Shore Sports Zone is growing. Rich Chrampanis shares the news of the evolution of SSZ to Jersey Sports Zone, debuting this fall
NOTE: jerseysportszone.com is up and running! Our site has every video, article, photo and archive from Shore Sports Zone along with new content from across the state. Our new app is available for free download by clicking HERE
It begins in a viewfinder of a camera and becomes a highlight and often times it morphs into something that goes beyond the score. Exactly 3025 videos ago, I put my eye in the viewfinder and shot highlights of the first game at Shore Sports Zone. The website was literally a blank canvas and while I had optimism that people would watch our videos, the response of the Jersey Shore was overwhelming from day one. The genuine enthusiasm and excitement for our brand is the fuel that has driven Shore Sports Zone to new heights.
It’s why I wanted to share with our loyal audience first that Shore Sports Zone is growing. Jersey Sports Zone will debut this fall as we expand our coverage across the entire state of New Jersey. While the SSZ logos fade away and the Jersey Sports Zone brand emerges, the most important message that I want to convey is that we aren’t going anywhere. We will continue to be front and center covering Shore Conference sports just like we have been for three years. Simply put, the store has gotten bigger and we have a few more aisles for people to choose video content.
As someone who spent the majority of my career on television, the past three years has confirmed that there’s been a major technological shift in the way that people consume media. I have been in more meetings over the past six months than I have in my entire life and in the constant analysis of what makes us tick, the answer is simply the student athletes we cover. It’s a calculated risk, but time and time again, the athletes of the Shore Conference proved that by simply being present at as many games as possible, they would provide poignant moments. It happened all the time, boys and girls, and in every season on the school calendar.
I am reluctant to reminisce, because it can be perceived that our coverage on the Shore is going away (that won’t happen!), but it’s the significant moments of the Shore Sports Zone era that have inspired Jersey Sports Zone. When Freehold Township’s Julian Kislin and Max Halvorsen put us on the worldwide map as the #1 play on ESPN SportsCenter, people outside of Monmouth and Ocean County learned about who we were. Discovering the future stars of college and pro sports is about to come front and center with the athletes we’ve covered in recent years. I was reminded of this during a kind Facebook post by Edy Almein, the father of former Saint John Vianney quarterback and current Boston College signal caller Anthony Brown. “Mr. Rich Chrampanis knew (Anthony) got nervous with the camera in his face and he kept the camera in his face until he felt comfortable. I appreciate that a lot.” Rest assured that we will continue to talk with athletes on camera and get them to perfect the sound bite and to always build up teammates and coaches.
In the coming weeks, we will begin to introduce our brand new website and APP that will become the ultimate video portal for our high quality highlights, features and stories. When it comes to our new team, I feel like I’m coming off the bench for the Golden State Warriors. I’m excited to introduce our leadership and new multimedia journalists in the coming weeks. I will begin to personally visit with each and every one of our incredible Shore Sports Zone sponsors and ask them to join us at our new home. We continue to get excited at the prospect of bringing sponsors on board who have the vision to allow us to dispatch cameras across the state and keep our content free for everyone to enjoy. Highlights, game balls and banquets will continue to be an essential part of Jersey Sports Zone. With a new staff comes new ideas and the chance for us to begin to produce long form stories and new and innovative features.
For the better part of 20 years, I have taken great pride and joy in documenting the unique path that high school athletes have forged both on and off the field. Which is why I find it fitting that it is the athletes of the Jersey Shore who have forged my path. Jersey Sports Zone is going to make a profound impact on athletes in every part of the Garden State. And the foundation of this new venture is each and every one of you. The best way I can possibly say thank you is to get my eye back in the viewfinder and continue to capture the moments that will be shared with families and communities for many years to come.
