The simple answer to that question as I start my 24th year of announcing is, yes.

If you don’t get nervous about announcing, you probably shouldn’t be doing it anymore.

When I first started, the nerves were always for getting names right and not sounding like a moron.  Now, sometimes I am supposed to sound like a moron, but the nerves are for wanting to put on the best show possible.  And that, in itself, can be unsettling.

When you put a lot of time and effort into a script, anticipating problems that might arise, you find yourself spending two hours writing a script for what amounts to 10 minutes.  Yes, it happens at all levels.

One of the reasons I write my own scripts while announcing, when I can, is because I will already have a certain comfort level when it comes time to read the ads.  Self-scripting is great for calming the nerves; your confidence level is high as you have prepared while writing the words.  What makes me nervous is when someone hands me a script that is poorly written and I don’t have time to prepare.  Reading on the fly is always dangerous, you don’t always know what’s going to be in there and id it will sound right.

But nerves can strike because it is an important game, a lot of people, you have friends or family around, you’re announcing something new, you are trying to impress people, you are trying to impress your boss, or any one of several other reasons.

The key to being nervous is to use it to your favor and use that energy to focus on the task at hand.  It has taken many years to perfect it, but there were nights that we had everything go right with a lot crammed into the production, and I couldn’t tell you who won, the score, or the players that played because I was so focused on doing a good job, and getting everything correct. Now, I have learned how to enjoy the moment and take it all in.

When you feel nervous, just remember to breathe and focus on the next item.  Read your scripts ahead of time and make notes.  You will do great!