Platte County’s Joe Ragone had an important job on the final day of the MSHSAA State Swimming & Diving Championships before he even got in the pool.
The senior swam on a pair of relays and brought home an all-state medal from competition on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Joe Ragone
Before the championships started he sang the national anthem thanks to a little bit of help from his dad, Ryan.
Joe Ragone said his dad, who is the manager of QuikTrip in Platte City, is his ‘PR manager’ and got the ball rolling on the event.
His dad emailed an official with MSHSAA to give her an idea that his son was going to be at state and he could ‘kinda’ sing, Joe said. Ragone took part in the PC Voice competition that was held at Wells Bank following the homecoming parade in October.
A MSHSAA official stopped Platte County coach Bret Anderson at the meet in St. Peters and asked about Joe. The Pirates coach showed a video of Joe singing the national anthem at the Suburban Conference meet earlier this month.
“It was all down hill, or rather up hill, from there I should say,” Joe Ragone said. “It was a spur of the moment thing. I was told you are doing it now. It was fun.”
After he concluded with ‘home of the brave’ he handed the mic off and went back in the bullpen as he and his teammates were swimming in the first event of the day.
“It is really something special for me,” he said.