EDITOR’S NOTE: Tis is the final article in a five-part series discussing the various types of officials certified by U.S. Figure Skating and how one can get involved.
CALL TO ACTION ANNOUNCERS, ICE TECHS, MUSIC
OFFICIALS ARE IN DEMAND by JULIET NEWCOMER
ANNOUNCERS
Martha Newcomer became a local announcer by chance at a nonqualifying competition in 1990. While sitting in the rink, someone came through asking if anyone would be willing to announce the next event, because the scheduled announcer had not shown up. With a background in singing and announcing for a choral group, she was comfortable in that role and offered to help. Twenty years later, she’s still serving as the chief an-
nouncer for Skate Detroit, announcing events at local non qualifying, high school and intercollegiate competitions, and announcing practice sessions at various national and international competitions, including the 2012 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships. Newcomer was encouraged to go for an appointment but elected not to do so because she didn’t want to make the additional time commitment to travel around the country. Even without an appointment, she’s been able to contribute a lot to U.S. Figure Skating and help many competitions. It’s not necessary to have a television, radio or profes-
sional voice-over background to become an announcer for U.S. Figure Skating. Te most important criterion to start is being comfortable speaking into a microphone in front of a large crowd. Knowing how to use your voice to get and keep people’s attention, being able to speak clearly so you can be understood and being confident in your speaking are impor- tant. Becoming familiar with competition protocol, being able to work with various event referees to keep competi- tions running smoothly, being adaptable (things don’t al- ways go according to plan and you need to be able to handle that) and being well-organized are also important traits for announcers. If you have an interest in giving announcing a try, be-
gin by contacting clubs in your area to see if they could use volunteer announcers for competitions or test sessions. If you enjoy it, you can continue to serve as a volunteer at nonqualifying, select qualifying competitions, test sessions, and practice sessions at national and international compe- titions without earning any appointments. If you would like to announce national and international competition events (not just practices), you can begin pursuing an ap- pointment by contacting the national vice chair for an- nouncers on the Competitions Committee, Carol Nugent, at
usfs_announcers@hotmail.com.
32 APRIL 2012
So far we have provided information on the roles and skill sets of accountants, technical accountants, technical panel officials, judges and referees, and how to get involved in each position. Tis month we will talk about announcers, music officials and ice technicians.
MUSIC OFFICIALS Prior to becoming a judge, Hayley Pangle became a music official by a
fluke. She was volunteering at the registration desk at her club’s annual com- petition when someone pulled her aside and asked her to help play music, as the music officials were stretched thin. She gave it a try and really enjoyed it. “I felt that this would be my outlet to give back to the sport I love,” she
said. Basic knowledge of audio equipment, figure skating competitions and
their protocols and ability to work as part of a team are part of a music offi- cial’s skill set. In addition to playing the music for each competitor, music of- ficials might also be responsible for setting up and tearing down equipment at some competitions. Music officials also need to be able to troubleshoot problems such as determining why a skater’s CD won’t play or fixing the quality of the sound if it isn’t good. As with announcers, people do not have to be certified as music officials
to serve at nonqualifying competitions, and the biggest need for these of- ficials is at the hundreds of local nonqualifying competitions held each year. If you have an interest in becoming a music official, begin by contacting
clubs in your area to see if they could use volunteers for competitions or test sessions. If you enjoy it, you can continue to serve as a volunteer without getting certified. If you would like to pursue an appointment, contact the national vice chair for music on the Competitions Committee, Ellen Funk, at
sk8erinafunk@aol.com.
Music technician Peter Zurlinden, right, plays a key role at competitions across the country.
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