4C
HOMECOMING
THE UNIVERSITY OF HARVEY KANSAS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2006
Alumni band hits high note with Homecoming game
Graduates feed off the crowd support, reunite with friends
BY DYLAN SCHOONOVER
Beverly Bernardi, a four-year feature twirler from 1974 to 1978, said she enjoyed feeling the crowd support the alumni's efforts. She said she continued to come back because of the experience KU provides.
The University of Kansas Alumni Band returns home this Saturday to perform during halftime of the Jayhawks Homecoming game against Texas A&M. Some members will be picking up their instruments for the first time in years, while for others it has been only a few weeks.
"The alumni association rolls out the red carpet for us," she said. "When you step out on
that field, you can feel the spirit of KU running through your veins"
Bernardi said the memories formed with band mates during her years at the University continued to shine through today. She said the sound might be a little off and the members might miss a step marching, but the crowd still fed off their performance.
"We know we aren't perfect." Bernardi said. "We are all here for the same reason. We love KU"
Besides performing at halftime on game day, the alumni plan to celebrate their 34th reunion over the weekend. It's a reunion that Jeff Miller, 1975 graduate, remembers from the beginning. Miller began playing trumpet for the KU marching band in 1971. He has been
back performing during the Homecoming game each year since he graduated. Miller said seeing old friends and getting to perform one more time kept bringing him back.
"I've made many lifelong friendships from marching band," Miller said. "Some of us live far away and it's good to see each other at least one more time."
Before the game, the alumni will rehearse the traditional fight songs that they will perform during the parade. Miller said the parade in the morning gave the band a chance to get the kinks out before they performed in front of the whole stadium. He said nothing could replace marching on the field, but the parade served as the 'pep rally' before the main event.
"I've enjoyed every time back," Miller said. "I look forward to many more years to come."
Normally the halftime amenities would pull the crowd away from their seats, but this weekend the audience of 50,071 people will be centered on the field. As Bernardi self-proclaims, it will be exciting to watch the 'World Famous, KU Alumni Band.'
Kansan correspondent Dylan Schoonover can be contacted at editor@kansan.com.
Members of the University of Kansas Marching Jayhawks pose around their bus in 1975.
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Mark Taylor looks on as Dane Martin holds Missy Martin in the air. The three used to be cheerleaders and returned for a previous Homecoming weekend.
TRADITION OF ALUMNI CHEERLEADERS ENDS
Because of a recent change in policy by the KU Athletics Department, alumni cheerleaders will no longer be allowed to cheer alongside current squad members at the Homecoming football game.
"I am disappointed that it is no longer an option for KU alumni cheerleaders to take part in the Homecoming game," said Dane Martin, 1997 graduate and former cheerleader.
Martin and his wife Missy, 1998 graduate, met through KU cheer, and have returned as alumni to several Homecoming games.
"It has become a bit of a tradition for us, and we will miss it," Martin said. "It was a lot of fun to be in front of a crowd at the football games doing all of the stuff that we love to do."
Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director, said liability issues prompted the policy change, which was made last week.
"The former cheerleaders
Stone said the presence of alumni affected the performance of the current squad.
"The current cheerleaders want to look good for the alumni to show them that the cheer program is doing well and they're trying to uphold our strong cheer tradition," said Stone.
"We plan on returning to watch the game as spectators because we enjoy seeing all of our old friends," Martin said.
"They just come on down," Stone said. "They cheer as much of the game as they want to."
Dane and Missy Martin plan on attending this year's game with their two children.
Corey Stone, head cheerleading coach, said that usually around 10 alumni come back for the Homecoming game.
Kansan correspondent Jaime Netzer can be contacted at editor@kansan.com.
"Safety is an issue in cases where people are not in good practice like they were on the squad," he said. "It is the training and proper spotting that makes squads safe."
"The cheerleading association itself has sent out some reminders about cheerleader safety," said Marchiony. "One of the things that the association stressed was that nobody should be out there who is not properly trained."
will not be performing because they haven't been training like our cheerleaders have, and we don't want anybody to get hurt." Marchiony said.
Marchiony said that no specific incident prompted the change.
Edited by Brett Bolton
Martin said that he remembered alumni cheering at every Homecoming game during his time at the University of Kansas.
Martin also said that he understood the Athletics Department's concern over liability issues.
"It was always good to see the people that had cheered before," he said. "Some years, it seemed they came back and were better than the current squad."