Our 50th Anniversary Homecoming is a story of growth, evolution, diversity, inclusion...and most importantly Magic and Love. Some things NEVER change...and we are ALL uniquely blessed by that extraordinary constant.
The Pregame drill we all know by heart was written by Don Wilcox around 1975 to both accommodate a growing organization and as a gift of love to former students so they would continue to feel a dose of the magic. For over 40 years, the drill has not changed except to “amoeba” the pictures to accommodate larger numbers of returning veterans. Old folks run around with paper charts (GASP) and try to squeeze countless more bodies into the original wVu. It’s getting crowded out there.
Over the years, many folks have mentioned not just the need to tweak the traditional drill to accommodate our growth, but the wish we could somehow be even more integrated with The Pride during pregame. Both the Board of Directors and the Band Office have shared the same vision. For over a year, the BOD brainstormed ideas to make our 50th Anniversary extra special at pregame. After many discussions with the Band Office, we were all able to make that dream of performing with The Pride and perform Simple Gifts come true.
Thanks to Dr. Scott Tobias, who took on the challenge of writing a massive drill for approximately 700 bodies, and Dr. Stephen Lytle, who collaborated with him and took on the challenge of modifying The Pride’s pregamedrill...and has the personal courage to believe we can pull it off and lead this massive effort with a little over an hour of Alumni Band drill setting and no joint rehearsal beforehand.
The Pride and the WVU Alumni Band will field a joint pregame show never seen before. Friends, I’ve had a chance to see the drill...in motion...on the fancy cell phone app the kids use these days. It’s Brilliant. I’m telling you here and now...THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT!!!!!
As I’ve grown older these last few years, I’ll admit the thought of the run on and then having the ability to execute the downfield medley has given me pause. I know many of you share those concerns, but Wild Horses Could Not Keep Me Off The Field This Year. So, my friends please take a second look at the music downloads on our website and make sure you have ALL of the tunes printed.
Contributed by: Ellen Ramey
WVU Alumni Band, Inc.
