Gary Zupancic
Special to the View
Jarred Robinson is a Texan through and through. After being born in Katy it didn’t take long for his family to move to Wimberley. He graduated as a Wimberley Texan in 2000 and remained one at Tarleton State University, as their mascot is also the Texans. But not the red, white and navy blue type, rather purple, black and white.
“I’ve been here since I was seven years old. I moved here, 33 years ago.” Dad was a car salesman. Mom taught at first and then became an administrator having worked at Scudder, Bowen and Danforth for over 20 years while her kids were at WISD. Both are retired now and moved to Permalia, Texas.
Meeting his wife at Tarleton, the call of Wimberley was too strong for Robinson. After moving to Kyle in 2005, he moved back to Wimberley in 2008 where he now resides with his wife Jennifer and his seven-year-old daughter Jordan. He’s a realtor and Jennifer is a CPA in town.
Being a baseball player, he got to coach a little.
“Coach (Dane) Saucier was my coach back when I was in school, I graduated in 2000. He was the head baseball coach and approached me about coaching the summer league program, which was the varsity summer league team, and sometimes the junior varsity kids.”
Wimberley Radio, an offshoot of Sun Radio in Dripping Springs, decided to start doing broadcasts of Wimberley sports. It piqued his interest. “After my first season of baseball, I guess they were happy with me. They were happy enough that they asked me to do football the next year with Mike Blackwell. Mike and I did football. From that point forward… I’ve done it all by myself for probably five years now.”
His voice has the qualities that people love in a radio broadcast. He’s fast, does his research on opposing teams and is local as can be. He knows the players and their families, often being recognized in H-E-B or Brookshire Brothers.
“You always wonder when you’re walking through H-E-B and somebody looks at you, and it’s like, did I say something bad about their kid or something? Did I say something about little Johnny or Jeff? It’s like, ‘Oh, he got burnt last week. And I said something about him and you’re not happy with me?’ Jennifer will call me. She’s like, ‘Where are you?’ I’m like, ‘I’m at the grocery store.’ She’s like, ‘Oh, you got there at 3:30. It’s 5:15.’” As for the research, the opposing team is where the film study goes, as working with the Texans of all sports including volleyball. Being the local sports voice he knows the kids and has seen them all season long. If they wear a jersey, he can identify them, and if not, asking cheerleaders who the un-numbered athletes are in early practices solves the problem..
“For a week, I’ve researched the other team. I didn’t need to research my team. I researched that team and figured out who’s their best offensive and defensive lineman? Who’s their best linebacker? Where’s he gonna line up? Does he always play the strong side? Exactly which side? It’s basically coaches style stuff. They do a lot better job than I do.”
After baseball, he has a break until August. “Once baseball season is over I’m lucky enough to work with Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and “Texan Live” and some of those programs. I do the state championship for baseball all the way through the end of the season. I do that for them. They put it on TV. That’s through June, and it’s up at Disch-Falk Field. Coach Saucier actually does it with me. But, it’s a break for me in June, July.”
Saucier said that Robinson, “missed his calling when it comes to calling games.” Robinson takes his role very seriously, and if you have listened to one of the Texans’ football games, which have been on KWVH 94.3 Wimberley Valley Radio for the last few years, you understand. He’s fast and very good at painting a picture in your mind of the activity going on down on the field.
Arriving at the game site early, 5:45 p.m. for a 7:30 kickoff, he prepares the booth by taping up printed paper statistics that he has researched and studied for a week. Although there is a seat for him to sit, he stands watching the action on the field, like a hawk scanning from up on a tree, hoping not to miss anything and correctly identify the players.
Knowing Wimberley, most of the WHS athletes compete with much larger schools. Soccer is one, competing against boys and girls teams from much larger schools. This is due to being a 4A UIL school, competing with 5A teams, or teams in 4A with larger school populations. As a WHS grad, he likes the competition as an underdog.
“If you remember when we went to the state (volleyball) championship, we faced Decatur. Decatur was a team that was probably less than 15, 20, 40 girls away from being a 5A program. We’re sitting here as a small school for a year. And you’re talking about a big difference. Yeah, you’re talking about 30% more girls.”
“Whether it be in tennis, whether it be in volleyball, football, soccer. Look at those girls last year in soccer. They faced some big schools, and they took them down.”
Being a realtor, he can mostly set his own hours which frees up his time.
Beyond game days, Robinson can be heard on KWVH’s Thursday’s ‘Wake Up Club” with Pat Lowry and Jason Sherill. If you’re interested in sports, whether local or national, they’re fun to listen to. Jason and his buddies’ banter is funny and entertaining. Their knowledge of sports is right on at times, and puts a smile on your face for your busy Thursday morning.
Writer Gary Zupancic can be heard on KWVH on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. hosting public affairs interviews on “At the Hitching Post” and Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. reporting for the Wimberley View. Currently he is writing a book with local songstress Joyce Webb on her memoirs about Ray Charles, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and other musicians during her long career. The book is expected in 2023.
Jarred on Thursday morning’s Wakeup Club with Pat Lowry and Jason Sherill.
