CurtisJ
Baltimore, MD
Male, 29
I was the public address announcer at Washington University in St. Louis from 1999 until 2003, primarily for basketball and soccer games. While not quite Michael Buffer, I was left to my own devices to give player introductions, hit in-game highlights, coordinate halftime music, read promotional materials, and everything in between.
I was the announcer for boys basketball games at my high school as a senior (high school sports are a must-do for young aspiring announcers -- an easy resume builder), and when I arrived on campus I heard through friends that the athletic department was looking for someone to assist with PA in the fall. I started with a few soccer games. They previously had a professional announcer from the local area hired for hoops, as those teams drew a good deal from the community (the women's basketball team won its fourth consecutive national championship in 2001, during which time the team won 81 straight games). The professional announcer prior to my tenure serendipitously stopped my freshmen year and, after a brief trial period at the annual winter invitational tournament, I was in for basketball as well.
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My basketball announcing was limited to public address, not play-by-play. The women's team during my announcing time won two D-III national championships and lost a total of five game in my four years, so the crowd was large and energetic with or without my loudspeaker ramblings.
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I definitely had some "announcer" shtick, but to a certain degree I think that is required so that you project and enunciate clearly. The voice I used was a slower, deeper voice than my conversational tone, which forced me to think before speaking (a life lesson I should apply in general) and phrase things with proper emphasis. My experience led me to believe that almost all persons talking on a PA system, radio, TV, etc, adapt a bit of affect on their regular voice in order to deliver whatever message they are being paid to provide. That being said, you can't go too overboard or it sounds like parody. I definitely practiced alone until it sounded right.
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I messed up a name on occasion, almost always because I thought the name was easy and I glossed over it in prep. Here's a made up example: Devi Smith. Unless I asked, I'd assume it was "Dev-E" instead of "Dev-I", and my natural read would be to "Dev-E". Mistakes like that were the most common. In terms of actual screw ups, at a lightly attended soccer game I announced Carnegie Mellon as "The Melon" for the entire introductions and first half. This was intentional, as I was bored and immature, but it certainly was a screw-up in than their athletic director happened to being traveling that trip, and told the Wash U athletic director that it needed to stop immediately. I got a stern warning at halftime, and it could have cost me my job. Lesson learned -- no one comes to hear the announcer, especially to hear the announcer make stupid jokes.
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iPhone & iPad Technician
What's something you think Apple does surprisingly POORLY?
Bar Mitzvah DJ
Why are DJ's so unwilling to accommodate song requests?
School Teacher
Are teachers underpaid?
Men's/women's soccer, men's/women's basketball, and the occasional volleyball and baseball/softball game.
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Being a PA announcer teaches the value of preparation and clear speaking in ways that even other types of public speaking can't. Without doing the prep prior you'll quickly be overwhelmed, and your mistakes are literally magnified for all to hear. Not being able to gloss over anything forces an attention to detail that has helped me in many non-announcer venues.
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Isn't the University of Washington in Tacoma?
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