StrackÕs
resignation the latest blow to WAIK
By John Ring
As I got in my truck during the heavy rain that engulfed
Galesburg last Friday night, I was headed out for the Silver Streaks-Peoria
Manual football game.
It was one of those times when you ask ÒWhy?Ó
The game was going to be sloppy and full of fumbles. It was
between a couple of teams that probably will not make the state playoffs. And
if youÕve been associated with Silver Streak football for the last twenty years
as I have, you become a glutton for punishment.
YouÕve seen it all.
Running clocks. Lopsided losses. Small crowds. Losing seasons.
The Outhouse Formation.
But as I turned on to Fremont Street, I thought about one guy
who has seen it all as I have— Robb Strack.
ThatÕs because Robb Strack will be there. HeÕs as consistent as
trains that roar through Galesburg, as a Pizza House pizza, as a good dinner at
The Packinghouse.
HeÕs seen even more than I have or any other sports media guy
in Galesburg. HeÕs made every long road trip. HeÕs put up with all the bad
teams, the awful weather, the indifferent fans, the horrible teams.
So how ironic was it when I heard at VanDyke Field that Robb
Strack has resigned his position at AM based radio station WAIK and no longer
will broadcast Silver Streak football, basketball and baseball?
My first indication as to how surreal this night would be was
when one of the new WAIK broadcasters talked about broadcasting from ÒVanDyke
Stadium.Ó
Huh?
Not to blame Gary Peterson or Russ Hughes, who broadcasted the
game on WAIK but they were clearly imported for the event.
So at halftime, I called Robb Strack from my truck to find out
what happened. And the bottom line is, he was a clearly frustrated Voice of the
Silver Streaks. ÒThere were a lot
of issues over the last couple of years,Ó said the veteran broadcaster. ÒThere
was a big meeting in August where station management said things would be
fixed, that things would be different the first week of the football season but
it never came about.Ó
ÒWe werenÕt even on the air last week at Richwoods and to find
out about it from guys on the golf course on Sunday is just embarrassing. ItÕs
embarrassing. IÕve done my best
and tried my darndest to build up fans who will listen to our broadcasts for
many years and management wonÕt help. ItÕs time to retire, itÕs time to go.Ó
This is the second big blow for WAIK in the last year. Longtime
broadcaster David Klockenga left his position last year and moved to Iowa.
Klockenga and longtime sidekick Jerry Hise had built up a very loyal fan base
for Silver Streak girls basketball since the mid-1990s. The loss of Strack will
be just as crippling to the AM radio station and will undoubtedly drive
listeners to rival WGIL.
Between the loss of Klockenga, Strack and Jon Raymond—
who hosted a popular morning show on WAIK— the Galesburg radio station
can best be described as being on life support.
The Richwoods fiasco of last week was the final straw for
Strack. ÒI went in on Monday to tell them my displeasure with the way things
are and I emailed my resignation in and it was accepted.Ó
The communication process was so bad that StrackÕs analyst for
football, Dick Lindstrom, wasnÕt even told about the situation until Thursday. ÒDick was told he would
be working with someone else for the rest of the season,Ó said Strack, Òand
Dick said, ÔI donÕt think soÕÓ.
So how did Robb
Strack feel on a Friday night at halftime of a Streaks game?
ÒWhoÕs winning?Ó asked Strack. ÒActually, it doesnÕt feel like
a Friday night. IÕm driving up to see my son tomorrow and watching the
Cardinals lose right now so thatÕs fine,Ó laughed the longtime veteran Streaks
broadcaster.
ÒI had supper tonight and am just watching television,Ó said
Strack, Òand staying dry.Ó
ÒI plan on enjoying retirement. I want to spend time with my granddaughters,
have more time on the golf course and enjoy some long weekends.Ó
Asked what he would want to say to his fans on the radio,
Strack answered, ÒDick and Jimmie Carr and myself all appreciate the fans who
tuned in to listen to us. We really did. But you have to draw the line
sometimes, especially when you have become a laughingstock.. I had a good run,
a real good run. I broadcasted a state champion for the Silver Streaks with the
1988 baseball team and I still swear that we would have won the 1998 state
basketball championship against Whitney Young if the game had went on two
minutes longer.Ó
So I went to the Streaks game last Friday night. I saw Andrew
SteckÕs first career touchdown pass as a quarterback, a kid who has a promising
career. I watched the Streaks win the game. There were 16 Peoria Manual
cheerleaders on the sidelines and 14 Peoria Manual fans in the visiting stands.
There were more fumbles than I wanted to count.
But ask me about this football game ten years from now and I
will reflect on the absence of Robb Strack. It was the first Silver Streak
sporting event in the post Robb Strack era.
Robb was pure Galesburg. His passion for Silver Streak sports
is second to none. He was always there.
To be sure, he railed against referees constantly and IÕm sure it
offended them. But he did lots of good things for a lot of Galesburg kids, many
of whom are grown up and long gone from here. He made them a star on a Friday
or Saturday night. He made them feel special, even if it was just an indiscriminate
block or an assist or a strikeout in relief.
Enjoy your weekends, Robb. Relax and enjoy yourself.
YouÕve paid your dues.
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