Sports Spotlight - West Orange Times & Observer: Kevin Vallene

Kevin Vallene traveled across the country to spend his summer in Winter Garden, interning as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Winter Garden Squeeze. For his strong work as “the voice of the Squeeze,” Vallene was recognized as the Florida Collegiate Summer League’s Broadcast Intern of the Year.

You found out that you won the award at the Florida Collegiate Summer League Championship Game at Tropicana Field. What was that like?

It was pretty cool. … Having my name called at Tropicana Field was a really cool experience for me — just to be at a Major League park and win the award was fun.

You basically got to call a baseball game every day this summer. What was that like?

I knew going into the internship that it was going to show me if I want to do this as a job or not, because it really is a grind having to call baseball every day. At school, you’ve got a lot of other students trying to get spots, so you’re only going once every week or two calling games. It was definitely a grind, but it was a ton of fun to call the games and it’s what I want to do.

What did you enjoy about this internship?

Being able to get access to a lot of the players is something that you don’t really get if you’re doing college broadcasts. That was fun being able to talk to Coach (Jay) Welsh after every single game and talk to the players. … Just the opportunities that it gave, it was an incredibly open internship to allow you to do, really, whatever you wanted and that was what was most fun about it.

Is there a moment or game that stands out?

That would probably be the Leesburg (Playoff Play-In) game. That was something that I had learned when I first started, that the Squeeze had lost to the Lightning in the Play-In game last year. I knew that there were a bunch of returners from last year’s team, so it was pretty big for them and for Coach Welsh (to win, 9-4). Just being able to call that game … at Pat Thomas Stadium, it was electric — that was probably the most fun I had broadcasting a game this summer.

Which of the opposing stadiums in the Florida League did you enjoy calling games at the most this summer?

I probably would say DeLand (Melching Field at Conrad Park). That field is really new and the pressbox there is so nice, with all the amenities and you get your own booth. … It’s a beautiful park.

Where would you say you improved this summer?

Being able to craft feature stories and feature videos was something I didn’t really expect. It’s something that’s really important moving forward, wherever I go. That was probably the most important thing that I learned and improved on.

What’s your dream job?

Well, the dream gig would probably just be to be the voice of the Seattle Mariners. Now, that’s kind of a pipe dream to focus on one team, so I’d probably just say to be the broadcaster for a Major League team would be the No. 1 goal.

You drove both ways from Washington to Winter Garden. What has been your favorite stop along the way?

I had the opportunity to stop in Kansas City both (on the way) there and back. The first time, I caught a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium and I was so impressed by that ballpark. … Coming back, I got to go to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the American Jazz Museum. Those were both really cool experiences.

Did you get to see much of Winter Garden during your time here?

We (the interns) toured that main strip and I love that strip — it’s just got a cute, little town vibe. … I was really impressed with that area and I wish I was able to spend a little more time there, quite honestly.

What’s a show you’re watching currently or have in your Netflix queue?

I just picked back up “Stranger Things" a couple of weeks ago, when I saw that Season Two was coming out. I marathoned the final five or six episodes of that in like a day and a half. It was so good and I’m hyped that I only have to wait a couple of months for Season Two in October.