Big Red vs. The Orange

I’m pretty sure spring semester has been colder than fall semester (right up until Cornell Days . . . come to Cornell because it’s always this warm and sunny in Ithaca).

Yeah, right.

Anyway, a combination of the 40 degree rule and less pep band appropriate events means that we haven’t had any four event weekends since hockey ended. (The 40 degree rule was invented by one of the pep band managers and states that if it’s not above 40 degrees outside, we don’t play outside, which is where spring sports tend to be. A pep band appropriate event is one which lends itself to having a band there. In other words, not soccer. “Hey guys, a throw in. Quick, we have five and a half seconds. . . . Never mind.”) In fact, it seems that our only spring sport is lacrosse.

However, due to strange scheduling, we only had two men’s games on the schedule before the rest of their season was away games. I guess we travel mostly with the men’s hockey team, but because we’re extreme sports fans we support the big red when they’re winning all the time, we managed to get enough drivers to get a band over to Syracuse.

This was the same week I had two prelims and an essay due, plus it was right after HEC weekend. I should have been doing homework, but I went to Syracuse anyway. It was worth it. I rode in the percussion car next to a snare drum, and although Google thinks you can go 60 miles an hour the whole way, you can’t. Especially when the speed limit’s 30.

It had been wet and drizzly all day, but when we arrived in Syracuse the rain was coming down pretty steadily. (The pep band doesn't usually play in the rain, but Syracuse has the Carrier Dome, which, as its name implies, is a dome . . . with a roof.) We had to walk from the parking lot to the dome, then around the dome because we were told to go in a specific entrance. The best way to describe the experience is wet. At the dome, we waited for most of the band to arrive, then we were given tickets and shown to our section of the bleachers.

Everything was going as usual; we played a few songs, stopped for some ads, played a little more, and then the hockey team and the fan bus arrived. We were expecting members of the men’s hockey team. We weren't expecting everyone to be standing right next to us on the bleachers. After almost being sat on, we finally came up with a solution: use the percussion instruments as a barrier between the band and the fans. The best way to describe what we were sitting next to was a cross between a diehard supporters group and a travelling frat party. (Once we set up the percussion barrier, it was pretty great, actually.)

It turns out that a few of the hockey players really like the pep band (we do show up to all of their games), so for our halftime set, we had a few “guest performers” on the trumpet, drums, and cymbals. None of the hockey players actually play the trumpet, drums, or cymbals.

As for the game itself, we lost, but it wasn't a bad loss, which is where you’re wondering if maybe your team is playing the wrong sport or something. Cornell took an early lead, but Syracuse ended up coming back and both teams traded goals until the final quarter. With a minute left, Cornell was one goal down, had possession of the ball, and there was time for one more play. After an obligatory time out, they started up the field, passed the ball around the goal, took a shot, and watched the ball bounce off the crossbar. And so we lost. Except for the band, because the band always wins.