‘Voice of the Bees’ retiring after 40 years on the air

AMMON — After 4 decades broadcasting Bonneville Bees shot and hoops games, Deb Sorenson is mounting down nan microphone this fall. The 79–year-old’s rich, bass sound has made him a sports icon successful nan region. Since 2017, nan ‘Voice of nan Bees’ has besides covered each of Bonneville Joint School District 93 — splitting his clip arsenic betwixt Hillcrest, Bonneville and later Thunder Ridge High School games.

“The past fewer years, Hillcrest has been really ascendant successful hoops wherever they won back-to-back authorities championships and besides runner up 3 years, truthful pursuing them is simply a batch of fun,” Sorenson said.

Sorenson graduated from Bonneville successful 1963. He and his woman Kathy person been joined for 59 years and person 2 daughters and 2 sons – Sheri’le, Redge, Debbie Sue and Rod — who each graduated arsenic Bees.

In nan mid-1980s, he was recruited by long-time, section sportscaster Harold Scoresby to assistance connected nan radio.

“Harold came up to maine and said, ‘Hey… you’ve sewage a voice, and you cognize nan game. Why don’t you travel thief maine to do nan colour connected nan radio?’” Sorenson said.

“I’d break successful if I spot thing connected nan floor, don’t complete talk nan feline that’s going nan broadcast, but erstwhile a small break comes, past I’d say, well, so-and-so did a bully backdoor move aliases a bully three-point shot,” he explained.

Sorenson started disconnected covering nan first and 3rd quarters play-by-play.

Deb Sorenson, left, and Harold Scoresby, right, connected nan power during a game. | Courtesy Shae’le Arslanian

In 1992, he took complete nan solo Bonneville broadcasting aft nan building of Hillcrest High School.

District 93 fans who couldn’t make it to nan crippled could tune into nan Sports Zone connected 92.5 FM to person nan latest coverage.

For nan past 16 years, he has teamed up Brady Belliston covering nan sports.

“He was passionate. He knew each of (the athletes’) names,” his granddaughter Shae’le Arslanian said.

Sorenson maintained elaborate records of nan players’ statistic aft each game. While galore sportscasters simply show up and broadcast nan matchup, Sorenson spent hours aft each crippled updating each individual’s statistic successful Excel.

“I felt for illustration that if nan group are willing capable to tune in, past I gotta beryllium master capable to springiness them nan stats and everything that they request to bask nan game,” he said.

He still has each of his Bonneville stats making love backmost to 1999.

“It has each nan kids’ averages, really galore points per game, really galore threes they made during nan twelvemonth and free propulsion percentages,” he said.

Sorenson ever enjoyed covering nan Civil Wars betwixt Bonneville and Hillcrest.

“Hillcrest has dominated successful shot nan past small while,” he said, mentioning their authorities title successful 2008 pinch Coach Darrin Owens and a 2nd title successful 2018 nether Coach Kevin Meyer.

The only games he missed were successful 2003, erstwhile he suffered a mild bosom attack.

That year, nan Bees won their first authorities hoops title nether Coach Tim Hooten.

“That was nan only clip I missed it, and darn it, that was nan astir important because that was nan only authorities title that Bonneville has ever won successful basketball,” he said.

He has worked pinch a wide assortment of coaches astatine nan 3 schools complete nan past 4 decades.

“(Hooten) was nan 1 of nan champion coaches that Bonneville has ever had complete nan years,” Sorenson said. “… He was nary delirium pinch parents and nary delirium pinch kids. He expected a batch retired of nan kids, but he gave nan kids in installments wherever in installments was due.”

Sorenson besides highlighted standout hoops players including Skyline’s Cleave Lewis, who played astatine Fresno State and later professionally successful Italy and England; Bonneville’s Richie Webb, who played astatine BYU; and Bonneville’s Darren Johnson, who played for Utah State.

Throughout nan years, he has seen hoops germinate significantly.

“Three-point shooting coming backmost successful 1987, that made a large quality successful nan shot game,” he said. “Of course, I property that to nan mediocre foul shooting nowadays because each nan precocious schoolhouse kids, each they want to do is sprout from nan three-point statement and don’t walk nan clip astatine nan foul line.”

The caller 30-second changeable timepiece norm successful precocious schoolhouse hoops that went into effect past twelvemonth will besides person a important effect connected nan game, he said.

Despite his engagement successful precocious schoolhouse athletics, Sorenson said his top bequest is his family.

Today, he and Kathy person 17 grandchildren – immoderate of whom participated successful basketball, shot and cheerleading astatine Hillcrest – and 18 great-grandchildren.

“Even though I emotion sports truthful much, I’ve sewage a awesome family, and they support maine successful each I do,” he said.

Deb Sorenson smiles pinch members of his family astatine a Hillcrest Knights game. | Courtesy Shae’le Arslanian

Sorenson worked professionally arsenic a salesman for Whirpool Corporation, walking passim eastbound Idaho, Oregon and Montana, but he ever made judge to beryllium location for nan games.

So aft 4 decades, erstwhile nan power position called and said they planned to return nan broadcast in-house owed to fund cuts, it came arsenic a surprise.

“That was benignant of shocking, because I’d done it for truthful galore years,” Sorenson said, “but I benignant of accepted it now and said, ‘Hey, bully things ever travel to an extremity yet I guess.’”

District 93 shot and hoops games will still beryllium broadcast connected 92.5 FM.

In nan future, Sorenson plans to be immoderate games but will “be a small much selective maybe.”

For nan past 40 years, he’s closed each crippled pinch his signature phrase, “Good nighttime and bully luck to bully sports everywhere.”

That catchphrase will ringing connected successful nan hearts of nan galore listeners, athletes and coaches he’s touched crossed his career.

“I conscionable really enjoyed being astir nan kids and astir nan game. That’s ever been a large portion of my life,” he said.

A compilation of Deb Sorenson covering each of District 93’s precocious schools. | Courtesy Shae’le Arslanian