By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The day after singing the National Anthem on a national stage, Abby Paskvan was still soaking it all in.
The Bowling Green singer delivered the anthem at the opening of Wednesday night’s session of the Republican National Convention. The performance was broadcast on several networks including PBS. She said her rehearsal earlier in the day was also broadcast nationally on Fox News.
Paskvan said she was “a little nervous” and as a result it was “not my best performance.” There’s “always room for improvement,” she added.
Not that anyone listening could tell. Those who missed it can hear it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHlHvix4YiM.
“I really love that song, and it was a cool environment to sing it in,” Paskvan said. “You have to love that song.”
And the audience doesn’t matter. Asked by Jerry Anderson of WTOL I she’d sing for the Democratic convention if asked, she said, of course. “It’s so much fun. I’m not thinking about who I’m singing for. I’m just in the moment.”
The performance just before 8 p.m. capped what Paskvan, 20, called a “crazy day.” She and her parents, Brian and Becky Paskvan, left Bowling Green at 10 a.m. to go to Cleveland. They arrived, via a backway, without incident and settled into a hotel where they waited for the transportation that would bring them to Quicken Loans Arena where the convention is being held. The level of security was high, she said. They had to pass through three security checkpoints before they even arrived at the gates of the arena.
She had her run through and that went “great.” Then it was off for hair and makeup.
Abby Paskvan, second from left, with Mitchell Gardner,left, and her parents Beckey and Brian Paskvan. (Photo provided)
Afterward she and her family got “to chill” and take in the atmosphere and the speeches. She felt that vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, governor of Indiana, was the best speaker. “He killed it.”
Paskvan said she was confused at first about the negative reaction to Sen Ted Cruz’s speech until someone explained the crowd was angry that he didn’t endorse Donald Trump. She was surprised to hear someone booed.
Paskvan said she was overwhelmed by all the greetings and compliments flowing her way over the social media. The Fox video of her performance quickly garnered 20,000 views.
Support Independent News In Bowling GreenThe family arrived back in Bowling Green in the early morning hours of Thursday morning, and now she’s slipping back into her normal life.
The Bowling Green State University junior has a couple interviews for Wednesday, but otherwise she’s planning a birthday party for a friend. Next week she’ll be back at her summer job at Thrivent Financial in Perrysburg, after the office gave her the week off.
Looking further down the road, Paskvan is considering a career in music. A marketing major, she said she’d normally think twice about an entertainment career but given “all the recognition and support I’ve gotten it makes me think: ‘Could I make this a career?’ More and more, I’m thinking, ‘yes.’”
If she did, she sees herself shifting from Southern gospel into more contemporary Christian, which has a fan base closer to her own age. “That’s where I would head.”
