A Snippet of Insanity

After countless bruises, several layers of sunscreen, and several close calls with heat exhaustion, we can finally say that we have completed our second pre-season week with the Baylor University Golden Wave Band (BUGWB). By no means was it easy, but it was sure worth it, and on the plus side we got some wicked tan lines. It's not often that you get to spend a whole week in 100+ degree weather with 300 equally insane people.

 This post was originally intended to be published about... 3 weeks ago, but life (marching band) has taken over. Nevertheless, here we are, 2 football games later, that we won I might add, and yes... more insane tan lines.

Yes..my arm is still hurting.


On a serious note, marching band at Baylor is probably one of the best things that could have possibly happened to Caitlin and I. The hard work and seemingly endless repetition, hours, and sweat put in during the week are worth the 5-8 minutes we get to perform during halftime. There is no way to explain the feeling lining up, getting ready to "Braveheart" run onto the field. Yes, we do yell "For Frodo" or "For Narnia". Every.Time.

Apart from the pretty cool shows we are able to perform (here), the people are my absolute favorite. If I haven't mentioned this before, I march Cymbals with the Drumline and I can honestly say, they are some of the best friends I have ever made. Each person has their own personality and come from all different walks of life. I never thought that I would meet people who freak out over Lord of the Rings as much as we do, who face the same struggles we face, and who are more comfortable in their own skin than any group of people I have ever met. So here's to you Baylor Drumline, thanks for making college spectacular so far.

Now, Caitlin pretty much covered the fashion aspect of our time at Baylor so far, so I figured I would give ya'll a glimpse into what the Marching Band REALLY does 'behind the scenes', if you will.

It's somewhat different for Drumline than it is for the rest of the Band on game day. The band usually arrives about 4 hours before kickoff, and the drum line an hour before that, so 6pm game = 2pm call time. Weekends are usually spent this way, but hey! Gotta love it.

We usually spend the next 2 hours rehearsing in the stadium, and let me tell you that it gets HOT.We should be used to the Texas heat by now, right? WRONG. Practicing in the middle of the day, on AstroTurf that makes you feel like you are walking through Mordor is not pleasant. 

Next on the list is much less demanding. As soon as rehearsal ends, we run up the ramps to play for what Baylor calls "The March of the Bears". Basically it's the band and fans forming a passage for the football players to walk through on their way to the stadium. We play some diddies and tunes and whatnot, and have a grand time.

After we play and dance our hearts out, we have dinner next. One thing that we can always count on are SANDWICHES, or the occasional BBQ or whatever they surprise us with. 

After dinner, guess what happens? Another performance! That's one thing you can always count on is the band playing. If you missed us the first time, we will definitely play again...and again. This particular performance is called "Tailgate", where we go and....play for the Tailgaters for about 10-15 minutes.

And finally...SHOWTIME (kind of). This is when we go down the ramps and get ready for pre- game! Pre- game we do every week without fail, kind of to let everyone know that yes, we are Baylor and this is our fight song.

After this happens, we make our way into the stands for a splendid time of friendly badgering towards the opposing team, nonstop playing, and anticipation for halftime. Every week the show is different, so there are all sorts of things that have to be memorized.

Next comes THE SHOW. Pretty self explanatory.

The last half of the game is spent cheering (and hopefully winning). After the game ends, we load up the gear, and head to campus. If the game starts at 6, we will be snug in our beds by 12:30am(give or take...but mostly give). 

So there you have it. That is what we do. Oh, and we also get some pretty fabulous perks like free food, Nike gear,getting to meet the players (like RGIII), and Bowl trips.

If you have any interest at all in Band, don't hesitate to go right on up and ask questions. 

Thanks for reading!

- Jessica

p.s Oh, and to any of the Baylor Colorguard members reading this, Catilin loves you.