Well if that last list didn't tip you off, yes I am in the husky marching band. Every week or so we have a newsletter come out and one of our clarinet players has taken to writing a column about the traditions we have as a band and as sections. This isn't exactly humor, but some of them can be rather funny so I thought I'd post it. These are not all of them and the others will be added as the newsletter comes out.
The Most Important Tradition
We have ToC. "Touch of Class" is more important than anything else we do. Above all else, we respect our school, our fans, our team, ourselves, but even more so, we respect our opponents. Whether in full uniform or husky casual, always we must set the standard for conduct, spotrsmanship, and respect wherever we go. This means that we clean up after ourselves, we do not lower ourselves to the conduct of hostile fans, we do not boo other teams or bands, and most especially, we treat everyone, whether we love them or hate them, with respect. (I must admit as an aside that ToC is one of the many reasons I love playing in this band. I've played many many years of competitive sports and was constantly dissapointed at the level of class and sportsmanship that prevailed in the leagues. This was a wonderful change of pace.)
R*** B***
The phrase "R*$e B**l" is never to be spoken aloud in the band unless singing "Louie, Louie", or perhaps when mentioning the Rose Bowl Stadium. After winning the PAC-10 championship, then everyone is encouraged to say "R*$e B**l" as much as they want to.
Victory Caps
Band members may only wear their HMB baseball caps backwards immediately following a football win. By the following monday caps must be worn normally.
Celebration
After winning a game, baseball, football, soccer, or whatever, we play Celebration. A superstition of not rehersing or playing that song has developed over the years. So practice it induvidually, but really don't play it in public unless we have just won the game. (A rather interesting note on this. Our conductor called this up the other day because it needed some work and the entire band got nervous and proposed alternate ways to practice to avoid the "whole band" clause. He thought this was funny in the, "you really don't believe in that do you?!" type way. Nevertheless, we didn't play it.)
The Wave
Yes, "the Wave" was created in Husky Stadium by our former director Bill Bissell and the Yell King Rob Wells. Ironically, we do not do the wave much anymore, but hopefully the tradition can be revived.
1st Downs
Every time we get a 1st down we play a ta-da starting on concert a-flat, and continuing up chromatically for ever successive first down in one possession. The most we have played consecutively is seven. (**Edit: I have been informed by someone who dropped by my guestbook that in '85 with Jacque Robinson as our running back we actually played *NINE* Ta-das. Thanks Doug!)
Throne Room
In order to pump up the Husky defensive line, the band will play Throne Room (From Star Wars) on a 3rd and short play, or some other key play, usually inside the Red Zone. It is even better to play it several times in consecutive plays, as a former associate director loved to do.
