The Rock band will play on
SLIPPERY ROCK — Never has a name been more appropriate than that of the Slippery Rock University's marching band, the Marching Pride.
“I am so excited,” said Mikayla Ridgeway, who is one of three drum majors in the band and an early childhood and special education major. “At SRU, we are making history.”
Two undefeated teams, Slippery Rock and Minnesota State, will play in a NCAA Division II semifinal Saturday. The winner will travel to Texas for the national championship game.
Ridgeway, a junior who played flute in the marching band in her freshman year, said the atmosphere at the end of each of the team's victories has been increasingly electric.
“It's a snowball effect of excitement as the season has played out,” said the South Park native.
The band cannot perform their halftime show this Saturday, as some of the 175 to 180 members are graduating that day or playing or singing at the graduation ceremony across campus.
Instead, about 100 enthusiastic band members will perform in the stands Saturday.As finals are over Friday, they could have headed home for the winter break, but would not bail out on the football team.“We have to make sure we keep the crowd excited and pump up the team,” Ridgeway said.She said band members feel they are supporting the players and sustaining their fighting spirit by cranking out pump-up music at each game.“We have literally stood every game,” Ridgeway said. “We can't sit down. We have to keep playing.”She appreciates that SRU officials have kept the dorms open and allowed students to stay for the weekend so they can watch the game.Ridgeway can't wait to direct the band in the stands and support the players, who have in turn praised the band.“The campus is abuzz,” she said.
Jonathan Helmick, the marching band director and a music professor at SRU, is every bit as excited about the game as the band members, who he knows will never forget this moment in their university career.“The students are really pumped,” Helmick said, “especially the seniors and upperclassmen because they've been here for four years and now they get to see the team get this far in the playoffs. It's history.”He said the band members didn't hesitate when told they could go home and start their winter vacation or stay and support the team.“Some of them have rearranged their vacation plans to be here,” Helmick said. “It's really awesome to see the students band together — pun intended — with their colleagues.”He said the band has also enjoyed watching the coach and players interact.“Coach's faith in his players never stops. They never quit and it is so expiring,” Helmick said. “To watch that kind of teamwork and camaraderie is sensational.”
Alaina Stroud, a native of Hopewell, Beaver County, and a music major who plays trumpet in the Marching Pride, agrees that the band supports the football team through learning new music to energize them up each weekend.“I think we have some of the greatest people in our organization and we feel pretty lucky that we have a team that is as good as they are and supports us as an organization,” Stroud said.She said the band has been praised on social media for its hard work and talent this season.“There was a comment that said we are the best band in Division II,” Stroud said.She summed up the thoughts of all who are anticipating the gridiron showdown on Saturday.“We are so proud of what they have done,” Stroud said. “Go Rock!”
