Caroline Wallace ‘23

Features Editor

Because of the ongoing pandemic, sports were put on a pause for a period of time. This had repercussions for other student organizations as well as athletics, such as student radios and podcasts that provided commentary on games. I had the opportunity to interview Aidan Ruppert ‘22 about how the pause affected his radio shows as well as how they have adjusted as a result of the pandemic. 

Ruppert has been involved with WCHC sports where he has been “broadcasting men’s and women’s basketball with WCHC Sports since the Fall of 2018 and began serving as Co-Chair of the organization during the 2020-2021 academic year.” Through WCHC Sports, students from every class year provide live coverage of athletics on campus. Broadcasts can include play-by-plays or commentary , and students can also serve as producers of the show who work in the studio at Hogan. Ruppert included that while WCHC has always provided coverage for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s hockey, and baseball, they have recently “had the opportunity to expand our broadcasts to Holy Cross football and softball.” 

As a result of the pandemic, and Patriot League putting a pause on some of the sports season, all of this was put on hold. Ruppert explained his disappointment of “missing out on many opportunities to broadcast.” However, Ruppert explained that “we were still able to broadcast basketball and hockey games earlier this semester, even before fans were allowed to attend.” 

Despite the interruption to sports that the pandemic caused, Ruppert and his friend Rob Murray ‘22 were able to make the most of the situation and even began a podcast this past summer called “The WCHC Sports Podcast” where twice a week they discuss not only Holy Cross athletics, but also professional sports. Students can access these podcasts through platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Anchor. 

Ruppert explained that he is so passionate about what he does and wants WCHC radio to continue for the years to come. He explained that he fears the decline of radio shows because of the fact that “radio listenership is on the decline in our country.” Still, Ruppert hopes that his broadcasts are “fun, professional, and keep people tuning in each and every time.”