By Bob Zoellner
A once in a lifetime experience comes along, well, once in a lifetime.
For most people.
Sean Bovelsky of FishHawk gets to do what many people would call “livin’ the dream.” He works behind the scenes in the television industry for his day job, then gets behind the mic as a DJ for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buccaneers for all their home games. As the music director for the Bucs, he’s tasked with playing music for all in-game situations to enhance the action on the field, creating for fans a party atmosphere for their enjoyment.
That Bucs gig was his ticket to the 2021 Super Bowl, just one more experience Bovelsky, with over 20 years in his role with the team, got to enjoy that most people just dream about.
“The most amazing thing for me was that this was the first time ever that a team was the host for a Super Bowl in their hometown, and to be any kind of part [of that] was like nothing else,” he said.
Getting his start in the industry back in high school, Bovelsky, also known as DJ Bolt for the Lightning, has worked at Power 96 in Miami, along with stints at Q105 and Mix 96 in Tampa. His work has also taken him to the 2002 Salt Lake City and 2010 Vancouver Olympics as the DJ for men’s and women’s hockey, as well as the 2016 Rio Olympics for several events.
The Buccaneers played all their playoff games on the road, so he had a little break between the end of the season and America’s biggest sporting event.
Since the NFL brings in its own people to work the game, Bovelsky didn’t get to perform his usual duties during Super Bowl LV. The league wants as much neutrality as possible, but that didn’t mean Bovelsky wasn’t busy.
“I was involved as an audio assistant, which entailed on game day making sure the in-stadium guest hosts on the entertainment stage and on the pirate ship had communication with the main audio operator,” Bovelsky said. “The week leading up to the Super Bowl was all setup of the equipment and lines of communication.”
This wasn’t his first Super Bowl either, as he worked at the 2001 game at Raymond James Stadium between the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Giants.
“There will never be another first of its kind,” he added, still enjoying the hometown team’s Vince Lombardi Trophy. “That was what made it so incredible, and of course the Bucs winning it.”
