Just Do

I remember in my senior year of high school, I visited the Flyers Wives Fight for Lives Carnival. I got to meet the hardest-working and most humble people out there. Hockey players. I met the gritty Mike Knuble: the man who makes his living in the crease and driving the net. I also got to meet a lot of the alumni.

The Broad Street Bullies. The ones that worked hard, the ones that revolutionized the game, and some of the ones that made a living in broadcasting. One was Bill Clement.

Clement has worked with the best in his career as a broadcaster. He worked with Mike Emrick on Flyers' telecasts. Most notably, he worked alongside Gary Thorne as a color commentator in an illustrious run on ESPN and ABC. He has been in commercials, and now makes his primary living as a motivational speaker for businesses. Apparently, he fetches a pretty penny.

The reason I bring up the affable Clement is because of something I told him. I remember being in line, just waiting to say hello. Then, I said I wanted to be the next Gary Thorne. He asked me, have you ever done it before? Embarrassingly, I hadn't. He said, you need to get to your high school's games. You need to be up in the corner, with a recorder, and just doing it.

It was only about a fifteen second encounter, but it was one that changed my life.

I wouldn't know it right away though. I didn't even attend another Souderton hockey game. They were terrible. I had no clue how to broadcast hockey. I didn't care to embarrass myself in front of people asking "who the hell is this kid? Is he talking to himself?" So I hindered myself, and I regret it to this day.

Since then, I have lived by two words that Clement said to me. They are words not well-received sometimes, but they are simply not arguable. Just do. There is no excuse to just do. There is plenty of opportunity to grab ahold of. Especially for the broadcasters of the future. You are in a dogfight with so many others. The best way to get on top of them is to just do.

I know people would rather take the easy way, but sometimes sacrifices are so necessary to attain what philosophers like to call "the good life." I'll continue to just do.

I'm Millersville University's first, and for now, only ever hockey broadcaster. My name is signed on the infrastructure of the new bell tower with "Shot! Score!" and my signature. Millersville will have a piece of history with the new Student Memorial Center.

Thanks, Bill. Thanks for changing my life in mere seconds.