With the close of our annual band banquet comes the close of 2010 Husky Band Season. And like clockwork, because I am who I am, depression sets in. It will be 9 long months until I see many of these friends again, some have finished their last season and HMB will never look the same without their faces, It will be a long summer until I put my gameday boxers back on and take off the rest of my clothes for a rally. It will be a long offseason as it always is and I will spend many hours dreaming of next year, the anticipation already growing. Husky Band, and Gameday, almost seem like some sort of addiction to me, completely filling the spaces of my life for what feels like so much more than 3 months, and now it’s sudden departure leaves an unfortunate void.
Luckily I have winter drumline to fill that void, and occupy those spaces and provide direction for me, and I look forward (with nerves, no doubt) to basketball performances and some husky ball action in March. But there’s no substitute for Gameday. Capital G, Husky Stadium, center of the universe gameday.
So as a means of closing here are the moments from this past season that will stick with me forever. Of course there are so many more than I can recount here, and so much that I am simply ill-equipped to recount in full, but these are some of the golden moments. Yes there were the glorious wins, the maddening losses, but it seems the be the golden moments in between and amongst them that hold the most for me. These are my highlights:
- USC.
My first away trip. The whole trip was amazing, but the whole time this game against the perennially powerful Trojans loomed, and we hoped for a repeat of the ‘09 victory but you have your doubts walking into the Coliseum amongst a sea of red. That game was tense, so close the whole time. And it games like those where you play your heart out. As if every ounce of your energy, belief, and every pound on the drum can drive the dawgs on the further on the field. They stick the opposing fans in the back corner of the stadium so you play even harder, and scream even louder, because you won’t quiet us, and you won’t stop our team from hearing us. Fourth Quarter, down to the wire. Seconds left and this game is on the line. It’s absolutely electric. Heart pounding, dubs in the air, held breath, electricity. Fourth down Locker pass and it’s within reach. The kind of ending where you don’t want to look at it straight on, as if focusing it will make it disappear like a mirage. I had tears in my eyes when Eric Folk was lining up the winning field goal. My heart was leaping out of my chest and my hands were locked with the drummers around me. That’s a moment that stands still in time for me, I almost couldn’t watch but I did and that ball sailing through the uprights like destiny will never leave me. You know the rest :)
-The Kickoff cadence.
There’s no specific game for this one, but it gets me every time. The first kickoff of the game. All the preparation and pregame pomp for this moment, the electricity and tension of the game to come coursing through the stadium. You can feel it, and as a drummer I can’t wait to lay down a rhythm channel that energy. The cadence starts and I can never help but look back at the crowd around me, all those arms moving in unison is such a powerful image. I think all Husky fans know this one well. Mush Huskies…Mush Huskies…Mush Huskies Mush!
-Postgame at the Apple Cup
I cried here too… :) Towards the game Brad moved the drumline in front of the band to keep us from getting trampled should our fans rush the field (good call). That’s an exciting place to be. What a place of honor at the head of this purple and gold monster of sound, up there you’re just riding a wave of energy. When we won that game it was a total release of excitement and energy, and to top if all off we played Africano and there were Husky fans dancing around me and tears in my eyes. Yes! We’re going to a bowl game! The season’s not done yet
-Pregame at the Holiday Bowl
This was amazing. Here we are, we made it. After everything I’m standing on the field at Qualcomm stadium and it’s huge. It’s gametime, bowlgame, that “pinch me this can’t be real feeling”. The Husker band just got done and their fans gave them raucous applause and then its the UW drumline. Just us and Josh starts Scratch and we play scratch and HMB runs on around us and them *BAM* we’re at attention. There’s this moment of silence, time for one breath. Then the announcer says “THE HUSKY MARCHING BAND” and the crowd goes absolutely ballistic for us. The roar was unlike anything I’ve ever heard before and I’ll never forget it. These fans hadn’t been to a bowl game in ten years, many of theme hadn’t seen the Huskies for many years and they were legitimately thrilled to see us and that’s an amazing crowd to perform for. 30,000 voices yelling “TEQUILA” as one will give you goosebumps.
Moments in passing that will stay with me forever. Faces of friends I will miss and love. And an insatiable craving for next season, and a terrible sadness for a season ended. but a good season, no a great season, the best season I’ve ever had, and I’m thankful for these memories. To all of my HMB and HMFD family, I love you guys and I’ll see you next Gameday.
Go Dawgs!
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