Superior Sports Marketing, a marketing company based in Raleigh, recently provided Chapel Hill High School with $14,000 to fund a new Sideline Interactive Scorer’s Table.
The company was able to raise enough money to provide an interactive score table for the three high schools in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district.
Keith Fogleman, the owner of Superior Sports Marketing, said he had set a goal three years ago to provide the district’s high schools with equipment and funding for their athletic departments.
“We achieved our goal through sponsorships with companies and organizations that want to show support for high school athletics and, in return, get branding opportunities in the form of 20-second commercials and scoreboard ads,” he said.
Companies that contributed to the funding included Domino’s, Hershey Orthodontics, Clean Juice and Tarheel Family Dentistry.
“We hope that more companies will become sponsors in the future after seeing the capabilities and advanced technology of the new scorer’s tables,” Fogleman said.
Chapel Hill High School athletic director Timothy Bennett said that the school has previously used banners for local business sponsorships.
“[Fogleman] had an idea that, if he could get an interactive score table, it would help our sponsorships,” he said.
Bennett said the scoreboard provides both athletic and academic benefits because classes are able to program the table with players’ information, starting lineups and crowd-interactive activities.
“At the last few volleyball games, we were able to use it, and I thought it was neat to see the sponsors running before the games and the names and pictures of the players,” he said.
Sophomore Riley Corcoran, a player on the women’s basketball team, said it is exciting to see her and her teammates on the scoreboard before games.
“It makes the games seem more professional,” she said. “I also like how it engages the crowd, and I think it makes it more fun for students and parents who come to the games.”
Because of the new scoreboard, students in information technology teacher Kevin Schoden’s Adobe Video and Visual Design class have the opportunity for their designs, videos and graphics to be featured on the table.
“It will give them real-world experience making live ads that could be on ESPN and platforms like that,” he said. “In fact, I am going to have ESPN come in to talk to my classes this year.”
Schoden said students typically spend the majority of time during class on the computers.
“Everything is on the computers: filming, editing, and other things like that,” he said.
https://youtu.be/_rhWQw6vPB0
Senior Ryan Beecham, a student in Schoden’s Adobe Video class, said he enjoys working on designs and using different software during class. So far, he has worked on advertisements and animation for the scoreboard in the Adobe application Premiere.
“It’s cool to see the designs come to life on the scoreboard,” he said. “Some of my designs and ads have already been on the scoreboard at some of the games.”
Bennett said he greatly appreciates the time and effort Schoden’s students have put into the scoreboard thus far.
“I want to give Mr. Schoden and his students a big shout out for stepping it up and taking on this project,” he said. “His class has really taken it to another level.”
