After 25 years and thousands of games, I still get nervous before that first mic check.  I still get nervous walking into the venue.  I still get nervous right before the show starts.

Earlier this week, a young sixth grader introduced the Capitals mascot, Slapshot, at his school for an assembly.  It’s a show that Slapshot and I do together and we’ve been to this school before.

About two minutes before we started, I said to the young man, “I still get nervous.  I’ve been doing this 25 years and I still get nervous.  Just remember to take a breath, smile and you’ll do a great job.”

He did a great job following the advice of someone whose been there.

Getting nervous is perfectly OK and may even be a different kind of nervous than it was 25 years ago.  Back then, I was nervous about surviving to announce another day.  To make sure I did a good enough job that exceeded expectations so they didn’t bring in someone else.  Now, it’s more about the show.  Making sure all the elements are there, all the announcements are in place, but still doing a good enough job that exceeds expectations so they don’t bring in someone else.

You want to always do your best, and pushing yourself to do your best will lead to getting nervous.  You examine everything, every word, every song, every situation.  Could I have said that better?  Did I read the script enough?  Should I have practiced saying the names one more time?  Every…little…detail.

It’s alright to be nervous, that’s your mind’s way of keeping you on your toes and not allowing yourself to get complacent.  So when you’re feeling nervous before your next game just remember, there are others who get nervous too!