The first Tuesday of each month, we interview someone from Charlotte Latin Athletics with twenty questions to help the CLS community get to know some of our athletes, coaches, and supporters a bit better.
 
This month, meet Ben Goldman. If you've ever tuned in to a Hawks Media Production (HMP) broadcast, you've likely heard Ben calling the plays and providing insight. As a junior, he's one of the most experienced members of the club who has been working with HMP since the spring of his freshman year. Ben is also a valuable 3-year varsity swimmer and played soccer for the Hawks before "retiring" to focus on broadcasting. Tune in to varsity girls' soccer livestreams on the Charlotte Latin Athletics YouTube channel all spring to hear Ben in action, and read on to get to know him a bit.   
 
1. Who is in your immediate family and how would you describe your dynamic?
It's just my mom (Brooke), dad (Mike), me, and my sister, Tess (class of 2023). My dad used to work in finance, but now he's retired. My mom was a family therapist and then a realtor, but stayed home with us after that. I'd say we're a close family. Tess and I have a close relationship because we do a lot of activities together. We both enjoy rock climbing and skiing. It's quieter at home with Tess away at college, but it's good. I've gone out to visit her several times and love the city of Denver.
 
2. When did you start school at Latin and what do you remember about that year?
I went to Trinity Episcopal in sixth grade and came to Latin in seventh grade. My sister came to Latin for ninth grade, so I started here the following year. The first year here was weird because it was during the pandemic and we were on the A-day, B-day schedule. I joined the football team which really helped me make friends since I didn't know anyone. Academically, it was more challenging too.
 
3. What has been your favorite class (or classes) so far?
I love journalism. We write articles for The Hawkeye. I mainly cover sports but I also write about music and other things. Now we're working on our senior edition, which is the only one we print, so I've been writing bios for that. I also do "The Midmorning Show," which is a podcast that was started by Tommy Beason. He and I did it together until he graduated last year, and now Jacob Filpi does it with me.
 
4. Between school, sports, and Hawks Media Production, do you have time to do anything else?
Phillip Hullinger and I run the Habitat for Humanity outreach with help from Dr. Roth, and we finally got dates on the calendar for a build starting this month. I also play the drums, and I do strength training. In the summer, I work for CLS Summer Camps.
 
5. Do you enjoy working summer camp? What's your counselor name?  
My counselor name is Big Bird, and it's great. I really like the people and the camaraderie with the other counselors. We're all in high school and most of us go to Latin, so you get close to people you may not know as well just through school. Also, shared challenges bring us together and there's bound to be stuff that goes wrong when you're working with a lot of little kids.
 
6. What is the first sport you remember playing and how did your athletics journey progress from there?  
I've played a lot of different sports. I started with tee ball at a really young age, but I quit baseball pretty early on. I couldn't really see the ball and was just swinging wildly, and it turned out I needed glasses. I did rec league basketball with kids from my preschool and we played together for a pretty long time. I think I started soccer when I was around eight and played on a club team through fourth or fifth grade. I tried football in seventh grade when I came to Latin. I was super skinny but taller than most kids and not that fast, so I was put on the o-line and the d-line and I was not meant to be in that position at that point. I didn't play much, but I did make some friends. Basketball was always my favorite and the one I was best at, so when I came to Latin I was excited to try out and also really nervous. I didn't play with confidence and I didn't make the team. I tried out again in eighth grade and it was similar; I had a terrible day one of tryouts. On day two, I knew I'd blown it, so I just played the game rather than try to make the team. I didn't make it, but the coach told me if I'd played the way I did on day two for both days of tryouts, I would have gotten a roster spot. So, I joined the swim team.
 
7. Why swimming? Had you had much experience?
I knew how to swim but didn't really know proper form. I think I'd had maybe two swim lessons in my life. I'd heard people talking about it and just thought I'd give it a try.
 
8. You stuck with it, so you must have liked it. What have you liked the most and the least about swimming for Latin?  
I love the team. The team is super close and some of my best friends are swimmers. I love the culture. There is a lot of bonding through shared pain, I guess. I like competing at the meets. The parts I like the least are kicking and practices in general I could give or take. They're tough. I'm happy with how much I've improved. I feel like a competent swimmer now and although I'd like to make a state cut next year, I'll be happy if I can continue consistently dropping my times.
 
9. When did you get involved with Hawks Media Production?   
I did a sports broadcasting camp the summer before freshmen year and enjoyed it, so when I saw Mr. Teets and Hawks Media Production at the Club Fair, I signed up. I played JV soccer that fall, then swam that winter, so there weren't a lot of opportunities for me to call games until the spring. My first one was a girls' soccer game. I was somewhat nervous and not all that good, but my parents remarked that it sounded like I was smiling the whole game. I really enjoyed it and improved rapidly that season.
 
10. How have you evolved as you've gained experience?
I am much more intentional with what I say. Calling the action comes a lot more naturally at this point, so I am able to plan ahead in my mind and know what I'm going to say based on the possible outcomes. I've also been able to learn from and incorporate things from other commentators who have inspired me. I think most on-air personalities end up being an amalgamation of their favorites.
 
11. What's it like working with other student broadcasters?  
Every broadcast, you trip over each other a bit at the start. When I did basketball with Tim (Timothy Schwindt '25), we developed a lot of call patterns and came up with fun catch phrases kind of naturally. By the end of the season, we were clicking. This year I've been working with Will a lot (Will Wood '28) and he is a freshman, so we had to work to find a rhythm. We're flowing more and more as the year has progressed. It's not so much the person as how much time you spend with the person that determines how well you work together.
 
12. What are the best and worst parts about being a broadcaster?  
Close games are the best. Especially basketball, because it's so fast-paced and exciting and you get to convey that excitement to the viewer. I'm such a huge fan that I have to restrain myself a bit at the start of the game so I don't tire the viewers out. The worst part is trying to fill time during blowout games or really poor games.
 
13. Is broadcasting something you hope to continue doing in college and perhaps as a career?  
Yes, both. I knew it after freshman year. I initially thought it would be sports journalism but it has narrowed even further to sports broadcasting. Syracuse has the best sports broadcasting program in the country, so it's first on my list. Florida, Oregon, and Boulder round out my top four right now. Boulder is on there more for the skiing, if I'm being honest.
 
14. Alright, let's finish up with some easy questions. Do you have any pets?
We have a King Charles Cavalier named Barley. He's seven or eight, a super personable dog, a charmer. But he's also not that obedient.
 
15. What's your favorite sports movie?
Hustle, the Adam Sandler movie.
 
16. What's your preferred way to workout?
Playing basketball.
 
17. What has been the best vacation you've ever taken?  
France. It just so happened that the Women's World cup was taking place when we were there, so we bought tickets in advance to a match without knowing who would play in it. The match ended up being the United States against France and it was the greatest sporting event I've ever been to. And the U.S. ended up winning.
 
18. Do you have a hobby, talent or skill that most people don't know about?
I'd probably say skiing. I'm better at skiing than most people would think I am. When I was really little, I wouldn't turn, so they had to put someone at the bottom of the run to catch me. I still like to get up some speed, but I have a lot more control now.
 
19.  Who is a broadcaster or sports personality that you admire and why?  
Eric Collins. He's my favorite commentator to watch. He has the talent and the popularity to go national, but he is the voice of the Hornets. I love his energetic style and have tried to emulate that on my own.
 
20. What would your dream job be?
I'd say my dream job is to be a national commentator for either the NBA or the NFL, but I think I'll be happy wherever I end up if I can get paid to talk about sports.