Walkovic is
making the call

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

David Walkovic is a true example of what goes around, comes around.
The 17-year-old spends most of his time volunteering with various organizations, including the West Jersey Animal Shelter, the Broad Street Run, Delaware County Senior Olympics and the Police Athletic League (PAL).
And now, after years of giving his time and energy to help others, Walkovic has received some help of his own.
The recent graduate of Father Judge High School was awarded the first Sam Schroeder Memorial Scholarship, created by Comcast SportsNet — in partnership with PAL — to honor one of the regional sports network’s founders. The award includes $2,000 toward a college education, as well as the opportunity for Walkovic to serve an internship at Comcast SportsNet.
"That (internship) was more important to me than the money, because I want to get in and make some connections in the field," said Walkovic, who plans to study sports broadcasting at Penn State in the fall. "Actually, when I went down there for the interview, they gave me a tour and I was so overwhelmed. Everything there was so exciting! I knew, right then and there, that’s what I want."
The annual scholarship is presented to one high school senior who will study broadcasting or communications in college. Walkovic learned of the opportunity from Officer Tony D’Aulerio, one of his close buddies at PAL. The duo have volunteered with the organization for more than a decade, working side by side on various activities and sports programs.
"I always help out Tony over there. I’ll ref soccer games or help coach kids at clinics," said Walkovic. "Then he called me one day and said, ‘I got you an interview with Comcast, I’m coming to pick you up.’ As soon as I heard that, I was thrilled! I had no idea what to expect. I was just like, ‘That’s awesome!’ So I went to the interview and I guess it went pretty well, because I got it."
Walkovic — who was officially awarded the scholarship on June 17 — plans to use the money toward tuition at Penn State’s main campus next year. In the meantime, he’s playing baseball this summer for Loudenslager in the American Legion league.
"It’s a lot of fun, because I get to play with good friends," said Walkovic, who debuted with the summer squad in May. "Actually, I heard about the team through my best friend Dave (Doggett), whose dad is the coach."
Doggett is a senior third baseman on the Frankford High School baseball squad who also plays summer ball with Loudenslager. He and Walkovic met while playing another sport.
"All of my friends played soccer, so I played too," recalled Walkovic, who was about 7 when he joined the PAL soccer team as a defenseman. "That’s how me and Dave met. I ended up really liking soccer, so I tried basketball and baseball, and I really liked them too."
That friendship grew during their time with PAL. But when it came time to attend high school, Doggett chose Frankford High School, while Walkovic went to Father Judge.
"The best part about Judge is the people," said Walkovic, who joined the Crusaders’ varsity squad as a pitcher and first baseman in his junior year. "I made some great friends at Judge and I really love it there."
Walkovic also can be found fashioning a more behind-the-scenes role as a sports broadcaster. During his high school days, he refined his speaking skills on the school’s television station, reporting the sports news.
He also participated in Scholastic Play-by-Play sports broadcasting camp at Villanova University last summer.
The camp visits eight locations throughout the country, providing insights to the industry by some of the top announcers at Comcast SportsNet, ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC 10 and WIP Philadelphia, among others.
"It was my first experience with this," said Walkovic, whose academic achievements at Father Judge included membership in the National Honor Society. "It was really cool. These guys were professionals and they helped me out a lot. They taught me some tricks of the trade and gave me a lot of advice."
Walkovic says he is now preparing for the next step.
"Me and Dave are trying to walk on together at Penn State," said Walkovic, who plans to room with his best buddy Doggett. "That’s our plan, but we’ll see what happens.
"It’s the kind of thing where I realized I might not be good enough to go pro, but I want to stay in sports," he explained. "I think I have a lot of background information, because I played multiple sports, and personal experience. And now with this internship and everything — I feel like I’m ready and I’m really excited." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com