At eight years old, Chase Ruch would go down into his basement and watch whatever sports game he could find. Which is a pretty normal activity for an eight-year-old boy.
But what differs him from most is that he would mute the game and commentate it himself.
Since his freshman year, Chase, now a senior at Elkhorn High School, has been able to pursue his passion for announcing through Striv. He has also had real-world experiences, gained countless skills and made lasting friendships along the way.
Confidence Increased Through Striv
Being involved with Striv throughout his four years at Elkhorn High School, Chase has had many memorable moments. But his favorite experience also happens to be his first.
“I was thinking I would just be operating a camera or something because I’m a freshman. But they had no one on the mic, so they just threw me and one of my buddies on to call a big rivalry game. I couldn’t believe that as a freshman, I was calling a game with over 1500 viewers and the experience was just crazy.”
Manager and member of his Striv team isn’t the only hat that he wears at Elkhorn, Chase is also a website editor for his school’s paper, Antler Express. But his favorite hat to wear is the commentator one.
You would be surprised to hear that an aspiring play-by-play caller isn’t the biggest fan of public speaking. Luckily, through his experiences with Striv, Chase says that he was warmed up to it.
“Public speaking originally wasn’t my thing. But once you start having fun with commentating, that’s when the confidence comes in. It’s gotten so much easier because Striv is just flat-out fun to do. It’s something that I truly love.”
Confidence isn’t the only thing that has improved for him over his time involved with Striv. Being a leader for his team, Chase has recognized an improvement in his collaboration skills as well.
“I’ve learned that if you don’t have collaboration, if every single person isn’t willing to buy into one another, it won’t go well at all. Learning more and more through Striv as a high schooler will prepare me for my future career.”
This is our goal at Striv, to prepare students through real-world experiences that will serve to benefit them in whatever career field they choose. Chase’s character and skills have been transformed through the confidence and collaboration through Striv.
How Striv Can Benefit Every Kind of Student
There are countless activities and organizations that students can participate in while in high school. Over the years, we have noticed that the students involved with Striv are incredibly diverse.
From football players to quiz bowl members, we see participation in Striv from all kinds of students. This is something that Chase has noticed and thinks is incredible.
“Whether you want to go into this field or not, you will become a better person and a more skilled communicator, I truly believe that. Because no matter what, even if you want to be an engineer, you need to know how to talk to people and Striv really helps with that.”
The digital media field is both incredibly competitive and rapidly growing. Chase, hoping to one day be a professional commentator, appreciates the opportunities that Striv has given him to prepare for his future.
“Striv has given me opportunities that some people in the professional business don’t get. I get opportunities to call all kinds of state events, from basketball to soccer. There is no other organization that could send me out to a state event and commentate in front of thousands of people.”
Hearing testimonials from students like Chase is why we do what we do at Striv. We want to give students every opportunity to flourish in digital media education and gain confidence and collaboration through Striv.
Striv TV provides all you need in a streaming platform with the training, resources, and support to produce a high-quality broadcast that helps schools connect with their community and fans while empowering students. Click here to connect and get started streaming on Striv TV today.
