The Marching Utes are back on the field this football season and are ready to not only entertain fans, but to energize the football team as well. Dubbed the “Pride of Utah,” the marching band comprises about 160 students from all academic levels and nearly every major.The band plays at all home football games, away games at Utah State and BYU and a few other away games.”We think our band is awesome,” said Kyle Whittingham, head coach of the U football team. “They’re a top-notch band, and I wish they could travel with us every week.” Whittingham said the band is a huge motivator for the team. “It’s such a boost to our football team to have that band in the stadium-just the atmosphere it creates,” he said. “Between the band and the MUSS, I think we have as good a home atmosphere as anywhere in the country.”Eric Peterson, the director of the Marching Utes, said the band puts in more hours than almost any other group on campus. “If a student plays in the marching band and also plays in the pep bands in the fall and spring, he’ll have put in over 1,300 hours by May,” Peterson said. The band spends much of its time working on choreography, also called drill. “For every minute of drill that you see on the field, that is equal to three hours of preparation,” Peterson said. But the time commitment is worth it, he said.Peterson also said that what the band lacks in size, it makes up for in talent. “We’re not the largest band in the conference, but we play the cleanest, with the most musicianship.” Maintaining an experienced marching band is difficult, though, Peterson said, especially when band members leave for missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The fact that so few students have had prior marching experience also affects the band, because about 80 to 90 percent of new recruits have never marched in a band before, he said.Dan Tripi, a sophomore clarinet player in the marching band, said the new recruits to the band this year have adjusted well.”People learn the music and drill relatively fast, but we have to perfect it,” he said.Pre-game and half-time shows can be intimidating for new recruits, Tripi said, because football games at Rice-Eccles Stadium since the 2003 season have averaged more than 42,000 fans per meet. “The veterans are used to it; they know how it feels to be in a full stadium with everyone watching you,” he said. “We’ve definitely got an adrenaline rush.”With so much pressure on the band, only the best players are accepted.”We want outstanding musicians. I personally listen to all the students auditioning,” Peterson said. “I’d like to see our numbers grow. It’s a great way for students to bond immediately. It’s like having 160 other friends instantly,” he said.The Pride of Utah can be seen at home games at Rice-Eccles Stadium this year.
Lennie MahlerThe Marchin’ Utes perform before the last home football game against Northern Arizona University.