As someone who has been on countless live broadcasts, Bruce Beck understands things don't always unfold as planned. Not surprisingly, the longtime NBC sports anchor wasn't afraid to tap into that familiarity with improvisation.
Although most day camps will be closed due to the coronavirus pandemic this summer, Beck's annual Bruce Beck Sports Broadcasting Camp will be held virtually July 6-10.
Beck had originally planned to return to Iona College, which housed the camp last year. Instead, he will host it from his White Plains home.
"It seemed to make the most sense in this climate to do it visually," Beck said. "We still want to do a camp and we think we can do it well. We think we can make it fun and make it interactive."
The cost of the camp for both "rookies" and "veterans" has been reduced by $200 each. The students had typically spent the hours of 9-4 with Beck and his team. This year's camp will include two 90-minute sessions for the rookies and two two-hour sessions for veterans, plus additional time in the afternoon — dubbed "Bonus Time with Bubba," Beck's nickname.
"I think it's going to be an interactive week of learning and fun in today's climate," Beck said. "We feel like we do it really well the other way, but the safety and health and welfare was the kids was our priority."
All camp sessions will be hosted on Zoom and can be recorded. Beck said students will still read from a teleprompter, give a commentary and interview athletes, and the final product will be recorded and uploaded onto the camp's YouTube channel.
He has lined up former Giants lineman David Diehl and former Jets quarterback Ray Lucas for interviews. He also has a deep bench of guest speakers that will include national broadcasters Mike Breen and Ian Eagle.
More information is available at brucebecksportsbroadcastingcamp.com.
"There might not be a lot of stuff for kids this summer. Camps aren't in session. Schools aren't in session," Beck said. "So we went with the flow. We saw the landscape and adjusted. I'm glad we did."
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This story originally appeared here.