migblog

the final score for the california golden bears versus the southern mississippi golden eagles: thirty-four to two. the game was more than exciting and more than an amazing feat performed by the football team; it was the culmination of weeks of anticipation and the purging of so many emotions felt by the general student body. i'm sure i wasn't the only one feeling antsy about this game -- the entire student section was ready.

and more importantly, i could never have been prouder of being a bandsman.

the newmen this year are so lucky to have been blessed with such good tidings: ftp was a blast, the game was a magnificent win, no horrendously intimidating bass players, no gak, having an unusually large newman class -- i can go on for a bit. but the most important thing now is that they are part of something much bigger than they would ever have anticipated. joining this organization means so much (to the point of life-changing, i would even say).

hearing the campanile toll "sons of california" sent chills up and down my spine, reminding me of this time last year when we had all scrambled from the game to get ready for silent walk. i felt ridiculously overdressed, cold, and more than a bit overwhelmed. it was a change when everyone experienced the win over baylor university. it was a change when policies had changed from those of years before. and in the end, everyone grew into whatever space we were given, comfortably, and we all appreciated it in the end.

the campanile tolled "hail to california" and "stanford jonah" afterwards, reminding all of us in that alcove of stephens hall of our newman year, of our silent walk, of how we love this university and how we follow those charges and challenges given to us by the organization. the band is a completely different experience from that of high school: you hear a delighted "wow" instead of a disappointed "oh" whenever you tell anyone you're in the band, and there's a high level of respect from peers and faculty just by that fact. it feels amazing to be appreciated in this university, to hear "cal band great" after a performance in front of seventy thousand people in memorial stadium in any given game day.

"all hail" capped off the tolling of the campanile, signalling that the newmen have just been given another charge. we then stood up, the rest of the director's assistants and i, as well as the musical activities committee, and sang "toast to california" as the newmen arrived at another station of silent walk. the sound of our voices in harmony sounded, from where i was standing, simply inspiring.

the reverence of silent walk continued as we walked into memorial stadium, the score beaming the wondrous victory of the afternoon. the oldmen all lined up for the pinning ceremony, and for the newmen to receive their final charge. it felt great seeing their faces morph into smiles and misty eyes, hearing them talk about the rush of pregame and the butterflies for halftime, and reliving the overwhelming sensation of hearing a crowd of peers yelling and applauding for their first performance of the season.

up in the hall of fame room, for as long as it lasted, the newmen pretty much took everything the oldmen had worked towards for granted. they all seemed confused as to why all of us were amazed that no one overshot the wedge in pregame, or how easy it seemed for the team to garner a win (granted, i felt like that last year, but it's still taking a little getting used to). at the end of the day, as many people have already put it, silent walk is taking those charges and fulfilling them, whether or not the score on the board reads a win for the bears. fact of the matter is, there is a score, and we do whatever it takes to keep spirits up and morale high.

once a cal bandsman, always a cal bandsman.

to the newmen: welcome, officially, to the university of california band. we entreat that you take on these charges we give you: to serve the university with all of your heart, to remember who you are and what you represent for you are now a proud custodian of the california spirit, to meet and surpass the standards set by your predecessors, to carry the california spirit with you always and to impart it to others, and to perform to the best of your ability at all times. you've all done an amazing job, and we are more than proud and happy to call you fellow custodians of the california spirit.

a day has now passed, everyone recuperating from the rush and the hullaballoo of the first week of class and the first game, despite some of the more unfortunate incidences of the past two weeks. it's been a good burn so far. i just hope it doesn't turn into a burn-out.

go bears. that's all i need to say. it explains everything i'm feeling this week.

go bears.

posted by Open Source Food @ 12:44 AM