Whiz Kid: Gavin Lichtenstein

Many high school students are still trying to carve out a career path. Gavin Lichtenstein doesn’t have that problem.

The Upper Moreland student is getting ready for his junior year and has already picked up a head start to his career. 

Lichtenstein is hoping to one day become a sports broadcaster, but he is already gaining valuable experience at Upper Moreland.

“I’ve been a color analyst and play-by-play announcer for the past two years,” said Lichtenstein. “When I came into the high school, there was never a student who broadcasted the games. For the past two years, I’ve become that student.”

When Lichtenstein first arrived at Upper Moreland, he wanted to get started on his broadcasting career immediately. He met with Tony Gauker, the school’s video coordinator, and the meeting led to Lichtenstein’s first broadcasting opportunity. He began broadcasting games for the school and has gained valuable experience in a short period of time.

“I told him I was very interested in doing sports broadcasting for the school,” Lichtenstein said. “That was my freshman year, and it kind of went from there.”

Lichtenstein knew at a young age what he wanted to do with his life.  His father often took him to Sixers games, and Lichtenstein developed a passion for sports.

“I’ve wanted to be in sports broadcasting ever since fifth grade,” said Lichtenstein. "This has been a passion of mine that I’ve had for quite some time. I am a big sports fan.”

Lichtenstein reached out to Sixers play-by-play announcer Marc Zumoff, one of his favorite broadcasters. It gave Lichtenstein a chance to learn from one of the most respected announcers in the area.

“He’s really given me a lot of advice to improve my broadcasting,” Lichtenstein said. "He has really helped me along.”

Lichtenstein isn’t limiting his skills to broadcasting. He writes for the Bear Print, the school newspaper, and is also a member of both the class and student council. Lichtenstein is part of the and is quite comfortable with public speaking.

The key to creating a strong broadcast is preparation. People outside broadcasting may not realize the work involved when it comes to pre-game preparation. The elite announcers make broadcasting look simple because of their knowledge of the teams and the coaches. 

Lichtenstein spends hours preparing for his broadcasts. He even spent part of his summer watching players in a summer league who will be involved with games he will broadcast during the school year.

“I spent a lot of time preparing,” said Lichtenstein. “I go to practices and do interviews. On my broadcasts, I have goals. I listen to them, and I listen to what I have to work on. I’m always looking to improve.

Lichtenstein seems destined to one day be a professional sports broadcaster. He will gain two more years of experience at Upper Moreland before moving on to college, where he will look for a school with a strong communications background. 

Lichtenstein may one day have several opportunities to put his broadcasting skills to good use, but he does have one job in mind that would stand out about the rest.

“My dream job would be with the Sixers,” Lichtenstein said. “My dad was a season ticket holder.  Part of my email has the Sixers in it. If I had one dream job, it would be to work as a broadcaster for the 76ers.”