1. Band members were told multiple times that KSU fans and band members are the favorite fans to come to the Bowl Games by people working at the hotels and restaurants. Why??? Because they are the most polite and nice fans they see (and they see a lot of fans with the two big bowl games).
2. Son was very impressed that the Baylor players attended the game to cheer for the Cats.
3. The parade was tough. Said the drumline and tuba players had it the worst because they had to carry the heaviest instruments. Cymbals are tough because you have to hold them out in front of you the whole time. They are not as light as you might think.
4. Percussion and tuba players were annoyed with the piccolo players because they had so much energy left after the parade. Percussion in particular was tough as they got no water during the parade because they had to continuously play the cadence between songs.
5. A high school band came over to play the KSU Fight Song for The Pride. Then The Pride played it for the high school band. Apparently the high school band thoughts were "oh crxp, those guys are good".
6. The Pride got a lot of positive comments about their performances from a lot of Michigan fans.
7. There were a lot of drunk students in the student section. They sold beer in aluminum bottles.
8. Two 1100 mile, 2 day bus trips weren't that bad.
9. The bowl game itself was a blast. Said it got boring when the Cats got so far ahead. He was hoping for a game like the TCU game. (Being a loooooong time Cat fan, I told him no blow out is big enough! Not sure this 18 year old gets the concept yet.)
10. Band members were given $140 cash to spend on food. He came home with about $70 of it yet he ate well. (That's my boy!)
11. Introduced several cymbal players to calimari for dinner one night.
12. He thought this would be his only year in The Pride because of the time commitment. That decision is being reconsidered.
13. Being a member of The Pride is a very rewarding experience.
Go Cats!!
