Waves radio broadcaster, intramural referee and more
JANE LEE
Sports Editor
If it involves sports, there are not many places you won’t find Tiff Wells. The junior, who grew up playing every sport imaginable, has found a place in numerous athletic activities on campus.
Show up at a volleyball or basketball game, and you will see him on the sidelines doing play-by-play and color for CSTV Internet Radio and TV-26.
Head to an intramural volleyball, basketball or soccer game and you will find him blowing his whistle as a referee.
If you turn on the television to watch the “Sports Report,” you may not find him onscreen, but if you glanced behind the cameras you would see him operating the camera, running the teleprompter, serving as floor director or doing, as he says, “anything and everything wherever I’m needed.”
And if you happen to drop in on a women’s volleyball practice, Wells can be seen on the court helping the team with drills.
As a broadcast news major, Wells became involved with radio broadcasting when he was a freshman after seeing a sign on the rock outside the Caf calling for anyone interested in Waves broadcasting.
“I just went to a meeting after seeing the rock, and I was a little shaky at first but I’ve definitely improved since then,” Wells said. “I’m not ESPN-type material but I’ve gotten so much experience.”
Throughout the process of learning the ins and outs of broadcasting, Wells looked up to the highly regarded Bill Schindler, a 2006 Pepperdine graduate who did radio broadcasting for baseball.
“Bill was the one who, when I first started broadcasting, helped me get to know all the coaches and everyone involved with athletics,” he said. “He’s a great broadcaster, and I learned so much from him when he was here.”
Wells said the toughest challenge of broadcasting is getting to know the microphone, and even though the job involves no pay, he loves every minute of it.
“I don’t do any of it for the money,” he said. “It’s all about the love of the game.”
Upon graduation, Wells hopes to find a job within the sports arena, hopefully doing broadcast work or, as he says, “whatever opens up.”
Carrying 17 units and an impressive load of involvement with campus sports, Wells doesn’t have much time for much else, but that’s just the way he likes it.
“Sometimes I wish I had an extra body because I have so much going on,” he said. “My problem is that I can’t say no to anyone, but I love all the things I do.”
10-05-2006
