DPS and BVSD take to the skies for a better view of high school sports

BRIGHTON, Colo. – FlyRoute, a drone company specializing in athletics, has entered into a new vendor partnership with Denver Public Schools (DPS) and Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) to capture footage of high school sports games for coaches.

“As more education has occurred, we’ve really taught them about the safety of using drones and the benefits for athletes and coaches,” said Collin Caffrey, founder and president of FlyRoute. “Now, we’re in every major school district, so we’re very excited to move forward with Denver and Boulder.”

Individual schools and sports programs, typically football teams, can hire FlyRoute to fly their FAA-certified drone pilots to games. FlyRoute also offers pilot training courses if schools prefer to do it all themselves.

“When the coaches were watching the film online, it spread like wildfire,” Caffrey said. “They had never seen anything like it. They saw the film and instantly said, “This will make my job 1,000 times easier.”

Speaking before his game at Brighton High School, Fairview High School head football coach Tom McCartney believes drones are a valuable coaching tool.

Ethan Carlson of Denver7

“You can see everything. You can see the play develop. You can see everybody on the field. You can see the coverage,” McCartney said. “You’re able to see it longer. Sometimes other angles, you won’t be able to see things. So just from the vision, drones give you a huge angle to see and teach. So that’s why I like them “.

FlyRoute uses its drones to record the games and provides the footage to the teams after the games are over. Teams also have the option of using a sideline replay system during live games so they can see footage almost immediately after a play is finished.

Video can be a valuable tool for players hoping to compete at the college level. It can be hard to stand out from the crowd on an internet full of game highlights, and McCartney believes the drone footage will do just that.

“When our district gave approval, we were very excited,” McCartney said. “One is to teach. Second, the players are gathering their highlights and stuff. So it’s a great tool for everyone.”

FlyRoute also offers internships to high school students who want to pursue drone photography as a hobby or eventually enter the drone industry.

“Those kinds of things are really cool to see,” Caffrey said. “It all started flying with drones on Friday night, and now they’re out of the industry working full-time with drones.”