Bob Sheppard P.A. Announcer of the Year Nominations Now Accepted

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPORTS PUBLIC ADDRESS ANNOUNCERS

INSIDEBob Sheppard P.A. Announcer of the Year Nominations Now Accepted 1

California Interscholastic Federation Becomes NASPAA Affiliate Member 2

New Member Feature: Dale Carter 3

Basketball P.A. Announcing Quiz 4

The State Wrestling Experience 5

NASPAA and NIAAA Meet 7

NASPAA to Produce New P.A. Announcing Manual 7

Countdown to Tip-off 8

Wrestling with Personal Announcements 9

Basketball P.A. Announcing Quiz Answers 10

2013-14 High School Volleyball Rules Changes Announced 11

Affiliate Members 12

February 2013

Board of Directors

brad rumblepresident & executive director

tom buschsecretary

jeff kurtzp.a. announcer, kent state university

mark mills p.a. announcer, missouri state high school activities association

gary williamsstadium announcer, oakland raiders

The Voice

“A P.A. announcer is not a cheerleader, or a circus barker, or a hometown

screecher. He’s a reporter.” This is the late Bob Sheppard’s definition. Bob Sheppard was the New York Yankees’ Stadium Announcer from 1951-2007, and is consid-ered to be the greatest P.A. announcer, ever. The NASPAA’s P.A. announcer of the year award is named after Bob Sheppard.

“The Bob Sheppard P.A. Announcer of the Year Award represents what Bob Sheppard and the NASPAA are all about, which is professionalism,” commented Brad Rumble, NASPAA Executive Director. “We are truly humbled to have the right to carry on his legacy by

naming our award after him.”

The Bob Sheppard P.A. Announcer of the Year Award is given annually to an announcer at each of the following levels: high school, junior college, NAIA, NCAA and non-school amateur. High school and college student announcers are also eligible for the award.

The nomination form for high school nominees must be submitted by the nominee’s athletic director. If a high school nominee does not announce for a school, the nomination form may be submitted by the nominee’s respective state high school association. Nominations for college announcers must be submitted by one of

the following; 1) school’s athletic director, 2) sports infor-mation director, or 3) a head coach. College announcers who do not announce for a school may be nominated by their respective conference, league or associa-tion. Nominations for amateur non-school P.A. announcers must be submitted by the coach of the nominee’s team or sponsoring organization.

Each nominee must submit an mp3 file of him/her announcing a game or event live. The requirements for the mp3 file are speci-fied on the Awards page on the NASPAA website at www.naspaa.net. Nominees will be judged on being clear, concise, correct, voice quality and announcing (i.e., delivery and style and adherence to proper ethics--see NASPAA Code of Conduct), as well as professionalism. The selection committee will only consider nominees who demon-strate the qualities of Bob Sheppard. Being over the top when making home team in-troductions and their plays, i.e., three point baskets, first downs and touchdowns, etc., or not announcing information correctly, i.e., “and one,” when a basketball player makes a field goal and is fouled--instead of saying, “shooting one,” etc.

“As a public address announcer, being men-tioned in the same breath as Bob Sheppard is like being compared to John Wooden, Walt Alston or Vince Lombardi as a coach, or Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan or Jim Brown as an athlete,” remarked Jeff Kurtz, NASPAA Board Member and Kent State University P.A. Announcer. “There could be no higher form of praise in this field. It means you are recognized as one of the best at what you do. The standard for the award is high for a reason. Even though Bob Sheppard was one of a kind, that does not mean that P.A. announcers cannot be like him. Those are the individuals who we’re seeking to honor.”

Bob Sheppard

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NASPAA Copyright StatementThis newsletter is copyrighted. Therefore, none of the content contained herein may be reproduced, shared in part or whole, without the express written permission of the NASPAA, unless in one of the articles the NASPAA indicates that it can be shared.

Brad Rumble

Bob Sheppard P.A. Announcer of the Year Award Sponsored by Clell Wade Coaches Directory and Balfour.

2

The Voice

The California Interscholastic Federation has

become an Affiliate Member of the Na-tional Association of

Sports Public Address Announcers (NASPAA).

“We are delighted that the CIF has become an Af-filiate Member,” commented Brad Rumble, NASPAA Executive Director. “As the CIF’s P.A. announcing resource, we can help put its P.A.

announcers and administrators on the same page concerning P.A. announcing. The CIF’s P.A. announcing expectations, along with NASPAA’s training, education and professional development will greatly enhance that possibility.”

“The CIF is excited to partner with the NASPAA and help raise the level of professionalism of P.A. announc-ers,” remarked Roger Blake, CIF Executive Director. “Because P.A. announcers are an important part of our athletic events,

they need to understand their role and represent their schools with class. Having a good voice and years of experience does not mean that a P.A. announcer is good. Announcing properly is more impor-tant. That’s where the NASPAA can help.”

Approximately 1,523 schools are members of the CIF. During the 2012-13 school year, more than 800,000 boys and girls will compete in athletic programs of CIF member schools. The CIF conducts 17 regional and state championships each calendar year. Established in 1914, the CIF governs California interscholastic ath-letics, promoting equity, quality, character and academic development.

For more information about the CIF, go to www.cif.org.

California Interscholastic Federation Becomes NASPAA Affiliate Member

WANTEDBob Sheppard P.A. ANNOUNCER

OF THE YEAR

The NASPAA is seeking nominations for the Bob Sheppard P.A. Announcer of the Year. Only NASPAA members are eligible.

>>>>>> NOMINATION DEADLINE: August 1, 2013 <<<<<<

“P.A. announcers who follow the NASPAA Code of Conduct will definitely enhance their chances for consideration,” commented Glen Waddle, NASPAA NCAA P.A.

Announcer of the Year. “Yelling and being over the top won’t cut it.”

“The NASPAA Awards Program is a tremendous membership benefit,” remarked Brian McKiernen, NASPAA High School P.A. Announcer of the Year. Information about the Bob Sheppard P.A. Announcer of the Year Award may be obtained at

www.naspaa.net.

Roger Blake, CIF Executive Director

Brad Rumble

3

The Voice

Growing up in Evansville, Indiana, my

dream was to be the play-by-play voice of either the Chicago Cubs or the Dallas Cowboys!! I got some advice from a local high school

play-by-play man to offer to do ANYTHING to get into a radio station. That first job was Sunday overnights at WROZ-AM in Evansville playing country music in 1979. While sports announcing has always been part of what I do, my 30+ year career has mostly been in Country radio. I was elected to the Country Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2011 for a career that has taken me from Evansville to Hartford and, for the past 18 years, Program Director and morn-ing guy for KFKF - Kansas City.

Throughout my career I have done high school football and basketball play-by-play and even some college basketball. For the past 8 years I have been the voice of Blue Springs and Blue Springs South High Schools in Missouri.

It’s interesting who you meet along the way. When I got to Kansas City in 1995, I was working with local concert promoter Tammy Fruits. Tammy eventually became a VP with the Kansas City Chiefs. When they were looking for a new stadium PA announcer in 2009, she called me. Honestly, I had

never done PA. I had never even really paid attention to it. The Chiefs had me set up at Kauffman Stadium (home of the Kansas City Royals) because Arrowhead was being renovated. They ran a video of a Chiefs game from the last year and had me announce as if it was real. The Angels were in town for a game and were having batting practice while I was doing this. I’m sure they wondered what was going on!! I guess I passed the test because I have been with the Chiefs for four seasons now!!

When I started announcing for the Chiefs I was VERY basic. In fact, I thought my role was to be the narrator of the game. I have since learned that my role is to be the vocal cheerleader for the team!! It’s my job to pump up the crowd when we need them on 3rd and long. My signature call is when the other team has the ball on 3rd down. I say something like, “From the 35 yard line... it’s... THIRD.... DOWWWWWN”. Nothing beats having 70,000 fans roar on cue when I do that!!! Because Chiefs’ football is a business, its P.A. announcing philosophy is different than at other levels, in particular at the high school level where the foundation of their P.A. announcing phi-losophy is not about business, but rather is education based with the focus being the student athletes.

The job is challenging at times... especially in pre-season when it seems like each team has 150 players. Sometimes it’s hard to catch up. Even when the roster is only 53 there are pronunciation challenges.

Sometimes it’s on OUR team!! I’m sure I have called Chiefs DE Ropati Pitoitua about three different names!!

Nothing beats the thrills of announcing an NFL game when the home team is winning. My highlight was the 2011 game when the Chiefs upset the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead. EVERYTHING went right that day. The LOWLIGHT was the following week when we lost to the Raiders. In that game there were more penalties than first downs. We still had a chance to win the game with a field goal at the end. The game was tied 13-13. The field goal was blocked. I put my head down... figured we had lost and read the “WE LOSE” copy for the end of the game. The director began screaming in my ear to STOP THE ANNOUNCE!! Of course, we were going to OT. Ooops... it was my Southwest Airlines “wanna get away” mo-ment! We ended up losing three plays later in overtime so I read it anyway...

Looking ahead to the 2013 season we have Andy Reid and the number one pick in the draft. I’m ready to follow the Colts and turn that 2-14 year into a playoff run!!! GO CHIEFS!!!

3

DALE CARTERStadium Announcer, Kansas City Chiefs

Sponsored by Clell Wade Coaches Directory

New Member FeatureAllow Me to Introduce Myself

Credit: Kansas City Chiefs

4

The Voice

Consistency in P.A. announcing is important. Below are some questions that are intended to help promote

greater consistency in basketball. The answers are on page 10.

1. A The “One Minute Remaining” an-nouncement should be made at the end of the first half and at the end of a high school and college game. True or False

2. When a player commits a technical, the announcement should indicate that a technical foul has been called, but not identify the player who committed the technical foul. True or False

3. Unless there are league or conference rules, the visiting team’s starters would be introduced first or a visiting player could be introduced, followed by a home team player. True or False

4. The only time an announcement for a two-point basket is to be made is when the shot is a borderline three. True or False

5. Announcing once the official presents the ball to the free throw shooter is ac-ceptable, provided the announcement is the information about the foul. True or False

6. When a player substitutes for another player, the name of the player entering the game and the player leaving the game must be announced. When introducing the starting lineup, the home team’s coach and the visiting team’s coach can request the order that they would like their players introduced instead of the order the players are listed in the official scorebook. Each assist should be announced.

7. When introducing the starting lineup, the home team’s coach and the visiting team’s coach can request the order that they would like their players introduced instead of the order the players are listed in the official scorebook.

8. Each assist should be announced.

9. When a player dunks, announcements such as, “Johnson with the jam,” or Thompson throwing it down,” are ac-ceptable.

10. Which of the following should not be announced? A. Rebounds B. Blocked shots C. Change of possession

D. Traveling E. Three seconds in the lane F. Over and back G. Basket interference H. Flagrant foul I. Illegal screen J. Double dribble K. Palming L. 10 seconds M. 5-second count N. Block/charge O. Stepping out of bounds P. Stepping over the line (free throw) Q. Hometown of the officials R. Held ball S. Intentional foul T. Length of a timeout (30 second or full, or media timeout in college) U. Shot clock violation (college) V. None of the above W. All of the above

Basketball P.A. Announcing Quiz

5

The Voice

continued on p.6

Since 1996, I’ve been announcing the Nebraska High School State Wrestling Tournament. It is a great honor, and

I don’t take it for granted. I was a radio broadcaster from 1971-2004, and over the years have done baseball, softball and wrestling play-by-play and P.A. announcing, as well as emceeing various events. How-ever, the state wrestling tournament tops every assignment I’ve ever been fortunate enough to receive.

One night, at the local club wrestling practice with my son, the high school coach told me the previous night he had attended the annual mandatory state high school association preseason wrestling rules meeting. The clinician, who was the state association’s state tournament director, said they were going to add two P.A. announcers to the existing duo. The goal was to have a single announcer do each class (A, B, C and D) of schools. That’s all I needed to hear.

The next day I wrote a letter to the tourna-ment director and included my resume. Two weeks later I received a phone call and a few days after that I received my first invitation to do the Nebraska Class B State Wrestling Tournament. Since , I’ve worked for three different tournament directors and during that time four other announcers have come and gone. Ladies take note. One of the Nebraska State High School State Wrestling Tournament announcers is female.

The tournament runs three days. It starts at 8:30 Thursday morning and goes through 6:00 Saturday night. We work in pairs (A and D, B and C) using eight mats Thursday and until 6:00 p.m. on Friday. By then, enough wrestlers have been eliminated,

enabling all four classes to wrestle simulta-neously Friday night and all day Saturday. At that time, our individual responsibility goes from assigning four mats to two. The hours are long, the atmosphere is intense, the crowds are huge and the sound system is incredible! Large venue systems boom unlike any high school gym or ball field system you’ve ever been around. I prefer using my own headset mic. The individuals in charge of audio who reside way up in their master control perch have always been a pleasure to work with.

Like any other assignment, preparation is a must. With 16 wrestlers in each of the 14 weight classes, I’m responsible for an-nouncing 224 names correctly. The district tournaments that determine the state qualifiers conclude on the Saturday prior to the beginning of state so the timeline is short. Saturday night I make an email request to my contact at the state associa-tion office for the “B” entries (grouped by school). I receive them Sunday and first thing Monday morning begin calling each school to learn the pronunciation of each wrestler’s name. This is a laborious, time-consuming process but it’s the only option. There’s no way to do it at the tournament. I make a master list with phonetic spellings of all the names that might cause me problems. When I’m given a stack of match cards prior to each session, I refer to my list and write the phonetic spelling directly on the cards. I’m sure this has provided some laughs for the table workers, but it helps me a lot.

When Friday night rolls around, the atmo-sphere is electric. In my opinion, Friday night is far more exciting than the finals. Because of what’s on the line, the wrestling is especially intense. All four announcers

are assigning two mats each, including one for consolation matches. The winners of those matches will earn a third, fourth, fifth or sixth place medal. Losers are done for the season, but for seniors, the reality is that their careers are over. The other mat is for semifinal matches. The losers will drop into the wrestle backs and try for third place. The winners will be in the finals and participate in the dramatic

“Parade of Champions.” I will discuss that round shortly.

With four announcers working at one time, we want to avoid talking over each other at all costs. At The Devaney Center in Lincoln, we sat four abreast. We could easily see each other. Things are more complicated since we moved to The Qwest Center in Omaha two years ago. Now we sit in pairs, one behind the other. Coordination is the key, and it requires concentration in a very noisy, hectic environment. In order to ensure the correct matches are assigned to the proper mat on Friday night, I use a highlighter to mark “Consolation” and “Championship.” The same holds true for the medal rounds on Saturday morning when those still in contention wrestle for third and fifth.

Now, back to the “Parade of Champions.” Scripts are provided to use for the opening of each session. We take turns reading them. I’ve been privileged to read the “Parade” script several times. The first time I had only an hour’s notice. I’m a former wrestler, my son wrestled and I’ve been around the sport a lot, so I knew what the participants had invested in sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears to be able to reach the finals. Call me unprofessional, but I was so overwhelmed with emotion the first time I rehearsed the script quietly to myself I knew I had to find a place where I could rehearse out loud without making a blubbering fool of myself. I finally decided to go to my car, even though the temperature was a mere 10 degrees that day. After reading it over and over, I got to the point where I could read the whole script properly without choking up. After being introduced, the wrestlers enter the hall to Queen’s pounding rock anthem “We Are the Champions.”

The State Wrestling Experience By Chuck Larsen, CPAAEustis, NE

Credit: Champ Shots

Credit: NFHS

6

The Voice

When they march in, the crowd rises to its feet, applauds and goes berserk! I have been told that a representative from the National Federation of State High School Associations attended the Nebraska State High School Wrestling Tournament several years ago and said that it was one of the best ceremonies he’d seen during his travels. Saturday afternoon is when the champions are crowned. We each have only a single mat to announce and the tempo is very slow until we reach the awards ceremony. The slow tempo is due to the fact Public Television televises the finals and TV, like radio, has its own way of doing things. The irony is that we start at 2:00 p.m. and they require us to be done by 6:00 p.m. With injury time, blood time and overtime periods lengthening matches, we’re expected to really get it on and roll at a rapid pace to make up time when it comes to awarding the hardware.

We work with runners (high school cheerleaders called mat assistants) to take match cards to and from each mat. Treat your runners with respect and good humor. They may or may not have much experience doing the job at hand. When there’s a forfeit on a mat you’re assigning explain to the runner that you’ll be sending two match cards on her next trip. Explain why and how she should handle it. As a session nears the end, the tournament director may move matches normally assigned to a particular mat to another to keep things moving. If there are mat changes for the class you are working, be sure to fully explain that also. It’s one thing to announce a forfeit or a mat change to the crowd. Take time to make eye contact and explain each situation fully to

the runner standing in front of you.

The state tournament differs from most other events because there are promos to read for the state association’s “partners.” When you read these, they must be read with conviction. When doing so, you’re a promo spokesperson. Sell it!

The state wrestling tournament has led to other plum wrestling assignments such as The Nebraska Duals and various district wrestling tournaments. If you’re willing to travel, the number of opportunities avail-able to you will increase. If there’s a job you want (as long as it isn’t mine), I suggest you apply for it. People retire, become ill, people move away and people get fired. Identify the decision maker and let him or her know who you are and what experience you have to offer. Always prepare, always give your best effort and always dress the part. Remember, the A.D. for whom you work local tournaments or duals could be an excellent reference if the state associa-tion begins considering you. In addition, when state association decision makers are out and about evaluating referees, they may hear you announcing.

Listed below are some tips and observa-tions that I would like to share with you based on my experience announcing the state wrestling tournament:

1. Whatever mic you use be sure to sit up straight and use your diaphragm. Your voice is your “instrument.”

2. If you want to actually watch a lot of matches, the state tournament is not the

place to be a P.A. an-nouncer. We’re too busy working to watch much.

3. If you’re away from home working a multi-day event, be sure to bring extra clothes to change into in case something is spilled on you.

4. If you’re paid for announcing, save the receipts from your expenses. They’re deductible.

5. Have adequate supplies in your brief-case. A pro comes prepared and doesn’t need to borrow a thing.

6. Have some bottled water handy. You’ll appreciate it when your throat gets dry.

7. Don’t lose your credentials! How awk-ward would it be to not be able to gain entry to the floor at the venue because you could not get past security?

The people you meet and have the op-portunity to work with at state are fantastic. An added perk that I really look forward to at the state tournament is that we are well fed!

The state tournament experience is wonderful, and I’d recommend it to any P.A. announcer who enjoys the sport. It truly is the pinnacle event for high school wrestling.Larsen has been a public address announcer for 21 years. In addition to working regular season events, he has worked area and state American Legion Baseball Tournaments, district high school softball tournaments and is the voice of the Nebraska State High School Softball Tournaments. In real life, Chuck and his wife, Jude, own and operate a gourmet pie business.

Credit: NFHS

Credit: NFHS

The State Wrestling experience, continued from page 5

7

The Voice

On January 29, Brad Rumble, NASPAA Executive Director and

Jeff Kurtz, NASPAA Board Member and Kent State P.A. Announcer, met with Bruce Whitehead, NIAAA Executive Director, at the NIAAA’s office in Indianapolis. The purpose of the meeting was to explore opportunities that would enhance both organizations’ working relationship. The NIAAA is an NASPAA Affiliate Member.

“The NASPAA is our Official P.A. An-nouncing Resource for good reason,” commented Bruce Whitehead. “It not only wrote NIAAA Leadership Training Course 625, Athletic Administration: Management of Game and Event Announcing, but has

been providing its resources to the NIAAA since we launched the course nine years ago. The NASPAA has been a loyal partner of the NIAAA.”

A new resource being made available to the NIAAA is the NASPAA Online P.A. An-nouncing Course. While the course is intended for P.A. announcers, it is clear that athletic administrators would also benefit from its content.

Therefore, the course will be offered to NIAAA members in conjunction with NIAAA Leadership Training Course 625 as an option to those administrators who take 625. Since many athletic administrators are required to obtain CEUs each year, NIAAA members who take the NASPAA

certification course will be able to obtain college credit, which is an additional in-centive to take the certification course.

“While the mission of the NASPAA is to raise the level of profes-sionalism, one of our goals is to increase consistency in P.A. announcing,” remarked Jeff Kurtz. “For that to happen, P.A. an-nouncers and athletic administrators need to be on the same page. By the NASPAA and the NIAAA working together, that pos-sibility is greater than ever before.”

NASPAA and NIAAA Meet

Bruce Whitehead Jeff Kurtz

Spire Interactive—Official E-Learning Provider of the NASPAA

The NASPAA, with a little help from its friends, is going to produce a new P.A. announcing manual. The information

that will be included in the manual will benefit P.A. announcers, as well as athletic administrators. Getting P.A. announcers and administrators on the same page concerning P.A. announcing will now be possible with the manual.

Nearly 100 NASPAA members have been invited to help write the manual. Each member is on a development team to provide the content for how to announce a particular sport. Currently, there are 23 development teams, which does not include administrators who are on the

development team to provide the content for administrators.

“Our content reflects the P.A. announcing philosophies and core values of key national and state associations and organizations, many of which are NASPAA Affiliate Members,”

commented Mark Mills, NASPAA Board Member. “The fact that administrators and nearly 100 NASPAA members who announce youth, high school, college and

professional sports with nearly 1,000 years of combined P.A. announcing experience speaks to the credibility of the manual. The manual is definitely not based on the P.A. announcing experience of one or two individuals with some P.A. announcing experience and no national credibility. It is truly a team effort.”

“Our P.A. announcing manual will be the finest resource of its kind ever written,” remarked Brad Rumble, NASPAA Executive Director. “Instead of having to buy an individual manual for each sport, our manual will include all school sports, and more, along with sample scripts...and it will be reasonably priced!”

NASPAA to Produce New P.A. Announcing Manual

cominG Soon !

Mark Mills

8

The Voice

continued on p. 3

It is nearly game time, but have you prepared yourself for the events leading up to tip-off?

I’ve been announcing basketball for some time now, but looking back to my first game, I remember trying to be organized and ap-pear to have an idea of what I was doing.

All that was expected that first year was to announce the National Anthem, the starting line-ups, and acknowledge the scoring and fouls. As I became more comfortable with the job, the responsibilities increased as well. The booster club needed an announce-ment, the cheerleaders and drill teams wanted recognition, concessions needed a plug and friendly reminders of the next home game warranted a spot, too.

Today, not much has changed except the amount of time I spend on preparing for the game. Over the course of time, I have incorporated bits and pieces of other announcers’ techniques that help make my work easier. At TCU, the media relations department and marketing staff have a script that contains everything that needs to be announced. From pre-game announce-ments, to the National Anthem, to player intros, to halftime presentations, and to post-game, it’s all there for me.

But a high school game is different. I’m

responsible for the game day presentation, and it has come a long way since my first year. If you are new to this exciting line of work, here is an idea on how to prepare yourself for the game.

I like to arrive early, between 1-1.5 hours before game time. This allows me to set up the laptop, run cables to the sound system, test the microphone, and start organizing announcements. A good announcer always introduces himself to the visiting coaching staff to go over the roster and get the start-ing lineup. Of course, you should already have a good relationship with the home team head coach and staff. I’ve pre-loaded onto my laptop warm-up music (which has been screened for appropriateness) prior to the event. The coaches and players all have their favorites.

The National Anthem is also loaded onto the PC as well, in case it is not performed live by a student. Prior to announcing the National Anthem, be sure the singer is present. Veteran announcers can tell you the number of times when a scheduled performer never showed and left them hanging. So, it’s always good to have a backup ready.

Player introductions are the best time of the game for me personally, and we have a good time at Burleson High (TX). If the sound system allows it, a good upbeat song playing in the background will make your introductions exciting.

During the game itself, be attentive to the task at hand. Don’t let yourself be “caught up” in the moment and spoil your hard work. During halftime, if there is no entertainment, I usually play a few songs, remind the fans to visit the concession stand, and announce the next home game. Post-game is a simple wrap up of the score, reminder of the next game, and a pleasant “good night” to the fans.

I’m all about fun, but at the same time real-ize the P.A. announcer’s job is an important part of the game. The tips I’ve shared work well for me, and can work for you too. Have fun, and enjoy the game.

Having a timeline is imperative for staying on time. At the bottom is a sample of the timeline that I use when I announce a Burleson High School basketball game.Smith announces for the TCU Horned Frogs covering baseball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer and volleyball, swimming and diving, and is the internal P.A. announcer for TCU football. Now in his 29th season, he also announces for the CHL’s Fort Worth Brahmas Hockey team (Fort Worth, TX), the Burleson ISD Athletic Department (Burleson, TX), as well as the Fort Worth ISD (Fort Worth, TX). He is the 2012 College Bob Sheppard P.A. Announcer of the Year.

Countdown to Tip-off By Jeff Smith, TCU P.A. Announcer, Fort Worth, TX

Credit: NFHS

Credit: TCU Athletics

Watching student athletes compete is the reason fans attend games and events.

Timeline for a 7:30 tip-offActual Time Game Clock Protocol

6:00 90:00 Arrive at BHS arena for set-up of laptop, test of sound system, and gather announcement info.

6:45 45:00 Start music for pre-game shoot around.

7:00 30:00 Welcome the players to the court.

7:10 20:00 Pre-game announcements: A general welcome followed by concessions and booster club announcements.

7:25 05:00 National Anthem

7:27 03:00 Player Introductions

7:30 00:00 Tip-off

9

The Voice

Wrestling With Personal Announcements

Wrestling is an intense and highly

competitive sport. By its nature, it involves the crowd at liter-ally an intimate and personal level. But there always seems to be a fly in the oint-ment. Regardless of the excitement level or intensity of the contest, occasionally

someone in the audience or even among the wrestlers wants me to announce a birthday, ask someone to the dance,

By Charles Hopkins, CPAABlackfoot, ID

or just say hello to their friends. These well-intended requests interrupt the flow of the match and don’t really fit well into the script or event. Furthermore, they trivialize and devalue the primary role of the P.A. announcer.

The athletic director and I identified this as a problem. We adopted a solution that fixed the problem. We only announce items specific to the current contest, sponsor advertisements, school activities, and official or emergency announcements. No personal announcements are allowed.

While we understand the fun and excite-ment individuals get when they hear their

names announced over the public address system, we felt it more appropriate to restrict extraneous announcements. The contest and its action are not interrupted by inap-propriate and unnecessary announcements. This policy has proven to be successful and is appreciated by our athletes, coaches, and spectators, because it keeps the focus on the event and enables us to maintain our professionalism.

Hopkins has announced athletic events for Blackfoot High School for approximately 21 years. He works football, boys and girls basketball, wrestling, occasional state level softball tournaments, and a variety of events at the school and in the community.

GAME OPERATIONS sponsored by

Charles Hopkins

The Voice

10

1. FalseIn high school the 1:00 minute remaining announcement should be made in the fourth quarter. In college the announcement would be made in the second half. The purpose of the announcement in college is to remind or indicate to officials that the clock is stopped after a made basket with under 1:00.

2. FalseThis is also a personal and a team foul which should also be indicated.

3. TrueAt home, the visitor’s squad should be an-nounced first, followed by the home team. In the case of playoff games or champion-ship games, certainly the “neutral” court can be further advanced by alternating starters visitors-home, visitors-home, and so on.

4. TrueThe referee will help with this with a signal to the head table that the shot was a two-point shot, if it is close, but inside, the 3-point line. Fans know that a basket inside the three- point arc is two points. Announcing two-point baskets as two-point

baskets would not be inline with accepted announcing guidelines. It’s analogous to announcing a field goal in football as, “Three-point field goal...” or “Tiger field goal by Dayton Mills is good for three...”

5. FalseJust like the crowd making noise during a free throw attempt, it’s just bad sportsman-ship (although it happens a lot on every level). Officials differ on how quickly they indicate the number of shots and get the ball to the shooter. Every effort should be made to have the announcement finished before the ball is given to the player.

6. FalseMust” is the operative word. It’s always a good practice to introduce the person en-tering the game, along with the player leav-ing the game. However, there are situations where this is nearly impossible time-wise, such as toward the end of a quarter, half or the game when a coach is substituting a “shooter” for a “defensive player” at every dead ball, for example.. If time permits, announcing the players entering the game and the players who are leaving would be ideal. However, when there are multiple substitutions, with limited time, it may not

be possible to announce them all. There-fore, the players entering the game should be announced first.

7. TrueUnless there is a league rule that precludes this, it is acceptable. Oftentimes, there is a prescribed protocol, i.e., F-F-C-G-G, etc.). This becomes a bit tricky in some cases because coaches don’t designate positions consistently, or coaches might start two forwards and three guards.

8. FalseThis depends on the setting. Actually, as-sists should seldom, if ever, be announced. This falls into the category of a statistic that is kept based on the subjective call of the PR or Sports Information person in charge. It’s not an “official” statistic that is kept in the scorebook.

9. FalseThis is unprofessional. A dunk, no matter how exciting or impressive it may be, is sim-ply a basket, which should be announced as any other two-point basket would be announced.

10. A, B, C, D, F, J, K, O, Q

Basketball P.A. Announcing Quiz Answers

Supplemental Information for Question #10C. Not usually. If there is a held ball, it is ac-

ceptable to say, “Home/Visiting team’s” ball on the alternating possession.”

E. The announcement should not be “Three seconds in the lane,” but rather “Three second violation. The announce-ment should not be made until the official has indicated the violation.”

F. The change of possession occurs due to a backcourt violation. The announce-ment should not be “Over and back,” but rather, “Backcourt violation.”

G. Basket interference means that a two-point basket was allowed. Who is to receive credit for the basket is the decision of the official scorer, based on who was interfered with. The name of the player who committed the violation should not be announced.

H. A flagrant foul is a personal foul on the player who committed the infraction and a team foul.

I. This depends. Could mention a change of possession on an illegal screen, and the “Ball to home team.”

L. Announce only in the case of a change of possession, such as “10-second call. Ball to visitor’s team.”

M. Announce only in the case of a change of possession, such as, “5-second count. Ball to home team.”

N. Announcing the foul by name should not be made. Block is a personal foul. You would announce it as you normally would announce a personal foul: “Home team” foul on Bobby Smith. That’s his 3rd personal, 6th team foul.” Charge is a “player control foul,” and should be announced like a personal foul, such as, “Home team foul on Suzy Smith. Player control foul. Ball to visiting team.”

P. Stepping over the line (free throw)--only if there would be another free throw. The announcement would be, “Lane violation. Bobby Smith will shoot the free throw.”

R. The announcement would be, “Home/visiting team ball on alternating posses-sion.”

S. This is a personal foul on the player and a team foul.

T. For a 30-second timeout, the announce-ment would be, “Park Hill timeout. 30-second timeout.”

NOTE: If fans, for some reason, i.e., corners, team bench with players and/or coaches standing, etc., are obstructed from being able to see the action resulting in a call, a corresponding P.A. announcement would be appropriate.

11

The Voice

In an effort to improve the flow of play in high school volleyball, the National Federation of State High

School Associations (NFHS) Volleyball Rules Committee has altered the signal sequence for officials.

The committee approved this significant change to Rule 5-2-1, along with seven other rules revisions, at its January 7-9 meeting in Indianapolis. All changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Rule 5-2-1 now permits the fault-calling referee to indicate the result of a play-point or replay – followed by the nature of the fault. This change allows the scorer to immediately record the score and prepare for other responsibilities, such as substitutions and recording time-outs. The committee said play is more consistent since there is no delay in knowing which team will have the next serve.

“By changing the signal sequence, this will allow the scorer to perform his/her duties of recording the score, then moving on to substitutions, in a much more timely fashion,” said Becky Oakes, director of sports and liaison to

the Volleyball Rules Committee. “This improves the overall opportunity for accuracy and keeping up with play by the scorer.”

Among the other rules changes for the 2013-14 season, four deal with officials’ procedures and mechanics. In Rule 5-3-4b, instead of reporting to the end lines at the end of a set, teams now will be directed to their appropriate team benches. In 5-3-4e, instead of reporting to the end lines at the end of a match, teams now will follow any local or state protocols.

Rule 5-3-4d clarifies the protocol and mechanics for the second referee to follow when conducting the coin toss for

the deciding set, while Rule 5-3-4e states that the second referee shall initial the scoresheet for the final verification of match results.

“I would say that there was an overall trend – not only in rules changes, but editorial changes [as well] – that really focused in on mechanics and protocol of the officials,” Oakes said. “There were several protocols or mechanics that weren’t really addressed, and by not being addressed, there have been inconsistencies in how [the rules] were administered. This [inconsistency] led to other problems, complications or confusion during the match.”

Other changes to take effect in 2013-14 are the use of electronic communication devices. Devices are permitted during a match; however, they may not be used for any review of a referee’s decision. Rule 4-1-4 states that it is no longer an automatic violation for a towel to be tucked in a player’s uniform waistband. Also, Rule 5-1-1 states that all contest officials shall be secured by the host school. Line judges, unless determined otherwise by state association policy, shall be secured in the same fashion. Finally, Rule 11-4-2 grants a special time-out to be called by the referee when a team has an injured player, no time-outs remaining and no legal/ exceptional substitutes available. This will impact only those

teams with six players on the roster.

The complete listing of all rules changes approved by the committee is available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Athletics & Fine Arts Activities” on the home page, and select “Volleyball.”

Volleyball is the third-most popular girls sport and 13th-most popular boys sport at the high school level, according to the 2011-12 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey. There are 418,903 girls at 15,569 high schools and 49,467 boys at 2,180 high schools participating nationwide.

The contact at the NFHS concerning this release and volleyball rules is Becky Oakes, NFHS Director of Sports and Liaison to the NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee.

2013-14 High School Volleyball Rules Changes AnnouncedBy Shane MonaghanGraphic Arts Technician/Editorial Assistant NFHS Publications/Communications Department

NASPAA Note

The 2012-13 NFHS rules changes are on the NASPAA website. All P.A. announcers who announce high school sports are encouraged to review the rules changes for the sports that they announce in the event there are rules changes that could affect the information that they announce.

Becky Oakes Credit; Oregon School Activities Association

12

The Voice

Not A Member?

If you are a P.A. announcer or have the

responsibility of hiring or assigning

P.A. announcers, the NASPAA

would like to invite you to become

a member. The annual individual

membership fee for adults is $30 and

$20 for students. Schools may join

for $69, which entitles them to six

memberships.

“Whether you are a rookie

announcer or a seasoned

veteran, the NASPAA can

help you to become a better

announcer, connect with other

announcing professionals and

provide tools for self-evaluation

and continued professional

growth in the � eld.”

Je� Kurtz, CPAAKent State University P.A. Announcer

and NASPAA Board Member

For information about membership and the NASPAA, go to www.naspaa.net.

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