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BALL GAME — Everyone has been betrayed by their nerves at least once in his life.
I began taking violin lessons when I was 5. While I enjoyed playing in groups, I quickly learned that solos threw my body's normal operation into a spastic fit. My fingers would turn icy and I'd clench my teeth as all my fear of failure bounced around my brain like ping pong balls.
Playing a string instrument when your limbs have become simultaneously leaden and boneless proves to be antithetical to producing a good sound. I'd try and play normally, but the bow would bounce and my fingers wouldn't always land where the notes on the page dictated they should. I always ended a solo performance red-faced and promising myself I'd only play in groups where I wasn't the primary focus of attention.
That same internal 5-year-old who couldn't perform in front of crowds felt similarly anxious when I watched a video of a boy named Ethan singing the Australian national anthem before a baseball game.
The video, put out by ALBtv.com on YouTube, has gained viral status because of Ethan's ability to power through his body's duplicity. Whether the yips were a nervous tick or just an untimely case of the hiccups, Ethan is a hero to all of us reluctant performers.
I have no doubt he'll live to sing again, although I don't know how you can top such a perfect rendition — hiccups and all.