New voice “running” the PA microphone at Fonner Park

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - The only sound in Fonner Park on Monday afternoon was employees getting the place ready for the first race day on Friday February 10.

On that day, there will be more hustle and bustle, and the sound of Dustyn Stortzum on the call. His path to the press box at Fonner Park started all the back in high school with Striv Sports and calling high school games.

Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak said he had talked with Steve Anderson about finding a replacement when the time came.

“Steve and I had kicked around a few names, a couple possibilities, but we really focused on Dustyn because we saw that he had the right stuff and he ticked a lot of boxes,” Kotulak said. “He came from a racing background so he knew horse racing. He certainly knows announcing with his involvement with radio work, and he has a very good disposition so he’s our man.”

According to Dustyn, Anderson reached out to him before the late Fonner Park announcer’s death last year. Stortzum started his play-by-play calling career in high school, before he went off to college in Norfolk.

After his time there he call games for Husker Baseball, Softball, and even some Husker Basketball games all for the Big Ten Network, he said horse racing is in his blood.

“Our family on both sides is really big into horse racing my grandparents were horse trainers and my uncle was a jockey, and my dad works with horses as well,” Stortzum said. “It just means a lot and I know that my family is super excited for me to get started and I’m super excited as well.”

Stortzum was living in Pierce, South Dakota before coming back to central Nebraska, and he told Local4 News both him and his family are happy to have him back so close to home.

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