News from TASIS England

View games live at www.taskengland.org/sportstream

Parents, friends, and alumni are now able to enjoy the thrill of watching TASIS teams in action and in real time thanks to streaming video in the gymnasium. The Belgian company Keemotion developed a system of automatically filming basketball games where one camera moves with the action and zooms in on the ball and another is fixed on the court. Now, basketball fans can watch the Royals as they tear up and down the court, and parents who live afar or who are unable to attend in person can support their sons and daughters by tuning in to the games.

Created by alumni of a familiar sports rival, the International School of Brussels, Keemotion is a relatively new technology. In addition to streaming games, it also allows footage to be archived and players to be tagged each time he or she touches the ball. Coaches can review games with their teams to analyze strategy and performance, and the tagging feature in the software records the statistics for each player. Coach Liam Canny notes, “Keemotion has the potential to be a tremendous teaching tool. With the addition of the voice commentary provided by students this season, it should bring terrific enthusiasm and spirit to our school community.” For athletes with aspirations for scholarships in their sport, highlights of their individual accomplishments can be pulled together as a synopsis of their talents on the court.

Student reaction has been enthusiastic, and a group of aspiring sports commentators has formed to hone their skills. The additional commentating component of the software has been funded by both the School and by a generous contribution by Chawki Karam ’03.