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Story Subject Category: Sports
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A group of baseball players in Macon County is preserving the old days of baseball. The Rock Springs Ground Squirrels play the game by 1860s rules, which don’t allow swearing or gloves. Producer Julius Bolton takes viewers to the Macon County Conservation District to enjoy a bygone era from our national pastime.
Segment duration: 06:02
Story links:
- Vintage Baseball Association--Rock Springs Ground Squirrels
- Rock Springs Ground Squirrels Vintage Baseball Site
Producer: Julius Bolton and Jeff Bossert
Editor: Tim Hartin
This segment is filed in these categories: History • Hobbies • Illinois Culture/History • Sports • Decatur
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I first learned about Tim Nugent in 1995 when I was producing on documentary on 8-time Boston Marathon winner Jean Driscoll. His accomplishments and vision never cease to amaze me. Producing this story, we did an interview with Mr. Nugent in his home office. Although it had been 50 years since he established the wheelchair sports program at the U of I, he remembered the events like it was yesterday. When he recalled that a letter written by a professor at the UIUC campus complimenting his disabled athletes, this great man who had accomplished so much was moved to tears. Every student that he has helped was like a brother, son or daughter to him. I was proud to do this story so that in some small way it reminds us of what one person can accomplish. And how one life can touch the lives of so many.
Segment duration: 08:34
Story links:
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
This segment is filed in these categories: Illinois Culture/History • Sports
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When your local team produces five NBA players, it is hard not to get excited. Illini basketball fever is very contagious here in C-U, especially with the students. So I was not surprised when two of our student production assistants proposed a story on the notorious cheering section called the Orange Krush. Matt Brickman and Abby Silverman produced, shot and edited this story and I was very impressed by their finished product. They shot from the floor during the 2005-2006 season, so they got to see James Augustine and Dee Brown in action. Plus they attended the press conference and had a chance to ask both Head Coach Bruch Weber and James Augustine about the Krush. The finished story not only does a great job of showcasing the fun antics of the Krush but it tells viewer what most people don’t realized, that the Orange Krush has raised thousands of dollars for children’s charities. So here’s to you Krush members…I-L-L…I-N-I! ... Written by Alison Davis Wood
Segment duration: 04:10
Story links:
Producer: Matt Brickman and Abby Silverman
This segment is filed in these categories: Sports • University of Illinois
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When the alarm went off at 3:30 the morning of September 9, 2006, I was already awake. I was excited and nervous about the big day ahead covering the Great Illini Challenge at Lake Mattoon. Normally there are just two or three of us covering a story, but today there would be six: Julius Bolton, Tim Hartin and I on camera, plus assistants John Marlin, Sean Hartin and Rick Langlois. Also a photographer from the State Journal Register in Springfield was going to be following the crew around for the day. She was to shoot photos for an article on prairie Fire for Heartland Magazine. If you want to read the finished article and see Shannon Kirshner’s awesome photos visit http://www.sj-r.com/extras/pdfs/110306prairiefire.pdf.
As I left the house, I packed bagels, coffee and other snacks in hopes that some food would ease the pain of the 5 a.m. crew call. I knew I had to try some new things in order to cover the entire event. When Tim Hartin and I shot the footage for our documentary “Against the Wind” on wheelchair athlete Jean Driscoll, we used a motorcycle side car to get shots of her training on the road. So we thought to get a motorcycle again. Luckily Rick Langlois and his Harley were happy to help. At first, cameraman Julius Bolton was going to ride in the side car, but we thought he’d have more mobility if he sat facing backwards on the bike. Tim’s son Sean rode in the side car to act as a ballast.
The idea to cover the sport of triathlon came from WILL meteorologist Jay Searles. He mentioned to me at a staff meeting that triathlon was a growing sport in Illinois with several downstate races. He said he was entering The Great Illini challenge and invited us to tape the event. With the race starting at 8, the athletes start to arrive around 6:30. We decided to get there by 6 in order to catch the pre-race activities. It turned out to be a great time to talk to many of the athletes … plus we got that beautiful early morning light! Jay had said triathletes were a friendly bunch and he was right. They shared a lot of laughs and smiles with us they dealt with pre-race jitters.
Right before the race started, we launched Tim and a camera on a pontoon boat to capture the swimming portion. As the boat was leaving, I called out to him the race numbers of the athletes that we were following. The pontoon boat driver told me that there was no way to recognize the different athletes in the water. So much for planning!
As the leader Jennifer Harrison came out of the water, Tim was back on shore stationed at the transition area. And Julius and Rick were on the bridge over the lake waiting to catch the biking portions. Using our cell phones and some dumb luck we caught all the athletes that we were following at every stage of the race.
As the day wore on and the temperatures climbed, we started to feel exhausted. We were amazed at the athletes continuing on this rigorous challenge. In my last interview, an emotional Jay Searles thanked his friends who had supported his training and cheered him as he crossed the finish line. The power of the race to test you physically and mentally was evident on his face. The best shot of the day was watching Jay’s girlfriend run alongside him as he approached the finish line. She shouted to him that is was the only time she would beat him in a race!
Like Jay, I was so appreciative of my crew who spent the long day with me, without their help this story really wouldn’t have been possible.
Segment duration: 12:28
Story links:
- Matoon Beach Multisport Web site
- Fighting Illini Triathalon Club Web site
- Tri-Shark Triathlon Club Web site
- Shannon Kirshner’s photos
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
Chief Camera - Segment: Julius Bolton, Tim Hartin
This segment is filed in these categories: Parks/Outdoor Recreation • Sports
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The Waltham Curling Club in Triumph, Ill., has been enjoying friendly competition since 1884. WILL’s Mike Sola visits the club. Find out the secrets of this sport that’s become more well-known after the Winter Olympics.
Segment duration: 05:32
Story links:
Producer: Mike Sola
Chief Camera - Segment: Julius Bolton
This segment is filed in these categories: Sports
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The B-R-S Baseball Museum began as a small collection of baseballs and photographs that were displayed in a Nokomis restaurant window. The museum moved five times before members purchased a building to house their increasing collection. Now visitors can view photographs, scrapbooks and gloves from a century of baseball. The museum pays tribute to all outstanding players from the Nokomis area, including Hall of Famers Jim Bottomley, Charles Ruffing, and Ray Schalk.
Location: 121 W. State St., Nokomis, Ill.
Hours: 9-11 a.m. Monday-Saturday, closed Sunday
Admission: Free
Segment duration: 06:32
Story links:
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
Chief Camera - Segment: Ian Mitchell
This segment is filed in these categories: Illinois Culture/History • Libraries/Museums/Cultural Centers • Sports
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WILL-TV videographer Julius Bolton climbed into car #2 in the country’s oldest vintage car rally, The Great Race, as it headed into Urbana last summer. He follows the action with driver Anna Mae Phillips and navigator Dan Colasanti as they handle the race course without a calculator, GPS system or cell phone.
Segment duration: 07:22
Story links:
Producer: Lillie Buck
Chief Camera - Segment: Julius Bolton, Henry Radcliffe
This segment is filed in these categories: Antiques/Collectibles • Automotive • Sports
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Quen Cultra grew up in landlocked Onarga, but his childhood was filled with dreams of sailing around the world. Prairie Fire follows Cultra on his journey around the world in a plywood and fiberglass boat that he built on his family’s farm before he ever learned to sail. Cultra relives his two and a half years traveling around the globe, navigating by the sun and stars with a sextant, and meeting people who had never seen a white man before.
Segment duration: 12:01
Producer: Steve Drake
Associate Producer: Jeff Cunningham
This segment is filed in these categories: Sports • Travel
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Hall and his crew chief, his brother Tim Hall, tell viewers how monster trucks are built, and take them on a tour of the semi-trailers they use to haul their trucks around and use as a base of operations on the road. Host Alison Davis Wood follows Mark as he comes home with his truck Raminator to compete at the Champaign County Fair where he duels it out with a monster truck named Bigfoot.
“These guys grew up in Champaign, and they’ve turned their lifelong dream into a reality,” said Alison. “If they’re not competing, they spend weekends doing demonstrations at Dodge dealerships around the country.”
Segment duration: 10:20
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
Chief Camera - Segment: Julius Bolton, Shane Pangburn
This segment is filed in these categories: Automotive • Sports • Champaign
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Alison visits the world’s largest skydiving convention that features around 50,000 jumps made over 10 days. Skydivers come from every state and more than 50 countries to feed their addiction to jumping.
World Free Fall Convention
Location: Rantoul, Ill.
Phone: 217-222-5867
View more images of the World Free Fall Competition in the Prairie Fire Gallery
Segment duration: 10:44
Story links:
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
Chief Camera - Segment: Dennis Adair, Julius Bolton, Time Hartin, Tom Warner
This segment is filed in these categories: Sports
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