Wednesday without Field Rehearsal: I'm crying on the inside

Tonight is the first real Wednesday without a band field rehearsal since the football season ended. (The night before Thanksgiving doesn't count since no one's here anyway). And in some ways this is sad. As Vice President elect Michael Kettler said during his campaign speech on Monday "field rehearsal is great because the band comes together and plays some music, jokes around and has a good time" (definitely not a direct quote, but a very loose paraphrase.)

I couldn't agree more Mike. I'd say Field Rehearsal is one of the sweetest things about being in the band (besides free stuff all the time). For a hour or so we get to march on the field in the oldest two tiered college football stadium in the country, the same place where the Eagles played for 13 years from 1958-1971 , and home to the nation's largest and oldest track and field events . And the beauty is that we have the whole of Franklin Field to ourselves.

What's really cool is that unlike other colleges and probably most high schools, our field rehearsals are fun times. While we're serious about learning the formations and whatnot, we still joke around and enjoy ourselves on Franklin Field. Like during the one on Halloween when I threw a football right at Joe Coyne who was wearing a Newports cigarette box as a costume. Or the time when Greer tackled Joe.

But without a doubt the best part of Field Rehearsal is something we call Band Football League. After the rehearsal is "over" the real fun starts. Since we still have Franklin Field all to ourselves we play a little pickup game of football. And since it's the band, anyone can play, regardless of skill level. This year alone we had superior athletes like Handsome Hands Tom Tom, to old men like Greer to freshmen sensations like Lauren to our Drum Majoresident Becca and loads in between.

In fact one of my regrets about Basketball season is that we don't have something similar to BFL or to field rehearsal. I mean seriously, how sick would it be to play pick up basketball in the Palestra? Probably sicker than Greer was after playing BFL (just joking, Greer did awesome).

UPDATE: Today's the first Saturday since the start of the year (Thanksgiving weekend aside again) that didn't have a football game. Unlike last Wednesday, I'm glad about this since I got to sleep in to 2pm. Nice.