Who is Anna?

When you open Yik Yak, you may see a whole bunch of posts, ranging from, “Anna please play…”, “10/10 music taste,” “Anna, can you aux at afters?”, “Is Anna on aux?”, and so on. One post that sticks out more than most asks simply, “Who’s Anna?” That is a great question—who is Anna, and why is everyone posting about her once a week? 

Let me introduce myself—Hi, I am Anna Gatto. I am the girl who runs aux for the Ice Knights hockey games. I am a first-year communication major with a concentration in media and journalism here at SUNY Geneseo. I am from Long Island, New York. I write for The Lamron, and I work at the sports games.  

Now, you may be asking yourself—how did a little first year take control of the music for the whole arena? That is a great question. Back in high school I was in DJ club and stage crew (so cool), and when I wasn’t running around after school doing my activities, I was playing hockey on my high school's district team and on a club team. I was the only girl on both teams, and though it was quite a challenge for me, I played anyway.

Hockey is a huge part of my life and who I am. It was also a huge factor in picking a college to go to. I went to many West Point hockey games, National Hockey League games and junior games. I always paid attention to the songs they played, because I always had a knack for music. 

When I came to Geneseo, I spent the first week of classes emailing people left and right to find ways to get involved with the hockey world. My dream is to work with an NHL team, so why not start here, where I have so many opportunities? I kept asking around to see if I could help out in any way, since I have experience playing hockey and helping out teams. I mentioned that I played music for my high school games, and it all went up from there. 

In high school, I was given the opportunity to play music for the football games, pep rally and homecoming. I would play the team's walk-out song and the music for half-time, then I would go hang out with my friends and watch the game. It was much more laidback than what I do now—now, things are much more nerve-wracking. 

During games, I keep my phone on silent, make sure all my playlists are lined up and that my notes app is open with all the files that I need. I have to make sure I play the songs at the right parts during the right times, but I also want to make sure that everyone enjoys the music. I’ve always felt that music has so much to do with memories, and I want the songs that I play to spark happiness and good memories for everyone listening in the Ira. I also want to make sure our Ice Knights get pumped from the music I’m playing. I often think: if I was playing on the ice right now, what song would I need to hype myself up?

I try to consider everyone's interests when deciding what music I play. I want the fans to walk out of the arena when the game is over, win or lose, with a big smile on their face because I played one of their favorite songs. It makes me so happy when I read all the positive posts on Yik Yak. I love what I do, and I hope everyone has a good time when they are listening to the music I play.

So, that’s who Anna is. I look forward to the next three years of playing music for everyone!