Homecoming – VT vs. Miami

Warm-up in the cold! (Source: Beau Wong)

On the morning of October 15th, the Marching Virginians could be heard warming up in the frigid October air. After a brief but productive rehearsal, it was game time! After a three-week hiatus from Hokie football, the MVs were more than excited to get back into Lane and put on a show. That day, we’d be going up against Miami, a team that’s had their own fair share of high and lows this season.

High-fives! (Source: Beau Wong)

The March to Victory was particularly lively and jam-packed this time around. Why? Because it was homecoming, of course! Along with the usual tailgaters and super-fans, hundreds of alumni new and old lined the path to Lane Stadium and high-fived the Marching Virginians as they passed by.

1st Half

After the usual pre-game ritual in Lane, it was game time! The first half was disappointing for Hokie fans, to say the least. There were whispers of losing our streak of not being shut out; it's the third-longest active streak in the nation among FBS schools at over 350 games long. The first quarter ended 0 VT - 10 Miami.

WR #3 Da’Wain Lofton running the ball (Source: HokieSports)

With the Hokies down 0 - 17 at halftime, the MVs knew we had to do all we could to keep morale high in Lane Stadium. We got down onto the field and did what we do best; have the time of our lives out on the field!

Halftime

The Marching Virginians take the field! (Source: Beau Wong)

Preparing to perform the Virginia Tech Alma Mater (Source: Beau Wong)

This show was Homecoming, so we played a blend of traditional tunes and newer, more modern tunes. We played Preamble and the theme from Game of Thrones, which are both new this year, and marched into the shape of the vintage big VT. We finished the Game of Thrones theme with the form of a crown and a big “2022” to celebrate the homecoming royalty for this year. Next, we marched into a big block to play Moonlight and VPI as the homecoming royalty candidates made their way onto the field with their companions. After the three members of the Homecoming Court were named, Lane Stadium sang along to Alma Mater. And what better way to end a show than with every Hokie’s favorite song? The MVs Tech Triumphed off the field and completed our homecoming halftime show to lots of applause from the audience!

2nd Half

RB #24 Malachi Thomas making a picture-perfect play! (source: HokieSports)

The third quarter didn’t provide much hope for the Hokies, as the score was 0 VT - 20 Miami by the end of it. After another scary quarter of no scoring for the Hokies, the Hokies had a miraculous fourth quarter with two touchdowns. Though our shutout streak was saved, it wasn't enough to defeat the Miami Hurricanes, and the Hokies came away with another tough loss. 

The Hokies, hands on each others backs, listening to the band perform (Source: HokieSports)

Though the outcome of the game wasn’t how we’d hoped, the MVs still have a lot to be grateful for. The weather was beautiful and it’s always an honor to cheer on the Hokies. Afterall, we’re called The Spirit of Tech for a reason!

Spirit Week with The Spirit of Tech!

This week is Homecoming at Virginia Tech, a time where we welcome our alumni home and celebrate all the amazing things about our University. With events all week, the competition for Homecoming court, and fun celebrations such as the Friday night parade all leading up to the big game on Saturday, there is so much spirit running rampant through the University. 

For Homecoming week, Tau Beta Sigma organizes a Spirit Week for the Marching Virginians, a competition between the sections to see who has the most spirit in the band. 

Spirit Week consists of themed dress-up days with sections gaining points for participation. In addition to dress up days, points are earned through donations. As an organization, we are committed to serving the community around us, so at the end of the week, all Spirit Week donations get pulled together and will be donated to Cancer Research Institute, a non-profit organization researching cancer based in New York City. At the end of the week, the winning section receives party hats and the ability to choose a stand tune of their choice at Saturday’s football game, Homecoming against Miami.

Section Traditions

During Spirit Week, our Drum Majors, Managers, and Twirlers team up! (Source: Gillian Murphy)

During Spirit Week, there are some fun section traditions that take place. One notable one is of a competition between the combined saxophone section and the tuba section, where they “anti-theme”, purposefully dressing up in the opposite of the assigned theme. According to Saxophone Section Leader Daniel Gaete, they do this to earn the most negative amount of points possible, wanting to show their MV Spirit in their own way. Additionally, for Spirit Week, the Managers combine sections with the Drum Majors and Twirlers, joining forces to win as many points for their team.

Mosaic Monday

Our Nets sporting orange! (Source: Aaron George)

Monday started us off with Mosaic Monday, where sections were assigned a color to wear to earn points for their team. Practice looked beautiful, with hundreds of our amazing members matching each other. The Trombones quickly took the lead, gaining almost 100 points on the first day. Sections went all out, with people dressing from head to toe in their color. After everyone saw how committed the other sections were, donations started rolling in, kickstarting the service initiative.

Tropical Tuesday

Our Tropical Tones! (Source: Andrew Stewart)

Tuesday gave us Tropical Tuesday, where the band dressed up for a warm, tropical vacation on a cold, October night. Sections appeared in leis, hats, and sunglasses. Almost every single section received 100% participation rates, maximizing the amount of points they could earn. The winners from Monday were announced at rehearsal, and sections following close behind began sending in donations to increase their point totals and attempt to dethrone the winning section. The Trombones maintained their lead, with the Trumpets within 15 points. The competition is close, with it still being anyone’s game.

Looking Forward to Game Day!

Our twinning Drum Majors! (Source: Calvin Moore)

As we finish the rest of the week, the anticipation as to who will be the 2022 Marching Virginians Spirit Week winner is high. The themes for the last two days are Wacky Wednesday and Twin Thursday, both themes with a lot of room for creativity. As of Thursday, the lead is still held by the Trombones, but everythign could get turned on it’s head from donations in these last few days! Through this week’s donations, the MVs are taking the time to embody ‘Ut Prosim”, the school’s motto: “That I May Serve.” We are truly an organization devoted to giving back to the wonderful community around us.

Check back next week for our homecoming game recap!

Meet the Blog Writing Team!

It’s been a long couple weeks of back-to-back home football games, so now that we have a small breather, we’re thrilled to introduce our Blog Writing Team for this season! Up until now, all posts were written and edited by our Marketing Communications Officers, Abbie Robertson and Andrew Stewart. Members of the Multimedia Team filled out applications and were selected by the Multimedia Officers based on their aptitudes for photography, graphic design, and for our Blog Writing Team, writing.

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Marketing Communications Officers

Abbie Robertson

Abbie is a sophomore at Virginia Tech from Roanoke, VA, and is double majoring in Mathematics Education and Psychology. This is her second year marching in the tenor sax section in the MVs and is one of the Marketing Communications Officers. After her first year, she knew she needed to put more time into the organization and community that truly made Virginia Tech home. Every band she was in - the Marching Virginians, Campus and Symphony Band, Pep Band - secured her passion for this school, the music department, and the people involved in the bands. Some of her other passions are using her red hair as her only personality trait, making a fool of herself, and recently she’s picked up her old hobby of reading again. She is incredibly excited for what this year has to offer!

Andrew Stewart

Andrew Stewart is a junior from Hillsboro, VA majoring in Industrial and Systems Engineering, and minoring in Human-Computer Interactions. He is in his third year with the Marching Virginians, is serving as a baritone rank captain for his second year, and is a Marketing Communications Officer this year! Apart from The Marching Virginians, Andrew is a proud member of the Hokies Volleyball and Basketball Pep Bands, and is a brother of Kappa Kappa Psi. Outside of the band, Andrew enjoys lifting weights, stargazing, Britney Spears, and telling people about his tattoo. Andrew hopes to apply to the ISE graduate school program to study cognitive engineering or biomechanics. Andrew is very excited to serve the band in every way he can!

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Blog Writing Team

Julia Darden

Julia is a second year History major from Yorktown, Virginia. She focuses mainly on American and European History and wants to use her education to work in Museums. This is her second year in the Marching Virginians saxophone section and her second year on the multimedia team. Outside of MV’s she has participated in Campus Band and Symphony Band. Julia has played saxophone for nine years and she was Band President and Drum Major for the Grafton High School Marching band her junior and senior years of high school. Hobbies outside of band include reading an absurd amount of books, making bomb smoothies, and telling everyone around her that “they sang this on Glee”!

Emy Delaporte

Emy is a dual degree sophomore in technical writing and journalism with double minors in natural resources and conservation. This is her second season marching with and blogging for the Marching Virginians! She’s a proud member of the MVPix. Outside of the band, she’s an editor for the Silhouette magazine and blog and a staff writer for the Collegiate Times, as well as a member of the Bird Club, The Wildlife Society, the National Deer Association, and more. Emy likes to spend her free time birding, volunteering in CNRE’s Wildlife Habitat and Population Analysis lab, writing novels, camping, going on drives, and taking in the cold night air.

Sarah-Faith Mukuna

Sarah-Faith is a second year engineering major from Fairfax County, VA, with plans to declare Biological Systems Engineering on the Health Professions (specifically pre-med) track. She also minors in French. She is a proud member of Rank 69, the managers section! One of her biggest hobbies is writing, which is why she is so excited to serve the band on this team! Sarah-Faith also loves listening to music and playing her instruments; she just started playing the tenor sax! Outside of MVs, Sarah-Faith is the Treasurer of Tau Beta Sigma and a member of National Society of Black Engineers. In her free time, she loves reading books (90% chance it’s Percy Jackson), going to the gym, and cooking.

Emery Poulsen

Emery is a senior from Fairfax County, Virginia and is studying Environmental Data Science. This is her fourth and final year as a member of the Marching Virginians, where she serves the band as its Treasurer. She has loved her time in the baritone section, where she finds herself laughing constantly. Trying out for the MVs was the best decision Emery could have made coming into college, and she hopes to communicate that through her blog posts! She's excited to write for Marching with the Virginians for a fourth year. Outside of the Marching Virginians, Emery is involved in numerous other student organizations, including serving as the Treasurer for Kappa Kappa Psi, being a Programming Executive for the Big Event at Virginia Tech, practicing with the Virginia Tech Running Club, or playing in the Hokies Pep Band. In her occasional spare time, Emery loves running, hiking, and trying new foods.

Atlas Vernier

Atlas is a fifth-year student at Tech pursuing dual degrees in Industrial & Systems Engineering and French. This is their fifth year playing piccolo in the Marching Virginians, where they are the proud rank captain of Rank 7! They serve as a photographer and a writer for the MV Blog. Outside of marching band, Atlas is a researcher, focusing on immersive augmented/virtual reality experiences and autonomous collaborative robotics. They are also a translator and subtitler for multiple international broadcasts, as well as a post-production lead for a TV series set to be released in 2023. Atlas is so excited to be a part of the multimedia team, and they can't wait to share their experiences and stories!

Pregame – VT vs. West Virginia

Our March to Victory (source: HokieSports)

Thursday night football has a special effect on Hokie Nation — with Lane Stadium sold out of seats and a game against old-time rivals, the game was a hard-fought battle! This was the first time we had played against West Virginia at home since 2004, when Virginia Tech left the Big East Conference. The rivalry, starting in 1912, is currently led by West Virginia with 30 wins for West Virginia, 23 for Virginia Tech, and 1 tie. The crown jewel of the rivalry, however, is the “Black Diamond Trophy”: a trophy that began getting exchanged between the two schools in 1997 and named as such to represent the coal country across the two neighboring states.

Pregame

The MVs spelling out “TECH” (Source: HokieSports)

The Corps presenting the colors (Source: HokieSports)

This game was special to the Marching Virginians because it was out pregame performance! Instead of taking the field during halftime, the MVs took to the field before kick-off and performed out classic pregame show, filled with tunes classic to the Marching Virginians and Virginia Tech. The band began the performance by running onto the field in the form of the commonwealth of Virginia, and performed Superman. We gave a bow and played Shenandoah while two of our VTubas ran around the commonwealth. As the tubas ending in the location of Blacksburg, the band launched into cut time, and moved into the form of “The Big VT”, a set that is iconic to the band. We performed VPI Victory March –– a march that was composed in 1941 to commemorate an invigorating football victory, and has been performed ever since –– as we landed in a spell-out of the word Hokies. We then form another VT in the opposite direction, and then run in a massive circle, a move that is affectionally referred to as the Toilet Bowl. We spell out TECH facing both sides of the field, and then began out presentation of the flags of the United States, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Corps of Cadets flag, and a Virginia Tech flag. We performed Copland’s Colors, an arrangement of Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, as we presented a company front with the flag bearers right in the front, which was a very powerful moment and resulted in great applause! We then performed the national anthem, Tech Triumph, and then formed the tunnel for the team to run through at the end of Enter Sandman. It was an amazing experience to be a part of one of the best entrances in college football!

1st half

The Hokies taking the field through a tunnel of MVs (Source: HokieSports)

After an eventful pregame, the MVs were ready to do what we do best; hunker down and cheer on the Hokies to victory! The defense fought hard against West Virginia’s advances, only allowing three points to be scored during the first quarter. The second quarter, the Hokies offense stepped up, scoring a touchdown in the second quarter to lead over WVU’s 6 points after another field goal. With just 11 seconds left in the first half and the Hokies still full of hope, the Mountaineers scored a 24-yard touchdown to gain a 13 - 7 lead over the Hokies.

Halftime

The Pride of West Virginia (Source: WVU Foundation)

What’s better than watching one band perform at halftime? Watching two, of course! We got the special treat of hosting West Virginia’s band, the Mountaineer Marching Band, as they performed a Bruno Mars-themed show, featuring hits like Treasure, 24K Magic, and Runaway Baby. The Highty-Tighties, Virginia Tech’s regimental band, also performed a show –– their one halftime performance of the season. In the north end zone of Lane Stadium, the Marching Virginians enjoyed their only chance to sit back and relax while other bands entertained the crowd with a halftime show.

2nd Half

Running Back #23 Keshawn King breaking through West Virginia’s defense (Source: HokieSports)

After yet another 3 point gain for WVU, the Hokies closed within 16-10 on a field goal with around 4 and a half minutes left in the third quarter. Unfortunately, West Virginia answered, scoring on a 6-yard run at the beginning of the fourth quarter. It got ugly from there, with the Hokies scoring no points in the fourth quarter and the Mountaineers scoring an additional 17 to finish out the game.

Interesting to note –– the Hokies were hindered by penalties all night, committing a whopping 15 penalties for 132 yards. This is the highest number of penalties committed by the Hokies this season; the previous record being 14 penalties for 100 yards against ODU. The team was also riddled with penalties on both offense and defense, slowing any progress the team fought to make.

Though the football team wasn’t dominant on the field that night, they’re still #1 in the hearts of the Marching Virginians. We have loved our new tradition of singing Tech Triumph with the team at the end of the game, no matter the outcome. The relationship between the band and the team is a special one, and we look forward to supporting the Hokies for years to come.

Check back next week as we introduce our blog writing team!

All information referenced is courtesy of Wikipedia, the Virginia Tech History site, HokieSports, and ESPN.

Military Appreciation – VT vs. Wofford

This past Saturday was our annual Military Appreciation game! Hokie fans followed the “White Effect”, veterans were recognized, and the Highty-Tighties joined the Marching Virginians for our halftime show! The Hokies played Wofford College, a private college from Spartanburg, SC (and previous employer of our men’s basketball coach, Mike Young!). Despite an 11 AM kick-off — the earliest in Hokie football history — Lane Stadium was filled with 62,043 fans ready to cheer on the team!

1st Quarter

The Hokies take the field! (source: HokieSports)

While jumping to Enter Sandman, the fans and student sections sounded a bit more awake and ready for Hokie football! After the early-morning kick-off, the Hokies and Terriers pushed back and forth for the majority of the quarter. The Hokies averaged 5.6 yards per play on first downs, forcing the Terriers to continuously fall back. Towards the end of the quarter, the Hokies eventually got within range to go for a field goal on a fourth down, putting them in the lead. The score at the end of the first quarter was Wofford 0 – VT 3.

2nd Quarter

#2 Jadan Blue making a legendary catch! (source: HokieSports)

The second quarter allowed the Hokies to showcase our wide receiver, #2 Jadan Blue! Blade made three separate memorable catches over the course of the game, sending the crowd into hysteria! Blue also made his first touchdown as a Hokie during the second quarter, helping the Hokies put up a 17-point quarter! The Terreirs couldn’t handle the pressure put on them by our quarterback, #6 Grant Wells. The score at the end of the second quarter was Wofford 0 – VT 20.

Halftime

A tank formation as the band performs the Army hymn (source: HokieSports)

The Highty-Tighties (source: HokieSports)

The Marching Virginians opened our performance with Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. We then began our Armed Forces Medley, a collection of the anthems for each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Starting with Wild Blue Yonder, the Air Force’s anthem, we formed a plane on the field; Anchors Aweigh, the anthem of the Navy, was performed from the form of an anchor; the Marine’s Hymn was performed from a spell-out of the word “Marines”; Semper Paratus, the anthem of the Coast Guard, was performed in the form of a boat and the letters “C” and “G”; and The Army Goes Rolling Along was performed from the form of a tank". We then performed our national march, The Stars and Stripes Forever, and invited the Highty-Tighties onto the field to help us complete the form of the United States. Cadets in the Air Force ROTC unfurled a large U.S. flag in the middle of the set, and the combined bands received grateful applause! The combined bands ended our halftime performance with every Hokie’s favorite song, Tech Triumph!

The Marching Virginians and the Highty-Tighties form the United States (Source: HokieSports)

3rd Quarter

The Lunch Pail Defense (source: HokieSports)

When the MVs returned to the stands, the Hokies Lunch Pail Defense had its time to shine! Thanks to our star linebacker #4 Dax Hollifield, the Hokies allowed a mere 1.52 yards per run from Wofford, bolstering the Hokies defense as one of the strongest in the ACC at the moment! The score at the end of the third quarter was unchanged: Wofford 0 – VT 20.

4th Quarter

#22 Bryce Duke's first touchdown of the season!

(Source: HokieSports)

#22 Bryce Duke's first touchdown of the season!

(source: HokieSports)

#22 Bryce Duke's first touchdown of the season!

(source: HokieSports)

The fourth quarter opened up the opportunity for another first touchdown as a Hokie for running back #22 Bryce Duke. That many Hokie touchdowns wouldn’t have been possible without QB Grant Wells putting up 314 throwing yards! Much to the Hokies disappointment, however, the dreams of the game being Wofford’s third consecutive shutout were ended with less than ten minutes left in the quarter, as Wofford made a 3-yard touchdown run. While the touchdown put a slight damper on the mood, the Hokies still kept pushing through to the very end! The final score was Wofford 7 – VT 27. The Hokies record currently stands at 2-1 overall.

#4 Connor Blumrick and the team sing to Tech Triumph (source: HokieSports)

Check back next week for when the Hokies take on West Virginia at home for the Black Diamond Trophy!

All information referenced is courtesy of HokieSports, ESPN, and Bill Roth of the Virginia Tech Sports Network.

MV for a Day – VT vs. BC

It was an electrifying night in Lane Stadium this past Saturday as the Hokies took on Boston College in our first home game of the season! Coming off of a rocky start to the football season, the Hokies, backed by the Marching Virginians and every Hokie fan, cheered out team on to a 27-10 victory!

Though the game was exciting, the Marching Virginians had an even more exciting day – it was MV for a Day! We had over 500 high school students join us on Worsham Field from 10 states and over 70 schools to perform one of our show tunes,We Don’t Talk About Bruno, and a game-day classic, The Hokie Pokie.

1st Quarter

The Hokies take the field! (Source: HokieSports)

From the moment the Marching Virginians entered Lane Stadium, the excitement of game day became infectious! Many of the upperclassmen were refreshed to be back to jumping in Lane Stadium with 330 of their best friends! Once the game started, the Marching Virginians had no time to rest — not even a minute into the quarter, #9 Armani Chatman intercepts a pass and runs it straight to the 10 yard line! The crowd became deafeningly loud as all of our hopes for an exciting season were coming to realization. The score was BC 0 – VT 10 at the end of the first quarter.

2nd Quarter

#4 Conner Blumrick avoiding a tackle (Source: HokieSports)

Just one minute into the second quarter, #23 Keshawn King ran a 65-yard touchdown that got every Hokie on their feet! The Marching Virginians were ecstatic to see our team do so well under our new head coach, Brent Pry. For the remainder of the quarter, the Hokie’s Lunch Pail Defense proved to be hard to break, lead by #45 TyJuan Garbutt, having his greatest game of his career. With minutes left in the half, the Marching Virginians left the stands, and prepared to take the field for halftime! The score was BC 3 – VT 17 at the end of the second quarter.

Halftime

When halftime came around, the MVs took the field with our hype video playing on the jumbotron. We opened with the fiery latin tune, El Toro Caliente, featuring trumpet soloists Tommy Doubleday, Spencer Melillo, and Thomas McWithey.

Our trumpet section performing El Toro Caliente (source: HokieSports)

We then invited all 500 high schoolers onto the field to perform the hit song from Disney’s Encanto, We Don’t Talk About Bruno. We then had our VTubas rush to the front of the field to perform a fan favorite, The Hokie Pokie. After out tubas put on a stellar performance, we ended our halftime performance with every Hokie’s favorite song, Tech Triumph.

VTubas and MVs for a Day doing the Hokie Pokie (source: HokieSports)

3rd Quarter

#92 William Ross going for a kick (Source: HokieSports)

After halftime, the action picked up again as the Hokies Lunch Pail Defense once again held off Boston College, with a total of 6 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. As the Hokies continued to move the ball, #80 Kaleb Smith made a one-armed catch that brought the Hokies straight into the red zone! The score was BC 10 – VT 24 at the end of the third quarter.

4th Quarter

The Hokies cheer along to the Marching Virginians performing Tech Triumph (Source: HokieSports)

The Marching Virginians continued to cheer on our team to another field goal as light rain started falling. In some of the final moments of the game, it became clear that the Hokies were on their way to win the game they came in with 51.2% odds. The final score was BC 10 – VT 27. At the end of the game, the football team — as they do after every win — came to the north end zone to hear the band play and sing Tech Triumph, and Coach Pry celebrated along with us. It was a picture perfect opening home game to our season, and to the Pry Era of Hokie football!

Coach Pry celebrates his first home, season, and ACC win with Virginia Tech! (Source: HokieSports)

Check back next week for when the Hokies take on Wofford!

All information referenced is from ESPN and HokieSports.com

Game-Day Traditions

Our first home game of the season is just around the corner, and we’re super excited to be back in Lane Stadium! Ahead of the game against Boston College, we’d like to take some time to talk about some of our game-day traditions. While each section of the band has their own specific traditions that they hold dear, we’ll be looking at some of the traditions practiced by the entire band!

Motorcycles

Once game day officially starts with the Spirit of Tech donning their uniforms, we warm up with a fun game of “motorcycles”. Motorcycles consists of Dr. Polly calling out a number 1 through 7, and the MVs squatting down to different depths and shouting, eventually getting to 7 and (typically) falling on the ground.

(Source: Nayha Pochiraju)

March to Victory

The trek to Lane Stadium, beginning at the Marching Virginians Center, entails cheering fans, hyping up tailgaters, and plenty of high-fives. Each section of the MVs has synchronized dances, jigs, and cheers to hype everyone up!

(Source: Beau Wong)

Stack

Stack is the Marching Virginians Center’s very own Hokie Bird. Named in honor of Ryan “Stack” Clark, a baritone player who lost his life in the April 16th tragedy, Stack has become an important part of MV tradition. During our March to Victory, every MV gives Stack a pat on the back for good luck and to honor his memory.

(Source: Abbie Robertson)

The Hokie Pokie and Tech Triumph

During the game, the tubas take to the field to perform the Hokie Pokie, a staple of Hokie football tradition! After a hard fought game, the football team meets the Marching Virginians at the north end-zone to hear the band sing and perform Tech Triumph!

(Source: Nayha Pochiraju)

Superman

Ever since it was first performed during our pregame performance in 1982, the MVs have played the “Superman” theme at the end of a VT football game. This song connects the MVs to past, present, and future Marching Virginians. Some of our sections help people to “fly” like Superman by hoisting them up at the swell of the tune.

(Source: Andrew Single)

See you next week for our first game-day recap of the 2022 season!

Hokie Football is Back!

September has come, and every Hokie knows what that means — college football is back! The Marching Virginians are no exception to the excitement of our 2022 season, with our very first game being tonight at Old Dominion University with kickoff at 7:00 pm EST. This upcoming season is sure to be one to remember, as we introduce our new head coach, Brent Pry.

From Altoona, Pennsylvania, Pry spent time at Virginia Tech from 1995-97 as a graduate assistant to Hokie football legends Frank Beamer and Bud Foster and helped lead the Hokies to two consecutive New Years’ Day bowl games. Since 2016, Pry served as the defensive coordinator for Penn State, but was thrilled to return to Virginia Tech as our new head coach. Pry, upon returning to Virginia Tech, has fostered a “Ground Up” approach of building the team up to their full potential. The “Ground Up” initiative has also brought back a beloved piece of Hokie football tradition — the Lunch Pail.

Brent Pry speaking to The Marching Virginians (Source: Dave Knachel)

Coach Pry visited The Marching Virginians at one of our rehearsals and took the opportunity to speak with the band as a whole about his vision for the Spirit of Tech’s important role in game-day tradition. Pry voiced his appreciation of the band and the relationship that the band and football team have formed over the years. To reciprocate our appreciation, a small band visited the football team and surprised them by performing game day favorites! We also taught the football team the lyrics to Tech Triumph!

The Marching Virginians surprising the football team (source: Emily Saintsing)

Ahead of our opening game of the season, Pry will be facing off against a former colleague from Penn State, Old Dominion’s head coach Ricky Rahne. With many fresh faces on both the coaching staff and the team, the coaching staff was excited to announce our new starting quarterback, Grant Wells. The 6’2” junior transferred from Marshall and will be wearing #6. The Hokie’s record against ODU currently stands at 2-1, with ESPN giving the Hokies a 66.3% chance of victory over ODU.

The full band with Coach Brent Pry (source: Dave Knachel)

As we taught the football team during our surprise visit, “Win or lose, we'll greet you with a glad returning. You're the pride of V. P. I.”!

All information found in this post is from hokiesports.com and ESPN.

New Beginnings - Rookie Perspective

Our first week of classes comes to an end, we wanted to take time to reminisce on OUR favorite week of the year - band camp. Seven full days of marching, making music, and seeing our closest friends, as well as making new ones with rookies. We took the time to ask our rookies some questions about their journey of becoming part of the 2022 edition of the Marching Virginians!

We have 105 new marchers in the 2022 edition of the Marching Virginians!

Pictured: Our (bari)tone and (trom)bone sections source: Abbie Robertson

Question 1: How did you hear about the MVs?

Pictured: Our trumpet section and drum major Thomas Chase source: Abbie Robertson

Jeremy Teague (3rd-year rookie, Trumpet)

• “My brother was one. He graduated last winter, so I went to the games recently. I’ve always loved marching band.”

Alex Shupp (1st-year rookie, Alto sax)

• “I always knew of college marching band, but I heard about MVs through my brother.”

Lauren Watt (1st-year rookie, Trumpet)

• “When I started looking at schools I knew I was going to be checking out the marching band programs because it’s something I was passionate about in high school and wanted to continue in college so when I looked into Virginia Tech I got to see how important the MV’s are to the community and just generally how awesome and dedicated the band is!”

Question 2: What was your audition process like?

Pictured: Our goofy sax section source: Andrew Stewart

Jeremy Teague

• “It wasn’t too difficult, but it was very mental. Try to keep my focus and not get stressed about getting in. They told us to have fun and I made friends early.”

Alex Shupp

• “I thought it was going to be a lot more stressful, but all the upperclassmen made me feel welcome as soon as I got there.”

Lauren Watt

• “My audition experience was interesting! Over the summer I got to practice a little bit of music and marching as the first part of the audition and when I started band camp everyone was very nice and encouraging while I tried out in person. Overall it was very fun and I really liked the process!”

Question 3: What are you most excited for as a rookie?

Pictured: Our 37-person net section source: Abbie Robertson

Jeremy Teague

• “The football games. It’s so fun watching it, but it’ll be even better being a part of it. The environment in the stadium is awesome.”

Alex Shupp

• “Football games. I’ve watched the marching band from afar, but now that I know the dances, it’ll be so fun.”

Lauren Watt

• “It’s a little nerve-wracking as well but as a rookie I’m most excited for my first time playing in Lane Stadium as an official MV, getting to experience what it’s like in the stands, hearing enter sandman, and marching the show!”

Question 4: What has been your favorite part of MVs so far?

Pictured: Our lovely piccolo section source: Abbie Robertson

Jeremy Teague

• “So far, honestly, the breaks we get to play with our sections. The fun we get to have with our sections outside of marching.”

Alex Shupp

• “All of the saxophone traditions. Especially rank traditions #bank rank is the best rank”

Lauren Watt

• “My favorite part of being an MV is definitely the connection I feel to my section. Everyone is so kind to each other and upbeat and I really like getting to hang out together in and out of practice! I’m very grateful for the positivity and acceptance that I feel each time I interact with anyone in the band and it makes me so proud to call myself a Marching Virginian.”

We are so excited for what this year has to offer!

Pictured: The horns and their corn source: Abbie Robertson