UCF Athletics, UCF TV To Debut Educational Youth Show

June 5, 2009

UCF ATHLETICS, UCF TV TO DEBUT EDUCATIONAL YOUTH SHOW WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
UKnighted’s goal is to help teenagers succeed in school, sports and life.

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – This summer UCF Athletics is assisting teenagers in Central Florida make healthy living choices and get ready for life after high school. UCF Athletics and UCF TV have partnered to produce UKnighted, a 30-minute educational program which aims to help youngsters succeed in school, sports and life.

The show will air each Wednesday on UCF TV, the university’s channel which is available on Bright House Networks in Central Florida.

According to UCF director of video services John Kvatek, who is serving as co-executive producer alongside UCF assistant vice president for operations and television services Richard Payne, the goal of UKnighted is to educate teenagers on a wide range of topics in regards to higher education and college athletics: how to get there, how to succeed while there and career planning.

The program includes training segments that promote safe, age-appropriate workouts, and stories on how to prepare for college.

“When we approached UCF TV about producing a unique series directed towards teenagers, they jumped onboard pretty quickly,” Kvatek said. “Our goal is to encourage young people to ‘Do the Knight thing.’ The show tells them that succeeding in school, choosing good role models and staying physically active has great rewards. And since we are at UCF, we wanted to show that our university is a great place to do all of that and can be a springboard to doing something rewarding after college and sports.”

Episodes will feature a variety of guests, including UCF student-athletes, coaches and faculty members, and professional athletes.

All five of UKnighted’s hosts either attended UCF or are current students. Scott Adams, who serves as the radio voice for the UCF women’s basketball team, is featured on the program, as is former Miss UCF and current Orlando Magic dancer Megan Clementi. Former UCF men’s basketball standout guard Mike O’Donnell is also a host, in addition to students Steven Helmkamp and Gina Thomas.

Nate Kalaf of the UCF video services staff is the program’s producer and editor.

During the 2008-09 academic year, UCF Athletics and UCF TV partnered to produce UCF SportsKnight, a weekly show that focused on all of the school’s athletics programs. UCF TV is available on Bright House Networks Digital Cable Channel 1.

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