Handing Over The Mic

Friday night was our son’s first high school basketball game, along with all boys basketball teams of every age.

Annually they play a team called the Vipers, who have special needs and are incredible and inspiring to watch, as we boo our sons and cheer on this visiting team.

It’s quite an experience.

They rarely let a dad be the emcee until last night and, if you guessed it was me, you guessed wrong!

The team actually doesn’t know that’s the kind of thing I do all the time for events…hahaha!

Instead the duties went to my dear friend, Tyson Brooks, who is in sales & marketing, to be The Voice of the night.

He finally got the mic to announce his son’s game (which he’s wanted to do for a long time), as his son is one of the stars of our JV/Varsity team.

When we arrived it was quickly realized there was not the right equipment to make it happen, as an administrator didn’t arrive to set things up.

Racing home, I rifled through bins of equipment, dusted off my old mixer, and grabbed every cable in the house to return to the school just in time to plug in and support my friend, while I played the role of “DJ” on the music.

To say Tyson was good at being The Voice of the event would be an understatement.

I mean, he grabbed the mic with both hands…that’s not someone who’s holding back.

Think of the most hyped NBA game announcer introducing the home team, mixed with every Spanish Soccer announcer that’s ever yelled, “Go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-al!” until he’s out of breath, and you’ll get the picture.

Tyson had been unleashed to do something he’d always wanted to do: Announce, Emcee and Host this game.

I wish I had video, as my phone was running the music, but I wanted to record the entire experience of Tyson as announcer, while I sat there laughing at all he was saying, which was amazing.

Luckily, his awesome wife, Aly, put these posts and videos up on Instagram of this special event if you want to click on the photos below to watch and listen –

Dad announcing his son, Luke!

Yes, this is the same Luke from this post earlier this year.  We like this young man, a lifetime family friend.  One of the best kids there is.

The night was outstanding.

The boys played well, the cheerleaders rah-rah’d, the dance team pumped up the crowd, the drum line hit all the right beats, as parents and coaches cheered for the Vipers to beat our team.

Vipers won.  Crowd went wild.  Tyson announced every player’s name, their accomplishments highlighted (which he’d prepped and gotten prior to the game, like a true pro), while making funny commentary throughout the evening.

At the end of the night, it was so fulfilling to sit and watch everyone come up and compliment my friend after the game, and not say a thing to me, as I just sat there and smiled, watching him shine and get the well deserved accolades.

It made me so happy for him.

I also knew how sore his throat and voice must be, and what a high he was on for having just done something so amazing that everyone loved, making the night far better than it had been done before.

People asked if he was going to leave his day job to start this new career.  Yes, he was THAT good!  A new Signature Move identified, clarified, and magnified!

Truth is: Sometimes we have the mic, sometimes we plug it in, hand it over, and get to be the support person that no one notices.

As people who live The Promise, whether we are the star of the show, or get to help others be the star of their show, it is with a heart of gratitude we get to be a part of the game in any way, shape or form.

The Promise is to show up, do all we can with what we have, and help others live out their dreams, goals, and adjust the dials just right, so everyone wins.

This week I’m thankful for so many of God’s great blessings as we roll into Thanksgiving, and mostly I’m thankful today to watch, and sometimes get to help, those around me succeed.

Some of the best events I’ve ever done are when I’ve handed over the mic.

~ Jason Hewlett

Husband, Father, Writer, Mentor, Hiker

• Speaker Hall of Fame * Award-Winning Entertainer * Promise Legacy Project Coach
• World’s Only Keynote Speaker utilizing entertainment, musical impressions, and comedy to Create Legendary Leadership through the Power of Commitment
• Author of “The Promise To The One”

jasonhewlett.com