“29 Sports, One Team.” West Ottawa Athletic Director Bill Kennedy and West Ottawa parent Rodney Vellinga created their podcast called The 29/1. Kennedy and Vellinga created this podcast in hopes of sharing their athletes’ stories that lie underneath the surface of every win and loss of West Ottawa’s sports teams. Through this, they have created bonds throughout the community, forging connections for themselves and others. 

     In the summer of 2024, the idea for a podcast was born. Vellinga described what happened: “To be honest, it was kind of on a whim. I was not even thinking of doing a podcast. Bill Kennedy and I were at a Daktronics conference… Literally, it [the podcast] just came into my head. I said it out loud to Bill and he goes, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ And literally, we just ran with it. We didn’t even wait.” A month later, they were recording the first episode of The 29/1. 

     The connections of both Kennedy and Vellinga have helped the podcast grab former West Ottawa athletes who have since gone to college. So far, the podcast has had WO alums Cooper (Coop) Terpstra from Michigan State University’s football team, Sarah Moraw from the University of Minnesota’s gymnastics team, and Gabby Reynolds from George Washington University’s women’s basketball team. 

     The podcast also features many current student-athletes, who are still in season. A recent student-athlete featured was Sr. Magaly Lemus, from the girls varsity volleyball team. They discussed many topics, including Lemus’ life and her family. This led to Kennedy making an unexpected connection at a volleyball game the following week. “I’ve had a few interactions with her [Magaly’s mom] over the years: just usually a, ‘Hi, how ya doing,’ type of thing. Well, I went up and I had a twenty-minute conversation with her because now we have some common ground and we have things we share and can talk about,” Kennedy said.

     Vellinga also experienced a similar situation. He and Kennedy were setting up for another podcast at the high school when he ran into Sr. Andrew Merlam Salazar, a previous guest and a boys’ varsity soccer captain, and a fellow captain and friend of his, Sr. Cris Mora. “I’m like, ‘You’re Cris Mora? We talked about you in the podcast!’ And all of a sudden, I’m talking to Cris Mora,” Vellinga said.

     Building connections isn’t limited to the hosts on the podcast. Lemus connected with many others after the episode she appeared in was released. “People I don’t know will say hi to me and start a conversation about volleyball or ask me if I’m excited about attending CSU,” Lemus said. Teachers also approached Lemus to compliment her on how well she did on the podcast.

     The future of the podcast remains optimistic. Both Kennedy and Vellinga have expressed their interest in seeing where the podcast is a year down the road, but they do have visions for new episodes and for expanding the podcast itself. 

     The 29/1 has led to many conversations and connections that may have never happened without it. Vellinga and Kennedy started it with a goal in mind: to shed light on the behind-the-scenes of West Ottawa’s teams and athletes. Along the way, they accidentally created a way to form connections and build bonds.“Ultimately, it’s about sharing with our community all that is happening under the athletics umbrella and show it’s not just about wins and losses; it’s about all these relationships that are built,” Kennedy said. So go listen to The 29/1, now streaming on all platforms.