The Ole Miss Band has the most embarrassing practice field in the SEC and here’s what we can do about it
Let’s get this out of the way early: the Ole Miss Band has the worst practice field in the SEC and it’s not even close.
When I enrolled at the University of Mississippi in 20-*mumbles*, I was a 17-year-old flutist from a small town who couldn’t believe I was playing in an SEC college band. Naturally, I had no idea the band was one of the most underfunded and underequipped in the conference. All I knew was I passed up a handful of full-ride music scholarships back home in Arkansas for a much smaller amount in Mississippi because I wanted to play for the Pride of the South.
Being that naive meant it didn’t mean much to me that first day of orientation when the band’s director, David Willson, remarked how installing field lights for night practices had been a relatively recent achievement. I also didn’t realize the field was too short until one afternoon practice when the flute section had to march right into a row of trees. On rainy days, we’d slip and slide through the mud and struggled to see the spray-painted hash marks that helped guide us through our pregame and halftime shows.
Of course, ignorance is bliss. Most of my favorite college memories happened on that field. It’s where I met some of my oldest and best friends. You don’t join the Pride of the South for the perks, of which there are none — you join for the experience, not to mention the unique camaraderie formed among a group of college students who willingly say, “Why drink bourbon under chandeliers every Saturday when I can play Forward Rebels roughly a billion times and sweat my ass off in the least breathable band uniform known to man?” We did a lot with very little as Mr. Willson and the band staff worked tirelessly to help the band get the recognition and the resources it deserved.
That was almost [redacted] years ago, and the sad thing is not much has changed. No other SEC marching band has to prepare for nationally televised games in an ant-infested mud pit, so why is the school that prides itself on having the most opulent tailgating experience in the country unable to provide a decent practice facility for its oldest (and best, in my totally unbiased opinion) game-day tradition?
I had the chance to see and experience plenty of incredible things during my time at UM. I covered a presidential debate, drank all the bourbon in Dallas at two Cotton Bowls, and might be the only student in school history stupid enough to serve as editor of the newspaper and yearbook in consecutive years. But nothing was more formative or meaningful to me than my time as a member of the Pride of the South, which is why I’m fiercely dedicated to helping them raise the money needed for a proper field.
I know a band practice field might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of everything we’ve experienced over the past year. But for Ole Miss fans, game day in Oxford is an undeniable part of the return to normalcy we so badly want, and the band is a crucial part of that cherished experience. At the end of the day, supporting Ole Miss football means supporting the Ole Miss Band. And if enough of us come together to donate whatever we can to the field fund, no matter the amount, it’s a good start in helping them get the support they deserve.
The Pride of the South has been the soundtrack of some of the best Saturdays of our lives. It’s time to return the favor.
