HEY BATTA BATTA, SAWINGA– BATTA!

More stories from Jandi Palmer

This year’s glorious season of softball was nothing short of interesting.  With the players learning foreign positions, many girls learned to be more versatile.  This season was not the best that the Lady Panthers have played, but it was definitely beneficial.  Whatever the final season outcome would be, something this year was definitely a winner:  the new announcers.  All jokes aside, the two new announcers, Alexis Moats and myself, enjoyed every moment of announcing.

 

Announcing at first was nerve racking.  The idea of messing up in front of people you know plus more was scary–but after a while, it became second nature.  I very much enjoyed all the mess ups as well.  There were many instances where Alexis and I messed up the National Anthem.  Thankfully, most of the spectators forgave our little mistakes and laughed at them with us.

 

But when you are announcing, it is very important to remember to be neutral.  The box is meant to serve as an unbiased representation  of the blues and the audience;  sometimes it is uber hard to bite your tongue, especially when unsportsmanlike conduct occurs from the other team.  It was a task for me to learn how to be quieter and less sarcastic towards the opposing teams.  There have been multiple accounts where slanders were given to the Lady Panthers team, and I had to bite my tongue.  To me, that has to be the hardest part.


Though my experience was not perfect as an announcer, it sure was excellent and interesting. I look forward to announcing next year, and hopefully getting better at it.  I want to learn how to effectively motivate the crowd and the teams to really enhance the gaming experience.  Next year is a new season, and hopefully better announcements.