On Feb. 12, one of Kings’ A Capella groups, “One Knight Only” had the privilege of singing the National Anthem at the U.S. Bank Arena.

The group kicked off the Cincinnati Cyclones game against the Ft. Wayne Komets for a crowd of about 300 spectators – an event the group of 14 needed after going weeks without a performance, according to choir director Scott Hayward.

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“We have been looking for locations and events outside of Kings for our groups to sing and showcase the hard work our students have been doing,” said Hayward.

Accomplishing this task was no small feat, however. Hayward said the group had to record tapes and send them to the Cyclones home office. If they were selected, the office would contact One Knight Only with possible performance dates.

When One Knight Only found out they were performing, the preparation began.

Hayward said the group had learned the arrangement over the summer, stating they “had practiced and performed it for other events throughout this year.” Therefore, practicing the song wasn’t too strenuous. However the singing students still had some work to put in.

“We practiced Mondays and Wednesdays after school to get ready,” sophomore member Grant Abbott said.

The group also practiced right before the game, which is when the nerves began to set it for some. However senior A Capella member Jared Williams said he didn’t view the event any different than he would a simple choir concert in the Kings Auditorium.

“It didn’t feel that different because it was still just a performance,” Williams said.

Contrary to Williams, Abbott stated not everything about the event felt familiar.

“It was different because you couldn’t hear yourself singing. Also people started screaming really loud towards the end of the song, which we weren’t used to,” said Abbott.

All in all, One Knight Only had a great day last Saturday. Abbott felt he was speaking for the entire group as he spoke of the impact of their performance.

“It was a really cool because it got our name out there and was a really cool experience.”