The Marching Virginians are composed of over 330 individuals; all of whom are dedicated to creating spectacular performances for the amazing fans of Virginia Tech football. Every MV works diligently to create the best show they can, and this would not be possible without the passionate leadership team that goes above and beyond every day. To find out more about what it means to be leadership, Marching with the Virginians sat down with a few members.
Reilly VanDyke, Colorguard, Captain
Source: MV Online Content
What is it like to balance leadership responsibilities with your own marching responsibilities?
“It’s not too difficult because we’re all doing the same thing…there is some difficulty though because we can’t learn outside of practice. So we need to make sure we’re doing things correctly.”
— Reilly VanDyke
What’s your favorite part of being in leadership?
“I just really like twirling my flag and helping others improve because it’s kind of like recess!”
— Reilly VanDyke
Jillian Sasso, Net, Service Officer
Source: MV Online Content
How has your experience in the MVs changed since becoming leadership?
“It’s a lot more behind the scenes, [as an officer] a lot of what we do is stuff the band probably doesn’t know about…so I now have a different perspective on how this huge organization is run.”
— Jillian Sasso
What inspired you to try out for leadership?
“In my high school, there were a lot of ideas I had on how to improve the band that I wasn’t able to do, and so when I came to the MVs I wanted to facilitate those changes, so that everyone has an amazing experience!”
— Jillian Sasso
Amelia Kurowska, Colorguard, Rank Captain
Source: Jess Savage
Why did you want to do leadership?
“I wanted to be more involved in what goes on in the band, on the band’s activities so that guard can always feel included.”
— Amelia Kurowska
What is it like to balance leadership responsibilities with your own marching responsibilities?
“Sometimes it’s a bit harder to balance things when there’s a visual issue and you need to check that everyone is in the right place. Figuring out how people can improve is difficult…you can’t spin and fix things at the same time, so you have to step out, and you lose practice time then.”
— Amelia Kurowska
Kat Zinn, Colorguard, Rank Captain
Source: Jess Savage
What’s your favorite part of the job?
“I enjoy seeing the improvement through each show because sometimes you don’t notice just how great it looks until it’s on the field.”
— Kat Zinn
Do you find the responsibilities of leadership challenging?
“It depends on the year and show because some people may need more help and it depends on how much time you have.”
— Kat Zinn
Andrew Stewart, Tone, Section Leader
Source: MV Online Content
Why did you want to do leadership?
“I’ve been in leadership for the past three years, and I wanted to be in leadership because I love this organization and all the people in it. Being in the band has been an honor.”
— Andrew Stewart
What’s your favorite part about being in leadership?
“Personally, I would say my section. My section makes coming back for leadership worth it every single time” *Interviewer’s note: Andrew was smiling profusely*
— Andrew Stewart
Simply put, the members of leadership are those most dedicated MVs, who make sure every show is jaw-droppingly magnificent. The responsibilities and duties they have require them to put in so much work, but these passionate MVs do it because of their love for the band. The improvements made at each practice, the engagement with the community, and the overall spirit of the MVs are due to leadership. The band cannot thank this group enough for all that they do, so thank you leadership for being awesome!