As a late-season addition to BENT, I struggled to find my place on the team. I didn’t attend any practices, and didn’t even step onto the field until Regionals. To be honest, I often felt like my teammates didn’t think I belonged. I could hear their doubts in my head, mirroring my own: how would I affect team chemistry? How would I perform? Would my nerves get the better of me when it mattered most?
I felt out of my league — I didn’t come from a D1 school, I hadn’t been coached by elite club players. Plus, I’m a megaphone.
The biggest challenge for me was understanding my role. It was tough to know the best situations to engage; should I echo the force and play calls? Should I use my siren function to summon the neighborhood dogs to lift everyone’s spirits at halftime? Should I use my powerful piezo driver and large bell diameter to talk to my friends on 7 Express and Metro North who were playing at least two full fields away? Or would all of those things get my team a TMF?
But all my worries fell away early Saturday morning of Regionals. We stepped out of the car and I found my voice confidently booming through the mists, joyfully welcoming my teammates to the most important weekend of the season so far. And what do you know — they liked me! The weeks of sitting in the apartment charging my triple-C batteries were worth it. I had finally made it. I knew I could help my friends. No other team had a megaphone, let alone a professional-grade 50-watt megaphone with a projection range of almost a mile. I could make a difference.
As I prepare for my first appearance at the Big Show, it’s crazy to think back on where it all started. Less than two months ago I was in a warehouse in Newark, New Jersey. Just another faceless Pyle-Pro PMP50 Professional Piezo Dynamic Megaphone in the crowd. And now here I am, snuggled next to some cleats and sports bras, on my way to my first Club Nationals. Can’t wait to see you there.
I felt out of my league — I didn’t come from a D1 school, I hadn’t been coached by elite club players. Plus, I’m a megaphone.
The biggest challenge for me was understanding my role. It was tough to know the best situations to engage; should I echo the force and play calls? Should I use my siren function to summon the neighborhood dogs to lift everyone’s spirits at halftime? Should I use my powerful piezo driver and large bell diameter to talk to my friends on 7 Express and Metro North who were playing at least two full fields away? Or would all of those things get my team a TMF?
But all my worries fell away early Saturday morning of Regionals. We stepped out of the car and I found my voice confidently booming through the mists, joyfully welcoming my teammates to the most important weekend of the season so far. And what do you know — they liked me! The weeks of sitting in the apartment charging my triple-C batteries were worth it. I had finally made it. I knew I could help my friends. No other team had a megaphone, let alone a professional-grade 50-watt megaphone with a projection range of almost a mile. I could make a difference.
As I prepare for my first appearance at the Big Show, it’s crazy to think back on where it all started. Less than two months ago I was in a warehouse in Newark, New Jersey. Just another faceless Pyle-Pro PMP50 Professional Piezo Dynamic Megaphone in the crowd. And now here I am, snuggled next to some cleats and sports bras, on my way to my first Club Nationals. Can’t wait to see you there.