Fall 2005 - St. Charles Preparatory School

Brian Vance ’00 and his wife,
Jamie.
Brian D. Vance is a civilian price
analyst and contract negotiator
for the Aeronautical Systems
Center (ASC) at Wright
Patterson Air Force Base near
Dayton. ASC is a division of the
Air Force. Vance previously
was involved in the acquisition
of several different aircraft systems
(F-15, F-16, C-17, A-10 and
Predator) and now holds a permanent
position in the F-15 Systems
Group. He negotiates the
purchase of aircraft, software
upgrades, spares, armaments,
radar and antennae related to
the F-15. He also is involved
with writing contracts. He has
been with ASC since August ’04
and in his new position for about
a month.
Vance is looking to begin postgraduate
master’s studies this
winter at either Wright State University
or the University. He had
graduated with honors from
Cedarville University in May 2004
with a degree in business finance
and minors in global economics
and comprehensive biblical
studies. He played for the
school’s soccer team all four
years he attended and was also
selected as an All-American
Scholar Athlete his junior and
senior seasons- the only two
years an athlete is eligible
Vance and his wife, Jamie, were
married in January of 2005. The
couple enjoys traveling, hanging
out with friends and family,
and watching any episode of the
Law & Order syndicate. He’s
still active with the Cedarville
University men’s soccer program
as well as his Church.
One of Vance’s best St. Charles
memories was as a member of
the soccer team when it traveled
to the Netherlands in 1999
to play and train. “Some of the
best times on that trip, aside from
playing, were spent touring cities
such as Amsterdam,
Eindhoven and Rotterdam and
playing euchre in our rooms,” he
said.
1999
Mike Herrel reports that he and
his wife Rachel bought a new
house in Cincinnati where he
started a new job as a computer
programmer.
Timothy P. Mason and Kristen
Lepore were married in Mother
of Mercy Chapel at St. Charles
on September 3, 2005. Classmate
Gino A. Canini was a
groomsman and Fr. William
Arnold ’70 was the celebrant.
2000 grad relates daunting
schedule while at Ohio U.
25 The Distinctive Leader in Catholic Education
Anthony A. “Tony” Castricone, Class of
2000 recently related a tale of an exhausting
work schedule he had while a journalism
student at Ohio University. He currently
is a “Sportscenter” update anchor for
WBNS-FM, a reporter for the station (1460
THE FAN), and the host of a Sunday
morning college football show that airs
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s called “The
Buckeye Sunday Sports Brunch” with
Mark Wyant.
After graduating from St. Charles,
Tony earned a degree in broadcast journalism
at Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps
School of Journalism, considered one of the
finer journalism schools. There he gained
valuable experience necessary in the
colorful world of sportscasting.
He began sports reporting with WOUB-AM
radio in Athens in January, 2001 when an
OU freshman. His schedule included
waking up at 5 a.m. two to five times a
week to read local sports updates on the air
at the student station, which had the NPR
format.
That summer, Tony landed an internship
at 1460 the Fan in Columbus, which
proved to be a huge step in his career. His
schedule then consisted of waking up at
4:30 a.m., interning at the station from
5:30 to 9 a.m., and working during the day
at a construction job. At night he would
call the internet play-by-play action for the
summer-league baseball games of the
Delaware Cows.
“I probably never had more than five
listeners,” Castricone said, “and I was
exhausted most of the time, but it was all
experience that was vital to my growth as a
broadcaster.” He likened this exhausting
schedule to his days at St. Charles. He
grew up in Centerburg, a 50-minute oneway
drive to school. He left for school at
6:30 a.m., participated in track and crosscountry,
held down a job, and continued to
study. “It was the perfect preparation for
the work ethic I needed,” he said.
“Sportscasting is a job that so many
people THINK must be great but don’t
realize how many long hours and how
much hard work is required,” he said.
His sophomore and junior years at OU
included volunteering over 30-40 hours a
week (sometimes more) at the student TV
and radio stations for no money while
taking a full load of classes. That junior
year Tony met a producer of college football
and basketball broadcasts and was offered a
job as a sideline reporter for a few OU
games on ONN, Fox Sports Ohio and even
one on ESPN-Plus. “I was so nervous,” he
said, “and looking back, I really don’t think
I did a very good job, but it gave me the
practice and the confidence to broadcast to
large audiences.” In 2003 Fox Sports Ohio
reached 2.4 million homes.
In May of 2003, Tony was named
sports director at WOUB-AM-FM & TV
heading a sports department of over 40
workers. The station’s benchmark program
was a TV show called “Gridiron Glory,” a
30-minute live show of high school football
every Friday recapping Southeast Ohio
high school games. “We ended up winning
an Emmy, and created some of my most
fond memories of college,” he said.
He was hired the following October at
Athens’ commercial radio station, WATH-
AM and WXTQ-FM as its sports director at
a grand salary of $7 an hour. He worked
early weekday mornings, was host for a
daily hour-long evening show, and called
play-by-play high school football, basketball,
and baseball games. All while still a
full-time student at OU.
Tony did radio work at WATH/WXTQ
for 14 months, until becoming sports editor
of the Athens Messenger daily newspaper
in Dec. 2004. It proved to be another
grueling experience that included working
into the early morning hours (until 5-6 am)
Climbing the ladder
Anthony A. Castricone ’00 has worked a lot of crazy
shifts and jobs to climb his way up to radio personality
and sports reporter on 1460 WBNS ( The FAN) Radio.
as many as seven nights a week. “In
February, I went almost an entire month
without a day off... and I was STILL
TAKING CLASSES — it took me five years
to finish my degree” Tony said.
He was offered a play-by-play job in
March of last year with the Dayton Dragons,
a minor league baseball team (the A-
ball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds). Tony
called it a dream opportunity, but was
unable to take the job because of other
circumstances. “It was a time in which my
faith came in very strongly because I was
extremely disappointed and felt crushed
emotionally. But I ended up learning that
everything happens for a reason.”
Less than two months later, Castricone
was offered a job with WBNS-AM Radio in
Columbus, and happily accepted. He had
one class he continued to take in Athens
while working in Columbus to finish his
degree, which he did last June. “If there’s
one thing St. Charles taught me that I
used all through college,” Tony said, “it was
work ethic. Anyone who wants to work in
broadcasting needs to know it takes humility,
work ethic, and stick-to-itiveness. I did
so many gigs for free, I worked so many
games I didn’t want to be at, but it all
ended up being extremely valuable experience
for my future profession.”
St. Charles Preparatory School 25