There is a large group of students each year that attends every Carolina football game. They are faithful fans who are there when we win and there when we lose. They stand loyally for their Gamecocks in the freezing rain, hot sun and sometimes temperatures as low as the teens.
They work all day on marching and playing skills only with two breaks for lunch and dinner, then return to march and play till 10, sometimes 11 at night. Band camp does not end when classes start; it continues for a few more days before regular practices take place.
And regular practices are not a piece of cake either. You are outside Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, marching in all kinds of weather for around two and a half hours. Then the band is present from seven in the morning on Saturdays for practice before games. They then put on uniforms, and are present at the stadium all day.
That means four, sometimes five if you take in travel times, days of the week that the students in the marching band are devoting themselves to this university. It takes great dedication and pride to work hard in order to please the students during pre-game, during the game, and at halftime. The Carolina Band is usually among the first to arrive inside Williams-Brice, while most fans are still tailgating in the parking lot.
They are always last to leave the stadium, not getting home until very late. The band often helps out the cheerleaders by responding to their cheers or by helping to start them, often when the student section is being unresponsive. They have to play when we are winning or losing, and are expected to be examples on correct sportsmanship and behavior in the stands for other students.
Maybe it’s the students that should be “evaluated” for their conduct and behavior in the stands, which I do not have to explain in this letter. The band is much louder, and their marching is way better, since I was a member. It is also unfair to compare them to South Carolina State, when they are a show band specifically. Most college marching bands are not show bands, which usually do tours, and sometimes go to competitions. SC State’s band is a great band, but so are we in a different way. Our membership averages around 250-300 people.
We have one of the biggest bands in the Southeast. They do not need to be miked up to be heard like Clemson’s or Furman’s bands. They travel to bowl games and this year, the SEC Championship. If they can not send the whole band, a pep band will travel to away games. While there is always room for improvement, it is unfair to say the band is not held to the highest standard when they work just as hard as the cheerleaders and the football team.