987.
ATVL: Tell us about your family. How do they feel about your job(s)? Do they enjoy baseball at all?
CD: My wife, Maureen, attended many of the games I worked when we were dating. She doesn’t do that anymore. When she would ask what time I would be home after a baseball game, I would tell her I don’t know, because “baseball is a timeless game.” That kind of sums up my professional approach, work until it gets done, and she is very understanding of that. Our daughter, Laura, not much into sports expect for social opportunities. She is a 2010 graduate of Virginia Tech and is close to finishing a master’s degree at American University. She works for Freddie Mac in McLean, Va.
ATVL: What kind of preparation do you do before each game?
CD: There is so much more involved to broadcasting a game, that when it comes to public address, things are rather simple. I do review rosters, schools and pronunciations. I will send out a few Tweets with my @TurksPAVoice account to set up a couple of facts about the game. Once at the stadium, it is a matter of getting my “Turks” in a row so that the show can run as smoothly as possible. The other aspect is to coordinate in-game activities, contests and announcements with a group of interns.
ATVL: What is your favorite part of the VBL?
There are a couple.
1.) Just as the games provide opportunities for players to hone their skills, so to do they for those who want to work in the sports/entertainment profession, be it media, facility management, game operations or broadcasting. I enjoy working with the crews of interns, it is fun, but also gratifying to teach or at least give them experience that may help them in the future.
2.) As a public address announcer, it provides me a totally different approach to work. There are times when I can have personal interaction with the Harrisonburg crowd, something I would not feel comfortable or appropriate doing with a JMU crowd. Maybe it’s because I feel like I’ve personally known the Turks fans and their families, so I’m much more the Curt you meet on the sidewalk than the Curt doing a “professional” gig. In both cases the goal to be professional, but it gives me two ways to do so.
ATVL: You have seen so many seasons go by in the Valley. What team do you think was the best over that time span, and what players have you seen that you just KNEW they would be successful?
CD: Guys that stood out to me were – Reggie Sanders (Winchester), Luis Lopez (Winchester), Juan Pierre (Harrisonburg), Jon Rauch (Harrisonburg), Aubrey Huff (Staunton), Chad Tracy (Staunton), Jason Michaels (Staunton), Brandon Inge (Waynesboro) and Mike Lowell (Waynesboro), to name a handful. I did not see the level of success of David Eckstein – but what a good story. As for a particular team – the years have blended together to much for me to determine that.
ATVL: What do you think the Valley League should do to strengthen what it does?
CD: It’s reasonable to think that each franchise has its own methods and contacts used to build a roster. I believe it would help the collective strength of the league to develop an action plan to upgrade the overall quality of the players recruited within the league. I do not have a suggestion of how to go about doing that other than the leaders putting their heads together to come up with a strategy. I think Commissioner Lemish would like to see a greater percentage of Division I players, for example.
ATVL: What does the Valley already do really, really well?
CD: There are some very dedicated people to the league and respective franchises. That is its greatest strength. It appears that all players are treated well and enjoy the experience.
Thank you, Curt, for taking the time to answer some questions about what you do to help support the Harrisonburg Turks, and the Valley League in general!
All Things Valley League 