We’re just one week away from launch here at IowaSportsNet.com, and one of the final pieces of the puzzle we’re putting in place is the actual website — along with this blog/news page, where we plan to post interesting tidbits about our company and the general goings-on of high school sports in the state of Iowa.

We have a lot yet to get done, but if we don’t collapse before next Thursday (the official start of the football season), or catch any more 24-hour flu (one person’s been hit already), we should be set to go. We don’t dare post any pictures of what our studio looks like right now, because it looks more like we just had a fire sale than are in the process of configuring the office, but suffice it to say, all cords will be plugged in and all lights lit by next week.

If you only have a vague inkling of what IowaSportsNet.com is all about, we will explain what we plan to do in a few bullet points:

• Every 4A game played in the state of Iowa online, in full, available for streaming.
• Online highlights of each game available for free the following day; also available on one of…
• Four highlight shows — one for each conference — available online and on broadcast around the state.

It’s a lot of work, requiring miles of videotape (fortunately, we don’t use tapes any more!) and lots of hands on the ground. We hope to begin introducing you to the regular office staff based in Urbandale in the weeks ahead, but you’ll probably see one of our Field Producers first, in the stands at one of your upcoming home games; be sure to say “Hello!”

We had some of these folks in the office this past week for some training, and as one of them asked our operations manager how the endeavor as a whole was progressing, we overheard him comparing it to performing “heart surgery while in a police chase” — an apt allusion to the massive amount of hand-wiring and software coding that we’re doing as it seems we’re being chased by the inevitable law of time. What’s been most impressive and assuring is the drive and commitment of everyone here at ISN (as we sometimes abbreviate our burgeoning network) to launching with a satisfying and intriguing product.

Please stop back soon to see what the first week looks like…we’re very excited to share it with you!