They pledge to return for Homecoming year after year, decade after decade, driven by the kind of dedication that prompted one member to have a likeness of the Diamond Ohio formation tattoed on his arm. 

They are the Marching 110. And they are having the time of their lives. 

Ohio University's marching band is a campus family like no other. Some 180 students strong ("110" used to stand for the number of musicians, but now refers to the 110 percent effort expected on and off the field), the band is building on traditions that date back to 1923. Its members say they've never experienced this kind of camaraderie and satisfaction before, and some clearly don't expect to again. 

  "What I really like most is the impact this band has had on the university," says Michelle White, 22, of Canal Winchester, Ohio. A senior majoring in music education and English education, White leads the band's euphonium section, meaning she holds one of about 30 coveted"staff" positions. "I tell people I'm in the 110 and their first response is, `Oh, my God, I love you guys!'" 
 

Rick Fatica

Band members prepare for last fall's Homecoming halftime performance.

That's the kind of reaction Director Richard Suk is shooting for in New York City this fall when the band marches in the 74th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The event is the band'sfirst Big Apple appearance since 1976, when it became the first marching band ever to play in Carnegie Hall. 

"This will give us more exposure on the national level," says Suk, who has directed the band since 1996. "We have some notoriety regionally, but I don't believe we've had an impact on the national level, and I'd like to. The Macy's parade is a strong move in that direction." 

Suk landed the Macy's gig after two tries, selling parade organizers on the Marching 110 in part by emphasizing its unique, dance-heavy presentation style. The look is familiar to Ohioans -- last fall, the band performed at a Brons game in Cleveland and a Bengals contest in Cincinnati and gave a post-game performance at Ohio Stadium when the Bobcats played the Ohio State Buckeyes -- but doesn't get the exposure of its counterparts at Big Ten or Southeastern conference schools. 

That's an opportunity members say the 110 has earned. 

"Doing something as big as Macy's gives us the national recognition that we deserve,"says senior Michele Seymour, 21, an elementary education major from Springfield, Ohio, and leader of the mellophone section. "Not only are we going to show this nation how good we are, we're going to have a blast doing it!" 
 

Bob Krist

A rehearsal along the Hocking River raises some dust.

Adds Eric Best, 22, of Canton, Ohio, a senior majoring in electrical engineering who plays the cymbals: "This is an excellent way for us to expose more people to `The Most Exciting Band in the Land.` We are a great band that always gives 110 percent in everything we do. We deserve more credit and recognition." 

That kind of confidence is typical of Marching 110 members, who Suk says constantly push him and his staff to be at the top of their game -- from a rig 

orous weeklong band camp at summer's end to season-ending performances for students, alumni and parents at Memorial Auditorium and Ohio Theatre in Columbus each November. Members rehearse an hour and a half every day and longer on Thursdays, when they practice dance moves on the floor of the Convocation 

Center. They even propose more than half of the band's repertoire, a combination of 110 standards, new rock tunes and a few ballads. 

"They work so hard that I'm afraid to come to rehearsal unprepared -- because they're prepared," Suk says. "They show up ready to work. They absolutely want to be the best."That's an attitude that has prevailed through some challenging times in the band's history, and there have been those. Among the most pivotal was a decision to exclude women beginning in 1967, when the Ohio University Marching Band became the 110 Marching Men and adopted the strenuous danc e routines it is known for today. Itwas 1975 before women rejoined the band. 
 

Bob Krist

Jamie Wentz, BSED `99, belts out a tune on her mellophone.

And there were the days when leaning harder on freshmen was considered not hazing but tradition. In recent years, the practice of making first-years march into the Hocking River has been replaced by a new tradition: "The whole band will get in formation and they'll sing the fight song and march into the Hocking," Suk says. "Those kinds of things really bond them." 

The rapport is rampant. "No matter how bad of a day I'm having," White says, "if I'm wearing my band jacket, I can step back and know that I belong to a large family. I will always have friends I know I can depend on." 

"All of my friends are in the band," adds Bob Gonzalez, 22, a senior majoring in instrumental music education. We are so close it's scary." 

Gonzalez' hometown of Conneaut, Ohio, has produced more than its share of Marching 110 members thanks to an alumnus who introduced the same style to the high school band there about 30 years ago. He remembers about a dozen belonging when he was a sophomore and says seven or eight were expected this fall. 

"It is very common for people who love the band in high school to come down here to Athens to be part of the 110, says Gonzalez, who first saw the band perform when he was a third-grader in Conneaut. "The dancing, the rock tunes ... it was an amazing experience for a kid. I decided then that I would come to Ohio University and be in this marching band." 

The Marching 110 drew senior Luke Jennigan to Athens, too. A 22-year-old visual communications major from Gahanna, Ohio, Jennigan maintains the band's Web page at www.ohiou.edu/marching110. "I made a commitment to this band as a freshman and I have enjoyed it so much that I went so far as to get a tattoo of the Diamond Ohio on my arm," Jennigan says. "I did that knowing it would be there the remainder of my life."A tattoo -- and many memories. 

Mary Alice Casey is editor of Ohio Today. 
 
 

Alumni keep step with today's band  By Jack Jeffery

Imagine being able to relive your fondest college memories on a single day. Hundreds of Marching 110 alumni seize that opportunity every October  . Between 150 and 200 former band members return to tailgate, talk shop and participate in the Homecoming Weekend parade and halftime and post-game shows. The tradition accentuates the allegiance of alumni and their desire to keep in touch with current members.  "Having gone through an experience that was so consuming, we share a bond that doesn't fade after graduation," says Jennifer Shutt Bowie, BSJ '94 and MSC '99, of Athens, a former flag unit member. "During fall quarter, nearly every moment I wasn't in class or studying was spent with fellow band members."  For former trumpet player Dennis Moore, BMUS '72 and MM '74, of Warren, Ohio, the weekends have become a family reunion. His son, Chris, leads the band's trumpet section.  "I can't find the words to express how exciting it is to come back and march and have my son on the same field," says the elder Moore, who directs the Niles McKinley High School Marching Band. "Most parents don't have the opportunity to see their sons and daughters do what they did at the same age."  Chris Moore shares his father's enthusiasm. "It's really neat at post-game when he gets to stand next to me," he says. "My dad says that his experience in the band ranks up there with getting married and having a child born."  A strong link exists between other past and present members as well.  "There's a lot of camaraderie between alumni and current band members," says George Brozak, BMUS '90 and MMUS '92, who just left his position as band director at Tiffin (Ohio) Columbian High School to pursue a doctorate in music education. "As an alumnus, I continue to take pride in the quality of the band."  Director Richard Suk says alumni give current band members a beneficial perspective.  "They love the band so much that they live for coming back and meeting with their old friends, and I think it's good for the band to see that. They say, `Wow, 10 years from now, this is still going to be important to me.`"  Bowie sees her support as an obligation she's happy to keep.  "When we were in the band, previous members supported us, and it's important to continue that legacy," she says. "These students marching now represent us all, and they've done a great job of maintaining the tradition."  Jack Jeffery is a media specialist in University Media Services.

 

To stay in touch

If you're a former Marching 110 member interested in keeping in closer touch with the band or meeting up with old friends, you may want to join the Marching Band Society of Alumni and Friends. For information, contact the Alumni Association at (740) 593-4300 or alumni@ohio.edu.