Would-be sports announcers listen to Monmouth U Eddy Occhipinti, below, in a Parks & Rec class at the borough library last week.

[Red Bank Parks & Rec press release]

Thirteen Red Bank youngsters with dreams of a future in sports broadcasting participated last week in ‘Sports Broadcasting,’ the first part of a two-week workshop produced by the Red Bank Department of Parks and Recreation.

The program was led by industry veteran Eddy Occhipinti, known to many as “the Voice of the Hawks” as the official radio and TV announcer of Monmouth University athletics, in addition to working for ESPN.

Assembled in the community room of the borough library, students learned about play-by-play through hands-on experiences using actual Monmouth University broadcasts.

They also had the opportunity to interview current NCAA players and coaches from Monmouth University. Occhipinti shared his thoughts on the program, noting, “Monmouth University loves to give back to the community with programs like this.  We had a great, enthusiastic group of kids and we are looking forward to having their families enjoy an experience at the University.”

Monmouth University was also kind enough to provide each participant and their families with free tickets to an upcoming game.

The program is part of Red Bank Parks and Recreation’s Community School initiative, which provide children with fun and educational youth programs in the evenings.  For more information about future programs, please contact Parks and Recreation at 732-530-2782.