Sept. 29, 2006

By Tony “Smalls” Ginocchio
Trombone
Park Ridge, Illinois
Class of 2009

Last season, of course, was an exceptionally good time to join the Notre Dame Marching Band. The best seats at the Game of the Century, a free trip to Arizona, and more than 80,000 fans cheering for you every week at halftime are a good enough reason to join, but last year there was an added perk. Both of our regular season losses were decided on the last play of the game, allowing no chance for us to ever give up hope. It wasn’t until the Fiesta Bowl when the Buckeyes scored that one last time did we have the pleasure of hoping for a last-second victory. It was the first game all season where it was clear early on that we would not be walking out of this stadium victorious. After countless Victory March refrains, the “Don’t Stop Believing” halftime show, and with five minutes still on the clock, the band only had one option left: play even louder. From the band cheering through the next drum cadence to the team joining the student section to sing the Alma Mater one last time, our impending defeat gave us all the more reason to show our opponents that we could not lose without being remembered and respected. Not today, and not ever again.

We left the stadium that evening flanked by hundreds of fans cheering not for the final score, but for the band, for the respect and tradition that both schools had for each other. Incredibly, half of those fans wore red. Both bands walked out as heroes for both sides, and now, as the band gears up for another highly anticipated match up against today’s opponent, Purdue, I realize that our job is much more important than I once thought.

A band has to help the fans support their team, but at halftime, it’s also our job to get the entire stadium on their feet, to help people have a good time and remember their experiences here, regardless of how the game turns out. Our games last season were not only fantastic contests to attend as a student, but opponents (and opposing bands) like Michigan State, Navy, and Ohio State allowed me as a band member to maintain these traditions of respect that really make Notre Dame’s program what it is. As we continue this season parading our pride in our traditions, I’m proud to be part of a group that has stayed with the team even when they’re down on the scoreboard, a tradition that commands the respect of our opponents every year, and a band that will never stop believing.