Hawaii Update

The good news (for me, anyrate) is Ches is no longer going to Hawaii. The athletic department said they can't afford to send the band. It sucks for the band, though. I also think it's a big mistake on their part. Ches is upset mostly because two weeks ago athletics promised the band that the entire band would get to go whereever the bowl game was. Two weeks ago, they knew it was a strong possibility that they'd be going to Hawaii. At first, the band was told that only part of the band would be allowed to go. The directors didn't like that, so they told athletics "It's all of us or none of us."

Here's my beef with the situation: Is the football team going to leave home all those players that will sit on the bench? No. Are they going to leave home those players who don't even dress? No. Why should the band have to choose who to bring when they actually use every single person? Well, even that option was taken away from the band.

Here's another problem I have: (and good luck following this bit. Trust me, it's reliable, just a little hard to follow so you may have to read it a couple of times.) My good friend, Tiffany, was just telling me of her friend who's sister is a lesbian. The lesbian's partner works for athletics (I don't know what she does, however). The partner gets to go to Hawaii for the game, and she gets to bring her partner. SO... my friend's friend's sister gets to go to Hawaii with her partner, but the band doesn't. I don't understand why the band can't go!

In 1998 I was attending the University of Idaho (Go Vandals!) and was a member of the marching band (The Pride of Idaho). Our football team was actually pretty good that year, and we were able to attend a bowl game (granted, it was only the Humanitarian Bowl down in Boise, but it was something!). The school paid for the band to attend. Because it was during Christmas break, the school paid for transportation... we had people flying in from Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, Alaska, and Ches and I from Calgary (yes, that was an expensive ticket because it is an international flight). The school (NOT the band) paid for our hotel stay, gave us per diem money for food, and even bought us special coats to wear over our uniforms in case it was really cold (which it wasn't. It ended up being 50 degrees that day, and us color guard girls didn't need the shirts we bought to wear under our sleaveless uniforms!). The Idaho marching band is not a small band. It's not as big as some of those big-time schools, like Notre Dame or something, but it is a large band nonetheless. I figure if the University of Idaho can come up with the money, why can't Nevada? We did more than just play a halftime show and the fight song throughout the game, too. We were involved in a lot of PR stuff, pep rallies, alumni gatherings, and a "half-time extravaganza" that included the other university's band and some hot-shot singer and floats. We won the game, so we had to play at some celebration thing afterward before we were sent home. The other university only brought part of their band, and they didn't even march their half-time show. They did a park-n-bark. Trust me, it did not make their school look good.

If Nevada wants some school spirit in Hawaii, if Nevada wants to look really good in Hawaii, they will send the band. I really think it's a HUGE mistake of them to not find a way to send them. I'm sure they could get the money together if they really wanted to. This is an athletic department we're talking about. They have donors coming out the yin-yang! It's not like a little music department that has to scrimp and save for every little thing and then still get permission from half the world to do anything! I hate politics between the arts and athletics.

On another not-really-related subject... Ohio State will be playing Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. We are very excited, as we are Ohio State fans (Ches served his mission in Columbus, Ohio), we love Notre Dame and our good friend from U of I, Emmett, is one of the band directors there, and one of the local marching bands here in Nevada that both Ches and I worked with this year is going to the Fiesta Bowl. That will be so fun! Wish we were going to Tempe for New Year's now!