Opinions matter.

[DampRobot]

Originally Posted by wasayanwer97

Don't know who it is, but whoever announced this match:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54KG...5DD2A31081788D

And I thought I was the only one to have found this gem...

[coalhot]

Originally Posted by DampRobot

And I thought I was the only one to have found this gem...

1-up, even better match. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHtw-_o88WM

[BBray_T1296]

Originally Posted by animenerdjohn

Marcus from Dallas. Professional sports announcer <3

+1

[plnyyanks]

Originally Posted by dag0620

I'll second that. Eric is an amazing emcee, and a great guy too. A true treasure we have here in New England.

And I'll third that. Eric is a great, nice guy whose energy and enthusiasm is contagious (or is it the monster?), and he's really good at what he does.

For my non-compliance $0.02, I'll vote for Mark Leon. "Do the math, save the world." 'Nuff said.

[TheOtherGuy]

Originally Posted by plnyyanks

For my non-compliance $0.02, I'll vote for Mark Leon. "Do the math, save the world." 'Nuff said.

We have a winner! Best MC, hands down.

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by safiq10

Marcus and Karthik have to be my two favorite MCs. But Grant Cox (I think that is his name) did an amazing job at dallas this year!

Grant did such an excellent job filling in during the competition, that the original person left.

[Tom Line]

I always cross my fingers that if HOT's at a competition, Dave Verbrugge will be too. His memory and the way that he pays respect to every team on the floor is remarkable, and his play by play is great.

[lynca]

This is a great topic. FRC should continue to have great announcers and MCs to keep the spectacle amazing ! I get bored quickly if the announcer doesn't offer any value.

Hopefully we can encourage new people out there to volunteer and WOW us all !

Karthik and Paul were awesome at Waterloo this year. That was probably the best webcast of all time. They need to make more highlight reels of Waterloo as FRC Volunteer training!

But as for events I've seen in person.

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

Kris Verdeyen (Announcer at Alamo and MC at Lone Star) is a pretty phenomenal announcer. I'm pretty sure he has to psychic to make some of his live calls.

Agreed, I've spent most of my time watching Texas events.
Texas Best Announcer - Verdeyen (118)
Texas Best MC - Toss up between Marcus & Needel (2848)

Alamo 2013 semi-finals are a great example.
Marcus doing his thing at Dallas Semi-finals 2014
Did Grant announce for some of Dallas 2014 this year? He was rocking !

[rlowe61]

The best MCs and announcers are those that have a clue about the game and the terminology. Watching a webcast of a regional and hearing the announcer calling the "Hot Goal" a powerball, or calling the "Truss" a trussing was very annoying. I finally got tired of it and went to a different web cast.
As mentors we teach the students to read the rules, understand the rules. I know the Emcees and Announcers are volunteers, but aren't they supposed to know the rules, and terminology that FIRST has put in the rules.
There area a lot of Good announcers and a lot of great announcers, the great ones are unbiased, very well educated on the game and the teams attending. They don't have to read a script, they know where a team is from and what they have done. The script is for reminders.
Great Emcees are those that have a lot of energy and pass it on to the crowd.

These are my opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any team or other individuals.
Have a Great Day and see you in St Louis.

[lerikson]

I asked because I wanted to know I was learning from the right people. I've been doing regionals as both emcee and g.a for 3 years now. I've been taught and trained by Jondarr, Blair, and Matt Murray. I travel with Blair on most occasions so I assume one day I'll be at the top of everyone's list as well.

[lerikson]

Originally Posted by rlowe61

The best MCs and announcers are those that have a clue about the game and the terminology. Watching a webcast of a regional and hearing the announcer calling the "Hot Goal" a powerball, or calling the "Truss" a trussing was very annoying. I finally got tired of it and went to a different web cast.
As mentors we teach the students to read the rules, understand the rules. I know the Emcees and Announcers are volunteers, but aren't they supposed to know the rules, and terminology that FIRST has put in the rules.
There area a lot of Good announcers and a lot of great announcers, the great ones are unbiased, very well educated on the game and the teams attending. They don't have to read a script, they know where a team is from and what they have done. The script is for reminders.
Great Emcees are those that have a lot of energy and pass it on to the crowd.

These are my opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any team or other individuals.
Have a Great Day and see you in St Louis.

This is why emcees, and announcers such as myself are:
1) Requested by higher command
2) Traveling with travel paid for

[Red2486]

I really love the Arizona Regional MC, Korbin. He graduated from an AZ team in Tucson a few years back, but his enthusiasm for FIRST is really incredible- he even has his old team's logo tattooed on his leg!

Really though, Korbin does a fantastic job. Two years ago he spent all day Thursday talking to teams in the pits so he could accurately and effectively talk about them on the field. Each year he also shares personal stories about his experiences with adulthood, and I have seen multiple people be moved to tears by his talks. He is really a great role model and does a great job of representing our event, region, and FIRST in general.

[StevenB]

Originally Posted by SteveB2977

As a new Game Announcer, I would love to know why people love certain GA's.

First, you'll notice that many of the people mentioned here have a long history in FIRST. I'm from New Hampshire, so I'm partial to Andy Grady - he was a student on a team way back in the day, has mentored a team for a bunch of years, and frequents Chief Delphi. He and the others mentioned understand and are thoroughly invested in our sport, and it shows. They know the history and background of teams and games and FIRST as a whole.

Second, they know the teams well. They're able to call robots by their school or team name in the moment, which with 40+ teams is no small task. They're able to comment on particular teams strengths as the matches play out.

Finally, they help focus attention during the match on the things that matter. My eyes can't take in all the action, so hearing a play-by-play can help me follow the flow of the match. They're able to follow the match, watch the score, and cheer on the teams as they succeed. By contrast, one announcer at a recent event had a tendency to get most excited when something broke: "WHOA!! DEBRIS ON THE FIELD!! DEBREEE ON THE FEEELD!" It was a little like a basketball announcer calling out the fact that someone fell on the floor when the ball is suddenly at the other end of the court.

Think about a good sports announcer. They provide additional insight into the game, get you excited about what's happening, and celebrate the accomplishments of the teams. Same with game announcers for FRC.

[Weinberger]

Agree with all other posts here. A good MC/play-by-play announcer makes the day and the matches fly by with fun and entertainment.

I wanted to reiterate how much the state of Georgia misses Sir Charles. He was phenomenal!!

[coalhot]

Originally Posted by Weinberger

I wanted to reiterate how much the state of Georgia misses Sir Charles. He was phenomenal!!

Why'd he stop doing FIRST events?