It’s a tradition. We stand, put our hand over our heart and sing the national anthem before sporting events. Without this tradition, the game just cannot go on.

While some sporting events, like the Super Bowl, have a celebrity singer belting out the lyrics to the national anthem, smaller events get by with a recording of the song.

At a small town in Ohio, Mechanicsburg to be exact, the Division III District Wrestling Championships were about to begin, but there was a problem.

The plan was to play a recording of the national anthem before the match started, but there were some technical difficulties (technology is only great when it works), and the song simply would not play.

It was not a consideration to start the match without listening to the national anthem first. No, something must be done. Since the recording wouldn’t play, the only other alternative was for someone to sing the song.

Someone spoke over the school’s intercom asking if anyone was willing and able to sing “The Star Spangled Banner.” Nobody volunteered.

Let’s be honest. Many people probably don’t even know all the words to “The Star Spangled Banner,” and it’s not the easiest song to sing. You have to actually be able to carry a tune pretty well for our country’s national anthem to sound better than bad karaoke.

Isaac Bryant, one of the wrestlers waiting to compete, was taking a nap. He was oblivious to the situation going on and the technical difficulties until his friend shook him awake and told him to sing the national anthem.

Bryant knew the song and had sung it before as part of a choir, but he had never sung it solo. For a half-awake wrestler, it had to seem like an odd way to wake up by being told to sing before he could wrestle.

Bryant stepped up and volunteered to sing the national anthem. We’re pretty sure nobody was expecting the song to be sung so very well. He may enjoy wrestling, but he might want to focus on singing. Boy does he have a voice!

Thankfully, someone recorded Bryant’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” or the world may never know what an amazing voice this 17-year-old has! See for yourself.

Do you know all the words to “The Star Spangled Banner”? Would you be willing to sing it by yourself in front of an audience?