Even though his home team lost the game, Andrew Schmidt of Niverville will always have great memories from the evening when he got to be a guest announcer for a sport that he loves.
He experienced the Niverville Nighthawks October 14th game from a seat at ice level, with a microphone in hand.
October is Down Syndrome Awareness month and the MJHL team invited Andrew to join their announcer team to help people learn about the condition.
“I’m smart,” he says. “Good thinking, and I love people, I love kids.”
Andrew also loves hockey. Being able to sit at ice level, the sounds of the game are magnified. He says the speed was incredible, watching the fast-paced game added to the thrill of it. But the big hits really drew his attention, adding to the rush of it all.
This street hockey player and fan truly enjoys hockey celebrations, and the Nighthawks came through with a couple of goals that warranted loud cheering.
Being a guest announcer involves a lot more than cheering and high fives. It requires a lot of preparation. When he learned of the gig, Andrew took time to study the job as well as the names.
Andrew says it would be good for people to study Down’s Syndrome because it would help them to better understand who he is.
His mom, Shelley Wiebe-Schmidt, says Andrew has so much to teach us. And she is honoured to have the community come together and celebrate Andrew in this way.