morgannn

geeeze....i went in to like detail writing it out for you!! i even put it in to football terms honestly kev-o you are too stuck on being right... and i hope you read that entire post i did before this one because i only told the truth and yes, we are musicians...musicians doing a physical, enduring activity

http://www.montana.edu/news/1094594517.html (go look at that) Okay. In defense of the football team - you guys work very hard, congratulations. i KNOW you guys practice a lot & do many things that require athletic ability. that is wonderful...it is great you all have that kind of skill. i really do appreciate it. yes, the band is the entertainment at the football games. even though we are the entertainment, we are still engaging in an activity that requires a certain level of skill and endurance. the football games are for the football players, not the band or cheerleaders. the band and cheerleaders are there to support the team and get the crowd excited. now... a sport...as said/defined before it is a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs. marching band IS a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs at marching band competitions...competitions...as in competing...depending on the size of the competition, a number of bands come to COMPETE...each band takes about 8 to 10 minutes to show off its skill...that is 8-10 minutes of marching in hot weather in a suffocatingly hot uniform while playing difficult music and having correct marching basics, and hitting forms, and not getting run over or falling down (if we fall down & get hurt we don't stop), and all the while remembering where to go. and we have learned this show (like plays for football players) by practicing every day in the hot weather. we are supervised by the band directors (like the football coaches) on how we are performing...and like football coaches, they yell at us for not focusing or doing our best...like in football, people get injuries and such at the competitions we are scored on our performance and skill...(just because football is not scored like that doesn't mean other sports such as OLYMPIC sports like -diving, gymnastics, ice-skating etc aren't!! try telling someone like Kristi Yamaguchi that she isn't an athlete because her and some other ice skater is not facing head to head against one another!!!) many people do come to watch the marching band competitions....it is full of people cheering on the bands and truly interested in seeing hundreds and thousands of talented kids as for how hard or tough marching is for a particular person...that is just based on the person...i am sure football comes natural for some people and others have to work at it...just like marching band the band (team), has band directors (coaches)...we practice (practice), outside (outside) for long hours... & during the show at competitions(football games) we have to make the right forms (plays) in order to look good (not get a foul) to the judge (referee) ...and without a lot of deduction in points (lots of fouls or mistakes) the judge (referee) will not give us a bad score (when a football team is making a lot of mistakes and getting a lot of fouls they normally don't do too well)...so with all of that together, the band (team) can win...thank you very much!

I did see that post you made, and I was happy you posted that. Listen, it does take a certain level of athletics to march an entire show. Whether you get that or not, oh well. I personally don't think football is easier...I don't know since I don't play. & you don't know about marching since you are not it the band. I just really wish you would give us more credit for what we do in the half time show. It is not just walking around, whatsoever. The band watches the football team, but I don't think any football team takes the time to watch the band.

Dearest Kev-O: Thank you SO much for evaluting every little thing I said! That was very sweet of you! Anyway, I would love for you to join the band. I will start you out with a 25 pound sousaphone (the big shiny instrument!!), with a wool uniform, and all the extra stuff we use. I would love for you to learn our drill (those forms we make out there!!), march properly, and then have to high tail it off the field because of the rules that half time cannot run over. I would like you to know, we have this thing called a preview show. It was held last Thursday, and guess what?! Lots of people showed up!!! We do not get a break during third quarter so I don't think we are annoying anyone. I also hope you know that the band is in no way against the football team. We work our butts off to make a show for the halftime & suuport them. & it stinks when people like you don't give us credit when all we do is support the football team. We even go to away games...& guess what...we don't get air conditioned buses with a steak and potatoe dinner. We get the yellow buses with a stop at a food court. I wish people like you would just stop and take the time to appreciate us.

Honestly volball, you are making yourself look bad and giving fans like yourself a bad name. The band is NOT commited to playing on extra Saturday games. That is not saying that we wouldn't want to, we just need notice. You obviously do not know the time we put in to this program and special care the equipment we use needs. We have 150 members, it is not that easy to get in contact with all of them. And You should feel an obligation to be polite about these things because we work hard too. It is sad when the kids on this forum have more courtesy and politeness than the adults do.

To you all who think no one comes for the band-- Correction, at Tullahoma High School many parents come to watch the band's half time show. Don't get me wrong, they also come for the game. Band is a sport. We are outside sweating every day to create a half time show. We are playing an instrument (that uses oxygen if you did not know), we are marching at a fast pace (it is not just walking around), and we are in very thick material uniforms. I would like all of you who think it is very simple & easy to give it a try.

I am a member of the band and I am very offended by this post. I (along with the other 150 members) have been working very hard every day in the 100 plus temperatures to create a show for the football game half time shows. We were at the game Friday night but it was cancelled due to the inclement weather. We all hurried inside saddened that the game was being delayed. At the time we were in there, no one knew if the game was going to be canceled or not. Many soaked parents and friends just wanted to get home and dry off. The Colemans made a respectable decision to let us go home. The equipment we have is very expensive and we needed to take proper care of it. Since many did know the status of the game, many did not know if it would be completely cancelled or not. If we were to attend the next day's game the Coleman's would want 100%. To get 100%, 150 plus people would have to be notified. I am sorry you think we are "sissies" for not attending and we get in the way, but I personally know football players who really do appreciate us. I wish we could have gone too, but there was simply not enough time to notify everyone. It is not fair of you, an adult, to bash a wonderful organization filled with respectable young adults.